Boston College Athletics
Volleyball Travels to Georgia Tech, Syracuse
November 12, 2014 | Volleyball
Chestnut Hill, Mass. -
Boston College is currently in possession of their best ACC record in six seasons, with five wins and seven losses. The Eagles are sitting in the middle of the ACC in eighth place, just behind Louisville. After a tough loss to No. 8 North Carolina on Friday evening, the Maroon and Gold rallied back for Senior Day on Sunday afternoon, beating Clemson in straight sets. The victory over the Tigers was BC’s first triumph over the South Carolina institution since 2006. The Eagles are looking to expand upon their winningest season in six years this weekend when they travel to Georgia Tech and Syracuse.
The Squad
Standout junior hitter Katty Workman broke the program all-time double-double record on Sunday afternoon after achieving the 38th of her illustrious career. This season alone, Workman has 326 kills and 227 digs, and is currently ranked sixth in the ACC (3.48 kills/set). Next on the firing squad is right side Julia Topor, a redshirt sophomore who has put away 247 kills this season.
Also on the pin is Sol Calvete, a formidable freshman hitter who has recorded 181 kills and dug 245 balls this season. In the middle of the court, Anna Skold and Kam McLain are threats on offense and defense. Skold has 126 kills paired with 70 total blocks and McLain, a mid-season addition, has 44 kills and 31 total blocks.
The player in charge of distributing the ball to this posse of hitters is senior setter Kellie Barnum. Barnum averages 9.30 assists per set in ACC play (7th in ACC) and has 803 total this season. Barnum is also second on the team in service aces (21).
Finally, at the beginning of the chain is the pass. Many of which come from libero Courtney Castle. Castle has recorded 323 digs and 29 service aces. In ACC play Castle is ranked 6th in digs (4.05/set) and ninth in aces (0.3/set).
Match #24: Boston College (5-7 ACC, 10-13) at Georgia Tech (4-9 ACC, 11-15)
Match Time: Friday, Nov. 14, 2014; 7:00 p.m.
Match Site: O’Keefe Gymnasium, Atlanta, Ga.
Series Record: Georgia Tech leads, 18-2 (Since 1995)
Last Meeting: Nov. 22, 2013; Georgia Tech 3 - Boston College 0
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Scouting Georgia Tech
In the last matchup between the Eagles and the Yellow Jackets, Georgia Tech swept BC. Kellie Barnum had 21 assists in the match up. GT is currently ranked 11th in the conference at 4-9. In their latest outing, the Yellow Jackets fell to North Carolina State in straight sets on Sunday afternoon. GT freshman middle hitter Sydney Wilson led the Yellow Jackets with eight kills and a .312 hitting percentage against the Wolfpack.
Throughout the season, Georgia Tech has been led by Teegan Van Gunst, a sophomore who is ranked 9th in the ACC in kills (3.20/set). Rebecca Martin is another standout sophomore for the Yellow Jackets who is ranked 8th in the ACC in assists (8.69/set). Rounding out the solid second year group is London Ackermann whose 3.43 digs per set put her 10th in the conference.
Match #25: Boston College at Syracuse (1-12 ACC, 8-17)
Match Time: Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014; 1:00 p.m.
Match Site: Women’s Building, Syracuse, N.Y.
Series Record: Syracuse leads, 14-5 (Since 1990)
Last Meeting: Oct. 5, 2014, Boston College 3 - Syracuse 0
Scouting Syracuse
In its second year as an ACC member, the Orange are struggling against strong conference opponents. With just one win in conference play, over Wake Forest on Oct. 19, the Orange are hungry for a victory. In the last BC-Syracuse match, the Eagles handled the Orange soundly, putting them away in three sets. Last time out, BC’s Kellie Barnum distributed the ball well to several hitters, keeping Syracuse’s block on its heels. In the three set sweep over ACC opponent Syracuse, three Eagle hitters recorded double digit kills, as Topor had 15, Workman put away 14 and Calvete gathered 13.
Syracuse’s Silvi Uattara ranks fifth in the conference with 3.65 kills per set. Gosia Wlaszczuk sits at 10th in the conference in assists (7.29/set). The Orange is a strong blocking team and has two athletes in the conference top-ten. Freshman Leah Levert is ranked third with an average of 1.47 blocks per set and senior Lindsay McCabe is ranked sixth, posting a 1.33 blocks per set average.
Up Next
After the completion of this weekend the Eagles will be on the road again as they travel to the Sunshine State to face nationally ranked Florida State, and Miami.
