College of Charleston to face Samford in Southern Conference Tournament
11/18/2009 4:00:00 PM | Volleyball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston travels to its 11th straight Southern Conference Tournament this weekend when they head to Greenville, S.C. from November 21-22. The Cougars (16-12, 12-4) are seeded second out of the South Division and will take on the Samford Bulldogs (17-13, 11-5), the No. 1 seed from the North Divison, at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 21. The other semifinal matchup features No. 1 overall seed and regular season champion Furman (25-3, 16-0) facing No. 2N Appalachian State (14-16, 10-6).
Team Capsules
No. 2 South Division - College of Charleston Cougars
2009 Record: 16-12, 12-4
2008 Record: 27-7, 17-1
The College of Charleston volleyball program qualified for its 11th straight Southern Conference Tournament with a 12-4 league record to garner the No. 2 seed and second place in the South Division. In conference play, the Cougars posted a pair of victories over Davidson, Wofford and The Citadel while earning wins against Chattanooga, Elon, UNC Greensboro, Samford and Georgia Southern.
The Eagles were one of three teams to hand CofC a conference loss this season, notching a dramatic 3-2 decision on October 10 in Statesboro, Ga. The Cougars returned the favor on November 6 when they rallied from down 0-2 for a key 3-2 victory at the Carolina First Arena. The only other teams earn wins against CofC were Appalachian State, 3-1, on October 31 and Furman, twice. The Paladins, who ended the regular season with a 16-0 league record and a school-record 18-match winning streak, defeated the Cougars by a 3-1 score on October 4 in Charleston, S.C. and then barely held on for a 3-2 victory, 16-14 in the fifth set, on November 14 in Greenville, S.C.
This season, sophomore middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.) has been a force for the College of Charleston both offensively and defensively as she currently leads the team in kills (2.57) and blocks (1.03) per set while junior right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) is second with 2.46 kills and adds averages of 1.39 digs and 0.83 blocks. Junior setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) setup the offense with a team-high 9.64 assists per set and led the team in hitting percentage at .333 while averaging 1.28 kills, 2.51 digs and 0.59 blocks.
Sophomore middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) is currently second on the team in hitting percentage (.320) and blocks (0.98) and is third in kills (2.08) while junior libero Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) leads the defense with 3.74 digs per set. She is joined defensively by senior middle blocker Jennifer Darty (Orlando, Fla.) who is averaging 0.97 blocks to place third on the team.
Nationally, the College of Charleston as a team is currently ranked 29th in the nation with an average of 2.60 blocks per set and is 91st in hitting percentage with a mark of .223.
No. 1 South Division - Furman Paladins
2009: 25-3, 16-0
2008: 21-14, 11-7
The Paladins claimed the Southern Conference regular season title with a 25-3 overall record and 16-0 league mark and have won a program record 18 straight matches entering the conference tournament. Furman has not lost since a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Clemson on September 19 but has only earned four sweeps during that time. They have also posted four five-set matches, including three consecutive at one point to Georgia Southern, Davidson and UNC Greensboro. The Paladins rallied from 2-1 deficits in the first of those two matches.
Furman currently has six players averaging more than 2.00 kills per set and is led by Kelly Kirby's 2.62 per set. She adds 1.70 digs and 0.59 blocks while Caroline Adams is averaging 2.49 kills and also leads the team in blocks at 1.00. Chandler Ambrester is second on the team at 2.58 kills and Alexis Shaffer is third with 2.49 kills and is second on the club in blocks with a mark of 0.70. Natalie Braun averages 2.38 kills and is second in digs at 3.20 digs per set while Stephanie Smith leads the Paladins in digs at 3.76.
No. 1 North Division - Samford Bulldogs
2009: 17-13, 11-5
2008: 28-5, 16-2
The Bulldogs clinched their second straight North Division title, in only their second year in the Southern Conference, with a 17-13 overall record and 11-5 mark in the league. Samford dropped decisions to Appalachian State, Elon, Furman and Georgia Southern during the regular season as well as a 3-0 loss to CofC on October 18. That was the first home loss in the Pete Hanna Center since it opened to volleyball competition in 2007. At one point the Bulldogs won five straight conference matches as part of an overall eight-match streak.
Allie Bettinger leads Samford in kills at 3.15 per set and is third in digs with an average of 2.04 while Sheriden Stangohr is second in kills at 3.05 and leads the Bulldogs in blocks with 1.26 per set. She is also hitting .310 to lead the team. Hillary Fountain paces the offense with 8.26 assists and adds 2.21 digs. Defensively, Alexis Bauer leads the way with 3.51 digs per set.
No. 2 North Division - Appalachian State
2009: 14-16, 10-6
2008: 7-25, 3-15
Appalachian State, after a 7-25 overall record a year ago and a season removed from postseason play, captured the final spot in the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament with a head-to-head victory over Elon on November 14 in their final regular season match. A thrilling 3-2 victory locked up the No. 2 seed out of the North Division for the Mountaineers and setup a rematch with top seeded Furman in the semifinals. ASU nearly knocked off the Paladins on October 16 when they took a 2-1 match lead before falling in five sets.
Kelsey Kuehner leads the team in kills at 2.29 per set while Maggie Seeds is a close second with a mark of 2.21 to go along with 0.75 blocks. Becca Norris adds 1.93 kills and 0.81 blocks while Cassie Engelgau and Caroline Sedon lead the defense with 4.55 digs and 1.37 blocks per set, respectively.
Series History vs. 2009 Southern Conference Tournament Field
The College of Charleston holds series' advantages over each of the other three teams. The Cougars are 18-7 against Appalachian State, 17-12 vs. Furman and 6-2 against Samford. This season CofC is 1-3 against the tournament field as they dropped a 3-1 decision at Appalachian State, fell in a pair of matches vs. Furman, 3-1 and 3-2, and swept Samford 3-0 in Birmingham, Alabama.
College of Charleston Postseason History vs. 2009 Tournament Field
The Cougars have played a total of six matches in the postseason against the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament Field. CofC has faced Furman three times in the Southern Conference Tournament, including in last season's championship match where they suffered a narrow 3-2 loss that snapped their streak of four consecutive tournament championships. They also met on November 20, 2004 with the Cougars claiming a 3-0 semifinal victory and on November 18, 2000. The Paladins notched a 3-1 win in that semifinal contest.
The College of Charleston has faced Appalachian State twice in the Southern Conference Tournament, earning a pair of victories in back-to-back years. They defeated the Mountaineers 3-1 on November 21, 2004 and November 20, 2005. The one-time the Cougars have faced Samford in the postseason came on November 11, 1994 when both were members of the Trans-America Athletic Conference. CofC won that TAAC Tournament match by a score of 3-0.
College of Charleston Series Records vs. 2009 Tournament Field
vs. Appalachian State: 18-7, (Last Meeting: October 31, 2009 - 3-1, Appalachian State)
vs. Furman: 17-12, (Last Meeting: November 14, 2009 - 3-2, Furman)
vs. Samford: 6-2, (Last Meeting: October 18, 2009 - 3-0, Samford)
ALL-TIME RESULTS
VS. No. 2N APPALACHIAN STATE
Oct. 31, 2009 - Appalachian State, 3-1
Nov. 16, 2008 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Oct. 25, 2008 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Oct. 27, 2007 - Appalachian State, 3-1
Sept. 29, 2007 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Oct. 21, 2006 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Sept. 23, 2006 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Nov. 4, 2005 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Oct. 7, 2005 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Nov. 20, 2005 - College of Charleston, 3-1%
Nov. 21, 2004 - College of Charleston, 3-1%
Oct. 10, 2004 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Oct. 11, 2003 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Nov. 8, 2002 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Sept. 27, 2002 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Nov. 3, 2001 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Sept. 29, 2001 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Nov. 3, 2000 - Appalachian State, 3-1
Sept. 29, 2000 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Nov. 5, 1999 - Appalachian State, 3-1
Oct. 1, 1999 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Oct. 16, 1998 - Appalachian State, 3-0
Sept. 12, 1998 - Appalachian State, 3-1
Sept. 30, 1995 - Appalachian State, 3-1
Postseason Meetings
Nov. 20, 2005 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Nov. 21, 2004 - College of Charleston, 3-1
ALL-TIME RESULTS
VS. No. 1S FURMAN
Nov. 14, 2009 - Furman, 3-2
Oct. 4, 2009 - Furman, 3-1
Nov. 23, 2008 - Furman, 3-2%
Nov. 2, 2008 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Sept. 27, 2008 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Nov. 10, 2007 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Oct. 13, 2007 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Oct. 28, 2006 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Sept. 30, 2006 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Oct. 21, 2005 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Sept. 22, 2005 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Nov. 20, 2004 - College of Charleston, 3-0%
Nov. 6, 2004 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Oct. 2, 2004 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Nov. 8, 2003 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Oct. 4, 2003 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Oct. 25, 2002 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Sept. 20, 2002 - Furman, 3-2
Oct. 20, 2001 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Oct. 12, 2001 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Oct. 21, 2000 - Furman, 3-1
Nov. 18, 2000 - Furman, 3-1%
Sept. 18, 2000 - Furman, 3-0
Oct. 22, 1999 - Furman, 3-2
Oct. 13, 1999 - Furman, 3-2
Oct. 24, 1998 - Furman, 3-2
Sept. 18, 1998 - Furman, 3-2
Nov. 2, 1996 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Sept. 25, 1993 - Furman, 3-1
Postseason Meetings
Nov. 23, 2008 - Furman, 3-2
Nov. 20, 2004 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Nov. 18, 2000 - Furman, 3-1
ALL-TIME RESULTS
VS. No. 1N SAMFORD
Oct. 18, 2009 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Oct. 18, 2008 - College of Charleston, 3-0
Oct. 5, 1996 - College of Charleston, 3-2
Oct. 27, 1995 - Samford, 3-1
Nov. 11, 1994 - College of Charleston, 3-0%
Nov. 5, 1994 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Oct. 30, 1993 - Samford, 3-2
Sept. 24, 1993 - College of Charleston, 3-1
Postseason Meetings
Nov. 11, 1994 - College of Charleston, 3-0 (Trans America Athletic Conference)
MEDIA
Live Stats
Southern Conference Volleyball Tournament Page
Southern Conference Volleyball Tournament Bracket
