LU Looks for 15th Straight Win Over Radford
10/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Live Streaming Video link (Big South EDGE)
Live Statistics link
The Liberty volleyball team opens a stretch of three home matches in five days, Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. versus in-state rival Radford. The Lady Flames will aim to complete a season sweep of the Highlanders and capture their 15th consecutive win in the teams' head-to-head series.
Liberty and Radford will be meeting for the second time in two weeks, after the Lady Flames recorded a 3-0 sweep at Peters Hall on Oct. 7. The Lady Flames, now halfway through their 16-match Big South Conference schedule, sit in second place in the conference standings at 7-1.
The Match
Tuesday, Oct. 21 (Vines Center)
7 p.m. – Radford (7-11, 2-6 Big South) at Liberty (16-6, 7-1 Big South)
How to Follow the Lady Flames
Tuesday's match versus Radford will be televised live on WTLU by the announcing team of Ray Jones (play-by-play) and Lee Beaumont (color). The broadcast will also be available on RTN 13.2, the digital station for Lynchburg's WSET ABC 13, and video streamed live through the Big South EDGE. For more information, please click the link at the top of this release or click "Live Video" on the Liberty volleyball schedule/results page.
Live stats will be available for the Liberty-Radford match. They are accessible by clicking the link at the top of this release or clicking "Live Stats" on the volleyball schedule/results page of LibertyFlames.com.
A Look at Liberty
Liberty, coached by Shane Pinder (75-74 in his fifth season), made a bit of history in its most recent match, both as a team and individually. The Lady Flames swept Winthrop, 3-0, last Friday, becoming the first visiting Big South team to win at the Winthrop Coliseum since Nov. 14, 2003. The Eagles had been victorious in their last 34 home matches against Big South foes.
Individually, senior middle blocker Ashley Webber led the way, fashioning the best offensive match of her career. Webber led all players and equaled a career high with 14 kills and did so on just 16 total attempts. Her .875 attack percentage broke the school record of .857, which had stood for 19 seasons.
1,000/1,000 Club
Senior outside hitter Jessica Nelson enters Tuesday's contest with 985 career kills and 1,023 career digs, putting her on the cusp of joining the career 1,000/1,000 club.
Nelson would be the first Lady Flame to finish her career with more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs since current assistant coach Jennifer (Belk) Vaden, who graduated in 2004.
Trading Spaces
Nelson played a new position, Tuesday at Winthrop, shifting from outside hitter to libero, while sophomore Karyl Bacon moved from the libero spot to outside hitter. Nelson became the Lady Flames' third different libero this season, joining Bacon and freshman Kelly Haseman.
The position swap seemed to work out well. The team won the match, 3-0, and the two players combined for 44 digs. Bacon tallied a season-high 27 digs, while Nelson added 17.
Additionally, Nelson wore a new uniform number, No. 10, during the Winthrop match. Meanwhile, Haseman sported Nelson's usual No. 14 when she entered the contest.
3,500/1,000 Club
Junior setter Kallie Corbin is attempting to make some history of her own. She has notched 3,479 career assists and 964 career digs. No Liberty player has ever tallied more than 3,500 assists and 1,000 digs in her career.
Masterful McCarty
Junior middle blocker Chelaine McCarty has excelled in three previous matches against Radford. She is averaging 13 kills and three blocks per match, while hitting .507 versus the Highlanders. Her career high of 19 kills came on Sept. 22, 2007 at Radford. Additionally, her performances against Radford have led to a pair of Big South Volleyball Player of the Week awards.
Eight Blocks is Enough
When Liberty has blocked well this season, the Lady Flames have won. In fact, Liberty is 11-0 when recording eight or more rejections. Conversely, the Lady Flames are only 5-6 when failing to reach the eight-block plateau.
Big South's Best
Four Liberty players are ranked among the top five on the Big South statistical leaderboard. McCarty leads the conference in attack percentage (.356), while position mate Webber sits second in blocks per set (0.91 bps). Corbin is listed second in assists per set (9.87 aps), while sophomore Scripko is ranked third in both service aces per set (0.37 aps) and kills per set (3.52 kps).
Numerous Lady Flames have increased their statistical production in Big South matches. McCarty also leads the conference in attack percentage in conference-only contests (.387), while Webber is tops in blocks per set (1.07 bps). In Big South matches only, Corbin leads the conference in assists per set (10.63 aps) and is third in service aces per set (0.48 aps). Meanwhile, Scripko ranks second in kills per set (4.00 kps) and fifth in aces per set (0.44 aps). Bacon has moved up to fourth in digs per set during conference action (4.74 dps).
Scouting Report
Radford – 7-11, 2-6 Big South
Marci Jenkins is 7-11 in her first season as head coach at Radford, and came to the Highlanders after two years as head coach at Chowan. Her overall collegiate head coaching record stands at 37-37, in her third year.
Radford's offensive leader, 5-10 sophomore outside hitter Laura Waddell, hails from E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg. She has recorded a team-high 176 kills this season and has played two matches against Liberty during her collegiate career. In addition to the Lady Flames' Oct. 7 match at Radford, Waddell played for East Tennessee State when Liberty defeated the Buccaneers on Oct. 15, 2007. However, Tuesday's match will mark her first contest in Lynchburg as a collegiate volleyball player.
Both of the Highlanders' conference victories have come at home, versus Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville. They are 2-5 on the road this season.
Middle blockers starred in Liberty's 3-0 sweep at Radford on Oct. 7. Chelaine McCarty hit .588 with a team-high 11 kills, while Ashley Webber added six blocks on her birthday. Megan McWhorter, a 5-11 freshman outside hitter, paced the Highlanders with 11 kills and hit .348.
Liberty has won 14 straight matches versus Radford, giving the Lady Flames a 31-25 lead in the all-time head-to-head series. The Highlanders' last win over Liberty came on Nov. 6, 2001, by a 3-2 margin at the Vines Center.
Live Statistics link
The Liberty volleyball team opens a stretch of three home matches in five days, Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. versus in-state rival Radford. The Lady Flames will aim to complete a season sweep of the Highlanders and capture their 15th consecutive win in the teams' head-to-head series.
Liberty and Radford will be meeting for the second time in two weeks, after the Lady Flames recorded a 3-0 sweep at Peters Hall on Oct. 7. The Lady Flames, now halfway through their 16-match Big South Conference schedule, sit in second place in the conference standings at 7-1.
The Match
Tuesday, Oct. 21 (Vines Center)
7 p.m. – Radford (7-11, 2-6 Big South) at Liberty (16-6, 7-1 Big South)
How to Follow the Lady Flames
Tuesday's match versus Radford will be televised live on WTLU by the announcing team of Ray Jones (play-by-play) and Lee Beaumont (color). The broadcast will also be available on RTN 13.2, the digital station for Lynchburg's WSET ABC 13, and video streamed live through the Big South EDGE. For more information, please click the link at the top of this release or click "Live Video" on the Liberty volleyball schedule/results page.
Live stats will be available for the Liberty-Radford match. They are accessible by clicking the link at the top of this release or clicking "Live Stats" on the volleyball schedule/results page of LibertyFlames.com.
A Look at Liberty
Liberty, coached by Shane Pinder (75-74 in his fifth season), made a bit of history in its most recent match, both as a team and individually. The Lady Flames swept Winthrop, 3-0, last Friday, becoming the first visiting Big South team to win at the Winthrop Coliseum since Nov. 14, 2003. The Eagles had been victorious in their last 34 home matches against Big South foes.
Individually, senior middle blocker Ashley Webber led the way, fashioning the best offensive match of her career. Webber led all players and equaled a career high with 14 kills and did so on just 16 total attempts. Her .875 attack percentage broke the school record of .857, which had stood for 19 seasons.
1,000/1,000 Club
Senior outside hitter Jessica Nelson enters Tuesday's contest with 985 career kills and 1,023 career digs, putting her on the cusp of joining the career 1,000/1,000 club.
Nelson would be the first Lady Flame to finish her career with more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs since current assistant coach Jennifer (Belk) Vaden, who graduated in 2004.
Trading Spaces
Nelson played a new position, Tuesday at Winthrop, shifting from outside hitter to libero, while sophomore Karyl Bacon moved from the libero spot to outside hitter. Nelson became the Lady Flames' third different libero this season, joining Bacon and freshman Kelly Haseman.
The position swap seemed to work out well. The team won the match, 3-0, and the two players combined for 44 digs. Bacon tallied a season-high 27 digs, while Nelson added 17.
Additionally, Nelson wore a new uniform number, No. 10, during the Winthrop match. Meanwhile, Haseman sported Nelson's usual No. 14 when she entered the contest.
3,500/1,000 Club
Junior setter Kallie Corbin is attempting to make some history of her own. She has notched 3,479 career assists and 964 career digs. No Liberty player has ever tallied more than 3,500 assists and 1,000 digs in her career.
Masterful McCarty
Junior middle blocker Chelaine McCarty has excelled in three previous matches against Radford. She is averaging 13 kills and three blocks per match, while hitting .507 versus the Highlanders. Her career high of 19 kills came on Sept. 22, 2007 at Radford. Additionally, her performances against Radford have led to a pair of Big South Volleyball Player of the Week awards.
Eight Blocks is Enough
When Liberty has blocked well this season, the Lady Flames have won. In fact, Liberty is 11-0 when recording eight or more rejections. Conversely, the Lady Flames are only 5-6 when failing to reach the eight-block plateau.
Big South's Best
Four Liberty players are ranked among the top five on the Big South statistical leaderboard. McCarty leads the conference in attack percentage (.356), while position mate Webber sits second in blocks per set (0.91 bps). Corbin is listed second in assists per set (9.87 aps), while sophomore Scripko is ranked third in both service aces per set (0.37 aps) and kills per set (3.52 kps).
Numerous Lady Flames have increased their statistical production in Big South matches. McCarty also leads the conference in attack percentage in conference-only contests (.387), while Webber is tops in blocks per set (1.07 bps). In Big South matches only, Corbin leads the conference in assists per set (10.63 aps) and is third in service aces per set (0.48 aps). Meanwhile, Scripko ranks second in kills per set (4.00 kps) and fifth in aces per set (0.44 aps). Bacon has moved up to fourth in digs per set during conference action (4.74 dps).
Scouting Report
Radford – 7-11, 2-6 Big South
Marci Jenkins is 7-11 in her first season as head coach at Radford, and came to the Highlanders after two years as head coach at Chowan. Her overall collegiate head coaching record stands at 37-37, in her third year.
Radford's offensive leader, 5-10 sophomore outside hitter Laura Waddell, hails from E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg. She has recorded a team-high 176 kills this season and has played two matches against Liberty during her collegiate career. In addition to the Lady Flames' Oct. 7 match at Radford, Waddell played for East Tennessee State when Liberty defeated the Buccaneers on Oct. 15, 2007. However, Tuesday's match will mark her first contest in Lynchburg as a collegiate volleyball player.
Both of the Highlanders' conference victories have come at home, versus Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville. They are 2-5 on the road this season.
Middle blockers starred in Liberty's 3-0 sweep at Radford on Oct. 7. Chelaine McCarty hit .588 with a team-high 11 kills, while Ashley Webber added six blocks on her birthday. Megan McWhorter, a 5-11 freshman outside hitter, paced the Highlanders with 11 kills and hit .348.
Liberty has won 14 straight matches versus Radford, giving the Lady Flames a 31-25 lead in the all-time head-to-head series. The Highlanders' last win over Liberty came on Nov. 6, 2001, by a 3-2 margin at the Vines Center.
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