AASU Hosts PBC/Conference Carolinas Crossover

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The top three teams in the Peach Belt Conference's volleyball standings are set for action this weekend as Armstrong Atlantic State hosts the 2009 PBC/Conference Carolinas Crossover on Friday and Saturday in Savannah.

Action begins on Friday at 7:00 p.m. as host AASU takes on Conference Carolinas-leading Pfeiffer, while PBC-leading Flagler faces off against St. Andrews and Augusta State meets King (Tenn.).

Saturday, play continues at 11:00 a.m. with AASU hosting St. Andrews, Flagler taking on King (Tenn.) and Augusta State meeting Pfeiffer. The Crossover concludes at 2:00 p.m. with AASU meeting King (Tenn.), Augusta State facing St. Andrews and the conference leaders, Flagler and Pfeiffer, battling.

A newcomer to the Peach Belt this season, Flagler (18-8) finds itself atop the Peach Belt standings in 2009 with an 8-1 record. The Saints lead the PBC in kills and assists and are riding a 11-match win streak into this weekend's Crossover.

Second-place in the PBC, host Armstrong Atlantic (16-7), is riding high behind the play of freshmen Kathrin and Kristin Standhardinger. Kathrin leads the Peach Belt and ranks 13th in NCAA Division II in hitting percentage at .386, while Kristin is the reigning PBC Specialist of the Week - an honor she has earned three times this season.

Augusta State (17-9) is in third place in the PBC, which would be their best finish in the league since 1995. Senior Jessica Howard drives the Jaguar attack, ranking second in the league in hitting percentage at .333, while leading the league and ranking 16th in NCAA Division II in kills per game at 4.00.

The Conference Carolinas leaders, Pfeiffer (16-7) owns a half-game lead over Lees-McRae coming into this weekend's play. The Falcons pride themselves on tough serving as they rank seventh in NCAA Division II in service aces, averaging 2.52 per set - senior setter Vanessa Gerig leads Conference Carolinas and ranks fourth in DII with 0.86 service aces per set.

St. Andrews (9-14) is already familiar with two teams in the Crossover as the Knights have already faced host Armstrong Atlantic and Augusta State once this season - losing 3-0 to the Pirates and the Jaguars on the same day, Sept. 5, in the USC Aiken Invitational. Senior Galina Podolsky leads the Knights with a .216 hitting percentage and 2.87 kills per set.

King (Tenn.) (21-4) is in transition to NCAA Division II and is an associate member of Conference Carolinas - in men's volleyball, which begins play this spring. The women's team, however, hits an impressive .240 as a team and has played six matches against DII foes this season, going 3-3 with wins over Carson-Newman, Bluefield State and North Greenville.

Fans can follow along with all the action on the Crossover website here. Live video webcasts of all of AASU matches will be available, as well as live stats of all of Flagler's matches.