Upstate Set to Make Second Consecutive Appearance at ASUN Volleyball Championship
11/15/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate volleyball team is heading back to Nashville, Tenn. and the ASUN Volleyball Championship for the second straight season this week as the Spartans open postseason play on Thursday evening at Lipscomb's Allen Arena.
Upstate begins ASUN Volleyball Championship play on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST against third-seeded Florida Gulf Coast in the second of two opening round matches. In the first match of the day, No. 4 seed Lipscomb faces No. 5 North Florida at 6 p.m. EST. With a win, the Spartans advance to the semifinals to play second-seeded Jacksonville at 8:30 p.m. EST on Friday.
Upstate is the sixth seed in this week's tournament which will be played Thursday through Saturday. The Spartans concluded their regular season last weekend dropping a pair of matches on the road against North Florida and Jacksonville. Madison Haake recorded her 11th double-double of the season at Jacksonville while Montana Swanson added her fifth. Kaleigh Kelley added 24 digs against the Dolphins and moved past Mandy Rupert (2003-06) into second place all-time for career digs with 1,539.
Upstate currently ranks second in the ASUN this season in both digs and digs per set. Haake is tied for third in the conference in assists, tied for sixth in service aces, seventh in assists per set, ninth in service aces per set and digs, and tenth in digs per set. Kelley sits fifth in the league in digs and eighth in digs per set while Lily Dempsey ranks eighth in kills.
The Spartans and Eagles are facing each other for the 19th time in program history and first in postseason play.
Fans can follow the action on www.upstatespartans.com via live stats. All matches are being streamed on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Updates will also be posted on the Upstate volleyball Twitter page (@UpstateVB).
Tournament passes will be available for $20 and individual session tickets are $8. Admission for all college students presenting a valid student ID from any ASUN institution will be free. Children under five years will also be admitted free.
Follow Upstate volleyball on Facebook (UpstateAthletics), Twitter (@UpstateVB), Instagram (@upstatespartans), YouTube (USCUpstateAthletics) and text/e-mail alerts (www.upstatespartans.com/list-signup).
