ALBANY, N.Y. – The UAlbany volleyball team is set to host its first in-season tournament since 2009, bringing in St. John's, Colgate and Temple for the Desmond Hotel Invitational this weekend.
All matches of the tournament are free to attend to the public. In addition, all UAlbany matches will be broadcast online for free on AmericaEast.tv.
UAlbany will take on St. John's in the Friday nightcap on September 1st at 7:30 p.m.,then on Saturday, September 2nd, the Great Danes take on Colgate at 1 p.m. and Temple at 7 p.m.
Tournament host UAlbany, from the America East, went 0-3 in its opening weekend at the USC/LMU Tournament. Big East member St. John's won its home invitational, the Jack Kaiser Classic Title, with a 3-1 record last weekend. From the Patriot League, Colgate won the Otto Invitational in Syracuse, winning all three of its matches. Temple, out of the AAC, went 1-2 in its first weekend at the Maryland Invitational.
UAlbany and St. John's will play for the second straight year, with the Great Danes earning a 3-1 win in West Point last season to lead the overall series 2-1. UAlbany revives its series against Colgate after a 3-0 victory in Hamilton in 2015; the Raiders lead the overall series 5-4. UAlbany is a perfect 5-0 against Temple all-time and will play for the first time since 2008, a four-set win in Philadelphia.
FULL DESMOND HOTEL INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
(All matches at the University Gym)
Friday, September 1st
5:00 p.m. – Colgate vs. Temple
7:30 p.m. – UAlbany vs. St. John's
Saturday, September 2nd
10:30 a.m. – St. John's vs. Temple
1:00 p.m. – UAlbany vs. Colgate
4:30 p.m. – Colgate vs. St. John's
7:00 p.m. – UAlbany vs. Temple
OKENWA EARNS AMERICA EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After a stellar performance against top tier opponents in California, Akuabata earned her first-ever America East Player of the Week honor after the USC/LMU Tournament. She hit .316 in the tournament, combining for 35 kills, 11 digs and six total blocks.
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.
NICOLE OTERO APPROACHING 1000 DIGS: UAlbany's starting libero beginning in the 2015 season, Nicole Otero is eight digs away from joining the 1,000-dig club, currently standing at 992. 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 109 digs away from tying for 10th all-time in UAlbany history with Ashley Reed, who had 1,101 digs from 2002-05.
LAST TIME: UALBANY FALLS IN THREE MATCHES IN USC/LMU TOURNAMENT: Going up against three opponents, including two ranked in the top-26 of the AVCA, UAlbany fell in three matches in the USC/LMU Tournament in Los Angeles, including to Michigan and LMU in three and USC in four.
Akuabata Okenwa earned a place on the USC/LMU All-Tournament Team, hitting .316 with 35 kills and six total blocks. Tatiana Tiangco had 26 kills and seven digs while Chloe Evering notched 18 kills and 19 digs.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: St. John's primary hitter is 6-foot-4 senior Julia Cast, who sports a team-high 49 kills, adding nine digs. Freshman outside hitter Jordan McCalla is hitting .270 with 46 kills, two aces and 34 digs while sophomore setter Erica Di Maulo has tallied 142 assists, eight service aces, 31 digs and 12 total blocks.
Colgate is led by a pair of outside hitters, junior Katie Stansbury and freshman Alli Lowe, who each have over 36 kills and hit over .250. The team's setter is senior Lauren Sanderson, who comes in with 118 assists, 31 digs and six blocks.
Senior outside hitter Izzy Rapacz leads Temple with 32 kills and four service aces, adding 25 digs and 15 blocks. In the middle is senior Janine Simmons, hitting .353 with 24 kills and 15 total blocks. Averaging nearly two blocks a set, junior middle Iva Deak has earned 17 kills and 21 total blocks.
LAST MEETINGS: At the West Point Invitational on September 16, 2016, UAlbany defeated St. John's in four (25-23, 25-20, 14-25, 25-13) to win its opening match of the tournament. Laini Leindecker had a double double of 15 kills and 12 digs while Amanda Dolan hit .346 for 10 kills and six blocks.
Colgate hosted UAlbany for its own in-season tournament on September 12, 2015, with UAlbany sweeping the Raiders (25-17, 25-19, 25-13). Laini Leindecker earned a double double, hitting .350 with 16 kills and 12 digs, with Nicole Otero having 22 digs at libero.
UAlbany took on Temple as a tune-up before the 2008 NCAA Tournament, defeating the Owls in four (25-21, 22-25, 25-21, 26-24) on November 29th. Amanda Cowdrey led UAlbany, hitting .350 with 18 kills and 17 digs while Kamisha Kellam hit .500 with 14 kills.
