Davidson Hits the Road for Winthrop Invitational

Tournament	2015 Winthrop Invitational
Dates	Sept. 18-19
Venue	Winthrop Coliseum
Stream	Big South Network (Winthrop match only)
Live Stats	Live Stats

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson volleyball team will return to the court this weekend as it travels to compete in the Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C. The Wildcats will face Murray State on Friday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. and will play both West Virginia and host Winthrop on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Last Time Out
The Wildcats posted a 1-2 record at the Panther Invitational. Davidson fell to High Point in the first match of the weekend, 3-1, before falling in straight set to Wake Forest. In the final match of the two-day event, Davidson earned a hard-fought battle to Marshall, 3-2. The victory came by set scores of 25-22, 25-22, 18-25, 24-26 and 15-7.

Shepherd and the Wildcats front line combined for a total of X blocks with Shepherd being credited on 10. The rookie finished her evening with two solo blocks and eight block assists. The Cave Springs, Ark., native also chipped in 15 kills to go along with a .560 hitting percentage. Davidson's defense was strong all around in limited Marshall to a .148 hitting percentage. Kylie Bishopp turned in 23 digs to pace the back row with Morgan Shannon contributing 21. Mason Rooney notched 10 kills, 30 assists and 13 digs for her first triple-double of the young season as Emily Franklin added 12.

Four Score
With its 3-2 win over Marshall, Davidson improved to 4-6 on the season, matching its win total from a season ago.

Coming Out Party
Freshmen Mason Rooney and Sabrina Shepherd have made immediate impacts as both standouts have earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors for consecutive weeks. Rooney earned the distinction Sept. 8, after leading Davidson to a 3-0 week at the Wildcat Classic. Shepherd was named Rookie of the Week following a 1-2 weekend at the Panther Invitational, Sept. 14.

Protecting the Net
Davidson has dominated the net this season, posting 86 total blocks, to currently rank fifth in the Atlantic 10 in blocks per set (2.39). Emily Franklin (1.00 blocks per set) and Sabrina Shepherd (1.04 blocks per set) lead the team.

All-Tourney
Mikayla Derochie (4.27 assists per set, 2.18 digs per set, 1.55 kills per set), Mason Rooney (4.73 assists per set, 2.73 kills per set, 1.36 digs per set and .569 hitting percentage) and Sabrina Shepherd (2.27 kills per set, 0.64 blocks per set and .452 hitting percentage) were all named to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team after guiding the Wildcats to three wins.

Shepherd (2.17 kills per set, 1.33 blocks per set, 0.17 assists per set) was also named to the Panther Invitational Tournament for her performance as Davidson earned a 1-2 record.

Tripling Up
Freshman Mason Rooney recorded her first career triple-double of the young season. The Atlanta, Ga., native had 10 kills, 30 assists and 13 digs in the 3-2 win over Marshall Sept. 12.

Double-Doubles

	2015	Career
Mikayla Derochie	5
Mason Rooney	3	3
Sabrina Shepherd	1	1

Scouting Murray State (7-1, 0-0 OVC)
Murray State enters the weekend on a roll, having won seven of its first eight matches to open the season. Most recently, the Racers 9-of-11 sets to take first place at the 2015 Holiday Inn Classic hosted by Indiana State. Kristen Besselsen paces the team with 3.31 kills per set, while Scottie Ingram and Taylor Olden have both contributed 3.15 kills per set. Sam Bedard has anchored the defense with 3.58 digs per set, while dishing out 10.27 assists per set.

Scouting West Virginia (3-6, 0-0 Big 12)
West Virginia is just 3-6 on the year, but picked up a thrilling 3-2 win over Marshall, Sept. 15 after going winless at the Dartmouth Tournament versus Dartmouth and Connecticut. Dzeni Hadzisehovic sports a 2.12 kills per set average and is hitting .328 on the year, while had added Caleah Wells kills per set and a .260 hitting percentage. Brittany Sample has contributed to the offense, dishing out 9.36 assists per set. Gianna Gotterba have provided steady play in the back row with 3.94 digs per set as Hannah Shreve has racked up 1.25 blocks per set.

Scouting Winthrop (4-7, 0-0 Big South)
The Host Eagles will carry a 4-7 record into the tournament and is riding a four-match winning streak. Winthrop swept last weekend's Bash in the 'Boro after dropping just one of 10 sets. Lourdes Rosario leads the attack with 3.32 kills per set as Annelies Dokter and Emma Weakland have added 2.59 kills per set and 2.21 kills per set, respectively. Madilyn McCarty has contributed 9.63 assists per set with Maria Volstad (3.62 digs per set) and Carlie Skelton (2.45 digs per set) carrying the load defensively.

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