Friday, October 17
Rock Hill, S.C.
7:00 PM
Liberty University
16-6, 7-1
3
at
0
Winthrop
7-13, 3-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Winthrop | 17 | 19 | 15 | 0 |
Webber Sets School Mark in Win over Winthrop
10/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
On Friday evening, the Liberty volleyball team became the first visiting Big South squad to defeat Winthrop at the Winthrop Coliseum since Nov. 14, 2003, halting the Eagles' 34-match home winning streak versus conference foes. The Lady Flames did so in style, winning 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-15) as senior Ashley Webber set a program record by hitting .875 for the match.
Liberty is now 16-6 overall and 7-1 in the Big South Conference, after coming away from the Winthrop Coliseum victorious for the first time since Oct. 31, 2003. The Lady Flames remain one match behind conference leader High Point in the Big South standings. Meanwhile, Winthrop falls to 7-13 overall and 3-4 in conference action.
Webber (MB, Lakeside, Calif.) tallied a kill on the very first rally of the evening, setting the tone for the remainder of the match. Liberty seized control of set one with a 6-0 burst, keyed by Nicki Scripko (So., OH, Fayetteville, N.C.). She provided a kill to open the run and then served for five consecutive points, lifting Liberty to a 15-7 advantage. The Lady Flames went on to claim a 25-17 decision, as Karyl Bacon (So., OH/DS, Temecula, Calif.) ended the stanza with back-to-back kills.
Bacon, who moved from libero to outside hitter for Friday's contest, flourished at her new position, pacing the Lady Flames in both kills (5) and digs (6) during the first set. Meanwhile, Jessica Nelson (R-Sr., OH, Tokyo, Japan) started at libero for the first time this season and added five digs. Teammate Webber provided a sign of things to come by posting kills on all four of her swings in set one.
A pair of serving runs by Chelaine McCarty (Jr., MB, Houston, Ala.) played important roles in Liberty's 25-19 triumph in the second set. The score was knotted five times during the early going, before McCarty served for four points, including an ace. The surge put Liberty on top, 10-5.
Winthrop battled back, and a trio of Sara Felts kills helped pull the homestanding Eagles within one, at 18-17. McCarty's kill on the ensuing rally stopped the Winthrop run and set the stage for four more points on her own serve. Now up by a 23-17 count, the Lady Flames were well on their way to a 2-0 lead in the match.
Webber was again proficient efficiently during the second frame, hitting .833 with five kills. Defensively, Bacon stood out for the Lady Flames, totaling a set-high 10 digs.
Winthrop took a pair of one-point leads early in the third set, but Liberty proved to be too much down the stretch. One final four-point serving run by McCarty, highlighted by three straight Webber kills, put an exclamation point on the Lady Flames' 25-15 victory.
Webber and Scripko evenly divided 10 kills for Liberty during the third stanza and contributed to the Lady Flames' .457 team attack percentage. Meanwhile, Bacon continued her stellar defensive work with 11 digs. Winthrop's Shannon Sitzmann hit .571 with four kills in a losing effort.
On the evening, Liberty outhit Winthrop, .333 to .151, and outdug its host, 63 to 49. The Lady Flames also utilized six service aces, three by Nelson.
Webber, one of three Lady Flames with 11 or more kills, ended up equaling her career high of 14 kills, on just 16 attack attempts. The senior's .875 attack percentage improved upon the previous school record, .857, posted by Nicole Nice against District of Columbia on Nov. 4, 1989.
Fellow middle blocker McCarty chipped in with 11 kills and hit .450 for the match, while Scripko added 11 kills of her own.
On defense, Bacon and Nelson made the most of their position swap, combining for 44 of the Lady Flames' 63 digs. Bacon came up with 27 digs, the most by a Liberty player in 2008, while Nelson contributed 17.
Liberty setter Kallie Corbin (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.) led all players in both assists (39) and blocks (3), while also hitting .300 with five kills.
Another key to Liberty's win was neutralizing Preseason Big South Player of the Year Sitzmann. The Eagles' senior middle blocker was limited to a single kill during the first two sets, before finishing the contest with just five kills on a .083 attack percentage. Felts' seven kills ended up leading Winthrop, while libero Janice Rivera summed a team-best 16 digs.
Liberty will return to Lynchburg for three home matches next week. The quick-hitting homestand begins Tuesday at 7 p.m., when in-state rival Radford visits the Vines Center. The Lady Flames will attempt to complete a season sweep of the Highlanders, after sweeping Radford on its home court on Oct. 7.
Liberty is now 16-6 overall and 7-1 in the Big South Conference, after coming away from the Winthrop Coliseum victorious for the first time since Oct. 31, 2003. The Lady Flames remain one match behind conference leader High Point in the Big South standings. Meanwhile, Winthrop falls to 7-13 overall and 3-4 in conference action.
Webber (MB, Lakeside, Calif.) tallied a kill on the very first rally of the evening, setting the tone for the remainder of the match. Liberty seized control of set one with a 6-0 burst, keyed by Nicki Scripko (So., OH, Fayetteville, N.C.). She provided a kill to open the run and then served for five consecutive points, lifting Liberty to a 15-7 advantage. The Lady Flames went on to claim a 25-17 decision, as Karyl Bacon (So., OH/DS, Temecula, Calif.) ended the stanza with back-to-back kills.
Bacon, who moved from libero to outside hitter for Friday's contest, flourished at her new position, pacing the Lady Flames in both kills (5) and digs (6) during the first set. Meanwhile, Jessica Nelson (R-Sr., OH, Tokyo, Japan) started at libero for the first time this season and added five digs. Teammate Webber provided a sign of things to come by posting kills on all four of her swings in set one.
A pair of serving runs by Chelaine McCarty (Jr., MB, Houston, Ala.) played important roles in Liberty's 25-19 triumph in the second set. The score was knotted five times during the early going, before McCarty served for four points, including an ace. The surge put Liberty on top, 10-5.
Winthrop battled back, and a trio of Sara Felts kills helped pull the homestanding Eagles within one, at 18-17. McCarty's kill on the ensuing rally stopped the Winthrop run and set the stage for four more points on her own serve. Now up by a 23-17 count, the Lady Flames were well on their way to a 2-0 lead in the match.
Webber was again proficient efficiently during the second frame, hitting .833 with five kills. Defensively, Bacon stood out for the Lady Flames, totaling a set-high 10 digs.
Winthrop took a pair of one-point leads early in the third set, but Liberty proved to be too much down the stretch. One final four-point serving run by McCarty, highlighted by three straight Webber kills, put an exclamation point on the Lady Flames' 25-15 victory.
Webber and Scripko evenly divided 10 kills for Liberty during the third stanza and contributed to the Lady Flames' .457 team attack percentage. Meanwhile, Bacon continued her stellar defensive work with 11 digs. Winthrop's Shannon Sitzmann hit .571 with four kills in a losing effort.
On the evening, Liberty outhit Winthrop, .333 to .151, and outdug its host, 63 to 49. The Lady Flames also utilized six service aces, three by Nelson.
Webber, one of three Lady Flames with 11 or more kills, ended up equaling her career high of 14 kills, on just 16 attack attempts. The senior's .875 attack percentage improved upon the previous school record, .857, posted by Nicole Nice against District of Columbia on Nov. 4, 1989.
Fellow middle blocker McCarty chipped in with 11 kills and hit .450 for the match, while Scripko added 11 kills of her own.
On defense, Bacon and Nelson made the most of their position swap, combining for 44 of the Lady Flames' 63 digs. Bacon came up with 27 digs, the most by a Liberty player in 2008, while Nelson contributed 17.
Liberty setter Kallie Corbin (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.) led all players in both assists (39) and blocks (3), while also hitting .300 with five kills.
Another key to Liberty's win was neutralizing Preseason Big South Player of the Year Sitzmann. The Eagles' senior middle blocker was limited to a single kill during the first two sets, before finishing the contest with just five kills on a .083 attack percentage. Felts' seven kills ended up leading Winthrop, while libero Janice Rivera summed a team-best 16 digs.
Liberty will return to Lynchburg for three home matches next week. The quick-hitting homestand begins Tuesday at 7 p.m., when in-state rival Radford visits the Vines Center. The Lady Flames will attempt to complete a season sweep of the Highlanders, after sweeping Radford on its home court on Oct. 7.
Team Stats
LIBERTY
WU
Kills
51
31
Errors
12
13
Attempts
117
119
Hitting %
.333
.151
Points
62.0
34.0
Assists
47
29
Aces
6
1
Blocks
5.0
2.0
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Tuesday, November 18
Saturday, October 11
Saturday, September 27
Wednesday, September 24