Liberty Invitational Set to Begin Friday
9/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Live Video Streaming (Big South Network)
Live Stats
Tournament Informational Webpage
The Liberty volleyball team will open the home portion of its 2009 schedule this weekend, when the Lady Flames host the Liberty Invitational presented by Pepsi at the Vines Center. Liberty's first of three weekend matches will be a Friday 7 p.m. contest against East Tennessee State.
The 1-2 Lady Flames will then play a pair of matches on Saturday, hosting Howard at 10:30 a.m. and Elon at 6 p.m. In total, the tournament will feature six matches over two days.
Liberty Invitational presented by Pepsi Schedule
Lynchburg, Va. (Vines Center)
Friday, Sept. 4
4:30 p.m. – Elon (5-0, 0-0 Southern) vs. Howard (0-4, 0-0 MEAC)
7 p.m. – East Tennessee State (0-3, 0-0 Atlantic Sun) at Liberty (1-2, 0-0 Big South)
Saturday, Sept. 5
10:30 a.m. – Howard at Liberty
1 p.m. – East Tennessee State vs. Elon
3:30 p.m. – East Tennessee State vs. Howard
6 p.m. – Elon at Liberty
How to Follow the Lady Flames
All three of Liberty's matches this weekend will be televised on WTLU by the broadcasting team of Ray Jones (play-by-play) and former Lady Flame volleyball standout Erin McKeown (color). The broadcasts will also be available on RTN 13.2, the digital station for Lynchburg's WSET ABC 13, and video streamed live via the Big South Network. For more information, please click the "Live Video Streaming" link at the top of this page or click "Live Video" on the Liberty volleyball schedule/results page.
Live stats for all six tournament matches will be available on LibertyFlames.com. They are accessible by clicking the "Live Stats" link at the top of this page or clicking "Live Stats" on the Liberty volleyball schedule/results page.
An informational webpage has been created for the Liberty Invitational presented by Pepsi, including the tournament schedule, information about each of participating teams, a campus map, driving directions and much more. Results and statistics will also be added to this page as the tournament progresses. To view these features, click the "Tournament Informational Webpage" link at the top of this page.
A Look at Liberty
The Liberty Lady Flames, coached by Shane Pinder (85-79, six seasons), went 1-2 last weekend at the season-opening Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational in Blacksburg, Va. The Lady Flames swept UNC Greensboro, 3-0, in their season lid-lifter on Aug. 28. Liberty then dropped a 3-1 decision to Montana and a 3-0 contest to Virginia Tech the next day.
Senior setter Kallie Corbin led the way for the Lady Flames, pacing the squad in both assists (111) and attack percentage (.300). She was named to the all-tournament team at the conclusion of the two-day event.
Other Liberty team leaders included senior middle blocker Chelaine McCarty (seven aces), junior outside hitter Nicki Scripko (40 kills) and sophomore libero Kelly Haseman (48 digs, two aces).
Home Openers
Liberty has won five of its last seven home openers at the Vines Center. However, the Lady Flames lost 3-1 to VCU in their first home match a season ago, on Sept. 30.
Home Cooking
The Vines Center has proven to be a difficult venue for opponents in recent years, as the Lady Flames are 67-27 in home matches during the past eight seasons. In 2008, Liberty was 7-2 in home contests. The Lady Flames are scheduled to play 11 home matches this season.
Aces are Wild
Liberty has served for at least one ace in 117 consecutive matches. The streak started Oct. 7, 2005 at Charleston Southern, before any of the current Lady Flames players were on the roster. In 2008, Liberty ranked second in the Big South Conference with 1.51 aces per set and Corbin was second among conference players, serving for 0.37 aces per set.
Milestones in Sight
Corbin has tallied 3,954 career assists, leaving the setter only 46 helpers shy of the 4,000 mark. Only three Lady Flames—Kristin Colson, Ashley Fletcher and Michelle Howland—have ever tallied 4,000 career assists.
Corbin's double-double (41 assists, 11 digs) versus Montana on Aug. 29 was her first of the season and the 49th of her career. Her next double-double will be the setter's 50th.
Double Vision
Junior outside hitter Karyl Bacon recorded double-doubles in all three matches at the Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational. She now has 17 career double-doubles, eight of which have come in her last 10 outings.
The Big South Beat
High Point posted the best record of any Big South volleyball team over the weekend, winning three of its four matches at the Hilton RTP/NCCU Volleyball Tournament in Durham, N.C. The Panthers were sparked by junior outside hitter Megan Smith, a transfer from Maine. She hit .358 for the tournament, with 69 kills and 14 aces, earning Big South Player of the Week honors.
Charleston Southern, off to a 3-2 start, will pick up the most frequent flier miles of any conference team this coming weekend, as the Lady Buccaneers will head to Tempe, Ariz., for the Arizona State Sheraton Classic. CSU will face Idaho State, UTEP and the host Sun Devils at the two-day event, Friday and Saturday.
Scouting Reports
East Tennessee State
The East Tennessee State Buccaneers are coached by Lindsey Devine, who is 90-101 in her seventh season at the helm. Coming off a 12-20 campaign in 2008, ETSU was picked to finish sixth in the preseason Atlantic Sun Conference coaches poll.
East Tennessee State opened the 2009 season by dropping a trio of matches at the Comfort Inn and Suites Tournament, hosted by Morehead State. Senior setter Amanda Youell made the all-tournament team, after tallying 17 kills, 79 assists, 18 digs and six blocks.
The Buccaneers own a 4-1 all-time record against the Lady Flames on the volleyball hardwood. However, Liberty won the teams' most recent meeting, sweeping ETSU 3-0 on its home court, Oct. 15, 2007. McCarty's team-high 13 kills and .393 attack percentage helped the Lady Flames halt the Buccaneers' 13-match home winning streak that evening.
Howard
The Howard Bison, who went 14-20 and recorded their most conference wins (7) since 2001 a season ago, were tabbed for a second-place finish in the MEAC Northern Division. The Bison are under the direction of Orlando Larracuente, who is 28-70 in four seasons as head coach.
Howard went 0-4 in the season-opening Courtyard by Marriott Tournament in Pittsburgh, Pa., including a 3-1 setback to Big South Conference foe Radford. Freshman setter Jasmine King made a successful collegiate debut, as she was included on the all-tournament team after posting 92 assists and 27 digs over the weekend. Gazelle d'Artois, a junior outside hitter who was an All-MEAC honoree in 2008, paced the team with 37 total kills.
Liberty's only previous matchup with Howard came at the 2007 Liberty Invitational presented by Pepsi. The Lady Flames opened the year with a 3-0 sweep, Aug. 24, 2007 at the Vines Center. Leading the way for Liberty was freshman Karyl Bacon, who began her collegiate career with a double-double (10 kills, 10 digs).
Elon
Elon returns six starters from its 2008 squad, which went 19-16, setting a program record for most victories at the NCAA Division I level. As a result, the Phoenix were picked to place second in the Southern Conference's North Division. Elon is coached by Mary Tendler, who is 95-106 in seven seasons.
The Phoenix were the only team to finish with a perfect 4-0 record at the Hilton RTP/NCCU Volleyball Tournament, last weekend in Durham, N.C. Their triumphs included a 3-1 victory over Big South foe UNC Asheville on Aug. 29. Sophomore right-side hitter Traci Stewart was voted tournament MVP, while junior middle blocker Sarah Schermerhorn joined her on the all-tournament team.
Elon then boosted its record to 5-0 Tuesday, with a 3-0 sweep over Charlotte. Stewart and junior outside hitter Lauren Copenhagen paced the Phoenix's diverse attack with eight kills each.
Liberty has won 16 out of 17 all-time meetings with Elon, a former member of the Big South Conference. The teams will square off for the first time since Sept. 9, 2005, when the Lady Flames defeated the Phoenix, 3-1, at the William & Mary Invitational.
The Lady Flames will face a Southern Conference opponent for the second consecutive weekend, after sweeping UNC Greensboro by a 3-0 score on Aug. 28. Liberty is also scheduled to play SoCon member Appalachian State on Sept. 18 at Wake Forest's Black & Gold Challenge.
