Boston College Athletics
Volleyball Hosts UNC, Clemson On Senior Weekend
November 05, 2014 | Volleyball
Chestnut Hill, Mass. -
BC will seek their fifth ACC victory this weekend as they face No. 8 North Carolina on Friday and Clemson on Sunday for senior day. The Eagles (9-12, 4-6 ACC) wrap up a three game homestand this weekend beginning with the Tar Heels (18-2, 9-1 ACC) at 7:00 p.m. in Power Gym. Boston College is 5-5 at the Heights this season. Watch UNC Match | Live Stats UNC | Watch Clemson Match | Live Stats Clemson
BC Overview
The Eagles are currently in eighth place in the ACC. BC defeated Notre Dame last Sunday in a pivotal re-match that handed the Eagles their fourth win of the season. BC beat Notre Dame for just the second time in program history behind double-doubles from Katty Workman and Sol Calvete.
The maroon and gold have earned victories over Louisville, Syracuse, Wake Forest and Notre Dame this season. The Eagles have eight more matches in conference play to round out the 2014 season.
Multiple BC hitters have highlighted the Eagles’ attack, with outside hitter Workman leading the way with 3.60 kills per set, which ranks sixth in the ACC. Right side Julia Topor tallies 2.70 kills per set. Coach Campbell’s middle attack has been hitting very efficiently, as Anna Skold and Kam McLain both hit over .350% against Notre Dame last Sunday. Senior setter Kellie Barnum, who registered 51 assists in Sunday’s victory, quarterbacks the offense handing out 8.96 assists per set (8th in ACC). Senior Courtney Castle leads the team in digs this season with 3.89 per set and 288 total (7th in ACC).
Milestone Watch
Barnum has surpassed the number two spot on career assists this season with 3,464 total. Verena Rost (2002-05) sits at the number one spot with 3,699.
Workman is currently tied at 37 with the same former player, Rost, in the category of double-doubles. Double-doubles are earned when a player records double digit numbers in any two of the following categories: kills, aces, assists, digs, blocks.
Due to her stellar serving performance this season, Castle has made her way onto the service ace career list and is ranked eighth with 97 career aces. The seventh and sixth spots are held by Dorota Niemczewska (2003-06; 100 SA) and Kelsey Johnson (2004-07; 101 SA). Castle has also worked her way up to fifth on the all-time digs list with 1,252. Castle needs 81 more digs to take the fourth spot from Katie Anderson (2001-01) who has 1,332.
Last Time Versus North Carolina
The last time the Tar Heels and Eagles met on the court was on October 24, 2014 in Chapel Hill, N.C. where No. 9 UNC took down BC in straight sets. The Eagles were led by outside hitter Katty Workman who totalled eight kills and six digs. Freshman Sol Calvete was the only Eagle hitter to produce a positive hitting percentage (.235). Senior setter Kellie Barnum had 15 assists. As a team, BC recorded four service aces, all which came in the third set, and five total team blocks.
Scouting No. 8 North Carolina
UNC is ranked No. 8 in the country, their highest program ranking to date. The Tar Heels have been ranked for 26-straight weeks and three-straight in the top-10. Behind the firepower of multiple upperclassmen, namely Chaniel Nelson, Leigh Andrew and Lauren McAdoo, the Tar Heels have been near unstoppable this season. The Tar Heels lead the ACC in blocks with 210 total on the season. Individuals in the top ten of the ACC include Paige Neuenfeldt (92) and Victoria McPherson (80). Senior Ece Taner is ranked first in the conference in service aces (0.45/set) and fourth in digs (4.24/set).
Scouting Clemson
The Tigers played No. 3 Florida State to a five-set loss last Sunday, displaying their grit and showing that they are a force to be reckoned with. The strong Clemson offense is led by freshman setter Kate Federico. Kristin Faust leads the Tigers with 320 kills on the season (3.48/set; 8th in ACC) and is followed by Leah Perri who has 287 kills (2.99/set). Clemson’s libero Niki Collier is ranked 9th in the ACC with 3.48 digs per set.
The series between Boston College and the Tigers began in 1988 with Clemson holding a 2-17 mark on the Eagles. BC and Clemson last matched up on Nov. 23, 2013 in an ACC Conference Match with Clemson earning a 3-0 victory over the Eagles. Katty Workman recorded her 12th double-double of the 2013 season in the last match up.
2014 Seniors
The Eagles have three seniors on their team, Kellie Barnum, Courtney Castle and Lauren Fields. The three standouts will be honored on Sunday before the match against Clemson.
