PREVIEW: Women's Volleyball hosts Anderson for home opener

SALISBURY, N.C. – The Catawba College women's volleyball team plays in front of a home crowd for the first time on Friday, welcoming South Atlantic Conference foe Anderson to Goodman Gym at 7 p.m.

Finally Home

- After starting the 2024 season with seven straight matches on the road, the Catawba Indians return to Salisbury for Friday's contest against Anderson

- Among SAC programs, Catawba and Lincoln Memorial are the only two that have not yet played on home court

- Catawba went 6-3 in front of home crowds last season compared to its 6-8 clip in away and neutral site matches

- However, opponents have gotten the best of Catawba home openers in the last four seasons. The program's last home opener victory was a 3-0 shutout of Chowan on Sep. 14, 2019

SAC Opener Recap

- Battling until the final point, Catawba was held scoreless at national vote-receiving Wingate in the team's first SAC contest

- The third set was tied 10 times as the 'Dogs eventually put it away, 27-25

- Kelcie Love's nine kills paced the offensive attack while Lauren Patrick had a .400 hitting percentage, connecting on six of her 10 swings

- Sydney McCutcheon averaged nine kills per set for a new career high as Patrick and Katie Clark contributed three blocks apiece

Stat Leaders

- Love has collected a team-high 60 kills, posting a similar per-set average to Katrina Misra who has 26 kills in 10 sets

- McCutcheon boasts the squad's best assist (159) and service ace (9) marks

- Denying 11 attacks at the net is Clark as the Yukon, Okla. product shares the solo stops lead of three with Patrick

All-Time Series

- Catawba trails Anderson in all-time history by a 19-6 margin

- The last two meetings were taken by the Trojans, but Catawba knocked off a 20-win Anderson team in a five-set thriller in 2022

- Anderson has prevailed in 11 of the last 12 contests, winning eight times via sweep

- On home court, Catawba is 4-9 against the Trojans

Scouting the Trojans

- Anderson comes into Salisbury with a 4-5 overall record and a 1-1 ledger in SAC action

- Limestone spoiled the Trojans' home opener, upsetting the hosts in a 3-1 decision on Wednesday

- Per Massey Ratings, Anderson's last two wins were against top 100 opponents (East Central, St. Mary's)

- Ava Reeves leads the offense with 119 kills, 13 service aces, and 138.0 points scored

- Ellie Nieporte currently has the nation's eighth-best assists mark at 355, chipping in eight aces and 91 digs

- Brantley Chipley is Anderson's biggest defensive weapon, making 34 stops (13 solo) in addition to her 94 kills

Follow Along

Tune into the broadcast on FloSports ($) or follow the live stats feed on CatawbaAthletics.com.