Women's Volleyball | 9/13/2018 3:23:00 PM

ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– The pre-Patriot League season for the Navy volleyball team will come to a close this weekend when the team plays three matches in Colorado.  The Mids (6-4) will first play a pair of matches Friday at the University of Denver against Maryland Eastern Shore (3-7) and the host Pioneers (8-1), then will play Saturday at Air Force (8-3).

Navy will face Maryland Eastern Shore at noon Eastern time, Denver at 8 p.m. Eastern and Air Force at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Links to live statistics from each of the three matches can be found at NavySports.com, as can links for video streams of Friday's match against the Pioneers (pay) and Saturday's match against Falcons (free).  Additionally, Altitude TV will telecast Friday's Navy at Denver match and Facebook will stream Saturday's match at Air Force.  Stadium TV, which includes many Over the Air options as well as PlutoTV, PlaystationVue, Roku, Amazon Fire, iOS Connected Apps and Android devices and TV's will also carry Saturday's match.

Navy vs. Maryland Eastern Shore – Friday, Noon EDT – Live Stats
Navy at Denver – Friday, 8 p.m. EDT – Live Stats – Live Video (pay) – Altitude TV
Navy at Air Force – Saturday, 3 p.m. EDT – Live Stats – Live Video (free) – Facebook

"I'm looking forward to seeing us continue to build on the previous weeks," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  "Each match we have played has helped us pin-point areas that are strengths and areas that need to be trained during the practice week.

"I think we have played a very good mix of teams.  Every opponent showcased their strengths and it was great for us to learn how to adapt to each opponent.  This team has the maturity to understand that the win / loss records in the first four weeks of the season aren't nearly as important as our win / loss record in Patriot League play."

Rutgers Invitational
Navy posted a 2-1 record at last weekend's Rutgers Invitational.  The Mids rallied from being down a set to defeat Tulane in five sets (25-20, 16-25, 19-25, 25-21, 15-6), won in four sets over Howard (25-14, 16-25, 25-20, 25-17) and lost in four sets to the tournament-host Scarlet Knights (27-29, 25-15, 25-21, 25-20).

Olivia Rozmus (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) was named to the all-tournament team last week.  She posted a career-high 11 kills to go along with a .250 attack percentage against the Green Wave, totaled a career-best five blocks against the Bison and added seven kills against the Scarlet Knights.

Also having a great week was Maddi Sgattoni (So., Pittsburgh, Pa.), who was named the Patriot League Player of the Week.  Including Navy's three-set win a few days prior to the team's trip to New Jersey, Sgattoni recorded at least 10 kills in each of the four matches and posted a pair of double-doubles.

Navy at Denver Invitational
This will be the first time Navy will be competing in a tournament at Denver.  The Mids have previously crossed the Mississippi River to play in tournaments at Air Force (1997, 2003, 2005), Alaska Fairbanks (2001), Minnesota (1999), and Northern Arizona (2008).

Navy vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
Navy and Maryland Eastern Shore will be meeting for the third year in a row.  The Mids have won each of the most recent matches, winning in three sets at UMES in 2016 (25-13, 25-14, 25-19) and in five sets in a 2017 match played at Navy (25-18, 22-25, 20-25, 25-20, 18-16).
    
Navy holds a 15-4 advantage in the all-time series with UMES.  This includes both a 10-4 lead in matches played since the Mids became a Division I program in 1991 and a 2-1 edge in neutral site Division I matches.
    
The Hawks travel west with a 3-7 record on the year.  UMES has dropped matches to Michigan State (3-0), North Carolina (3-0), UNC Greensboro (3-0) and, Tuesday night, a four-set (19-25, 25-16, 25-21, 26-24) decision at Lehigh.
    
UMES posted an overall record of 27-9 last year and won the MEAC Northern Division with a 12-0 record.  The Hawks would lose in the semifinal round of the MEAC Tournament.  UMES was predicted to again win its division in the conference.
    
Navy has posted an overall record of 97-16 against teams from the MEAC, a mark that features a 65-16 record since Navy moved to the Division I ranks.  The Mids faced MEAC-member school Howard last weekend at Rutgers.

Navy vs. Denver
Navy and Denver have met just twice before, with the Pioneers winning both decisions.  Denver posted a three-set win over Navy in a 1999 match played at Minnesota and won in four sets in a 2012 match played at The Pentagon.
    
Denver has tallied an 8-1 record this season.  Included among the wins for the Pioneers were five-set victories over UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and Sacramento State.  The team's only loss was a five-set defeat at No. 19 Utah.
    
Denver compiled a 23-6 record a year ago and placed first in the Summit League's regular season with a 12-2 record.  The Pioneers would go on to win the Summit League Tournament for the fourth year in a row.  Denver was tabbed to win the league again this year.
    
Navy holds a 1-4 all-time record against teams from the Summit League, an overall mark that includes a 1-3 record since the Mids became a Division I program in 1991.  The Mids most recently faced Summit League-member Fort Wayne in 2017 in a tournament at Ball State.  Navy won a three-set decision in that match.
    
Navy vs. Air Force
Navy holds a 2-12 record against Air Force, which includes a 1-3 record in matches played in Colorado Springs.  The Mids posted a four-set win (25-18, 23-25, 25-13, 28-26) over the Falcons when the teams met in 2017 in Annapolis.
    
Saturday's match will be the first between the teams to be played at Air Force since 2005.
    
Air Force heads into a pair of Friday matches with an 8-3 record on the season.  The Falcons have posted wins over Wake Forest (3-1), Maryland (3-2) and Loyola (3-1), and have lost matches to UNC Greensboro (3-2), UT Arlington (3-1) and Valparaiso (3-1).
    
Air Force tallied an overall record of 14-18 in 2017 and finished in a tie for eighth place in the Mountain West Conference with a mark of 7-11.  The Falcons were predicted to place eighth in the MWC this season.
    
Air Force is the only school in the Mountain West Conference Navy has played.