STATESBORO, Ga. – With the much-anticipated 2022 USC Upstate volleyball season finally getting underway Friday afternoon, the Spartans opened the new campaign in grand fashion, sweeping Alcorn State behind a well-balanced attack.
 
The Spartans blanked the Braves in straight sets, 25-15, 25-21, and 25-12, to claim a season-opening victory for the second straight season.
 
Offensively, three Spartans slammed home seven kills apiece as junior outside hitter Zelasia Edwards, sophomore outside hitter Ashleigh Nicoll, and senior right-side hitter Briana Strobert each tallied seven kills with Edwards and Nicoll's totals marking career-highs. Strobert paced the trio with a .462 hitting efficiency while Nicoll hit .385 and Edwards .250.
 
As a team, Upstate posted its first match hitting .400 or better since Oct. 8, 2019, as the Spartans hit .413 against Alcorn State, committing just nine errors and collecting 40 kills on 75 swings. Running the team's offense, setters, junior Emma McElveen and sophomore Kayla Spangler passed out 18 and 11 assists, respectively, helping Upstate pick up an assist on 36 of the team's 40 terminations.
 
Bolstering the team's hitting percentage, freshman middle blocker MJ Klaumann hit 1.000 (4-0-4), junior middle blocker Nikki Deslatte hit .600 (3-0-5), and sophomore middle blocker Kennedy Lauck hit .500 (3-1-4).
 
Defensively, the Spartans collected 9.0 total team blocks, accruing two solo blocks—both from Deslatte—and 14 block assists. Deslatte led the block with five total blocks, adding three block assists to her pair of solo blocks while Edwards and Strobert chipped in a pair of total blocks.
 
Behind the block and in the game's other defensive phase, Upstate scooped up 43 digs, averaging 14.3 digs per set. Posting a career-high dig total, Nicoll represented the lone Spartan with double-figure digs with 14. Sophomore libero Julia Gladhill added seven digs with Edwards and McElveen adding six and five, respectively.
 
After ending the 2021 season ranked eighth in the NCAA in service aces per set, Upstate showed its serving prowess against the Braves, landing 11 winners in the match. Tying a career-high, Gladhill dropped in four aces with Deslatte and McElveen joining Gladhill with multiple winners.
 
In addition to the team's all-around victory, seven Spartans made their USC Upstate debuts as freshman middle blocker Alona Clinansmith, junior right-side hitter Ali Jansen, freshman setter Savannah Page, and freshman outside hitter Isabella Raciunas joined Klaumann, Lauck, and Nicoll as Spartan debutants.
 
UP Next for the Spartans
Following Friday's season-opening victory, Upstate continues action at the Bash in the Boro with a pair of matches Saturday. The Spartans face Stetson at 10 a.m. ET before concluding the event against host Georgia Southern at 6:30 p.m.
 
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