College of Charleston 3, Samford 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. ---- The Samford University volleyball team fell Saturday afternoon in three sets to the College of Charleston. The Cougars handed the Bulldogs their first loss in the Southern Conference and snapped the Samford’s 12-match win streak, the longest win-streak in the program’s history.
Samford came into this match facing a College of Charleston team who has won the Southern Conference Tournament Championship three years in a row. Until last Sunday, Samford and College Charleston were the only undefeated teams in the league; that is, until UNC-Greensboro defeated the Cougars in five sets. Charleston had its eye on Samford and wanted to take the Bulldogs down.
“We came up against a well-coached, intelligent team that plays very consistent and we did not respond well to their high level of play,” Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. “Our challenge now is the same as all SoCon team have had for years ? find a way to knock off the College of Charleston.”
Ashley Adams led the Bulldogs with 14 kills while grabbed two digs, one ace and one block assist. Hillary Fountain dished out 29 assists with three aces and one dig while Courtney Gay led the Bulldogs in digs with 12 and added one assist. Sheriden Stangohr led in hitting with at .389 hitting percentage and knocking down eight kills, committing only one error. She also added one dig and two block assists.
Kirstein Sosnowski and Sara Sears each had five kills while Sosnowksi had three block solos and three block assists. She also added one dig while Sears posted four digs and one block solo. Rachel Gadberry had two kills, two block assists and one assist while Sarah Gardner had five digs and one kill. Samantha Bland added eight digs.
A quick error gave Samford the first point of the match and a service ace by Gardner put the Bulldogs up by two early. However, College of Charleston answered back as a Samford service error gave the Cougars their first point and a kill tied the score at two. The Bulldogs fought through two more ties and finally took a three-point on back-to-back kills by Adams and a block solo by Sosnowski. Charleston cut the lead to two, but Samford quickly stretched the lead to four on a kill by Gadberry and a block by Sosnowski and Stangohr. However, Charleston went on a 6-2 run to tie the score at 12 before Samford called a timeout.
Charleston came straight out of the break wit a kill, but Adams returned the favor and tied the score again with a kill. The Cougars then took a two-point lead but Samford fought back and tied things up with a kill by Adams and a service ace from Fountain. A Charleston error and another ace by Fountain gave Samford the lead back by two. However, the Cougars came back and tied the score again and took over, pushing their lead out to five and taking set one, 25-20.
Charleston jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the second set, but Samford quickly tied the score on a kill by Fountain, a Cougar ball handling error and an ace by Fountain. Fighting through three more ties, the Cougars finally took the lead back for good. They surged out to a five-point lead before Samford fought to get back within two on three consecutive kills by Stangohr, but the Cougars would go on to win set two, 25-21.
A Samford service error gave Charleston its first point but a block by Sosnowski and Stangohr evened things up at one. Another service error gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead before Sears tied the score again with a kill. After another tied score, Samford took two-point lead on a kill by Fountain and Charleston error. The Bulldogs pressed that lead out to five before the Cougars took a timeout.
Charleston came out of the break and went on another 6-2 run to take an 11-10 lead. Samford called another timeout and fought to tie the score at 13 on a block by Sosnowski and Stanoghr. The score was tied two more times before Samford took over by two on kills by Adams and Gadberry, but Charleston went on a 4-2 run to take a two-point lead before Samford called a timeout. After the break, the Bulldogs got within one and the Cougars called a timeout. An ace by Adams tied the score at 21 out of the break but Charleston would answer back with a kill and three Samford errors gave the Cougars the win, 25-21.
The Bulldogs will back in action Sunday afternoon in a 2 p.m. eastern time match-up at the Citadel. Follow all the action on live stats at www.CitadelSports.com and via video streaming at www.soconsports.com. A full recap and results will be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of the match.
Davidson 3, Elon 2
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Senior middle blocker Kittery Neale tallied 11 kills and 16 digs to lead the Davidson Wildcat volleyball team to a dramatic 3-2 (16-25, 21-25, 27-25, 25-22, 15-11) comeback win over the Elon Phoenix in SoCon action Saturday afternoon at Belk Arena.
Davidson improves to 10-13 overall and 5-5 in Southern Conference action. Elon drops to 9-14 overall and 4-6 in league play.
Sophomore outside hitter Sarabeth Peele was the other Wildcat hitter in
double digits, finishing with 16 kills. Classmate Hayley Lawson dished out 41 assists and 10 digs, while sophomore Jennifer Chamblee made a team-high 21 digs. Lawson, freshman Madison Benedict and sophomore Jorden Benedict each had five total blocks, contributing to a team season-high 15 blocks.
The Phoenix had four hitters touch double figures, led by Traci Stewart with 14 along with Lauren Copenhagen (11), Sarah Schermerhorn (10) and Caroline Lemke (10). Setter Emily Regan totaled 47 assists, and Kelley Blakewood finished with a match-high 29 digs.
In the first set, the Wildcats were holding an early lead, but Elon took control with a 7-5 run to pull ahead 12-10. The Phoenix controlled the set the rest of the way, rolling to a 25-16 win with a 13-6 run. The second set was more competitive, as the 'Cats fought back from an 11-14 deficit to knot the score at 17. The teams traded points until at 21-21, Stewart got possession back, and Lizzie West served the game out for a 25-21 win to give Elon 2-0 control of the match.
The momentum started to shift towards the 'Cats in the third set. Despite getting down 0-4 early, Davidson battled back and knotted the score at 8 on a five-point serve from Neale. The 'Cats held the lead for most of the game, but Elon chipped away and tied it up at 22 on a Wildcat attacking error. The teams traded points, and Elon looked on the verge of a sweep as Schermerhorn put away a pass from Regan to give the Phoenix a match-point try, 25-24, but Lawson answered and forced the extra play. Jorden Benedict came up with a crucial kill, and the 'Cats won the set, 27-25, on an Elon hitting error.
Davidson rolled right into the fourth set, taking a 14-9 lead to control things early. Elon, though, clawed back behind a 8-3 run to tie things at 17 and Lauren Copenhagen continued to serve for the lead. By the time Davidson got the serve back, the 'Cats trailed 20-18 and were again facing a losing decision. Consecutive kills from Peele and Perzinski tied the score again at 21, and Neale continued her strong play down the stretch to give the 'Cats the lead. Elon would tie it up again at 22, but Davidson closed with three straight scores, including a pair and the game-winner from Peele, to force the fifth set.
The 'Cats opened up the abbreviated set by winning three straight points, but would fall behind 5-7 nearing the half-way mark. Peele executed to gain possession and then served four straight points as the momentum swung fully to the 'Cats, who now led 10-7. The Phoenix would make things interesting, getting within a point, 11-10, behind a pair of Wildcat errors. Perzinski, though, answered and the 'Cats closed with a 3-1 run to complete the comeback with the 15-11 win.
The Wildcats will hit the road for a four-match swing, starting in Furman on Oct. 25 for a 2 p.m. match and continuing on to Wofford Oct. 26 for a 2 p.m. contest. After trips to Chattanooga and Samford the following weekend, the 'Cats will close out the 2008 season with a four-match homestand, beginning with a 7 p.m. showdown with the College of Charleston on Nov. 7.
Wofford 3, Western Carolina 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C - Paced by three Terriers with double digits in kills, the Wofford volleyball took down SoCon foe Western Carolina on Saturday night 3-1. Wofford took the match on scores of 25-18, 25-23, 24-26 and 25-20.
Wofford (12-10, 2-5 SoCon) jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, one which they would not surrender. The Terriers used three different three point runs to take advantage throughout en route to a one set lead.
Western Carolina (4-18, 2-7) hung tough with the Terriers until things got interesting in the latter stages of set two. The Catamounts led 22-20; however back-to-back errors brought the Terriers to even at 22. Tied at 23, a Lindsey Richardson kill gave Wofford a set point at 24-23 in which Shanna Hughes capitalized on finishing off the set with a kill.
Wofford led in the middle of set three by four, but the Catamounts would not be denied. Trailing 20-16, Western Carolina scored four straight to knot the score at 20. Both team battled back and forth with the Catamounts eventually taking the set.
The Terriers responded well in set four as they built a lead steadily throughout. Leading 22-20, Wofford closed out the last three points to take the match.
Lindsey Richardson led the Terrier offense hitting .500 with 16 kills on 28 attacks with only two errors. Shanna Hughes also reached double digits in kills for the Terriers with 17 while Stacy Byrd had a match high 18 kills. Joanna Suddath set a new school record in a four set match with 55 assists.
Brittany Thompson was the Terrier rock on the backline with 26 digs. Shanna Hughes capped off her double-double with 10 digs while Carolyn Rivers added 12.
Amanda Kerr Paced the Catamount offense with 14 kills. Brittany Lysik, Liz Rondone and Katie Hennessey all reached double digits in digs for the Western Carolina defense with 15, 11, and 10, respectively.
Wofford returns to action Sunday against Appalachian State as part of the 2008 Dig for the Cure Campaign. Match time is slated for 2 p.m.
Furman 3, Appalachian State 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. ? The Furman Paladins picked up another league win with a thrilling five-set victory over Appalachian State on Saturday night, in the first annual Susan G. Komen “Dig for the Cure” match.
The match started off with several errors on both sides of the net, keeping the first set close until the Paladins managed to take a three-point lead at 14-11. The Paladins widened their lead to four at 20-16, but then saw the Mountaineers fight back on a 6-2 run to tie the score at 22. With two kills each from Becca Norris and Maja Jechorek, Appalachian State took the first set 26-24.
The Mountaineers carried their momentum over to the second set, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead. Furman fought back to even the score at six and seemed to be in control of the second set, leading by as many as five. The Mountaineers surged back to tie the score at 15, and took a small lead at 16, but the Paladins responded to take the second set 25-22, evening the match.
Despite a close beginning, Appalachian State seemed to control the entire third set, taking a 21-12 lead and winning the set 25-18. With the Mountaineers taking a 16-10 lead in the fourth set, it looked like
Appalachian State would take the match. The Paladins fought back, led by two service aces and a kill from senior Alison West. Furman went on an 11-3 run late in the game, taking a 21-19 lead. The Mountaineers hung on, forcing five tied scores before the Paladins finished the set off a kill by West, one by Emily Harby and another by Kelly Kirby. Furman took the fourth set 28-26, forcing a fifth set.
Furman dominated the fifth set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before taking the fifth and final set 15-6 to take the match 3-2.
Junior Maja Jechorek led the Mountaineers with 24 kills and a .377 hitting percentage. She also added 13 kills to the effort. Libero Heather Kale led the floor defense with 23 digs.
The Paladins were led by outside hitter West, who tallied 18 kills and 17 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. West also added five service aces to the winning effort. Freshman Alexis Shaffer and sophomore Katherine Hall added 11 kills each, and senior Nicole Palazzo notched 10 kills and led the team with five total blocks. Sophomore Brooke Ellison and senior Pamela Gehrke contributed 16 digs each. The Paladins tallied 69 total team digs on “Dig for the Cure” night. Furman also had 13 total blocks and 11 service aces in the match.
With the win, Furman improves to 12-9 on the season and 5-3 in the Southern Conference, while Appalachian State falls to 4-18 and remains undefeated at 0-8 in league play. The Paladins will face cross-town rival Wofford on Wednesday at a 6:00 p.m. match in Spartanburg.
Chattanooga 3, The Citadel 0
Charleston, S.C. ? The Bulldogs (6-14, 0-8 Southern) lost a hard fought battle to Chattanooga (11-11, 6-2 Southern) Saturday evening after falling 3-0 (30-32, 20-25, 22-25). Jessica Maas led the offensive effort for the Bulldogs, earning a .609 hitting percentage with 15 kills on 23 total attacks. Ashley Winter and Tatum Jestila led on defense, each recording double-digit digs.
“Jessica had a great match offensively and so did Amanda,” said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. “We have to be able to move the ball around more and get more players connecting on our sets. Chattanooga, as expected, played phenomenal defense. It was a close match, especially the first set. We just have to keep working at eliminating our errors at key points in the match and staying aggressive.”
The Mocs started the match off ahead in the first set. A service error by Lara Newberry would put the Bulldogs down by one, 2-1. A bad set by Aurore Kullak would tie the set. The score was tied 10 times during the set with only two lead changes. The Citadel would not take the lead until an attack error by Jessica Scott would tie the set at 21-21. Another attack error by Scott would put the Bulldogs on top, claiming the lead until a 25-25 tie. The Mocs would jump back ahead off an attack error by Rachel Sanders. A back and forth battle would continue until the Mocs were able to win by two, 32-30 after an attack error by Jestila.
In the first set, the Bulldogs recorded 16 kills on 48 total attacks with eight errors. Maas led the offense in the set with six kills, while Winter recorded 6 digs on defense. Emily Hill had 10 assists on the set.
The Bulldogs jumped on the Mocs early in the second set earning the first point of the set off a kill by Jestila. An attack error by Winter would tie the set at 1-1. A service error by Scott would put the Bulldogs back on top before Sanders would tie the set at 2-2 with an attack error. The set would see nine tie scores and five lead changes before the Mocs would take the set, 25-20. Mass recorded three kills while Winter, Sanders and Hill each recorded three digs.
The third set started out like the first set with the Mocs claiming the lead from the first point. The Mocs went on a 2-0 lead before the Bulldogs put a point on the scoreboard off a kill by Blaine McAllister. Four tie scores and two lead changes would take place during the set. A kill by Sanders would tie the set at 2-2 before a Chattanooga kill put the Mocs back on top. Maas would tie the score back up at three apiece before a kill by Amanda Beal put the Bulldogs ahead. A 4-4 tie would soon turn into a Bulldog lead after a kill by Beal would put the Bulldogs up 5-4. The Citadel had control of the set until the Mocs fought back to tie the score at seven apiece. A 7-7 lead would turn the set around, giving the Mocs the momentum to keep battling. The Bulldogs never saw another lead, falling in the third set, 25-22.
Mass recorded six kills in the third set with Sanders and Beal each recording four kills. Jestila recorded six digs while Winter recorded four. Hill had nine assists, while Alyssa Holum recorded six. The Bulldogs finished the set with 44 kills on 138 total attacks with 40 assists, 52 digs and four block assists.
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. when they host the Bulldogs of Samford in McAlister Field House. Live statistics and a live video stream will be available. Match recaps and match statistics will be available immediately following the match. For more information on Bulldog Volleyball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.