Reigning MAAC Champs Open Conference Play at Home This Weekend

Saturday, September 16

Hamden, Conn.

1:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Niagara

Photo by: Ephemia Nicolakis

Reigning MAAC Champs Open Conference Play at Home This Weekend

9/14/2023 11:08:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

By: QU Athletic Communications

Game #10: Quinnipiac Bobcats (4-5) vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (1-7)
Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 | 1:00 PM
Hamden, Conn. | Burt Kahn Gym
Watch: GoBobcats.com | Live Stats: Click Here

Game #11: Quinnipiac Bobcats vs. Canisius Golden Griffins
Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 | 1:00 PM
Hamden, Conn. | Burt Kahn Gym
Watch: GoBobcats.com | Live Stats: Click Here

HAMDEN, Conn. – For the first time in 2023, the Quinnipiac women's volleyball team will play in front of Bobcat Nation, as the Bobcats welcome Niagara and Canisius to Hamden for their home-opener.

The Bobcats will take on the Purple Eagles on Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Burt Kahn Gym, followed by a Sunday matinee at 1 p.m. against the Golden Griffins.

LAST TIME OUT

QU went 2-1 over the weekend at the Henson Hawk Invitational, dropping Gardner-Webb in four sets in the opener
The Bobcats followed with a sweeping victory over Hampton, before falling in three sets against hosts UMES
Leilani-kai Giusta QU in the match against Gardner-Webb with a career-high 21 kills, while Damla Gunes added 41 assists and 14 digs for the double-double
Over the weekend, Giusta led Quinnipiac with 39 kills and added 19 digs, five blocks and four service aces

OH CAPTAINS MY CAPTAINS

Quinnipiac women's volleyball Head Coach Kyle Robinson has announced the team's captains for the 2023 campaign
Graduate student Aryanah Diaz, seniors Lexi Morse and Chloe Ka'ahanui, and sophomore Damla Gunes have been selected as captains for the program

WEEKLY AWARD RECAP

First-year outside hitter Leilani-kai Giusta garnered MAAC Player and Rookie of the Week honors as announced by the conference on Tuesday, Sept. 12
This is the third and fourth weekly award honor for the Bobcats this season, as well as the second and third career weekly award for Giusta in her early career
Last week Giusta was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week
Leading Quinnipiac to a 2-1 weekend at the Henson Hawk Invitational, Giusta totaled 46.0 points, 39 kills, 19 digs, five blocks and four service aces
She averaged 4.60 points, 3.90 kills, and 1.90 digs per set
Giusta opened the weekend with 21 kills, eight digs, four blocks and two service aces in Quinnipiac's four-set win over Gardner-Webb
She followed that performance with nine kills, seven digs, two service aces, and a block in a sweep over Hampton
In the weekend's final match, Giusta recorded nine kills, four digs and two assists against hosts UMES on Saturday.

COLUMBIA INVITATIONAL RECAP

QU went 1-2 over the weekend at the Columbia Invitational, falling in four sets against Virginia and Fordham before taking down Columbia in straight sets
Yagmur Gunes tallied 12 kills, 12 digs and five service aces in the win over Columbia
Leilani-kai Giusta led the match with 16 kills and added five digs and three assists
Gunes and Giusta were the top performers Bobcats over the weekend
Gunes tallied three consecutive double-doubles over the weekend at the Columbia Invitational and totaled 52.0 points, 43 kills, 41 digs, and nine service aces
In a three-game weekend for Giusta at the Columbia Invitational, Giusta totaled 49.0 points, 46 kills, and 22 digs

HOKIE INVITATIONAL RECAP

The Bobcats opened their season at the Hokie Invitational, going 1-2 over the weekend, dropping a thrilling five-set contest against Furman in the opener
Aryanah Diaz opened the 2023 season with 21 kills and 11 digs against Furman for her first double-double of the season
The Bobcats picked up their first win of the season in a 3-0 sweep over Morgan State in the weekend finale
Ginevera Giovagnoni led Quinnipiac with 11 kills and 12 digs for her second double-double of the early campaign
Graduate student Aryanah Diaz was named to the Hokie Invitational All-Tournament Team for her play over the weekend
Diaz totaled 41.5 points, 35 kills, 27 digs, eight assists and six service aces
For the three games, Diaz averaged 3.77 points, 3.18 kills and 2.45 digs per set

DEFENDING MAAC CHAMPS

The Bobcats finished the season with 14 wins, including a seven-game win streak through the end of the regular season and concluding with its first-ever MAAC title
QU defeated No. 3 Iona, 3-1, in the MAAC Quarterfinals, followed by a sweep over No. 7 Rider in the semifinals, then bested No. 1 Fairfield, 3-1, in the championship round to complete the historic run

PRESEASON FAVORITES

Quinnipiac women's volleyball has been selected as the preseason MAAC favorite, as announced on Friday, Aug. 18 by the league office.
The Bobcats earned the No. 1 spot in the 2023 Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll alongside Marist, with both programs receiving three of 11 first-place votes and 85 total points each.
Quinnipiac saw two student-athletes named to the preseason All-MAAC team, as graduate student Aryanah Diaz and sophomore Ginevra Giovagnoni garnered the honor.

HEAD COACH KYLE ROBINSON

Head Coach Kyle Robinson enters his fifth season with the Bobcats in 2023.
Robinson is 186-137 over his career as a collegiate head coach (7 seasons at LIU prior to QU)
Robinson has firmly cemented himself as one of the premiere college coaches in the NCAA's highest division. He effectively etched his signature on Quinnipiac volleyball by becoming the first head coach in program history to lead the program to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2022

REMEMBER NOVEMBER

The Bobcats earned their first-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier after winning the 2022 MAAC Championship as a sixth seed last November, going 7-0 during the month beginning with a four-game win streak prior to the MAAC Tournament
During the run leading into the MAAC Tournament, the Bobcats had won each of its last four matches, dropping just one set between the contests

STRONG RETURNING GROUP

The Bobcats return 10 members who saw court time from last season's championship team
Among those returners are all three members of the MAAC Tournament All-Championship Team, Aryanah Diaz (outside hitter/opposite), Damla Gunes (libero), and Ginevra Giovagnoni (outside hitter)

THE '23 SCHEDULE

Following a home match vs. Canisius (Sept. 17), Quinnipiac is on the road for its next five contests. The Bobcats open its five-game road trip with Marist (Sept. 23) and Siena (Sept. 24), before taking on Iona (Sept. 30) and Manhattan (Oct. 1). Quinnipiac ends its five-game road stand with a rematch of the 2023 MAAC Championship at Fairfield on October 6.
The Bobcats return to Hamden with a Wednesday MAAC matchup with Manhattan (Oct. 11), followed by home matches with Saint Peter's (Oct. 14) and Rider (Oct. 15).
Quinnipiac heads to Buffalo for its weekend matches against Niagara (Oct. 21) and Canisius (Oct. 22), before returning to Hamden for a four-game homestand. The Bobcats will welcome Iona to Hamden (Oct. 25), followed by its second match with Fairfield (Oct. 29).
Quinnipiac opens the month of November at home against Marist on the fourth before the 2023 home finale against Siena (Nov. 5) for Senior Day.
The Bobcats wrap their regular season on the road with bouts at Rider (Nov. 11) and Saint Peter's (Nov. 12).
For more information on Quinnipiac Volleyball, visit gobobcats.com/volleyball and follow the team on Twitter and Instagram, @QU_WVB.