CLINTON, S.C. — Presbyterian College volleyball stays in Clinton for a second straight weekend, with two Big South matches at the Templeton Center: Winthrop on Friday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. and Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 2 p.m.
The Blue Hose come in at 8-13 overall and 2-5 in league play after losing both home matches last weekend, to Radford and to High Point. PC won the first set against High Point before falling in four. Friday is Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day, and Saturday has been set aside as Community Day in Clinton, the college said.
Winthrop arrives as one of the hottest teams in the conference at 10-6 and 6-1, having won eight of its last nine. The Eagles have also beaten PC eight times in a row, most recently in four sets on Oct. 3. Paige Bennett had 20 kills in that match, Winthrop said, and she now leads the Big South at 4.17 kills and 4.68 points per set. Setter Lexi Thatcher tops the league with 10.33 assists per set.
Three Eagles collected Big South weekly honors on Monday: KeAra Bowen as Player of the Week, Thatcher as Setter of the Week and Addison Torain as Libero of the Week. Coach Heather Gearhart, in her fifth season, is one victory shy of 75 for her career. Winthrop plays at Charleston Southern on Saturday after the stop in Clinton.
Gardner-Webb brings a 14-8 record, a 4-3 conference mark and a three-match winning streak. The Runnin’ Bulldogs swept PC in three sets on Oct. 2, their second win in a row against the Blue Hose, though PC still holds a 14-7 edge in the all-time series.
Defense is where PC hopes to make up ground. The Blue Hose lead the Big South with 176.5 total blocks, and Meredith Reisman ranks second in the league with 87. Libero Celimar Hoyos picked up her 800th career dig last weekend, the 10th Blue Hose player of the Division I era to get there.
After this homestand, PC travels to High Point on Oct. 30 and Radford on Oct. 31.
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