BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Hitting the court for the final time during the 2022 regular season, USC Upstate volleyball showed its grit as it continued to battle forcing Campbell to earn its set victories Saturday evening, playing the first and second sets very tight before succumbing by scores of 22-25, 25-27, and 12-25.
Leading to the close scores in sets one and two, Upstate saw a pair of attackers hit over .400 individually in each set while the team recorded five of its seven total blocks in the two frames. In the first set, sophomore outside hitter
Ashleigh Nicoll put down five of her team-high 12 kills as she hit .444 in the period, and in the second set, junior outside hitter
Ali Jansen recorded four of her nine kills while hitting .429 in the set.
Also contributing to the second set requiring extra points was the play of the team's floor defense in the set as Upstate scooped up 21 balls in the second frame. Leading the way for the Spartans in the set, totaling a staggering 10 digs was sophomore defensive specialist
Sami Allen who finished the match with 13 digs, one of two Spartans with double-figure digs. Joining Allen in double-figures, sophomore libero
Julia Gladhill scooped up a team-best 15 balls, recording five digs in each set.
At the net, freshman middle blocker
MJ Klaumann posted a career-best blocking effort as she recorded a match-best five total blocks. On her way to her career-high, she tallied a pair of solo blocks and three block assists. Behind Klaumann in total blocks for the Spartans were junior middle blocker
Nikki Deslatte and senior right-side hitter
Briana Strobert who added two blocks apiece.
Pacing the Upstate offense, freshman setter
Savannah Page registered her fifth career 20-plus assist match, totaling 21 helpers in the match. Complementing her 21 assists, she added a kill, service ace, and a block.
Reaching double-figures in kills against Campbell, Nicoll recorded her team-high 10
th double-digit kill match of the season, her seventh in Big South play. With her double-digit dig total, Gladhill closed the season with three straight double-digit dig matches, totaling 13 such matches on the season.
With the close of Saturday's match, the Spartans finish the regular season with a 6-23 record, going 3-13 in Big South play.
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