The 14th-ranked Hobart volleyball team will be back in action Friday, March 14, when it travels to Rochester, New York, for a crucial UVC matchup against No. 12 St. John Fisher. Action between the Statesmen and the Cardinals is set for 6 p.m. in Manning & Napier Varsity Gym.

Fans who can't make it to Rochester can follow all the action with video and live stats courtesy of sjfathletics.com.

ABOUT THE STATESMEN:

• Hobart jumped one spot and is ranked No. 14 in this week's AVCA national poll. It is the ninth straight week the Statesmen have been in the poll this season. Hobart is also ranked No. 13 in the season's first NPI rankings. NPI is the NCAA's new system for selecting at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament.
• The Statesmen enter the weekend with an 18-5 overall record (1-3 UVC) after defeating No. 7 Vassar 3-1 for its highest ranked win in program history on Saturday.
• Graduate student Andrew Kim leads the UVC and is ranked third in the nation in kills per set (4.56) and points per set (5.44). His .368 hitting percentage ranks 31st nationally and eighth in the conference. Kim also ranks eighth in the conference and 21st nationally in service aces per set (0.60) after tallying 38 aces this season.
• Sophomores Noah DeLong and Daniel Sappia add 2.31 and 2.25 kills per set, respectively. The duo has added a combined 42 blocks and 35 service aces this season.
• Sophomore Zack Farren and graduate student Benjamin Lincoln have led Hobart from the setter position, averaging 5.28 and 5.10 assists per set, respectively. Farren ranks ninth in the UVC in that category, while Lincoln ranks 10th.
• Defensively, the Statesmen are led by sophomore libero Gavin Meador's league-leading 2.91 digs per set, which ranks 18th nationally. Kim has chipped in 2.10 digs per set, which ranks fifth in the UVC.
• First-year duo Alain Malcolm and Kian Kischke have led Hobart at the net this season, combining for 75 blocks. Malcolm has tallied 53 blocks and ranks seventh in the conference in blocks per set (0.83), while Kischke adds 0.61 blocks per set out of the middle.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS:

• St. John Fisher enters the weekend ranked No. 12 in the AVCA poll and No. 11 in the NPI rankings.
• The Cardinals are 17-6 on the season (2-1 UVC) and are coming off a 3-2 win over Division II Barry University on Saturday in Miami Shores, Florida.
• Ian Rauh leads St. John Fisher offensively, averaging 2.67 kills per set which ranks 10th in the UVC. He also ranks 10th in the conference in points per set (3.36). Rauh ranks third in the conference and 10th in the nation in hitting percentage (.428)
• Griffin Stella leads the UVC and ranks second in the nation in hitting percentage (.528) out of the middle.
• Gavin Newsome averages a team-leading 9.16 assists per set, which ranks third in the conference and 21st nationally. He also ranks sixth in the UVC and 17th in the nation in service aces per set (0.60), tallying 37 this season.
• Defensively, the Cardinals are led by Trace La Robairdeire who averages 2.58 digs per set, which ranks second in the UVC and 39th nationally.
• Rauh and Stella lead St. John Fisher at the net, averaging 0.88 and 0.69 blocks per set, respectively. Rauh ranks fourth in the conference in that category.

SERIES HISTORY:

• St. John Fisher has won both previous meetings against Hobart and holds a 2-0 edge in the series.
• Last time they met, the Cardinals defeated the Statesmen in a five-set thriller in Bristol Gym on Feb. 28, 2024. Kim led Hobart with 30 kills (.343), nine digs, two assists and two blocks in the setback. Sappia chipped in 15 kills (.100), eight digs, two blocks and an ace, while Farren tallied a match-high 44 assists.