Weekend Matchups
October 10, 2025 | 6:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (9-7; 2-1 Big South) vs. Winthrop (8-5; 2-1 Big South)
Winthrop Coliseum | Rock Hill, S.C.
 
October 11, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (9-7; 2-1 Big South) vs. Gardner-Webb (8-10; 1-2 Big South)
Paul Porter Arena | Boiling Springs, N.C.
 
TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
 
How They Stack Up
vs. Winthrop
Records: USC Upstate (9-7; 2-1 Big South); Winthrop (8-5; 2-1 Big South)
Series: Winthrop leads 14-2
Last Five Meetings: Nov. 8, 2024 (WIN 3; UPST 1); Oct. 5, 2024 (WIN 3; UPST 0); Nov. 4, 2023 (WIN 3; UPST 1); Oct. 13, 2023 (WIN 3; UPST 0); Nov. 4, 2022 (WIN 3; UPST 0)
 
vs. Gardner-Webb
Records: USC Upstate (9-7; 2-1 Big South); Gardner-Webb (8-10; 1-2 Big South)
Series: USC Upstate leads 13-10
Last Five Meetings: Nov. 9, 2024 (UPST 3; GWU 0); Oct. 4, 2024 (UPST 3; GWU 0); Nov. 3, 2023 (GWU 3; UPST 1); Oct. 14, 2023 (UPST 3; GWU 1); Oct. 29, 2022 (GWU 3; UPST 0)
 
Players to Watch
USC Upstate: One of two Spartan attackers to reach double-digit kills in both matches last weekend, freshman outside hitter Summer Kohler upped her streak of matches with 10 or more kills to four, tying her career-long streak. She enters play Friday ranked second in the Big South in total kills, posting 198 over 61 sets this season for an average of 3.25 kills per set, a total that ranks third in the league. She's reached double-digit kills in 12 matches this season and is poised to become the first freshman to record 200 or more terminations in a campaign since Lily Dempsey in 2017.
 
Winthrop: Reaching double-figure kills in 12 of 13 matches this season, senior outside hitter Avery Jolley leads the Big South in kills per set, averaging 3.59 kills per stanza this season. She's coming off a 23-kill performance versus Radford, her third match with 20-plus kills this year, as she totals 194 kills. She also adds 141 digs on the year, registering eight double-doubles in 2025.
 
Gardner-Webb: Picking up double-digit digs in all 18 matches this season and recording 15-plus digs in 16 of 18 matches, graduate student libero Nalani McBride enters the weekend as the nation's leader in total digs. She's dug 373 balls this season, an average of 5.49 per set as she ranks third in the NCAA in digs per set. Outside of her defensive numbers, she adds 67 assists and 11 service aces.
 
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.
 
Connect with the Spartans 
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Twitter | @UpstateVB | @UpstateSpartans 
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YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
 
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