Upstate Returns Home this Weekend to Host NJIT
10/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Spartanburg, S.C. – After spending the last five matches on the road, the USC Upstate volleyball team returns to the Hodge Center for the first of five consecutive contests on Saturday afternoon when it hosts the NJIT Highlanders at 1 p.m.
The Spartans are back at home for the first time since Oct. 1 when they swept North Florida 3-0. Upstate closed out non-conference play on Wednesday evening with a 3-2 comeback victory at Presbyterian College. Madison Haake recorded her fourth triple-double of the season, and 12th of her career, while Payton Duncan added her first double-double as a Spartan. Lily Dempsey led the Upstate offense with 18 kills.
Dempsey leads the Spartans this season with 204 kills and is averaging 2.62 kills per set. Haake has dished out 572 assists and 20 service aces while Kaleigh Kelley contributes a team-leading 293 digs. Dempsey and McKenna Kirkpatrick both lead the team with 47 total blocks.
Upstate currently ranks second in the ASUN this season in digs and third in digs per set. Haake ranks fourth in the conference in assists and tied for eighth in service aces. Dempsey is in the top-10 for the ASUN in kills and service aces while Kelley sits fifth in digs. Nationally, Haake is second in triple-doubles.
NJIT currently sits at 10-13 overall this season and 1-6 against league opponents. Tess Albyn leads the Highlanders offensively with 264 kills while Liz Benson has dished out 507 assists. Adriana Nieto contributes a team-leading 351 digs and Adrianne Bynoe 69 total blocks. NJIT is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Peter Volkert.
The Spartans and Highlanders are meeting for the sixth time in program history with Upstate holding a 4-1 lead in the all-time series. The Spartans opened conference play on Sept. 23 with a 3-2 victory over NJIT in Newark, N.J.
Fans can follow the action on www.upstatespartans.com via live stats. The match is being streamed on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Updates will also be posted on the Upstate volleyball Twitter page (@UpstateVB).
The Spartans continue their homestand next weekend, Oct. 27-29, against Lipscomb and Kennesaw State.
Follow Upstate volleyball on Facebook (UpstateAthletics), Twitter (@UpstateVB), Instagram (@upstatespartans), YouTube (USCUpstateAthletics) and text/e-mail alerts (www.upstatespartans.com/list-signup).
