The Hobart volleyball team jumped one spot in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll this week. The Statesmen land at No. 13, marking their fifth-straight week in the top-20 and highest ranking in program history.

Hobart is coming off a 2-1 week that saw the Statesmen sweep then No. 15 Nazareth and defeat New Paltz 3-1 to grab back-to-back conference wins. The Statesmen's lone loss of the week came to then No. 13 NYU in a thrilling five-set UVC matchup on Sunday. Graduate student Andrew Kim and first-year Zack Farren swept the UVC weekly awards after three strong performances last week. Kim earned his fourth Player of the Week recognition while Farren earned his second-straight and third overall Rookie of the Week honors.

Hobart will be back in action Saturday, March 16, when it heads to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, for two nonconference matchups. The CVC Tri-Match will see the Statesmen take on Eastern Mennonite at 2 p.m., followed by a matchup with the hosts, No. 8 Juniata at 4 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium.

Fans who can't make it to Memorial Gym can follow all the action with live stats and video on juniatasports.net.

ABOUT THE STATESMEN

• Hobart (14-8, 2-3) is ranked No. 13 in the AVCA poll.
• Kim leads the nation in kills per set (5.62) and points per set (6.35). First-year Daniel Sappia chips in 3.55 kills per set which ranks sixth in the conference.
• Farren runs the Statesmen offense, averaging a league-leading 9.97 assists per set, which is fifth in the nation.
• Hobart ranks third in the nation in assists per set (11.84) and sixth in kills per set (12.61).
• Kim (3rd) and Sappia (9th) rank in the top-10 in the UVC in service aces per set. Kim averages 0.48, while Sappia chips in 0.36 for the Statesmen.
• Hobart's defense leads the conference in digs, averaging 10.22 per set. First-year Gavin Meador leads the team with 2.54 digs per set, which ranks fourth in the conference.
• First-year Nate Magni leads the Statesmen at the net with 46 blocks this season.

ABOUT THE ROYALS

• Eastern Mennonite (11-9, 1-2) is coming off a five-set loss to Stevenson last Saturday and will take on Elizabethtown and No. 8 Juniata before action with the Statesmen on Saturday.
• David Ward leads the team with 2.96 kills per set. Nate McGhee chips in 2.23 for the Royals.
• Tyler Oaks runs Eastern Mennonite's offense from the setter position, averaging a team-leading 8.26 assists per set.
• The Royals defensive efforts are led by Jamuary Starks who averages 2.04 digs per set. Rey De La Cruz adds 1.96 digs a set for Eastern Mennonite.
• Ben Childers has tallied a team-leading 48 blocks this season.

ABOUT THE EAGLES

• Juniata (16-4, 2-0) is ranked No. 8 in the AVCA poll and will take on EMU before Saturday's matchup with Hobart.
• Juan Armando leads the team with 3.51 kills per set. Tyler Goldsborough adds 3.27 kills per set from the pins.
• Reese Ganter runs the Eagles offense from the setter position and leads the nation with 10.80 assists per set.
• Juniata plays a scrappy defensive game and has four players record over 1.5 digs per set. Armondo leads the way with 1.61 digs per set, while Andrew Byrne chips in 1.58. Goldsborough adds 1.57 and Peter Carioto records 1.51 digs per set.
• Luke Hoffman shows a steady presence at the net and leads the team with 45 blocks this season.