Liberty Volleyball Wraps Up Non-Conference Schedule in Evansville, This Weekend
9/15/2021 2:37:02 PM | Women's Volleyball
Liberty (4-3) wraps up non-conference play this weekend in Evansville, Ind., competing in the Dunn Hospitality Tournament. The Lady Flames will take on the host Evansville Purple Aces (8-1) and Murray State on Friday before taking on Cleveland State (2-7) on Saturday.
Matchday Central Links
Dunn Hospitality Tournament
Meeks Family Fieldhouse
Evansville, Ind.
Liberty at Evansville
Match Date: Friday, Sept. 17
Match Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Meeks Family Fieldhouse
Liberty vs. Murray State
Match Date: Friday, Sept. 17
Match Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Meeks Family Fieldhouse
Liberty vs. Cleveland State
Match Date: Saturday, Sept. 18
Match Time: Noon ET
Location: Meeks Family Fieldhouse
After opening the season with a 3-0 record for the first time since 2015, the Lady Flames went 1-3 at the Liberty Invitational. Liberty posted a four-set win over Navy on Friday night, before dropping a pair of tough decisions to Purdue Fort Wayne (3-2) and Loyola Marymount (3-1), Saturday.
Evansville will be Liberty’s second straight opponent to enter their matchup with one loss, as the Lady Flames fell 3-1 to a 7-1 Loyola Marymount team on Saturday. Liberty’s second opponent, Murray State, leads the nation in kills per set both as a team (15.29) and individually (Brooke Watts - 6.06). Cleveland State will be the third Horizon League Liberty has faced this year, joining Robert Morris and Purdue Fort Wayne.
STARTING ROTATION
1. Liberty will play in Lilly Kruse’s home state of Indiana for the first time since Aug. 24-25, 2018. Fourth-year head coach Trevor Johnson began his tenure as Liberty’s head coach at the Fort Wayne Invitational, earning his first Division I head coaching victory on Aug. 24, 2018 against Oakland.
2. Liberty showed balance on Saturday against Purdue Fort Wayne, led by Kennedi Sutter’s 18 kills. Rajini Fitzmaurice (12), Lydia Burts (11) and Trinity Watts (10) gave Liberty four players in double figures in kills in the same match for the first time since Nov. 3, 2019 against North Alabama.
3. Kennedi Sutter had back-to-back 10-kill matches on Saturday. Her career-high 18 kills against Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday were the most by a Lady Flame since Leah Clayton had 26 kills during the 2016 Big South semifinals against High Point.
4. 2021 Spring ASUN All-Conference second team member Lydia Burts made her first appearances of the season last weekend. She posted seven blocks against Navy, and her four solo blocks were the most by a Lady Flame since Nicki Scripko’s five against UC Irvine on Sept. 21, 2008.
5. Lilly Kruse has returned to the outside hitter position after leading Liberty in digs as a libero this spring. She scored 14 kills against both Old Dominion and Navy last Friday, giving her 10 or more kills in back-to-back matches for the first time in her career.
6. Trinity Watts, a 2021 VaSD All-State second team player, was named ASUN Player of the Week after averaging 4.0 kills per set during the opening weekend. She leads the team with five double-digit kill matches in seven total contests played.
7. Liberty has three out of the top nine players on the ASUN’s aces per set leaderboard, in Kennedi Sutter (2nd - 0.48), Lindsey Hardesty (4th - 0.45) and Trinity Watts (9th - 0.41).
