Tournament Information
ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop volleyball team will continue its string of tournaments to open this season this weekend at the Active Ankle Challenge hosted by Auburn University.
Winthrop will open Friday at 5 p.m. against the Bulls of South Florida. Saturday the Eagles will face the host Tigers at 1 p.m. and the Troy Trojans at 6 p.m.
The Eagles enter the weekend with a 3-5 overall record after going 1-2 in the Carolina Challenge last weekend, picking up a victory over tournament champion Furman and falling to Clemson and South Carolina.
Junior Rachel Lenz was named to the All-Tournament Team last weekend after posting solid numbers offensively and defensively for the Eagles. In the tournament, Lenz hit .340 with 25 kills. She also tallied 15 total blocks to go along with three service aces and eight digs.
Sophomore Emma Weakland continued her strong offensive production, totaling 33 kills with only 16 errors. She also added seven total blocks.
South Florida enters the weekend with a 2-4 overall record after going 2-1 in the USF Invitational last weekend. The Bulls picked up victories over Buffalo and South Carolina State and fell to Florida International.
Junior Erin Fairs leads South Florida offensively with 79 kills while hitting .236 through six matches. Natalia Soares and Alex Mendoza share setting duties, tallying 121 and 107 assists respectively. Former Winthrop Eagle Jennica Mullins is the leading blocker for the Bulls, posting two solo blocks and 22 block assists this season.
Auburn boasts a 3-3 record after going 1-2 at the Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic last weekend. The Tigers downed Florida Gulf Coast and took losses to Ohio State and Southern Illinois.
Auburn boasts a very young squad with two juniors and no seniors on the roster. Freshman outside hitter Courtney Crable has led the Tigers offensively with 63 kills while sophomore Stephanie Campbell has totaled 47 kills and a .252 hitting percentage. Freshman Alexa Filley is the team's primary setter as she averages just over 10 assists per set.
Troy will enter the tournament with an 8-1 record with the Trojans only loss coming to Clemson in the Big Orange Bash in the first weekend of the season. In the team's eight victories, Troy has only lost five sets.
In contrast to Auburn, Troy has a very experienced squad with five seniors and four juniors. Troy boasts a powerful offense, averaging more than 12 kills per set and a team hitting percentage of .259. Junior Blair Winston leads the team with 101 kills and only 30 errors on 240 total attacks for a .296 hitting percentage. At the net, Troy is led by junior Darby Griff and sophomore Kiah Cheatham with 33 and 32 total blocks respectively.
Following the weekend tournament, Winthrop will host the Davidson Wildcats on Tuesday at 8 p.m. before competing in the Deacon Classic hosted by Wake Forest next weekend.
