LAKEWOOD, NJ (Oct. 21, 2024) - Things are about to get very busy for Georgian Court Volleyball. They're going to play five games in the next nine days with four of those at home. 

Opponents
Wilmington Wildcats (11-11, 6-3 CACC)
East Stroudsburg Warriors (13-5, 4-3 PSAC)

Where
Lakewood, NJ - GCU Wellness Center

When
Tuesday, Oct. 22 - 6 pm vs. Wilmington
Thursday, Oct. 24 - 6 pm vs. East Stroudsburg

How to Watch
• Both matches are available via a free-to-view broadcast on the Georgian Court portal of CACC Digital Network, powered by HUDL. Live stats for both games are available on the Lions Volleyball schedule page.

Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser
• During the game, Georgian Court will be wearing pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
• The Lions will also be selling homemade baked goods outside the entrance to the arena.
• All proceeds will go towards Mary's Place by the Sea in the fight against breast cancer. 

Previously vs. Wilmington
• Georgian Court and Wilmington have been going back-and-forth for years.
• Earlier this season, the Lions win gave them the edge in the all-time series, 24-23.
• Playing at home, the Lions are 14-9 all-time against the Wildcats.
• These two teams met a month ago in Wilmington with the Lions coming away with a 3-1 win.
• Each of the first three sets were determined by just two points. GCU put the match away with a 25-16 set four win.
• Nylene Mateo hit .205 with a game-high 17 kills.

Previously vs. East Stroudsburg
• These two teams met for the first time in a decade last season with the Lions coming away with a 3-0 win on the road.
• This will be the first time these teams meet in consecutive seasons.
• All-time the Lions are 2-1 against the Warriors with wins in 2007 and 2023 and a loss in 2013.
• This is the first time ESU is visiting Lakewood.
• Last year, the Lions held the Warriors to under a .100 attack percentage.
• Giorgia Cappelletti had a 15-kill, 12-dig double-double. 

Last Time Out
• Once again, Georgian Court fell behind early only to rally winning the final three sets in a 3-1 win at Bridgeport.
• In a competitive match, both teams hit better than .200.
• Giorgia Cappelletti hit .455 with 16 kills and eight digs.
• Martina Croce set a career-high with seven service aces. 

Individual Milestones
• Giorgia Cappelletti needs 11 more service aces for 100.
• Carmen Rivera needs 16 digs for 500. 
• Dayna Diaz is 18 digs away from reaching 200.
• Amiyah Woods is 14.5 away from 600.
• Five more digs will get Ava Venneri to 200.
• Nylene Mateo needs two service aces to get into the Lions all-time top-10. She's also eight sets away from 400 played and 26 digs short of 800.
• Chelsea Ross needs six blocks to become the fifth player in Lions history to reach 300.
• Iciar Zayas is four aces away from 50 and 29 assists short of 2000. 

CACC Leaders (Based on NCAA Stats)
• Giorgia Cappelletti is ninth in the country and third in the CACC with 0.63 service aces per set. 
• Chelsea Ross is now leading the league with 1.08 blocks per set. 
• Carmen Rivera is in the CACC top-10 at No. 8 for digs per set with 3.45.
• Iciar Zayas finally has enough sets played to qualify and her 5.30 assists per set are seventh in the CACC.
• Nylene Mateo's 3.42 points per set is ninth in the conference.
• Georgian Court is second in the CACC with 1.70 blocks per set.
• The Lions 2.17 aces per set is third in the league. 

Who's Hot?
• Chelsea Ross has hit .350 or better in seven of her last eight matches. She also had nine blocks last week. 
• Giorgia Cappelletti has back-to-back double-figure kill matches for the first time this season. She hit a season-best .455 against Bridgeport. 
• Martina Croce hit 10 service aces last week with seven coming at Bridgeport. 
• Nylene Mateo totaled 30 digs in two wins last week.
• Amiyah Woods has just one attack error in six of her last seven games.
• Iciar Zyas has 20+ assists in back-to-back games for just the third time this season.

Comeback Kids
• The Lions have had a never-say-die attitude all season long.
• This season when GCU loses the first set, they're still 5-6.
• That was on display last week after dropping the opening set to Jefferson and Bridgeport before winning the next three.
• Georgian Court is very comfortable late in matches. In all matches that extend beyond three sets, GCU is 8-1. 

Home Cookin'
• Georgian Court has 10 games remaining in the regular season. Of those 10, eight will be played at home.
• This season, GCU is 4-1 at home and just 6-6 everywhere else.
• The Lions are also currently in a position to host the first round of the CACC Tournament as they sit first in the league standings.
• If they Lions advance, GCU is the designated host for the conference semifinals and final round. 

About Wilmington
• Wilmington has played a ton this season. They're already up to 22 matches, five more than GCU.
• The Wildcats are 11-11 overall and 6-3 in the CACC South Division, 1.5 games behind the Lions for first place and also trailing Chestnut Hill.
• Wilmington has been a streaky team. They're also 5-4 this season when following a loss like they had most recently, a 3-0 sweep at Post.
• The Wildcats are the top blocking team in the CACC with 2.04 per set. The only team averaging more than two blocks in the league.
• They're relied on a pair of freshmen on the outside to supply their kills. Eliza Schneider and Karla Nunez-Rivera are leading the offensive production with more than two kills per set each.
• Alex Serna is hitting .307 with 136 kills and 83 blocks.
• Gabby Barth is fifth in the CACC picking up 4.29 digs per set.
• Wilmington has used a pair of setters in Claudia Melendez and Cam Justuce. As a team, they average just 10.27 assists per game. 
• Service reception has hurt the Wildcats. They've allowed 210 aces while scoring just 154 themselves. 

About East Stroudsburg
• East Stroudburg lost a three-game winning streak last weekend but stand at 13-5 overall.
• ESU's winning streak was snapped by Millersville, who the Lions defeated earlier in the season.
• The Warriors have enjoyed playing nearly half their games at home where they're 6-2. In road games, the Warriors are 3-2.
• As a team, ESU is hitting .238 while opponents are just at .156. That hitting percentage leads the PSAC.
• Anna Coulter is the offense. Her .463 attack percentage is second in the country and her 5.13 points per set are sixth nationally.
• Coulter has done it in a variety of ways with 242 kills, 24 service aces and 79 blocks.
• The Warriors are in the NCAA top-10 with 2.42 service aces per set, led by Taylor Haan who has .67 to rank fourth in the country.
• Haan is also the Warriors primary setter with 10.48 assists per set.