MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College volleyball team is set to battle New Haven and Southern Connecticut State on Friday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 30 in Northeast-10 Conference action.

SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS (14-5, 4-2 NE10)
Roster | Schedule and Results | 2021 Statistics | News

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN CHARGERS (17-5, 7-0 NE10)
Roster | Schedule and Results | 2021 Statistics | News

SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY OWLS (18-8, 4-3 NE10)
Roster | Schedule and Results | 2021 Statistics | News

The Hawks soared to a 3-0 victory over Assumption in Tuesday's "Dig Pink" match. Saint Anselm improved to 14-5 on the season and to 4-2 in NE10 play. After making the Connecticut trip, the Hawks return home to close out their home schedule by hosting Saint Rose on Friday, Nov. 5, Le Moyne on Saturday, Nov. 6, and Franklin Pierce on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

The Chargers posted a 3-2 victory over Southern New Hampshire on Saturday, Oct. 23, extending their win streak to 12 games. The team improved to 17-5 overall and remained unbeaten in conference play at 7-0. After hosting the Hawks, New Haven hosts Saint Michael's on Saturday and Southern Connecticut State on Thursday, Nov. 4.

The Owls posted a straight set win over Adelphi on Tuesday, Oct. 26, improving to 18-8 on the season and 4-3 in league matches. After hosting Saint Michael's and Saint Anselm this weekend, the team heads to Southern Connecticut State before a three-match home stand to close out the regular season.

Fans attending the matches at Charger Gymnasium and the James Moore Field House are expected to familiarize themselves with the New Haven and Southern Connecticut State spectator policies.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM

• A tightly-contested battle with Assumption resulted in a 3-0 win for the Hawks as the largest set margin of victory was six points, which came in the first frame. Saint Anselm has now won three consecutive NE10 matches after opening the conference slate at 1-2.
• Junior Lauren Casey (Jefferson City, Mo.) led all players with 12 kills and added 13 digs to complete her double-double against the Greyhounds. Casey leads the Hawks with 181 kills, averaging 2.87 per set. Sophomore Audrey Simmons is second on the team with 146 while freshman Gabby Belcher is just two behind, sitting in third.
• Junior co-captain Michelle Henwood (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) is averaging 9.74 assists per set after recording 30 against Assumption. She sits in fourth in the conference in assists per set and is fifth in total helpers. Henwood has a career total of 1,728 which is 348 off of fifth-place in the Hawks record book.
• Tied for the conference lead with 0.53 service aces per set is junior co-captain Caroline Belmontez (San Diego, Calif.). The Hawks as a team rank fifth in the nation, averaging 2.38 service aces per set. Sophomores Alina Barbarena (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Kaitlin Brown (Glendale, Ariz.) are fifth and 11th in the NE10, averaging 0.43 and 0.39 aces per set.
• Defensively, Belmontez leads the team with 246 digs, averaging 4.17 per set. Casey and Henwood rank second and third with 184 and 178 total digs each. Sophomore Audrey Wetjen (Henderson, Nev.) has 56.0 total blocks, 23 solo and 33 assisted, for a 0.89 block per set ratio which is tied for third in the NE10.
• After Tuesday's win, the Hawks sit in fifth in the NE10 with a 0.667-win percentage. Saint Anselm has played the least amount of conference matches (six) compared to their league opponents.

SCOUTING NEW HAVEN

• The Chargers have won 12 consecutive matches since falling to Stonehill in a non-conference match on Sept. 18 at the Robert Wesleyan Tournament. During the stretch, New Haven has won seven conference matches and five non-conference.
• Emily Barry, Macy Brown, and Jessica Akiona all have over 250 kills this season and average more than 3.02 kills per set. Barry is fifth in the conference with a 3.19 kills per set ratio. The trio is third, fourth, and fifth in total kills in the NE10.
• Sophia Leon-Tabor has the third-highest assists per set average at 10.00. She has 830 helpers through 22 matches this season.
• Rilee Jessee leads the team with 334 digs, averaging 4.07 per set. Barry ranks second on the team in both categories with 270 total and 3.21 per set.
• In a tie with Wetjen for third in the conference, Asiya Way has 19 solo blocks and 44 assisted blocks for 63 total. She is averaging 0.89 blocks per set.
• New Haven sits atop the NE10 standings with an unblemished conference record.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE

• The Owls opened the season with a six-match win streak before falling to Holy Family on Sept. 11. The team followed a pair of losses at the Post Eagles Invitational with another six-match winning streak but have gone 6-6 since.
• Gabriela Gaibur leads the team with 291 kills, averaging 3.06 per set. Her 291 kills ranks second in the conference and kills per set is good for a tie for ninth. Abigail Epstein and Gabriela Vazquez are second and third on the with 239 and 202 total kills each.
• Taylor Jones is averaging 9.57 assists per set as she eclipsed the 700 mark for the season. Jones now sits at 708 which is third highest in the NE10. She ranks fifth in the conference in assists per set.
• Krishnalei So'oto is second in the conference in total digs with 386. She is averaging 4.49 digs per set which is good for sixth in the NE10. Gaibur is second on the team with 327 digs on the season.
• Aiding the defense is Abigail Epstein who is second the conference with 66 total blocks, 19 solo and 47 assisted.
• The Owls currently sit in seventh in the conference standings with a 4-3 record. However, they are part of the majority of the NE10 with only seven league matches played.

ALL-TIME vs. NEW HAVEN

• This will be the 21st meeting all-time between New Haven and Saint Anselm. The Chargers are 14-6 all-time against the Hawks.
• The teams met three times during the 2021 season with Saint Anselm winning all three matches. The most recent was a 3-1 win for Saint Anselm on Dec. 5, 2019 in the NCAA Division II East Region Championship Quarterfinals.
• After New Haven won the first 10 match-ups and 12 out of 14, the Hawks have grabbed four of the last six wins with the squads meeting three times in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

ALL-TIME vs. SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE

• Between the Hawks and Owls, this will be the 26th match in the all-time series with the Owls leading, 13-12.
• The last match came on Nov. 2, 2019 and resulted in a 3-1 win for Saint Anselm, snapping a three-match win streak in the series by the Owls.
• Under Head Coach Braden Zamore, the Hawks have a 4-4 record against the Owls.