University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Volleyball Heads to Big South Conference Tournament - UNC Asheville Bulldogs Official Athletics Site
01.01.1970 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 18, 2005
CONWAY, S.C. - The UNC Asheville volleyball team will be one of four teams this weekend trying to win a Big South Conference championship. The third-seeded Bulldogs are in the semifinals of the league tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. UNCA faces second-seeded Coastal Carolina Saturday afternoon at Kimbel Arena starting at 5 p.m.
The Bulldogs have enjoyed a tremendous 2005 season and enter the tourney with a 24-6 overall record. Asheville has won six straight matches and advanced to the semifinals of the tournament with a 3-0 win over Liberty Tuesday night.
UNCA has lost both of its meetings to Coastal Carolina (19-10) this year. The Bulldogs lost close four-game matches to the Chanticleers. Head Coach Julie Torbett is hoping for a different result Saturday afternoon.
"We're playing well right now but we're going to have to play extremely well this weekend to beat Coastal Carolina on its home court," stated Torbett. "Coastal Carolina has a good team and is tough to beat at home.
"However, we're very excited to be one of the four teams still alive," added Torbett. "We've had a great year this season and been very consistent from the start. I'm very proud of what we have accomplished this year."
The Bulldogs have had a balanced attack this season. Junior outside hitter Elif Unlu leads Asheville in kills with a 4.01 average. Senior Rose Butler is next with a 2.71 kills per game average, while senior Allison Lambert has a 2.38 mark. Setter Amanda Wiles has produced 1,299 assists.
UNCA has done a superb job on defense and is the only team in the country that has five players with 1,000 career digs. Senior Krysti Havens leads the Bulldogs in digs with a 4.19 per game mark. Unlu is next with a 3.68 average, while senior Talia Ogle has a 3.50 mark.
UNCA's blocking has been very good in 2005 as sophomore Ashley Wrightenberry is nationally ranked in blocks with a 1.27 per game mark. She had eight blocks in Asheville's victory Tuesday night.
The winner of the UNCA-Coastal Carolina match will face the winner of the Birmingham-Southern Winthrop match Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. for the Big South Conference title. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament
