Thursday, Sept.1
Portland State 3, Davidson 1
PORTLAND, Ore. ? Portland State defeated Davidson 3-0 (18-30, 16-30, 19-30) in the opening round of the Nike Portland Volleyball Invitational Thursday evening at the Chiles Center.
Portland State (2-1) was led offensively by Jessica Brodie, who recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Viking setters Stephanie Lavigne and Rachel Stevens each added 19 assists in the contest.
In game one, the Vikings jumped out to an 8-3 lead forcing the Wildcats to use their first timeout. Out of the break, Portland State continued its streak with a 15-6 run to stretch its advantage to 23-9.
Similar to the opening game, the Vikings grab the lead quick and never looked back taking the middle frame 30-16.
The Wildcats grabbed an early 10-7 advantage in the final game, but PSU responded with a 12-2 run to grab its first advantage and the lead for good.
For the match, Davidson (0-1) hit just .042 from the field, while the Vikings finished with a .337 attack percentage. Portland State also finished with a 43-26 advantage in kills.
Sophomore Katie Pierucci led the Wildcats in their season opener with seven kills and seven digs, while junior Jenna Dykstra finished the evening with a game-high 23 assists.
The Wildcats continue play at the Nike Portland Invitational on Friday when they face Portland at 10 a.m. and No. 2 Washington at 5 p.m.
Georgia 3, Georgia Southern 1
ATHENS, Ga.?The Georgia Southern volleyball team lost in four games Thursday night to the Georgia Bulldogs at the Ramsey Center in Athens, Ga.
Georgia Southern (2-2) lost the first two games 30-23 and 30-26 before taking game three 34-32. The Eagles came up just short of sending the match to a fifth and final game, falling 32-30 in the fourth game. The Eagles had an opportunity for game point twice in the fourth game but were unable to finish the Bulldogs off.
“We started off sluggish in the first game and we really did not start playing well until late in the second game,” head coach Kerry Messersmith said. “We played good ball in the third and fourth game but unfortunately had critical errors at crucial times that ended up causing the loss. I was pleased with our defense from both the front and back row. We are still struggling on offense with hitting errors and we will need focus more on our ball control.”
Senior Iulia Porumbescu led the Eagles recording her fourth double-double of the season tallying 22 kills and 22 digs. Sophomore Bailey Coleman recorded her third double-double on the year with 15 kills and 17 digs. Also tallying a double-double was junior Jennifer Schenk who totaled 11 kills and 10 blocks.
Georgia (2-1) was led by Alexandra Oquendo, 26 kills, and Julia Petruschke, 20 kills and 21 digs. Georgia Southern will travel to Auburn to play the Tigers, Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.