CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College volleyball team will be on the road for Big South action this weekend, facing Winthrop on Friday night before finishing the weekend against Gardner-Webb on Saturday afternoon.
First serve against Winthrop will be at 6:00, streaming live on ESPN+. Saturday's contest at Gardner-Webb will begin at 2:00, also streaming live on ESPN+.
This is Presbyterian's second matchup of the season against both teams. The Blue Hose picked up their first conference win against the Runnin' Bulldogs in three sets on Oct. 17 at Templeton. PC dropped its home match to Winthrop on Oct. 18 in three sets.
GAMEDAY INFO – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31 | 6:00 PM
Presbyterian (6-15, 2-7) at Winthrop (13-6, 7-2)
WHERE: Winthrop Coliseum (Rock Hill, S.C.)
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoBlueHose.com
GAMEDAY INFO – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1 | 2:00 PM
Presbyterian (6-15, 2-7) vs. Gardner-Webb (11-15, 2-7)
WHERE: Paul Porter Arena (Boiling Springs, N.C.)
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoBlueHose.com
LAST TIME OUT
The Blue Hose picked up their second conference win of the season last Friday (Oct. 24) at the Templeton Center, taking down UNC Asheville 3-2 in five sets. PC faced a 7-1 deficit down two sets to one in the fourth before rallying to complete the comeback in five sets.
Down in the fourth, Presbyterian rattled off six straight points to overcome an early deficit and help take the fourth set 25-17 to extend the match. In the fifth and final set, the Blue Hose trailed 12-10 but finished the match winning five consecutive points to take the fifth 15-12. Aubrie Arnold led the Blue Hose with a match-high 30 digs. Anisa Dorlouis registered another double-double with 39 assists and 17 digs. Julia Yurkovich and Courtney Williams led PC offensively, logging a combined 21 kills.
On Saturday (Oct. 25), USC Upstate defeated the Blue Hose in three sets to finish the weekend.
BLUE HOSE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Anisa Dorlouis leads Presbyterian with 17 double-doubles so far this season. Last weekend, her eight-match double-double streak came to a close but not before recording 39 assists and 17 digs against UNC Asheville on Friday (Oct. 24). On the season, she has logged a double-double in 17 of PC's 21 total contests.
Ashley Miller has posted three double-doubles of her own this season against Furman, North Florida, and Harvard. Yurkovich has registered double-doubles against North Florida and Dartmouth. Finally, Celimar Hoyos has one double-double this season against Furman.
BLUE HOSE BY THE NUMBERS
Several Blue Hose are near the top of the conference in multiple statistical categories going into the weekend. Dorlouis ranks second in the conference this year in assists, averaging 8.49 per set.
Dorlouis and Aubrie Arnold both sit inside the top 10 of the Big South in digs. Arnold leads the team in digs and is fifth in the conference, averaging 4.28 per set with 338 total this season.
Elyse Hutchinson and Courtney Williams both rank in the top 5 in the conference in blocks. Hutchinson is fourth with an average of .98 per set, while Williams is fifth with a .92 average. Hutchinson is also sixth in the Big South in hitting percentage at .293 percent.
Finally, Julia Yurkovich ranks in the top 10 in the league in kills and points for PC. She leads the team and is eighth in the league with 208 kills on the year (2.85 per set).She also ranks eighth in the conference in points with a 3.08 average per set.
As a team, the Blue Hose rank third in the league in both blocks and assists. PC also ranks second in opponent hitting percentage at .180 percent.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Winthrop leads the all-time series with Presbyterian 31-10 since the Blue Hose became a D-1 program in 2007. The Eagles have taken the last six meetings against the Blue Hose. PC's last victory on the road in the series came in 2018. Winthrop won all three sets against PC earlier this season.
The Eagles enter Friday's night's contest having won five straight matches. They are currently tied for first in the Big South (with High Point) with a 7-2 record in conference play. Overall, Winthrop boasts a 13-6 record on the season.
As a team, the Eagles have the best hitting percentage in the Big South (.236). The Eagles also lead the conference in kills and assists per set, averaging 13.16 and 12.41 respectively. Individually, Avery Jolley is second in the league in kills and leads the conference in points.
SCOUTING THE RUNNIN' BULLDOGS
The Blue Hose lead the all-time series with Gardner-Webb 14-5 going into this weekend. PC has come out victorious in each of the last three meetings, including a 3-0 win this year in Clinton. The Blue Hose defeated the Runnin' Bulldogs on the road last year 3-0.
Gardner-Webb is tied with PC in the Big South with a 2-7 conference record. The Runnin' Bulldogs come into Saturday on a two-match win streak. They hold an 11-15 overall record this season.
Nalani McBride leads the Big South in digs for Gardner-Webb, totaling 547 this year. Isabel Sandstrum is second in the league in service aces, while Milla Lugo is second in blocks as well.
UP NEXT
The Blue Hose wrap up their home slate next week, taking on High Point on Friday, Nov. 7 before facing Radford for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 8.
