Aug. 25, 2007

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - It was everything you'd want from a crosstown rivalry. There was drama, excitement, loud cheering and a whole lot of tense moments at the G.B. Hodge Center on Saturday night in the final game of the Fatz Cafe USC Upstate Volleyball Tournament.

In the end, it was Wofford besting their uptown rival, USC Upstate, 3-2 (25-30, 30-25, 30-22, 24-30, 15-11), in front of an Upstate volleyball-record 837 fans.

The Spartans (1-2) got a tremendous performance from freshman libero Megan Healey (St. Louis, Mo./Ursuline Academy), as she posted 26 digs and added a service ace en route to her first career All-Tournament honors. Sophomore Jesicah Ambrisco (Iowa City, Iowa/Regina Catholic) was also a member of the All-Tournament team after posting 15 kills to lead the team.

Upstate got out to a strong start, taking an early 3-0 lead in the first game before the Terriers (3-0) clawed back to tie the game at 16. From there, Upstate reeled off six straight points thanks to three kills from Ambrisco.

Ambrisco led the team with eight kills in the match while junior Jovana Lubura (Beograd, Serbia/New Mexico Military Institute) added six digs.

Wofford got the momentum back in the second and third games, winning 30-25 and 30-22, despite eight digs from junior Karla Andree (Cypress, Calif./Cypress C.C.) in the second game and two assisted blocks by sophomore Katie Downey (Belleville, ill./Belleville West) and junior Jenna Leslie (Houston, Texas/Westfield) in the third.

Upstate rolled out to a 9-5 lead in the fourth game, thanks to five team kills, before Wofford fought back to again tie the match at 16. The Spartans once again reeled off six straight points off the serve from Andree, leading the team to a 30-24 win.

Wofford jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the fifth game, but Upstate fought back to close within 14-11 before Brittany Thompson posted a kill on Joanna Suddath's 48th assist of the night to give the Terriers the win.

Liz Sheets finished with eight assisted blocks and one solo to lead the Terriers. Setter Suddath also posted 11 digs and Thompson posted 17 kills and 27 digs. Carolyn Rivers had a game-high 35 digs.

Upstate setters sophomore Morgan Bucciferro (Joliet, Ill./Minooka Community) and junior Holly Mauldin (Columbia, S.C./Irmo) combined for 41 assists and 25 digs. Downey added 14 kills, four block assists and a solo block and Andree finished with 19 digs. Lubura also added 16 digs.

In earlier action on Saturday afternoon at the Hodge Center, Wofford knocked off Navy, 3-0 (30-24, 30-28, 30-21) and Navy downed Savannah State, 3-0, at the Hodge Center.

The Spartans will conclude their season-opening homestand on Tuesday when they host South Carolina State at 7:00 p.m. at the Hodge Center.

Fatz Cafe USC Upstate Volleyball Tournament All-Tournament Team
L - Megan Healey, USC Upstate, Fr.
S - Marissa Watson, Navy, Jr.
OH - Jessie Sims, Navy, Jr.
MB - Alexa Gibbs, Navy, Jr.
L - Carolyn Rivers, Wofford, Jr.
MB - Liz Sheets, Wofford, Jr.
OH - Jesicah Ambrisco, USC Upstate, So.

Most Valuable Player - S, Joanna Suddath, Wofford, So.