LIVINGSTON, Ala. – In search of their first win of the young 2024 season, the University of West Alabama Volleyball team is set to travel to Owensboro, Kentucky this weekend for the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational.
UWA (0-4) will open up the Invitational on Friday with a matchup against Thomas More (2-2) at 9:00 a.m. followed by a contest against Minnesota State (4-0) at 4:00 p.m. The Tigers will conclude this weekend's play on Saturday after facing off with Illinois Springfield (4-0) at 9:00 a.m. and Lake Superior (1-3) at 3:00 p.m.
West Alabama has struggled to produce offense to begin the year as they've only put down 101 kills on a .021 hitting percentage through the first four matches.
Jaida Alvin has been the most production Pin Hitter and is arguably the best player on the Tiger's roster as the sophomore leads the team with 27 kills, while ranking second in digs with 42. Outside of Alvin, Setter
Berfin Mertcan is in her second year in the program after leading West Alabama's offense in 2023 with a team-high 589 assists and will play a massive role this weekend, along with freshman
Taylor Lamontagne who will split time with Mertcan.
Defensively for UWA,
Maggie Roddam is the anchor in the backline, leading the Tigers and ranking fifth in the GSC with 51 digs. As West Alabama's Libero, the freshman has registered double-digit digs in all four matches thus far, including a season-high 15-dig performance against UVA Wise in the season opener.
The Thomas More Saints enter this weekend's Invitational and match against West Alabama 2-2 on the season, with their latest result being a sweep over Point Park. Similar to the Tigers, the Saints have failed to produce much offense as they enter Friday's matchup with a .111 team hitting percentage. While Thomas More has struggled offensively, they've made it up on the defensive side, by holding their opponents to a .099 hitting percentage. Leading their defensive charge is Asia Ferrando who leads the Saints in digs with 74. Ferrando, a senior from Masone, Italy, has been a staple in Thomas More's backline for years. The Defensive Specialist has recorded over 500 digs in the each of the past three seasons, resulting in 1699 career digs, entering this weekend's Tournament.
Minnesota State comes into the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record after sweeping the Maverick Invitational last weekend. The Mavericks possess a talented roster with the likes of Toryn Richards, Emma Loveall, and Ellie Kline, to name a few. Richards leads Minnesota State in kills with 56 while Loveall is right behind her with 54. The duo has recorded double-digit kills in the same match in two of the Maverick's four contests, including combing for 38 kills in Minnesota State's 3-2 win over Northern Michigan on Saturday. As for Kline, she is stout defensively for the Mavericks as the junior leads the team with 79 digs to begin the year.
Outside of Minnesota State, Illinois Springfield will be the best team that West Alabama will see this weekend as the Prairie Stars come into this weekend's play after sweeping all four of their matches to kick off the season last weekend. Through the first 12 sets of play, Illinois Springfield has accumulated 171 kills on a .292 hitting percentage while holding opposing teams to 128 kills on a .138 hitting percentage. Makenna Cox is the Prairie Stars' go-to Pin Hitter as she leads the team in kills with 64 on .385 hitting percentage. Cox is a redshirt freshman transfer from Missouri Western State who began her collegiate career last Friday with a 22-kill performance on a .625 hitting percentage in Illinois Springfield's 3-0 sweep over Purdue Northwest.
Lake Superior enters the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational after opening up their 2024 campaign at the Steel City Showcase, dropping three of their four matches. Led by Right-Side Hitter, Mariana Velasque, the Lakers have been respectable offensively. In 2023, Velasque put together a career year, registering a career-high 408 kills on a career-high .256 hitting percentage. That momentum has rolled over into the new campaign for the senior as she currently leads Lake Superior in kills with 43 on a .170 hitting percentage, and comes into the weekend after recording 18 kills on a .456 hitting percentage in the Lakers' latest outing against Lubbock Christian.
Friday's matchups against Thomas More and Minnesota State are set for 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. while Saturday's contests against Illinois Springfield and Lake Superior are set for 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
