Last weekend was a big one for Big South sports, especially in football. All eight teams are officially in conference play. North Alabama, however, is not eligible for the Big South Championship this year due to their transition to Division I, but they will still play conference teams.
Big South Women’s Soccer programs are less than two weeks away from their conference tournament, and Big South Men’s Soccer Programs are a little over two weeks away from theirs. Volleyball still has exactly a month to go before its championship (which is hosted by Winthrop University this year).
It is that time of week, Big South Fans. Your weekly awards! This week, I am going to start off with volleyball since volleyball awards were not included in last week’s article. Before I start my article, let me just acknowledge that I know there are Virginia and South Carolina-based schools in the Big South, but I choose to write about the North Carolina-based schools in the Big South because of the primary audience that Sports Carolina Monthly reaches.
Volleyball. One of my favorite sports to watch. I actually just went to go watch a conference tournament volleyball game yesterday that my college roommate was coaching. I like to play beach volleyball, but I can serve, and that is about it.
Awards time. My alma mater, High Point University, took home one award, as middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg was named Big South Freshman of the Week. Rammelsberg filled up the stat sheet for the Panthers in matches last week against Big South-leading Winthrop (loss) and Gardner-Webb, as she amassed 14 kills, seven digs, six blocks, 19 points, and recorded a .571 hitting clip.
Moving on to football. Campbell is one of the Big South’s top programs. They won two awards this past week: sophomore linebacker Justice Galloway-Velazquez earned Big South Defensive Player of the Week honors, while freshman quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams won Big South Freshman of the Week (for the third time this year). Galloway-Velazquez recorded 10 tackles in a 31-16 win over Hampton and a couple of key pass breakups (one on fourth down). Williams completed 14 of 26 passes for 217 yards with two touchdowns, and also caught a 23-yard touchdown in the same game. Williams led the Camels in rushing with 82 yards, and fell just short of the 300-yard mark in total offense.
Women’s soccer. Weekly awards were swept this past week by North Carolina-based schools. High Point, Campbell, and Gardner-Webb, in that order, are the three teams at the top of the standings. With success typically comes wins. Sometimes even awards. High Point won two weekly awards, while Campbell and Gardner-Webb took home an award apiece.
Campbell senior midfielder Katie Lockwood and Gardner-Webb sophomore forward Maddie Turlington actually split an award this week, as both of them were named Big South Women’s Soccer Co-Attacking Players of the Week. Lockwood scored the game-winner in Campbell’s 1-0 victory against Radford last week. Lockwood also scored a 61st-minute equalizer against Longwood, while assisting on the game-winner in the 84th minute. Turlington recorded a goal (80th minute game-winner) and an assist (22nd minute) in a win against UNC-Asheville on Wednesday, while recording a goal (fourth minute) and two assists in a win at USC-Upstate on Saturday.
Enter High Point, who won two women’s soccer awards this week. For their efforts in High Point’s perfect 2-0 week that saw the Panthers clinch the number one seed in the upcoming conference soccer tournament, freshman defender Keagan Bragg and freshman forward Sam Gerhart respectively earned Big South Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors. Bragg was part of a defense that allowed one goal in two matches last week. Bragg also added a tally of her own in a 3-1 road victory at Presbyterian, and an assist of her own in a 3-0 home win against Winthrop. Gerhart tallied the game-winning 82nd minute goal at Presbyterian, while adding an assist against Winthrop.
Men’s soccer. Campbell won one award for a North Carolina-based Big South school, while High Point won the other. Redford won the third award for Big South Men’s Soccer.
For his results in a 2-0 week for Campbell, sophomore midfielder Matt Lock was named Big South Men’s Soccer Attacking Player of the Week. In a 4-0 home win against Gardner-Webb last Wednesday, Lock recorded a match-opening goal in the eighth minute and an assist on Campbell’s third goal at the 75:13 mark. In a 7-1 road victory at UNC-Asheville, Lock recorded a 28th-minute goal and a 51st-minute assist.
For his results in a 2-0 week for High Point, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Keegan Meyer was named Big South Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week. In a 2-1, double-overtime win against Presbyterian College on Wednesday, Meyer made four saves, highlighted by a clutch second-half stop. In a 2-0 win against Longwood, Meyer made six saves, including four in the second half.
A huge week in the Big South. New student-athletes appear each week in the awards, which shows how much talent this mid-major conference has. With performances like this, the Big South will continue to be put on the map.
