Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop volleyball (14-13, 12-2 Big South) is set to face Georgia Southern (21-8, 10-6 Sun Belt) on Friday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. in the first round of the 2023 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) on the campus of East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. The match will be held on East Carolina's campus inside the Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum, the site of the first and second round contests for this pod. Each match will be carried on ESPN+. Following Winthrop's match with Georgia Southern, The Citadel will face the host Pirates at 6 p.m. In the event of an Eagle victory, Winthrop will face the winner of The Citadel/East Carolina match the next day at 6 p.m. The winner of this pod will move on to the third round of the tournament from Dec. 5-7 at a location TBA.
 

Winthrop Volleyball Game Information
vs. Georgia Southern	Friday, Dec. 1 | 2 p.m. (EST) | Watch | Live Stats
Location	Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
Social	Twitter - @WinthropVolley / @WUEagles | Instagram - winthropvolleyball | #ROCKtheHILL | #EverStand

 
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS GEORGIA SOUTHERN
This will be the 14th meeting between the programs, with Winthrop leading the series 9-4 and have won the last five matches. Winthrop's last win in the series was 3-0 on Sep. 4, 2019 in Statesboro. The first meeting was on Sep. 26, 1987 with Winthrop winning 3-0 on the road on the way to capturing the first four matchups in the series.
 
LAST TIME OUT

• Despite a late comeback in the fourth set, Winthrop would eventually fall to High Point in the title match of the Big South Conference Tournament by a final score of 3-2 (17-25, 25-23, 11-25, 29-27, 6-15) Sunday afternoon at the Millis Athletic Center on the campus of High Point University.
• Avery Jolley and Brookelynn Thomas were named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Three Eagles got into double figures in kills.
• Isabella Murray and Rachel McCollum got into double figures in assists.
• Four Eagles got into double figures in digs.
• Jolley led Winthrop in kills with 16 and digs with 19.
• Thomas and McCollum each had an ace to lead the Eagles in that category.
• Thomas led the Eagles in blocks with four.
• McCollum led the Eagles in assists with 23.

 A LOOK AT THE EAGLES

• This will be the Eagles first trip to this tournament since it was re-established in 2017 (it was previously held from 1989-95).
• It will also be Winthrop's first postseason appearance past the Big South Tournament since 2019, when the Eagles fell at Washington in straight sets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• The Eagles (14-13 12-2) earned an automatic bid to the tournament after finishing runner-up in the Big South Tournament in a five-set thriller vs. High Point on their home court in the title match.
• Winthrop is seeking their first post-season victory after the Big South Tournament (0-6 in NCAA Tournament).

 A LOOK AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN

• Georgia Southern is currently 21-8 and finished 10-6 in conference play, good for third in the Eastern Division.
• The Eagles won their first five matches of the season, including sweeping two consecutive invitationals on their home court in Statesboro.
• Georgia Southern went 10-1 in non-conference play, losing only to UTSA in straight sets at the Campbell Invitational in Buies Creek, N.C. on Sep. 8.
• The Eagles didn't lose in straight sets again until the quarterfinals of their conference tournament on Nov. 17 to South Alabama in Foley, Ala.
• A common opponent that Georgia Southern played in non-conference competition was a sweep of UNC Asheville on Sep. 12 in Statesboro.
• In conference play, Georgia Southern registered regular-season sweeps of Old Dominion, Marshall, Georgia State and Appalachian State.
• In their conference tournament in Foley, Ala., the Eagles defeated Arkansas State in four sets on Nov. 16 before bowing out to South Alabama the next day.
• Chad Willis became Georgia Southern's head volleyball coach Jan. 16, 2019, and is currently in his fifth season with the Eagles.
• Fifth-year senior middle blocker Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) was named the Sun Belt Conference's Defensive Player of the Week on Sep. 12.
• Junior middle blocker Megan Vickery (Anderson, S.C.) was named the Sun Belt Conference's Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 14.
• Freshman outside hitter Reagan Barth (Lenexa, Kan.) was named First Team All-Sun Belt.
• The Eagles recorded 20-plus wins for the first time since 2013, and their ten Sun Belt wins were the most the team has had since joining the conference.
• Their 21 wins were also the most wins they have recorded during Willis' tenure.
• The Eagles finished top-100 in the nation in blocks per set (14), total blocks (19), opponent hitting percentage (25), hitting percentage (46) and assists per set (96).
• Individually, Barth finished in the top 100 in aces per set (56), points per set (77) and kills per set (84), while junior libero Ashlyn Lovett was 59th in digs per set and 84th in total digs.

 ABOUT THE NIVC TOURNAMENT

• The National Invitational Volleyball Championship involves 32 of the nation's top women's Division I Volleyball teams.
• All games, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools.
• Every round is single elimination.
• The bracket launches with eight host schools, with action set to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
• The championship match is slated for Dec. 10, 11 or 12 – all matches are held on campus locations.
• A total of six programs won or had a share of their regular season conference championship, and 17 teams in the 32-team field won at least 20 matches this season.
• Eight teams host Rounds 1 & 2 in 4 to 5 team pods; single matches in Rounds 3-5.
• The championship game will be streamed by the host school.
• For more information, visit www.womensnivc.com.

NIVC FIRST AND SECOND ROUND TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the first and second rounds of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, hosted by East Carolina Dec. 1-2, are currently on sale to the public. Fans can click here to purchase tickets or call the ECU Athletics Ticket Office at (252) 737-4500. All seating inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum is general admission (first come first served) and tickets are priced at $5. For Friday's first round, one ticket will allow entry for both matches.
 
WATCH THE EAGLES ON ESPN+
To watch Big South and/or or Winthrop games on ESPN+ you must have a subscription to ESPN+. For more information on how to subscribe, click here.
 
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
To keep up with the latest news on the Winthrop volleyball program follow the Eagles on Twitter (@WinthropVolley), Instagram (@winthropvolleyball) and Facebook (/winthropvolleyball).