Box Score

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The USC Upstate volleyball team opened the 2011 season with a convincing 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-23 and 25-17) over Western Carolina on the road at Virginia for the Marriott Cavalier Classic.

Juniors Mindy Quimby and Emily Sanders led the Spartans with a pair double-doubles. Quimby recorded 10 kills and 18 digs, while the setter registered 37 assists to go along with 14 digs.

Senior Morgan Thomas also posted 10 kills, while tallying four total blocks with two solo rejections. Thomas also served three aces, while senior Kelsie Queen added two. Queen also totaled nine kills and five digs.

On the defensive side, sophomore Morgan Page collected a career-high 18 digs. She recorded 17 digs in a 3-1 win against Stetson Sept. 17, 2010.

Western Carolina was led by Carrie Minogue with nine kills, while Rebecca Stoltz added eight. Brittany Lysik registered 29 assists for the Catamounts, along with nine digs. Morgan Cochran led the team in digs with 16, followed by Jordan Timmermann and Abbey Scroggins with 12 and 10, respectively.

The Catamounts lead the all-time series against Upstate 7-3, which dates back to 1977. Western Carolina holds a 5-2 advantage in neutral site matches. This was the first of two meetings this season between the Spartans and Western Carolina. Upstate will host the Catamounts Sept. 17 for the Quality Inn & Suites Spartan Classic.

Saturday's full slate of matches, kicks-off with Western Michigan taking on Western Carolina at 11 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. contest between UVA and Upstate.

This will be the first meeting between the Spartans and Cavaliers. UVA finished the 2010 season with a 14-16 record and an 8-12 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Cavaliers were picked to finish ninth in the league by a vote of ACC head coaches.

The Marriott Cavalier Classic wraps up with Upstate squaring off against Western Michigan at 5 p.m. and Virginia taking on Western Carolina at 7 p.m. This will be the first match-up against the Spartans and the Broncos. Western Michigan went 22-10 in 2010 and was picked third in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference preseason poll after registering a 12-4 record last year in conference play.  

Live statistics will be available here for all matches at the Marriott Cavalier Classic. Follow the Spartans this season on Facebook and Twitter.