Spartans Set for a Triple Feature Road Week
9/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate volleyball team (4-8) is set for a three-match slate this week, traveling to nearby cross-state rival Gardner-Webb (5-12) Tuesday and taking on Atlantic Sun Conference foes Stetson (3-15, 0-2 A-Sun) and Florida Gulf Coast (6-7, 2-0 A-Sun) over the weekend in the Sunshine State.
THE WEEK AHEAD:
Runnin' Bulldog Bits
The Spartans open the week with a 45 minute trek to Gardner-Webb Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest. Upstate owns a 24-10 advantage in the overall series against Gardner-Webb, including a 10-6 mark in Boiling Springs, N.C. In the last meeting between the teams, the Spartans claimed a 3-2 home victory Sept. 27, 2011. The last time the Runnin' Bulldogs hosted Upstate, GWU picked up a 3-1 win Sept. 14, 2010.
GWU is led this season by Tyler Cockrell with 139 kills, averaging 2.36 kills per set. Heather Feldman has handed out 566 assists for the squad, averaging 9.13 helpers per set. Anna Pashkova anchors the Runnin' Bulldog defense, collecting 231 digs this season to average 3.73 per set.
Hatter Highlights
Upstate heads to the Sunshine State this weekend for a pair of Atlantic Sun Conference matches, taking on Stetson Friday at 7 p.m. and Florida Gulf Coast Saturday at 7 p.m. The Spartans lead the overall series against the Hatters 6-2, while holding a 3-1 record in Deland, Fla. Last season, the Spartans dropped a 3-0 decision at Stetson Oct. 15, 2011.
The Hatters are led by Kaley Melville with 191 kills averaging 2.77 per set. Kelli Carneal leads the team, dishing out 311 assists for an average of 4.51 per set. Defensively, Monique Russell leads SU, scooping up 312 digs for 4.52 per set.
Eagle Extras
The Eagles are 7-0 against the Spartans and 4-0 when playing on their home court in Fort Myers, Fla. In the pair's last match-up, Upstate dropped a 3-1 decision Oct. 14, 2011 at FGCU with scores of 26-28, 25-22, 25-11 and 25-22.
FGCU is led by Christine Pinder, tallying 96 kills to average 2.40 per set. Gigi Meyer has 237 assists on the year, averaging 5.15 per set. The Eagle defense is anchored by Whitney Masters and Olivia Mesner. Masters has 136 digs on the year to average 2.96 per set, while Mesner ranks third in the A-Sun in blocking with 50 total rejections, averaging 1.09 denials per set.
QUICK HITS:
• The Spartans went 0-2 last week, dropping a 3-1 decision in their A-Sun opener at Kennesaw State Tuesday and then a 3-0 loss at ETSU Friday.
• Freshman Kayla Eversgerd (Breese, Ill.) led the Spartans Tuesday against Asheville, recording a match-high and career-high 20 kills to go along with a match-high and personal-best 23 digs.
• Sophomore Kayla McAvoy (Boiling Springs, S.C.) led Upstate last week with three double-digit kill performances, including career-highs against UNC Asheville with 18 kills and 12 digs. She followed that outing with seven kills and 10 digs against DePaul Friday, 13 kills against Loyola-Chicago Friday and 11 kills against Chicago State Saturday. McAvoy paced the team with a .318 hitting percentage on the week, while averaging 3.77 kills per set. She also tallied seven total blocks on the week.
• McAvoy ranks fourth in the A-Sun in hitting percentage with a .326 mark, while ranking fourth in kills, averaging 3.54 per set.
For information on live stats and streaming for the Spartans' match at Gardner-Webb click here. The contest between Upstate and Stetson will be available on live stats here and will be streamed on ASun.TV. Information regarding live stats and live streaming for the Spartans' contest at FGCU can be found here.
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