CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -  The Hartford volleyball team opens its 2021 campaign Friday, when it heads to Chestnut Hill for the Boston College Invitational. The Hawks will open against Northeastern on Friday at 5 p.m., before returning to the court Saturday to take on host Boston College (1 p.m.) and Sacred Heart (5 p.m.)


MATCH 1 | HARTFORD HAWKS (0-0, 0-0 AE) vs. NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
DATE | TIME: Friday, Aug. 27 | 5 p.m. 
OPPONENT: Northeastern
LOCATION: Power Gym (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
MATCH COVERAGE: Live Stats 
TWITTER: @HartfordWVB | #FlyHigh | #AEVB


MATCH 2 | HARTFORD HAWKS at BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES 
DATE | TIME: Saturday, Aug. 28 | 1 p.m. 
OPPONENT: Boston College
LOCATION: Power Gym (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
MATCH COVERAGE: Live Stats | ACCNX
TWITTER: @HartfordWVB | #FlyHigh | #AEVB


MATCH 3 | HARTFORD HAWKS vs. SACRED HEART 
DATE | TIME: Saturday, Aug. 28 | 5 p.m. 
OPPONENT: Sacred Heart
LOCATION: Power Gym (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
MATCH COVERAGE: Live Stats 
TWITTER: @HartfordWVB | #FlyHigh | #AEVB

HARTFORD QUICK HITS

• Friday's match against Northeastern marks Hartford's first in 152 days, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the delay of the team's 2020 season into Spring 2021
• The Hawks return 11 players from last season's team that went that went 4-6 overall, including a perfect 4-0 at home
• Highlighting the returners is outside hitter Maddie Lindsay, a junior who earned America East All-Conference Second Team honors last season
• Ranking fifth in the America East and leading the team with 4.21 digs per set last season, senior Alex Lucero is Hartford's top returning defensive specialist
• Vinh Nguyen, who enters his fourth season at the helm, has notched 31 wins and two America East postseason berths during his tenure

 
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN

• Northeastern, which saw its 2020 campaign delayed due to the pandemic, went 8-3 in an abbreviated spring slate in 2021
• The Huskies return 12 players from last season's squad that advanced to the CAA Championship Game
• Highlighting the returners is junior Erica Staunton, who led the team with 184 points and 165 kills
• Hartford is 6-33 all-time against Northeastern, with five of its six wins coming at a neutral site
• Hartford suffered a 3-0 loss inside the Hartford Volleyball Gym in the two teams' last meeting on Oct. 26, 2004

 
SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE

• Boston College, which saw its 2020 season start and pause in the fall and end in the spring due to the pandemic, went 6-12 on the campaign
• The Eagles return 16 players from last season's squad that closed the season with five straight victories 
• Outside hitter Clare Naughton returns as a graduate student after leading the Eagles with 155 kills and 173.5 points during the 2020-21 campaign
• Hartford is 7-11 all-time against Boston College, winning seven of the first 10 meetings dating back to the first meeting on Oct. 4, 1986
• Most recently, Hartford suffered a 3-0 loss inside Power Gym on Aug. 24, 2018

 
SCOUTING SACRED HEART

• Sacred Heart opens its season at the Boston College Invitational after closing its spring 2021 slate with an 11-3 record
• The Pioneers closed its season with 10 straight wins, going undefeated at 10-0 in NEC play
• Sacred Heart earned a berth into the NEC Championship Game but had to cancel the contest due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• The Pioneers, who return 17 players from last season's team were picked to finish first in the NEC preseason poll
• Sarah Ciszek, the reigning NEC Player and Setter of the Year, returns as a senior?? returns as a senior after ranking third in the NEC at 8.70 assists per set and eighth in the league with 4.10 digs per set
• Hartford owns a 19-10 record all-time against Sacred Heart and is 14-9 in its Division I matchups
• Hartford suffered a 3-2 loss inside the Hartford Volleyball Gym in the two teams' last meeting on Oct. 20, 2019

LINDSAY STAYS BUSY

• A two-time member of the America East All-Conference Second Team, Lindsay returns as Hartford's top outside hitter
• As a sophomore, she ranked second in the conference in kills per set (3.81) and third in points per set (4.13)
• She made an immediate impact as a freshman in 2019, becoming the first Hartford player since 2001 to be named the America East Rookie of the Year, while also while also earning All-Rookie Team honors
• Entering the 2021 slate, Lindsay is the team's active leader in career points (438.0) and kills (390)

 
NEXT ON TAP

• The Hawks will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 3, when they travel to New Haven for the Yale Invitational
• Hartford will take on the host Bulldogs at 1 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 5:30 p.m. contest against Quinnipiac
• The Hawks will close the invitational with a Saturday 1 p.m. game against Syracuse

 

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