Volleyball Heads to Florida for Stetson Invitational

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University volleyball will travel to the state of Florida when it competes in the Stetson Invitational this weekend, facing off against Chicago State (Sept. 14, 11:00 a.m.), Stetson (Sept. 14, 6:00 p.m.), and Bethune-Cookman (Sept. 15, 2:30 p.m.).

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LAST WEEKEND
Brown went 2-1 last weekend at the Hartford Invitational, topping Niagara (3-1) and Bucknell (3-1) to close the tournament. Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and junior Jacqueline Jacobs earned All-Tournament Team honors with Stillwell finishing the tournament with 68 kills (5.23 per set) and 35 digs (2.69 per set).

STILLWELL'S START
Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) ranks eighth in the nation and first in the Ivy League with 4.92 kills per set. Through the season's first six matches, she has posted 20 or more kills four times and tallied four double-doubles. She landed a season-high 26 kills vs. Niagara (Sept. 8).

TEAM STATS
As a team, Brown ranks first in the Ivy League in hitting percentage (.252), kills per set (14.42), and service aces per set (1.88). The Bears have limited opponents to 10.75 kills per set and 9.92 assists per set with both marks pacing the Ancient Eight. In the NCAA rankings, Brown stands 11^th in kills per set and 17^th in aces per set.

ALL-TOURNAMENT ACCOLADES
Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and freshman Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.) both earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Friar Classic while Stillwell and junior Jacqueline Jacobs (Atlanta, Ga.) both gained All-Tournament accolades at the Hartford Invitational.

At the Friar Classic, Stillwell recorded 50 kills (4.55 per set), 39 digs (3.55 per set), and a pair of double-doubles, and Sellers tallied 103 assists (9.36 per set), 37 digs (3.36 per set), and two double-doubles at the tournament. At the Hartford Invitational, Stillwell registered 20 or more kills in all three matches, finishing the tournament with 5.23 kills per set.

STILLWELL WINS IVY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors on Sept. 10 after leading the Bears to a 2-1 record at the Hartford Invitational. She recorded 68 kills (5.23 per set) on .321 hitting and 35 digs (2.69 per set) on the week, earning All-Tournament Team accolades for the second straight week. She tallied 20 or more kills in all three matches with a pair of double-doubles.

IVY RANKINGS
Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) leads the Ivy League with 4.92 kills per set while sophomore Eliza Grover (Menlo Park, Calif.) ranks ninth with 2.82 kills per set. Freshman Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.) paces the league in assists per set (10.75) and stands second in aces per set (0.38).

Junior Jacqueline Jacobs (Atlanta, Ga.) ranks fourth in the Ancient Eight in blocks per set (1.09), and freshman Paris Winkler (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) sits seventh in the conference with 3.71 digs per set.

THE FRIAR CLASSIC
Brown opened its 2018 season with victories over Fairleigh Dickinson (3-1) and UMass Lowell (3-0) before battling host Providence College in a 3-1 setback at the Friar Classic. In the Bears' opening contests under first-year head coach Ahen Kim, senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and freshman Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.) both earned All-Tournament Team honors.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Chicago State brings a 6-6 record into the weekend, coming off a 3-1 win over Northern Illinois on Tuesday. Lauryn Dela Cruz paces the Cougars with 3.71 kills per set while Megan Klavitter leads the team with 5.21 digs per set.

Host Stetson carries a 6-3 mark into the weekend, following a 2-1 weekend at the Stephen F. Austin Invitational. Eva Deisa leads the Hatters with 3.00 kills per set, Emily DeStaffino has posted 10.18 assists per set, and Chelcie Spence has tallied 4.68 digs per set.

Bethune-Cookman comes into the weekend with a 5-5 record after the Wildcats went 3-1 at the New Orleans Tournament last week. Jordan Jefferson paces the club in both kills per set (3.11) and digs per set (3.61).

THE CAPTAINS
Brown's three seniors – Elisa Merten (Woodside, Calif.), Courtney Palm (St. Louis, Mo.), and Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) – will captain the Bears in 2018. Combined the trio has played in over 200 career matches and over 730 career sets entering the 2018 season.

THE NEWCOMERS
The Bears' six-member Class of 2022 includes middle blocker Olivia Dukat (Roswell, Ga.), right-side hitter Morgan Grasch (Montalba, Texas), outside hitter Catherine Mihm (Rolling Hills, Calif.), libero/defensive specialist Ashley Oelrich (Newberry, Fla.), setter Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.), and libero/defensive specialist Paris Winkler (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.).

NEW YEAR, NEW STAFF
The Bears will feature a new coaching staff in 2018 as head coach Ahen Kim enters his first season with the program. Kim helped lead American University to five straight Patriot League titles and three NCAA tournament wins as an assistant coach from 2012-17. He has two first-year assistant coaches in Katie Reifert and Aubrey Marsellis.

GIBBS '06 WINS SILVER AT OLYMPICS
Since the Bears last took the court, volleyball alumna Lauren Gibbs '06 won an Olympic silver medal in women's bobsled at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Gibbs became Brown's first female medalist at the winter Olympics outside of the sport of women's ice hockey.

UP NEXT
After closing out the Stetson Invitational, Brown hosts Bryant in its home opener on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m. before hosting Yale in its Ivy League opener on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 2:00 p.m.

Volleyball Heads to Florida for Stetson Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Olivia Dukat

Morgan Grasch

Eliza Grover

Jacqueline Jacobs

Elisa Merten

Catherine Mihm

Ashley Oelrich

Courtney Palm

Kristin Sellers

Sabrina Stillwell

Paris Winkler

Brown University Athletics