Appalachian State 3, UNC Greensboro 1
BOONE, N.C. ? For the second straight day, the Appalachian State volleyball team overcame a slow start for a four-game conference win. After dropping a 35-33 opening set, the Mountaineers bounced back with 30-18, 30-28, and 30-24 wins against UNC Greensboro. Setter Lorelle Rau collected a triple-double with ten kills, 46 assists, and ten digs in the match.
After a pair of early runs gave ASU (17-12, 13-3 SoCon) a 14-7 lead, UNCG fought back to tie the match at 24-24. Six kills from senior Brittany Zahn kept the game close, as the team found itself down 28-29 following a four-point Spartan run. ASU fought off a pair of game points to take a 33-32 lead, before UNC Greensboro finished off the game with a three-point run. Zahn would finish with 18 kills, three aces and eight digs in the match. With 508 kills this season, she is just 17 short of the single-season record.
As they have done throughout the 11-match winning streak, the Mountaineers bounced back following the opening loss. Zahn pitched in ten kills and Carla Durham added nine kills and three blocks, as ASU cruised to a 30-18 win. Trailing 7-5 early on, the home team set out on a 14-3 run to take a 19-10 lead. Zahn and Durham punctuated the team’s final four-point run with kills. Durham ended the day with 12 kills, a .440 hitting percentage, and five of ASU’s nine blocks.
After the intermission, the Spartans battled to another two-point decision, after leading by as many as four. Trailing 14-10, the Mountaineers rallied to tie the game. The SoCon rivals tied three more times in the game before a three-point run helped the Apps to pad their lead and hang on for the 30-28 win. Rau converted four of her kills in the game.
The final game belonged once again to the Mountaineers, despite an early deficit. Trailing by three points, ASU rallied to tie the score at 13 points apiece, and would not trail the remainder of the game. Dianna Thomas picked up the final five of her 15 kills in the game, and led the team with four aces as well. ASU had 11 aces to UNCG’s three. Lauren Swecker’s ninth kill of the day closed out the match, as ASU won the final game 30-24. Swecker also added a block and six digs in the match.
ASU is back in action on Friday at 7 p.m. against Davidson at the Holmes Center. Senior Day will follow at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday as the squad hosts Georgia Southern.
Elon 3, Davidson 2
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The Phoenix volleyball squad defeated Davidson 3-2 (30-28, 39-37, 22-30, 30-32, 15-9) Saturday afternoon at Belk Arena.
Emily Lucci ended her seven-match double-double streak, recording nine kills and 11 digs for the Phoenix. Jess Barrow posted 21 kills, tying a career-high, while Britany Westphal also reached double digits for Elon with 15.
The Phoenix took a 1-0 advantage with a 30-28 win in game one. Schermerhorn tallied four kills in the frame, while Lucci and Lauren Copenhagen added three each. Lucci added a block assist and a solo block as the Elon defense forced 10 Wildcat attack errors.
Barrow posted eight kills for the Phoenix in the second stanza in a game that went deep into extra points. The teams traded points back and forth until finally with the score tied at 37, Elon scored twice for a 39-37 win and a 2-0 match advantage. Both teams posted 20 kills, but the Phoenix out-hit Davidson .226 to .189 for the win.
The Wildcats held the Phoenix to a -.040 team hitting percentage in the third frame, allowing only six team kills, as Davidson forced game four with a 30-22 win. Davidson continued its winning ways in game four, despite late attempts by the Phoenix that pushed the game into extra points, winning 32-30.
The dedicing game belonged to Elon who went on a 7-2 opening run and eventually a 15-9 win to take the match.
Natalie Moore dished out 54 assists and Kelley Blakewood tallied 24 digs. The Phoenix posted 11 team blocks, led by Copenhagen and Lucci who had 2 block solos each. Lucci added six block assists.
Elon returns to Alumni Gym next weekend for two matches. Saturday, the Phoenix will host Western Carolina in a 'Dig for the Cure' contest at 2 p.m. Sunday's match versus Chattanooga will be Senior Day for Elon as the team's three seniors will be honored before a 1 p.m. game.