[Volleyball] Volleyball Gameday Preview: Falcons began KCAC Tournament run tonight at home vs. ...

The Lowdown: Sterling College at Friends University

Location: Garvey Center

Start time: Nov. 8, 7 pm

Live Broadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/

Live Stats: https://bit.ly/3tbJTU8

Flying with the Falcons

The Friends University Falcons enter as the seventh seed in the KCAC postseason tournament with a 5-7 conference record along with a 12-20 overall mark.

Sarah Lazar (SR/Rose Hill, Kan. ) has been the catalyst to the offense this season, becoming the program's all-time kills leader (1,340 career kills) and tops in the KCAC in kills (455), kills per set (4.14) and hitting percentage (.368). Lazar's impact this season hasn't been limited to the offensive side, as the Rose Hill, Kan. native is also second in the league with 1.15 blocks per set. Cajia Crawford (SR/Wichita, Kan.) has served as a strong complement to Lazar, ranking third in the KCAC in kills per set (3.45) and fifth in overall kills (348).

Setting the table for the hitters this season has been Maddy Strecker (SO/Hutchinson, Kan. ), who is fourth in the KCAC with 6.54 assists per set. Defensively, Antonia Perier (SO/Bakersfield, Calif.) leads the Falcons and the conference with 653 digs on the season while ranking second in the league in digs per set (6.05).

Zoey Tauanu'u (SO/Wichita, Kan.) has enjoyed a strong first season with the program with 329 assists, with Greely Munroe (SR/Douglass, Kan.) (302 digs) and Rachel Taylor (SR/Hays, Kan. ) (254 digs) also making strong contributions to the Falcon defensive unit this season.

Dish on the Warriors

A pair of duos has paced the Warriors offensively this season, with Jordyn Jellison (295 kills) and Emily Peterson (212 kills) leading the attack, while Paige Rowland (388 assists) and Aubrey Young (352 assists) have combined to set up the hitting for Sterling.

Nyah Isom has a team-high 372 digs for the Warriors this season.

 Quoting Friends Volleyball head coach Martin Ayin:

"We are excited for earning the opportunity to host and we are looking to bring our best on game day. We have prepared and the team is pumped to play in front of family and friends."  

Series vs. Sterling: The Falcons are 3-7 vs. the Warriors in the past 10 meetings, with Sterling also winning three straight in the series. This is the second consecutive season the two schools have met in the KCAC tournament first round, with the Warriors besting the Falcons 3-0 last year in Sterling, Kan.

KCAC Tournament History: The Falcons are 12-14 all-time in the KCAC tournament since 2004. Friends last won the tourney in 2010.   

Volleyball Falcons by the Numbers:

Overall: 12-20

KCAC: 5-7

Home: 7-4

Away: 3-9

Falcons' record in …

Three sets: 6-14

Four sets: 3-5

Five sets: 3-1

Up Next: A win over Sterling would move the Falcons into the KCAC quarterfinal round and a matchup with second-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan University Friday afternoon (Nov. 11) starting at 1:30 pm at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan.