Oct. 25, 2008

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Senior Jovana Lubura (Belgrade, Serbia/New Mexico Military Institute) posted her third straight double-double with a 12-kill, 11-dig match and freshman Kelsie Queen (Blythewood, S.C./Ridge View) added a career-high 15 kills for the third straight match, but a rejuvenated USC Upstate volleyball team fell, 3-1 (26-24, 25-20, 20-25, 25-20) to the defending league champions and current first-place team, Florida Gulf Coast University, in Atlantic Sun Conference action on Saturday at the Hodge Center.

The Spartans (7-16 overall, 3-10 A-Sun) stayed in every set with the defending champions, winning the first set in the series between the two schools, which have now met three times. Upstate was able to take advantage of 22 Eagle attack errors and the Spartans also posted 10 service aces to keep the Eagles (15-6 overall, 13-1 A-Sun) on their toes all match.

Lubura tied a career-high with five aces to go with her third straight double-double. Her 12-kill, 11-dig performance marked the first time in the Division I era that an Upstate player notched three straight double-doubles. Sophomore Sandra Campbell (Orlando, Fla./Pilot Point (Texas)) added seven kills and freshman Morgan Thomas (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) notched six kills and tied a career-high with six blocks.

In the back row, senior Jenna Leslie (Houston, Texas/Westfield) posted her second straight 10-dig performance and freshman Jane Hawryliw (North Battleford, Saskatchewan/North Battleford) added four kills and nine digs. Senior Holly Mauldin (Columbia, S.C./Irmo) posted 24 assists and six digs and junior Morgan Bucciferro (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka Community) added 16 assists and three digs.

Two kills from Campbell opened the third set and helped the Spartans out to a 12-6 lead in the third set. Upstate was able to extend the lead to as many as eight points after a kill from Queen made it 17-9, as they were able to hold off a late rally of five straight Eagles points to take the 25-20 win in the third set.

Queen led the Spartans in the third set, posting six kills and hitting .462. The Spartans hit a hefty .333 in the set, and benefitted from two blocks, with both being assisted by Thomas.

The Spartans fell behind 12-6 in the first set and struggled to catch up, as they were still down 21-17 before kills from Hawryliw and Mauldin forced an Eagle timeout. After the break, one of Lubura's five aces closed the gap to one point. The teams traded sideouts until it was 24-23 and a kill from Lubura tied the set at 24. However, a kill from Ashley Yance helped the Eagles take control en route to the 26-24 win.

Upstate fell behind 14-10 in the second half before a kill from Hawryliw sparked a 5-0 run that featured two of Lubura's aces. The 15-14 lead was short-lived, however, as a 7-2 run helped FGCU cruise to the 25-20 win.

With the score tied at nine in the fourth set, a kill from Ana Kokanovic helped the Eagles go on another 7-2 run that helped them takle a 16-11 lead. Upstate made a dash to even the set as back-to-back kills from Lubura and Campbell brought the Spartans within two at 20-18. However, a kill from Roberta Santos changed the momentum back in FGCU's favor, which went on for the 25-20 win.

The Eagles were led by a triple-double from setter Santos, who notched 12 kills, 41 assists and 12 digs to go with four blocks and three aces. Ana Kokanovic notched 14 kills and 10 digs for a double-double and Audrey Campbell added 13 kills and four blocks. Cheyenne Jenks had a 16 digs and Holly Youngquist added a match-high 18 digs.

The Spartans will hit the road for the last time in 2008 season next weekend, as they face Jacksonville on Halloween Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on North Florida at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Both matches will be played in on the school's respective campuses in Jacksonville, Fla.