SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Showing a no-quit mentality throughout the five-set duration of its match versus North Carolina A&T, USC Upstate volleyball picked up its first Big South Conference victory of 2021 with three come from behind set victories Saturday afternoon at the G.B. Hodge Center.
 
Upstate took the match behind set scores of 23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, and 15-10 using numerous long scoring runs throughout its three set victories, headlined by a long 9-0 scoring run orchestrated by senior setter Allie Hamsher to capture momentum in the third set with Hamsher landing all three of her team-high service aces in the run.
 
In the victory, the Spartans tallied several match milestones as three players, Hamsher (30 assists and 13 digs), senior outside hitter Breeana Gamueda (11 kills and 14 digs), and senior outside hitter Kelly Wiedemann (12 kills and a career-high 19 digs), each tallied a double-double in the match.
 
Upstate also finished the match with four players tallying double-digit digs as senior libero Mackenzie Marcum joined Gamueda, Hamsher, and Wiedemann with 10-plus digs, scooping up a season-high 22. The Spartans also wrapped the match with three players with 10 or more kills as junior right-side hitter Briana Strobert collected a career-high 16 terminations.
 
Career and season-highs in the match didn't just end with Strobert, Wiedemann, and Marcum as sophomore right-side hitter Rachel Stroot sent home a career-best nine kills while sophomore middle blocker Nikki Deslatte totaled a season-best eight terminations.
 
At the net, senior middle blocker Alexis Mareko turned away eight North Carolina A&T attack attempts, tallying a pair of solo blocks and six block assists. Strobert added to her career-high 16 kills four total blocks to collect a career-high 18.0 points in the match.
 
Behind her double-double, Gamueda eclipsed both the 200 career kill and career dig plateaus in the match while Mareko's eight total blocks pushed her over 100 blocks for her career.
 
UP Next for the Spartans
USC Upstate continues its three-match homestand as it welcomes South Carolina State to the Hodge Tuesday evening. The match is part of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Night with first serve set for 6 p.m. ET.
 
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