ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? The UNC Asheville volleyball team is home this weekend as the Bulldogs play two Big South Conference matches in the friendly confines of Justice Center.
Julie Torbett's club hosts High Point Friday night at 7 p.m. and then battles defending Big South Conference champion Winthrop Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Both matches will be video-streamed and can be seen for a small fee at www.uncabulldogs.com and www.bigsouthsports.com.
UNC Asheville (6-13, 0-2) is trying to get back in the win column and earn its first Big South Conference win this weekend. The Bulldogs were beaten last weekend at Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern to open league play.
Torbett says that one of the keys to this weekend is to play better defense.
“Our offense has been doing a solid job in our recent matches but we're not playing good enough defense to win,” commented Torbett. “We've always been one of the better teams in the league on defense, and we need to improve on that immediately.
“We have a good nucleus, and I'm confident we're going to turn things around,” added Torbett. “We just need to handle the ball better and get the job done on defense.”
Asheville continues to receive a great rookie season from Kelsey Benorden. The Knoxville native is averaging 4.02 kills per game and has recorded five consecutive double-doubles.
The Bulldogs have two touch matches this weekend. Asheville takes on a High Point (11-6, 1-2 BSC) club that is much improved from last season on Friday.
“High Point has been getting better and better each season and has posted some impressive wins this year,” commented Torbett. “We will need to play very well to beat them on Friday.”
Winthrop has won the last five Big South Conference championships and has not lost a league match since the 2003 season. They will bring a 57-game conference winning streak to Justice Center on Saturday. The Lady Eagles got off to a slow start against a tough schedule but are 7-9 overall and 3-0 in league play.
“Winthrop is the team to beat until someone knocks them off,” stated Torbett. “They've picked up some excellent wins lately and obviously we're going to have to be at our best on Saturday.”
