Tuesday, October 9
Washington, D.C.
6:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
George Washington
Photo by: Katie MacCrory
WVU Breaks from Conference Play
October 08, 2018 04:37 PM | Volleyball
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Looking to bounce back from a five-set loss at Kansas, the West Virginia University volleyball team travels to Washington, D.C. for a nonconference matchup with George Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 9. First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET inside the Charles E. Smith Center.
Tuesday's contest vs. George Washington will be broadcasted live on ESPN+, with live video and stat links available on WVUsports.com.
"We have to get back on track," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "It was a tough loss at Kansas, but hopefully, we can take advantage of what we did well. There is still some stuff that we need to work on, and hopefully, we can work on that tomorrow night. They'll be hungry to play. We talked about it over the weekend. We just have to make sure we take care of business."
West Virginia (8-9, 1-4 Big 12) has a long history with George Washington (8-8, 2-3 Atlantic 10), as Tuesday marks the 30th all-time meeting between the two. The teams first squared off in 1978 and last met in 2015, with the Colonials leading the series 22-7.
WVU and GW have met just three times since the Mountaineers left the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1994, with the Colonials winning two of the last three contests. West Virginia picked the five-set win in Morgantown, on Sept. 20, 2008, while George Washington won the most recent meeting at a neutral site on Aug. 29, 2015. The two teams have not squared off in Washington, D.C. since 1998.
Of note, West Virginia enters the match with a 7-5 mark in nonconference play and is 37-20 all-time in non-league matches under Sunahara.
The Mountaineers are coming off a five-set loss to Big 12 foe Kansas on Oct. 3, in Lawrence, Kansas. Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans paced WVU with 20 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo led the blocking efforts with seven. The Mountaineers posted 50 kills, 41 digs and nine team blocks in the loss.
DeMeo has developed into one of the league's premier blockers. She currently ranks second in the Big 12, with 1.51 blocks per set, totaling 83 on the season. The Troy, Ohio, native also ranks ninth among all NCAA Division I players in blocks per set.
DeMeo is on pace to etch her name in the WVU single-season record book. Her average of 1.51 blocks per set would rank No. 1 all-time by a Mountaineer sophomore and third overall in a single season in program history. Additionally, she boasts 83 total blocks on the year, 26 shy of moving into the top-five all-time by a sophomore.
The Mountaineers rank fourth in the Big 12, averaging 2.54 blocks per set, and are 37th in the nation. WVU is outblocking its opponents, 160.0-130.5.
Evans has played in all but one set for the Mountaineers this season. She leads the team with 195 kills, averaging 3.15 per set to rank ninth in the Big 12. The Palmdale, California, native has recorded double-digit kills in 11 matches, including seven of the last eight.
George Washington split its matches against Rhode Island and Fordhman last weekend, sweeping URI on Friday before stumbling in four sets against the Rams on Saturday.
GW's Skylar Iott paces the team with 3.73 kills per set, while Callie Fauntleroy leads the team in blocks per set, with 0.92.
Of note, Heather Merryman became the second Colonial this year to earn Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors on Monday, dishing out 71 assists, as well as 12 digs and two service aces, last weekend. Merryman earned her first career start against Rhode Island and averaged 10.14 assists per set in two matches, ranking second in the league last week.
Of note, the Mountaineers are four wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 696-732 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
Up next, West Virginia will host its annual Pink Match on Saturday, Oct. 13, at 1 p.m., vs. No. 24 Baylor. It also is Dollar Day, and all tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each. The team will don pink jerseys in support of breast cancer awareness. WVU Medicine will sponsor the match and will collect donations for the WVU Cancer Institute. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and can get the WVU sports official "pink" t-shirt with a donation of $10 or more to WVU Medicine.
Following Saturday's match, the Mountaineers will put on a free youth clinic open to any and all entrants in eighth grade and below. Autographs also will take place following the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Tuesday's contest vs. George Washington will be broadcasted live on ESPN+, with live video and stat links available on WVUsports.com.
"We have to get back on track," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "It was a tough loss at Kansas, but hopefully, we can take advantage of what we did well. There is still some stuff that we need to work on, and hopefully, we can work on that tomorrow night. They'll be hungry to play. We talked about it over the weekend. We just have to make sure we take care of business."
West Virginia (8-9, 1-4 Big 12) has a long history with George Washington (8-8, 2-3 Atlantic 10), as Tuesday marks the 30th all-time meeting between the two. The teams first squared off in 1978 and last met in 2015, with the Colonials leading the series 22-7.
WVU and GW have met just three times since the Mountaineers left the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1994, with the Colonials winning two of the last three contests. West Virginia picked the five-set win in Morgantown, on Sept. 20, 2008, while George Washington won the most recent meeting at a neutral site on Aug. 29, 2015. The two teams have not squared off in Washington, D.C. since 1998.
Of note, West Virginia enters the match with a 7-5 mark in nonconference play and is 37-20 all-time in non-league matches under Sunahara.
The Mountaineers are coming off a five-set loss to Big 12 foe Kansas on Oct. 3, in Lawrence, Kansas. Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans paced WVU with 20 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo led the blocking efforts with seven. The Mountaineers posted 50 kills, 41 digs and nine team blocks in the loss.
DeMeo has developed into one of the league's premier blockers. She currently ranks second in the Big 12, with 1.51 blocks per set, totaling 83 on the season. The Troy, Ohio, native also ranks ninth among all NCAA Division I players in blocks per set.
DeMeo is on pace to etch her name in the WVU single-season record book. Her average of 1.51 blocks per set would rank No. 1 all-time by a Mountaineer sophomore and third overall in a single season in program history. Additionally, she boasts 83 total blocks on the year, 26 shy of moving into the top-five all-time by a sophomore.
The Mountaineers rank fourth in the Big 12, averaging 2.54 blocks per set, and are 37th in the nation. WVU is outblocking its opponents, 160.0-130.5.
Evans has played in all but one set for the Mountaineers this season. She leads the team with 195 kills, averaging 3.15 per set to rank ninth in the Big 12. The Palmdale, California, native has recorded double-digit kills in 11 matches, including seven of the last eight.
George Washington split its matches against Rhode Island and Fordhman last weekend, sweeping URI on Friday before stumbling in four sets against the Rams on Saturday.
GW's Skylar Iott paces the team with 3.73 kills per set, while Callie Fauntleroy leads the team in blocks per set, with 0.92.
Of note, Heather Merryman became the second Colonial this year to earn Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors on Monday, dishing out 71 assists, as well as 12 digs and two service aces, last weekend. Merryman earned her first career start against Rhode Island and averaged 10.14 assists per set in two matches, ranking second in the league last week.
Of note, the Mountaineers are four wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 696-732 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
Up next, West Virginia will host its annual Pink Match on Saturday, Oct. 13, at 1 p.m., vs. No. 24 Baylor. It also is Dollar Day, and all tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each. The team will don pink jerseys in support of breast cancer awareness. WVU Medicine will sponsor the match and will collect donations for the WVU Cancer Institute. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and can get the WVU sports official "pink" t-shirt with a donation of $10 or more to WVU Medicine.
Following Saturday's match, the Mountaineers will put on a free youth clinic open to any and all entrants in eighth grade and below. Autographs also will take place following the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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