NJIT (1-20, 0-6 ASUN); NORTH ALABAMA (3-16, 1-5 ASUN) at STETSON (5-11, 2-4 ASUN)
Friday, Oct. 18 • 6:00 p.m. • Saturday, Oct. 19 • 6:00 p.m. • DeLand, Fla. • Edmunds Center
GAME LINKS:
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Time will tell if last weekend's ASUN victories over UNF and Liberty will be a turning point in the Hatters' season, but at the very least they gave the team a much-needed shot in the arm.
Stetson entered last weekend 0-4 in conference play and in danger of falling out of contention for a postseason berth. Â However, the Hatters bounced back from a 34-32 Set 2 loss to UNF to win the match 3-1, then rallied for a 3-2 victory at Liberty on Sunday, handing the Flames their first home loss in over a year.
"That was a huge confidence builder for our team," Stetson head coach Yang Deng said.  "Eva (Deisa) was on point all the time, and Kaylee (Oscarson) played a great game.  We got consistent contributions from everyone."
The Hatters (5-11) are now 2-4 in the conference, tied with UNF for sixth place. Â Stetson has won three in a row overall, and perhaps more importantly, the team is elevating its play late in matches. Â
"The girls are accepting that one or two bad plays is just a couple of points, it's not the entire match," Deng said. Â "How do we embrace the mistake but stay in the moment and move on a little bit faster? It seems like we are doing these things. The kids are connecting with each other and the trust is building. Â It takes time. It's really good to see they are having fun, but the confidence is building as well."
The Hatters will look to stay hot this weekend as they host NJIT on Friday and North Alabama on Saturday. Both matches will start at 6 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+ (Friday) and HatterVision (Saturday).
All tickets are general admission and can be purchased online (GoHatters.com/tix) or at the Edmunds Center ticket office for $5. Â Stetson students, faculty, and staff are admitted free with an ID.
All-Time Series
Stetson is 4-2 all-time vs. NJIT (3-0 at home) and 2-0 all-time vs. North Alabama (1-0 at home).
ASUN Players of the Week
Senior Eva Deisa was named ASUN Player of the Week and Kaylee Oscarson was named ASUN Freshman of the Week. Deisa averaged 4.78 kills and 3.78 digs-per-set last week with a pair of double-doubles. It was her first career Player of the Week award. Oscarson averaged 3.2 kills and 1.1 blocks-per-set last week and hit .667 (29-1-42). Â
Clutch Time
In the first 14 matches of the season, the Hatters were 1-12 in fourth and fifth sets combined. Â In the past two matches, Stetson is 3-0 in sets 4 and 5 combined.
Win Streak
A win over NJIT would give Stetson its first four-game win streak since late last season. Â A weekend sweep would give the Hatters their first five-game win streak since 2014.
ASUN Leaders
Overall, Stetson leads the ASUN in digs (15.5 dps) and ranks fourth in blocks (1.96 bps). In ASUN matches, Stetson also leads the league in digs (17.5 dps).
ASUN Single-Match Highs
The Hatters have single-match highs among all ASUN teams this season in attack percentage (.833, Kaylee Oscarson at Liberty), aces (8, Naina Ivanova vs. Bethune-Cookman), digs (36, Chelcie Spence vs. Lipscomb), and blocks (9, Brianna Schmid vs. North Florida). Â Oscarson's .833 (15-0-18) attack percentage at Liberty is the highest single-match total in the NCAA this season based on a minimum of 18 attempts.
Up Next
The Hatters visit UNF and Lipscomb on Oct. 25 and 27.
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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