The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Invitational Up Next for Volleyball
September 01 | Women's Volleyball
Game Notes (PDF)
AKRON, Ohio – For the third consecutive season, The University of Akron volleyball team will play host to the Akron Invitational on Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3 at James A. Rhodes Arena. The tournament will feature a total of six matches, four on Friday and two on Saturday.
The Zips (0-4) will face each participating team once, beginning with St. Francis (Pa.) (1-3) at noon ET on Friday before wrapping up the opening day against Bradley (2-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday will pit UA against Canisius (3-0) at 2 p.m. for the final match of the event.
For Friday night's contest against the Braves, Akron Athletics will be hosting the first Student Block Party of the season. The first 100 students at the JAR will receive free food and free Akron Volleyball t-shirts. There will also be prizes given away during the match and a post-game autograph session with the team.
UA is still looking for its first win of the year after falling on the road at Cleveland State 3-1. Senior outside hitter Courtney Jarvis leads the squad with 32 kills so far, followed by freshman standout Kymberle Gordon with 30. Gordon averages a team-best 2.50 kills/set and has tallied a team-high nine total blocks.
Opponents
Scouting St. Francis (Pa.), the Red Flash opened the season at Duquesne, picking up a sweep against Howard and dropping matches to Rhode Island, Duquesne and Marist. Last year, the team finished 9-20 overall with a 7-9 mark in the Northeast Conference. The Zips have had success against SFU, as they lead the all-time series 9-0.
Bradley, of the Missouri Valley Conference, owns a pair of wins over Nebraska-Omaha, with its only loss coming in straight sets to Illinois-Chicago. The Braves were 8-23 last season and 3-15 in the MVC. Akron and Bradley have only met twice prior to this weekend, with both teams splitting the contests.
Canisius has yet to drop a match this year, going undefeated at the La Salle Invitational in Philadelphia. The Golden Griffins took down Providence, La Salle and Morgan State while only losing two sets in the process. Last season, Canisius finished 16-17 overall and made it to the third-place match of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament. UA has never lost to the Griffs, holding a 3-0 all-time record in the series.
Schedule
Friday, Sept. 2
10:00 a.m. - Bradley vs. Canisius
12:00 p.m. - Akron vs. St. Francis (Pa.)
5:00 p.m. - Canisius vs. St. Francis (Pa.)
7:00 p.m. - Akron vs. Bradley (Student Block Party)
Saturday, Sept. 3
12:00 p.m. - St. Francis (Pa.) vs. Bradley
2:00 p.m. - Akron vs. Canisius
Action kicks off at the JAR at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 2 with Bradley against Canisius. Admission to all tournament matches is free of charge.
