LAKEWOOD, NJ (Sept. 7, 2023) - Georgian Court Volleyball is home this Friday for the first time in 2023. They'll take on a pair of teams as a part of a tri-match.

Opponents 
St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans (0-1, 0-0 ECC)
Bowie State Bulldogs (0-4, 0-0 CIAA)

Where
Lakewood, NJ - GCU Wellness Center 

When
Friday, Sept. 8
Georgian Court vs. St. Thomas Aquinas - 12 p.m.
St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Bowie State - 2:30 p.m.
Georgian Court vs. Bowie State - 5 p.m. 

How to Watch
• All three matches are available to watch via a free to view broadcast on the Georgian Court portal of the CACC Digital Network, powered by HUDL. Links for videos and live stats can be found above and on the Lions Volleyball schedule page.

Previously vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
• This is the first ever meeting between the Lions and Spartans.

Previously vs. Bowie State
• Georgian Court and Bowie State last met in 2017. 
• That game also took place in Lakewood and was a 3-0 win for the Lions.
• GCU gave up just 27 points in three sets.
• The Lions hit .394 for the match and landed 17 service aces.

On the Bench
• A new face will be running the team this season as Shana Rayside steps up from Assistant to Head Coach.
• Rayside was on the Lions staff last year and played for GCU from 2016-19.
• Rayside picked up her first head coaching win last Saturday as Georgian Court defeated St. Anselm 3-1. 

Individual Milestones
• Jessica Sprankle needs seven more service aces to get into the Lions all-time top-10 and is 23 digs away from 700 for her career. 
• Nylene Mateo will get into the Lions top-10 in kills with just 46 more. She's also 54.5 points away from 1,000. 
• Ava Venneri is 20 digs shy of 200.
• Amiyah Woods will hit 300 career points with 21.5 more. 
• Dayna Diaz needs 18 digs to get to 100 and 34 assists to reach 200.
• With two more kills, Chelsea Ross will reach 250. 

About St. Thomas Aquinas
• This is the first year of volleyball for St. Thomas Aquinas. They started a brand new program headed up by Head Coach Robert Pichardo.
• The Spartans first ever match was against Pace at home last weekend, a three-set loss.
• Jaizahir Marrero-George led the Spartans with 11 kills and 14 points. She also had nine digs.
• Lea Venghaus was the primary setter and passed out 14 assists.
• Aurivette Santos Bonilla led the defensive effort with 11 digs.
• In the 2023 ECC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Spartans were picked to finish in seventh place.

About Bowie State
• The Bulldogs started their season last week at the Frostburg State Invitational with four matches.
• Bowie State is still in search of their first set win, as they fell in straight sets in all four matches.
• Before the season, Bowie State was picked to finish eight in the CIAA Preseason poll, which is where they finished in 2022. Last season the Bulldogs finished 11-12 and 6-10 in the CIAA.
• The Bulldogs are hitting .029 as a team this season while opponents are up over .300 at .307.
• Rayah Burge and Nina Edwards share the team lead with 14 kills each. Edwards also has a team-best seven blocks.
• Ayana Johnson has a team-best 2.64 digs per set and picked up 11 at Frostburg State.
• Mekenna Scott has been the primary setter with 47 assists.