RICHMOND, Ky. – The first-place Eastern Kentucky University volleyball team will host Bellarmine on Friday before traveling to face Stetson on Sunday.
Friday's match at the Olympic Sports Training Center will begin at 6 p.m. ET. Sunday's contest in DeLand, Florida will start at 1 p.m. ET. Sunday's match will air live on ESPN+.
Decade Night is scheduled for Friday. Fans will receive a FREE disco ball cup while supplies last.
THE COLONELS
- With four matches left in the regular season, EKU enters the weekend tied with three other teams for first-place in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Colonels (17-7) join Jacksonville, Central Arkansas and Florida Gulf Coast with identical 9-3 league marks.
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Cassidy Trahan was chosen as the Atlantic Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Week and the ASUN Freshman of the Week on Monday. In two victories last week, Trahan averaged 6.13 digs.
- In two matches last week,
Emilee Hill impacted every aspect of the game, averaging 2.63 kills, 6.13 assists, 3.13 digs, 1.00 blocks and 0.25 aces per set.
- During their 4-match winning streak, the Colonels have a .294 team attack percentage and four players posted an attack percentage above .300.
Caitlyn Flees has hit .542 (14 kills, 1 errors, 24 attempts),
AG Hynes has hit .400 (48 kills, 12 errors, 90 attempts),
Carson Ledford has hit .357 (27 kills, 7 errors, 56 attempts) and
Addison Burke has hit .302 (56 kills, 14 errors, 139 attempts).
- Ledford tied her career-high with nine blocks against Lipscomb on Friday. She now has 323 career block assists, which is the seventh-most in program history.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
- Bellarmine is 11-13 overall this season and 5-7 in ASUN matches. Last weekend the Knights beat Austin Peay (3-1) before falling to Lipscomb (3-1) in a pair of home matches.
- Natalie Bland leads BU with 3.14 kills per set and is hitting .161 for the season. The junior outside hitter has 320 more attacks than anyone else on the team. Erika Smith, a junior middle blocker, leads the squad with 0.80 blocks per set.
- Stetson is 9-15 overall and 5-7 in conference matches. The Hatters had a 3-match winning streak snapped with a 3-2 loss at Queens on Sunday.
- Zuzanna Bury leads the team with 4.11 kills per set. She also leads the team with 27 service aces. Kayla Balfour is averaging a team-best 1.08 blocks per set.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- The Colonels are 12-3 all-time against Bellarmine and have won five straight against the Knights. EKU picked up a 3-1 win in Louisville earlier this season.
- EKU is 5-2 all-time against Stetson. The first meeting between the two programs was in 1992. The Colonels have won each of the past two meetings by 3-1 scores in 2023 and 2024.
