BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Following a similar path as its first two-game weekend during Big South Conference play, USC Upstate volleyball finished its latest weekend of competition in the same way, a victory. The Spartans downed Gardner-Webb Saturday in four sets, pushing the team's winning streak to four, the longest since a six-game streak from Sep. 14 to Oct. 4, 2024.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 3; Gardner-Webb 1 (25-18; 22-25; 25-22; 25-20)
Records: USC Upstate (11-7; 4-1 Big South); Gardner-Webb (8-12; 1-4 Big South)
Location: Paul Porter Arena | Boiling Springs, N.C.
 
How It Happened
For the first time in seven matches, a new Spartan sat atop the team's kill leaderboard as freshman outside hitter Summer Kohler fashioned a career-best afternoon on the attack. Leading all hitters, she recorded a career-high-tying 19 terminations behind a .283 hitting efficiency, marking her 14^th double-figure kills match of the year. Complementing her offensive totals, Kohler added 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the campaign.
 
Joining Kohler in double-figures, senior middle blocker Ady O'Grady collected 15 kills on a season-best (min. 12 kills) .583 hitting efficiency. Freshman middle blocker Kensley Haneline concluded just shy of double-digit kills, marking nine on the afternoon. Pacing the offense to a .286 hitting percentage, sophomore setter Kamyla Vega David passed out 48 assists.
 
Defensively, freshman libero Sophia Overholt dug up a match-high 15 balls, collecting 10 or more balls for the 11^th consecutive match. Also in double-figures with Overholt and Kohler, sophomore defensive specialist Hannah Campbell totaled 14 digs.
 
As has become customary in the team's four-game winning streak, Upstate pressed its opponent on the service line, landing six-plus aces for the fourth consecutive match. The Spartans came away with eight winners Saturday, a team-high in the winning stretch, seeing three servers (Campbell, O'Grady, and Vega David) land multiple aces.
 
At the net, Kensley Haneline collected a team-high four total blocks, earning a pair of solo blocks and block assists.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Seeing Big South Conference play swing back to the G.B. Hodge Center, USC Upstate returns home next weekend, hosting Radford and High Point. The Spartans and Highlanders lock up on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. before the Spartans and Panthers clash on Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. ET.
 
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