CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - America East volleyball conference play begins this weekend with two matches on Friday and two more on Sunday.
Friday, Sept. 27
New Hampshire at UMass Lowell - 7 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch Live on AmericaEast.TV
- New Hampshire was picked fourth in the America East preseason poll and enter the match with a 6-10 overall record.
- UMass Lowell will play its first America East Conference game in any sport and are looking for their first win of the year.
- The Wildcats boast the conference's leader in hitting percentage in Cassidy Croci who is hitting at a .342 clip.
Stony Brook at UMBC - 7 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch Live on UMBCRetrievers.TV
- UMBC enters its conference-opener in first place during non-conference play with a 9-6 overall record. The Retrievers had an eight-match winning streak snapped at West Virginia on Sept. 22.
- Stony Brook head coach Coley Pawlikowski will make her America East debut with the Seawolves. She has Stony Brook off to a 5-10 start.
- UMBC leads the conference in almost every major category including hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, assists, blocks and kills.
- Stony Brook is first in the conference and ninth in the country in service aces at 1.86 per set.
Sunday, Sept. 29
Hartford at Providence - 1 p.m.
Live Stats
- Head coach Alex Temkin leads Hartford in his second year at the helm of the Hawks. The team was picked seventh in the preseason poll.
- The Hawks are led by one of the top setters in the conference in Jackie Tamburri who averaged 9.42 assists per set and helping Hartford to a .168 hitting percentage as a team.
- Providence is off to its best start through 16 matches since starting 8-8 in 2008-09.
- Defense has been the name of the game for the Friars who are second in the conference in opponent hitting percentage at .177.
Binghamton at Albany - 5 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch Live on AmericaEast.TV
- The first weekend of the year has a rematch of the 2012 title game and the top-two teams in the preseason poll. Binghamton defeated Albany on the Great Danes home court to take the America East title last year.
- The Great Danes have won five-straight regular-season titles, losing only a total of five conference matches in that time.
- Albany has a young squad in search of its first win, welcoming nine newcomers this year.
- Binghamton won its third America east title in 2012 and return four starters from last year's team including Co-Setter of the Year Amanda Dettmann.