'Cats Head to College of Charleston Invitational

Friday, August 29

Charleston, S.C.

7:00 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

College of Charleston

'Cats Head to College of Charleston Invitational

8/29/2014 11:53:00 AM | Volleyball

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Davidson volleyball team will kick off its 2014 season this weekend with a trip to the College of Charleston Invitational. The Wildcats will first take to the court Friday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. versus Charleston before squaring off against Kent State on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. and Mercer at 4:30 p.m.

About Davidson
Davidson, which officially joined the A-10 in July, returns 10 letterwinners to the court. The Wildcats ended the 2013 season with a 16-14 overall record, the first winning record since 2006. Davidson closed out the regular season with victories in four of their final five matches. Despite losing a strong senior class, the Wildcats return quite a bit of playing time while welcoming its largest freshman class under head coach Chris Willis to the court.

Set It Up
The Wildcats return two strong setters including sophomore standout Mikayla Derochie and junior Gaylen Fronk, while welcoming rookie Katriana Romanelli. Hailing from Ramona, Calif., Derochie saw action in 120 sets as a freshman to earn six Southern Conference Freshman of the Week honors. Derochie finished the year averaging 10.12 assists per set and 0.58 blocks per set. Fronk, a product of Penfield, N.Y., saw action in four sets to turn in a 3.25 assist per set average.

On the Outside
Despite losing Caroline Brown, the Wildcats return some strong players on the outside in Rachel Earnhardt and Hannah Rau. Earnhardt had 158 digs, while adding 116 kills in just 74 sets played. Rau tallied 150 digs with 165 kills and 14 assists in 79 sets played.

In the Middle
Emily Franklin brings powerful depth to the lineup, as the rising sophomore looks to carry over success from her rookie campaign. Franklin contributed an impressive 166 kills in 120 sets played and add 20 digs while averaging 1.03 blocks per set. Newcomer Mary Harriet Moore will also look to make an immediate impact in the middle.

Libero
Senior Anastasia Owen and junior Morgan Shannon return for the Wildcats in the libero position. Last season, Owen finished with 440 digs and 48 assists in 110 sets played. Shannon corralled 218 digs, two kills and 35 assists in 110 sets played.

To the Right
Junior Michelle McNeight on the right side will be an impactful player. McNeight wrapped up her sophomore campaign with six kills and seven block assists in 15 sets.

On the Sidelines
Head coach Chris Willis returns for his fourth season at the helm of the Davidson women's volleyball program. Willis owns a 40-44 record on the sidelines. Willis is joined this season by first-year assistant Kaley Viola.

What's New
The Wildcats added six freshmen to the roster for the 2014 season. Kylie Bishopp, Mary Harriet Moore, Grace Schlicht, Katriana Romanelli, Kelly Friers and Sarah Fink form the class of 2017. The class includes student-athletes from six different states across four time zones.

Captains
Senior Anastasia Owen and juniors Gaylen Fronk and Hannah Rau will serve as the 2014 captains.

All-Time Against College of Charleston
Davidson enters the weekend trailing the Cougars, 9-30. The two programs, which first squared off in 1989, last met in 2012 with the College of Charleston posting a shutout win over the 'Cats.

All-Time Against Kent State
The Wildcats and the Kent State Flashers will meet for the first time in program history.

All-Time Against Mercer
Davidson and Mercer will meet for the sixth time in program history with the Wildcats holding a 4-1 advantage over the Bears. The two teams last met in 2011 with Davidson posting a shutout victory.

Looking Ahead
Davidson continues its tournament play with a trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., for the Wake Forest Invitational where the 'Cats will take on Wake Forest, N.C. Central and Presbyterian before returning home to host the Wildcat Classic Sept. 12-13.