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Volleyball Huddle 2018

Volleyball Athletic Communications

Hatters Travel to Texas for the SFA Invitational

Stetson Off to a 4-2 Start

Fredonia Hotel/Holiday Inn Express SFA Invitational  |  Tournament Central
FRIDAY | 12 p.m. ET vs. St. John's (7-1), 5 p.m. ET vs. Grambling State (0-7)
SATURDAY | 1:30 p.m. ET vs. Stephen F. Austin (5-2)
WHERE | Shelton Gym, Nacagdoches, Texas
LIVE VIDEO | Facebook Live (All Matches)
LIVE STATS | SFAJacks.com/sidearmstats/wvball/
TWITTER | @StetsonVB
TEXT ALERTS | HatCheck
PDF NOTES | Stetson

The Stetson Hatters will hit the road once again this weekend to compete at the SFA Volleyball Invitational in Nacagdoches, Texas.

The Hatters will face St. John's and Grambling State on Friday before squaring off against tournament host Stephen F. Austin on Saturday.  All three matches will be streamed on Facebook Live.  It will be the the team's third straight road tournament to start the season.

Stetson (4-2) is off to its best start since 2014 following a 3-0 sweep at the FIU Kickoff and a 1-2 mark at the MTSU Blue Raider Bash.

However, the Hatters will be down a few players this weekend due to the injury bug, including junior setter Emily DeStaffino.  Sophomore Naina Ivanova will return to the spot she played last season to help run the offense.

"I think the players are comfortable with 'Nani' at setter," Stetson head coach Yang Deng said.  "She has proven herself capable of getting the job done. The question will be who can take her spot in the defensive passing position and be consistent.  I think there will be an opportunity for a younger player or two to step up."

Offensively, the Hatters are hitting a conference-best .249 as a team, up 99 points from last season's total (.150).  Stetson hit .344 in its win Saturday over Middle Tennessee and has been north of .200 in all six matches this season.

Several Hatters rank among the ASUN statistical leaders, including outside hitter Eva Deisa who leads the league in kills (86) and ranks fourth in kills-per-set (3.58). Libero Chelcie Spence ranks second in the ASUN in both digs (117) and digs-per-set (4.88).

Stetson's two middle blockers have been on a tear as of late.  Hao Jin is hitting .422 (41-6-83) over her last four matches with 21 blocks, and Brianna Schmid has 20 blocks over her previous four matches, including a career-high nine-block effort against Troy.

"The middles have been one of our most consistent spots so far," Deng said.  "I think they are still working hard to improve.  Having 'Nani' as a new setter will have the biggest impact on the them, because so much of their game is based on timing and rhythm. It shouldn't be a big deal, but it is just another challenge for our team."

Stetson will be meeting St. John's and Grambling State for the first time, while SFA leads the all-time series 2-0 over Stetson. The Hatters and Ladyjacks met last year in DeLand.

In addition to the Facebook Live video stream, live stats, the Stetson volleyball twitter feed, and the HatCheck text messaging service will provide live updates as well.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.
 
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Players Mentioned

Eva Deisa

#23 Eva Deisa

OH
5' 10"
Junior
Naina Ivanova

#12 Naina Ivanova

L/S
5' 10"
Sophomore
Hao Jin

#22 Hao Jin

MB
6' 2"
Senior
Brianna Schmid

#2 Brianna Schmid

MB
6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
Chelcie Spence

#6 Chelcie Spence

DS
5' 2"
Sophomore
Emily DeStaffino

#11 Emily DeStaffino

S
5' 10"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Eva Deisa

#23 Eva Deisa

5' 10"
Junior
OH
Naina Ivanova

#12 Naina Ivanova

5' 10"
Sophomore
L/S
Hao Jin

#22 Hao Jin

6' 2"
Senior
MB
Brianna Schmid

#2 Brianna Schmid

6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
MB
Chelcie Spence

#6 Chelcie Spence

5' 2"
Sophomore
DS
Emily DeStaffino

#11 Emily DeStaffino

5' 10"
Junior
S