Appalachian State 3, Western Carolina 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Head coach Matt Ginipro made his Southern Conference debut in style as the Appalachian State volleyball team took down Western Carolina on the road in straight games, 30-25, 30-20, 30-25. Dianna Thomas posted a double-double and led the team with 15 kills, 18 digs and five blocks. The Mountaineers move to 4-9 on the season and 1-0 in SoCon play.
The Apps jumped out early in game one, taking five of the first six points. The team would not look back, stretching the lead to as many as 11 points, as a Catherine Sedon kill gave the team a 23-12 advantage late in the game. Carla Durham recorded five of her seven kills in the first set, as the squad out hit the Catamounts, .191 to .087, en route to a 30-25 victory.
ASU put together a pair of five-point runs in game two and capitalized on five aces to overcome a .119 team hitting percentage. Thomas recorded three of her five blocks in the set, as the team recorded four of its six blocks on the night. Three of Jackie Santarelli's eight kills came in the second game as the team led wire-to-wire for the 30-20 win.
Western Carolina fought back in game three, and held the lead twice. ASU never trailed by more than three points, however, and rallied from an early 7-4 deficit with a 12-1 run, to bring the score to 16-8. Thomas took over for the Mountaineers, collecting nine kills in 12 attempts with nine digs in the game. WCU was held to a -.023 hitting percentage in game three, and a .046 mark for the match.
Lorelle Rau paced the club with 21 assists, while Heather Kale contributed a team high four service aces. Rau also earned a double-double, with ten digs in the contest. Jelena Jakovjevic led the Catamounts with eight kills, as the team fell to 5-12 on the year, and 1-2 in Southern Conference play.
The team continues SoCon play on Saturday at Chattanooga. The Lady Mocs are 5-6 on the season and 1-0 in the conference.
Furman 3, Georgia Southern 0
GREENVILLE, S.C. ? The Furman Paladins moved to 2-0 in the SoCon tonight with a 3-0 win over Georgia Southern in Alley gymnasium.
The Paladins came out strong in game one, led by junior Nicole Palazzo’s 5 kills and zero errors. Furman took game one by a score of 30-7.
Georgia Southern put up more of a fight in game two, but just wasn’t able to match the Paladins’ .469 attack percentage, resulting in a 30-17 win for Furman. Junior Alison West led the Paladins in game two with 8 kills and only one error, for a .700 hitting percentage.
In game three, the Paladins totaled 5 team blocks and 13 kills to take the game 30-20.
Several Paladins had outstanding offensive performances. Outside hitter West posted 14 kills and only one error for a .542 attack percentage, while also contributing 8 digs. Junior middle blocker Nicole Palazzo recorded 12 kills and no errors for a .571 clip. She also added 7 block assists for the match. Senior Chibuzo Aguocha posted her sixth double-double of the season, with 11 kills and 13 digs, making it her fifth consecutive double-double. The Paladins hit .388 as a team, and had
11 total team blocks.
Sophomore libero Stephanie Smith contributed 12 digs to help the Paladin defense, while junior Pamela Gehrke added 11. Senior setter Courtney Stewardson led the offense with 28 sets, while sophomore Kelsey Salava notched 12.
The Lady Eagles were led by Bianca Julio’s 9 kills and 6 digs, while libero Bailey Coleman contributed 9 digs to the losing effort.
With the win, the Paladins improve to 8-3 overall, 2-0 in the Southern Conference. The Lady Eagles fall to 3-12 overall and 0-3 in the league.
The Paladins will take the court again next Tuesday as they travel to Gardner-Webb for a non-conference matchup.
UNC Greensboro 3, The Citadel 0
CHARLESTON, SC? The UNC Greensboro volleyball team improved to 2-0 in Southern Conference play with a 3-0 win over The Citadel at McAlister Field House Friday evening. The Spartans won by scores of 30-16, 30-20 and 30-17 for their fourth consecutive victory.
Freshman Kayren Finney led UNCG (9-7, 2-0 SoCon) with a career-high 14 kills while Kaitlyn Nortz and Branagan Fuller each tallied 10 kills.
Catherine Hanners led the way on the defensive end with 16 digs while Lisa Fawell added a match-high 31 assists.
The Citadel (2-11, 0-3 SoCon) was led by Rachel Sanders who tallied seven kills and 10 digs. Ashley Winter also added 14 digs in the loss.
In game one, The Citadel was able to keep the match close and even forced two ties in the opening minutes of play but UNCG used kills from Alissa Beaudway and Katherine Hart to pull ahead 10-3 and never looked back taking a 30-16 win.
The Citadel took an early 2-0 lead in the second game but the Spartans regrouped and went on a 9-1 run to pull ahead 9-3. The Bulldogs wouldn’t go away and were able to get as close as 14-11 behind several UNCG miscues and kills from Rachel Sanders but UNCG rallied down the stretch and closed the game on a 5-2 run en route to a 30-20 victory.
The Spartans dominated the third game and opened the game on a 10-2 run and forced the Bulldogs into several miscues. The Citadel was able to get as close as 18-9 but couldn’t match UNCG’s offense as the Spartans cruised to a 30-17 win.
UNCG was able to hold The Citadel to a .051 hitting percentage for the match while the Spartans registered a .333 hitting percentage and tallied a match-high six blocks.
The Spartans are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they take on College of Charleston. First serve is set for 2 pm. UNCG returns to Fleming Gym on Sept. 28 when they welcome SoCon rival, Wofford. Match time is set for 7 pm.