University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, September 28
Asheville, NC
2:00 PM
UNC Asheville
5-5
3
vs
1
USC Upstate
3-8
1st set1
2nd set2
3rd set3
4th set4
FinalF
USC Upstate
20
21
25
13
1
UNC Asheville
25
25
22
25
3
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
Bulldogs Put on Best Offensive Performance of the Season in Big South Opener
09.28.2019 | Women's Volleyball
ASHEVILLE – In its first Big South Conference matchup of the season, UNC Asheville's volleyball team took down USC Upstate, 3-1, Saturday at the Justice Center.
It was an all-around team effort for the Bulldogs (6-5), as four players notched double-digit kills and two players registered double-doubles in an impressive offensive showing. The team hit a season-best 64 kills and tied its season high with a .333 attack percentage.
Senior Ansley Rooks was all over the court, recording 17 kills and 15 digs to lead the team in both categories. Senior Julia Borges had a strong day as well, finishing with 13 kills and 13 digs, to go along with four assists.
Sophomore Molly Hackett also finished with 13 kills, while senior Julia Loveday had a well-rounded performance, going for 12 kills, six total blocks, five digs and three assists.
The Bulldogs recorded 58 assists as a team – their best total of the season – led by 27 and nine digs from sophomore Grace Volk and 20 assists from senior Kailey Hackett.
In addition to Rooks' and Borges' defensive efforts, junior Kasey West also hit double-digit digs, coming up with 12.
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SET-BY-SET
SET 1, BULLDOGS WIN 25-20: The Bulldogs were scorching out of the gate offensively, finishing the first set with 16 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Ansley Rooks led the way with five kills, while Julia Borges and Julia Loveday each had four. Though it felt like the Bulldogs were always in control, the Spartans never let it get out of hand. The largest the Bulldogs got the lead to was six, which they did on three occasions. Upstate cut it to one, 21-20, but the Bulldogs rattled off four straight points, capped by a service ace from Rooks for 1-0 lead in the match.
SET 2, BULLDOGS WIN 25-21: Rooks and Loveday each continued to drive the momentum offensively, finishing with five and four kills, respectively, for the second set in a row. The Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders again, opening with a 5-1 run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Molly Hackett. With a 20-11 lead, the Bulldogs looked in control as the Spartans called their second timeout of the set, but the timeout served its purpose and halted the home team's momentum. The Spartans went on runs of three, three and four points, narrowing the gap to 24-21, but Rooks slammed the door shut with her 10th kill of the match
SET 3, SPARTANS WIN 25-22: The third set turned out to be the closest of the match all the way through, as the largest lead for either squad was a three-point advantage Upstate possessed multiple times throughout the set. Despite five kills from Molly Hackett and four from Rooks, the Spartans were able to take their first point of the match.
SET 4, BULLDOGS WIN 25-13: After a minor setback, Borges made sure the Bulldogs didn't allow a fifth set, coming out on fire in the early going of the fourth. She finished the set with four kills, including two in a 5-1 run to start the set. The senior also had a pair of block assists in the set to help the cause. With the score at 13-5, the Bulldogs piled on with a five-point run that featured two kills from Rooks and one from Loveday. Cecilia Stack put a bow on the match with her sixth kill of the afternoon.
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UP NEXT
The Bulldogs have a weeklong break before returning to the Justice Center and Big South play when Winthrop comes to town for a matchup at 6 p.m., Friday, October 4.
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FROM FREDERICO SANTOS
"You can tell in the way the girls came out the energy was totally different. We looked like we redeemed ourselves from that last performance (at Western Carolina), and you could tell. The first two sets, all due respect to Upstate, they couldn't touch us. The third set, there was a little bit of a letdown, but we came out hot in the fourth set. It was a great performance. I'm proud of the way the girls rebounded, especially after it's been 11 days since we last played. I'm sure that was a motivating factor for them, being at home for the opening conference match, that we're going to go all out."
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It was an all-around team effort for the Bulldogs (6-5), as four players notched double-digit kills and two players registered double-doubles in an impressive offensive showing. The team hit a season-best 64 kills and tied its season high with a .333 attack percentage.
Senior Ansley Rooks was all over the court, recording 17 kills and 15 digs to lead the team in both categories. Senior Julia Borges had a strong day as well, finishing with 13 kills and 13 digs, to go along with four assists.
Sophomore Molly Hackett also finished with 13 kills, while senior Julia Loveday had a well-rounded performance, going for 12 kills, six total blocks, five digs and three assists.
The Bulldogs recorded 58 assists as a team – their best total of the season – led by 27 and nine digs from sophomore Grace Volk and 20 assists from senior Kailey Hackett.
In addition to Rooks' and Borges' defensive efforts, junior Kasey West also hit double-digit digs, coming up with 12.
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SET-BY-SET
SET 1, BULLDOGS WIN 25-20: The Bulldogs were scorching out of the gate offensively, finishing the first set with 16 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Ansley Rooks led the way with five kills, while Julia Borges and Julia Loveday each had four. Though it felt like the Bulldogs were always in control, the Spartans never let it get out of hand. The largest the Bulldogs got the lead to was six, which they did on three occasions. Upstate cut it to one, 21-20, but the Bulldogs rattled off four straight points, capped by a service ace from Rooks for 1-0 lead in the match.
SET 2, BULLDOGS WIN 25-21: Rooks and Loveday each continued to drive the momentum offensively, finishing with five and four kills, respectively, for the second set in a row. The Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders again, opening with a 5-1 run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Molly Hackett. With a 20-11 lead, the Bulldogs looked in control as the Spartans called their second timeout of the set, but the timeout served its purpose and halted the home team's momentum. The Spartans went on runs of three, three and four points, narrowing the gap to 24-21, but Rooks slammed the door shut with her 10th kill of the match
SET 3, SPARTANS WIN 25-22: The third set turned out to be the closest of the match all the way through, as the largest lead for either squad was a three-point advantage Upstate possessed multiple times throughout the set. Despite five kills from Molly Hackett and four from Rooks, the Spartans were able to take their first point of the match.
SET 4, BULLDOGS WIN 25-13: After a minor setback, Borges made sure the Bulldogs didn't allow a fifth set, coming out on fire in the early going of the fourth. She finished the set with four kills, including two in a 5-1 run to start the set. The senior also had a pair of block assists in the set to help the cause. With the score at 13-5, the Bulldogs piled on with a five-point run that featured two kills from Rooks and one from Loveday. Cecilia Stack put a bow on the match with her sixth kill of the afternoon.
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UP NEXT
The Bulldogs have a weeklong break before returning to the Justice Center and Big South play when Winthrop comes to town for a matchup at 6 p.m., Friday, October 4.
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FROM FREDERICO SANTOS
"You can tell in the way the girls came out the energy was totally different. We looked like we redeemed ourselves from that last performance (at Western Carolina), and you could tell. The first two sets, all due respect to Upstate, they couldn't touch us. The third set, there was a little bit of a letdown, but we came out hot in the fourth set. It was a great performance. I'm proud of the way the girls rebounded, especially after it's been 11 days since we last played. I'm sure that was a motivating factor for them, being at home for the opening conference match, that we're going to go all out."
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Team Stats
USCU
UNC-A
Kills
49
64
Errors
18
17
Attempts
145
141
Hitting %
.214
.333
Points
60
77
Assists
45
58
Aces
2
6
Blocks
9
7
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S/RS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
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