SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate volleyball picked up its third straight win, second in straight sets, Thursday night with a 3-0 victory over UNC Asheville (25-22, 26-24, 25-23). Three Spartans put down double-digit kills while Bruna Avila evenly dished out 43 assists and Mackenzie Marcum dug up some crucial defensive plays to help Upstate improve to 4-7 on the year.
"It was a great win tonight, and I'm super proud of my team. What I'm pleased with most overall is just how consistent they played. They didn't play up and down, just point-for-point and very confident in what they were doing. I thought the energy was great from our bench. I'm extremely pleased overall and ready for tomorrow night," said head coach Ronda Shirley.
Upstate started out down 3-1 in the first set but quickly regrouped and took three straight points to go up 4-3. In a very close matchup, Breeana Gamueda sparked some energy with a big kill to put the Spartans back up 11-10, and then back-to-back kills from Gamueda and Briana Strobert pushed the lead to 13-11. Upstate was later able to pull away with four straight points, and Nikki Deslatte put down the set-ending kill, 25-22.
In the second set, a big block from Strobert and Deslatte put the Spartans up 3-1 before their lead was extended to 5-2. Asheville responded with four straight points to take a 9-8 lead and later built up to a 16-12 advantage, but Upstate was able to tie things up at 19 after taking five straight points that included kills from Gamueda, Avila, and Alexis Mareko. After being all even at 24, the Spartans put down the last two points to take the set and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Asheville quickly jumped put to a 7-2 lead in the third frame to force an early Upstate timeout, and the Spartans came out of that timeout with back-to-back points. Upstate fought back to cut the deficit to 18-16 and later rallied to take seven straight points for a 23-19 lead. The Bulldogs kept it close, coming back within a point of the Spartans at 24-23, but Mareko finished things off with a kill to complete the sweep.
Notes
UP Next for the Spartans
The Spartans will look to win their fourth straight match as they go for the series sweep against the Bulldogs tomorrow at 6 p.m.
Spartans Win Today, You Save Tomorrow!
Save 50% off online orders at Papa John's locations across the Upstate. Use the code USCUP50 when placing online orders the day after Upstate victories. Also tomorrow, visit The Beacon Drive-In located in Spartanburg and show the win graphic posted to the @UpstateSpartans Instagram account to claim a free sweet tea as part of the "Sweet Taste of Victory" promotion. No purchase necessary.
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