Sept. 9. 2005
Georgia Southern 3, Louisiana-Monroe 1
UAB 3, Georgia Southern 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--The Georgia Southern volleyball team defeated Louisiana-Monroe Friday morning three games to one before falling to Alabama-Birmingham Friday afternoon three games to none.
In the first match of the Invitational, Georgia Southern (5-3) won the first two games 30-19 and 30-15 before losing game three 24-30. The Eagles were able to put away Louisiana-Monroe (4-3) in game four, winning 30-20.
The Eagles were led by a balanced attack of offense from sophomore Bailey Coleman, who led the team with 15 kills, senior Iulia Porumbescu, 14 kills, and senior Cristie Mitchell and junior Jennifer Schenk, who each recorded 12 kills.
Porumbescu recorded a double-double tallying 20 digs, as did Coleman, who totaled 15 digs on her way to hitting .484. Senior Natalia Galantini also recorded a double-double with 12 digs and 35 assists. Junior libero Staci Anderson finished the match with 17 digs.
"We played well in the first two games and unfortunately let that slip away in the third game," head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "I was pleased with our offensive play but I wish that we had blocked better.
Leading Louisiana-Monroe was Megan Gloor who recorded 13 kills and 10 digs.
In the second match, Georgia Southern lost all three games, losing 21-30, 28-30, and 24-30 to Alabama-Birmingham (5-0).
The Eagles, who started the match 40 minutes after completing their first match, recorded a season low .063 hitting percentage.
"We came out flat and tired," Messersmith said. "We tried to rest a few people during the first match but that did not seem to help. We made error after error and we didn't pass well. I do not think we were focused at all during the match."
Porumbescu recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 12 kills and 17 digs.
Alabama-Birmingham was led by Nicole Bowland who had 13 kills and 11 digs.
Georgia Southern will play their final match of the UAB Invitational Saturday Sep 10 at 11 a.m. (CST) against Southeast Louisiana.
Birmingham-Southern 3, Western Carolina 0
Birmingham, Ala. - The Western Carolina volleyball team opened play in the Samford Invitational Friday night, falling to Birmingham-Southern in straight sets, 3-0 (30-18, 30-21, 30-20) Friday night at Seibert Hall.
In game one, Western pulled out to an early lead until the Panthers evened things up at nine and never looked back. Birmingham-Southern (2-4) hit .314 in opening game, recording only four errors. They were led by senior Lillian Henderson with five kills on five attempts in error-free play.
The Catamounts (0-7) again came out strong in the second game, pulling out to a 5-0 lead before the Panthers rallied to tie it up at 6-6. From that point on, Birmingham-Southern never trailed again. For the third consecutive game, Western could not take advantage of an early lead, pulling ahead in the opening moments of game three before BSC again tied it up at six. The game see-sawed back-and-forth before the Panthers finished things off in what proved to be the match-winner.
Sophomore Danielle Spitzer led the Catamounts with nine kills and five block assists, while junior transfer Krista Neumann, who returned to the lineup after missing the past three matches, added eight kills. Junior Meghan Boyle continued her hot streak, recording the double-double with 26 assists and 14 digs. The Ancaster, Ontario native also added a team-high three service aces.
Senior Ellie Talbot and junior Heather Koontz each reached double-digits in digs, tallying 12 and 10, respectively in the loss.
For Birmingham-Southern, senior Jana Smelley led all hitters with 14 kills and registered only three errors for a .393 attack percentage. Henderson was also impressive, recording 12 kills and three errors on 19 attempts for a .474 percentage. Smelley also racked up 13 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
For the match, BSC out-hit Western, .267 to .087, and recorded 46 kills as compared to the Catamounts' 32.
Western continues play in the Samford Invitational on Saturday, battling the host Bulldogs at Noon (CT) and wrapping up the two-day, three-match tournament with a tilt with Fairfield College. The Catamounts and the Stags face-off at 5:00 pm (CT).
Appalachian State 3, South Florida 0
TAMPA, Fla. ? Appalachian State volleyball opened the Best Western Invitational with a 3-0 (30,-15, 30-24, 30-21) victory over host South Florida of the Big East conference, Friday night at The Corral in Tampa, Fla.
Sophomore Dianna Thomas (Mobile, Ala.) led the Mountaineer offense with a match-high 14 kills, adding four total blocks and two assists. Kali Rumberger tallied a match-high 22 digs, leading the Appalachian defense. She added two kills.
Senior Stefanie Panzer (Mt. Gilead, N.C.) added 10 kills and six block assists for the Apps, while sophomore Brittany Zahn (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in eight. Sophomore Lorelle Rau (Oakland Park, Fla.) led both teams with 36 assists, adding six total blocks.
Junior Amy Lewis (Chesnee, S.C.) hit .462 on the night for the Apps (seven kills, one error, 13 attempts), adding five total blocks.
South Florida was led by Kristina Fabris with 12 kills and Kelsi Andrew-Wasylik compiling 11 digs. Michelle Stalbaum added nine kills and eight digs for the Bulls.
In the first game, Appalachian got off to a 4-0 led and never looked back, leading the entire game. With the score 2-8 in favor of the Mountaineers, Zahn rattled off four-straight points to take a 12-2 lead. The Mountaineers didn’t look back, going on to take game one, 30-15. Thomas led the Mountaineer offense with six kills.
The second game remained close throughout, with South Florida scoring the first point. The game stayed within two points until USF took a 21-18 lead. The Apps came back, tying the game at 21. After one more tie, at 22, the Mountaineers put five-straight points on the board to take a 27-22 lead. Appalachian went on to defeat South Florida, 30-24 in game two to take a 2-0 match-lead. Thomas again led the Apps, recording six kills.
Game three started with a quick 2-0 ASU lead. USF came back, tying the game at three. Appalachian went on a run, taking a 10-6 lead. The Mountaineers extended their lead to 19-12. The Bulls fought back, pulling within four, 15-19, forcing ASU to take a timeout. Appalachian came out of the timeout on fire, forcing USF to take a timeout at 22-15. The Apps continued to extend their lead, going on to win game three, 30-21, and take the match, 3-0.
In earlier action on the day, Florida Atlantic defeated both South Florida and Eastern Washington. The Mountaineers hit the court twice Saturday, facing Eastern Washington at 10 a.m. and closing out the tournament at 2:30 with Florida Atlantic. Both games can be followed via live stats on the web at www.gousfbulls.com.
East Tennessee State 3, Davidson 1
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? Sarah Buhr recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs to lead East Tennessee State to a 3-1 (24-30, 30-24, 25-30, 22-30) victory over Davidson in the opening round of the 2005 Mizuno Wildcat Classic Friday evening.
The two teams traded points early in the opening game to find themselves deadlocked at 13-13. ETSU broke the tie with a 5-0 streak and never looked back taking the match’s first game 30-24.
Crystal Palmer led the way for the Bucs in game one with four kills on eight swings, while Jennifer Emerson contributed 11 assists.
Tied 21-21 in game two, Davidson (0-5) took advantage of three consecutive ETSU miscues to spark a 7-0 streak and grab its largest lead of the frame 28-21. The Bucs cut the margin to 29-24, but a kill by Davidson’s Liz Williamson gave the Wildcats the game (30-24) and tied the match 1-1.
In game three, the Buccaneers recorded a .410 attack percentage (19-39) to claim the game 30-25 and grab a 2-1 match advantage.
Similar to the second stanza, the two teams played to an early 14-14 tie, but East Tennessee State broke the tie with a 7-2 run to grab a 21-16 lead. A Bucs’ attack error and service ace by the ?Cats’ Emily Mims closed the deficit to 21-19, but Davidson was unable to inch closer than two as ETSU claimed the final game 30-22.
ETSU’s (4-1) Jennifer Sartor finished with a match-high 17 kills, while Callie Kiselich added a double-digit kill performance with 10. Emerson led all setters with 54 assists.
The Buccaneers finished with a .174 attack percentage on 61-of-161 attempts. Davidson hit just .135 (52-156) for the contest.
Katie Pierucci led the way for Davidson with 14 kills on 29 attempts and 17 assists. Erin Balak finished with a team-high 20 assists in the Wildcats fifth straight defeat to begin the 2005 campaign.
Davidson returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Howard at 12:30 p.m. and Duquesne at 6 p.m. in the final day of the Mizuno Wildcat Classic.
UNC Greensboro 3, Charleston Southern 1
CHARLESTON, SC ? Three players posted 13 kills apiece to lead the UNC Greensboro women?s volleyball team a 3-1 win over Charleston Southern in the first match of the Charleston Southern Invitational Tournament Friday afternoon. The victory marked the first for UNCG head coach Shawn Garus.
UNCG (1-5) won game one 30-26, before CSU cruised to a 30-16 win in game two, evening the match 1-1. UNCG responded with a 30-26 win in game three and put away the match with a 30-25 win in game four.
Senior Lori Collins, junior Hilary Overby and freshman Kaitlyn Nortz led UNCG with 13 kills each. Senior Adrian Hicks dished out 40 assists and recorded 10 digs. The Spartans hit a mediocre .163 for the match, but that was better than CSU?s .098 effort.
Tori Owens led CSU with 12 kills and 12 digs, while setter Katie O?Riordan had 34 kills and 11 digs.
In the second game of the day, UNCG lost a tough five-game match, 3-2, to South Alabama. In game one with the score tied 10-10, UNCG went on a run that would extend the lead to 29-21, before closing out the opening game with a 30-26 win.
The second game was a tight affair with neither team leading by more than three points until the Jags went on a 5-1spurt to grab a six point, 18-12, advantage. UNCG could not get any closer as the Jags went on to capture the 30-19 win.
Neither team could take control of the third game and with the contest tied at 14-14, South Alabama scored three consecutive points to take a 17-14 lead. The Jags increased their advantage to as many as six, 25-19, and looked to be in control. However, holding a 28-23 advantage, UNCG went on a 7-0 run to win the game and take the 30-28 win.
The Jags came back to win game four, 30-25, to tie the game 2-2, setting up a deciding fifth game. Trailing by one, 6-5, South Alabama's defense started a 9-1 run that gave USA a 14-7 lead. After a brief rally by UNCG, Jade Nuss sealed the victory with an attack the dropped in behind the Spartan defense.
Nortz led the Spartans with a season-high 17 kills, while Overby and Collins put away 14 and 12 kills respectively. Hicks doled out 47 assists. Overby and sophomore Alysia Rosvold each came up with 22 digs on the defensive end.
William & Mary 3, Elon 1
Liberty 3, Elon 1
WILLIAMSBURG, Va.- The Elon University volleyball team dropped two matches on Friday in the first day of the William & Mary Invitational. Elon fell to Liberty 1-3 (25-30, 20-30, 30-28, 29-31) on Friday morning and dropped its afternoon match to William & Mary 1-3 (30-27, 21-30, 24-30, 14-30).
Elon (0-6) was led by Juliena Gigon in the first match of the day. Gigon registered 14 kills and 14 digs for the Phoenix. Britany Westphal added nine kills and seven digs while Brooke Pickard tallied eight digs.
In the second match of the day, Elon jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first game. The Phoenix went ahead 10-2 and never looked back with the Tribe never getting closer than two points. Emily Lucci finished the game with a kill at 30-27.
In game two, Elon took a 5-0 advantage before William & Mary tied it at 11. Up by one, 19-18, the Tribe went on a 5-1 one to go ahead 24-19 and finished the game 30-21. The Tribe went on to win games three and four and close out the match with 30-24 and 30-14 victories.
Lucci led the Phoenix with 11 kills, 15 digs and four service aces. Westphal paced the offense with 12 kills while Gigon added 10 kills and 10 digs. Emily Downing notched 12 digs and Kate Hart recorded 36 assists for Elon.
Elon returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 10 in a 9 a.m. match with St. Johns.
Winthrop 3, Furman 1
ROCK HILL, South Carolina - Furman's Lady Paladin volleyball team outhit and outblocked Winthrop, but gave up 17 service aces and committed 16 service errors to fall 3-1 (30-28, 23-30, 28-30, 24-30) to the Eagles in the nightcap of the Winthrop Invitational Friday night.
Junior Whitney Purser (Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.) tallied 21 kills with a .341 attack percentage to lead the Furman offense. She added 11 digs and two block assists for a solid all around night, while Chibuzo Aguocha (Houston, Texas) contributed 11 kills and two blocks assists to the Furman effort. Middle hitter Kerry Wooten paced the team with a .455 attack percentage on six kills, while adding two service aces, one block solo, and a team-high five block assists in the loss.
The Lady Paladins hit .231 in the game one win, then put on a spectacular offensive show with a .455 game two attack percentage. Winthrop controlled the game at the service line, however, and earned the seven point win. Furman went on to hit .344 in a two-point game three loss before managing just an .061 hitting percentage in the fourth and final game.
The Eagles of Winthrop were paced ont he night by Mary Hock's 22 kills, while Tori Grafeman contributed 16. Beth Waggoner tallied a team-best 19 digs.
With the loss Furman falls to 1-3 on the year. The Lady Paladins will face Indiana at 10 a.m. and North Florida at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the final day of Winthrop Invitational competition.
Winthrop def. Furman 3-1 (28-30, 30-23, 30-28, 30-24)
Chattanooga 3, Jackson State 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Chattanooga volleyball team opened the home portion of its schedule with a 30-15, 30-28, 30-19 win over Jackson State in the first game of the shortened Hilton Garden Inn Challenge at Maclellan Gym Friday night.
Sarah Bass had a game-high 12 kills and a .375 kills percentage. In game one, the Lady Mocs (3-2) took control getting ahead early and not allowing the Lady Tigers to get into a rhythm. Bass notched four of her kills in the opening game on a .444 percentage and Lindsey Galloway had 11 of her 16 digs in game.
In the second game Jackson State (0-4) jumped out to an immediate 6-1 lead. Chattanooga pulled to within one on several occasions and after tying it up at 27-27, pulled ahead for the narrow two-point win. The Lady Mocs put it away in the third game pulling out to a sizeable lead for the sweep.
“I’m happy to get the sweep,” UTC Head Coach Lisa Rhodes said. “In game two we showed a lot of character by coming back and pulling it out in the end. I’m proud of that.”
Bass had seven kills on 10 attempts for a blistering .700 kills percentage. Freshman libero Lara Newberry tallied 22 digs on the night and sophomore Kelsey Amundson chipped in 11. The Lady Mocs had 45 kills to the Tigers’ 26 and notched 62 digs and nine service aces.
The two teams will meet again Saturday morning in the second game of the tournament at 11:30. Game three will begin at 2:00 featuring Jackson State and Austin Peay (2-4). The Lady Mocs will take on the Lady Govs in the final at 4:30 p.m.
College of Charleston 3, Central Michigan 0
The College of Charleston Cougars defeated the Chippewas of Central Michigan 3-0 (32-30, 30-20, 30-18) in the opening match of the Comast Lady Vol Classic to move to 7-0 on the season.
Senior Amanda Timmers and sophomore Tiffany Blum paced the Cougars on offense with 12 kill apiece while junior Marie Dobrenz earned 11 digs defensively. Kaycie Carr notched 39 assists from the setter position and chipped in ten digs of her own. Junior Alexis Lowes also recorded 10 digs as the Cougars earned 50 as a team.
Central Michigan also had two player tie for the lead in kills as Alison Baker and Kate Fissel earned seven kills each. Defensively Ali McCrite led the Chippewas with an impressive 21 digs.
Both CofC and Central Michigan earned seven total team blocks with the Cougars Annie Uthe earning a solo block as well as three assisted blocks to to lead the team.
The Cougars will go on to face Baylor and host Tennessee tommorow with CofC facing the Lady Bears at 11 a.m. and the Lady Vols in the final match of the tournament at 7 p.m. All times are eastern.
Sept. 10, 2005
Eastern Washington 3, Appalachian State 0
TAMPA, Fla. The Appalachian State University volleyball fell to Eastern Washington, 3-0, Saturday morning at the Best Western Invitational in Tampa, Fla.
With the loss, the Mountaineers drop to 5-2 on the season, while the Eagles improve to 6-3 overall.
Appalachian was led by sophomore Dianna Thomas (Mobile, Ala.) offensively with 11 kills and two total blocks. Senior Stefanie Panzer (Mt. Gilead, N.C.) added 10 kills and two blocks. Senior Kali Rumberger (Spokane, Wash.) led the defense, tallying a match-high 20 digs and two assists.
Sophomore Lorelle Rau (Oakland Park, Fla.) recorded 36 assists, two blocks, five digs and three kills for the Mountaineers.
Eastern Washington was led by Ashley Jensen with 15 kills. Three other Eagles hit in the double-figures, as Kerri Beck and Lizzy Mellor compiled 12 kills apiece and Brittney Page chipped in 11. Andrea Verdoljak recorded 16 digs, while Christina Albers tallied a match-high 44 assists.
Game one was a hard fought battle for both teams. Appalachian came out with a quick 2-0 lead. Eastern Washington didn?t quit, going on to take its first lead at 19-18. The Mountaineers came back to take a 22-21 lead. With the Mountaineers down 29-28, and the Eagles playing for match point, Brittany Zahn (Charlotte, N.C.) smashed the ball over the block for her fourth kill of the game. Both teams battled to the end, in a game that contained 14 ties, with EWU coming away with a 32-30 victory to take a 1-0 match lead.
ASU again took the first point in game two. After the Apps took a 6-4 lead, EWU came back to score six straight points, giving them a 10-6 lead. Thomas recorded her first kill of the game to end the scoring streak, making it 10-7 in favor of the Eagles. Eastern Washington then followed with a 10-4 run, never looking back to take game two, 30-18, and a 2-0 match-lea, 2-0.
The Mountaineers came out to take a 2-0 lead off the bat in game three. With the score tied at four, EWU went on a 7-1 run to take an 11-5 lead. The Apps fought back, tying the game at 14. No team led by more than two at that point, as the Eagles went on to win game three 34-32 to complete a 3-0 sweep.
Appalachian takes on Florida Atlantic at 2:30 Saturday in the Mountaineers? final game of the Best Western Invitational.
Florida Atlantic 3, Appalachian State 0
TAMPA, Fla. ?“ Appalachian State volleyball ended the Best Western Invitational Saturday afternoon, falling to tournament champions, Florida Atlantic, 3-0 (33-31, 30-25, 30-18) in Tampa, Fla.
With the loss, the Mountaineers fall to 5-3 overall and 1-3 in the tournament. The Owls improve to 8-0 on the season and 3-0 in the tournament with the win.
Senior Stefanie Panzer (Mt. Gilead, N.C.) led the Mountaineers with 12 kills, three total blocks and a service ace. Fellow senior, Kali Rumberger recorded a match-high 18 digs, adding three aces. Sophomore Lorelle Rau (Oakland Park, Fla.) tallied 36 assists, adding two kills.
The Owls were led by Kelly Paiva with 20 kills and three block assists. five total blocks, while Casey LaRocca recorded 50 assists.
The Mountaineers and Owls battled in the first game. With the Apps trailing 14-11, Clarissa Clearman (Austin, Texas), served back-to-back aces and three-straight points to tie the game at 14. Down 21-19, Rau served two-straight points to give Appalachian its first lead since leading 4-3.
The Mountaineers and Owls were tied at 27, before Appalachian extended the lead to 29-27. Appalachian could not convert on the match-point as FAU took a 30-29 lead. Appalachian fought back to tie the game at 31, but the Owls went on to win, 33-31, taking a 1-0 match lead.
Florida Atlantic jumped out to a 10-5 lead to start the second game. Appalachian came back to tie the game at 19. FAU fought back to take a 25-21 lead, forcing ASU to take a timeout. Up by one, 26-25, the Owls scored four-straight points to take game two, 30-25.
Appalachian put the first point on the board in game three. With the game tied at seven, the Owls went on a 10-1 run to take a 16-8 lead. Florida Atlantic never looked back, going on to take game three, 30-18, to complete a 3-0 sweep of Appalachian.
Earlier in the day Appalachian fell to Eastern Washington, 3-0 (32-30, 30-18, 34-32), at the Best Western Invitational.
The Mountaineers remain on the road as they head to the Jefferson Cup Tournament in Charlottesville, Va., where they will face Albany, Liberty and tournament-host Virginia. Appalachian opens the tournament with Virginia Friday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m.
Chattanooga 3, Jackson State 0
Chattanooga 3, Austin Peay 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Lady Mocs swept Jackson State and Austin Peay Saturday at Maclellan Gym to claim the Hilton Garden Inn Challenge title. Chattanooga defeated both teams by a 3-0 margin to go along with its shutout of Jackson State Friday night.
Austin Peay (3-5) gave the Lady Mocs a scare in the closer with Chattanooga coming out on top 30-28, 30-24, 30-24. The Lady Govs jumped out to a 4-1 lead in game one and led by as much as five before the Lady Mocs took control to tie it up at 21-21. UTC went on to win the game, but in the second trailed by as much as seven at 14-7.
The Lady Mocs (5-2) rallied in game two, scoring seven straight points to retake the lead 19-18 and go on to win by a six-point margin. Chattanooga tried to put it away in game three reeling off six straight points to start the game, but the Lady Govs fought back to take a brief lead at 22-19. The Lady Mocs would come out in the end winning 30-24.
Senior Lindsey Galloway had a double-double with 15 kills and 13 digs against APSU, while freshman Lara Newberry had 25 digs and sophomore Kelsey Amundson chipped in 11. Sophomore setter Bethany Herndon had 32 set assists. UTC had 54 kills in the game and 76 digs against a strong Austin Peay team.
In the morning matchup, UTC got past the Lady Tigers by a 30-19, 30-14, 30-24 margin. The Lady Mocs posted 15 kills in game one with a .333 kills percentage. Sophomore Juliana Martinez had a team-high 10 kills on 14 attempts for a .643 kills percentage. She hit .586 Saturday. Newberry and Galloway each had double-digit digs with 22 and 10. Herndon shared time at the setter spot with freshman Michaela Huff who tallied 13 sets against the Lady Tigers to Herndon’s 23.
In the middle game, Austin Peay fell behind the Jackson State Tigers 30-28 in game one, but bounced back to sweep the next three 30-20, 30-21, 30-24. Ashley Genslak, Kamaria Alexander and Amber Stein each posted double-digit kills at 14, 11 and 10.
Herndon was named tournament MVP and Juliana Martinez joined her on the All-Tournament team for Chattanooga. Austin Peay was second and placed Genslak and Allison Leonhard on the team while Jackson State’s entry was Corrina Cox who had 12 kills in two games and 22 digs.
The Lady Mocs will be on the road to Jacksonville State Tuesday, Sept. 13 in a 7:00 p.m. non-conference matchup then be on the road next weekend at the Western Kentucky Invitational.
Davidson 3, Howard 2
Duquesne 3, Davidson 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. ?Davidson defeated Howard 3-2 for its first win of the 2005 volleyball campaign before falling to Duquesne 3-0 in the nightcap of the Mizuno Wildcat Classic Saturday at Belk Arena.
In their first match, the Wildcats used seven service aces and 12 kills to cruise to a 30-16 game one victory. Kittery Neale led the way with four kills on eight attempts, while Erin Balak and Jenna Dykstra each added five assists.
A junior from Manhattan Beach, Calif., Dykstra returned to the squad today after competing at the U-21 World Beach Volleyball Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Tied 15-15 in game two, Howard (0-5) got consecutive kills from Jenica Leonard and Taylor Mason to start a 5-1 run and grab a 20-16 advantage. Davidson cut the deficit to 25-24, but couldn't inch closer as the Bison ended the stanza with another 5-1 streak.
Howard finished the second game with a .314 attack percentage (16-35), while the 'Cats connected on just 16-of-43 (.093) swings.
After dropping game three to Davidson 30-22, the Bison jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in the fourth, forcing the 'Cats to burn a timeout. Out of the break, Howard extended its lead to as many as nine and forced a fifth frame with a 30-27 win.
The two teams traded points early to find themselves deadlocked at 5-5 in the deciding game. Davidson broke the tie on a Bison attack error and reeled off four consecutive points to grab a commanding 9-5 lead. The Wildcats closed out the match and their first win of the season on a Liz Williamson kill.
Katie Pierucci, Williamson and Lindsay Paroczai led the way for Davidson with double-digit kill performances collecting 15, 14 and 10 respectively. Dykstra just missed her seventh career triple-double with eight kills, 10 digs and 39 assists for the Wildcats.
In the nightcap, Davidson (1-6) battled from seven points down (10-17) to tie the score 22-22 in the first game. Duquesne (6-3) responded to the 'Cats run with four unanswered points to regain the lead for good and claim the period 30-26.
The Dukes held Davidson to a .029 attack percentage to win game two 30-19 and grab a 2-0 match advantage.
Tied 8-8 in the final game, Duquesne reeled off five straight points causing the 'Cats to use a timeout. Following the break, the Dukes continued their streak with a 22-8 run to close out the game 30-16 and finish the tournament undefeated.
Diana Wuebker and Amanda Haeg, both named to the All-Tournament team, led Duquesne with 11 kills each in the final match.
Davidson returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 11 when it hosts Liberty from the Big South Conference. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Mizuno Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team
Mandy Humphrey Duquesne
Amanda Haeg Duquesne
Diane Wuebker Duquesne
Sarah Buhr ETSU
Jennifer Emerson ETSU
Lindsay Paroczai Davidson
Shannon Grant Howard
St. John's 3, Elon 1
Elon 3, Binghamton 2
WILLIAMSBURG, Va.- The Elon University volleyball team picked up its first victory of the season with a 3-2 (30-25, 30-18, 34-36, 13-30, 15-11)win over Binghamton on the second day of the William & Mary Invitational. The Phoenix fell to St. John's 1-3 (18-30, 24-30, 30-27, 26-30) earlier in the day. For her performance over the weekend, Britany Westphal was named to the all-tournament team.
In game five of the match against Binghamton, Elon jumped to an early lead, but the Bearcats tied the game at 4-4. The game remained tight before Elon took a 9-9 tie and went on a 6-2 run to finish the game 15-11 on a service ace from Kate Hart.
Elon (1-7) won the first two games of the match before dropping the third game. Game three of the match saw 20 ties and six lead changes with the last tie coming at 34-34 before the Bearcats closed the game 36-34. Binghamton took the momentum into game four, downing Elon 30-13 before the Phoenix came out in the fifth game and took the match.
Westphal led the Phoenix with 23 kills while Emily Lucci added 16, Juliena Gigon posted 12 and Jessica Barrow notched 11 kills. Gigon and Lucci each tallied 11 digs to lead the defense. Hart posted 32 assists and Natalie Moore tallied 27.
In the first match of the day, Elon dropped the first two games before taking game three 30-27. The Phoenix were down 13-10 before attack errors by St. John's allowed Elon to tie the game at 13. The game witnessed 11 ties, with the last one coming at 27-27. A kill by Emily Downing gave the Phoenix the 28-27 lead before errors by St. John's gave Elon the 30-27 win. In game four, the teams were tied at 26-26 before the St. John's offense took over and finished the game, and the match, 30-26.
Elon was led offensively by Westphal with 10 kills while Gigon and Brooke Pickard recorded 12 digs apiece. Hart tallied 28 assists in the match. On her seventh assist, Hart moved into second at Elon in all-time assists.
Elon returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 17 at UNC Asheville.
Indiana 3, Furman 1
Furman 3, North Florida 1
ROCK HILL, South Carolina - The Furman volleyball team ended the Winthrop Invitational on a high note Saturday, defeating the University of North Florida 3-1 (28-30, 31-29, 30-27, 30-25) after suffering a 3-1 loss (30-25, 30-25, 24-30, 30-20) to Indiana earlier in the day.
"We actually played really good volleyball this weekend," said coach Michelle Young at the conclusion of the tournament. "We only won one, but there was some tough competition, and we were in every game. Our passing was much improved over last weekend and we looked more like the team I have seen in practice all preseason."
Whitney Purser (Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.) continued her strong play with 15 kills, six digs, and a .273 attack percentage against the Hoosiers, while Ally Hock (Oviedo, Fla.) added 14 kills and 14 digs, and Chibuzo Aguocha (Houston, Texas) contributed 13 kills. Kim Tonkin (Atanta, Ga.) pitched in with 10 digs to shore up the Lady Paladin effort.
The Hoosiers were paced by Erica Short, who tallied 18 kills in the match.
In Furman's second match of the day it all came together after a two point loss in game one, when the Lady Paladins rallied to win three games in a row and take the match 3-1. Aguocha paced the Lady Paladins with 23 kills, a .241 attack percentage, 14 digs, and three total blocks. Purser added 18 kills, Hock chipped in 13, and Tonkin tallied 22 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Kerry Wooten (Hamptonville, N.C.) managed seven block assists on the night, while setter Courtney Stewardson (Apple Valley, Minn.) racked up 34 assists and three block assists.
UNF was paced by Megan Wood's 13 kills and a 24-dig effort by Jenna Thomas.
Purser was selected to represent the Lady Paladins on the all-tournament team. A junior outside hitter, Purser totaled 54 kills and a 4.5 per game average in three tournament matches, while hitting .292. In addition, she total four service aces, 35 digs, and three block assists in the competition.
Georgia Southern 3, Southeast Louisiana 1
STATESBORO, Ga.--The Georgia Southern volleyball team defeated Southeast Louisiana Saturday three games to one rounding out their play in the UAB Invitational.
Georgia Southern (6-3) won the first two games of the match 30-23 and 30-25. The Eagles, for the second time in as many days, were unable to close a match in three games falling 27-30 in the third game before winning game four 30-19.
"Once again we played well in the first two games but were unable to finish the match strong," head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "Our outside hitters played well and we passed the ball better today. We just need to focus on playing hard for an entire match."
Senior Iulia Porumbescu led the Eagles with her eighth double-double on the season posting 21 kills and 19 digs. Senior Natalia Galantini recorded a double-double also tallying 30 assists and 15 digs. Freshman setter Mae Chabra recorded 22 assists on the match while junior Staci Anderson led the match with 20 digs.
Southeast Louisiana (3-3) was led by Keri Hamblin who recorded 13 kills and 10 digs.
Georgia Southern will return to action Friday Sept. 16 as they play in the Long Island Invitational in Long Island, N.Y. The Eagles will take on Weber State at 5 p.m.
Stetson 3, UNC Greensboro 0
CHARLESTON, SC - Stetson hit a season-high .307 for the match to lead the Hatters to a 3-0 victory over the UNC Greensboro women?s volleyball team in the final match of the Charleston Southern Invitational. The Spartans fell by scores of 30-12, 30-23, and 30-23.
Junior Hilary Overby led UNCG (1-6) with nine kills while, senior Lauren Richards and freshman Kaitlyn Nortz added six kills apiece. Senior Adrian Hicks dished out 21 assists, while sophomore Alysia Rosvold had a team-high nine digs.
Senior DeeAnn Dempsey led the Hatters with 19 kills. Karla Readshaw dished out 26 assists while, Liz Gorski led the defensive effort with 15 digs.
UNCG will host Campbell on Tuesday in the home-opener of the 2005 season. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 pm at Fleming Gym.
Western Carolina 3, Samford 1
Cullowhee, N.C. - Behind four double-digit kills performances, the Western Carolina women's volleyball team earned their first win of the 2005 season Saturday afternoon at the Samford Invitational, defeating the host Bulldogs 3-1 (36-34, 14-30, 30-21, 30-21). The Catamounts finished the two-day event 1-2 overall, falling in straight sets to the Fairfield Stags, 3-0 (30-19, 30-25, 30-25) on Saturday evening.
"It feels really good to get our first victory," said first-year head coach Stephanie Dragan, who earned her first win as the Catamount skipper. "Often times, that first win is the toughest to get. As a team, it can begin to weigh on your confidence and you concentrate more on the fact that you're not winning as opposed to simply playing the match, swinging hard, and letting that determine your outcome. This win should help move us forward as we enter conference play."
Against Samford (2-5), Western was led by senior Ellie Talbot, who was the Catamounts' lone representative on the Samford Invitational All-Tournament team. The fourth-year player from Evanston, Ill., recorded a match-high 15 kills while hitting .387 and tallying eight digs.
Juniors Heather Koontz and Krista Neumann each added 11 kills, while sophomore Danielle Spitzer rounded out the double-figure performances with 10. Koontz added nine digs, while classmate Kate Willard had 16 in the win. Setter Meghan Boyle dished out a season-high 42 assists and freshman Elaine Castle led the way at the net, finishing with five total blocks.
The Catamounts (1-8) steadily improved their team hitting percentage against the `Dogs, recording a low of .129 in game two, but following it up with back-to-back performances of .409 (12 k, 3 e, 22 att) and .522 (14 k, 2 e, 23 att) to earn the season's first win. For Dragan, the victory was number 160 in her eight-year career.
In Western's final match of the tournament, Talbot finished with a double-double performance with 10 kills and 11 digs, while Spitzer killed 12 in the 3-0 loss to Fairfield (5-4). Boyle also had a double-double showing, dishing out 33 assists and digging 11. Overall defensively, Willard again led the Cats as she finished with 16, while Neumann added 10 digs, and Castle recorded two total blocks.
The Catamounts open Southern Conference play on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 7:00 pm with a trip to Spartanburg, S.C., to face the Wofford Terriers. Western's next home match is one week later, Tuesday, Sept. 20, as arch-rival Appalachian State visits the Ramsey Center for a 7:00 pm match.