University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Thursday, November 9
Asheville, NC
7:00 PM
UNC Asheville
13-14, 9-7BSC
3
vs
1
Liberty
10-18, 7-8BSC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 25 | 25 | 21 | 20 | 1 |
| UNC Asheville | 27 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Bulldogs Close Out Regular Season With Impressive Home League Win Over Liberty
11.09.2017 | Women's Volleyball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville volleyball team closed out its 2017 regular season with a 3-1 (27-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20) home win over Liberty at the Justice Center on Thursday, Nov. 9.
The match would open with UNC Asheville (13-14, 9-7 Big South Conference) and Liberty (10-18, 7-8 Big South Conference) battling back and forth in the first game before the Bulldogs claimed a thrilling 27-25 win in the set.
Liberty would take the second set 25-23 before the Bulldogs took things over in the third and fourth sets to pick up the overall match win that secured their ninth win of the conference season.
Big South Player of the Year candidate Cara Guthrie once again put together an incredibly impressive stat line with a double-double with 21 digs and 18 kills.
Two Bulldogs had double-doubles in total with Ansley Rooks hitting .323 in the match en route to 12 kills and 14 digs. She also had two service aces.
UNC Asheville had 71 digs in total in the match with Madisen Zyburt leading the way with 19.
Both Kailey Hackett and Carter Kennedy led the Bulldogs in the match with 25 assists each.
KK Haley finished the Bulldog win with three service aces.
Casey Goodwin led Liberty in its loss to UNC Asheville with 23 kills.
BULLDOG BITES
Strong in the Big South
UNC Asheville's nine wins in league play this regular season marked its most wins in conference play since the 2010 season.
Home Sweet Home
UNC Asheville was really strong at the Justice Center this regular season. The Bulldogs were 7-2 on the season at the Justice Center with wins over Montreat, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, Winthrop, Charleston Southern, Presbyterian College and Liberty.
No Place Like Home
UNC Asheville has now won at least seven home matches in a single season for the last three seasons. In fact, the Bulldogs are 26-8 over the last three seasons at home.
Playing Well
UNC Asheville played very strong down the stretch of the 2017 regular season with the Bulldogs having now won four of their last five matches.
Over 1,000
Kailey Hackett's 25 assists in the win over Liberty allowed her to surpass 1,000 assists in her career. She now has 1,023 in her Bulldog career.
Almost to 900
Cara Guthrie's 18 kills in the over Liberty allowed her to move to 897 kills in her career. Her 21 digs in the match also got her closer to over 800 digs in her career with 789 presently.
Quotable
"I thought it was a high-level match for both teams as both teams played very consistent. It was a difficult night to score for either team. I think we got some more openings because we were being more aggressive and serving better, but Liberty didn't relent either until the very end. It is great for our team and a very important victory as it will give us momentum into the Big South Tournament. Defensively, I think we are really tuned in, and that is great to see because defense carries big wins and championships in the future. I think the individual performances lately have been on point. Overall, I am very proud of my players and the way they played tonight. They continue to improve and work hard in the gym every single day." – Head Coach Frederico Santos
Up Next
UNC Asheville will next compete in the Big South Tournament. Seedings and much more will be released in the upcoming week ahead of the tournament that will be held at Radford Nov. 17-19.
The match would open with UNC Asheville (13-14, 9-7 Big South Conference) and Liberty (10-18, 7-8 Big South Conference) battling back and forth in the first game before the Bulldogs claimed a thrilling 27-25 win in the set.
Liberty would take the second set 25-23 before the Bulldogs took things over in the third and fourth sets to pick up the overall match win that secured their ninth win of the conference season.
Big South Player of the Year candidate Cara Guthrie once again put together an incredibly impressive stat line with a double-double with 21 digs and 18 kills.
Two Bulldogs had double-doubles in total with Ansley Rooks hitting .323 in the match en route to 12 kills and 14 digs. She also had two service aces.
UNC Asheville had 71 digs in total in the match with Madisen Zyburt leading the way with 19.
Both Kailey Hackett and Carter Kennedy led the Bulldogs in the match with 25 assists each.
KK Haley finished the Bulldog win with three service aces.
Casey Goodwin led Liberty in its loss to UNC Asheville with 23 kills.
BULLDOG BITES
Strong in the Big South
UNC Asheville's nine wins in league play this regular season marked its most wins in conference play since the 2010 season.
Home Sweet Home
UNC Asheville was really strong at the Justice Center this regular season. The Bulldogs were 7-2 on the season at the Justice Center with wins over Montreat, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, Winthrop, Charleston Southern, Presbyterian College and Liberty.
No Place Like Home
UNC Asheville has now won at least seven home matches in a single season for the last three seasons. In fact, the Bulldogs are 26-8 over the last three seasons at home.
Playing Well
UNC Asheville played very strong down the stretch of the 2017 regular season with the Bulldogs having now won four of their last five matches.
Over 1,000
Kailey Hackett's 25 assists in the win over Liberty allowed her to surpass 1,000 assists in her career. She now has 1,023 in her Bulldog career.
Almost to 900
Cara Guthrie's 18 kills in the over Liberty allowed her to move to 897 kills in her career. Her 21 digs in the match also got her closer to over 800 digs in her career with 789 presently.
Quotable
"I thought it was a high-level match for both teams as both teams played very consistent. It was a difficult night to score for either team. I think we got some more openings because we were being more aggressive and serving better, but Liberty didn't relent either until the very end. It is great for our team and a very important victory as it will give us momentum into the Big South Tournament. Defensively, I think we are really tuned in, and that is great to see because defense carries big wins and championships in the future. I think the individual performances lately have been on point. Overall, I am very proud of my players and the way they played tonight. They continue to improve and work hard in the gym every single day." – Head Coach Frederico Santos
Up Next
UNC Asheville will next compete in the Big South Tournament. Seedings and much more will be released in the upcoming week ahead of the tournament that will be held at Radford Nov. 17-19.
Team Stats
LIBERTY
AVL
Kills
62
60
Errors
25
14
Attempts
168
153
Hitting %
.220
.301
Points
73.0
73.0
Assists
57
58
Aces
1
6
Blocks
10.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballRS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballMonday, November 06
Monday, November 06
Monday, October 30
Monday, October 30