Oct. 19, 2007

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate volleyball team opened up a stretch of seven home matches in its final eight contests in style, posting a 3-0 (30-13, 30-22, 30-15) victory against Winston-Salem State in non-conference action Friday night at the Hodge Center.

The Spartans (8-13) hit .304 during the match, posting just nine errors in 69 attempts, led by hefty hitting percentages from sophomore Jesicah Ambrisco (Iowa City, Iowa/Regina Catholic) (11 kills, .391) and junior Jovana Lubura (Beograd, Serbia/New Mexico Military Instititute) (six kills, .462). Meanwhile, Upstate benefited from 33 errors from the Lady Rams (4-18).

A .409 hitting percentage thanks to four kills from Ambrisco and two each from junior Angie Varnum (Salinas, Puerto Rico/New Mexico Military Institute) and junior Jenna Leslie (Houston, Texas/Westfield) led to the Spartans' 30-13 first-game win. Sophomore Katie Downey (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) added two blocks and two digs in her only action of the match.

Upstate opened up a 7-0 lead off the serve of sophomore Morgan Bucciferro (Joliet, Ill./Minooka Community) and a four-point service from Downey pushed the lead to 16-4 as the Spartans cruised to the win.

Although, the Spartans opened up a 12-6 lead in the second game, the Lady Rams fought back, pulling within two points at 24-22, but a kill from freshman Sandra Campbell (Orlando, Fla./Pilot Point (Texas)) sparked the Spartans, who closed the game with the final six points. A kill on the left side from junior Jennifer Joraskie (Southington, Conn./Southington) clinched the game.

In the third game, the Lady Rams took a 7-5 lead after a kill from Annika Barnwell, but a hard-hit kill from Lubura ignited the Spartans, who went on a 23-10 run to close the match. Freshman Megan Healey (St. Louis, Mo./Ursuline Academy) served for five points and junior Holly Mauldin (Columbia, S.C./Irmo) served for five more points as the Spartans posted seven aces in the game. Lubura posted four kills in the deciding game.

Bucciferro led the Spartans with 16 assists and Mauldin added nine assists and three aces. Varnum and Healey also added two aces. Leslie posted a team-high eight digs and Ambrisco added a match-high three blocks. Campbell, Downey and Varnum also each posted two blocks.

The Lady Rams got nine kills from Barnwell and eight from Ashley Harris and Valentina Pushkina contributed 16 assists and nine digs.

Upstate will look to continue the winning ways as Atlantic Sun Conference foe Gardner-Webb will head into the Hodge for a 6 p.m. match Saturday.