University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
Bulldog Volleyball Hits the Road for Season-Opening Event at Georgia Tech
08.29.2019 | Women's Volleyball
ATLANTA – UNC Asheville's volleyball team begins its season this weekend when it travels to Atlanta to participate in the Georgia Tech Invitational, Friday and Saturday.
The Bulldogs will open the event with a 4 p.m., Friday, matchup against Southern University. The Jaguars went 13-17 a season ago, including an 11-8 record in SWAC competition.
Saturday features two matches for the Bulldogs, starting with a 10 a.m. contest against Long Beach State, who went 16-13 in 2018, including an 8-8 record in Big West play. The Bulldogs will wrap up the weekend against the host Yellow Jackets in a 7 p.m. contest. Georgia Tech went 18-15 a season ago, but fared well at home, compiling a 15-6 record at O'Keefe Gymnasium.
Head coach Frederico Santos enters his ninth season at the helm of the program, and the Bulldogs come into the 2019 season after closing out last year on 10-match win streak before eventually falling to Big South Conference champion High Point in the conference tournament semifinals.
The Georgia Tech Invitational offers strong competition from the start and an opportunity to prepare for tough opponents later in the season.
"Whoever you play, we need to see where we are and how we react to that level of competition and speed of play," Santos said.
The Bulldogs feature plenty of experience in the lineup as they bring back 11 returnees from last year's squad, including six seniors. Leading the offensive attack will be Ansley Rooks and returning Second-Team All-Big South selection Julia Borges, who finished with 235 and 234 kills last season, respectively.
Big South All-Freshman selection Grace Volk returns at setter and is joined by a pair of experienced players at the position, including seniors Carter Kennedy and Kailey Hackett, as that trio combined for 950 assists last season.
The team's two leading shot blockers from last season also return in the middle in junior Cecilia Stack (89 blocks) and senior Julia Loveday (88 blocks)
"We have good competition and good depth at every position for sure," Santos said. "The core that's returning, most of them have played or have seen some court time and they have some pretty significant experience. When there's very good competition, it raises the level of everybody out there."
As the action unfolds this weekend, fans can follow along throughout the event via live stats HERE, and the match with Georgia Tech will be streamed online via ACCNX on the Watch ESPN app HERE.
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The Bulldogs will open the event with a 4 p.m., Friday, matchup against Southern University. The Jaguars went 13-17 a season ago, including an 11-8 record in SWAC competition.
Saturday features two matches for the Bulldogs, starting with a 10 a.m. contest against Long Beach State, who went 16-13 in 2018, including an 8-8 record in Big West play. The Bulldogs will wrap up the weekend against the host Yellow Jackets in a 7 p.m. contest. Georgia Tech went 18-15 a season ago, but fared well at home, compiling a 15-6 record at O'Keefe Gymnasium.
Head coach Frederico Santos enters his ninth season at the helm of the program, and the Bulldogs come into the 2019 season after closing out last year on 10-match win streak before eventually falling to Big South Conference champion High Point in the conference tournament semifinals.
The Georgia Tech Invitational offers strong competition from the start and an opportunity to prepare for tough opponents later in the season.
"Whoever you play, we need to see where we are and how we react to that level of competition and speed of play," Santos said.
The Bulldogs feature plenty of experience in the lineup as they bring back 11 returnees from last year's squad, including six seniors. Leading the offensive attack will be Ansley Rooks and returning Second-Team All-Big South selection Julia Borges, who finished with 235 and 234 kills last season, respectively.
Big South All-Freshman selection Grace Volk returns at setter and is joined by a pair of experienced players at the position, including seniors Carter Kennedy and Kailey Hackett, as that trio combined for 950 assists last season.
The team's two leading shot blockers from last season also return in the middle in junior Cecilia Stack (89 blocks) and senior Julia Loveday (88 blocks)
"We have good competition and good depth at every position for sure," Santos said. "The core that's returning, most of them have played or have seen some court time and they have some pretty significant experience. When there's very good competition, it raises the level of everybody out there."
As the action unfolds this weekend, fans can follow along throughout the event via live stats HERE, and the match with Georgia Tech will be streamed online via ACCNX on the Watch ESPN app HERE.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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