Young UAlbany Seeks to End Skid At Carolina Classic

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The young UAlbany volleyball team heads south to the Tar Heel State to compete in the Carolina Classic for three matches.

The Great Danes open with James Madison on Friday, September 13th at 4 p.m. at the Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill, followed by George Washington and tournament host #18 North Carolina on Saturday, September 14th at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. respectively.

UAlbany will face JMU for the first time in school history. The Great Danes have seen their next two foes once before: In 2004, UAlbany defeated GW in Delaware 3-1, while in 2009, the team fell to UNC in a season opener in Michigan in four sets.
 

The UAlbany-UNC match will be broadcast on GoHeelsTV. Fans can access the broadcast with a subscription.

The team’s freshmen have been earning the bulk of the production this season with four newcomers being among the five UAlbany players with double digit kills. Olivia Schonewise leads the team with 34 kills, while Amanda Dolan has the top’s team hit % at .213, total blocks with 16 and adds 31 kills. Freshmen make up 77% of the team’s kills.

James Madison stands at 2-5, having gone 1-2 in each of its in- season invitationals. Like UAlbany, the Dukes are led in kills by a freshman: right side hitter Janey Goodman has 85 kills, adding 22 blocks. In the middle stands junior Lizzy Briones, who has a team-best 33 total blocks, hitting .330 with 84 kills and seven aces.

Going into Wednesday’s match against Georgetown, George Washington is 3-3, including a three-set win over America East opponent UMBC. The top offensive threat is junior outside hitter Kelsey Newman, who has 70 kills and 52 digs. Freshman middle Chidima Osuchukwu is hitting .346 with 36 kills and 23 blocks, while sophomore libero Maddy Doyle has 106 digs.

Tournament host North Carolina is ranked #18 in the country after starting 6-0 on the year. Graduate student Jovana Bjelica is hitting .326 with a squad-best 62 kills and seven aces, add- ing 13 blocks. With 27 blocks and 44 kills, sophomore middle Paige Neuenfeldt is hitting .315. UNC plays a 6-2 and has two setters, Jordyn Schnabl and Abigail Curry, that each total at least 119 assists.