BC Invitational Tournament Notes.pdfMOBILE, Ala. – After three weeks of preseason camp, the University of South Alabama volleyball team will open the 2015 season this weekend when the Jaguars compete at the BC Invitational hosted by Boston College at Power Gym. USA will face the host Eagles on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and then take on Sacred Heart and Providence on Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT) and 3:30 p.m. (CT), respectively.
Heading into the season, head coach Amy Hendrichovsky is eager to see where her team is coming out of camp.
"I'm very excited to start our 2015 season," Hendrichovsky said entering her fourth year at the helm of the program. "The first weekend is an opportunity to see where we are as a team. It is always nice to play teams from different conferences. Some teams will present things we haven't seen and allow us to face some challenges early in the season. Overall this weekend will show us our strengths as a team and possibly some things we need to work on.
"Our team loves to play and has competed well against each other in training camp however, they are hungry to face someone new. They feel prepared to go into this season and are motivated to play their first match against an ACC opponent. The energy and excitement in our gym right now is contagious and they can't wait to put our team together on one side of the net and compete as one unit."
Live stats for all three of the Jaguars' matches this weekend can be accessed on the volleyball schedule page at www.USAJaguars.com. Web streaming plans for the tournament matches have not been finalized yet.
The meeting versus all three opponents will be the first for South Alabama as the program has never faced Boston College, Sacred Heart or Providence.
South Alabama returns 10 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's squad, which finished the season with a 12-19 overall mark and a 7-13 Sun Belt record. Highlighting the list of returners for the Jags is second-team all-conference selection Mechell Daniel. The junior opposite side hitter who ranked sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in both kills (378 – 3.38 kps) and points (3.66). Daniel also recorded a team-best 14 double-doubles last season and has 28 during her two years as USA.
Junior Abby Baker registered a team-best 381 digs and led the club with 3.37 digs per set a year ago. Baker enters the 2015 season 56 digs shy of moving into the top 10 on USA's career digs chart. Redshirt junior middle blocker Nikki Gittens enters her fourth season with the program after leading the club with 83 total blocks, including seven solo blocks and 76 block assists, during the 2014 campaign.
The Jaguars also welcome seven newcomers to the team this season – Kristina Alabastro, Arissa Chappell, Avery Cooper, Alex Davis, Parker Harrell, Katelyn Lochner and Gosia Szustak.
Emily Hunt, who has been a starter at the setter position the past three seasons, is transitioning to defensive specialist for her final collegiate season. Hundt had 20 digs for the Red Team in the Red/Blue Scrimmage this past weekend. Daniel and Savannah Stewart also had double-doubles for the Red Team in the annual scrimmage. Daniel finished the match with 15 kills and 14 digs, while Stewart recorded 14 kills and 15 digs of her own. Senior outside hitter Deanna Canfield led the Blue squad with 13 kills.
Boston College returns 10 letterwinners as well from his 2014 squad that went 11-18 overall and 6-12 in ACC play. BC is led by senior Katty Workman who is set to become the Eagles' all-time leader in kills, kills per set and attacks before her career ends. Workman enters 2015 with 1,258 kills – 191 shy of the school record held by Kelsey Johnson, which was set during the '08 season. She is currently the school's leader in career kills per set with a 3.77 per set mark, 0.30 more than Johnson's second-place mark of 3.47.
Workman led the Eagles with 408 kills and a 3.64 kps average during the 2014 season, which ranked fourth in the ACC. She recorded 14 double-doubles and currently holds the program mark for double-doubles in a career with 41. Boston College also returns Julia Tupor (2.67) and Sol Calbete (2.15) who ranked second and third on the club offensively.
BC will have to replace graduated libero Courtney Castle who ranked second in the ACC in serving with 0.36 aces per set and fifth in the league in digs with 4.17 per set. As a team, the Eagles were third in the ACC in both categories.
Sacred Heart is coming off a 9-19 finished sixth last season in the Northeast Conference after going 4-10 against league opponents. SHU returns six starters off the 2014 roster, including junior Sarah Krufka who was named to the all-NEC Second Team after leading Sacred Heart with 3.44 kills and 3.93 points per set. Krufka ranked third in the league in both kills and points.
Along with Krufka, senior Tori Kemper's 2.84 kps were 10th-most in the Northeast Conference. Sophomore Makayla Dole was ninth in the NEC in points with 3.24 per set and second in the conference in serving with 0.35 aces per set.
Defensively, junior libero Ana Gonzalez led the NEC from behind the serving line with 43 aces for a 0.40 aces per set average. Gonzalez ranked sixth in digs with 3.82 per set.
The Pioneers led the NEC in serving aces (1.74) and was second in the conference in both kills (12.64) and assists (11.97).
Sacred Heart has five true freshmen listed on its roster.
Providence enters the 2015 season after finishing 6-26 overall and 2-16 in the Big East a year ago. Offensively, the Friars are paced by a pair of junior outside hitters – Kayla Fitzgerald and Kayla Johnson. Fitzgerald led the club with 265 kills and a 2.57 kills per set average, while also recording 189 digs. In 67 sets of play, Johnson averaged 2.37 kills per set for Providence.
On the defensive side of the net, junior defensive specialist Michelle Cruz, who was second in the Big East in digs with 527. Cruz also averaged 4.79 per set for the Friars during the 2014 season. Cruz was also tied with three other players in the conference for sixth in serving.
The Friars welcome six freshmen to their roster this season.
NOTES: This weekend marks the first-ever meeting for South Alabama versus Boston College, Sacred Heart and Providence. USA holds an all-time record of 2-22 (.083) versus current members from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The last time the Jaguars defeated an ACC member was back during 1988 season when South Alabama defeated Clemson, 3-1 at the Lady Blazer Invitational in Birmingham, Ala. USA also holds a 3-1 victory over Clemson back during the 1985 season. South Alabama holds an all-time record of 1-0 (1.000) versus current members from the Northeast Conference. The only other meeting versus the NEC came during the 2000 season when USA picked up a 3-2 win over Robert Morris at Coastal Carolina Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. USA holds an all-time record of 1-2 (.333) versus current members from the Big East Conference. The last time the Jaguars faced a Big East member was during the 2007 season when USA fell in straight sets to DePaul at the DePaul Invitational in Chicago, Ill. South Alabama's one-and-only win versus the league came during the 1994 season with a five-set win over Creighton at Tulane Invitational in New Orleans, La.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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