Lynch Named Student-Athlete of the Week

Photo by: Seth Seebaugh

August 30, 2021 04:12 PM | General, Men's Soccer, Cross Country, Women's Soccer, Volleyball

By: Athletics Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After helping the Mountaineers open the season 3-0, fifth-year middle blocker Briana Lynch of the West Virginia University volleyball team has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

Lynch, the Mountaineers' lone selection on the 2021 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, was a force to be reckoned with at the net last weekend, turning in a team-high .554 hitting efficiency and averaging 1.30 blocks per set in the three-match series at the ODU Invitational.

The Johns Creek, Georgia, native totaled a team-high 36 kills on 56 attacks in the squad's two sweeps against Loyola and Old Dominion on Friday and a 3-1 win against Hampton on Saturday. She also led the team's blocking efforts with 12 block assists in the match.

This Week in Volleyball: Looking ahead, West Virginia travels to Annapolis, Maryland, for a two-day tournament from Sept. 3-4 ... West Virginia will face Michigan on Friday, Sept. 3, at noon ET, followed by host Navy on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m., at the Wesley A. Brown Field House.

Last Week in Volleyball: The Mountaineers took home a trio of wins at the ODU Invitational. WVU swept both Loyola and Old Dominion on Friday, Aug. 27, and beat Hampton on Saturday, Aug. 28, in a 3-1 game, at the ODU Volleyball Center ... West Virginia concluded the tournament with an average of 13.6 kills per set, hitting 0.311 in the three-match series … fifth year middle blocker Briana Lynch paced WVU's offense with 36 kills, averaging 3.6 per set to become this week's Student Athlete if the Week ... senior setter Lacey Zerwas led the team with 106 assists ... fifth-year defensive specialist Alexa Hasting dug 44 balls on the weekend, while freshman middle blocker Madison Page made her collegiate debut and recorded a team high 16 blocks ... sophomore outside hitter Skye Stokes led the Mountaineers with nine service aces.

Notes: WVU travels to its second of four tournaments of the season ... the Mountaineers last played at Michigan on Aug. 29, 2015, and fell to the Wolverines, 0-3 ... the series is tied 1-1 ... on Sept. 21, 2019, the Mountaineer's beat Navy, 3-2, at the Mountaineer Invitational ... WVU holds a series record 4-0 over the Midshipmen ... Page ranks second with eight total blocks ... Lynch ranks second in the Big 12 with a .554 hitting efficiency and 36 kills ... Zerwas sits in second with 106 assists ... redshirt senior setter Adrian Ell and Lynch are tied for fifth place in the Big 12 with 13 total blocks a piece ... Stokes ranks second with four service aces and she is followed by Ell who has three ... Hasting ranks second after recording 20 digs this past weekend.

This Week in Men's Soccer: The Mountaineers play host to a pair of top-15 opponents at home … first, WVU opens the home campaign on Monday, Aug. 30, against No. 3 Pitt at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium … from there, West Virginia takes on No. 11 Penn State on Friday, Sept. 3 … both matches are set to kick off at 7 p.m. ET … the first 550 fans at the Pitt match will receive a WVU soccer cowbell, while Friday's contest is Trivia Night, with fans able to win Nike gear, soccer tickets to future home matches and football tickets to the LIU game on Sept. 11 … the PSU match also is the first of three Happy Hours at the stadium, with half-off drinks at the concession stand from 6-7 p.m.

Last Week in Men's Soccer: WVU (1-0) opened the season with a 2-0 win at Robert Morris on Aug. 26, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania … redshirt junior midfielder Dyon Dromers scored the game-winning goal for the Mountaineers less than two minutes into the contest on the squad's first shot attempt of the season … later, sophomore forward Ciro Bourlot Jaeggi scored a 79th-minute goal, marking the first of his collegiate career … fifth-year senior defender Kevin Morris, senior defender Aaron Denk Gracia and freshman midfielder Otto Ollikainen earned assists in the win … WVU outshot RMU, 12-3, in the victory, including 5-2 in shots on goal … fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made two saves, earning the season-opening clean sheet.

Notes: Monday marks the 50th overall meeting between the Mountaineers and Panthers, including the first since 2018 … WVU has more wins (34) and matches played (49) against the Panthers than any other team in program history … overall, West Virginia holds a 34-10-5 edge over Pitt … the Mountaineers are 13-4 all-time in home openers since Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium opened in 2004 … WVU has defeated a top-10 foe nine times in the last 13 seasons … the Mountaineers are 8-20-2 against Penn State … the two schools will meet for the first time since 2015 on Friday night … seven Mountaineers made their WVU debuts in the season-opening win at Robert Morris, including freshman defender Frederik Jorgensen and sophomore midfielder Ryan Crooks, who made their first career starts against the Colonials … WVU has won five consecutive season openers, dating back to 2017 … with Thursday's win, Tekesky earned his 34th career win and 21st shutout, both good for No. 4 in program history.

This Week in Women's Soccer: The Mountaineers continue their four-game homestand on Thursday, Sept. 2, as they welcome No. 7 Penn State to Morgantown … the match is slated for 7 p.m. ET, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium … it also will be broadcast live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Last Week in Women's Soccer: West Virginia (3-1) earned a pair of nonconference victories over the weekend … first, the squad traveled to Bucknell on Aug. 27, beating the Bison, 3-1, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania … a trio of Mountaineers scored a goal in the win, while senior defender Jordan Brewster's 59th-minute penalty kick was credited as the game winner … sophomore forward/midfielder AJ Rodriguez tallied her first career strike in the contest, while junior defender Julianne Vallerand recorded her second goal of the season to lift WVU to the two-goal win … the Mountaineers returned home to on Aug. 29, to host Duquesne at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium … the first goal of the night came at the 33:21 mark off the boot of senior midfielder Isabella Sibley, whose strike was credited as the game-winning goal … West Virginia added two more scores in the second half from junior midfielder/defender Juliana Lynch and junior midfielder Aaliyah Scott … West Virginia dominated every statistical category, leading the Dukes 19-3 in shots and 7-2 in shots on goal.

Notes: Scott's 67th-minute goal against Duquesne marked the first of her career, while Lynch's score at the 52:41 mark was her first since Oct. 17, 2019, against Oklahoma State during her freshman campaign … the WVU defense recorded its second shutout of the campaign against the Dukes … Brewster's game-winning goal at Bucknell was the second of her career, while Sibley's game winner against Duquesne also was the second in her career … a pair of Mountaineers made their career debuts for WVU against Duquesne, including freshman forward Aria Bilal and freshman defender Lisa Schöppl … after assisting on a goal in each game over the weekend, freshman forward/midfielder Leah Sparacio leads the team with three helpers on the season … junior defender Julianne Vallerand leads the team with a pair of goals and four points this year.

This Week in Cross Country: The Mountaineers are set for their season opener, as they travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Sept. 3, to compete at the Lehigh Invitational at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Last Season in Cross Country: The Mountaineer cross country team faced a shortened, but successful 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 ... the team saw action in two regular season meets, along with the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Championships ... WVU finished third at the 2020 Big 12 Championship in Lawrence, Kansas, and 29th at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma ... junior Ceili McCabe, redshirt junior Katherine Dowie and senior Charlotte Wood finished inside the top-15 at the conference meet to earn All-Big 12 honors ... the honor was the second for McCabe and first for Dowie and Wood.

Notes: Ten members of the squad were awarded the Academic All-Big 12 First Team honor ... the Mountaineers finished first at the Panther Open, while WVU also raced at the FSU XC Winter Classic for the first time in program history ... WVU will travel to four meets this season ... 13 Mountaineers will be returning , while a total of six new faces will join the team ... The team placed third at the 2021 Big 12 Cross Country Championship and were selected for the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships as a team for the first time since 2014. The Mountaineers finished 29th overall.