Rock Hill, S.C. – After defeating USC Upstate on the road and UNC Asheville last week, Winthrop Volleyball (13-9, 10-2 Big South) heads to Gardner-Webb (5-21, 3-9 Big South) Thursday evening before hosting the Runnin' Bulldogs again the next day on Senior Night.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS GARDNER-WEBB
This will be the 48th meeting between the programs, with Winthrop leading the series 41-6 and have won the last 14 matches vs. Gardner-Webb. Winthrop's last loss to GW was 3-0 on Sep. 30, 2017. The first meeting was in 1980 with the Eagles winning 2-0. Winthrop defeated the Runnin' Bulldogs in all three matches last season. The most recent meeting was on Nov. 18, 2023 at the semifinals of the Big South Tournament in High Point, N.C., a 3-0 Eagles victory.
SEASON HONORS
Isabella Murray-VCU Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Murray passed 100 career blocks and 500 digs
- With this, Murray became the fifth setter in Winthrop history to have 2,000 assists, 100 blocks and 500 digs in her career
- Murray notched another double-double in the sweep of Lafayette with 41 assists and 15 digs while adding in a kill and setting the team to a .336 hitting percentage
Paige Bennett-VCU Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Bennett led the Eagles in kills in both matches with 4.17/set while hitting .277 on the weekend as a 6 rotation outside
- She was also the team's point scoring leader with 4.41 per set
- She added on 10 digs, an ace, 2 assists, and a block assist
Isabella Murray-Big South Setter of the Week-Sep. 2-8
- Murray posted 67 assists (11.17 per set) in addition to 23 digs (3.83 per set) as the Eagles split a pair of matches
- Murray is Winthrop's first ever Big South Setter of the Week recipient (the award was instituted by the Conference starting this season). This is also the first time this season an Eagle has taken home a weekly award
Sophia Matthews-Black and Gold Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Matthews led the Eagles in digs in all three matches, which included a career-best 16 vs. Appalachian State
- Her 16 digs in a three-set match is tied for 4th by any player in the Big South Conference this season
- She also added five assists and two aces
Karli Shepherd-Bash In The 'Boro Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Shepherd led the Eagles in kills in all three matches last weekend with 36
- Averaged 4.00 kills per set and hitting .371 on 81 attempts
- Added 11 digs, an ace and two block assists
Isabella Murray-Big South Setter of the Week-Sep. 30-Oct. 6
- Murray helped the Eagles to a 3-0 sweep over USC Upstate last Saturday with 34 assists (11.33 per set) and seven digs
- Guided the squad to a .325 team hitting percentage in its conference opener
Karli Shepherd-Big South Player of the Week-Oct. 7-13
- Shepherd paced the Eagles' offense to two road sweeps, leading the team in total kills with 30 (5.00 per set) and total points with 32.5 (5.42 per set)
- She added 2.50 digs per set
- Shepherd had her career-high for kills in Saturday's match against Charleston Southern, as she put down 17 in just three sets
Isabella Murray-Big South Setter of the Week-Oct. 7-13
- Murray's work on the weekend helped lead the Eagles to a .275 hitting percentage and two 3-0 victories
- She totaled 75 assists (12.33 per set) and her 41 assists on Friday against Presbyterian was her third match this season with at least 40
- Murray added 2.33 digs per set and 1.00 kills per set to compliment her assist numbers
Sophia Matthews-Big South Libero of the Week-Oct. 7-13
- Matthews scooped up 37 digs in two road match victories, good for 6.17 per set
- She would post career bests in digs in both contests -- first picking up 18 on Friday at PC followed by 19 on Saturday at Charleston Southern
- Matthews anchored the Eagles defense with a .950 reception percentage while holding the opposition to a .132 hitting clip
Isabella Murray-Big South Setter of the Week-Oct. 14-20
- Picked up 82 total assists (11.71 per set) while adding 25 digs (3.57 per set) in two matches
- She had 51 assists and 11 digs against Radford on Friday and added another 31 assists and 14 digs against High Point on Saturday
- Murray's 51-assist performance is a new season high
Isabella Murray-Big South Setter of the Week-Oct. 21-27
- Murray directed the Eagles to two sweeps with the team recording an overall .310 hitting percentage last week
- She notched 72 assists (12.00 per set) to pace the offense and contributed 24 digs (4.00 per set) to provide assistance on the defensive end
- Murray recorded a double-double in both matches and added a season-high five kills in Saturday's win over Presbyterian
Avery Jolley-Big South Player of the Week-Nov. 4-10
- She totaled 54 kills (5.40 per set) as well as 30 digs (3.00 per set) and 6.0 blocks
- In two matches against UNC Asheville, she recorded 20 kills and 18 kills -- tied for the most and second most, respectively, in a three-set conference match this season
- Against the Bulldogs, Jolley hit .422 (20-1-45) last Tuesday and .405 (18-3-37) on Saturday
- In between the Asheville contests, Jolley recorded a 16-kill, 14-dig double double in a four-set victory over USC Upstate
Isabella Murray-Big South Setter of the Week-Nov. 4-10
- Murray paced the Eagles' offense as she contributed 106 assists in the three matches (10.60 per set), while picking up 44 digs (4.40 per set), eight kills and four blocks
- As a team, Winthrop hit .265 in the three-match span as Murray tallied double-doubles in each
- In Saturday's contest against UNC Asheville, she had 33 assists and 15 digs to power the Eagles to a .387 hitting percentage
- She recorded 40 assists and 18 digs in the win over USC Upstate on Friday evening
Giselle Little-Big South Co-Freshman of the Week-Nov. 4-10
- Little hit .400 or better in all three matches last week and totaled a .485 hitting clip (20-4-33) along with 9.0 blocks in helping the Eagles go 3-0
- She had seven kills and a .600 average at UNC Asheville last Tuesday, recorded eight kills, seven blocks and hit .400 vs. USC Upstate on Friday, and finished the week with a .500 percentage in the second win over Asheville on Saturday
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES
- Winthrop's originally scheduled match at Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Sep. 28 at 2:00 p.m. was postponed due to the wet conditions caused by Hurricane Helene
- The match with Gardner-Webb will now take place in Boiling Springs, N.C. on Gardner-Webb's home court on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6:00 p.m.
- Winthrop volleyball went 3-0 last week, sweeping UNC Asheville on the road on Tuesday night, beating USC Upstate on the road in four sets on Friday night and sweeping UNC Asheville again on Homecoming the next day
- In the road match at Upstate, Jolley entered the 500 career dig club
- Winthrop recorded 99 digs as a team, tying a four-set match school record set vs. Coastal Carolina on Oct. 2, 2001
- Sophia Matthews recorded 30 digs, the first time an Eagle had 30 digs in a match in six years since Carlie Skelton's had 30 at UNC Asheville on Oct. 6, 2018
- Little and Maeve Rehmann had career highs in blocks
- Matthews and Murray had career highs in digs
- Jolley and Murray had double doubles
- Five Eagles had double figures in digs
- Against UNC Asheville, Murray had a double double
- Three Eagles had double figures in digs
- Four Eagles hit more than .400 in the match
- Little now has 100 career kills
- Shepherd is one total block away from 100 in her career
- The Eagles have played 1,824 matches all-time as the program holds a mark of 1,086-738
- Winthrop is currently the only program in the Big South so far this season to have defeated a Power Four opponent
- Jolley leads the team in kills with 256
- Murray leads the team in assists 756 and aces with 17
- Rehmann leads the team in blocks with 51
- Matthews leads the team in digs with 279
- Winthrop leads the conference in kills per set (13.57)
- This is also ranked 44th in the nation
- Winthrop is second in the conference in digs per set (18.18)
- This is also ranked 5th in the nation
- Winthrop is second in the conference in assists per set (12.24)
- Winthrop is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.213)
- Jolley is second in the Big South in kills per set with 3.71
- Little is third in the Big South in hitting percentage (.387)
- This is ranked 32nd in the nation
- Matthews is fourth in the conference in digs per set with 4.65
- This is ranked 50th in the nation
- Murray leads the conference in assists per set with 10.50
- This is also ranked 25th in the nation
GET YOUR SEASON TICKETS TODAY
General Admission tickets will be sold for all volleyball games in the 2024 season. Season tickets are currently on sale for $25. Single-game tickets are $8. To get your season pass today, click
HERE or by calling the ticket office at (803) 323-2345.
WATCH THE EAGLES ON ESPN+
All but two of the home games during the 2024 season will air live on ESPN+. You can also catch select road games in Big South Conference play on ESPN+. To watch Big South games on ESPN+ you must have a subscription to ESPN+. For more information on how to subscribe,
click here.
PROMOTIONAL NIGHT
The Eagles' match this Friday will be Senior Night. The festivities begin with the recognition of four seniors for their contributions to the Winthrop Volleyball program prior to the start of the match with Gardner-Webb. Those being recognized are:
Jenna Calloway,
Rylie McMahen,
Isabella Murray and
Karli Shepherd.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Eagles will learn of their opponent for the upcoming Big South Tournament next weekend. Winthrop is the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of Friday's No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed matchup next Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Millis Center on the campus of High Point University in North Carolina. The tournament will be televised on ESPN+.
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