Towson Box Score (.pdf)

Fairleigh Dickinson Box Score (.pdf)

Macon, Ga.  – The USC Upstate volleyball team began play at the Mercer Invite by going 1-1 highlighted by a 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 26-24) victory over the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights on Friday from Hawkins Arena. The Spartans began the day with a 3-2 (26-24, 25-20, 19-25, 15-25, 13-15) defeat to the Towson Tigers.

• Madison Haake recorded her team-leading ninth double-double of the season on 30 assists and 14 digs to lead Upstate. The sophomore also had six kills, six assisted blocks and three service aces.
• Emily Koelling posted a team-high 11 kills, and added five assisted blocks and three digs.
• The Spartans had five players finish with double-digit digs in Haake, Rebecca Shearer (13), Callie Yeargin (13), Montana Swanson (12) and Kaleigh Kelley (12).
• Towson's Jessica Lewis led all players with a double-double on a match-high 23 kills and 20 digs.
• Marrisa Wonders and Julymar Otero combined for 52 assists, and Meredith Dignan compiled 18 digs.
• Upstate recorded a season-high 13.0 total blocks against Towson and is the most since having 11 versus UT Martin on Sept. 18, 2015 at the Billiken Invitational.

• After splitting the opening 22 points of the first set, the Spartans scored four straight to lead 15-11. Upstate led by as many as six, 21-15, after that on a combination block from Haake and Brianna Tellschow. The Spartans led 24-21 late, but the Tigers rallied to tie the score at 24-24, sending the set into extra points. Upstate scored the last two points to win 26-24 capped by Haake's service ace.
• The Spartans never trailed in the second set and opened on a 10-4 run finished off by a solo block from Tellschow. Upstate held its largest lead of the set at 16-8 when Swanson and Tellschow combined for a block. Towson rallied with a 10-3 run to cut its deficit down to 19-18. The Spartans finished the set on a 6-2 run for the 25-20 victory as Yeargin picked up the final point with her kill.
• Upstate fell behind 5-2 early in the third set before fighting back to even the score at 7-7 on an attack error by the Tigers. Towson broke the set open courtesy of an 11-6 run and led 18-13 at that point. The Spartans managed to trim their deficit down to two, 20-18, on back-to-back service aces, but were held to just one point after that. The Tigers took the third set by a score of 25-19.
• Towson held an early 6-4 lead in the fourth set before using an 11-5 run to increase its advantage to 17-9. The Tigers took its largest lead of the frame at 23-12 after an Upstate attack error. Lewis captured the set for Towson as her kill put the final score at 25-15.
• Despite trailing 6-3 to begin the fifth set, the Spartans posted four consecutive points to take the lead back at 7-6. The score would be tied four times after that until an attack error and combination block from Tellschow and Alexa Lagaly gave Upstate a 13-11 lead. The Tigers scored the final four points to win 15-13.

• Haake added to her team-best double-double total after tallying her second of the tournament. She concluded the four-set match with 39 assists and 21 digs.
• Yeargin set a new career-high with 17 kills and hit .333 in the contest. Yeargin was one of two players to tally double-figure kills along with Koelling's 14.
• Kelley also ended the match with 19 digs.
• Rebecca Sabol led Fairleigh Dickinson with 16 kills and Kirstin Trabert had 43 assists. Carly O'Sullivan compiled 23 digs.
• The Spartans out-hit the Knights .220 to .210 and held a 10-9 advantage in service aces.

• The teams exchanged the first 20 points of the first set and sat tied 10-10 after an FDU kill. The Knights would go in front 15-11 before Upstate rallied back to 19-19 on an attack error. Fairleigh Dickinson finished the set on a 6-2 run to win 25-21.
• The second set opened in similar fashion with the score even at 7-7 following a kill from Yeargin. The Spartans used an 11-4 run after that to take the lead for good at 18-11 with a kill by Koelling. The Knights made a late rally to within one at 22-21, but Upstate held them to just one point after that en route to the 25-22 triumph. Yeargin sealed the win with her kill.
• The Spartans fell behind early in the third set after Fairleigh Dickinson began on a 7-2 run. Upstate slowly chipped away at the lead as a 15-10 run got it back even when Kelley's service ace made the score 17-17. The teams traded the lead over the next several plays until, ahead 21-20, the Spartans scored three of the next four points to extend their lead to 24-21. Shearer ended the set with a kill as Upstate picked up the 25-22 victory.
• After the Spartans recorded the initial four points of the fourth set, the Knights came back with a 6-2 run to tie the frame at 6-6. The score would be tied five times after that before Fairleigh Dickinson benefited from a 9-4 run to go ahead 20-15. Upstate rallied back as it limited the Knights to four points the remainder of the set. Facing set point at 24-22, the Spartans registered the remaining four points, coming from three different players, to emerge with the win 26-24. Upstate captured the set on a Fairleigh Dickinson attack error.

• The Spartans close out the Mercer Invite on Saturday afternoon as it faces the Mercer Bears at 12 p.m.