Spartan Volleyball Gives Back Locally
10/23/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate volleyball team spent time over the weekend, hosting a skills clinic for local Boys & Girls Club leaders and volunteers.
The Boys & Girls Club from Arcadia Elementary is interested in starting a volleyball league for its participants and enlisted the help of the Spartan volleyball team. Members of the Upstate squad spent Saturday teaching the Boys & Girls Club leaders techniques and fundamental volleyball skills.
"I really enjoyed working with the Boys & Girls Club leaders and teach them about volleyball," said Upstate senior Libero Emily Sanders. "I'm excited that they have decided to teach the kids volleyball along with basketball. The leaders were very enthusiastic and I'm glad we were able to help people in the community."
"The clinic we did with the counselors on Saturday morning said a lot about the character of the Boys & Girls Club leaders," said Upstate head coach Jennifer Calloway. "They took extra time out of their day to learn the skills of volleyball so they can go back and teach the children how to play. It was priceless to see their smiles as they were learning and it was a win-win. I was able to see our student-athletes do an outstanding job giving back to the community and the team had fun. There was a lot of laughter going on Saturday morning."
In addition to the instructional clinic, members of the Boys & Girls Club attended the Upstate volleyball match Friday night and cheered the team on to its third-straight Atlantic Sun Conference victory, the most consecutive conference wins for Upstate since joining the league in 2007. The Arcadia Elementary students created an exciting environment and spurred the Spartans on to a thrilling 3-2 win over ETSU, the No. 3 team in the A-Sun standings at the time.
"Friday was a big game for us and we loved seeing the local Boys & Girls Club in the stands cheering us on," Sanders said. "I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did and they get to see more games."
"The children brought such an excitement to our match Friday night," Calloway said. "They were cheering, dancing to the music in between points and just having a blast. I loved hearing them cheer for the girls, calling out their names. We talk to our players a lot about being good role models for the younger audience. I love seeing our girls giving back through their hard work and efforts on the court."
The Spartans return to A-Sun action Oct. 26-27, traveling to Northern Kentucky and Lipscomb, respectively. Follow Upstate volleyball this season on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
