CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel volleyball team heads to Boiling Springs, North Carolina, this weekend to compete in the Runnin' Bulldogs Classic hosted by Gardner-Webb.
 
The Bulldogs (1-3) will take on USC Upstate inside Paul Porter Arena on Friday at 4:30 p.m. before wrapping up tournament play Saturday against Gardner-Webb at 12:30 p.m. and Southeast Missouri State at 4:30 p.m. Live stats will be available at CitadelSports.com.
 
"We've had a couple of good practices this week and I'm encouraged going into this weekend that we have made improvements from last weekend, " head coach Craig Mosqueda said.
 
The Citadel returns to competition after going 1-3 at the Atlanta Midtown Invitational hosted by Georgia Tech last weekend. The Bulldog's win against Siena marked the program's first defeat of a reigning D-I conference champion since the team downed SC State in 2011.
 
Sophomore Moriah Smith led the Bulldogs in their opening weekend, posting back-to-back double-doubles against UT-Martin and Siena. The outside hitter earned an attack percentage of .217 along with 4.07 kills per set, earning a spot on the all-tournament team.
 
Senior captain Rachel Keefer also posted multiple double-doubles and led the squad in assists with 142, averaging 9.47 assists per set.
 
Junior Megan Sowell earned a double-double against UT-Martin, record 12 kills and 10 digs. The right-side hitter averaged 2.13 kills and 2.33 digs per set.
 
Junior captain Samantha Espy managed a team-high 57 digs over last weekend's tournament, averaging 3.80 digs per set.
 
On their last meeting in 2010, The Citadel defeated USC Upstate 3-2.The Spartans (4-0) enter the tournament off of a 3-1 triumph against Winthrop.
 
Gardner-Webb (2-2) enters the weekend following a 0-3 loss to Appalachian State. The Citadel defeated Gardner-Webb 3-1 in their last meeting in 2013.
 
Southeast Missouri State holds a 0-3 record following the Drury Hotels Redhawks Invitational last weekend. This marks the second time that the Bulldogs have faced the Redhawks.
 
For more information on The Citadel Volleyball, follow @CitadelVB or visit CitadelSports.com.
 
Full Tournament Schedule
Friday, September 4, 2015              
4:30 pm            USC Upstate vs. The Citadel                 
7:00 pm            Gardner-Webb vs. Southeast Missouri State                  
 
Saturday, September 5, 2015       
10:00 am           Southeast Missouri State vs. USC Upstate        
12:30 pm          Gardner-Webb vs. The Citadel               
4:30 pm            The Citadel vs. Southeast Missouri State
7:00 pm            Gardner-Webb vs. USC Upstate