Georgia On Their Mind
10/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 15, 2008
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate volleyball team enters the second half of Atlantic Sun Conference play as it continues a three-match road trip, heading to the A-Sun's Georgia foes for Friday and Saturday encounters. Upstate will look to get back into the middle of the conference race, as it enters the weekend 3-7 and in eighth-place in the conference as it readies to face off against 10th-place Kennesaw State and fifth-place Mercer. The matchups are a rematch of two weeks ago, as the Spartans split the set against the Georgia schools at the Hodge Center, beating Kennesaw State on Saturday before falling to Mercer on Sunday.
All-Time vs. Kennesaw State: USC Upstate leads, 2-0. The Spartans have won both meetings, 3-0, in the Hodge Center. This is the first time the schools have met at Kennesaw State.
All-Time vs. Mercer: Series tied at one. The Spartans won the first meeting, 3-2, in 2007 and the Bears won the second meeting, 3-1, in the rematch on Oct. 5. This is the first time the schools have met in Macon.
Lubura's Luck: Senior Jovana Lubura has led the Spartans through the first half of the Atlantic Sun Conference schedule, posting 3.06 kills per set, seventh in league play, and adding 2.37 digs. Lubura has boosted her play in the last seven conference matches, averaging 3.38 kills and 2.67 digs, and in the last two matches, Lubura has played well. Against Mercer, Lubura posted 13 kills and 19 digs and against Campbell, she added nine kills and 11 digs.
Back-To-Back: Sophomore Sandra Campbell needs became the first player in the DI era to reach 400 career kills with her first against Campbell on Oct. 9 and she is just 12 kills to become the first player to reach 200 kills in back-to-back seasons in the DI era.
Senior Success
Senior Jenna Leslie has reached a host of milestones this season, as the Houston, Texas, native has reached both the 200-kill and 300-dig marks this season. Leslie, who has played in 15 and started seven matches this season, is averaging 0.46 kills and 0.93 digs per match as a right-side hitter.
Double-Double The Fun
Senior Holly Mauldin posted her second consecutive double-double and her fifth of the season with a 28-assist, 10-dig effort against Kennesaw State on Oct. 5. The Upstate setter has 12 doubles in the Upstate Division I era, which is tops in school history, and 16 in her career.
Sandra Stars
Sophomore Sandra Campbell added two more 10-kill matches to her season total of 12 on the weekend of Oct. 5, helping her stay among the conference leaders in both hitting percentage and kills. The 6-1 middle blocker is fifth in the conference with a .300 hitting percentage and is also seventh in kills, averaging 2.98 per set. The sophomore picked up her second career A-Sun Player of the Week nod on Sept. 6 thanks to her All-Tournament performance at the USC Upstate volleyball classic. She also led the Spartans to their first A-Sun win of the season in dramatic 3-2 fashion over ETSU. In the match, Campbell slammed a career-high 19 kills, including the match-winner, and hit a steady .314.
Youth Movement
The three USC Upstate freshman have had an immediate impact on the team this season, with all three appearing in at least 55 of the team's 63 sets so far. Jane Hawryliw is averaging 1.14 kills per set and also adds 1.41 digs per set. The Sasketchewan native posted a match-high 14 kills in Upstate's 3-0 win over Hampton on Sept. 5. Morgan Thomas, a middle blocker, is averaging 1.58 kills and a team-high 0.74 blocks per set. Thomas notched a career-high six blocks, including three solo rejections, at Campbell on Oct. 9. Kelsie Queen is averaging 1.45 kills and 0.96 digs per set. She also has 18 blocks in 18 matches. The 5-11 Blythewood, S.C., native posted two five-kill matches against both Kennesaw State and Mercer.
Let The A-Sun In
In conference play, several Upstate players are amongst the league leaders. Senior Holly Mauldin is currently sixth in A-Sun play in assists, averaging 7.00 per set. In large part, she has been setting up senior Jovana Lubura (3.06) and sophomore Sandra Campbell (2.71), who are seventh and ninth in the conference in kills, respectively. Sophomore Megan Healey is also sixth in the conference in service aces, averaging 0.51 per set in league play.
