Cougars Head to Hampton For Regular Season Finale

Saturday, November 11

Hampton, Va.

5 PM

College of Charleston

Hampton

Photo by: AlSamuels.com

11/10/2023 12:12:00 PM | Volleyball

11.11.23 Hampton

CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston faces Hampton for the first time since 1998 in the regular season finale this weekend. Charleston currently holds the sixth and final spot in the CAA Tournament set to begin next week and can officially punch their ticket against the Pirates.

Key performances from seniors Sofie Vogel, Sopheea Mink and Lexi Wierzbicki on Senior Day led Charleston to a 3-2 thriller over Hofstra to leapfrog the Pride in the CAA standings and complete the weekend sweep.

Charleston rides a three-match win streak as the calendar flips to November. Their three-straight wins are behind only Towson and Delaware - the current No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the CAA standings.

Weekend Schedule

Charleston at Hampton | November 11 at 4:00 PM
Charleston at Hampton | November 12 at 1:00 PM

Video: FloVolleyball
Live Stats: CofCstats.com
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Charleston went 2-0 against Hofstra over the weekend, defeating the Pride in straight sets on Saturday and five on Sunday. CofC won its final six home matches during the regular season.

Sopheea Mink paced Charleston with 32 kills (4.00/set), hitting .450 for the weekend. The senior outside hitter reached double figures in both matches, recording 15 on Saturday and a career-best 17 on Sunday.

Sofie Vogel led the defensive effort with 16 blocks (2.00/set). The senior tallied a career-high 12 blocks in the finale, marking the most by a Cougar this fall and the third-highest total by a CAA student-athlete.

Hampton is in their second season as a CAA member after spending three seasons in the Big South Conference. The Cougars and Pirates didn't meet last season with the CAA's two-match series schedule model. Charleston won the only meeting on Sept. 5, 1998 in 3-0 fashion in Rock Hill, S.C.

Charleston currently holds the No. 6 seed in the 2023 CAA Championships ahead of their trip to Hampton. The Cougars can climb to the No. 4 seed with a pair of wins and one loss from either Stony Brook or Northeastern.

Both Stony Brook and Northeastern play critical series to close the season with the Seawolves heading to Hofstra with a bid on the line while the Huskies host No. 1 Towson in a potential CAA Tournament matchup.

Tynley Smeltzer enters the weekend just 31 digs shy of 1,000 in her career and can become the 22nd Cougar to reach that milestone. Smeltzer would be the first Cougar to reach 1,000 digs since current assistant coach Lauren Freed, who accomplished the feat her 2019 senior season.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Hampton (0-16, 0-16 CAA) went 0-2 in a pair of matches against Campbell this weekend. The Lady Pirates fell in four sets on Saturday and straight sets on Sunday. Kristine Teivane led Hampton with 17 kills (2.43/set) while adding 18 digs (2.53/set). Teivane recorded her first double-double this season with 11 kills and 13 digs on Saturday. Both totals were season highs for the senior.

Kylah Hunter paced the Lady Pirates with 25 digs (3.57/set). Hunter tallied a season-high 18 digs in the weekend finale. It marks her fifth performance this fall with 10 or more digs.