The College of Staten Island women’s volleyball team will play host to New Jersey City University and Medgar Evers College this afternoon in the final home tri-match of the season. The Dolphins, after posting two straight wins for the first time this season have fallen on hard times and have lost three straight. CSI will look to get back in the win column this afternoon against the Gothic Knights and the Cougars at the CSI Sports & Recreation Center starting at 12:00 pm.
CSI vs. NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY / MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: College of Staten Island (6-13 Overall, 3-4 CUNYAC) vs. NJCU (11-12, 0-7 NJAC) & Medgar Evers College (0-23, 0-8 CUNYAC)
Where: Sports & Recreation Center – 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
First Serve: 12:00pm
Live Video: http://www.csidolphins/CSISportsNet
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/csi/wvball
All-Time Series (Since 2000): NJCU leads 5-2 / CSI leads 10-5
Last Year’s Result: NJCU and CSI DNP / CSI won 3-0
Players to Watch (CSI): The Dolphins have a nice balanced attack on the offensive side with Siobhan Granich leading the way with 126 kills, followed by Vanessa Reyes and Skenderjie Mila who have 99 and 90, respectively. Jessica Cafiero will be one the opposing teams will need to watch as she moves all around the court to put her teammates in the best position to score.
Players to Watch (NJCU): Leading the charge for the Gothic Knights is Ayleen Pittar who has 175 kills through 21 matches. Pittar is a threat at the net, having collected 20 blocks on the year, however it is Shege Haxhaj who has been an unmovable force at the net. Haxhaj has 57 blocks, 15 solo, on the year and is also tied for first on the team with 217 points.
Players to Watch (MEC): Medgar Evers is led by Adenike Akindude with 95 kills while Kalifa Roberts follows with 68. Naomi Chandler has collected 29 aces on the year, which is good to lead her team. Melisa Wright has played well on the back line for the Cougars this season and is second on the team with 129 digs.
News and Notes: The Gothic Knights will come into today’s tri-match on a five-game skid. The Gothic Knights have played four CUNYAC opponents this season and have come out on top in three of them. NJCU defeated Lehman College, a team that defeated the Dolphins in five, in straight sets earlier this season. The Gothic Knights lead the Dolphins 5-2 all-time however, they have lost two of the last three matches. The College of Staten Island has dominated the Cougars as of late and has already swept them 3-0 this season.
