SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The 2012 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship is set to begin on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 10 a.m. ET at Belk Arena on the campus of Davidson College. The quarterfinals will take place on Saturday, the semifinals on Sunday and the championship match will take place on Monday at 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast by ESPN3.
The North Division will be represented by UNCG (No. 4 seed), Chattanooga (No. 3 seed), Elon (No. 2 seed), and reigning tournament champion Samford (No. 1 seed). Led by seniors Lauren Hutchinson, Elizabeth Neisler and Lexi Baurr, the 2011 SoCon Volleyball Championship MVP, the Bulldogs completed the regular season with a 22-8 record and a 14-2 record in SoCon play.
The South Division will be represented by tournament-host Davison (No. 4 seed), Furman (No. 3 seed), 2011 tournament runner-up College of Charleston (No. 2 seed), and Georgia Southern (No. 1 seed), which posted a SoCon-best 24-6, 15-1 regular season record. The Eagles are led by 2012 SoCon Player of the Year Kate Van Dyke, who is the only player in conference history to be named first-team all-conference in four consecutive years.
Elon (16-15, 9-7) will take on Furman (22-9, 10-6) in the first match of Saturday’s quarterfinals, beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The Phoenix defeated the Paladins, 3-1, in the teams’ only regular-season meeting. The Paladins are led by senior hitters Chandler Ambrester, Natalie Braun, and Caroline Adams, as well as 2012 SoCon Freshman of the Year Jo Wilks, and are seeking their third SoCon tournament title. Wilks leads the conference in assists per game with 12.24, which ranks fourth nationally.
The second game of Saturday’s semifinals will pit Georgia Southern against UNCG (13-15, 7-9) at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Eagles swept the teams’ only regular-season match-up.
College of Charleston (23-7, 14-2) will face Chattanooga (14-17, 8-8) in the third quarterfinal match at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Mocs ended the regular season on a four-match win streak, while the Cougars won their last five regular-season matches. Chattanooga is led by senior libero Paula Passmore, the 2012 SoCon Libero of the Year. Passmore leads the conference in digs per set with 6.38, which ranks second nationally. College of Charleston, led by Penn State transfer Darcy Dorton, looks to reach the championship match for the 11th consecutive year and is seeking its first tournament title since 2009.
The final match of Saturday’s quarterfinals will see Davidson (11-15, 7-9) take on Samford (22-8, 14-2) at 7 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs finished the season on a seven-match win streak.
The tournament winner earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship.
2012 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Nov. 17 (Saturday)
Quarterfinals—Davidson, N.C.
#2N Elon vs. #3S Furman – 10 a.m.
#1S Georgia Southern vs. #4N UNCG – 12:30 p.m.
#2S College of Charleston vs. #3N Chattanooga – 4:30 p.m.
#1N Samford vs. #4S Davidson – 7 p.m.
Nov. 18 (Sunday)
Semifinals—Davidson, N.C.
Elon/Furman winner vs. Georgia Southern/UNCG winner – 2 p.m.
College of Charleston/Chattanooga winner vs. Samford/Davidson winner – 4:30 p.m.
Nov. 19 (Monday)
Championship—Davidson, N.C.
Championship Match (ESPN3), 6 p.m.