ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– After a two-season hiatus for the event, the Navy volleyball team will play host to the 10th edition of the Kristen Dickmann Invitational this weekend in the Wesley A. Brown Field House.  Michigan (2-0, ranked 23rd nationally) and West Virginia (3-0) will play Friday at noon, the Wolverines will face Navy (3-1) Friday at 7 p.m. and the Mids will play host to the Mountaineers Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Multimedia Information
Michigan vs. West Virginia – Free Live Stats
Michigan at Navy – Live Video (ESPN+), Free Live Stats
West Virginia at Navy – Free Live Stats

Accessing the USNA
The USNA is closed to all vehicles without a Department of Defense-approved identification card.  All other visitors must either walk through one of the security gates or ride the shuttle bus.  The free shuttle bus service begins one hour before all matches this weekend.  Whether walking on or riding the shuttle bus, those ages 18 and over must present a photo identification card (driver's license) to gain access and those ages 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Friday's shuttle will depart from the blue (west) side parking lot at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.  Enter the lot off of Taylor Avenue (south side of the stadium).  There is a $5 parking fee per vehicle.  The shuttle will depart from and return to the bus stop next to the Blue Angel jet.

Saturday' shuttle bus will depart from and return to the Navy Health Clinic (695 Kinkaid Rd., Annapolis, MD 21402).  There is no parking fee for this match.

COVID-19 Policy
Masks must be worn by everyone while riding the shuttle bus regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.  Once on the USNA grounds, those who have not been vaccinated must wear a mask at all times and those who have been vaccinated have the option to wear a mask while outdoors but must wear a mask while indoors.

10th Kristen Dickmann Invitational
This year marks the 10th Kristen Dickmann Invitational.  Held from 2010-18 (scheduling conflicts canceled the 2019 tournament and COVID-19 canceled the 2020 invite), the event is named after the late Navy volleyball player.

Kristen arrived at the USNA for Plebe Summer in late June of 2007.  A resident of Kennet Square, Pa., Kristen appeared in 10 matches as a defensive specialist that fall and saw her role grow even larger during the 2008 spring season.  A lover of math, Kristen wanted to fly the C-2 Greyhound and be a mail carrier for the Navy because "everyone likes to get mail."  The only military criticisms she received during her freshman year were for "smiling too much."

Kristen unexpectedly passed away in Navy's Bancroft Hall in the spring of 2008, three weeks after her 19th birthday.

"The world has lost a little bit of sunshine," is how teammate Jenny Rudewicz put it after Kristen's passing.

Past Kristen Dickmann Invitational champions are UMES (2010), Nebraska-Omaha (2012), UNCW (2013), Southern Utah (2014), Texas Tech (2015), Delaware (2016), Navy (2017) and Alabama (2018).  No champion was determined for the 2011 tournament due to Hurricane Irene forcing a format change.

Since Dickmann's passing, Star Steele wore her No. 6 jersey from 2012-15, Paige Miles wore it from 2016-19 and Averi Miller (So., Phoenix, Ariz.) began wearing it in the fall of 2020.  

About Navy
Navy opened its 2021 fall season by posting a 3-1 record in matches played over three days.  The Mids first defeated Binghamton in three sets (25-17, 25-14, 25-14) and Cleveland State in four sets (25-15, 21-25, 25-14, 25-16) on Friday in Baltimore.  Navy then topped tournament-host Morgan State in three sets (25-11, 25-20, 25-21) on Saturday.  The Mids closed the weekend by playing host to two-time defending America East Conference-champion Towson on Sunday.  The Tigers outlasted Navy in five sets (25-20, 18-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-6).

Four different Mids totaled at least 10 kills in a match, with Avery Stowell (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Jamie Llewellyn (So., Port Deposit, Md.) each accomplishing the feat twice.  Llewellyn recorded 18 kills and one error on 35 attempts (.486) over the course of Friday's wins over the Bearcats and Vikings.  She also produced 11 service aces during the weekend.  Stowell recorded 12 kills against Cleveland State and 16 against Towson on her way to pacing the Mids with 40 kills on the weekend and earning all-tournament accolades.

Setters Celie Feighery (Jr., Oak Hill, Va.) and Miller combined to dish out an average of 8.40 assists per set.

Defensively, Kimberly Lynch (Sr., Murrietta, Calif.) grabbed a team-high 35 kills and outside hitter Cami Herman (Sr., Brookfield, Wis.) snared 26 digs.  Maggie Bodman (So., Northbrook, Ill.) led Navy with 13 blocks.

Labrador Wins 500th Match
Navy's season-opening victory over Binghamton was the 500th victory for Paco Labrador as a head coach.  Now in his fourth season at Navy and 19th season as a head coach, he has compiled a career record of 502-94.  He entered the 2021 season ranked sixth among active head coaches and 10th all-time across all NCAA divisions with a career winning percentage of .843.

About Michigan
The Wolverines posted a 4-9 record during the 2021 spring season, with all of those matches coming against Big Ten Conference foes. Last year ended a run of five-straight seasons in which the program advanced to the NCAA Tournament.  Prior to the pandemic-shortened season, Michigan had advanced to all but one NCAA Tournament from 2006-19.

Michigan was predicted to place eighth in the 14-team Big Ten Conference this season.  Six of the seven teams tabbed to finish ahead of the Wolverines were ranked among the top-12 teams in the country in the AVCA's preseason poll, with the seventh team, Illinois, joining Michigan in receiving votes for the top-25 poll.

The Wolverines opened the 2021 season at the Hurricane Ida-shortened LSU Tiger Classic.  Michigan defeated LSU in four sets and Florida State in three sets. The victories boosted Michigan into a national ranking of 23rd on Monday.
 
Michigan has defeated Navy in each of the prior two meetings in the series.  The first contest between the programs was in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  The Wolverines defeated the Mids in three sets, 25-23, 25-20, 25-10, on their way to reaching the Sweet 16 round of the tournament.  Navy then fell to Michigan, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21, 10 months later in Ann Arbor.

Navy has posted a 5-30 record against teams that currently comprise the Big Ten Conference.  Friday's match marks the fourth time a team has played at Navy as a Big Ten Conference member.  Minnesota played in Annapolis in 1998 and 2009 and Maryland made the short drive to The Yard in 2015.  The Terrapins also visited Navy four times (1977, '79, '80, 2009) as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

About West Virginia
West Virginia placed sixth in this year's nine-team Big 12 Conference preseason poll.  The Mountaineers totaled a 10-11 record last year and ended conference play with an 8-8 record.

West Virginia enters the weekend with a 3-0 record on the season.  The Mountaineers won three matches against Loyola, Maryland (3-0), Old Dominion (3-0) and Hampton (3-1) during the ODU Invite.

Navy and West Virginia have met on four previous occasions, with the Mountaineers defeating the Mids in each match.  The 1979, 2012 and 2013 decisions between the teams were by the score of 3-0, but the most recent match played in 2019 saw West Virginia defeat Navy in five sets (25-20, 25-27, 25-21, 18-25, 15-8) in Morgantown.

Navy has lost each of its six prior matches against teams that are current members of the Big 12 Conference.  The lone previous time in which a Big 12 Conference team played at Navy was when Texas Tech took part in the 2015 Kristen Dickmann Invitational.

Navy vs. Ranked Teams
Navy's match Friday night against Michigan will mark the eighth time the Mids will be facing a nationally ranked team since polls began in 1982.  The Wolverines were the last two opponents Navy has faced that held a national ranking.  Michigan was ranked 18th when the teams met in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament in Pittsburgh and stood 24th nationally when the teams met in 2019 in Ann Arbor.

It also will be the third time Navy will play host to a nationally ranked team.  No. 4 Long Beach State played in Macdonough Hall in 2000 and 13th-ranked Minnesota faced the Mids in the Wesley A. Brown Field House in 2009.

Navy has lost all seven previous matches it has played against a nationally ranked team.