2024 Yale Invitational
 
Friday, September 13, 2024
Colgate vs. Fairfield – 4 p.m. ET
Live stats | Watch on ESPN+
 
Villanova at Yale – 7 p.m. ET
Live stats | Watch on ESPN+
 
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Villanova vs. Colgate – 2 p.m. ET
Live stats | Watch on ESPN+
 
Fairfield at Yale – 5 p.m.
Live stats | Watch on ESPN+
 
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Colgate at Yale – 12 p.m.
Live stats | Watch on ESPN+
 
Villanova at Fairfield – 2 p.m.
(match played at Fairfield)
 
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The two-time defending Ivy League champion Bulldogs open their home schedule this weekend with the Yale Invitational that includes three reigning conference champions. Yale will face Villanova, Fairfield and Colgate in the three-day event that begins on Friday.
 
Here are some notes heading into the weekend:

• The Bulldogs opened the season with 1-2 weekend at the College of Charleston Invitational with a victory over South Carolina-Upstate, and dropped two five-set matches to Pacific and College of Charleston.
• Yale defeated Sacred Heart, Rhode Island and UConn to win last year's Yale Invitational. 
• Yale is 28-4 at home since 2021 – and have not lost a non-conference match at home since a loss to Syracuse on September 3, 2021. 
• Betsy Goodenow, an All-Ivy Second Team selection in 2023, was named to the CofC All-Tournament team after posting 42 kills and 33 digs in the three matches.  She reached double-digit kills in all three matches.
• Laurece Abraham had a career-high 14 kills and hit .684 with only one error on 19 swings in the victory over South Carolina-Upstate last Saturday. 
• Isabella Mendoza had a career-best 14 kills in a five-set loss to College of Charleston last Friday.
• Cara Shultz has 114 service aces in her career and ranks eighth all-time in program history.  She is two aces away from tying for sixth all-time. 
• Yale head coach Erin Appleman, the two-time reigning Ivy League Coach of the Year, is in her 21^st season at Yale and has a record 365-133 entering the weekend with 12 Ivy League championships and two straight 21-plus-win seasons.

 
Scouting Villanova
Villanova enters the weekend 3-3 overall after winning two of three matches at home last weekend.  The Wildcats defeated Princeton and Loyola Maryland, while losing to Old Dominion.  Abby Harrell, the reigning Big East Rookie of the Year, was named to the All-Big East preseason team. 
 
Scouting Fairfield
The Stags are 2-4 to open 2024.  Fairfield went 1-2 last weekend after hosting a tournament at home, and went 1-2 at No. 16 BYU's tournament to open the season the weekend of Aug. 30.  The Stags are the defending MAAC champions.  Fairfield is coached by Nancy Somera, the mom of former Yale volleyball captain and 2023 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Maile Somera '24. 
 
Scouting Colgate
Colgate (1-5) have won three straight Patriot League championships, and are picked to win the conference in 2024.  The Raiders have already faced Duke, South Carolina, Kansas this season. 
 
Up next:
The Bulldogs head back on the road with two matches at Penn State University – one against James Madison and one against No. 3 Penn State.