CSU Volleyball vs. Liberty Match Notes

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern returns to conference play Friday, Oct. 29, playing host to Liberty at 7 p.m. CSU brings a 10-16 record, including 4-7 in Big South play, into Friday’s match, while Liberty (19-7) is on top of conference standings at 10-1.

CSU will aim to bounce back from a 3-0 setback to College of Charleston Tuesday in which the Lady Bucs hit .066. Cori Holeman paced CSU with nine kills and four block assists, as the team earned eight blocks on the evening.

Liberty competed at home for seven out of its last eight matches, and will play the next four on the road starting Friday. LU brings a seven-match winning streak into the weekend.

The Lady Bucs went 3-2 on a recently-concluded five-match stretch of conference away matches, capped by a straight-sets victory Saturday, Oct. 23 at Radford in which Hill and Kayla Klinger earned double-doubles. CSU has gone 3-4 in conference road contests after a 1-7 showing in Big South away competition last season

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SCOUTING LIBERTY
Liberty brings a seven-match winning streak into the weekend, leading the conference at 10-1. The Lady Flames have not lost a conference match since falling in four sets at home to Winthrop Oct. 1.

The Lady Flames lead the conference in hitting percentage (.239), assists average (12.34), kills per set (13.40), aces average (1.85) and blocks per set (2.07).

Karyl Bacon paces Liberty with 4.10 kills per set. Loren Thomas and Kendle Rollins hit .305 and .299, respectively. Freshman Jade Craycraft is 2nd in the conference with 10.15 assists per set and 3rd with 0.37 aces. Kelly Haseman leads the Big South with 5.15 digs, while Kendle Rollins is third in blocking at 1.02.

RIVALRY RENEWED
The Lady Bucs competed against College of Charleston Tuesday, Oct. 23 for the 76th time in the program’s history, the most time CSU has faced one opponent. Coastal Carolina is next at 73, followed by 72 meetings vs. Winthrop.

CSU won the 2009 city championship by defeating The Citadel and College of Charleston. College of Charleston earned the 2010 title with a win over the Lady Bucs Tuesday.

Emily Libertowski became the 11th player in program history with 900 career digs during the setback to CofC, while Amanda Hill moved into fourth place in Big South history in kills.

TOP OF THE HILL
Senior outside hitter Amanda Hill is fourth all-time in Big South history with 1,780 career kills. Current Liberty assistant coach Jen (Belk) Vaden finished her career as a Lady Flame with 1,789 kills, good for 3rd all-time in the Big South.

Hill was named Big South Choice Hotels Player of the Week on Oct. 18, and was named a Top Performer by Collegiate Volleyball Update on Oct. 19. It was her second conference player of the week award this season and seventh for her career.

A three-time All-Big South selection, Hill is one of just three players to earn all-conference mention at least three times at CSU. 

Hill has posted the top two single-season kill totals in program history, including a record 499 in 2008. She has 444 kills this year.

PACK THE (FIELD) HOUSE
The Lady Bucs have played before large crowds this season, most recently drawing 519 fans to the Dig for the Cure match Tuesday. CSU averages 440 fans for home contests this season, leading the Big South in average attendance.

The team drew a season-high 569 fans Friday, Sept. 24 for the conference home opener vs. Radford.

CSU has gone 3-5 at home this season, but has four remaining home matches, including back-to-back contests at home Nov. 12 and 13 to close out the season. The Bucs went 6-4 at the Buc Dome each of the past two seasons.

THE LAST TIME
Charleston Southern dropped a 3-0 decision (25-20, 25-14, 25-13) to Liberty Saturday, Oct. 2 at the Vines Center in Lynchburg.

Liberty hit .406 as a team, sending down 48 kills, while CSU earned 25 kills at a .109 rate. The Lady Bucs posted six team blocks, while Liberty recorded eight blocks. LU collected 40 digs to CSU’s 33.

Amanda Hill led the Lady Bucs with 10 kills, her 15th double-digit kill match of the season. Amy Nokes paced CSU with 11 assists and eight digs. Emily Libertowski earned two service aces, while Cori Holeman added four blocks (one solo, three assists).

LU was led by Karyl Bacon’s 11 kills, followed by Loren Thomas with 10 kills. Kelly Haseman paced all players with 18 digs. Jade Craycraft posted a match-high 23 assists.

MOVIN’ ON UP
Several Lady Bucs players appear in the career record books in program history. All five seniors are in the top 15 in at least one category.

Amanda Hill owns the all-time program records in kills (1780) and attempts (4627), and is second with 1446 digs and 129 service aces.

Tricia Rodl is third in program history with 1299 digs, one dig shy of 1,300, which only three CSU players have attained.

Cori Holeman has earned third place with 290 block assists, and entered sixth with 346 total blocks.

Amberle Trinder is tied for 9th all-time with 213 block assists, just three away from 7th place at CSU.

Emily Libertowski became the 11th Buccaneer all-time with 900 digs Tuesday, and is 12th with 89 service aces.

SETTING IT UP
Redshirt junior setter Amy Nokes averages 8.17 assists per set this season, and has five double-doubles.

Nokes has posted 1,175 career assists, good for sixth all-time at CSU.

She was one kill shy of a triple double Sept. 24 vs. Radford, and one dig shy of completing the feat Sept. 11 vs. Chattanooga.

Nokes broke her previous career high of 54 assists with 58 Oct. 8 vs. Asheville. Her 58 assists were the most since Sam Sasan dished out 64 at UNC-Asheville Oct. 2, 2009.

Freshman Laura Grace Swindler has earned double-figures in assists three times in Big South play, including a career-high 15 vs. Radford.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES ABOUND
Amanda Hill and Amy Nokes have earned double-doubles in the same match on five occasions this season, including Sept. 24 vs. Radford and Sept. 25 against High Point.

Saturday, Oct. 23 at Radford, Hill and Kayla Klinger each posted double-doubles, as Klinger recorded the first of her career.

Hill has registered 16 double-doubles this season, and has posted 62 for her career. Her career high for double-doubles is 17, which she recorded last season.

LEADING THE WAY
CSU has recorded some of the top performances in the Big South this season.

The Bucs’ 73 kills Oct. 8 vs. Asheville were the most by a conference team this season, while their 15 blocks at Presbyterian Oct. 15 were third-most in a 2010 Big South match. Also in the UNCA match, Amanda Hill posted the most kills, 31, by a conference player this season. Amy Nokes’ 58 assists vs. UNCA marked the second-most among any player in a Big South match this year.

During conference play, Hill leads the Big South with 4.7 kills, and Holeman is second with 1.38 blocks per set. Tricia Rodl is second in digs in Big South competition, averaging 4.86 digs against league opponents.

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN VS. LIBERTY SERIES
Saturday will be the 37th time that Charleston Southern and Liberty have met on the volleyball court, with LU holding a 32-4 all-time advantage. Liberty has won each of the last eight meetings between the two programs, including a 3-0 win over CSU Oct. 2 at the Vines Center.

CSU’s most recent win against Liberty was Oct. 21, 2006 a 3-0 Lady Bucs sweep, ending the team’s 11-match winless streak.

The Lady Flames claimed the first-ever meeting between the teams, Oct. 1, 1988 in a tournament at Winthrop. CSU (then Baptist) went on to win the Big South title that season.

Liberty won all three meetings between the two programs last season. Each of the last two matches between CSU and LU in 2009 required a full five sets. The Lady Flames defeated the Buccaneers 3-2 Nov. 14, 2009 in Charleston before winning the Big South Semifinal meeting Nov. 20 in Radford.
 
TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT
CSU has gone 3-2 in five-set matches this season, playing a full five sets three times at home.

CSU’s final three matches of 2009 went the distance, including a 3-2 victory over Winthrop Nov. 19 in the Big South Quarterfinal and a pair of five-set setbacks to Liberty.