WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -  The Hartford volleyball team continues its 2021 campaign this weekend, when it opens its home slate with the Hartford Hawks for the Hartford Hawks Invitational at the Hartford Volleyball Gym. The Hawks will face Central Connecticut (Thursday, 6 p.m.), Dartmouth (Friday, 6 p.m.) and Brown (Saturday, 7 p.m.) during the three-day event.


MATCH 10 | HARTFORD HAWKS (2-7 0-0 AE) vs. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT BLUE DEVILS (2-7, 0-0 NEC)
DATE | TIME: Thursday, Sept. 16 | 7 p.m. 
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)
MATCH COVERAGE: Sidearm Stats | AmericaEast.tv
TWITTER: @HartfordWVB | #FlyHigh | #AEVB

MATCH 11 | HARTFORD HAWKS vs. DARTMOUTH BIG GREEN 
DATE | TIME: Friday, Sept. 17 | 6 p.m. 
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)
MATCH COVERAGE: Sidearm Stats | AmericaEast.tv
TWITTER: @HartfordWVB | #FlyHigh | #AEVB

MATCH 12 | HARTFORD HAWKS vs. BROWN BEARS
DATE | TIME: Saturday, Sept. 18 | 7 p.m. 
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)
MATCH COVERAGE: Sidearm Stats | AmericaEast.tv
TWITTER: @HartfordWVB | #FlyHigh | #AEVB

HARTFORD QUICK HITS

• Hartford continues its non-conference slate with dates against local rival Central Connecticut and Ivy League stalwarts Dartmouth and Brown at the Hartford Hawks Invitational
• Thursday's contest against CCSU marks Hartford's first home date with a non-conference opponent since defeating the Blue Devils in four sets on Sept. 21, 2019
• The Hawks picked up their second win of the season this past Friday with a three-set victory over Merrimack at the URI Invitational
• Hartford's first win of the 2021 campaign came way by a thrilling five-set victory over Quinnipiac at the Yale Invitational on Sept. 3
• Coming off back-to-back All-Tournament Team honors to open the season, freshman Camryn Luginbuhl continued her streak after being named to the URI Invitational All-Tournament Team
• She totaled 54 points, 51 kills and 23 digs over three games to lead the Hawks
• Hartford returns 11 players from last season's team that went that went 4-6 overall, including a perfect 4-0 record at home during the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign, which was played in the spring
• 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 

SCOUTING CCSU

• The Blue Devils enter the tournament with a 2-7 record on the 2021 campaign
• CCSU is riding a two-game win streak into the event, picking up wins over Saint Francis (Pa.) and Siena at the Siena Invitational this past weekend
• The Blue Devils return 12 players from last year's team that went 4-4 in an abbreviated season
• Among the returners is sophomore Isabelle Roufs and senior Emma Henderson, both of whom earned NEC All-Second Team honors last season
• Freshman Nyjha Marcelin has made an immediate impact for CCSU, leading the team in points (90.0), kills (79) and kills per set (2.55).
• Henderson and Roufs narrowly trail Marcelin for the lead in kills with 61 and 56, respectively
• The Blue Devils hold the slight advantage over the Hawks in the all-time series, 34-35, however Hartford leads 33-26 in the Div. I series between the programs
• In the Hawks' last battle with Central Connecticut, Hartford came away with a 3-1 victory inside the Hartford Volleyball Gym on Sept. 21, 2019

SCOUTING DARTMOUTH

• Dartmouth enters the tournament undefeated in six matches, picking up four-set victories over New Hampshire, Holy Cross and UConn this past weekend
• The Big Green did not play last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Sophomore Ellie Blain leads Dartmouth in points (102.0), points per set (4.64), kills (94) and kills per set (4.27) through the team's first six games
• Fellow sophomore Karen Murphy leads the Big Green with 153 assists and 10 service aces
• Dartmouth leads the all-time series against Hartford, 10-6
• The Hawks took the first three games of the series, with two wins coming in the first two meetings in 1992
• The last time the two sides met, Hartford fell on the road, 3-0, on Sept. 14, 2019

SCOUTING BROWN

• Brown enters the Hartford Hawks Invitational with a 4-3 record through its first seven contests
• The Bears went 1-2 this past weekend at the Rutgers Invitational, picking up a three-set victory over NJIT in between losses against North Carolina State and hosts Rutgers
• Brown did not play last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Sophomore Kate Sheire has gotten off to a hot start in 2021, leading the team in points (73.5), points per set (3.20), kills (64) and kills per set (2.78) 
• Hartford owns a 9-8 record all-time against Brown, but the two sides are tied at 8-8 all-time in the Division I series 
• The Hawks picked up a five-set victory in the last meeting on Sept. 8, 2018 inside of the Hartford Volleyball Gym

KILLA CAM LUGINBUHL

• Luginbuhl was named the America East Rookie of the Week for the third consecutive week after averaging 5.40 points, 5.10 kills and 2.30 digs per set to lead the Hawks at the URI Invitational
• She totaled 54 points, 51 kills and 23 digs en route to being named to the URI Invitational All-Tournament Team
• Luginbuhl's best performance came in Friday's sweep of Merrimack that saw her deliver 22 kills with a .543 attack-percentage and nine digs
• A native of Tolland, Conn., Luginbuhl has accrued four weekly awards this season, as she was named the Rookie of the Week on Sept. 7, after she was tabbed the league's Player and Rookie of the Week on Aug. 31
• Through the first three weeks of the season, Luginbuhl leads the America East in points (143.5), points per set (4.63), kills (132) and kills per set (4.26)
• She is the first Hawk player to earn Rookie of the Week honors in three consecutive weeks to open the season
• Luginbuhl is also the second Hawk to earn the honors in three-straight weeks, joining current junior Maddie Lindsay, who received the award six-straight times in 2019

GALLIGAN'S ISLAND

• Sophomore setter Morgan Galligan has exploded onto the scene in 2021, leading the Hawks with 253 assists and 8.16 assists per set
• Her assist numbers slots her in third in the America East in both categories
• Galligan has registered 25 or more assists in five matches this season, most recently posting 34 helpers in a loss against URI this past Saturday
• She registered a career-high 51 assists in a thrilling five-set victory over Quinnipiac to give Hartford its first win of the season on Sept. 3

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 Tuesday, Sept. 21 when they wrap non-conference play with a home date against Bryant. 
• First serve is set for 6 p.m. inside the Hartford Volleyball Gym. 

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