LAKEWOOD, NJ (Nov. 13, 2023) - Georgian Court Volleyball returns to the CACC Postseason. They earned the No. 4 seed in the South Division and are on the road for the Quarterfinals.
Opponent
Bridgeport Purple Knights (23-7, 15-1 CACC)
Where
Bridgeport, Conn. - Harvey Hubbell Gym
When
Tuesday, Nov. 14 - 6 p.m.
How to Watch
• Tuesday's match is available to watch via a free to view broadcast on the GCU portal of the CACC Network powered by HUDL. Links for videos and live stats can be found above and on the Lions Volleyball schedule page.
Previously vs. Bridgeport
• The CACC added Bridgeport last year. This is the second season they are a part of the conference.
• The Lions haven't defeated the Purple Knights since 2008 and are 2-7 all-time.
• In both CACC matches the previous two seasons, Bridgeport has won in four sets.
• This year in Lakewood, Bridgeport took the first two sets before the Lions won the third. The Purple Knight secured the fourth and the match.
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Nylene Mateo finished with a team-high 13 kills and 15 digs.
Last Time Out
• The Lions finished the regular season Saturday afternoon knowing they had earned a spot in the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the South Division.
• The first three sets were all determined by just two points and in extra points. Post won the first two 26-24 before the Lions got back into it with a 27-25 win in set three.
• Georgian Court also took the fourth set, 25-17, but ran out of gas at the end with the Eagles winning set five 15-5.
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Nylene Mateo hit 14 kills while
Chelsea Ross and
Martina Croce each had 12.
•
Carmen Rivera set a new career-best with 28 digs.
Who's Hot?
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Martina Croce has at least eight kills in 12 straight matches and 12+ in four of her last five.
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Dayna Diaz has stepped in at setter to average 9.1 assists per set in her last six matches.
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Giorgia Cappelletti has 10+ kills in eight of her last nine matches and 10+ digs in six straight with three 20+ dig matches during that stretch.
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Chelsea Ross is averaging seven blocks in her last three games. She's also hitting .400 over her last six matches.
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Carmen Rivera is averaging 5.0 digs per set over the last three matches.
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Amiyah Woods has five-plus blocks in three matches.
CACC Leaders (statistic minimums set by NCAA)
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Giorgia Cappelletti is seventh in total kills with 283 and sixth in service aces with 48.
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Nylene Mateo is fourth in the CACC in kills per set (3.26) and points per set (3.82).
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Chelsea Ross ranks third with 0.96 blocks per set. She's also moved to fourth hitting .278.
• Hitting .312
Amiyah Woods is third in the CACC.
• As a team, the Lions are second in the CACC hitting .218.
• GCU is third with 11.62 kills and 11.12 assists per set.
• Defensively, GCU is third with a .163 opponent hitting percentage.
Individual Milestones
•
Nylene Mateo needs 25 more kills to get into the GCU all-time top-five.
•
Jessica Sprankle is 17 digs away from 900 in her career.
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Giorgia Cappelletti needs 17 kills to get to 300 this season.
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Chelsea Ross is six kills away from 400.
CACC Tournament
• Georgian Court is the No. 4 seed in the CACC South Division.
• The final four teams left after tomorrow's quarterfinal round will all play this week in Lakewood as Georgian Court is the host for the CACC Tournament semifinals and finals Nov. 18-19.
• All-time in CACC Tournament games, the Lions are an impressive 25-10 with six Tournament Championships.
• The last CACC Tournament championship for the Lions came in 2019.
• In quarterfinal round games, GCU is 12-4 in 16 seasons dating back to 2002.
• Since this is the second year Bridgeport has been a member of the CACC, this will be the first match between these two teams in postseason play.
About Bridgeport
• Bridgeport had a very successful 2023 regular season going 23-7 and 15-1 in the CACC. They were the top seed in the CACC North Division and finished with the best conference record among all CACC teams.
• The Purple Knights were ranked 10th in the latest NCAA Regional rankings, the highest of any CACC team. That means a loss at any round of the CACC Tournament could cost them a big to the East Region Championship.
• Bridgeport leads the conference and is sixth in the nation with 2.34 service aces per set.
• In fact, Bridgeport is in the top-five nationally in total aces, kills and assists.
• Jaden Drollinger's 10.34 assists per set lead the CACC. She's also fourth with 0.57 aces per set.
• Lucia Tomiello is hitting .368 on the year, tops in the CACC.
• Hailey Jessen leads the offense with 4.27 kills and 4.62 points per set, both first in the league.
