Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop aims to continue their late-season surge as they host Campbell University Friday night and then welcome High Point University the next day.
| Game Information (Winthrop 12-9, 8-2 Big South) |
| Opponent/Date/Time/Location |
vs. Campbell University (14-8, 10-0 Big South) | Friday, Oct. 28 | 6 p.m. | Rock Hill, S.C./Winthrop Coliseum
vs. High Point University (16-8, 9-1 Big South) | Saturday, Oct. 29 | 2 p.m. | Rock Hill, S.C/Winthrop Coliseum |
| Live Stats |
Campbell | High Point |
| Live Stream (ESPN+) |
Campbell | High Point |
| Social Media |
Twitter - @WinthropVolley / @WUEagles | Instagram - winthropvolleyball | #ROCKtheHILL | #EverStand |
| Promotions |
vs. Campbell (Senior Night)
vs. High Point (Haloween Costume Day) |
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY
This is the 37th meeting all-time between Winthrop and Radford. The Camels have won three straight meetings but the Eagles lead the all-time series 21-15. The last meeting resulted in the Camels winning in straight sets, 3-0 in Buies Creek, N.C.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY
Winthrop and High Point meet for the 63rd time. The Eagles lead the all-time series 39-23 but have dropped the last four meetings. The last meeting took place in High Point, N.C., with the Panthers winning in four sets, 3-1.
GLANCE AT THE EAGLES
The Eagles have won six straight, taking all six without losing a set
Tied for their longest win streak since 2021, when Winthrop also won six straight contests
Have not dropped a set in conference play at home
The Eagles have played 1,767 matches all-time as the program holds a mark of 1,054-713
Off to a 6-0 home mark in conference play and 7-2 home record for the season
The Eagles are 7-2 in the league in third place, a game behind High Point and two behind Campbell
1
st in the Big South in opponent hitting percentage (.156) and service aces (1.03), 2nd in digs per set (15.68) and blocks per set (2.36) and 3rd in assists per set (11.71) and kills per set at 12.73
Senior
Alayna Jansky leads the team with 3.59 kills per set, ranking 3rd in the Big South and in points per set (4.11)
Jansky had her 16th match with 10 or more kills on the season
Sophomore
Isabella Murray leads the Big South in assists per set (10.51) and is the only player in the league average 10 or more per set
Murray's 53 assists in the win over Wyoming are the third most by any player in the league this season but the most for a four-set match
Murray set a career high in kills
Brookelynn Thomas is 2nd on the team with 2.47 kills per set
Thomas has 20 service aces on the year, a career-high for a single-season
Thomas set a season high for kills and tied her career high in block assists
For her efforts, Thomas was named the Big South Conference Volleyball Player of the Week
This is her first conference player of the week award this season and the second by a Winthrop player this season
Freshman
Avery Jolley is first on the team with 2.38 kills per set and is second on the team in hitting percentage (.246)
Graduate senior
Alicia Roberts is ranked 2
nd in the Big South at 1.08 blocks per set
In the win over Harvard the Eagles had 12 service aces, the most in a contest since Nov. 8, 2019 when the Eagles had 12 against USC Upstate
It was the most against a non-conference opponent since Sept. 8, 2018 when the Eagles had 12 against Delaware State (3 sets)
This year's team has 12 returnees and six newcomers
INTERIM HEAD COACH HEATHER GEARHART
Heather Gearhart was promoted to interim head volleyball coach in July after previous head coach
Chuck Rey became the full-time athletic director. Gearhart served as the assistant coach for the Eagles in 2021, helping Winthrop to 18 wins and an appearance in the conference tournament semifinals.
Gearhart joined four other coaches in Winthrop volleyball history to begin 2-0 in conference play. That list includes
Chuck Rey, Julie Torbett, Sally Polhamus and Joel McCartney.
After playing collegiately at North Carolina from 2012-15 and making four NCAA Tournament appearances, she played professionally overseas before embarking on her collegiate coaching career. Gearhart worked at Tennessee during the 2018 season and moved to Akron in 2019, and both programs saw good success. The Vols reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament and the Zips qualified for the MAC tournament for the first time in seven years.
2022 SEASON HONORS
Brookelynn Thomas- Big South Player of the Week (Oct. 24)
- Put down 26 kills (4.33 per set), a .357 hitting percentage, 13.0 blocks (2.17 per set) and 34.0 points (5.67 per set) in two 3-0 sweeps
- She opened with 11 kills, one service ace, five blocks and 15 points in the Eagles' three-set win at Radford
- Recorded 15 kills, a .519 clip, four digs, eight blocks and 19 points in Winthrop's three-set victory vs. UNC Asheville
Alayna Jansky- Big South Co-Player of the Week (Oct. 17)
- Helped the Eagles win over Presbyterian with 11 kills, a .323 percentage, eight digs, three blocks and 15.0 points
- Posted .353 with 15 kills, eight digs, four blocks and 17.0 points in a triumph over Charleston Southern
Avery Jolley – Big South Freshman of the Week (Sept. 26)
- Helped the team open league play with two straight wins as she averaged 3.0 kills per set
- Combined for a .417 hitting percentage in the two games (at UNC Asheville, vs. Radford)
- Posted 13 kills in the win at Asheville, a personal-best for kills in a three-set match
Alayna Jansky – All-Tournament Team (Winthrop Tournament)
- Averaged 4.09 kills per set and totaled 48 points (4.36 per set)
- Had four service aces, 5 blocks and 41 digs (3.73 per set)
- Posted a career-high 20 kills vs. Wyoming and also had 20 digs for her first 20-20 game
Brookelynn Thomas – Liberty Tournament Best Attacker
- Averaged 3.09 kills per set with a .342 hitting percentage
- Totaled four service aces and 7 digs
- Totaled 47.5 points (4.32 per set)
- Had 15 total blocks (4 solo, 11 assisted) for an average of 1.36 per set
BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL
Winthrop was voted to finish third in the Big South Conference preseason poll. High Point is the preseason favorite with 81 points (nine first-place votes) while Campbell was second with 72 points. The Eagles had 61 points and are followed by USC Upstate (52), Presbyterian (43), Charleston Southern (32), Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville (23), and Radford (18).
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