Lady Flames to Open CUSA Volleyball Championship at No. 2 Seed UTEP
11/21/2024 9:57:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Liberty (13-17, 7-11 CUSA) opens the 2024 CUSA Volleyball Championship against UTEP (26-4, 16-2) for the second year in a row. The second-seeded Miners host this year's championship, taking on No. 7 seed Liberty on Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Mountain).
Tournament BracketÂ
Team Notes
Tournament BracketÂ
- These two teams met just two weeks ago, with UTEP earning 3-1 and 3-0 victories at Liberty Arena. The Miners outhit the Lady Flames, .348-.240 overall, while averaging 3.14 aces per set.
- UTEP ranks in the top 15 nationally in aces per set (2nd), blocks per set (12th) and hitting percentage (13th). In conference play, UTEP (2.70) and Liberty (2.59) rank first and second in blocks per set.
- Liberty senior Kate Gammer earned first team all-conference honors, ranking third in CUSA with 3.97 kills per set in conference play. She reached double figures in kills in 18 out of the last 19 matches.
- Madison Blane was named to the CUSA All-Conference second team on Wednesday. She led all players with 1.43 blocks per set in CUSA play and ranks fifth nationally in total blocks.
- Erica Lowery is fifth in CUSA with 4.09 digs per set in conference play. She has collected 10 or more digs in 18 out of Liberty's last 19 matches, giving her 26 10-dig matches this season.
- Liberty's Kamryn Bacus has scored 10 or more kills in five out of the last six matches. She is ranked second among all active CUSA players with 1,374 career kills, while Gammer is third at 1,201.
- Liberty is looking for its eighth-ever conference tournament championship and first since winning back-to-back Big South titles in 2011. The Lady Flames' last conference final appearance came in 2022, winning the ASUN regular-season title before falling to No. 2 seed FGCU in the championship match.
Team Notes
- Liberty faced the top two teams in CUSA over the final two weeks of the regular season, hosting UTEP Nov. 8-9 before playing at WKU, last Thursday and Friday. The Lady Flames won set three at WKU on Friday, 28-26, and had three set-point tries in the fourth before falling 32-30. Set four at WKU was Liberty's longest set this season.
- The Lady Flames have posted 10 or more blocks 13 times this season, including 12 blocks in the regular-season finale at Western Kentucky.
- Liberty served as the host of the 2023 CUSA Volleyball Championship. UTEP defeated the Lady Flames in four sets (25-11, 15-25, 25-16, 25-21) in the quarterfinal. Torrance Lovesee led all players with 20 kills for the Miners, while Liberty was led by Kamryn Bacus (19 kills) and Kate Gammer (12). The Miners fell 3-2 in the semifinal to eventual champion Western Kentucky.
Players Mentioned
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