ROCK HILL, S.C. – Winthrop volleyball looks to get back in the win column this weekend as it returns to the Winthrop Coliseum after a tough road swing to take on Gardner-Webb and USC Upstate.
| Game Information ( Winthrop 6-9, 2-2 Big South) |
| Opponent/Date/Time/Location |
vs. Gardner-Webb (4-12, 2-2 Big South) | Friday, Oct. 7 | 6 p.m. | Rock Hill, S.C./Winthrop Coliseum
vs. USC Upstate (5-12, 2-2 Big South) | Saturday, Oct. 8 | 2 p.m. | Rock Hill, S.C/Winthrop Coliseum |
| Live Stats |
Gardner-Webb | USC Upstate |
| Live Stream (ESPN+) |
None |
| Social Media |
Twitter - @WinthropVolley / @WUEagles | Instagram - winthropvolleyball | #ROCKtheHILL | #EverStand |
| Promotions |
vs. Gardner-Webb (Breast Cancer Awareness Match) |
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS GARDNER-WEBB.
The Eagles and Runnin' Bulldogs meet for the 43
rd time. The Eagles lead the all-time series 36-6 overall and 23-5 in regular season league matchups. The Eagles have a nine-match winning streak against Gardner-Webb and have not lost a set in six straight meetings.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS USC UPSTATE
Winthrop and USC Upstate meet for the 11
th time. The Eagles won the last meeting 3-0 and hold an 8-2 advantage in the all-time series. Winthrop is 6-0 all-time at home against the Spartans
GLANCE AT THE EAGLES
- Eagles are coming off a tough road swing at High Point and Campbell in which it dropped both matches to the only remaining unbeaten teams in league play
- Returning home where the Eagles are 2-2 so far this season
- Winthrop ranks 3rd in the Big South in opponent hitting percentage (.193), blocks per set (2.04) and digs per set (15.25)
- Senior Alayna Jansky leads the team with 3.54 kills per set, ranking 3rd in the Big South and third in points per set (3.94)
- Sophomore Isabella Murray leads the Big South in assists per set (10.31) 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 most by any player in the league this season
- Brookelynn Thomas ranks 9th in the league in points per set (3.14) and is 3rd on the team with 2.38 kills per set
- Freshman Avery Jolley is second on the team with 2.47 kills per set and leads the team in hitting percentage (.246)
- Graduate senior Alicia Roberts, along with Thomas are ranked among the top blockers in the Big South
- Roberts is 2nd at 1.07 blocks per set and Thomas is 8th at 0.79 per set
- Junior Madison Gorniak ranks 9th in the Big South at 3.47 digs per set
- Senior Leah Metzger needs just five digs to reach 900 for her career
- 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
- This will be the Eagles have played 1,761 matches all-time as the program holds a mark of 1,048-713
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
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 UNCA, 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 perset)
- 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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