Match Box (PDF)

Cullowhee, N.C. – Javon Gates led the USC Upstate volleyball team with six kills and a .556 hitting percentage, but Boston College claimed the 3-0 win in both team's season openers at the Western Carolina Invitational Friday afternoon in the Ramsey Center. The Eagles won by scores of 25-9, 25-11 and 25-19.

Upstate fell to 0-1 on the year and will be back in action for a pair of matches Saturday. The Spartans will take on host WCU at noon and close out the tournament against Wright State at 5:00 p.m. Boston College improved to 1-0 on the young season.

Upstate was playing without the services of returning regulars Kayla McAvoy (Boiling Springs, S.C.), Morgan Page (Woodstock, Ga.) and Amanda Carroll (Lake in the Hills, Ill.), who came out of the preseason with injuries which prevented them from playing.

Upstate hung in the first set, trailing just 8-5 before Boston College used an 8-0 run to open a 16-5 lead. The Spartans got as close as 10, 16-6, but could not get any closer as the Eagles took the win by a score of 25-9.

Upstate shook off the nerves from the first set and again battled throughout the first half of the second set. The Spartans owned a 4-3 lead early on and were tied at 5-5 before BC slowly extended its lead. Upstate was still in the set, trailing just 12-9, when the Eagles went on another decisive run to take the set. BC used a 10-0 run to open a 22-9 advantage and went on for the 25-11 win.

Upstate hit its groove in the third set and made BC work to close out the match. After falling behind 4-0 to start the set, the Spartans ran off five straight points on three kills and two BC errors to open a 5-4 lead. The set went back and forth and after Gates (Indianapolis, Ind.) put away a kill, the Spartans and Eagles were tied at 13-13.

BC rattled off four straight points to open a 17-13 lead and Upstate could only get as close as three points the rest of the way as the Eagles took the 25-19 win in the set and a 3-0 win in the match.

Gates finished the match with six kills and just one error to go along with two blocks and two digs to lead Upstate. Freshman Emily Koelling (Bartelso, Ill.) also had six kills for the Spartans, while Lexi Gober (Edwardsville, Ill.) led the way with 19 assists and eight digs.

Katty Workman led BC with 11 kills and 13 digs, while Barbara Gonzalez added six kills and six blocks for the Eagles. Kellie Barnum totaled 17 assists, while Jackie Bowman assisted on 14 kills.

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