Douglas Fairnot

Box Score

USC Upstate UPST 3-9,0-1 Big South

UNC Asheville UNC-A 6-5,1-0 Big South

USC Upstate UPST

3-9,0-1 Big South

Final

Sep. 28, 2019

UNC Asheville UNC-A

6-5,1-0 Big South

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
USC Upstate UPST	20	21	25	13	(1)
UNC Asheville UNC-A	25	25	22	25	(3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 9/29/2019 9:40:00 AM

Spartans Fall in Conference Opener to UNC Asheville

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Gardner-Webb

10/4/2019 | 6:00 p.m.

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Oct. 04 (Fri) / 6:00 p.m.

Gardner-Webb

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The USC Upstate volleyball team fell to UNC Asheville 3-1 on Saturday afternoon in their first Big South match of the season.

The loss for USC Upstate (3-9, 0-1 BSC) snapped a two game winning streak and for the second consecutive season the Spartans begin conference play with a loss. The loss also gives UNC Asheville (5-5, 1-0 BSC) there third consecutive victory over the Spartans dating back to last season.

Throughout the match Spartans and the Bulldogs fought for every point and momentum played a key roll into which team took the set. UNC Asheville got off to a hot start in the opening set, winning seven of the first 10 points. The Bulldogs raced out to an 11-4 lead before the Spartans countered with a quick 4-1 run to pull back within four of UNC Asheville.

Trailing 21-16 late in the opening stanza, Mikenzie Young-Mullins picked up a pair of kills to spark the Spartan offense. Annalisa Mendoza served up an ace and a ball handling error on UNC Asheville had the Spartans right back in the match at 21-20. A service error by Mendoza gave the serve back to the Bulldogs, who closed out the opening set on a 4-0 run.

In the second set the Bulldogs once again raced out to a 10-5 lead over the Spartans. Trailing 20-11 late in the second frame Young-Mullins once again sparked a Spartans rally. USC Upstate won 10 of the final 15 points but came up short in the second set 25-21.

Although the Spartans trailed to 2-0 going into the third set, the offense came out firing and generated early momentum in the set. The Spartans went up 6-3 with kills by Young-Mullins and McKenna Kirkpatrick, then the Bulldogs countered with a 4-0 run to take the lead back at 7-6.

The two teams stayed within a point of each other, until Kirkpatrick smashed consecutive kills past the Bulldogs defense to take a 16-14 lead. Kills by Emily Russell, Gloria Ikenegbu and Young-Mullins late in set secured the lead for the Spartans at 24-22. Kirkpatrick started and ended the third set with kills as the Spartans took the third set 25-22 over the Bulldogs.

It was all UNC Asheville in the fourth set as the Bulldogs jumped out to an 18-5 lead. The Spartans ended the final set with just nine kills in the stanza.

Stats of the Match:

Young-Mullins led the Spartans in kills for the second consecutive match with 14. The sophomore also recorded her second consecutive double-double of the season with 12 digs in the match.
Kirkpatrick and Russell each had 12 kills in the match to help the Spartans.
Scout Hoffmeier led the team in digs with 16 and Mendoza recorded 43 assists in the match. Mendoza has now registered at least 40 assists in three consecutive matches.

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