LAKEWOOD, NJ (Sept. 3, 2026) - Georgian Court Volleyball is singing "New York, New York" the last two weekends. That's because the first two weekends of the season, the Lions are playing in the Empire State. Last weekend on Long Island and this weekend up state in Rochester for the Roberts Wesleyan Invitational. 

Opponents
Redeemer Royals (16-5, 12-4 OCAA, 2025-26)
Roberts Wesleyan RedHawks (1-3)
Lock Haven Bald Eagles (1-3)

Where
Rochester, NY - Volley Athletic Center

When
Friday-Saturday, September 4-5
Friday, Sept. 4 - 6:30 pm vs. Redeemer
Saturday, Sept. 5 - 10 am at Roberts Wesleyan
Saturday, Sept. 5 - 2:30 pm vs. Lock Haven

How to Watch
• This weekend's game will be available to watch on a pay-to-view broadcast on the Roberts Wesleyan portal of Flo College. Live stats are also available on the Lions schedule page. 

Previously vs. Redeemer
• Not only is this the Lions first ever NCAA game against Redeemer, it's their first game against any opponent native to Canada. 

Previously vs. Roberts Wesleyan
• It's been more than a decade since these two teams have played.
• All-time the Lions are 1-1 against the RedHawks.
• Both meetings have come in Lakewood, with GCU sweeping in 2015. 

Previously vs. Lock Haven
• These two teams have only played once before, also at a neutral site.
• In 2009, Lock Haven defeated the Lions 3-0 in Tampa. 
• All three sets were 25-21 scores. 

Last Time Out
• Georgian Court got a win in their home opener Tuesday.
• The Lions defeated St. Thomas Aquinas in four sets.
• Three Lions were in double-figures led by Ava Churnesky's 16.
• Churnesky, Ana Nikolic and Maggy Hallihan all had double-doubles. 

CACC Stat Leaders
• The Lions 2.30 blocks per set and 46 total blocks lead the CACC.
• Georgian Court is also tops in the league with 14.75 digs per set. 
• Flavia Pecora is leading the conference with 1.25 blocks per set.
• Ava Churnesky is in the top-three in kills and points per set. She leads the CACC with 68 total kills.
• Carmen Rivera Colon's 81 digs are leading the CACC.
• Ana Nikolic's 11 service aces put her third in the conference. 

Who's Hot?
• Ava Churnesky has at least 13 kills in four of the five matches this season and three double-doubles.
• Ana Nikolic did something Tuesday done just one other time since 2018. She had 10+ kills and digs with 4+ aces and blocks.
• Maggy Hallihan has 10+ kills in four of five matches and three double-doubles. 

Individual Milestones
• Kyla Davis is nearing 200 career points with 196 and one more kill will be her 150th.
• Maggy Hallihan is 15 assists away from 200.
• Ava Churnesky needs 50.5 points this weekend to get to 400. 

Roster Turnover
• Georgian Court will have a different look from the team that finished 2025.
• The Lions have seven returners for this season and 10 newcomers.
• GCU will be looking for a new primary setter as Iciar Zayas recently graduated. Maggy Hallihan saw increased time towards the end of last year though and finished with 107 assists.
• They do still have plenty of firepower with All-CACC selection Ava Churnesky returning on the outside and Kyla Davis back in the middle. They combined for nearly 400 kills and 100 blocks.
• Carmen Rivera Colon is also back to help the defense. She was one of the top liberos in the CACC last season averaging 4.37 digs per set.
• Of the 10 newcomers, seven are freshmen with three transfers.
• Keira Mullen from Daemen and Flavia Pecora from Monroe earned postseason accolades last year while Ana Nikolic from Seward County CC was one the team's leading scorers. 
• Over the first four games, several newcomers saw plenty of action. Ana Nikolic and Flavia Pecora all started all five games. 
• Freshmen Madison Wilbert and Roshell Chevres Sanchez have played in 19 out of 20 sets. 

About Redeemer
• Georgian Court will be Redeemer's 2026 season opener.
• They were 16-5 last season and played in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Playoffs.
• One of the top returners back is setter Alana DeJong who last season played a full rotation and averaged 9.93 assists per set and 0.41 aces per set.
• The Royals will be in search of offense as each of their top-five in kills from 2025-26 are no longer with the team.
• Redeemer was a strong blocking team averaging nearly two per set. Scarlett Surette is back after finishing with 0.75 blocks per set last season, though in just 24 of 66 sets played.

About Roberts Wesleyan
• The RedHawks have started the year 1-3 after playing in Canton, Ohio on opening weekend.
• RWU's win came in five sets over Charleston, needing to win sets four and five after going down 2-1.
• All three losses were 3-0 sweeps.
• Roberts Wesleyan has struggled with service. They have a 2:1 ratio of errors to aces. They've also allowed 35 aces with a .878 reception percentage.
• Camryn Karelus leads the team with 51 kills and five aces. She had at least 10 in each of the last three matches last weekend.
• Ryan Hull and Breanna Hard have interchanged at setter and each have more than three assists per set.
• Around the net, opponents are averaging more than 2.5 blocks per set against RWU. The RedHawks are putting back less than one.
• Julia Dufkova leads the team with 3.07 digs per set. 

About Lock Haven
• Just like Roberts Wesleyan, Lock Haven is off to a 1-3 start.
• They picked up a 3-1 win in their season opener against D'Youville.
• The Bald Eagles are hitting below .100 as a team at .098 with opponents hitting .177.
• Lock Haven has been spreading the ball around with five players between 20 and 27 kills this season.
• In four matches, Lock Haven has hit 47 service errors to just 19 aces. Twice they've hit at least 15 service errors in a match.
• Opponents are scoring 2.71 blocks per set against the Bald Eagles.
• Lock Haven's Olivia Taylor is one of the leaders in digs with 5.71 per set. As a team, Lock Haven is reigning in 15.79 digs per set.