University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Champions Again – 1992 Big South Conference Volleyball Championship
11.18.2020 | Women's Volleyball
One of the most memorable titles in the Division I era for UNC Asheville athletics came in the fall of 1992 when the Bulldog volleyball team won back-to-back Big South championships.
Asheville had won the 1991 Big South title the year before and even advanced to the National Invitational Volleyball Championships in Dayton, Ohio making that Bulldog team the first to advance to a national tournament since going Division I.
Lisa Rhodes' club believed they could win another championship as they returned most of the previous year's roster.
While Asheville returned most of its championship roster, the road to another Big South title would not be easy.
The Big South was vastly different than the previous year. Gone was Davidson and moving in were three new schools in the league. Towson State, Maryland Baltimore-Country and UNC Greensboro were part of the conference now. All three had strong volleyball programs and each one of them believed they would be very successful in the Big South. The coach at UMBC even came out and said in a preseason release: "It's a nice league but we should be the favorite without question."
The Bulldogs were going to have to prove themselves again. Asheville had destroyed preseason predictions over the last two years and had accumulated a 17-2 BSC record during that time. Even with most of its team back from a 25-13 championship team, the Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the new and improved Big South.
Asheville started off the season 0-2 with close losses to Appalachian State and UNC Chapel Hill but quickly rebounded to knock off UNC Charlotte and UNC Wilmington to even its record at 2-2.
The Bulldogs would show in their fifth match of the season that 1992 could really be special. Traveling to ETSU to face a Buccaneer team that Asheville had never beaten, the Bulldogs bounced back from a 15-5 first-set loss to win the next two sets to take the lead. ETSU rallied to win the fourth set but in the fifth set, Asheville quickly took control and rolled to a 15-11 win and earned its first ever win over the Bucs.
The winning would continue. Big South newcomer UNC Greensboro came in very confidently to the Justice Center ready to dominate its new league. They went home with a loss as Asheville whipped the Spartans in four sets.
Rhodes' club would go on to win 18 of its next 19 matches, showing that to win a Big South championship, the title would go through Asheville.
After a close home loss to N.C. State in four sets, the Bulldogs would win their next eight matches to improve their record to 27-4.
Rhodes had toughened up the schedule in 1992 but her Asheville team was ready. The Bulldogs downed UNC Wilmington three different times. They beat East Carolina, Furman, American University and ETSU again at the Justice Center.
Included in the eight-game winning streak was three conference wins. Asheville would host a conference pod where it would play three matches in two days. This was easily the best pod at Justice with Towson and UMBC anxious to show off their teams. The Bulldogs would knock off Liberty in four sets and then blow out Towson in four sets to push their league mark to 8-0. Asheville would finish its conference schedule against UMBC. The Retrievers were just one game behind the Bulldogs at 7-1 and were not the least bit impressed by Asheville. This match was for the regular-season title. UMBC was so assured of winning that there was a victory party planned for after the match.
The party never happened. Asheville got the Retrievers' attention with a 15-4 first set win. UMBC slipped past the Dogs in the second set, 16-14 to even the match.
Rhodes' club earned a hard-fought 15-12 win in the crucial third set and then demoralized the Retrievers in the fourth set, 15-4. No party for the Retrievers and Asheville had earned its third consecutive regular-season championship.
The Bulldogs headed to the Big South Tournament at Coastal Carolina looking to win back-to-back championships.
Despite bringing a 29-6 record, easily the best overall record in the conference and a perfect 9-0 in league play, the Bulldogs were somewhat snubbed when it came to league awards. Ilona Fekete and Gina Golkiewicz earned first team All-Conference honors but nobody made the second team. Fekete was the Big South Player of the Year in her sophomore year but despite being even better the next two years did not win it. Fekete was among the national leaders in blocks, hitting percentage and at 6' 3" tall, opponents had a hard time getting the ball past her.
Elissa Steffen, who was second on the Bulldogs in kills behind Golkiewicz, received nothing. Setter Danielle Meyer received nothing. Lisa Rhodes didn't win Coach of the Year despite her team's amazing success.
Big South opponents simply didn't believe the Bulldogs were the best team. The excuses had been interesting throughout the year, especially from the new schools. Justice Center gave Asheville an unfair advantage with its lighting and court was one bizarre reason. UMBC complained the only reason it lost to Asheville was because it was tired from the previous match. Things would be much different this time around.
The Bulldogs got the tournament started with a hard-fought four-set win over ninth-seeded Charleston Southern. Asheville was a little nervous early but once it found its groove it rolled to the semifinals.
The next morning the Bulldogs took on UNC Greensboro in the semifinals. UNCG had been smarting over two losses to Asheville during the year and had whined about not playing its best each time.
The Bulldogs won the first set handily 15-8 before the Spartans tied the match with a 15-12 second set win. Worse for Asheville was that Golkiewicz went down with an ankle injury and would not return in the match.
Some teams crumble when that happens or they make excuses. The Bulldogs were a champion club and champions find a way. Senior Kim Cass came off the bench to spark Asheville's defense and got a couple of key kills. Despite not having Golkiewicz, the Bulldogs rolled past the Spartans, 15-8, 15-7.
Asheville fully expected a rematch with UMBC in the championship game. The Retrievers had been talking it up ever since their loss to Asheville at Justice Center. They couldn't wait for another crack at the Bulldogs.
But to play for a championship and another chance at the Bulldogs, one needs to win the semifinal match. UMBC was blown out early and often as Liberty crushed the over-confident Retrievers in three sets. There would be no rematch; just a long trip home to Baltimore with no championship.
Asheville knew it would have its hands full with Liberty. The Bulldogs had faced the Flames three times during the year, once at home in a conference match and twice in tournaments. Rhodes had plenty of respect for the Liberty program that the Bulldogs had won each time but all were tough and hard-fought contests.
Liberty stunned the Dogs with a 15-13 win in the first set before Asheville took the next two sets, 15-7, 15-10. The championship was within reach.
But the Flames were improved from the early part of the year and roared back to win the fourth set 15-4. The Big South championship would come down to a fifth set. The fifth set was tense early with no one leading by more than one point. Asheville slipped ahead on a Golkiewicz kill at 9-8. And then Fekete took over.
The senior middle blocker who had dominated the Big South during her three years as a Bulldogs would simply take over the match. She recorded three block solos and suddenly Asheville lead 12-8. An ace from Jennifer Hutchins pushed the lead to 13-8.
The Bulldogs weren't going to let Liberty get any closer. Fekete would deliver the final two points, one a kill, the second a block solo and Asheville was a champion yet again.
Naturally the Bulldogs did not win the MVP honor outright but setter Danielle Meyer did get Co-MVP. Fekete and Steffen earned All-Tournament honors.
Asheville was champion again at 32-6. There was hope that the Bulldogs would get back to the NIVC. This year it would be in Kansas City but those dreams were dashed as the tournament said it liked to take different teams every year. The NCAA wouldn't start giving out automatic bids until the next year.
The non-invitation to the NIVC hurt for a few days but on the plus side, the Bulldogs last match of the season had been a victory and a championship. No one could take that away from them.
Asheville's 32-6 mark is easily the best mark for any Bulldog athletic team in the Division I era that spans more than 30 years. It was a championship season for a team determined to win another title.
Asheville had won the 1991 Big South title the year before and even advanced to the National Invitational Volleyball Championships in Dayton, Ohio making that Bulldog team the first to advance to a national tournament since going Division I.
Lisa Rhodes' club believed they could win another championship as they returned most of the previous year's roster.
While Asheville returned most of its championship roster, the road to another Big South title would not be easy.
The Big South was vastly different than the previous year. Gone was Davidson and moving in were three new schools in the league. Towson State, Maryland Baltimore-Country and UNC Greensboro were part of the conference now. All three had strong volleyball programs and each one of them believed they would be very successful in the Big South. The coach at UMBC even came out and said in a preseason release: "It's a nice league but we should be the favorite without question."
The Bulldogs were going to have to prove themselves again. Asheville had destroyed preseason predictions over the last two years and had accumulated a 17-2 BSC record during that time. Even with most of its team back from a 25-13 championship team, the Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the new and improved Big South.
Asheville started off the season 0-2 with close losses to Appalachian State and UNC Chapel Hill but quickly rebounded to knock off UNC Charlotte and UNC Wilmington to even its record at 2-2.
The Bulldogs would show in their fifth match of the season that 1992 could really be special. Traveling to ETSU to face a Buccaneer team that Asheville had never beaten, the Bulldogs bounced back from a 15-5 first-set loss to win the next two sets to take the lead. ETSU rallied to win the fourth set but in the fifth set, Asheville quickly took control and rolled to a 15-11 win and earned its first ever win over the Bucs.
The winning would continue. Big South newcomer UNC Greensboro came in very confidently to the Justice Center ready to dominate its new league. They went home with a loss as Asheville whipped the Spartans in four sets.
Rhodes' club would go on to win 18 of its next 19 matches, showing that to win a Big South championship, the title would go through Asheville.
After a close home loss to N.C. State in four sets, the Bulldogs would win their next eight matches to improve their record to 27-4.
Rhodes had toughened up the schedule in 1992 but her Asheville team was ready. The Bulldogs downed UNC Wilmington three different times. They beat East Carolina, Furman, American University and ETSU again at the Justice Center.
Included in the eight-game winning streak was three conference wins. Asheville would host a conference pod where it would play three matches in two days. This was easily the best pod at Justice with Towson and UMBC anxious to show off their teams. The Bulldogs would knock off Liberty in four sets and then blow out Towson in four sets to push their league mark to 8-0. Asheville would finish its conference schedule against UMBC. The Retrievers were just one game behind the Bulldogs at 7-1 and were not the least bit impressed by Asheville. This match was for the regular-season title. UMBC was so assured of winning that there was a victory party planned for after the match.
The party never happened. Asheville got the Retrievers' attention with a 15-4 first set win. UMBC slipped past the Dogs in the second set, 16-14 to even the match.
Rhodes' club earned a hard-fought 15-12 win in the crucial third set and then demoralized the Retrievers in the fourth set, 15-4. No party for the Retrievers and Asheville had earned its third consecutive regular-season championship.
The Bulldogs headed to the Big South Tournament at Coastal Carolina looking to win back-to-back championships.
Despite bringing a 29-6 record, easily the best overall record in the conference and a perfect 9-0 in league play, the Bulldogs were somewhat snubbed when it came to league awards. Ilona Fekete and Gina Golkiewicz earned first team All-Conference honors but nobody made the second team. Fekete was the Big South Player of the Year in her sophomore year but despite being even better the next two years did not win it. Fekete was among the national leaders in blocks, hitting percentage and at 6' 3" tall, opponents had a hard time getting the ball past her.
Elissa Steffen, who was second on the Bulldogs in kills behind Golkiewicz, received nothing. Setter Danielle Meyer received nothing. Lisa Rhodes didn't win Coach of the Year despite her team's amazing success.
Big South opponents simply didn't believe the Bulldogs were the best team. The excuses had been interesting throughout the year, especially from the new schools. Justice Center gave Asheville an unfair advantage with its lighting and court was one bizarre reason. UMBC complained the only reason it lost to Asheville was because it was tired from the previous match. Things would be much different this time around.
The Bulldogs got the tournament started with a hard-fought four-set win over ninth-seeded Charleston Southern. Asheville was a little nervous early but once it found its groove it rolled to the semifinals.
The next morning the Bulldogs took on UNC Greensboro in the semifinals. UNCG had been smarting over two losses to Asheville during the year and had whined about not playing its best each time.
The Bulldogs won the first set handily 15-8 before the Spartans tied the match with a 15-12 second set win. Worse for Asheville was that Golkiewicz went down with an ankle injury and would not return in the match.
Some teams crumble when that happens or they make excuses. The Bulldogs were a champion club and champions find a way. Senior Kim Cass came off the bench to spark Asheville's defense and got a couple of key kills. Despite not having Golkiewicz, the Bulldogs rolled past the Spartans, 15-8, 15-7.
Asheville fully expected a rematch with UMBC in the championship game. The Retrievers had been talking it up ever since their loss to Asheville at Justice Center. They couldn't wait for another crack at the Bulldogs.
But to play for a championship and another chance at the Bulldogs, one needs to win the semifinal match. UMBC was blown out early and often as Liberty crushed the over-confident Retrievers in three sets. There would be no rematch; just a long trip home to Baltimore with no championship.
Asheville knew it would have its hands full with Liberty. The Bulldogs had faced the Flames three times during the year, once at home in a conference match and twice in tournaments. Rhodes had plenty of respect for the Liberty program that the Bulldogs had won each time but all were tough and hard-fought contests.
Liberty stunned the Dogs with a 15-13 win in the first set before Asheville took the next two sets, 15-7, 15-10. The championship was within reach.
But the Flames were improved from the early part of the year and roared back to win the fourth set 15-4. The Big South championship would come down to a fifth set. The fifth set was tense early with no one leading by more than one point. Asheville slipped ahead on a Golkiewicz kill at 9-8. And then Fekete took over.
The senior middle blocker who had dominated the Big South during her three years as a Bulldogs would simply take over the match. She recorded three block solos and suddenly Asheville lead 12-8. An ace from Jennifer Hutchins pushed the lead to 13-8.
The Bulldogs weren't going to let Liberty get any closer. Fekete would deliver the final two points, one a kill, the second a block solo and Asheville was a champion yet again.
Naturally the Bulldogs did not win the MVP honor outright but setter Danielle Meyer did get Co-MVP. Fekete and Steffen earned All-Tournament honors.
Asheville was champion again at 32-6. There was hope that the Bulldogs would get back to the NIVC. This year it would be in Kansas City but those dreams were dashed as the tournament said it liked to take different teams every year. The NCAA wouldn't start giving out automatic bids until the next year.
The non-invitation to the NIVC hurt for a few days but on the plus side, the Bulldogs last match of the season had been a victory and a championship. No one could take that away from them.
Asheville's 32-6 mark is easily the best mark for any Bulldog athletic team in the Division I era that spans more than 30 years. It was a championship season for a team determined to win another title.
Monday, November 06
Monday, November 06
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Monday, October 30