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College of Charleston Beach Volleyball News

April 21, 2022

Contact | Whitney Noble, Associate Director of Athletics Communications & Creative Content

Office Phone | 843.953.3683 | E-Mail | [log in to unmask]



COUGARS PRIMED FOR FIRST TRIP TO ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP





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CHARLESTON, S.C. --- A fresh slate awaits the College of Charleston beach volleyball team this weekend as the Cougars embark on their first postseason run as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference beginning with an 11:00 a.m. ET matchup with 12th-seeded Eastern Kentucky on Friday morning to open play in Pool A at the 2022 ASUN Championships held at the John Hunt Sand Volleyball Complex in Huntsville, Ala.



Fifth-seeded Charleston enters the postseason with a 19-11 overall record and a 5-5 mark against ASUN opponents. The Cougars feature six pairs with at least seven wins including All-ASUN Second Team duo Sky Benjamin and Ella Reames.



The Cougars will begin championship play on Friday with the first of five matches in pool play as the No. 5 overall seed and third seed in Pool A. Charleston’s opponents in Pool A consist of: No. 1 Stetson, No. 4 UNCW, No. 8 Mercer, No. 9 Stephen F. Austin and No. 12 Eastern Kentucky. Following three days of pool play, the top two qualifiers from each pool will advance to Monday’s semifinal round at 12:30 pm ET with the championship match taking place immediate afterward at 2:30 pm.



THE OPPONENTS



·         Eastern Kentucky has established a program record for wins in a season entering the championship as the 12th overall seed with a 5-16 record. The Colonels picked up a conference victory against Jacksonville State earlier this season.



·          Mercer enters into the weekend with a 5-24 record as the No. 8 seed in the championship. The Bears collected two wins against conference foes this season with victories against Jacksonville and North Alabama.



·         UNCW sports a 21-9 overall record with five wins against ASUN opponents this season. The fourth-seeded Seahawks have posted 11 sweeps so far this spring on their way to setting a single-season program-record for wins.



·         Stephen F. Austin is the No. 9 seed at the championship after posting a 13-16 record during the regular season. The Ladyjacks are making their first appearance at the ASUN Championship.



·         Stetson carries a 16-16 record into the championship as the No. 1 overall seed. The Hatters are currently ranked 18th in the nation and have appeared in every AVCA national poll so far this season.



QUICK SETS



·         Kyra Thompson and Maria Zweig made a bit of history on Thursday becoming the Cougars to receive postseason accolades from the ASUN after both were named to the All-Academic Team.



·         Benjamin and Reames were also honored with a spot on the All-ASUN Second Team after posting a 9-6 record during the regular season.



·         Gabi Bailey and Kyra Thompson lead the pack for the Cougars with a 19-3 record this season and enter the weekend tied for second in the program’s single-season pairs win list. The duo is also tied for fifth on the all-time wins list for pairs.



·         The Cougars are one win away from tying the program’s single-season record of 20 victories set during the 2019 campaign.



·         Five Cougars currently rank among the top 15 on the all-time dual match wins list led by Benjamin who enters the weekend eighth all-time with 38 victories.



·         Zweig and Emma Falk have compiled a 16-4 record this season including a 15-2 mark on court three. Their 15 wins in the third flight are one shy of equaling the single-season record of 16.



CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All Times Eastern)



Friday, April 22

11:00 am vs. No. 12 Eastern Kentucky

3:30 pm vs. No. 8 Mercer



Saturday, April 23

12:30 pm vs. No. 4 UNCW

3:30 pm vs. No. 9 Stephen F. Austin



Sunday, April 24

11:00 am vs. No. 1 Stetson



Monday, April 25

12:30 pm – Semifinal round (top two qualifiers from each pool)

2:3:0 pm – Championship Final





-www.CofCSports.com-





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