Big South VB Championship to Begin Thursday
11/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Complete Tournament Notes (PDF format)
Big South Tournament Central webpage
Live Video Streaming (Big South Network)
Live Stats
The Match
The No. 2 seed Liberty Lady Flames (18-11, 13-3 Big South) will begin pursuit of their third consecutive Big South title Thursday at noon, when they play No. 7 seed Gardner-Webb (12-21, 4-12 Big South) in the quarterfinal round of the Big South Volleyball Championshp. The entire tournament will be played at the Dedmon Center in Radford, Va.
What's at Stake
The winner of Thursday's match will advance to a semifinal contest Friday at 4:30 p.m., versus the winner between No. 3 seed Winthrop and No. 6 seed Charleston Southern. The championship match is set for Saturday at 2 p.m., with the victor advancing to the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship.
How to Follow the Lady Flames
All seven matches of the 2009 Big South Volleyball Championship will be video streamed LIVE via the Big South Network. Also, live stats will be provided for every match.
Looking Back at Last Year
Liberty dropped only one set on its way to a second consecutive Big South championship, last season at UNC Asheville's Justice Center. The Lady Flames swept Gardner-Webb and the host Bulldogs in the first two rounds, before defeating Coastal Carolina, 3-1, in the championship match. Kallie Corbin repeated as Big South Championship MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by Karyl Bacon and Nicki Scripko.
Scouting Gardner-Webb
Gardner-Webb enters the Big South Championship with a 12-21 overall record and a 4-12 conference mark. The Bulldogs upset Coastal Carolina, 3-1, in their final regular-season match, snapping a six-match losing streak.
The Bulldogs feature eight freshmen and sophomores on their 11-player roster, including a number of their team leaders. Sophomore middle blocker Laura Wilcox, the 2008 Big South Freshman of the Year, ranks fourth in the Big South with a .330 attack percentage. She is tied for the team lead in kills (356) with freshman Molly Rhyne, a candidate for this year's Big South Freshman of the Year honor.
The Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach Shane Pinder is 102-88 in his sixth season with the Lady Flames. The 2007 Big South Coach of the Year has guided Liberty to three straight Big South regular-season titles and back-to-back tournament championships. The Lady Flames are 70-29 in the past three seasons under his direction, including 5-0 versus Gardner-Webb.
Chris Phillips is 53-103 in her fifth season as Gardner-Webb's head coach and 398-372 in 21 total seasons as a collegiate head coach. She coached Liberty for a total of 11 seasons (1992-97, 1999-2003), leading the Lady Flames to Big South titles in 1997, 1999 and 2001. She is 0-5 coaching against Liberty.
Liberty-Gardner-Webb Series Notes
Liberty is 6-0 all-time versus Gardner-Webb, after sweeping the teams' regular-season series this season. The Lady Flames came back from a 2-0 deficit to claim an improbable 3-2 win, Oct. 9 at Gardner-Webb. Liberty then posted a 3-0 sweep of the Bulldogs, Nov. 7 at the Vines Center.
The Lady Flames and Bulldogs are meeting in the Big South quarterfinal round for the second consecutive season. In 2008, Liberty claimed a 3-0 victory in Gardner-Webb's first-ever Big South Championship contest.
Liberty in the Big South Championship (By Seed)
#1 Seed: (5 times, 9-2 record, 1997, 2007 and 2008 champion, 1998 runner-up)
#2 Seed: (1 time, 3-0 record, 1999 champion)
#3 Seed: (3 times, 5-2 record, 2001 champion, 1992 runner-up)
#4 Seed: (2 times, 3-2 record, 2002 runner-up)
#5 Seed: (3 times, 3-3 record)
#6 Seed: (2 times, 0-2 record)
#7 Seed: Liberty has never been the #7 seed.
#8 Seed: (2 times, 2-2 record)
Three-Peat
Liberty shared the Big South regular-season championship with UNC Asheville, with both teams going 13-3 in conference play. The Lady Flames have now won three consecutive regular-season conference titles for the first time in program history.
Lucky 13
The Lady Flames' 13 Big South wins equaled the most in program history. The 2003 and 2008 Liberty squads also recorded 13 Big South victories.
Feels Like Home
Radford is the shortest Big South road trip the Liberty volleyball team makes each season, and the Lady Flames have enjoyed success at the Dedmon Center in recent years. Liberty has won eight consecutive matches at Radford, although the 2008 victory came at Peters Hall. The streak began on Oct. 18, 2002.
Entering on the Right Note
Liberty closed the regular season on Saturday with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at Charleston Southern. It marked the Lady Flames' 13th consecutive win in a regular-season finale.
During the last 12 seasons, Liberty has gone on to reach the Big South Championship title match on seven occasions, winning five conference titles.
2009 Individual Awards and Honors
#4 Courtney Boggs
CVU.com Top Performer (Oct. 27)
#5 Kallie Corbin
Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational All-Tournament team
Liberty Invitational presented by Pepsi All-Tournament team
Cardinal Classic All-Tournament team
Recorded 4,000th career assist
Big South Preseason Player of the Year
#7 Chelaine McCarty
Three-time Big South Player of the Week (Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 16)
CVU.com Top Performer (Sept. 29)
Liberty Invitational presented by Pepsi All-Tournament team
Black & Gold Challenge All-Tournament team
Recorded 1,000th career kill
Preseason All-Big South team
#8 Karyl Bacon
Recorded 1,000th career dig
#10 Kelly Haseman
Big South Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 26)
#13 Nicki Scripko
Cardinal Classic All-Tournament team
Recorded 1,000th career kill
Preseason All-Big South team
#21 Loren Thomas
Two-time Big South Freshman of the Week (Sept. 28, Oct. 12)
Head Coach Shane Pinder
Recorded 100th career win
Big South Tournament Central webpage
Live Video Streaming (Big South Network)
Live Stats
The Match
The No. 2 seed Liberty Lady Flames (18-11, 13-3 Big South) will begin pursuit of their third consecutive Big South title Thursday at noon, when they play No. 7 seed Gardner-Webb (12-21, 4-12 Big South) in the quarterfinal round of the Big South Volleyball Championshp. The entire tournament will be played at the Dedmon Center in Radford, Va.
What's at Stake
The winner of Thursday's match will advance to a semifinal contest Friday at 4:30 p.m., versus the winner between No. 3 seed Winthrop and No. 6 seed Charleston Southern. The championship match is set for Saturday at 2 p.m., with the victor advancing to the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship.
How to Follow the Lady Flames
All seven matches of the 2009 Big South Volleyball Championship will be video streamed LIVE via the Big South Network. Also, live stats will be provided for every match.
Looking Back at Last Year
Liberty dropped only one set on its way to a second consecutive Big South championship, last season at UNC Asheville's Justice Center. The Lady Flames swept Gardner-Webb and the host Bulldogs in the first two rounds, before defeating Coastal Carolina, 3-1, in the championship match. Kallie Corbin repeated as Big South Championship MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by Karyl Bacon and Nicki Scripko.
Scouting Gardner-Webb
Gardner-Webb enters the Big South Championship with a 12-21 overall record and a 4-12 conference mark. The Bulldogs upset Coastal Carolina, 3-1, in their final regular-season match, snapping a six-match losing streak.
The Bulldogs feature eight freshmen and sophomores on their 11-player roster, including a number of their team leaders. Sophomore middle blocker Laura Wilcox, the 2008 Big South Freshman of the Year, ranks fourth in the Big South with a .330 attack percentage. She is tied for the team lead in kills (356) with freshman Molly Rhyne, a candidate for this year's Big South Freshman of the Year honor.
The Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach Shane Pinder is 102-88 in his sixth season with the Lady Flames. The 2007 Big South Coach of the Year has guided Liberty to three straight Big South regular-season titles and back-to-back tournament championships. The Lady Flames are 70-29 in the past three seasons under his direction, including 5-0 versus Gardner-Webb.
Chris Phillips is 53-103 in her fifth season as Gardner-Webb's head coach and 398-372 in 21 total seasons as a collegiate head coach. She coached Liberty for a total of 11 seasons (1992-97, 1999-2003), leading the Lady Flames to Big South titles in 1997, 1999 and 2001. She is 0-5 coaching against Liberty.
Liberty-Gardner-Webb Series Notes
Liberty is 6-0 all-time versus Gardner-Webb, after sweeping the teams' regular-season series this season. The Lady Flames came back from a 2-0 deficit to claim an improbable 3-2 win, Oct. 9 at Gardner-Webb. Liberty then posted a 3-0 sweep of the Bulldogs, Nov. 7 at the Vines Center.
The Lady Flames and Bulldogs are meeting in the Big South quarterfinal round for the second consecutive season. In 2008, Liberty claimed a 3-0 victory in Gardner-Webb's first-ever Big South Championship contest.
Liberty in the Big South Championship (By Seed)
#1 Seed: (5 times, 9-2 record, 1997, 2007 and 2008 champion, 1998 runner-up)
#2 Seed: (1 time, 3-0 record, 1999 champion)
#3 Seed: (3 times, 5-2 record, 2001 champion, 1992 runner-up)
#4 Seed: (2 times, 3-2 record, 2002 runner-up)
#5 Seed: (3 times, 3-3 record)
#6 Seed: (2 times, 0-2 record)
#7 Seed: Liberty has never been the #7 seed.
#8 Seed: (2 times, 2-2 record)
Three-Peat
Liberty shared the Big South regular-season championship with UNC Asheville, with both teams going 13-3 in conference play. The Lady Flames have now won three consecutive regular-season conference titles for the first time in program history.
Lucky 13
The Lady Flames' 13 Big South wins equaled the most in program history. The 2003 and 2008 Liberty squads also recorded 13 Big South victories.
Feels Like Home
Radford is the shortest Big South road trip the Liberty volleyball team makes each season, and the Lady Flames have enjoyed success at the Dedmon Center in recent years. Liberty has won eight consecutive matches at Radford, although the 2008 victory came at Peters Hall. The streak began on Oct. 18, 2002.
Entering on the Right Note
Liberty closed the regular season on Saturday with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at Charleston Southern. It marked the Lady Flames' 13th consecutive win in a regular-season finale.
During the last 12 seasons, Liberty has gone on to reach the Big South Championship title match on seven occasions, winning five conference titles.
2009 Individual Awards and Honors
#4 Courtney Boggs
CVU.com Top Performer (Oct. 27)
#5 Kallie Corbin
Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational All-Tournament team
Liberty Invitational presented by Pepsi All-Tournament team
Cardinal Classic All-Tournament team
Recorded 4,000th career assist
Big South Preseason Player of the Year
#7 Chelaine McCarty
Three-time Big South Player of the Week (Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 16)
CVU.com Top Performer (Sept. 29)
Liberty Invitational presented by Pepsi All-Tournament team
Black & Gold Challenge All-Tournament team
Recorded 1,000th career kill
Preseason All-Big South team
#8 Karyl Bacon
Recorded 1,000th career dig
#10 Kelly Haseman
Big South Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 26)
#13 Nicki Scripko
Cardinal Classic All-Tournament team
Recorded 1,000th career kill
Preseason All-Big South team
#21 Loren Thomas
Two-time Big South Freshman of the Week (Sept. 28, Oct. 12)
Head Coach Shane Pinder
Recorded 100th career win
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