HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
1
.
er.. v o C e On th
alex
LUCERO
NUMBER POSITION HEIGHT YEAR MAJOR
19 DS/LIBERO 5-7 SENIOR MANAGEMENT
HAWKS TIDBIT: Named the America East Defensive Specialist of the Week on Oct. 26, Alex Lucero ranks third in Hartford’s rally-scoring era with 1,172 career digs.
2021
SCHEDULE DAY DATE OPPONENT
TIME+/RESULT
FRI. 8/27 VS. NORTHEASTERN# SAT. 8/28 AT BOSTON COLLEGE# SAT. 8/28 VS. SACRED HEART# FRI. 9/3 AT YALE$ FRI. 9/3 VS. QUINNIPIAC$ SAT. 9/4 VS. SYRACUSE$ FRI. 9/10 VS. MERRIMACK% SAT. 9/11 AT RHODE ISLAND% SAT. 9/11 VS. RIDER% THUR. 9/16 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT& FRI. 9/17 DARTMOUTH& SAT. 9/18 BROWN& TUES. 9/21 BRYANT SUN. 9/26 AT NEW HAMPSHIRE* FRI. 10/1 NJIT* SUN 10/3 UMBC* FRI. 10/8 AT UALBANY* SUN. 10/10 AT BINGHAMTON* SUN. 10/17 UALBANY* FRI. 10/22 STONY BROOK* SUN. 10/24 NJIT* FRI. 10/29 AT UMBC* SUN. 10/31 AT STONY BROOK* FRI. 11/5 BINGHAMTON* FRI. 11/12 AT NJIT* SUN. 11/14 NEW HAMPSHIRE* FRI. 11/19 AMERICA EAST SEMIFINAL^ SUN. 11/21 AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP^
L, 0-3 L, 1-3 L, 0-3 L, 0-3 W, 3-2 L, 0-3 W, 3-0 L, 1-3 L, 0-3 L, 0-3 L, 1-3 L, 0-3 L, 1-3 L, 0-3 POSTPONED L, 0-3 L, 0-3 W, 3-1 L, 1-3 L, 0-3 W, 3-0 L, 1-3 L, 0-3 7 PM 6 PM 7 PM TBD TBD
RED - HOME GAMES (HARTFORD VOLLEYBALL GYM) + ALL TIMES EASTERN AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE * AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE OPPONENT | ^ PLAYED AT THE HIGHEST OVERALL SEED # BOSTON COLLEGE INVITATIONAL | $ YALE INVITATIONAL | % URI INVITATIONAL & HARTFORD HAWKS INVITATIONAL
ON THE DOCKET
The Hawks return to the Hartford Volleyball Gym for a Friday night clash with America East foe Binghamton. Hartford looks to complete the regular-season sweep of the Bearcats after posting a 3-1 victory in Vestal, N.Y. last month.
just short of earning an NCAA Tournament bid, losing a five-set thriller to top-seeded UAlbany.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hawks dropped a 3-0 decision at Stony Brook this past Sunday. Helms tallied a careerhigh 10 kills and a team-high .421 hitting percentage, while sophomore Morgan Galligan SENIOR NIGHT compiled a double-double with Friday’s match will also serve as 28 assists and 10 digs. Helms and Hartford’s Senior Night, with the Hawks honoring Greta De Gasper, Galligan were stout defensively, recording four blocks apiece. Valerie Diede, Sara Gasparotto, Robin Helms and Alex Lucero. SCOUTING BINGHAMTON The quintet helped lead the Posting a 7-14 overall record and Hawks to back-to-back America a 3-6 mark in conference play, East Tournament appearances, Binghamton snapped a six-game including the program’s first trip losing streak with a 3-0 win to the league’s title match since against NJIT this past Sunday. 1994, in 2019. The Hawks came
4 HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
The Bearcats were on fire against the Highlanders, recording a season-best .356 hitting percentage. Stefana Stan leads the team with 201 kills and ranks sixth in the conference with 2.87 kills per set.
SERIES HISTORY
Hartford overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the Bearcats, 3-1, when the Hawks visited Vestal, N.Y., on Oct. 10. Freshman Camryn Luginbuhl led the way with a doubledouble on 19 kills and 14 digs. With the victory, Hartford extended its winning streak against Binghamton to seven matches. The Bearcats have the upper hand in the all-time series, though, as they lead 25-14.
ALEX THE GREAT
Lucero has proven to be a stalwart on the Hartford line this season. A native of Plano, Texas, she has upped her game during America East action, as her 5.30 digs per set are a league-high. Lucero, who tallied her 1,000th dig earlier this season against Bryant (Sept. 21), is ranked third all-time in Hartford’s rallyscoring era with 1,172 career digs.
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks hit the road for the final time in 2021 when they visit NJIT next Friday (Nov. 12) for a 6 p.m. match. The regular season then concludes inside the Hartford Volleyball Gym, when Hartford hosts New Hampshire on Sunday (Nov. 14).
AMERICA EAST S T A ND INGS
OVERALL AE W-L PCT W-L PCT
UMBC
15-10 .600
10-0 1.000
Stony Brook
12-11
6-3
UAlbany
11-13 .458
6-3 .667
New Hampshire
15-10 .600
6-4 .600
Binghamton
7-14 .333
3-6 .333
Hartford
4-18
2-7
NJIT
2-22 .083 0-10 .000
.522
.182
.667
.222
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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(4-18 OVERALL, 2-7 AMERICA EAST)
# Name
Yr. Pos. Ht.
Hometown/Last School
1
Kaleigh Fitzgerald
So.
DS/L 5-9
2
Morgan Galligan
So.
S
5-10
Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan
3
Lika Nkenchor
Jr.
OH
5-10
Ashburn, Va./Flinthill
4 Sophie Paspal
Fr.
RS
6-3
Canton, Mich./Salem
7
Uzezi Ijoma
So.
OH
5-10
8
McKenna Reiswig
So.
RS
6-4
Forest Hill, Md./Bel Air
9 Robin Helms
Jr.
MB
6-2
Merced, Calif./El Capitan
11 Valerie Diede
Sr.
MB
6-2
Keizer, Ore./McNary
12 Maddie Lindsay
Jr.
OH
6-3
Lehi, Utah/Lehi
13 Sara Gasparotto
Jr.
MB
6-1
Mansue, Italy/Collegio Brandolini Rota
15 Camryn Luginbuhl
Fr.
OH
6-0
Tolland, Conn./Tolland
19 Alex Lucero
Sr.
DS/L 5-7
Plano, Texas/Plano West
21 Greta De Gasper
Jr.
DS/L 5-10
Wales, Wis./Reading Memorial
Westfield, N.J./Westfield
Colle Umberto, Italy/Liceo Classico G. Marconi
HEAD COACH VINH NGUYEN - Fourth Season - Cal Poly Pomona ’00
ASSISTANT COACHES JAIME SNYDER - Third Season - Suny Brockport ’15 MEGAN ANDERSON - First Season - Hartford ’21
BINGHAMTON BEARCATS (7-14 OVERALL, 3-6 AMERICA EAST)
# Name
Yr. Pos. Ht.
1 Emily Rail
Sr. DS
2 Sydney Aguirre
Fr. DS/OH 5-10
3 Kiara Adams
Sr. S
5-10
4 Tyra Wilson
Sr. MH
6-3
Allen, Texas/Allen
5 Jessie Bilello
So. S
6-0
Littleton, Colo./Heritage
6 Stephanie Gatto
So. RS
6-1
Lake Grove, N.Y./Centereach
7 Stefana Stan
So. OH
6-1
Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna
9 Victoria Erwat
Jr.
5-10
Amityville, N.Y./Amityville Memorial
10 Annie Bart
Fr. DS/OH 5-10
Wauconda, Ill/Carmel Catholic
12 Carly Powell
Fr. OH
6-0
Norwood, N.J./Northern Valley
13 Elis Gadelha
Gr. MH
6-1 Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Colegio Pitagoras
15 Emma Rainville
Jr.
S
5-5
Castleton, N.Y./Columbia
22 Anna Sprys
Jr.
MH
6-0
Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny
OH
Hometown/Last School
5-3
Seaford, N.Y./St. Anthony’s Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill
HEAD COACH GLENN KIRIYAMA - 23rd Season - BYU ’90
ASSISTANT COACH RACHEL REFENES - Seventh Season - Ball State ’05
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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HARTFORD HAWKS
1
kaleigh
4
sophie
9
robin
FITZGERALD
SO | DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
PASPAL
FR | RIGHT SIDE
HELMS
JR | MIDDLE BLOCKER
2
morgan
7
uzezi
11
valerie
GALLIGAN
SO | SETTER
IJOMA
SO | OUTSIDE HITTER
DIEDE
SR | MIDDLE BLOCKER
8 HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
3
lika
8
mckenna
12
maddie
NKENCHOR
JR | RIGHT SIDE/OUTSIDE HITTER
REISWIG
SO | RIGHT SIDE
LINDSAY
JR | OUTSIDE HITTER
HARTFORD HAWKS
sara
13 GASPAROTTO
JR | MIDDLE BLOCKER
camryn
15 LUGINBUHL
FR | OUTSIDE HITTER
21
VINH NGUYEN HEAD COACH Fourth Season
alex
19 LUCERO
SR | DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST/LIBERO
greta
De GASPER
JR | DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST/LIBERO
JAIME SNYDER ASSISTANT COACH Third Season
MEGAN ANDERSON VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH First Season
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
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HARTFORD HAWKS 2021-22 Hartford Women's Volleyball Overall Team Statistics All games
Page 1/1 as of Nov 02, 2021
2021 T EA M S T A T I S T I CS
Game Records Overall
4 - 18 AMERICA EAST: 2-7 Team statistics
•
2-7
ATTACK Kills Errors Total Attacks Attack Pct Kills/Set SET Assists Attempts Assist Pct Assists/Set SERVE Aces Errors Attempts Serve Pct Aces/Set SERVE RECEPTIONS Errors Errors/Set Attempts Reception Pct DEFENSE Digs Digs/Set BLOCKING Block solo Block Assist Total Blocks Blocks/Set Block Errors Ball handling errors ATTENDANCE Total Dates/Avg Per Date Neutral Site #/Avg Current win streak Home win streak Match wins by #sets Team
Hartford Opponents
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th TOTAL 0 0
0 0
2 12
1 6
1 0
OVERALL:Home4-18
Conference
4 18
HOME: 1-7
•
1-7
Away
2-7 AWAY: 1-7
Points by set Team
Hartford Opponents
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th TOTAL
413 437 443 126 15 538 528 522 191 13
1434 1792
10 HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH
•
Neutral
1-4 NEUTRAL: 2-4
HART
OPP
753 452 2723 .111 10
982 376 2684 .226 13.1
692 2596 .267 9.2
913 2523 .362 12.2
86 144 1332 .892 1.1
122 165 1637 .899 1.6
122 1.6 1494 .918
86 1.1 1208 .999
1128 15
1293 17.2
40 217 148.5 2 36 55
32 299 181.5 2.4 21 27
1019 8/127 5/28 0 0
1381 9/153 -
elm H n i Rob
s
2021-22 Hartford Women's Volleyball Overall Individual Statistics All games Game Records Overall
Conference
4 - 18
1 2 3 4 7 8 9 11 12 13 15 19 21
Fitzgerald, Kaleigh Galligan, Morgan Nkenchor, Lika Paspal, Sophie Ijoma, Uzezi Reiswig, McKenna Helms, Robin Diede, Valerie Lindsay, Maddie Gasparotto, Sara Luginbuhl, Camryn Lucero, Alex De Gaspar, Greta
HARTFORD Opponents
## Player 1 2 3 4 7 8 9 11 12 13 15 19 21 -
Fitzgerald, Kaleigh Galligan, Morgan Nkenchor, Lika Paspal, Sophie Ijoma, Uzezi Reiswig, McKenna Helms, Robin Diede, Valerie Lindsay, Maddie Gasparotto, Sara Luginbuhl, Camryn Lucero, Alex De Gaspar, Greta TEAM
HARTFORD Opponents
Away
1-7
Neutral
2-7
1-4
2021 I N D I VI DUAL S T A T I S T ICS
Team Box Score ## Player
Home
2-7
Page 1/1 as of Nov 02, 2021
SP MP-MS
75 75 24 58 53 35 74 75 52 18 75 74 73
75 75
SP
75 75 24 58 53 35 74 75 52 18 75 74 73 -
75 75
22-3 22-22 13-0 21-6 19-8 18-2 22-22 22-22 16-14 13-0 22-22 22-0 22-11
22-22 22-22
K
17 32 1 44 63 19 94 68 112 7 285 3 8
753 982
K/S
0.23 0.43 0.04 0.76 1.19 0.54 1.27 0.91 2.15 0.39 3.80 0.04 0.11
10.04 13.09
Attack E 17 11 0 22 53 21 45 42 61 1 171 0 8
452 376
Receptions RE TA PCT
9 2 0 0 3 0 1 1 10 0 53 26 7 10
122 86
274 10 0 2 27 0 28 21 148 6 469 427 72 -
1494 1208
.967 .800 .000 1.000 .889 .000 .964 .952 .932 1.000 .887 .939 .903 -
TA
103 126 2 157 266 71 291 306 438 19 867 8 69
2723 2684
PCT
.000 .167 .500 .140 .038 -.028 .168 .085 .116 .316 .131 .375 .000
A
11 619 0 2 0 0 2 3 4 0 14 26 11
.111 .226
692 913
Dig DIG DIG/S
BS
136 128 5 18 12 3 19 27 49 0 211 364 156 -
1.81 1.71 0.21 0.31 0.23 0.09 0.26 0.36 0.94 0.00 2.81 4.92 2.14 -
0 6 0 1 2 1 12 15 1 0 2 0 0 -
Set A/S
0.15 8.25 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.04 0.08 0.00 0.19 0.35 0.15
9.23 12.17
BA
0 31 0 23 9 13 46 51 16 5 22 0 1 -
TA
57 2163 2 12 11 6 21 27 22 2 64 159 50
2596 2523
PCT
.193 .286 .000 .167 .000 .000 .095 .111 .182 .000 .219 .164 .220
.267 .362
0.00 0.49 0.00 0.41 0.21 0.40 0.78 0.88 0.33 0.28 0.32 0.00 0.01 -
19 8 0 0 0 0 0 15 1 1 18 7 17
86 122
Blocking TOTAL BLK/S 0 37 0 24 11 14 58 66 17 5 24 0 1 -
SA/S
Serve SE
1.15 1.63
144 165
SA
BE 0 1 1 4 0 4 9 7 0 2 8 0 0 -
0.25 0.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20 0.02 0.06 0.24 0.09 0.23
BHE 0 52 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 -
26 15 12 0 1 0 0 14 5 1 23 23 24
TA
245 193 48 1 7 0 0 151 13 13 209 208 244
1332 1637
1128 1293
15.04 17.24
40 32
217 299
148.5 181.5
1.98 2.42
36 21
55 27
.892 .899
Points PTS PTS/S
36.0 61.5 1.0 56.5 69.5 26.5 129.0 123.5 122.0 10.5 316.0 10.0 25.5 -
HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH .918 .929
PCT
.894 .922 .750 1.000 .857 .000 .000 .907 .615 .923 .890 .889 .902
987.5 1285.5
0.48 0.82 0.04 0.97 1.31 0.76 1.74 1.65 2.35 0.58 4.21 0.14 0.35 -
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13.17 17.14
vinh
NGUYEN Entering his fourth season as head coach of the Hartford volleyball team in 2021, Vinh Nguyen has transformed the Hawks into a winning program. Under the brief tutelage of Nguyen — who became the 11th head coach in the 44-year history of the program in February 2018 — the Hawks have become a potent threat in the America East Conference. In just his second season at the helm, Nguyen and the Hawks were on the doorstep of claiming the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Earning the program’s first victory in the 2019 America East Tournament with an upset win over No. 2 New Hampshire, Hartford, which posted the most wins since the 2014 campaign, fought top-seeded UAlbany down to the wire in the title match. However, the Hawks fell just short of earning the league’s coveted automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament in five sets. That postseason run was an historic one for Hartford for several reasons, as it also marked the first time in program history that the Hawks qualified for the America East Tournament in back-to-back seasons. In his debut season at Hartford in 2018, Nguyen led the Hawks back to the conference tournament for the first time since 1996, ending a 22-year postseason drought for the program. Hartford also made a five-win improvement that season, posting 11 victories in 2018. Nguyen has brought the Hartford volleyball program to new heights in just three seasons. One year after he piloted the program its first top-four finish in the America East since 1995, he led the Hawks to their best ranking — a third-place finish — in the league standings in 26 years in 2019. In addition, that squad, which went 6-4 in conference play, posted the highest winning percentage (.600) since 1993, a season that saw the Hawks claim both the North Atlantic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Titles. The 2020-21 season, Nguyen’s third at the helm, was unconventional for the Hawks. In addition to the typical fall season getting moved to the spring of 2021, the campaign was shortened to just 10 matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Behind three America East All-Conference performers, Hartford dominated on its home court inside the Hartford Volleyball Gym, posting a perfect 4-0 mark. The winning ways and recent postseason appearances aren’t the only indicators of the success of the program since Nguyen’s arrival. The numbers are also proof of the continued upward trajectory of the Hartford volleyball program. In 2019, Nguyen propelled the Hawks to the top of the America East statistics in nearly every category, both on the offensive and defensive side of the net. Hartford closed the book on one of its best seasons in recent years by finishing as the league’s stat leader in a plethora of offensive categories, including hitting percentage, total kills, kills per set, total aces, aces per set and assists per set. Defensively, Nguyen and the Hawks led the way in solo blocks, digs and digs per set. To go along with all of the team’s successes, Hartford’s players have flourished under Nguyen in his three seasons.
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Jenna Bridges, a 2020 graduate who led the league in hitting percentage, kills per set, blocks per set and points per set in 2019, made history that season when she became the first Hawk since 1992 to earn recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) by earning a spot on the East All-Region Team.
VINH NGUYEN’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES 2018, 2019 AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT FINALIST 2019 TWO AMERICA EAST PLAYERS OF THE YEAR Jenna Bridges (2018, 2019) AE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD Maddie Lindsay (2019) AVCA ALL-AMERICAN Jenna Bridges (2019) NINE AMERICA EAST ALL-CONFERENCE Megan Anderson (2x) Jenna Bridges (2x) Abbie Nash (2x) Maddie Lindsay (3x)
In addition, Bridges became the third player in program history — and the first since 1993 — to win America East Player of the Year honors, when she took home the distinction as a junior in 2018. She continued to make history in her final season, as she began Hartford’s first-ever repeat America East Player of the Year honoree after leading the league in five different statistical categories. Garnering an America East and program-record nine America East Player of the Week awards during her four-year career, Bridges went on to graduate as the program’s all-time leader in block assists. Nguyen and his Hawks made program history in several ways in 2019. Maddie Lindsay, a current junior, joined Bridges in earning a major award from the America East. A seven-time Rookie of the Week recipient, she became just the second Hartford player to earn Rookie of the Year honors, joining Stephanie Volkers, who took home the award in 2001. Nguyen has continued to demand excellence in the classroom from his student-athletes. For the ninth straight season, the Hawks took home an AVCA Team Academic Award. Most impressively, Hartford earned AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll distinction for the fourth time in as many seasons in 2020-21, as the squad’s 3.79 GPA was one of the top 46 marks among all Division I volleyball teams. Of the 15 members on the volleyball team last year, 14 student-athletes posted at least a 3.0 GPA during the academic year, with 11 of those Hawks achieving at least a 3.75 GPA. Since Nguyen’s arrival, the Hawks have combined for six America East All-Academic Team members, as 2021 graduate Megan Anderson, a three-time recipient of the award, joins Bridges, Abby Nash (’21) and Lindsay in earning the honor in 2019. Anderson also made program history in Nguyen’s first season by becoming Hartford’s first CoSIDA Academic All-American since 1992. Nguyen arrived at Hartford by way of North Texas, where he spent four seasons as an assistant coach, including three as the women’s volleyball team’s Associate Head Coach from 2015-17. He played an integral role in all aspects of Mean Green volleyball, specializing in the training of the middle and pin hitters, arm swing development and offensive/defensive blocking systems. Nguyen was hired full-time for the Mean Green in 2015 after spending the second half of the 2014 season as a volunteer assistant, helping lead the team into the Conference USA Tournament. The Mean Green had an outstanding year with Nguyen’s guidance in 2017. North Texas captured the CUSA Championship and finished the season with the best record in program history, a 29-3
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mark. Nguyen’s expertise translated to individual success as well, as he coached three Mean Green student-athletes to First Team All-CUSA honors and one to Freshman of the Year accolades in 2017. In addition, he guided Carnae Dillard to two CUSA Player of the Year honors and a pair of All-America nods in 2014 and 2015. Nguyen brought 18-plus years of coaching at the collegiate level to North Texas, logging six season as a member of Cal State Fullerton’s coaching staff and 12 as an assistant at Cal Poly Pomona. At Cal State Fullerton, Nguyen reinvigorated the Titans’ offensive attack, as two hitters earned Big West Player of the Year awards and three received AVCA All-American honors. In addition, the squad led the Big West Conference in kills per set (14.45) in 2010 while calculating a school-record .246 team hitting percentage. That season, Nguyen helped propel the Titans to a BWC Championship and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Nguyen also enjoyed a great deal of success at Cal Poly Pomona, leading the Broncos to 18plus wins in six seasons, including a 24-3 mark in 2005. That year, he also helped Pomona win its first California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship since 1990. Prior to his work at Cal Poly Pomona, Nguyen coached at five high schools in Southern California. He also worked with the San Gabriel, Magnum and Power Volleyball Clubs. Nguyen brings a wealth of experience outside of collegiate coaching to Hartford. In the summer of 2009, he was named the administrator to the Southern California High Performance teams that participated at the USA Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he oversaw the four SCVA HP teams. As a result, the SCVA Select Red Team earned a gold medal at the HP Championships. In 2007, Nguyen was hired by the USA Men’s National Team as a staff member to help them prepare for their run at World League, Pan-Am Cup, America’s Cup and Norceca Cup championships, which resulted in two gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal. He has also been involved with the USA High Performance Pipeline since 2003, and he has coached several development A2 camps throughout Michigan, Colorado, Montana and California. Nguyen played volleyball at Mt. San Antonio College and Long Beach City College before transferring to Long Beach State. He finished his schooling and graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2000 with a degree in kinesiology.
14 HARTFORD HAWKS // #FLYHIGH