Match 12: Dartmouth (6-5, 0-1 Ivy) at Brown (2-7, 0-1 Ivy) – Friday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m., Providence, R.I.
Match 13: Dartmouth (6-5, 0-1 Ivy) at Yale (7-2, 1-0 Ivy) – Saturday, Oct. 3, 5 p.m., New Haven, Conn.
HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth volleyball team continues Ivy League play this weekend with a pair of road matches, visiting Brown on Friday before traveling to Yale on Saturday.
Last Time Out
Dartmouth pushed previously unbeaten Harvard to five sets in its Ivy League opener on Sept. 26 before falling, 3-2 (30-28, 25-21, 25-27, 16-25, 15-9), at the Malkin Athletic Center. The Big Green actually out-hit the Crimson for the match, .209 to .180, in a back-and-forth battle that included a 30-28 first set and a 27-25 third set Dartmouth rallied to win.
Riley Imamura turned in a career night, setting new personal bests with 18 kills, 19 digs, six total blocks and 23.5 points, while
Zori Brown matched her 18 kills and set her own career highs with 19.5 points and three total blocks.
Elle McCreery added 10 kills on a .421 hitting clip. The loss dropped Dartmouth to 6-5 overall and 0-1 in Ivy play, while Harvard improved to 11-0.
Scouting Brown
The Bears are 2-7 overall and 0-1 in the Ivy League after a four-set loss to Yale at home on Sept. 26. Brown is hitting .209 as a team but has been outhit by its opponents at a .225 clip. Fisayo Afonja leads the offense with 120 kills and a team-high 127 points, while Sophia Wolfson (90 kills, 39 total blocks) gives Brown its most complete two-way threat. Elle Holley has also factored in with 67 kills, though a high error total has kept her hitting percentage low. Setter Julia Kakkis runs the offense at 7.83 assists per set, and libero Eve McLaury leads the defense with 122 digs.
Scouting Yale
The Bulldogs enter at 7-2 and a perfect 1-0 in the Ivy League after beating Brown in four sets to open conference play. Yale is hitting .233 as a team against just .183 allowed to opponents, one of the better efficiency gaps in the league. Laurece Abraham leads Yale in scoring with 100 kills and a team-high 3.88 points per set, anchoring the block with a team-high 36 total blocks as well. Ava Poinsett (89 kills, 15 aces) and Betsy Goodenow (76 kills, 23 total blocks) add scoring punch, and Skylar Jackson rounds out the attack with 66 kills. Setter Kalyssa Taggart directs the Yale offense at 9.19 assists per set, while Arya Jue paces the defense with 99 digs.
Players to Watch
Imamura enters the weekend fresh off the best statistical match of her career against Harvard and has been Dartmouth's most consistent offensive weapon all season.
Zori Brown's career-high effort alongside her gives the Big Green two players playing their best volleyball of the year at the same time. McCreery's blocking and hitting efficiency will be important against a Brown defense that has struggled at times, and against Yale's Abraham, Dartmouth's block — which has topped 100 total blocks on the season — will be tested by one of the Ivy League's most productive two-way players.
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