Upstate Heads to Jacksonville, North Florida this Weekend
10/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Match Notes
Spartanburg, S.C. – After spending the last four matches at home, the USC Upstate volleyball team heads to the state of Florida this weekend as it is set to face Jacksonville and North Florida in two A-Sun matches.
Upstate starts the weekend Friday evening at 7 p.m. against Jacksonville and then proceeds to North Florida Saturday afternoon for a 3 p.m. match.
The Spartans enter the road trip 9-12 overall and 0-5 in league play. Upstate dropped two matches at home last weekend to Florida Gulf Coast (3-0) and Stetson (3-2). The Spartans are led on offense by Kayla Eversgerd with 199 kills and is one of five players on the team with triple-digit kills. She is joined by Kayla McAvoy with 194 kills, Shannon Weiss with 176, Emily Koelling with 131 and Alexa Lagaly with 108. Koelling also leads the team in blocks with 43 (14 solo, 29 assisted). Lexi Gober ranks first on the team with 684 assists while Kaleigh Kelley boasts a team-high 285 digs.
Jacksonville is led by first-year head coach Julie Darty, who has guided the Dolphins to a 9-10 overall record and 1-4 conference mark so far this season. Preseason All-Conference honoree Sammie Strausbaugh leads JU and the A-Sun in kills with 316, while Jizzian Gesualdo has dished out a team-best 659 assists. Strausbaugh also tops Jacksonville in digs with 229. Olga Nushtayeva is first on the team in blocks with 58 (two solo, 56 assisted).
North Florida currently sits at 6-14 on the season and is 0-5 against conference opponents. The Ospreys are coached by Steve Loeswick, who is in his third season with the program. North Florida is led on offense by Courtney Miller with 227 kills, good for a 3.20 kills per set average. Cari Whitmire and Cameron McGuire both lead the A-Sun in their respective categories as Whitmire has 351 digs and McGuire 72 blocks (five solo, 67 assisted). Abby Fesl and Carinne Turner have split time at setter as Fesl has a team-high 408 assists while Turner is at 344.
Upstate trails in the all-time series to Jacksonville 8-3 and 29-6 versus North Florida. Spartan head coach Jennifer Calloway reached a career milestone against the Ospreys last season as their 3-1 victory in the season finale was the 300th of her career.
Fans can follow this weekend's action on www.upstatespartans.com via live stats and video. Friday night's match against Jacksonville will be televised on ASun.TV. Updates will also be posted on the Upstate volleyball Twitter page (@UpstateVB).
The Spartans conclude their three-match road swing next Saturday, Oct. 25 when they travel to face Kennesaw State at 3 p.m.
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