Volleyball Enters Conference Play
9/20/2010 6:12:00 PM | Volleyball
Match 15: College of Charleston (10-4) at The Citadel (5-9)
When: Tuesday, Sept. 21, 6p.m.
Where: McAlister Field House (Charleston, S.C.)
Live Stats: You can access the live stat link by clicking HERE
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston volleyball team begins pursuit of their 10th consecutive Southern Conference championship as make the short drive to McAlister Field House to battle The Citadel Tuesday night at 6p.m.
The Cougars are coming off a tournament victory in the Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Invitational where they won matches against North Florida, Radford and Central Michigan.
CofC head coach Jason Kepner said starting strong in conference play is important.
"Anytime you lose a match in conference it definitely puts more pressure on you," he said. "We want to make sure we get a couple wins this week and get moving in the right direction is extremely important."
Dominating the SoCon
Since 2001 the Cougars are 149-13 in Southern Conference play, including nine consecutive conference championships. Last year CofC won the Southern Conference Tournament with a 3-0 win over Furman and advanced to their sixth NCAA tournament.
Scouting the Competition
This week will feature matches against The Citadel, Western Carolina and North Carolina A&T. The Citadel Bulldogs started the season losing their first seven games, but have rebounded to win four of their last five matches. The match vs. CofC will be the home opener for the Bulldogs. Western Carolina has already equaled their four wins from a season ago (4-9). Last season they finished 6th in the South division of the Southern Conference. The North Carolina A&T Aggies finished 2-31 last season and are off to a 1-11 start this year. The Aggies are 0-6 on the road.
Johnson getting defensive
Senior libero Paige Johnson earned Defensive Player of the Week honors from the Southern Conference for the third week of the season. Johnson was selected to the College of Charleston Classic All-Tournament team this past weekend. The Sleepy Hollow, Ill., native had a total of 65 digs in 12 sets for an average of 5.42 digs per set. Against Oregon State, Johnson tied her career high with 30 digs, which came within one of cracking the top-10 list in the school record book.
Russell in the Record Book
After being honored as the offensive player of the week for the Southern Conference in the first week of the season, senior Whitney Russell followed that up with a record-setting performance at the Carolina Challenge.
Russell's 32 kills in the match vs. South Carolina are the second most in school history, and the most since Suzanne Lowry's 45 in the '92 season. Russell leads the SoCon in kills/set.
Out-Hitting the Opponent
The Cougars have out-hit their opponents in 10 of 14 matches this season and are a perfect 10-0 in those matches. CofC is hitting at .237 compared to their opponents at .173.
Friday Night Frenzy
Friday has been a good day for the Cougar volleyball team this season. CofC is 5-0 on Friday's this season with victories over South Dakota, Chicago State, Winthrop, Cincinnati and North Florida. The Cougars have only lost three games combined in those matches.
More from Kepner
On winning their first tournament of the season last weekend
"I think it was really important because we have been talking about finishing and playing strong. Anytime you have three matches in a weekend it's always tough. We seem to always have a hard match that third time. To get over the hump and get the win in a tough five game situation against a really good team the weekend before we head into conference is important for the team, to be able to ride that momentum into conference play."
On being prepared for conference play
"We are a pretty veteran team. This is the fourth time around for this group going into conference, so I think they are a little more prepared then we have been in years past. They know conference opponents a little better and they understand how difficult it is to play in the Southern Conference on the road. I think this group is focused and ready to go this year."
On importance of getting to a good start in conference play
"Last year we lost an early one to Furman and that immediately in your division puts you behind and you have to play catch up the entire season. Starting strong in conference is a focal point for us."
