LOS ANGELES – The UAlbany volleyball team is set to begin the 2017 season in Los Angeles, taking on Michigan, Loyola Marymount and USC for the opening weekend.
UAlbany will play Michigan at USC on Friday, August 25th at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT), then heads to Loyola Marymount for a match at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT). UAlbany finishes the invitational by returning to USC for a 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) match the next day.
The UAlbany-LMU match will be streamed live from the Gersten Pavilion on wccsports.com.
All four teams are playing their first matches of the year in the USC/LMU Invitational. UAlbany went 16-10 last year, being the runner-up in the America East Conference at 9-3. Michigan made the NCAA Round of 16 last year after going 24-11 overall and 11-9 in the Big Ten Conference. From the West Coast Conference comes Loyola Marymount at 19-11 and 10-8 in league play in 2016. USC earned a 2016 NCAA Tournament berth, going 18-14 overall and 10-10 in the Pac-12 Conference.
UAlbany has played all of these opponents once, falling in three to each: Michigan on Sept. 20, 2008, Loyola Maryland on August 31, 2013 and USC on August 29, 2009.
UALBANY PREDICTED TO FINISH SECOND IN AMERICA EAST: The UAlbany volleyball team has been predicted to finish second in the America East in the 2017 season in the preseason coaches poll. UAlbany got two out of a possible six first place votes, getting 31 total points. New Hampshire, the defending America East champion, is predicted to finish first with 34 points with five first place votes.
UALBANY TO HOST DESMOND HOTEL INVITATIONAL: UAlbany is set to host its first in-season tournament since 2009, bringing in St. John's, Temple and Colgate for the Desmond Hotel Invitational on September 1-2 in the University Gym.
All teams will play the others in a round-robin format, with two matches on Friday and four on Saturday. All matches will be at the University Gym with free admission.
The last time UAlbany hosted an in-season invitational in 2009, the Great Danes earned the title with victories over Hofstra, Seton Hall and Lamar.
NICOLE OTERO APPROACHING 1000 DIGS: UAlbany's starting libero beginning in the 2015 season, Nicole Otero is 45 digs away from joining the 1,000-dig club, currently standing at 955. The two-time America East All-Conference Second Team libero and 2015 America East Defensive Specialist of the Year has averaged 4.9 digs per set in her collegiate career and had at least 475 digs in each of her first two years.
She also is 146 digs away from tying for 10th all-time in UAlbany history with Ashley Reed, who had 1,101 digs from 2002-05.
FRESHMAN UP!: UAlbany sports a freshmen class of seven this season, hailing from the states of New York, Florida and Georgia. Five of the seven are listed as at least six feet tall and five will primarily serve as outside hitters.
COACHING STAFF RETURNS: MJ Engstrom, associate head coach Josh Pickard and assistant coach Traci Vandegrift stay together for the third straight season in 2017. Pickard is in his second year in his current role after a year as the first assistant while Vandegrift has been with the program as a player, graduate assistant and coach since 2009.
CAPITAL DISTRICT REPRESENT: Among UAlbany's freshman class include two players from the Capital District. Lexi Shannon, who enrolled at UAlbany last spring, was a three-time Colonial Council All-Star out of the Albany Academy while Diana Pinchuk, a two-time Suburban Council All-Star and first-ever Niskayuna player to play Division I volleyball.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Michigan leader in kills among returners from last season is senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright, who hit .297 with 324 kills and 129 blocks last season. At outside hitter is junior Carly Skjokdt, coming off 274 kills and 250 digs, while junior Jenna Lerg earned 560 digs and 22 aces as the libero.
First-year head coach Aaron Mansfield is at the helm of LMU. The top returner in kills is sophomore outside hitter Savannah Slattery with 330, adding 16 aces. No other returner has more than 50 kills; sophomore setter Jessie Prichard had 932 assists and 22 aces while senior libero Kristen Castellanos notched 348 digs and 26 aces.
Earning All-Pac-12 honors last season, sophomore outside hitter Khalia Lanier led USC with 491 kills and 26 aces, adding 315 digs. Also at outside is junior Alyse Ford, hitting .220 with 272 kills and 205 digs while senior middle Jordan Dunn leads returners with 112 blocks, adding 89 kills.
