ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop volleyball team will hit the court again this weekend as the Eagles take part in the Wake Forest Invitational with contests against Davidson, UNC Wilmington and the host Demon Deacons.
Winthrop enters the weekend tournament with a 3-1 overall record, coming off a three-set sweep of the Appalachian State Mountaineers in the Eagles' home opener Tuesday.
Junior Stephanie Palmer as led the Eagles so far offensively with 38 total kills and also leads the team in assists with 83. Senior Carolyn Weed has also made an offensive impact with 36 total kills. Sophomore Jennica Mullins and freshman Amy Zimmer have been a dual force at the net with Mullins recording 20 total blocks while Zimmer has added 11.
Winthrop will open the Wake Forest Invitational with a Friday afternoon match at 4:30 p.m. against the Davidson Wildcats of the Southern Conference. Davidson was victorious in its only match of the season, downing Gardner-Webb 3-0 on Tuesday. Junior outside hitter Carolina Brown recorded a double-double for the Wildcats, leading the team with 12 kills and also totaling 13 digs.
The Eagles continue the tournament on Saturday on Saturday with a 10:00 a.m. contest against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks and a 7 p.m. match against the host Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Seahawks have gone 3-1 so far this season with wins against High Point, Delaware State and Campbell with their only loss coming to Long Island. Junior Christi Laite has been the top offensive player so far with 47 total kills while sophomore Morgan Kline has also totaled 38 kills. UNC Wilmington plays with two primary setters in its rotation as freshman Victoria Phillips has averaged just shy of eight assists per set while senior Natalie LaHaie has averaged 7.75 assists per set.
The host Demon Deacons enter their contest against the Eagles with a 0-1 record as they fell in their only match of the year 3-2 to High Point on Tuesday. Against the Panthers, Wake Forest took the first two sets before High Point won three straight to take the match. Wake Forest was led by senior Andrea Beck who recorded 20 kills and a .472 hitting percentage while totaling four block assists.
Winthrop will continue on the road next weekend, when it heads to Columbia, SC to participate in the South Carolina Invitational before hosting the Winthrop Classic on September 14-15.
