Volleyball Hosts Two, Including Nationally Televised Penn Match

MATCH 12
Dartmouth vs. Princeton (9-2, 1-0)
Date: Friday, September 30, 2022 | 7 p.m.
Location: Hanover, N.H. | Leede Arena
All-Time Series: 11-41
Last Meeting: 10/30/21 – W, 3-2

ESPN+ | Live Stats | Watch (International)

MATCH 13
Dartmouth vs. Penn (1-10, 0-1)
Date: Sunday, October 2 | 12:30 p.m.
Location: Hanover, N.H. | Leede Arena
All-Time Series: 10-42
Last Meeting: 10/29/21 – W, 3-0

ESPNU (Bill Spaulding play-by-play, Jennifer Hoffman analyst) | Live Stats

THIS WEEKEND
Dartmouth hosts Princeton in a battle of early Ivy League contenders Friday night before hosting a nationally televised match for the first time in program history Sunday afternoon when Penn comes to Leede Arena.

LAST TIME OUT
In a battle of the fourth and fifth-ranked teams in the Ivy League preseason poll, Dartmouth earned a four-set win at Harvard. The Big Green emerged victorious in a back-and-forth first set, dominated the second, dropped the third, and pulled out a gritty 25-19 fourth-set triumph. It was the first time Dartmouth had beaten Harvard since 2019 and the first time they'd topped the Crimson on the road in less than five sets since 2010.

THIRD NATIONALLY IN ACES PER SET
After posting five aces against Harvard, Dartmouth now ranks third in the country in aces per set with 2.18. The Big Green have been balanced in that regard, too. Ava Roberts, Ellie Blain and Emma Engstrom all have at least 14 total aces on the season. Roberts leads the category individually with an even 0.50 per set and ranks 33rd in the nation.

LAST TIME AT LEEDE
Dartmouth showed why Leede Arena is a difficult place for opponents a few weeks ago during the Dartmouth Invitational, which saw the Big Green go 4-0 across a two-day stretch to win the annual tournament for a second year in a row. Dartmouth unleashed a 193-attack barrage in the invitational opener against Siena, a total that stands as the sixth-most any team across Division I has registered in a four-set match.

STRENGTH VERSUS STRENGTH
Princeton's offense is off to an impressive start. The Tigers lead the country in kills per set (14.76) and rank 12th in hitting percentage (.298). Dartmouth presents a challenge for that offense, as the Big Green feature some strong national rankings in their own right. Dartmouth is 14th in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.152) and have held the opposition under a .100 clip four times this season. The Big Green also come in at 17th nationally in digs per set.

LAST TIME VERSUS PRINCETON
Dartmouth had dropped five straight to Princeton until the Tigers came to Hanover Oct. 30, 2021 and fell to the red-hot Big Green, who were working on what ended up being a five-match win streak. Engstrom had a career-high 32 digs in the five-set match, while Ryan recorded a team-best 14 kills.

LAST TIME VERSUS PENN
Dartmouth notched a season-high .371 hitting percentage in a three-set victory when Penn last came to Leede Arena on Oct. 29, 2021. Blain had arguably the best match of her career as she racked up 18 kills with a .563 percentage. This year's Big Green have surpassed 2021's season-best hitting percentage twice already (.427 vs. Central Connecticut State and .403 vs. Hartford).

SCOUTING PRINCETON
Dartmouth and Princeton sport identical records, along with two common opponents. Sacred Heart, who the Big Green upended in the season opener during the UC Irvine Invitational, defeated the Tigers in five sets. Princeton, however, defeated Seton Hall in four sets a week before the tough Big East squad downed Dartmouth in four. Princeton's Lindsey Kelly leads the nation in assists per set with 11.81. She's a big reason why the Tigers lead the country in kills per set (14.76).

SCOUTING PENN
Penn's lone win so far this season came against Fairleigh Dickinson in the finale of Fordham's Rose Hill Classic, and it preceded an eight-match losing streak. Abigail Reid looks to be one of the Ivy League's premier diggers, ranking second in the conference with 4.66 per set.

OGUNLARI SISTERS
This is the first of likely a few matchups that pit the Ogunlari sisters against one another. Feyi Ogunlari, Penn's freshman outside hitter, is the younger sister of Dartmouth's Bomi Ogunlari.

WHAT'S AHEAD
Dartmouth is back home next weekend to host Brown and Yale.

Schedules