LAKEWOOD, NJ (Nov. 5, 2024) - Georgian Court Volleyball is nearing the end of the 2024 regular season. The final stretch starts this week with two matches in three days. 

Opponents
Goldey-Beacom Lightning (13-12, 6-6 CACC)
Post Eagles (16-8, 11-1 CACC)

Where
Lakewood, NJ - GCU Wellness Center

When
Thursday, Nov. 7 - 5 pm
Saturday, Nov. 9 - 12 pm

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

Ticketing
Tickets for all Georgian Court home game can be found at the link above, or purchased in person prior to the game.
$10 adults
$5 seniors/students

Free Donuts!
• Come early for free donuts courtesy of GCU Athletics while supplies last!

Hoops Madness
• After the game Thursday vs. Goldey-Beacom, stick around for the annual Hoops Madness! 
• There's an introduction of the basketball teams ahead of their season openers this weekend. Along with games and contests culminating in the always popular, staff vs. students game.
• And after Hoops Madness is the Student Life Speakeasy also taking place in the Wellness Center arena. 

Previously vs. Goldey-Beacom
• Goldey-Beacom won the first eight matches all-time against Georgian Court. Since then, the Lions have won 32 of 35.
• GCU is currently on a 11-game winning streak against the Lightning, having not lost to GBC since 2017.
• During that 11 match winning streak, GBC has won just four sets, and no more than one in any match.
• The Lions swept the Lightning earlier this season in Delaware.
• Nylene Mateo led the team with 13 kills and hit .333.
• Georgian Court hit .194 and also put back 10 blocks. 

Previously vs. Post
• Georgian Court has won three of the last four against Post, but the Eagles survived for a 3-2 win last season in Connecticut.
• All-time Georgian Court is 17-13 against Post. They've actually performed better on the road where they're 9-5. Things are more even in Lakewood where GCU holds a 7-6 all-time lead.
• Last year, GCU got down early, 2-0, dropping the first two sets 26-24.
• The third set was also a two-point margin, but this time for the Lions, 27-25. They also took set four 25-17, but ran out of gas in set five and Post prevailed with a 15-5 win.
• The Lions landed more kills, aces, and blocks, but still fell short. 

Last Time Out
• Georgian Court put together one of their most complete matches of the season last Saturday.
• They swept Caldwell without facing much of a threat.
• GCU hit a season-best .465 in the match with 45 kills and 12 attack errors.
• Nylene Mateo and Chelsea led the Lions with 12 kills and each hit .500 or better. 

Individual Milestones
• Giorgia Cappelletti needs 13 more kills for 500.
• Iciar Zayas is one ace away from 50.
• Amiyah Woods is 16 blocks away from entering the Lions all-time top-10.
• Nylene Mateo is seven kills away from 1300 and needs six aces to move into a tie for eighth all-time at GCU. 
• Martina Croce is 23 points away from 500. 
• One more dig will get Ava Venneri to 200.

CACC Leaders (Based on NCAA Stats)
• Giorgia Cappelletti is third in the country and leads the CACC with 0.65 service aces per set. 
• Chelsea Ross is leading the league with 1.07 blocks per set and is second hitting .355. 
• Carmen Rivera is in the CACC top-10 at No. 7 for digs per set with 3.53.
• Iciar Zayas with 5.46 assists per set ranks eighth and Dayna Diaz is 10th with 4.29.
• Nylene Mateo's 3.70 points per set is eighth in the conference. She's also fifth at 0.53 service aces per set. 
• Georgian Court is second in the CACC with 1.70 blocks per set.
• The Lions 2.25 aces per set is third in the league and 14th in Division II.

Who's Hot?
• Chelsea Ross has hit .350 or better in 11 of her last 14 matches and is hitting .500 in her last four matches. 
• Giorgia Cappelletti has at least one service aces in seven straight matches. 
• Nylene Mateo has double-digit kills in four straight matches, a season-best. She was last week's CACC Player of the Week after averaging more than four kills per set. 
• Iciar Zayas is averaging nearly seven assists per set in her last two matches. 
• Amiyah Woods hit a season-high .600 against Caldwell.

Three and Free
• After playing their share of long matches earlier in the season, Georgian Court is finishing things quick.
• Five of the Lions last six matches have finished in three sets with the Lions going 4-1 in those three-set matches. 
• The Lions swept Goldey-Beacom earlier in the season and could be looking at a sixth three-set match in seven games. 

Home Cookin'
• Georgian Court has four games remaining in the regular season and all will be played at home. 
• This season, GCU is 7-2 at home and just 7-7 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 the Lions advance, GCU is the designated host for the conference semifinals and final round. 

Playoff Picture
• There are two weeks left in the CACC regular season and four matches for the Lions.
• GCU is currently 10-2 with three fewer losses than second-place Chestnut Hill, but one fewer game played. 
• The top four teams in each division qualify for the CACC Tournament.
• Higher seeds host the quarterfinal round with the semifinals and finals at Georgian Court which means the Lions could host throughout the postseason. 
• One more win will not only clinch a spot in the CACC Tournament, but clinch home court for the Lions throughout the Tournament. 

About Goldey-Beacom
• Goldey-Beacom may be the surprise team in the CACC this season.
• After going 0-20 a year ago and 0-16 in league play, the Lightning are hanging tight at 13-12 and 6-6 in the CACC. 
• They've been playing especially well of late winning five of their last six games. 
• The Lightning are among the leaders in the CACC with 15.41 digs per set, third in the league.
• They are also fourth averaging 10.96 assists per set. 
• Caitlyn Burch is patrolling the middle with 0.90 blocks per set. She also has 287 kills and leads the CACC hitting .363.
• Piper Nanouski is leading the team with 312 kills while Giuliana Jaku has 252. Noone else has more than 86. 
• Ada Koksal is fourth in the league with 9.01 assists per set. She's also a threat with 58 kills and 32 service aces. 
• Gaby Fernandez is second in the conference averaging 5.26 digs per set. 

About Post
• The only team in the CACC with a better record than the Lions is Post. They're currently 16-8 and 11-1 in the league heading into their match Thursday with Dominican. 
• They've also been one of the hottest teams winning seven straight with their last loss coming back on Oct. 10. 
• After four straight sweeps though, the Eagles have been living dangerously, needing five sets to win each of their last three matches, including reverse sweeps of both Felician and Jefferson in their last two matches.
• The Eagles are led by their defense and junior Alyssa Groves, who's 7.11 digs per set lead all of Division II. The Eagles are third as a team in the nation averaging 19.49 digs per set.
• The offense is hitting .207 which is the second-highest in the CACC. 
• Kristina Peric has a team-best 306 kills while Caley Harper and Sara Enright each have more than 200.
• Maria Fernanda-Branco has been the primary setter with 6.13 assists per set.