Saturday's MatchUP
September 17, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (2-9; 0-0 Big South) vs. Marshall (4-5; 0-0 Sun Belt)
G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
 
Promotion: "Fight Like A Spartan" Match | Upstate volleyball seeks to raise awareness for the fight against ovarian cancer—September is Ovarian Cancer Month—by partnering with the South Carolina Ovarian Cancer Foundation. Fans are encouraged to wear teal to support the initiative.
 
Series History
In a series dating back to the 1980s, USC Upstate and Marshall are meeting for the fifth time in the two programs' histories. The Spartans lead the series 3-1, taking matches against the Thundering Herd in 1982 and 1984 (two matches) while Marshall took the lone match contested in Upstate's Division I era (2007-pres.) taking the latest match in the series 3-0 on Sep. 16, 2017.
 
Last Time Out
September 15, 2022: Furman 3; USC Upstate 0
 
Players to Watch
Upstate: Leading a Spartan floor defense that dug up 50-plus digs in a three-set match for the second time this season last night against Furman, freshman libero Jaci Drinnon secured her third career match with 20 or more digs. Against the Paladins, she scooped up a match-best 21 balls with Thursday's match marking her second 20-plus dig match in a match with a three-set duration this season.
 
Marshall: Leading her team in points (129.0), hitting percentage (.338), service aces (11), and total blocks (47), senior middle blocker Lydia Montague represents one of the Thundering Herd's most productive players this season. She ranks second in the Sun Belt in total blocks while ranking third in blocks per set (1.27), seventh in hitting efficiency (.338), and 20^th in kills per set (2.49).
 
Quotable (Junior Setter Emma McElveen)
On how an 11-match road swing to open the season has prepared the team for the home opener…
"As the young and new team that we are this year, it's prepared us to work out all of our kinks and has helped us bond and grow together as a team."
 
On what last night's match versus Furman taught the team looking ahead to the home opener…
"We're taking away from that match [Furman] our fight and our grit for the game. For our home opener tomorrow, we're just not allowing anyone to come into our home gym and beat us on our home court. We are a very prideful program about our home court and we don't let anyone come in here and disturb us of all that."
 
UP Next for the Spartans
Following the team's home opener Saturday, Upstate sets its sights on Big South Conference play with league play beginning next Thursday. The Spartans open the conference slate with a short trip to Presbyterian on Sep. 22 with the match slated for 6 p.m. ET.
 
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