Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop volleyball is set to host South Carolina on Thursday, Sept. 16 and then Charlotte on Sunday, Sept. 19 to complete a four-match home stand.
| Game Information - |
| Opponent/Date/Time/Location |
vs. South Carolina | Thursday, Sept. 16 | 7 p.m. | Rock Hill, S.C. (Winthrop Coliseum)
vs. Charlotte | Sunday, Sept. 19 | 2 p.m. | Rock Hill, S.C. (Winthrop Coliseum) |
| Live Stats |
South Carolina | Charlotte |
| Live Stream |
ESPN+ - South Carolina | Charlotte |
| Series History |
South Carolina leads 26-22
Charlotte leads 28-16 |
| Last Meeting |
Sept. 3, 2016 at South Carolina (L, 3-0)
Oct. 5, 2019 at Charlotte (W, 3-2) |
| Social Media |
Twitter - @WinthropVolley / @WUEagles | Instagram - winthropvolleyball | #ROCKtheHILL | #EverStand |
| COVID Guidelines |
Mask Mandate in place for all buildings at Winthrop University - for more guidelines and attedance policies, CLICK HERE |
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS SOUTH CAROLINA
This marks the 49
th meeting all-time between Winthrop and South Carolina. South Carolina leads the all-time series 26-22 and 20-3 since the Eagles became an NCAA D1 member. The last meeting came Sept. 3, 2016 in Columbia, S.C. with the Gamecocks winning 3-0. The last victory over the Gamecocks came in 2013 in Clemson, S.C. with a 3-2 win.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS CHARLOTTE
Winthrop and Charlotte meet for the 45
th time as the 49ers hold a 28-16 lead in the all-time series. These two programs last met in 2019 with Charlotte claiming a 3-2 win at home. Winthrop captured the first and fourth set before fall 15-10 in the final set
Morgan Bossler led the Eagles with 15 kills and four blocks in the match. Winthrop's last win in the series came two meetings ago in 2015 in Rock Hill as it won 3-0. The Eagles have won two of the last three meetings.
A GLANCE AT WINTHROP
Have won four of the last five matches and coming off a split with ETSU at home last weekend. Eagles dropped their last match and will look to bounce back against the Gamecocks, who came in at 27
th this past week in the AVCA Top 25 (receiving 32 votes).
In the Big South, the Eagles are 2
nd in kills per set and assists per set while ranking 3
rd in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage. Winthrop leads the conference with 17.89 digs per set (+2.56 more than any other league school).
Morgan Bossler is second in the league in hitting percentage (.409) and ranks 5
th in the league kills per set. Bossler's hitting percentage ranks 42
nd nationally (thru Sept. 13).
Jana Owens leads the Big South with 11.35 assists per set, which ranks 10
th nationally.
Leah Metzger leads the team with 4.44 digs per set, which is 3
rd among the league leaders.
Chuck Rey is in his fourth season at the helm of the Winthrop program and has a career record of 52-29. Rey, a former assistant coach with Winthrop, returned in 2018 to lead the program. Rey has been voted the Big South Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019. Rey guided the Eagles to a conference championship and NCAA Tournament in 2019.
This will be the Eagles 1,730
th and 1,731
st matches all-time as they hold a program record of 1,030-699.
BIG SOUTH AWARDS
Nikkia Benitez – Player of the Week
- Averaged 4.4 kills per set, 3.9 digs per set and had a team-high 46.5 points
- Finished with a .340 hitting percentage and .985 serve receive percentage (team-high 67 attempts)
- Recorded a double-double in each match
- This is her second career Big South Player of the Week honor
Leah Metzger – Libero of the Week
- Averaged 3.8 digs per set and had eight service aces
- Set a career-high in aces in a match with four in the win over Virginia
- This is her second career Big South Libero of the Week honor
BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL
Winthrop was voted to finish third in the Big South Conference preseason poll. High Point is the preseason favorite with 119 points (10 first-place votes) while Campbell was second with 105 points (11 first-place votes). The Eagles had 94 points and were followed by Charleston Southern (91), UNC Asheville (64), North Carolina A&T (63), USC Upstate (59), Presbyterian College (43), Radford (39), Gardner-Webb (25), and Hampton (24).
The Panthers are the defending Big South Champions after a 17-1 mark in the spring and are led by the Preseason Player of the Year, Madison Smith (Jr., OH).
BOSSLER REACHES MILESTONE
Morgan Bossler surpassed 500 kills in her Winthrop career and did so in 53 matches. The fifth-year senior also surpassed 1,000 career kills while competing in the Virginia Tournament. Bossler came to the Eagles from Iowa Western Community College where she 540 kills and 259 blocks in 81 matches. Bossler arrived at Winthrop in 2019 and had 290 kills in 29 matches as she helped the Eagles to a Big South Conference Championship. She had 138 kills in 16 matches in the spring-shortened season and so far this season has 84 kills in eight matches.
PRESEASON HONORS FOR BOSSLER
Morgan Bossler was voted to the Big South Preseason All-Conference Team. Bossler has earned all-conference in each of her two seasons with Winthrop as she was named to the second team as a junior and first team this past spring. In the spring she led the team with 135 kills (2.6 per set) and blocks (1.02 per set).
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