Upstate Looks To Continue Winning Ways This Weekend In A-Sun Play
10/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 1, 2008
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After suffering through its longest losing streak at the Division I level, the USC Upstate volleyball team has used wins against Presbyterian and Stetson to help change its outlook on the season. This week, the team will look to keep its hot stretch going as it returns to the Hodge Center for matches with Kennesaw State and Mercer. The Spartans swept the Owls and Bears during an Atlantic Sun Conference weekend in 2007 and are looking to do so again to reenter the pack in the A-Sun, as they enter the weekend in ninth place. The Spartans take on Kennesaw State on Saturday at 3 p.m. before taking on Mercer at 5 p.m. on Sunday in Adopt-A-Student Appreciation Night.
All-Time vs. Kennesaw State: USC Upstate leads, 1-0. The Spartans won the lone meeting, 3-0, in 2007.
All-Time vs. Mercer: USC Upstate leads, 1-0. The Spartans won the lone meeting, 3-2, in 2007.
Ahead of Her Time: USC Upstate head coach Jennifer Calloway became the youngest coach in the NCAA with 250 wins on Tuesday when the Spartans notched a 3-2 win over local rival Presbyterian. the 35-year-old's reign as the youngest coach in the NCAA with 250 wins may be short-lived, as Trinity (Conn.)'s Jennifer Bowman enters the week with 249 career wins. The 34-year-old has coached all 11 of her seasons at the Division III level while Calloway spent 11 years in Division II and two in Division I.
Adopt-A-Student Appreciation Night: In appreciation for Upstate South Carolina's outpouring of support to help up nearly 50 students after a fire at Campus Edge apartments in the early morning on July 31, USC Upstate is set to host Adopt-A-Student Appreciation Night on Sunday, Oct. 5. The event will be held in conjunction with the volleyball team's 5 p.m. match against Mercer at the Hodge Center.
Setting New Marks
It was a big week for senior Holly Mauldin last week, as the senior setter posted two 30-assist matches and led the Spartans to wins over Presbyterian and Stetson. In the process, the Columbia, S.C., native averaged 8.45 assists per set to go with 2.18 digs. On Saturday against Stetson, Mauldin posted career-highs with 41 assists and five kills, leading the Spartans to a sweep. Not only was it the first 40-assist match of the DI era at Upstate, it is also the A-Sun's season-high in a three-set match. She also added 12 digs for her fourth double-double of the season and she became the seventh player in school history to reach 1,500 career assists in the match. On Tuesday, Mauldin recorded 32 assists and eight digs against Presbyterian, leading Upstate to the 3-2 win.
Megan's Milestone
Sophomore Megan Healey became the 30th Spartan to reach 500 career digs during her 13-dig performance against Presbyterian on Sept. 23. The 5-5 sophomore libero now has 535 digs in her career and is the only Spartan in the DI era with 500 digs. Healey joined current Spartan, senior Holly Mauldin, in the 500-career-dig group, as Mauldin crossed the mark on Sept. 19 against North Florida. Healey averaged 3.76 digs as a freshman as she totaled 380 during the season, the fifth-best freshman total in school history. This season, the co-captain has led the team in digs in 11 of the team's 15 matches.
Beating The Blue Hose
There was some redemption in USC Upstate's 3-2 win over Presbyterian on Sept. 23. The Spartans fell twice to their local rival in 2007 by identical 3-0 scores, including a match in Clinton, S.C., where the Blue Hose held Upstate to a .044 hitting percentage. This time around the Spartans were led by three 10-kill performances from senior Jovana Lubura, freshman Morgan Thomas and sophomore Sandra Campbell and 10-dig performances from sophomore Megan Healey and freshman Jane Hawryliw.
A Sweet Sweep
The Spartans posted an impressive 3-0 sweep of Stetson on Sept. 27, holding the Hatters to just 24 kills in the three-set match while racking up 58 digs. Upstate's posted two season-highs in a three-set match, as senior setters Holly Mauldin's 41 assists and the team's 52 kills are both tops in the conference.
Serbian Sensation
Senior Jovana Lubura has come on strong in the last two weeks for USC Upstate, leading the team with an average of 3.00 kills per set while adding 2.00 digs per set. The hot stretch started for Lubura with a career-high 22 kill effort against UNF on Sept. 19. The 6-2 Serbian posted 11 kills and 10 digs for her second career double-double as Upstate downed Presbyterian, 3-2, on Sept. 23. She was back at it on Sept. 27, when she notched 16 kills and hit .342 to go with eight digs in a sweep of Stetson.
