Box Score SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate volleyball team (6-11, 2-3 A-Sun) picked-up its fourth-straight home win today for the Spike-Out Cancer event, edging Jacksonville (10-11, 3-3 A-Sun) 3-2 by scores of 25-20, 23-25, 23-25, 25-23 and 17-15 at the Hodge Center. Upstate went from 0-3 in Atlantic Sun Conference play to 2-3 in matter of 48 hours.
The first set saw the largest margin of the victory today as the Spartans took the game 25-20. The Dolphins rallied to claim the next two sets with matching scores of 25-23. In the fourth set, Upstate jumped off to a 17-11 led, but a Spartan injury shifted the momentum to Jacksonville. JU fought back to knot things up at 20-20, but Upstate rallied to finish the set 25-23, forcing a fifth game.
The Spartans struggled at the start of the fifth set, going down 10-5. Upstate rallied back to tie things up at 13-13 courtesy of back-to-back kills from junior Mindy Quimby. The teams exchanged kills, putting the score at 14-14. A Spartan service error gave Jacksonville a one point advantage, but Quimby answered back with another kill evening things up again and sending junior Emily Sanders to serve. A Dolphin attack error gave Upstate a 16-15 lead. JU kept Sanders' serve in play, allowing sophomore Paige Weiland to send a pass to Sanders resulting in a set to Quimby. Her swing once again found the hardwood, giving Upstate the 3-2 overall victory.
"JU is a strong, competitive team," said Upstate head coach Jennifer Calloway. "I'm proud that our team came to battle together two days in a row. That shows that we are learning and maturing each week through training. I love the positive energy and the way the girls can take on adversity like with the injury during game four. We also really appreciated the crowd support today through the final point."
Quimby recorded 13 kills, six digs, two assists and two aces on the day, while Spartan senior Morgan Thomas posted a team-high 15 kills and added three block assists. Thomas ranks fifth all-time in career-blocks at Upstate with 225, passing Maggie Smith's (1985-86) mark of 222. The senior sits just outside of the school record books with 290 total career denials. She is 12 blocks away from tying Trina Beaty's (1990-91) 10th-best mark of 302.
Sophomore Morgan Page led the team defensively, collecting a career-high 25 digs, the most for any Spartan this season. Sanders followed suit tallying her seventh double-double of the season with 14 digs and 45 assists. Freshman Kayla McAvoy led the charge at the net, totaling five blocks, including three solo rejections. She also posted 12 kills, while Sanders added five.
The Dolphins had four players register double-digit kills as Alliya Drzewiecki led the way with 20 kills, while Kylie Jacob followed with 19. Kathryn Kane added a double-double with 18 kills and 16 digs, while Alyssa Robertson chipped in 10 kills. Kendall Courtney also recorded a double-double with 62 assists and 15 digs, while Ashley August posted a team-high 23 digs.
Jacksonville leads the all-time series against Upstate 6-1, including a 3-1 record in Spartanburg. Last time out, the Spartans fell to the Dolphins 3-1 Oct. 16, 2010 at JU.
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, the Spartans hosted the Spike-Out Cancer event today, raising $779.45 for local cancer awareness initiatives. Upstate has partnered with the Gibbs Cancer Center at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center as the recipient of all of the athletic department's cancer awareness fundraising efforts.
Upstate is back in action Friday, Oct. 14, traveling to A-Sun foe Florida Gulf Coast for a 6 p.m. contest. Follow the Spartans this season on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
