University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
4-2
Stetson
1-8
Bulldogs Sweep Asheville Invitational; Erickson Earns MVP Honors
09.10.2016 | Women's Volleyball
THE RUNDOWN
2016 UNC Asheville Invitational
Teams: Asheville (5-2, 0-0 BSC)
Stetson (2-7, 0-0 ASUN)
Alabama A&M (1-11, 0-0 SWAC)
Location: Justice Center, Asheville, N.C.
Time: Saturday, September 10, Noon, 5:00 p.m.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Bulldogs added two victories over Stetson and Alabama A&M to sweep their home tournament and build their win-streak to five. Asheville defeated Stetson in a five-set thriller (25-22, 14-25, 27-25, 24-26, 15-7) and Alabama A&M in three straight (25-14, 25-20, 25-13).
Asheville also added two players to the All-Tournament team, Ansley Rooks and senior Shelby Erickson as the MVP of the Tournament. Other members of the of the All-Tournament team include Kelsey Murphy (NCCU), Madison Akins (Stetson), Marissa Salazar (Stetson) and Taylor Smith (Alabama A&M).
In their five-set match against Stetson, The Bulldogs combined for 60 kills and hit .284 as a team. Sophomore Cara Guthrie had a team-high 19 kills, followed by tournament MVP Erickson with 13.
In their three-set victory over A&M, both Rooks and Erickson had double-digit kills with 13 and 12 respectively. Freshman Kennedy Carter dished out 20 assists and Kailey Hackett handed out 12 to combine for 32 total assists.
NOTABLES
-The Bulldogs' tournament sweep extends their win-streak to five, identical to their 2015 UNC Asheville Invitational finish.
QUOTABLES
"The team's performance was fantastic today. First, we played an amazing match with a very good Stetson team. We played the important points well and the team fought for the victory. The second match, we played a scrappy Alabama A&M team. We were able to control things well, especially the serve and made it very difficult for them to play. Overall, I am very pleased with our progress but we must continue to improve and keep working hard. Last, but not least, a big Thank you to our fans for their continued support." -Head Coach Frederico Santos
UP NEXT
-Following this weekend's play, the Bulldogs will travel to Orlando, Fla. for their final preseason tournament at the University of Central Florida on September 16-17. The Bulldogs will kick off the tournament against the hosting Knights on Friday at noon.
