Cougars-Buccaneers Set for Tuesday Tussle

Tuesday, September 5

North Charleston, S.C.

6 PM

College of Charleston

Charleston Southern

Photo by: AlSamuels.com

9/4/2023 9:15:00 AM | Volleyball

CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston volleyball heads to Charleston Southern for a midweek match in the midst of a 10-match stretch away from TD Arena. The Cougars (2-5) enter off a 3-0 sweep of George Washington of the A10 while the Bucs (5-2) swept SIU Edwardsville in their final match of the CSU Tournament.

Charleston Southern has gone 2-1 in both weekend tournaments with a sweep at South Carolina State sprinkled in the mix while the Cougars went 1-2 in both weekend tournaments to this point.

The Buccaneers are led offensively by Giada Pais-Marden who's hitting .268 and averaging 3.18 kills/set – ranking fourth in the Big South. Indigo Young is hitting .337 with 50 kills in 25 sets (2.00 kills/set) from her middle blocker position while Angelika Rusin's 4.52 digs/set rank third in the Big South.

Charleston is hitting .243 overall led by Olivia Mae Van Der Werff's .350 swing percentage (9th in the CAA) while Lexi Wierzbicki's 3.78 kills/set rank third and freshman libero Elli Kinney's 3.32 digs/set sit seventh in the league.

Tuesday Schedule

Charleston at Charleston Southern | Tuesday, September 5 at 6:00 p.m.

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Live Stats: CSUsports.com
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QUICK HITTERS

Charleston heads to Charleston Southern for their second midweek road match in as many weeks against crosstown rivals after taking on The Citadel to close August. The Cougars are 70-10 all-time against The Citadel and Charleston Southern including a 38-8 mark against the Bucs.
Charleston had an 11-match win streak between 2004 and 2019 before Charleston Southern secure their first win last season inside the Buc Dome since 2003. The 2022 matchup was the first since 2019 and first time the Cougars traveled up I-26 since 2014.
Lexi Wierzbicki is off to a torrid start in 2023 with a career-best 3.78 kills/set through seven matches and 2.91 digs/set. The graduate outside hitter also recorded her first two career double-doubles last week against The Citadel and Georgia Southern.
Sofie Vogel reached the 100 block milestone last weekend picking up a pair at the Eagle Invitational. Vogel is also hitting .340 on the season averaging 2.14 kills/set from her middle blocker position.
Sopheea Mink has been an instant impact addition to the Charleston attack with her 49 kills and 26 digs. Mink spent her first four seasons at High Point before graduate transferring to CofC.
Freshman libero Elli Kinney has led the Charleston backline through her first seven collegiate matches posting 3.32 digs/set while classmate setter Hannah Scott is averaging 8.36 assists/set good for fourth in the CAA.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

Charleston Southern went 2-1 at their home tournament over the weekend downing North Carolina A&T 3-2 and SIU Edwardsville 3-0 after being swept 3-0 by Chattanooga. The Buccaneers rank among the top-3 of the Big South in a few statistical categories, most notably opponents' hitting percentage (.169 | 2nd), hitting percentage (.202 | 3rd), opponent assists (10.50/set | 1st) and opponent kills (11.42/set | 1st). Four Buccaneers have put down at least 30 kills on the season led by Giada Paris-Marden's 70 (3.18/set) and Skylar Yates' 53 (2.30/set) while the backline is paced by Angelika Rusin's 4.52 digs/set and Brenna Rowland's 0.94 blocks/set.