SPARTANBURG, S.C. – As the close to the 2024 Big South regular season slate draws nearer, USC Upstate volleyball brought out its brooms for the second time during conference play, once again sweeping Gardner-Webb, doing so Saturday at the G.B. Hodge Center. The Spartans' victory pulls the team's league record even at 6-6 following the final full weekend of Big South action as Upstate hunts a berth in the Big South Volleyball Championship.
 
Again Saturday, Upstate's floor defense proved the team's strength, recording 23.3 digs per set against the Runnin' Bulldogs, surpassing the 23.0 digs per set threshold for the second straight match. Leading to Upstate's 70 digs, four Spartans scooped up double-digit balls, the fourth consecutive match reaching the benchmark.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 3; Gardner-Webb 0 (25-17; 25-16; 25-16)
Records: USC Upstate (11-14; 6-6 Big South); Gardner-Webb (5-21; 3-9 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
Setting the tone in the first set, Upstate's defensive unit picked up 27 balls in the opening game before besting itself in the second set with another 29 digs. Senior libero Julia Gladhill recorded eight digs apiece in each of the first two sets as she again paced the Spartan backline with 19 digs.
 
Two additional Spartans registered a set with eight-plus digs as freshman setter Kamyla Vega David picked up nine in set one and redshirt senior defensive specialist Caroline Cleveland scooped up eight in set two. Vega David finished the afternoon with 15 digs and Cleveland 13 while junior right-side hitter Savannah Page added 10, closing out the quartet.
 
For the second straight match, the duo of Vega David and Page fashioned double-doubles, their 16^th and 10^th career double-doubles, respectively. Vega David coupled her 15 digs with 39 assists as she directed the Spartan offense to a .328 hitting efficiency—the team's third hitting percentage north of .300 this year. Page supplemented her 10 digs with 10 kills, one of three Upstate attackers with 10-plus kills.
 
Leading the Spartans with 13 kills each were senior outside hitter Ashleigh Nicoll and junior middle blocker Ady O'Grady, both of whom registered hitting percentages better than .370. O'Grady led Upstate with a .393 hitting percentage with Nicoll just behind with a .379 hitting efficiency.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Closing out the regular season, USC Upstate renews the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series with a pair of matches against UNC Asheville. The week starts on Nov. 12 at the G.B. Hodge Center with first serve set for 6 p.m. ET.
 
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