University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Friday, September 3
Cookeville, Tenn.
2 p.m.
UNC Asheville
vs
Valparaiso
Volleyball travels to Tennessee Tech for three non-conference matches
09.02.2021 | Women's Volleyball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville volleyball team will continue its non-conference schedule this weekend at the Golden Eagle Invitational hosted by Tennessee Tech. Asheville is scheduled to take on Valparaiso (2 p.m.) and South Alabama (6 p.m.) on Friday before taking on the host Golden Eagles on Saturday (3 p.m.). All start times listed are Eastern Time, and each of Asheville's matches can be seen on ESPN+.
Last Time Out – The Bulldogs opened their 2021 fall season last weekend at the Wildcat Classic hosted by Davidson. The Wildcats edged Asheville in five sets (21-25, 25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 15-5) on Friday before the Bulldogs bounced back to secure their first victory of the new season Saturday against Western Carolina in four sets (25-23, 14-25, 25-20, 25-15).
Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team – A couple of Bulldogs had stellar starts to their season last weekend. Both Peyton McClinton and Molly Hackett earned spots on the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team for their play in the two matches. McClinton logged a pair of double-doubles and finished with 37 kills and 29 digs in a couple of contests, while Hackett attacked at a .274 clip with 28 kills.
Lift from the Libero – Another Bulldog senior that posted a fine start to their fall campaign was Anna Skryd. Skryd set a new career-high with 23 digs in Friday's five-set tilt at Davidson before following that up with a 17-dig outing in Saturday's win over Western Carolina.
Ascending the Assist Charts – Setter Grace Volk joined an exclusive club in Bulldog volleyball history over the weekend as she dished out her 1,200th assist. Volk, who joined the club in Saturday's win over WCU, is just the 11th Bulldog ever to attain this milestone.
Scouting the Opponents – Valparaiso will travel to Tennessee Tech this weekend sporting a record of 2-1. The Beacons' two victories came against UC Santa Barbara and Milwaukee, with the lone setback coming against Illinois. A couple of players to watch for Valpo are Haley Hart and Rylee Cookerly. Hart ranks in the top five among Missouri Valley Conference players in both blocks (17-Tied for 1st) and hitting percentage (.360 – 5th). Cookerly, meanwhile, paces the MVC with 64 digs through the early going.
South Alabama is the lone team in the field this weekend to still boast an undefeated record. The Jaguars, who are 3-0, swept Florida A&M, Charleston Southern, and Jacksonville to open their season. A strength so far for South Alabama has been a balanced offensive attack. The Jaguars not only have three players with 20 or more kills already this season, but they also are averaging 3.11 aces per set.
Like Asheville, Tennessee Tech enters the second weekend of play with a 1-1 mark. The Golden Eagles downed Jackson State in four sets but dropped a three-set contest to Auburn to open their fall campaign. A player to watch for Tech is freshman Madolyn Isringhausen. Isringhausen leads the team with 29 kills, which is 17 more than the next closest Golden Eagle.
Series History vs. Opponents – Asheville does not have much history against its three opponents this weekend. Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and Beacons. South Alabama and Asheville have split the two meetings previously, with the last being in 2010. Finally, Tennessee Tech has won three of the four matches with the Bulldogs, but Asheville's lone victory came in the last matchup back in 2011.
How to Follow – All three matches this weekend will have live stats and be streamed on ESPN+. These individual links can be found by visiting the volleyball team's schedule page HERE.
Last Time Out – The Bulldogs opened their 2021 fall season last weekend at the Wildcat Classic hosted by Davidson. The Wildcats edged Asheville in five sets (21-25, 25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 15-5) on Friday before the Bulldogs bounced back to secure their first victory of the new season Saturday against Western Carolina in four sets (25-23, 14-25, 25-20, 25-15).
Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team – A couple of Bulldogs had stellar starts to their season last weekend. Both Peyton McClinton and Molly Hackett earned spots on the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team for their play in the two matches. McClinton logged a pair of double-doubles and finished with 37 kills and 29 digs in a couple of contests, while Hackett attacked at a .274 clip with 28 kills.
Lift from the Libero – Another Bulldog senior that posted a fine start to their fall campaign was Anna Skryd. Skryd set a new career-high with 23 digs in Friday's five-set tilt at Davidson before following that up with a 17-dig outing in Saturday's win over Western Carolina.
Ascending the Assist Charts – Setter Grace Volk joined an exclusive club in Bulldog volleyball history over the weekend as she dished out her 1,200th assist. Volk, who joined the club in Saturday's win over WCU, is just the 11th Bulldog ever to attain this milestone.
Scouting the Opponents – Valparaiso will travel to Tennessee Tech this weekend sporting a record of 2-1. The Beacons' two victories came against UC Santa Barbara and Milwaukee, with the lone setback coming against Illinois. A couple of players to watch for Valpo are Haley Hart and Rylee Cookerly. Hart ranks in the top five among Missouri Valley Conference players in both blocks (17-Tied for 1st) and hitting percentage (.360 – 5th). Cookerly, meanwhile, paces the MVC with 64 digs through the early going.
South Alabama is the lone team in the field this weekend to still boast an undefeated record. The Jaguars, who are 3-0, swept Florida A&M, Charleston Southern, and Jacksonville to open their season. A strength so far for South Alabama has been a balanced offensive attack. The Jaguars not only have three players with 20 or more kills already this season, but they also are averaging 3.11 aces per set.
Like Asheville, Tennessee Tech enters the second weekend of play with a 1-1 mark. The Golden Eagles downed Jackson State in four sets but dropped a three-set contest to Auburn to open their fall campaign. A player to watch for Tech is freshman Madolyn Isringhausen. Isringhausen leads the team with 29 kills, which is 17 more than the next closest Golden Eagle.
Series History vs. Opponents – Asheville does not have much history against its three opponents this weekend. Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and Beacons. South Alabama and Asheville have split the two meetings previously, with the last being in 2010. Finally, Tennessee Tech has won three of the four matches with the Bulldogs, but Asheville's lone victory came in the last matchup back in 2011.
How to Follow – All three matches this weekend will have live stats and be streamed on ESPN+. These individual links can be found by visiting the volleyball team's schedule page HERE.
Players Mentioned
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