Carrollton, GA - The Wolves finished strongly in their first tournament of the 2016 season. Head Coach Trina Braden led the team to a 2-1 record on the weekend. They're back at it this week with a four day break before they head to play four matches this weekend in Louisville, KY. On Friday September 9 they will face St. Mary's at 11:30 a.m. and Alderson Broaddus at 4:30 p.m. They will continue match play on Saturday September 10 against Ohio Valley at 9:00 a.m. and Bellarmine at 2:00 p.m.
The Wolves opened the season with three matches in Columbus, GA last weekend. They swept both Converse and Clark Atlanta with 3-0 wins, but struggled with Anderson, finishing with a 3-0 loss.

On the Outside
McKenna Wharton made a huge collegiate debut, leading the team in kills with 22 on the weekend. She also added 15 digs and two blocks. She is expected to continue as the strong, go-to outside as they continue match play in Louisville. Faith Pearson and Haylea Mannebach also contributed offensively with 14 and 12 kills respectively.

In the Middle
Returning middle blocker Lindsey Thomas did not dress in the opening weekend due to a knee injury. Paige Berriochoa stepped up in her absence with a strong 19 kills and six blocks in all three matches. Jaida Allen, the only senior this season, also added 10 kills and four blocks on the weekend. Berriochoa and Allen are set to start in the middle blocker position again this weekend in Louisville.

On the Assist
True freshman Madi Fleming and sophomore Kelcie Zimmer are currently running a 6-2 offense under Braden. Zimmer led with 49 assists on the opening weekend while Fleming trailed just behind her with 31 assists. The two setters were also strong defensively, adding 32 total digs combined.

On Defense
The wolves are still looking for a standout defensive specialist to permanently fill the libero position. Returning sophomore Devon Dickey, juniors Halen Chapman and Tessa Watson, and newcomer Tricia Melegari all had split time in the libero jersey over the weekend. The four defensive specialists will continue to fight for the position this week leading up to tournament in Louisville.

St. Mary's at a Glance
The Rattlers opened with a poor 1-3 start in their opening weekend at a tournament in San Angelo, TX. They finished the 2015 season with a 7-21 record and did not advance to conference tournament play. They return a young team this year made up of six freshmen, four sophomores, four juniors, and one senior.

Alderson Broaddus at a Glance
The Battlers also had a disappointing 0-4 start in their opening weekend in Indiana, PA, consisting of two 3-0 sweeps and two heartbreaking five-set losses. The team will be led by Abby Stoner this season in her first year as head coach at Alderson Broaddus.

Ohio Valley at a Glance
The Fighting Scots also had a rough 0-4 start to the 2016 season in Springfield, IL. They finished the 2015 season with a 10-22 record. The team will be led this season by five seniors under Paul Jacoby in his twenty first season at OVU.

Bellarmine at a Glance
The Knights started the season strongly with a 4-0 record on opening weekend in Akron, OH. They finished the 2015 season with a 10-22 record and return only 2 seniors for the 2016 season. Head Coach Jenni Grzebin will lead the knights in her fourth season at Bellarmine this year.

If you want to follow the team through the tournament, live stats will be available for all games and live video will be available when the Wolves play Bellarmine on Saturday at 2 p.m.