11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
CONWAY - Coastal Carolina is set to host the 2014 Big South Volleyball Championship this week, beginning with the quarterfinal round on Thursday. The eight-team field will look to advance to Friday's semifinals, and a champion will be crowned on Sunday, with the title game featured on ESPN3. All matches will be played at The HTC Center.
Tournament passes are available for $20, while single day tickets can be purchased for $8. Youth (18 & under) single day tickets are $5, as are tickets for students from a Big South Conference school with a school ID. Admission is free for all Coastal Carolina students.
Tickets can be purchased at The HTC Center the day of the game, or by calling the Coastal Carolina ticket office at 843-347-8499.
Thursday's first quarterfinal match will begin at noon, with the following quarterfinal matches beginning at approximately 2:30 pm, 5 pm and 7:30 pm. Friday's semifinal matches are set for 4:30 pm and 7 pm, and Sunday's championship game will begin at 2 pm.
The host Chanticleers (22-6, 11-3) enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed, and will face No. 7 Gardner-Webb (12-20, 5-9) in Thursday's final quarterfinal match at approximately 7:30 pm. FREE PIZZA will be provided to Coastal Carolina students who are in attendance.
No. 1 Radford (22-7, 12-2) and No. 8 Campbell (14-17, 5-9) kick off the tournament in the noon quarterfinal match on Thursday. The second quarterfinal match features No. 4 Winthrop (19-11, 9-5) versus No. 5 Presbyterian (12-15, 7-7). The third quarterfinal match will see No. 3 Liberty (23-9, 10-4) against No. 6 High Point (12-15, 6-8).
Coastal Carolina and Gardner-Webb met once earlier this season in Boiling Springs, with the Chants taking the 3-1 victory. Katie Martin and Leah Hardeman combined for 31 kills in the match, while Annayka Legros led all players with seven blocks. As a team the Chants hit .350, while holding the Runnin' Bulldogs to just .111.
Leading the Chants into the tournament is Hardeman, who was named both the Big South Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year when the conference announced its annual awards on Tuesday. Coastal will also look for major production from junior middle blocker Eszter Nagy, and senior setter Sam Skryd, who were first team and honorable mention all-conference selections, respectively.
Be sure to visit GoCCUSports.com, or follow @GoCCUSports on Twitter throughout the tournament for updated information and results. Fans can also visit the VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE page on GoCCUSports.com for links to live stats and live streams on the Big South Network.
2014 Big South Championship Schedule
Thursday - Quarterfinals
Match 1 (Noon) - No. 8 Campbell vs. No. 1 Radford (Big South Network)
Match 2 (2:30 pm) - No. 5 Presbyterian vs. No. 4 Winthrop (Big South Network)
Match 3 (5 pm) - No. 6 High Point vs. No. 3 Liberty (Big South Network)
Match 4 (7:30 pm) - No. 7 Gardner-Webb vs. No. 2 Coastal Carolina (Big South Network)
Friday - Semifinals
Match 5 (4:30 pm) - Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 (Big South Network)
Match 6 (7 pm) - Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4 (Big South Network)
Sunday - Championship (ESPN3)
Championship - 2 pm
