Box Score (.pdf)

Spartanburg, S.C. – Montana Swanson recorded a double-double to lead the USC Upstate volleyball team to its second straight victory following a 3-1 win over the NJIT Highlanders on Saturday afternoon at the G.B. Hodge Center.

The Spartans won the match by scores of 25-19, 25-19, 21-25 and 25-18.

STATS OF THE MATCH

• Swanson finished the match with 11 kills and 15 digs for her third double-double of the season to lead Upstate.
• Lily Dempsey had a team-high 12 kills and five assisted blocks for the Spartans and hit .259 overall.
• McKenna Kirkpatrick added seven kills for a .316 hitting percentage and four assisted blocks.
• Madison Haake just missed on a double-double with 35 assists and nine digs.
• Payton Duncan led Upstate defensively after contributing a team-best 17 digs.
• Kaleigh Kelley added 11 digs and now puts her 57 away from becoming the program's all-time Division I leader in career digs.
• Tess Albyn had a match-high 20 kills for NJIT.
• Liz Benson collected 52 assists and Adriana Nieto 22 digs.
• The Spartans held a .179 to .171 advantage in hitting percentage and led 9.0 to 4.0 in team blocks.

SET-BY-SET BREAKDOWN

• Set One:  Upstate hit .367 in the first set and opened the match on a 6-2 run, including five straight points, to lead the Highlanders 5-2 off an attack error. The Spartans led by as many as nine points, 15-6, early in the first set off a kill by Swanson. Upstate held a nine-point advantage three more times with the last coming at 20-11 on Rebecca Shearer's service ace. NJIT cut the lead down to five points twice but Dempsey won the match for the Spartans, 25-19, with her kill.
• Set Two: The teams traded the first six points before Upstate jumped out to a 10-6 lead after going on a 7-3 run capped by a bad set from the Highlanders. The Spartans led by at least four points for a majority of the set before taking a five-point lead twice at 18-13 and 20-15. A solo block by Brianna Tellschow gave Upstate the 20-15 lead. Dempsey extended the Spartans advantage to six points late and Callie Yeargin won the set, 25-19, two plays later with her kill.
• Set Three:  NJIT scored five of the first seven points of the third set before Upstate used an 8-5 run to tie the score at 10-10 on a kill by Tellschow. The Spartans managed to even the score again at 15-15 but the Highlanders scored four straight to go back in front 19-15. Upstate fought back to within one point, 21-20, late off a kill from Haake. NJIT concluded the set on a 4-1 run for the 25-21 triumph.
• Set Four:  The fourth set featured seven ties and five lead changes. The seven ties all came within the first 18 points as Dempsey made the score at 9-9 following her kill. The Spartans broke the set open courtesy of an 11-3 run and led 20-12 after Kirkpatrick connected on a kill. The Highlanders would only get as close as five points the rest of the way. Upstate scored the final two points, with one coming on a kill by Swanson, for the 25-18 win and 3-1 match victory.

UP NEXT

• The Spartans continue their five-match homestand on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. against Lipscomb.

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