Volleyball Entertains Yale to Open Second Half of Ivy League Play

Saturday, October 26

Providence, RI

2:00 PM

Brown University

Yale University

Volleyball Entertains Yale to Open Second Half of Ivy League Play

10/24/2019 2:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Watch Live (ESPN+)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University volleyball hosts league leading Yale University on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at the Pizzitola Sports Center as the Bears open the second half of their 2019 Ivy League schedule.

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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.

IVY FIRST HALF
Brown earned a pair of victories in the first half of Ivy League play topping Dartmouth, 3-1, and Columbia, 3-1. Against Dartmouth, freshman Sophia Miller (Dallas, Texas) posted a double-double on 15 kills and 13 digs, junior Gabrielle Moriconi (Naples, Fla.) tallied 10 kills, and freshman libero Kaitlyn Wong (Los Altos, Calif.) contributed a match and career-high 26 digs. Against Columbia, senior Makena Ehlert (Orange County, Calif.) and Miller each tallied 19 kills, and junior Eliza Grover (Menlo Park, Calif.) registered 15 kills.

MILLER TAKES IVY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman Sophia Miller (Dallas, Texas) gained Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors on Oct. 21 after helping Brown close the first half of league play with a 3-1 win over Columbia. Miller posted 29 kills (4.14 per set) and 25 digs (3.57 per set) on the week as Brown went 1-1 in Ivy League play. She registered a double-double on career highs in kills (19 on .474 hitting) and digs (18) alongside three assists and an ace in Brown's 3-1 win over Columbia (Oct. 19). She added 10 kills, seven digs, and an ace against Cornell (Oct. 18).

ROOKIES EMERGE IN IVY PLAY
Freshman outside hitter Sophia Miller (Dallas, Texas) and freshman libero Kaitlyn Wong (Los Altos, Calif.) have increased their production during Ivy League play. In Ivy competition, Miller ranks third in the league in kills per set (3.90) and fourth in points per set (4.21) while Wong stands third in digs per set (4.00). Overall, Miller ranks sixth in the conference in kills per set (2.85), and Wong sits in sixth in digs per set (3.57). Miller has tallied double-figure kills in five of her last six outings. Wong has notched double-figure digs in nine of her last 11 contests.

RETURN OF THE MAK
Senior Makena Ehlert (Orange County, Calif.) ranks second in the Ivy League in kills per set (3.27) and second in points per set (3.66). In Ivy play, she stands second in the conference in service aces per set (0.42). She has posted double-figure kills in 15 of 17 matches on the year alongside six double-doubles. For her career she has tallied double-figure kills in each of 35 matches to go with 22 double-doubles.

She earned Tournament MVP honors at the Friar Classic, posting 40 kills (3.64 per set) and 35 digs (3.18 per set) on the weekend. She also collected All-Tournament Team accolades at the Holly Young Invitational behind 45 kills (3.21 per set) and 39 digs (2.79 per set).

MORICONI & GROVER
Juniors Gabrielle Moriconi (Naples, Fla.) and Eliza Grover (Menlo Park, Calif.) rank third and fourth on Brown with 2.54 and 2.33 kills per set respectively. Moriconi has registered double-figure kills seven times on the year. Grover – an Honorable Mention All-Ivy selection a year ago – has posted double-figure kills seven times this season, including in three of her last four outings.

SELLERS WITH THE SET
Sophomore Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.) ranks fifth in the Ivy League in assists per set (6.66). She has charted 20 or more assists in 13 of the Bears' 17 matches and has crossed the 40-assist plateau twice. Sellers has notched five double-doubles on the year.

JACOBS CLIMBS BLOCKING CHARTS
Senior Jacqueline Jacobs (Atlanta, Ga.) has posted 319 career blocks, standing as the fourth student-athlete in program history to tally 300 or more career blocks. On the all-time blocks list, she ranks third in program history after passing former teammate Payton Smith '17 (301 career blocks) earlier this season. Jessie Cooper '02 ranks second (363), and Leyla Goldsmith '97 ranks first (428).

STRONG START
During non-conference play, the Bears posted an 8-2 overall record, tying the best start for the team through 10 matches in program history alongside the 2008 team. Brown's eight non-conference wins tied for the most non-league wins for the team since the Ivy League went to 14 conference games in 2001. Four of Brown's eight wins in non-conference play came in five sets. In non-league competition, senior Makena Ehlert (Orange County, Calif.) led the Bears with 143 kills (3.58 per set) and 108 digs (2.70 per set).

FRIAR CLASSIC CHAMPIONS
Brown captured the Friar Classic title behind victories over Coppin State (3-0), Fairleigh Dickinson (3-0), and Providence College (3-2). The Bears earned three All-Tournament Team honorees including senior Makena Ehlert (Orange County, Calif.), junior Gabrielle Moriconi (Naples, Fla.), and sophomore Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.). Ehlert – the Tournament MVP – posted 3.64 kills per set and 3.18 digs per set on the weekend alongside 3.36 kills per set from Moriconi and 9.00 assists per set from Sellers.

THE CAPTAINS
The Bears will feature leadership from across their classes with senior outside hitter Makena Ehlert (Orange County, Calif.), junior outside hitter Gabrielle Moriconi (Naples, Fla.), and sophomore libero Paris Winkler (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) serving Brown as captains in 2019.

THE NEWCOMERS
Brown welcomes four incoming freshmen to the team in 2019, including middle blocker Audra Curtin (Tampa, Fla.), middle blocker/right-side hitter Elise Curtin (Tampa, Fla.), outside hitter Sophia Miller (Dallas, Texas), and libero/defensive specialist Kaitlyn Wong (Los Altos, Calif.).

YEAR TWO
Ahen Kim returns for his second year as the head coach of the Brown volleyball program, coming off a year in which he led the Bears to their most wins since the 2014 season. He brings back top assistant coach Katie Reifert, while adding assistant coach Eryn Riley.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Yale brings a 10-6 overall record and 6-1 Ivy League mark into Saturday's contest. The Bulldogs have won 10 of their last 11 matches. In conference play, the Bulldogs lead the league in opponent hitting percentage allowed (.195) while Frances Arnautou ranks second in the Ancient Eight in assists per set (10.78). Yale – the defending Ivy League champions – has won at least a share of eight of the last 11 conference titles.

UP NEXT
After hosting Yale on Saturday, Brown opens the month of November with matches at Harvard on Nov. 1 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) and at Dartmouth on Nov. 2 at 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+).