Volleyball Set to Compete at Hartford Invitational in Week Two

Saturday, September 8

West Hartford, CT

1:00 PM

Brown University

University of Hartford

Volleyball Set to Compete at Hartford Invitational in Week Two

9/6/2018 12:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University volleyball will take part in the Hartford Invitational in its second weekend of play, competing against the University of Hartford (1:00 p.m.) and Niagara University (5:00 p.m.) on Saturday before meeting Bucknell University on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
At Hartford: Live Video | Live Stats
Vs. Niagara: Live Stats
Vs. Bucknell: Live Stats
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THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN
Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN . Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing a monthly package for $4.99 or a yearly package for $49.99.

LAST WEEKEND
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.

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. Stillwell recorded 50 kills (4.55 per set), 39 digs (3.55 per set), and a pair of double-doubles while Sellers tallied 103 assists (9.36 per set), 37 digs (3.36 per set), five aces, and two double-doubles at the tournament.

IVY RANKINGS
Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) leads the Ivy League with 4.55 kills per set while sophomore Eliza Grover (Menlo Park, Calif.) ranks eighth with 3.00 kills per set. Freshman Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.) stands third in the league in assists per set (9.36) and fourth in aces per set (0.45).

Junior Jacqueline Jacobs (Atlanta, Ga.) ranks third in the Ancient Eight in blocks per set (1.20), and freshman Paris Winkler (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) sits fourth in the conference with 4.18 digs per set.

THE BEST OF 2017
Brown opened the 2017 season with a tournament title, winning the Holy Cross Invitational, before closing the season with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Harvard in the team's home finale. Libero Melissa Cairo '18 (Hillsborough, Calif.) earned Honorable Mention All-Ivy accolades for the second straight season and also garnered Academic All-Ivy honors.

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.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Hartford brings a 2-3 record into the weekend after going 2-1 at the Battle of Connecticut last weekend with victories over CCSU (3-0) and Fairfield (3-0). Jenna Bridges leads the Hawks with 3.12 kills per set, and Megan Anderson paces the club with 9.35 assists per set.

Niagara carries an 0-6 mark into the weekend after dropping three matches each at the Blue and White Classic and the Golden Flashes Classic. Jaycie Roberts leads the team with 2.12 kills per set, and Emilie Wright paces the Purple Eagles with 4.57 digs per set.

Bucknell enters the weekend with a 4-2 overall record. Last weekend, the Bison defeated Delaware State (3-0) and NJIT (3-1) while falling to Cal State Fullerton (3-0). Sophie Bullard leads the team with 3.52 kills per set, and Alexa Bonanno paces the club with 8.57 assists per set. Brooke Stark has posted a team-best 4.76 digs per set.

STAT LEADERS FROM 2017
Brown returns four student-athletes who totaled over 100 kills last season, including senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and sophomore Gabrielle Moriconi (Naples, Fla.) who averaged 2.50 and 2.06 kills per set respectively last season.

Junior Jacqueline Jacobs (Atlanta, Ga.) and senior Courtney Palm (St. Louis, Mo.) are back for the Bears after posting 1.16 and 0.87 blocks per set in 2017. Jacobs ranked third in the Ivy League in blocks per set last season.

All of Brown's setters from a season ago – sophomore Bailie Salk (Tiburon, Calif.), sophomore Emma Chow (Boulder, Colo.), and senior Elisa Merten (Woodside, Calif.) – return after notching 4.80, 3.78, and 3.02 assists per set last year. Sophomore Joanne Won (Newport Beach, Calif.) stands as the team's top returner in digs per set (2.50).

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.).

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 Hartford Invitational, Brown will play at the Stetson Invitational in DeLand, Fla., meeting Chicago State (Sept. 14, 11:00 a.m.), Stetson (Sept. 14, 6:00 p.m.), and Bethune-Cookman (Sept. 15, 2:30 p.m.).