Men's Basketball Picked 2nd in Big South

At the Big South Conference Media Day yesterday, voters confirmed just how dangerous UNC Asheville could be this season, picking the Bulldogs to finish second in the conference behind defending regular season and tournament champion Radford. Asheville turned in a 10-8 conference record (15-16 overall) last season to finish fourth in the Big South, and fell to Radford, 94-86, in the conference semifinals.

The Bulldogs lose forwards Reid Augst and Jason Ridenhour, the only two players to start every game last season, to graduation. Augst led the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game and was second in rebounding. Although these departures leave a void in the Asheville frontcourt, the Bulldogs have reloaded and are prepared to fill it. Three returning starters and eight returning lettermen ensure that this will not be a rebuilding season. Junior forward John Williams is the Bulldogs leading returning scorer (12.9 PPG) and leading rebounder (6.6 RPG) from last year. Asheville also has one of the best guard tandems in the conference with sophomore Matt Dickey (named to the Big South All-Rookie team last season) and lone senior Sean Smith (the Bulldogs’ best three-point shooter, posting an incredible .457 mark). Both players averaged in double figures last season. Asheville will have outstanding depth at guard, including sophomore J.P. Primm, who started a number of contests and played big minutes last year.

In the frontcourt, there are several potential candidates to help fill the shoes of Augst and Ridenhour. Junior Eric Stubbs led the Bulldogs in field-goal percentage one year ago at .515. Asheville also has a pair of underclassman centers with tremendous size. Sophomore Sean Hobbs (7’2”, 260) and freshman D.J. Cunningham (6’10”, 240) should provide depth and a strong interior presence.

The Bulldogs will be tested early and often this season, as they embark on a grueling non-conference slate to begin the year. The schedule includes away matches with national powerhouses Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and Charlotte. There will be 14 home games played at the Justice Center this year, as well as an exhibition match against Brevard on November 9th. Asheville tips off the official practice season this Friday night with the annual Jammin’ at the Justice event. The festivities will include scrimmages with both the men’s and women’s players, a slam dunk contest, and a three point contest. Jammin’ at the Justice begins at 6pm.

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.

Volleyball Preview: High Point

The Bulldogs will look to remain unbeaten in conference play on Friday night as they take on High Point. UNC Asheville (15-5, 4-0) enters the match having won eight of its last nine, and tied for first in the Big South with preseason favorite Liberty. The High Point Panthers (10-10, 0-4) have struggled early in their conference schedule, but will look to get back on track against the Bulldogs.

High Point was picked fourth in the Big South preseason poll, and turned in several quality non-conference wins, including victories over North Carolina State and Charlotte. Conference play has been less kind to the Panthers, who were defeated at home by Big South powers Winthrop and Coastal Carolina before falling in a pair of five-set battles on the road against Radford and Presbyterian. On Tuesday night, the Panthers found their way back into the win column, easily defeating North Carolina A&T. Despite its record, High Point enters the match with a Big South-leading opponents’ hitting percentage of .163 (UNC Asheville ranks second at .169). In juniors Megan Smith and Stephanie Wallin, the Panthers have two players in the top ten in the conference in kills. Junior libero Julie Hershkowitz is second in digs behind Asheville’s Raquel Miotto.

Asheville has reeled off an impressive streak of victories to open its conference slate, culminating with a 3-0 victory over Presbyterian on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs’ senior leadership has led the charge all season. Middle blocker Lauren Ficker ranks third in the Big South in hitting percentage and seventh in kills. Libero Raquel Miotto leads the conference in both digs and service aces. Asheville has grown even stronger with the return of junior outside hitter Kelsey Benorden. The preseason all-conference selection shone against Presbyterian, contributing 17 kills, 9 digs, and a .464 hitting percentage to the effort. In 2008, the Bulldogs split a pair of matches against the Panthers, with each taking five sets to decide. Friday night’s match gives Asheville a great opportunity to build momentum for its showdown with Liberty on Saturday.

Go Bulldogs!!

Men's Soccer Preview: High Point

UNC Asheville will kick off conference play on Saturday afternoon with a tough match at Greenwood Field against the Panthers of High Point University. The Bulldogs (4-5-1, 0-0-0) have come away victorious in three of their last four outings, including a 1-0 victory over East Tennessee State on Tuesday. High Point (5-3-0, 1-0-0) opened its conference slate on Wednesday by pounding a good Gardner-Webb team, 5-0, on its home field.

High Point demonstrated Wednesday why it was projected as a Big South title contender in this year’s preseason poll. Five different Panthers scored against the second-ranked keeper in the Big South, and High Point goalie Michael Chesler turned in his fourth shutout performance of the season during the match in Boiling Springs, NC. Gardner-Webb is not a likely candidate to be blown out at home – the Runnin’ Bulldogs were off to a 2-0 start in conference play, with shutout victories on the road against Presbyterian and Radford. The Panther offense is spearheaded by brothers Ferijo (3 goals, 1 assist) and Karo Okiomah (2 goals, 2 assists), and by senior midfielder Matt Tuttle, who leads the team with five assists on the season. Chesler has played every minute of the season in the net for High Point, and ranks fourth in the conference with a 1.38 goals against average.

The Bulldogs have progressed dramatically during the young season, and enter the match with a good deal of momentum. Two weeks ago, Asheville defeated Lipscomb and Belmont to win the Hyatt Place Select Invitational – the Bulldogs’ first tournament championship in over 20 years. After a hard-fought loss against nationally ranked Kentucky, Asheville responded with the win over ETSU on Tuesday. Lassi Hurskainen recorded his first shutout of the season in that performance, lowering his goals against average to 1.55 (fifth in the Big South). Hurskainen’s performance in goal is a big part of the reason that the Bulldogs have been so competitive this season despite sometimes struggling to convert on the offensive end. Connor Holzinger has emerged as a star, leading the team with six points (two goals and two assists) while performing equally well on defense. Jake Hagedorn, who scored the winning goal on Tuesday, and Bryan Bartels also each have two goals on the season. Bryan George, the leading returning scorer from last season, has yet to crack the score sheet but has come close on a number of occasions.

UNC Asheville played High Point to a 1-1 draw on the road last season. If the Bulldogs are able to keep the scoring down again this year, they will have a great opportunity to claim a big conference win on Saturday. The match kicks off at 2 pm, and admission is free.

Go Bulldogs!!

Volleyball Preview: Charleston Southern

The Bulldogs will look to remain undefeated in conference play tomorrow night when they host Charleston Southern at the Justice Center. Something will have to give in the match, as the Buccaneers (10-7, 1-1) boast the Big South’s best hitting percentage at .250, while the Bulldogs (13-5, 2-0) lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage, allowing just .167.

Charleston Southern had a six-game win streak broken up on Tuesday night, losing at home to Winthrop in consecutive sets. Just three nights before, Buccaneers had opened conference play with a convincing three set victory over Presbyterian. CSU has faced a number of the same opponents as UNC Asheville this season, and had little difficulty dispatching the Citadel, South Carolina State, and Savannah State. In the opening weekend of the season, however, the Bucs fell in straight sets to North Carolina State, a team that the Bulldogs topped en route to their USC Upstate Invitational championship.

Preseason all-conference selection Amanda Hill has lived up to the hype thus far for the Bucs. Her .312 hitting percentage ranks her fourth in the Big South, and she is second in the conference in kills and ninth in digs. Fellow junior Cori Holeman is also a key component of the dangerous CSU attack, ranking eighth in attack percentage and second in blocks.

The Bulldogs have had a week to rest since an inspired, come-from-behind victory at Radford last Friday night. Middle blocker Lauren Ficker was the star of that performance, with 16 kills and 14 digs. The senior’s .339 season hitting percentage is second-best in the conference. Asheville has also been able to rely on consistently outstanding performances from senior libero Raquel Miotto, who leads the conference in digs and ranks second in service aces, and from junior setter Rachel Guinane, who is eighth in assists and has a team-high .379 hitting percentage (Guinane does not have enough total attacks to qualify for the Big South leaderboard).

UNC Asheville and Charleston Southern split their two matches last season, with each taking five sets to decide. Tomorrow night’s battle should be equally competitive as the teams battle for position in the conference standings.

Go Bulldogs!!!

Volleyball Tops Radford; Men's Soccer Unable to Hold Off Kentucky

The UNC Asheville volleyball team consolidated its position atop the Big South Conference standings on Friday night with a hard-fought victory in five sets on the road against conference rival Radford. The Bulldogs (13-5, 2-0) rallied from a 2-1 deficit, winning consecutive sets to take the match from the Highlanders (9-8, 0-2).

Asheville was once again driven by standout performances from seniors Lauren Ficker (16 kills, .455 hitting percentage, 14 digs) and Raquel Miotto (27 digs), but the match saw exceptional performances from a number of Bulldogs. Sophomore Cindi Miller added 13 kills, junior Rachel Guinane had 47 assists to go with 6 kills, and seniors Brooke and Bridget Holliday totaled 13 and 10 digs, respectively. It was also a big night for Asheville’s freshmen. Playing in front of family and friends from her nearby hometown of Christianburg, Chelsie Kenley recorded eight kills, two blocks, and two digs. Holly Shelton turned in a team-high four blocks, along with seven kills. The Bulldogs faced a varied attack from Radford. Four different Highlanders posted double-digit kills, including senior Lauren Clary who had a match-high 17.

The Bulldogs will be back in action this Friday night (October 2) when they take on Charleston Southern (9-6, 1-0) at the Justice Center in an early key matchup in the Big South conference title hunt.

The men’s soccer team traveled to Lexington yesterday to take on national power Kentucky. Defense reigned in the first half and the match remained scoreless headed into intermission, thanks in part to two critical saves from Lassi Hurskainen. It was Asheville that broke the silence first when, in the 51^st minute, freshman David Wood delivered a cross to sophomore Bryan Bartels who beat the goalkeeper with a line-drive header for the 1-0 advantage. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs’ lead over the 20^th ranked Wildcats would prove short-lived. Kentucky responded with two goals in the 54^th minute to claim the lead and then cemented the advantage with the match’s final goal, in the 83^rd minute. Goalkeeper Dan Williams made four saves in the second half (equaling Hurskainen’s match total) to keep the Asheville attack at bay. The Wildcats outshot the Bulldogs 24-7, and held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.

Asheville will be in action at Greenwood Field tomorrow for its final tune-up before conference play begins. The Bulldogs (3-5-1) take on East Tennessee State (1-3-2) at 4pm. The Buccaneers have performed well against some of the nation’s best this season, defeating Virginia Tech and forcing double overtime before falling to second-ranked North Carolina. Admission to the match is free, and it can also be viewed online on the Big South Network.

Volleyball Preview: Radford

UNC Asheville travels to Radford tonight to take part in an early battle for Big South supremacy. The first-place Bulldogs (12-5, 1-0) will try to build on their victory in Tuesday’s conference opener against Gardner-Webb when they take on the second-place Highlanders (9-6, 0-0).

In matches against common opponents, the Bulldogs and Highlanders have had very similar results. Both teams defeated South Carolina State in three sets; both fell to UNC Wilmington in four. Both squads also came up short against Elon, with Asheville losing 3-1 and Radford falling 3-0. The teams split their two meetings last season, each winning 3-1 on its home court. The Highlanders are a young team, with only one senior on their roster, but have a number of standout players. Junior Kiley Kent leads the Big South in service aces, holding a slight edge over Asheville’s Raquel Miotto. Sophomore Carly Fleming is third in the conference in blocks, and sophomore Katelyn Meeks is fourth in digs. The lone senior, Lauren Clary, has posted 115 kills and 178 digs (eight in the Big South) on the season. In the Bulldogs’ loss at Radford one year ago, Kent (8 kills, .467 hitting, 42 sets, 10 digs) and Waddell (13 kills, 6 digs) led the way. Radford enters tonight’s match with a two game winning streak, having defeated Bucknell (4-8) and Delaware State (6-9) over the weekend at the Bucknell Tournament.

The Bulldogs resisted a strong comeback effort to defeat Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night. Their 12-5 record is the best start for the program since 2005. Tonight, Asheville will rely on the continued success of two seniors. Lauren Ficker, who ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage, has been the linchpin of the Bulldogs’ attack in the absence of injured outside hitter Kelsey Benorden. She boasts three appearances on all-tournament teams and MVP honors from the USC Upstate Invitational. Libero Raquel Miotto, the Big South’s all-time leader in career digs, is poised to enter the NCAA all-time top ten and leads the conference in that category. The match is certain to be a tough battle, and will speak volumes about two Big South championship contenders.

Go Bulldogs!!