by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-The Barton College women's volleyball team will play the last of nine straight road matches to open the 2014 season this weekend when it visits Spartanburg, S.C., for the two-day Converse College Tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs will face Southern Wesleyan University at 5 p.m. and the host Valkyries at 7 p.m. on Friday (both as non-conference meetings) in Hannah Gymnasium, and will square off against St. Andrews University and Columbia College on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
No video or live stats will be available. However, results and additional information will be posted as they become available on www.BartonBulldogs.com.
Barton fans can follow the Lady Bulldogs in the tournament and throughout the season on the Barton athletic web site and on social media sites including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Barton College Women's Volleyball
The Lady Bulldogs are still seeking their first victory of the year after falling in four sets at Coker College on Wednesday night.
Barton battled back from a quick two-set deficit to claim the third frame against the Cobras and gave a competitive effort in the fourth set, but still suffered its fifth straight loss.
Senior middle blocker Melissa Cochran produced a match-high 15 kills against Coker, and for the season ranks among the league's top 10 in kills per set (3.31), hitting percentage (.299) and blocks per set (0.69).
However, while Cochran is hovering around the .300 mark in attack accuracy, the Lady Bulldogs as a team have managed to crack .100 just once all year. Their average of .079 for the season stands 11th among the 12 programs in Conference Carolinas. At the same time, Barton is allowing its opponents to hit an average of .313.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Micol is contributing 2.38 kills per set to Barton's offense, while freshman Courtney Wiseman is adding 1.81 kills per frame. Micol also paces the squad in service aces, averaging 0.38 per set.
Directing the offense has been freshman setter Riley Bane, who increased her average to 7.5 assists per set after producing a season-high 39 against Coker.
Defensively, senior libero Amanda Grandy has reached double-figures in digs in all five of Barton's matches this year and is averaging 4.12 digs per set, third-best in the conference.
In Barton head coach Jeff Lennox' two previous seasons at the helm of the program, the Lady Bulldogs have recorded a 2-1 record against Converse, and have not played Southern Wesleyan, St. Andrews or Columbia.
Southern Wesleyan University Women's Volleyball
SWU is in its second year of transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II and Conference Carolinas. The Warriors will play a full league schedule, but will not be eligible for a conference title or post-season play.
The Warriors are 2-2 on the season, having split four tournament matches against NAIA competition in the Northwood Hardwood Challenge in West Palm Beach, Fla., last weekend. SWU defeated Florida College and host Northwood University in straight sets, but lost to St. Thomas University in four frames and Roosevelt University in three.
Southern Wesleyan posted strong numbers in the event and rank first among Conference Carolinas programs in several categories, including kills per set (12.92), assists per set (12.0) and digs per set (18.38).
Redshirt sophomore Sarah Hughey, a transfer from the University of West Florida, has been the team's dominant player so far. Hughey ranks second in the league in blocks (1.15 per set), third in kills (3.69 per set), fourth in digs (4.0 per set) and ninth in hitting percentage (.276).
Converse College Women's Volleyball
The host Valkyries (4-1) opened the season with four straight victories, defeating both Saint Augustine's University and host Chowan University twice in the Janet Collins Invitational in Murfreesboro, N.C. last weekend. However, the Valkyries were swept on the road Tuesday night at Carson-Newman University.
Junior Katie Butler led a balanced attack for Converse in the Chowan event with 2.38 kills per set. Four others averaged more than one kill per set, including sophomore Scottie Kay Auton (1.82 per set), who also paced the team with 10 aces and nine blocks over the weekend. Senior Aubrey Crosby currently ranks second in the conference in total digs with 79.
St. Andrews University Women's Volleyball
The Knights (3-4), former members of Conference Carolinas who are now among the NAIA ranks, opened their season with four straight losses, including a straight-set loss to Coker and a four-set loss to Columbia, both in the North Greenville Tournament.
However, St. Andrews has rolled off three victories in a row since then, most recently a straight-set road win over Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte Thursday night. Sophomore Tessa Smith and freshman Angelica Arroyo have paced the Knights offensively in the early going.
St. Andrews was picked to finish seventh in the Appalachian Athletic Conference after returning eight players from its 2013 squad that enjoyed the program's best season since 2008.
Columbia College Women's Volleyball
Like St. Andrews, Columbia is a member of the NAIA Appalachian Athletic Conference. The Fighting Koalas, tabbed to finish third in the AAC, are off to a fast 6-1 start in 2014 under first-year head coach Chuck Mullen.
Columbia opened the season by winning three of four matches in the Clearwater (Fla.) Christian Tournament, then swept through its three opponents in the North Greenville tourney – host NGU, Coker and St. Andrews.
Senior Caitlin Brickley and sophomores Caylee Antilley, Kara Anderson and Richelle Prijic are all averaging better than 2.5 kills per set so far this year.
