Volleyball Alone On Top

The Bulldogs solidified their position atop the Big South standings over the weekend with two huge conference wins at the Justice Center. UNC Asheville (17-5, 6-0) shut out High Point on Friday evening, and then defeated Liberty on Saturday afternoon to take sole possession of first place in the conference.

It was a team effort for the Bulldogs against High Point (11-11, 1-5) on Friday night. Kelsey Benorden posted a match-high 12 kills, but Lauren Ficker contributed 11 while hitting .412, and Cindi Miller added 9 to go with a .500 hitting percentage. On the defensive end, Raquel Miotto had 16 digs and Bridget Holliday came up with 13. Asheville also collected 9 blocks in the match, with Ficker tallying 4 and Jenna Dover and Holly Shelton each with 3. The Bulldogs outlasted High Point in a tough first game, 25-21, and then were able to pull away in the next two, winning 25-17 and 25-18.

On Saturday afternoon, Asheville tackled Liberty, the only remaining team unbeaten in conference play. The star of the match was Miller, who had a career-high 22 kills while hitting .500 for the second straight outing. Miller had a particularly strong showing in the decisive fourth set. Benorden and Ficker combined for an additional 24 kills, and three Bulldogs tallied double-digit digs - Miotto (16), Benorden (16), and Brooke Holliday (13). The match seemed destined to go five sets, with the first decided by a 30-28 margin. Asheville had several key blocks to take the second set, 25-22, but Liberty came back from the break re-energized and stormed to a 25-16 victory in third set. In the fourth set, however, the Asheville attack proved too much for the Flames (10-8, 5-1). Behind a series of powerful kills from Miller and Ficker, the Bulldogs were able to shut the door for the 3-1 victory.

Cindi Miller’s outstanding performance was recognized this afternoon when she was named Big South Player of the Week. In addition to the two matches this weekend, Miller also had nine kills and two blocks in the Bulldogs’ road win over Presbyterian on Tuesday night. With Ficker leading the attack all season and Benorden now healthy, the emergence of Miller makes Asheville’s front line truly formidable.

The Bulldogs will have the week off, but return to action over the weekend against two of the conference’s best. Asheville will travel to Rock Hill, S.C., on Friday night to take on second-place Winthrop (13-6, 5-1), followed by a Saturday afternoon battle with fourth-place Coastal Carolina (9-9, 3-2) in Conway, S.C. If the Bulldogs are able to come away from this road trip with their perfect conference mark in tact, they will be the clear favorite to claim the Big South regular season title.