BOCA RATON, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Volleyball travels to Boca Raton, Florida this weekend participating in the Owls Paradise Classic hosted by Florida Atlantic University. The action takes place September 8-9, at Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena on the campus of FAU.
 
Once in Boca Raton, Bethune-Cookman takes on the host Owls of FAU, Incarnate Word and Youngstown State over the course of the weekend. The Wildcats have never faced off against Incarnate Word or Youngstown State before in the sport of volleyball.
 
MATCH #7: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs. Youngstown State Penguins
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (Boca Raton, Fla.)
WATCH LIVE: FloSports
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
MATCH #8: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs. Incarnate Word Cardinals
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 8, at 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (Boca Raton, Fla.)
WATCH LIVE: FloSports
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
MATCH #9: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Florida Atlantic Owls
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 9, at Noon
WHERE: Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (Boca Raton, Fla.)
WATCH LIVE: FloSports
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Florida Atlantic is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Incarnate Word is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Youngstown State is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Bethune-Cookman Volleyball this year by following the Wildcats on all their social media platforms. You can follow @BCUVolleyball on Instagram and @BCUVolleyball on Twitter.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Redshirt senior opposite/right side Malina Spencer was named to the Pirate Invitational all-tournament team a week ago, in the event hosted by East Carolina University. In finishing the three-match event with 16 kills and four total blocks, Spencer also earned Wildcat of the Week accolades on the women's side for the period of August 28 through September 3.
▪ SWAC Preseason Team selection Alisha Callender played her first three matches of the season at the Pirate Invitational last weekend. The Dorado, Puerto Rico native amassed 32 assists (3.56 per set) across nine total sets.
▪ Niara Hightower put down six blocks last weekend across three matches against Appalachian State, Campbell and East Carolina. Against the host Pirates, she registered three assisted blocks in a match streamed on ESPN+.
▪ Sophomore defensive specialist/libero Rylee Davis recorded a team single-match season-best 11 digs in a match versus Campbel last weekend at the Pirate Invitational in Greenville, North Carolina.
▪ AJ Simmons placed a season-high four kills against Campbell last time out for the Wildcats.
▪ Against Campbell, the Cats tallied a team season second-most 24 kills against the Camels. They recorded a season-high 31 kills in the season opener versus Marshall (Aug. 25).
 
BCU VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC SERIES
▪ Since the first meeting back in 1988, Bethune-Cookman is 0-40 all-time against the Owls of Florida Atlantic. The Wildcats last faced the Owls in 2021, with FAU taking a 3-0 victory in Boca Raton.
 
SCOUTING THE OWLS
▪ Florida Atlantic enters the weekend 4-3 overall, holding a record 2-1 at home on the year with wins against Fairleigh Dickinson and Holy Cross, respectfully. Arianna Beckham (2.48 per set) and Kaila Ru (2.82 per set) each lead the Owls in kills with 62 each, followed by Romina Cornelio (2.23) with 58 kills. Victoria Hensley provides the assists with 186 to top the team in that category, while she also leads the team with 10 service aces each. Isabelle Northam has 129 digs (4.96 per set) from the libero position.
 
BCU VS. INCARNATE WORD SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman and Incarnate Word have never met in volleyball.
 
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
▪ Incarnate Word arrives to the Paradise Classic with a record of 5-1 overall, with a lone loss coming to UT Arlington in the UTA Classic. Allison Palmi owns 77 kills to top the Cardinals, with Kyla Malone sitting second on the team with 66 kills. Annamarie Alvarez is hitting at a .514 clip on the season, as teammate Natalie Kimmel provides the assists with 124 on the year. Anuhea Faitau and Malone each have seven service aces for the Cardinals. The digs category is headed up by Audrey Patton with 68 digs, followed by Malone with 57.
 
BCU VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman and Youngstown State have never faced each other in volleyball.
 
SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
▪ Youngstown State has an even record of 3-3 entering the weekend at the Owls Paradise Classic. The team leader in kills is Jazmin Vergara (67). Josi Borum (52) and Abbie Householder (48) trail her in the kills category. Vergara has a hitting percentage of .237, with Josi Borum leading the Penguins with 138 assists from her setter position on the court. Fellow setter Isabel Schaefbauer has 113 assists to her credit. Householder is the team leader in service aces (8). And the digs are supplied by libero Isidora Sisic with a team-leading 130. Julia Sell leads the team in blocks (27) – holding 23 assisted blocks and four solo blocks.
 
A QUICK LOOK AT THE CATS
Record – 0-6 (.000) // SWAC Record – 0-0 (.000) // Last 5 Matches – 0-5 (.000) // Last 10 Matches – 3-7 (.300) // Last 15 Matches – 5-10 (.333) // BCU will play the 186th match of the Brittany Williams era when the Wildcats face off against Youngstown State on Friday morning.
 
UP NEXT
Bethune-Cookman travels to the GATA Challenge hosted by Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Georgia. BCU will play a pair of matches in Statesboro against the host GSU Eagles (Sept. 15) and Mercer Bears (Sept. 16), respectively.
 
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