Women's Volleyball | 9/17/2026 12:38:00 PM

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- The very competive Sunshine State Conference slate starts with top-15 ranked matchup for the Barry women's volleyball team. The Friday night showdown has the 11th-ranked Buccaneers taking on 12th-ranked Lynn at the Health and Sports Center Gym for the RED OUT.

Game Coverage Links

Game	Date	Stats	Broadcast
#12 Lynn	Friday, Sept. 18; 7:00 pm

The Bucs are 5-2 entering league play, riding a five-match win streak. Barry has played against two rnked oppoentns going 2-0, taking donw then-no.1 St. Cloud State, marking it the first time in Buccaneer history a team has taken down the top-ranked team, three years in a row. Ivana Žujovic enters the match as the leading blocks in the conference averaging 1.35 blocks per set, tallying 31 overall. Zujovic has also been recognized as the SSC Defensive Player of the Week after putting up 14 blocks over seven sets for a 2.00 average. On the attack, the Triple-V trio of Valeriya Kozlova, Veronika Eremeeva, and Varvara Osychenko all average over 3.00 kills per set, the only team in the conferene to have more than two. Osychenko has helped on both sides of the ball, leading the team in digs per set with 2.19, with 57 overall. Thalia Iglesias has led the majority of the offense, ranking 5th in the SSC in assists per set at 7.52 and has surpassed 1,500 career assists this season. 

The Fighting Knights are 8-1 on the year. Lira Puki Verdel leads the team with 93 kills for a 3.32 set average, ranking 5th in the league. Puki Verdel also ranks top in service aces, just behind Eremeeva. Ula Gorjup handles the setter role and currently sits as the top-setter in the conference with a 10.17 assists per set average. Zara Rendic is another Fighting Knight to watch, collecting double-digit kills in five of their nine matches.

The teams have six common opponents this season as they both played in the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament and the Buccaneer Invitational. The six include Central Missouri, Grand Valley State, Bentley, Lubbock Christian, St. Cloud State, and Converse. Barry is 4-2 compared to Lynn's 5-1 record against the teams. Both teams went 3-0 at the Buccaneer Invitational, including defeat over #1 SCSU. Both teams lost to Grand Valley State who were receving votes and are now ranked 17th. Central Missouri was receiving votes and is now ranked 25th, whiel SCSU remains in the top-10 at 8th. 

SERIES

Barry leads the overall series 37-21, including 24-15 in SSC matches. At home, the Buccaneers hold a strong advantage at 20-7 all-time. Barry swept the season series last year at 3-0 taking both league games and the NCAA South Regional Semifinal in Tampa.

ON THE HORIZON

After the Friday night matchup, the Buccaneers will face their other local foe, crossing the county border to take on Nova Southeastern on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. from the Rick Case Arena.