RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Dayton volleyball team is set to make its 22nd appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship this weekend. Second-seeded Dayton will match-up against the winner of today's match between #3 La Salle and #6 Duquesne on Saturday in the tournament's semifinal round. The three-day event is being hosted by VCU at the Rams' Siegel Center.

About #2 Dayton
Dayton (21-7) closed out the regular season with back-to-back three-set sweeps at home last weekend, including a 3-0 win over Duquesne Sunday for Senior Day. As a team, the Flyers head into the championship ranked first in the conference with 14.02 kills/set 25th NCAA), a .277 hitting percentage (10th NCAA) and 12.92 assists/set and rank second with 2.26 blocks/set. UD's offense is led by senior Lauren Bruns with a league-leading 4.33 kills/set (24th NCAA) while senior Kendyll Brown swings at a team-best .348 hitting percentage (3rd A-10) and stuffs 1.05 blocks/set (6th A-10).

Scouting #3 La Salle
La Salle (17-9, 9-3 A-10) had its six-match winning streak snapped by Dayton last Friday and it lost at Saint Louis, 3-0, on Sunday to close out the regular season. The Explorers, participating in the program's first-ever conference championship, are directed by 2018 A-10 Coach of the Year Caitlin Schweihofer. Devin Corah leads the team with 3.87 kills/set (4th A-10) while 2018 A-10 Setter of the Year Kathryn Wood records 11.04 assists/set (1st A-10).

Scouting #6 Duquesne
Duquesne (12-15) had won six of seven matches before dropping its last three contests of the regular season. The Dukes get under 16.11 digs/set (2nd A-10) as a team and Camryn Vecera ranks second in the league with 4.98 digs/set. Duquesne is led by Summer Slade with 2.80 kills/set and Dani Suite sets 9.85 assists/set (2nd A-10).

Series Stuff
La Salle: Dayton has never lost to La Salle and holds the 41-0 advantage in the series. This season, the Flyers posted two three-set sweeps over the Explorers. In fact, the last time La Salle won a set against Dayton was in a 3-1 win for UD on Oct. 7, 2006 in Dayton.

Duquesne: Dayton has won 44 of the 48 all-time meetings between the Flyers and Dukes, including two three-set sweeps of Duquesne this season. UD has won eight in a row against DUQ with its last loss to Duquesne happening in the 2013 A-10 Tournament.

RPI Rankings
In the NCAA's most recent Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for games played through Nov. 4, Dayton currently ranks 35th according to NCAA.com. La Salle comes in at 178th and Duquesne is ranked 233rd.

Last Time Out
In both teams' final regular-season match of the year, Dayton posted a three-set win over Duquesne on Senior Day at Frericks Center. Three senior team members were recognized prior to the match. Senior Kendyll Brown led the charge with a match-high 11 kills to go with a match-high seven blocks for the Flyers. Sophomore Brooke Westbeld recorded her 17th double-double of the season with 17 assists and 13 digs.

Flyer Facts
• Tim Horsmon is in his 10th season overall, and fifth since 2007, as head coach of the Flyers in 2018. His record at Dayton is 259-72 and his career win-loss mark sits at 435-236 in 20 seasons as a head coach. Horsmon is the program's second-winningest coach behind only R. Elaine Dreidame who amassed 310 wins 1970-79.
• Over the last 10 seasons (2009-2018), the Flyers have recorded a 131-12 (.916) mark in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference play, including a perfect 14-0 mark in 2016, 2015 and 2012 and a 15-0 record in 2010. UD suffered only one conference loss in 2017, 2014, 2011 and 2009.
• Dayton is making its 19th-consecutive and 22nd overall appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship in 2018. The Flyers have reached conference post-season play every year they have been a member of the A-10 except 1995 and 1999. UD holds a 25-10 record in league tournaments.
• Dayton has won the Atlantic 10 Regular Season title 13 times (2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2001, 1998). The Flyers have won the A-10 Championship title a league-record 11 times (2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2003) and made their 12th NCAA appearance in program history in 2016.
• With two wins at the 2014 Bowling Green Hampton Inn Invitational, Dayton surpassed the 1,000-win mark as a program to become just the 13th NCAA DI team to attain that level of success. The Flyers currently rank 12th all-time in the Division I record book with an overall program tally of 1,129-589 (.657) over 48 seasons (1970).
• The Flyers finished the 2017 season with a 23-8 overall record and a 13-1 Atlantic 10 mark, finishing in second place in regular-season league play. 2017 was the program's 39th winning season and its 30th 20-win season.

Dayton in the A-10 Championship
The Flyers hold a 25-10 record over 21 appearances in the Atlantic 10 Championship and have won 10 tournament titles in 13 finals appearances over the last 14 years. Last season, second-seeded Dayton fell to #1 VCU in the finals, 3-2, in a hard-fought battle between the top two teams in the conference (Nov. 19, 2017).