BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Freshman Cassie Engelgau (Lake Arrowhead, Calif.)
recorded a career-high 42 digs, as the Appalachian State University volleyball team
closed out the Lady Topper Invitational with a 3-1 (24-30, 30-22, 30-18, 30-28) win over
Ball State, Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Mountaineers improve to 7-6 overall with the win, and end the Western Kentucky-
hosted tournament with a 1-2 record. Tennessee Tech and Western Kentucky play for the
tournament championship this evening. Ball State falls to 2-7 on the season and 0-3 in the
tournament.
After falling 30-24 in the first game, Appalachian came back to win games two and three
handily by scores of 30-22 and 30-18. The Mountaineers had to claw back in game four
to pull out a 30-28 victory.
Engelgau's 42 digs ranks her ties her for fifth in the ASU record books for single-match
digs. The libero has now recorded four 30-plus dig performances in her young career.
Junior Lorelle Rau (Oakland Park, Fla.) recorded a double-double for the Mountaineers
with 46 assists and 11 digs.
Senior Chrissy Finch (Lake Zurich, Ill.) tallied her second-consecutive double-double
with 11 kills and 15 digs. Junior Dianna Thomas (Mobile, Ala.) led the offensive attack
with 16 kills.
Junior Brittany Zahn (Charlotte, N.C.) earned a spot on the all-tournament team,
compiling 11 kills on the day. Zahn has recorded double-digit kills in all 13 matches this
season, and 19-consecutive dating back to last season. The outside hitter has been named
to three all-tournament teams in ASU's four tournaments this season.
Amanda McCormick anchored the Ball State defense with 29 digs. Kelly Cochran and
Angie Parrell added 21 and 10 digs, respectively. Cochran compiled a double-double
with a team-high 11 kills. Parrell also chipped in a double-double with 30 assists.
The Mountaineers return home for their SoCon home opener as they host The Citadel,
Friday, September 22 at 7 p.m. and the College of Charleston, Saturday, September 23 at
3 p.m.
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina put the finishing touches on the Catamount Clash V tournament Saturday afternoon defeating the first-year Kennesaw State Owls, 3-1 (30-27, 30-24, 27-30, 30-19) in the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts dropped the first match of the day, 3-0, to Valparaiso while Kent State also defeated High Point in straight sets.
Kent State and Valparaiso each went unbeaten in three matches to share the Catamount Clash tournament title and each land two players on the all-tournament team. The honorary squad consisted of Ashley Feutz and Laura Jenzen from Kent State; Nicole Schulz and Jessie Fox from Valparaiso; Audie Gonzales from High Point; Jenny Black from Kennesaw State; and freshman Liz Rondone from Western.
The tournament honor is the second this season for Rondone, who established a school-record in digs with 41 on Friday afternoon against High Point. In the four matches over the two days, the Bloomington, Ill., native recorded 103 digs, averaging just under seven digs per game.
Western (4-12) was very balanced in its finale with one player reaching double figures and two just missing it with nine kills apiece. Senior Heather Koontz paced the Catamounts, which finished third overall in the tournament, with 10 kills with just one error for a match-high .474 attack percentage. Her classmate, Meredith Harmon, and Brittny Johnson each recorded nine kills in the win. Johnson, a freshman from Maple Hill, N.C., led the team with six total blocks, including two solo stops, with Koontz adding three.
Rondone again reached double-figures in digs finishing with a match-high 14, while senior Kate Willard just missed double digits with nine and freshman setter Katie Hennessey with seven. Hennessey dished out 32 assists in the win.
In the opening match on Saturday, Western was held to a .101 attack percentage in a three-game sweep by Valparaiso. Western’s offense struggled to find its rhythm as no Catamount reached double figures. Harmon and Hennessey each recorded seven kills to pace the squad, with Johnson finishing with five.
Rondone recorded 23 kills in the loss with Hennessey finishing with nine to accompany 12 assists.
In the days only other match, Kent State (7-5) remained unbeaten in Cullowhee with a 3-0 win over High Point. The Golden Flashes put three in double figures, led by 16 kills from Ashley Feutz, 11 from Anne Zakelj, and by Sarah Wilber.
High Point (1-11) was paced by Jamie Kaufman with 14 kills, while Lauren Hatch had 17 digs and Audie Gonzalez recorded 14.
With the early-season tournaments complete, the Catamounts now turn their attention to conference play, which opens this Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7:00 pm in the Ramsey Center. Western will entertain Chattanooga, who the Cats defeated in five games at home last season.
West Point, N.Y. ? The Citadel dropped a 3-0 decision to Liberty in their third match of the Army of One Classic on the campus of the United States Military Academy Saturday. Game scores were 30-9, 30-17 and 30-20. The Bulldogs close out the tournament with the Naval Academy Saturday afternoon.
Liberty streaked by The Citadel in the first game, 30-9, as the Flames hit
.452 to the Bulldogs’ .053. The 30-9 loss was the largest margin of defeat for the Bulldogs since a 30-8 loss against Charleston Southern in 2003.
Rachel Sanders recorded six digs in the game for The Citadel while the Bulldogs were outkilled, 20-7.
The Citadel dropped the second game, 30-17. Samantha Parisi served up an ace, her 97th ace served in her career as she inches towards 100 career service aces, a club that currently only holds five members at The Citadel.
The Citadel was finally able to get a little offense going in the third game, hitting .206 and recording 14 kills ? double what they recorded in both games one and two. Liberty hit .393 in the game but only recorded 12 kills.
The Citadel continues play at the Army of One Classic Saturday afternoon as the Bulldogs take on Navy at 4 p.m. For complete coverage of Bulldog volleyball, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.
Clemson, S.C. -- Jeanette Abbott recorded 23 kills, and Danielle Hepburn added 18 winners as Clemson defeated Furman 3-1 (30-22, 25-30, 30-20,
30-17) on Saturday afternoon at Jervey Gymnasium.
Furman (5-6) was led by Kerry Wooten and Chibuzo Aguocha, who each tallied
13 kills. Nicole Palazzo had 11 kills for the Paladins. Aguocha recorded her second double-double of the week with 12 digs. Kim Tonkin also tallied
12 digs, and setter Courtney Stewardson contributed 45 set assists and 12 defensive saves.
Wooten also added five total blocks and four service aces.
Didem Ege recorded a game-high 18 digs for Clemson (5-3). Megan Steiner added eight total blocks for the Lady Tigers.
With the win, Clemson improves to 5-3 on the season. Furman falls to 5-6 with the loss. The Paladins return to action on Tuesday night as Furman plays host to East Tennessee State at 7 p.m. at Alley Gym.
West Point, N.Y. ? The Citadel dropped a 3-1 decision to Navy to close out the Army of One Classic in The Citadel’s first four-game match of the season.
The Citadel had three hitters record double digit kills, led by Samantha Parisi’s fifth double-double of the season as she recorded 15 kills and 13 digs. Five Bulldogs in all recorded double-digit kills. Game scores were 30-23, 26-30, 30-20 and 30-17.
Other Bulldogs recording double-digit digs included Ashley Winter (13), Rachel Sanders (12), Tiffany Edwards (11) and Emily Hill (10). Sanders’ 12 kills and 12 digs marks her third double-double of the season.
The Citadel (5-7) hit .162 in the match while Navy (4-8) hit .304. The Bulldog front line was dominated as the Midshipmen outblocked The Citadel, 10-1. Parisi edged closer to a milestone Saturday afternoon as she served up two aces against Navy, bringing her to 99 aces in her career at The Citadel.
Parisi’s 13 digs also brings her to 139 digs short of 1,000, something only one other Bulldog has done at The Citadel. That lone ?Dog was Nicole Mantu, a four-year standout from 1999-2002.
After being outblocked 3-0 in the first game and dropping that set 30-23, the Bulldogs battled back in the second game to record a thrilling 30-26 victory.
The Citadel hit .263 in the game while the Naval Academy’s hitting percentage sank to .159. The Citadel had three service aces in the game with only two service errors while Navy had two aces and two service errors. Navy and The Citadel battled back and forth with Navy taking a 25-23 lead before The Citadel went on a 7-1 run to end the game, capped off with Rachel Sanders’
10th kill of the match.
The Citadel’s serving struggled in the third set as the Bulldogs served up five errors with no aces in the game. The Bulldog Spikers hit .175 in the game to Navy’s .280. Sanders recorded four kills in the game for The Citadel in the game.
Navy jumped out to an early 10-3 lead in the game and then extended that lead to 18-9 off a Bulldog team that continued to struggle to hit. After trailing 25-13, The Citadel managed to fight back to pull within nine at 26-17, but Navy held too big a lead for The Citadel to overcome as The Citadel dropped the final game, 30-17.
The Citadel opens Southern Conference action Tuesday, Sept. 19 at the defending SoCon Champion, the College of Charleston. For complete coverage of Bulldog volleyball, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.
The Terrier volleyball squad jumped out to an early lead with a win in the first game, but couldn’t post another as they lost 3-1 (19-30, 30-26, 30-21, 32-30) to the Campbell Fighting Camels in their final match of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Classic on Saturday, Sept. 16, in Benjamin Johnson Arena.
Liz Sheets had a team-high 13 kills on 26 attack attempts for a .346 hitting percentage, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Camels who had a .200 team hitting percentage and 11 team blocks in the match.
Sheets averaged a .257 hitting percentage at the tournament with 31 kills. She also assisted on two blocks and was named to the all-tournament team along with teammate Carolyn Rivers.
“Campbell came to the tournament with a great team and they proved that with their performance today,” Wofford’s head coach Corey Helle said. “There was some great competition here and we’re very glad that we were able to compete with programs with this level of talent.”
Rachel Templin and Femi Alabi led Campbell offensively with 19 and 17 kills, respectively. Templin boasted a .295 hitting percentage while Alabi had a team-high .467 hitting percentage. Alabi also helped out on six blocks. They were both named to the all-tournament team.
Campbell outside hitter Tabitha Turner assisted on five blocks and added five kills for a .417 hitting percentage.
Sarah Dillon had 22 digs for the Camels while Melissa Harvey had 23.
The Terriers had five players with double-digit digs: Sarah Twitty (19), Shana Glenn (18), Sarah Palmer (13), Joanna Suddath (12) and Lisa Lindemenn (10).
Suddath and Palmer also added four service aces each.
“Overall, I would say the tournament was a huge success,” Helle said. “There were some good matches and just all-around great volleyball this weekend.”
The Terriers (4-5, 0-1 SoCon) will return to action Sept. 19 as they travel to UNC Greensboro for their second conference match of the season. The match will begin at 7 p.m.
SPARTANBURG, S.C.- The Elon Phoenix fell in three games to UT-Martin on Saturday in the final day of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Volleyball Classic hosted by Wofford. UT-Martin downed Elon 30-24, 30-28 and 30-24.
After an 8-8 tie in game one, the Skyhawks took a 13-8 lead on a block by Kathryn Sprague and Shelby Knose. UT-Martin extended its lead to seven at 22-15 on a kill from Sarah Jett and maintained that lead for the duration of the game. The Skyhawks finished the game 30-24 on an Elon attack error.
The Skyhawks took an early lead in game two before Elon tied it up at 18-18. UT-Martin took the lead again, but the Phoenix again knotted the game 21-21 on a block by Emily Downing and Stefanie Meyers. After a 22-22 tied, the Skyhawks scored six straight points to go up 28-22. Elon battled back, going on a 6-1 run, and got within on at 28-29 on a kill from Brooke Pickard, but UT-Martin closed the game 30-28 on a kill from Knose.
In the third game, UT-Martin went up early and held onto the lead for the entire game. The Skyhawks went up by as much as eight at 26-18 and finished the game and the match 30-24.
Britany Westphal led the Phoenix with five kills while Brooke Pickard paced the defense with 14 digs. Juliena Gigon posted nine digs and four service aces for Elon while Natalie Moore tallied 20 assists.
Taylor Noland led the Skyhawks with 11 kills while Anna Gautreau posted 15 digs and Tammy Konitzer added 11 digs. Knose contributed 33 assists and 10 digs for UT-Marting while Sprague added seven total blocks.
Meyers and Emily Lucci were both selected to the all-tournament team. For the weekend, Meyers tallied 23 kills and a .348 hitting percentage while also adding six total blocks. Lucci posted 28 kills and a .234 hitting percentage while adding three service aces, 32 digs and six total blocks.
Elon returns to action on Sept. 23 in a 2 p.m. match at Western Carolina.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Davidson Wildcats volleyball team earned a split in its final day at the Black and Gold Challenge, falling in five games (30-21, 28-30, 26-30, 30-21, 15-12) to host Wake Forest, before sweeping George Washington 3-0 (30-21, 30-25, 30-19) in their afternoon match.
Davidson held a two-to-one advantage, before Wake Forest (7-7) won the final two games to advance to the title match with Winthrop undefeated. In the afternoon match, George Washington dropped its third straight match to finish the tournament with a 7-4 record.
With the day's split, the Wildcats record stands at 8-7.
Against Wake Forest, sophomore middle blocker Kittery Neale led the Wildcat attack with 22 kills, while hitting .356 on the match. Junior outside hitter Katie Pierucci tallied 17 kills and 14 digs, and senior outside hitter Liz Williamson chipped in 12. Senior setter Jenna Dykstra turned in another solid performance for the 'Cats, tallying 49 assists and 15 digs.
Later in the afternoon, Pierucci and Neale each had 13 kills against George Washington, as Pierucci posted her second straight double-double with a match-high 17 digs. The Wildcats outscored GW 68-45 in the match and amassed 53 kills to just 38, while outhitting the Colonials .261 to .112.
The Deacs came out firing on all cylinders in game one, as they jumped out to an early 10-4 lead.
Wake Forest never let Davidson closer than four the rest of the way, building its lead to as many as 12 at 21-9 and put the first game away by scoring the final five points to take the 30-21 win.
Game two looked to favor Wake in the early going, as the Demon Deacons led for most of the contest, but with Wake Forest holding a 15-11 lead, the Wildcats went on a 12-8 run to tie the game at 23-23. From there, the two teams traded points before the Wildcats pulled away for the slim 30-28 win.
Game three was almost a carbon copy of game two with Wake Forest jumping out to an early 12-6 lead, but Davidson again used a 17-8 run to erase the deficit and take a lead it would not relinquish.
The Deacs came out with a renewed determination in game four. After Davidson held an early 5-2 lead, Wake Forest used a 17-3 run to win the game and force the decisive game five.
Davidson held an early lead again in game five, jumping out to an 8-5 lead halfway through the match, but the Deacs ended the game on a 10-4 run to take the match.
In the afternoon match, Davidson jumped to an early 5-2 lead in the first game against George Washington, and never looked back, rolling to the easy 30-21 win to open the match.
Though game two was closer at the beginning, with the 'Cats holding just a 6-4 edge after the first ten points, Davidson opened the lead to 16-8 by the halfway point en route to the 30-25 win to take control of the match.
The Colonials fought to stay alive in the match, keeping things close in game three as well. After getting down 6-2. GW fought to narrow the gap 7-6, but the Wildcat attack again proved too much. The 'Cats, who never trailed in the match, used a couple 3-0 runs to take the 30-19 win in game three to complete the sweep.
Davidson returns to action this weekend, as they open Southern Conference play, hosting the College of Charleston at 7 p.m. Fri., Sept. 22 and the Citadel at 2 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 23.
Bloomington, Ind. ? Junior Kelsey Amundson recorded her fifth double-double of the season as the Lady Mocs fell in three games to the Southern Methodist Mustangs Saturday morning at the IU Credit Union Invitational.
The Mustangs improve their record to 9-4 (0-1 C-USA), while the Lady Mocs drop to 1-9 (0-1 SoCon), on the season. SMU defeated UTC 30-21, 30-21, 30-26.
UTC junior outside hitter Jamie Engel and junior middle blocker Leslee Ball both had solid performances. Engel posted nine kills and 12 digs, while Ball had nine kills and four block assists. Junior Sarah Bass added three block assists.
Junior outside hitter Rachel Giubilato led the attack for Southern Methodist with 19 of her 41 attacks finding the floor and adding 15 digs. It was a Giubilato kill that ended the match. Junior Caitlin Rainbird added 17 kills to the Mustangs’ offense.
Chattanooga’s last match of the IU Credit Union Invitational will be at 5:30 p.m. against Mercer. Live stats are available at iuhoosiers.cstv.com
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? College of Charleston volleyball went 1-1 on the final day of the College of Charleston Invitational. The Cougars posted a 3-1 win over Columbia, before falling 3-2 to Iowa in the final match of the tournament.
Charleston is now 5-5, while Iowa improved to 11-1 on the season.
Against Iowa, the Cougars won game one, 30-27, before Iowa had wins (30-28, 30-27) in games two and three. Charleston knotted the match with a 30-24 win in game four, and the Hawkeyes sealed the victory with a 15-11 win in game five.
For the match, Charleston hit a .247 clip, led by Sarah Voss, who hit .289 with 17 kills and nine digs. Deanna Patrick had a match-high 25 kills and five digs on .288 hitting.
Lindsey Kane had a season- and match-high 71 assists and added two service aces and 17 digs. Emily Sawin also posted a double-double with 18 kills on .224 hitting and 11 digs.
Marie Dobrenz, who was named to all-tournament team, led the defensive effort with a match-high 35 digs.
Iowa hit .237 and was led by Catherine Small who hit a .400 clip with seven kills and 12 digs for the match. Jen Barcus, an all-tournament pick, led the Hawkeyes with 19 kills, and Melanie Meister, MVP of the C of C Invitational, had 18 kills on .372 hitting.
Charleston hit .224 as a team, while Columbia (2-3) hit .199 in match three of the C of C Invitational. Sawin had a match-high 18 kills with .324 hitting and seven digs, and Dobrenz led the defensive effort with 25 kills.
Columbia’s Nikki Learned, also an all-tournament team pick, led the Lions with 12 digs on .526 hitting. Amalia Viti also had 12 kills. Cassie Ligh led the defensive effort with 25 digs.
Charleston opens Southern Conference action on Sept. 19 as the Cougars host cross town rival, The Citadel, at 7 p.m.