Western Carolina 3, East Tennessee State 2
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. ? Western Carolina volleyball (6-19) overcame an 0-2 deficit at halftime, battling back to defeat East Tennessee (8-15) 3-2 (17-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-12) Tuesday for the team’s first road win of the season in the final non-conference match of the season. The Catamounts are also riding their first winning streak of the year, having won their last two matches.
“I challenged the team at halftime to go out and fight for the win,” said Head Coach Stephanie Dragan. “They took my challenge and put together an amazing performance. I am so proud of them.”
After committing 13 errors in the first two games with a .121 attack percentage in game one and a zero attack percentage in game two, Western Carolina had a combined eight errors in games three through five. In the crucial game five, to cap off the Catamount comeback, the club didn’t commit an error.
After tying the match at two games a piece, Western Carolina continued to fight for the win. In game five, tied at seven, the Catamounts took the lead for good thanks to a kill by Amanda Kerr. WCU went on an 8-5 run in the final points of the game to take the match and clinched it off a kill by freshman Brittany Lysik.
Kerr led the club with 12 kills followed by Rebecca Stoltz with 11 and Carrie Minogue with 10. Junior setter Katie Hennessey had 37 assists and 13 digs and also had two service aces.
Western Carolina returns to Southern Conference action on Saturday traveling to Greensboro, NC to take on UNC Greensboro. Match time is set for noon.
The Citadel 3, Winston-Salem State 0
Charleston, S.C. ? The Citadel Bulldogs (8-17, 1-10 Southern) exceeded their winning record from last season after overpowering the Rams of Winston-Salem State (4-21) in a 3-0 (25-17, 25-7, 25-17) decision Tuesday night at McAlister Field House. The Bulldogs’ victory over the Rams gives them eight victories on the season. The Citadel’s offense was led by Rachel Sanders and Tatum Jestila, who each recorded double-digit kills.
Sanders was the offensive power for the Bulldogs, recording 10 kills and shooting a .400 hitting percentage. Jestila contributed 11 kills and shot .259 on the match. Jessica Maas hammered a .353 on the match, while Amanda Beal recorded a .364. Offensively, the Bulldogs served seven aces and recorded 37 kills with Alyssa Holum contributing 18 assists and Emily Hill contributing 11.
“All in all, I was very pleased,” said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. “I used several different lineups and I thought everyone adjusted well to those changes. Everyone hit well tonight and both, Alyssa and Emily, connected with all of our hitters.”
Winston-Salem State scored the first two points of the match before a kill by Sanders put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. A service ace by Sanders tied the set at 2-2 but the Bulldogs were unable to jump in front. At 3-2, a kill by Jestila tied the set back up and the Bulldogs took the lead and never looked back. The Citadel dominated the Rams on offense and defense. Winston-Salem State was held to a .093 hitting percentage with nine kills, while the Bulldogs recorded 14 kills.
The second set was a reflection of the first one in the beginning. The Rams scored the first point, but a service error put the Bulldogs on the board. A Ram attack error put the Bulldogs ahead, 2-1, but a kill by Georgette Allen tied the set back up. A 2-2 score would be the last tie the Rams would see. The Bulldogs went on a 5-0 run and never looked back. The Rams never had a chance to get in the set with the Bulldogs overpowering them on offense. The Citadel put on their best offensive performance of the match, shooting .348 on the set. Winston-Salem State was held to five kills and only earned seven points, falling 25-7.
Winston-Salem State managed to stay with the Bulldogs in the third set. The Citadel struck first with a kill by Beal, but the Rams quickly tied the set, 1-1 and went on a 3-0 run before a service error would put the Bulldogs down by two. With the Bulldogs trailing, a solo block by Maas tied the set, 5-5, but an attack error by Sanders kept the Rams in front. A kill by Jestila followed by a service ace by Ashley Winter would put the Bulldogs out in front. The Rams managed to tie the set back up but Jestila kept the Bulldogs in the lead.
Two more tie scores took place, but the Bulldogs would not allow the Rams to take control. At 9-9, a kill by Beal put the Bulldogs ahead and in control for the remainder of the set. The Rams were never able to catch back up due to the Bulldogs’ powerful defense, which was anchored by Sanders and Jestila. Sanders recorded nine digs and Jestila recorded eight. Maas contributed with two blocks with one being a solo. The Citadel closed the set with a 25-17 victory, claiming the match.
“This was a good win for us tonight, coming off of a successful weekend,” said Geiger. “I know we lost to Western Carolina, but I really feel like we are building momentum for the remainder of the season. Hopefully, this win carries us into this weekend’s matches against Furman and Wofford.”
The Bulldogs are back in action this weekend when they host two conference matches in McAlister Field House. The Citadel will battle the Paladins of Furman on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. followed by the Terriers of Wofford on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. Live statistics will be available for both matches.
Georgia Southern 3, Savannah State 0
STATESBORO, Ga. --- The Georgia Southern volleyball team hit .433 as a team and set a school record for fewest points allowed in a 3-0 (25-3, 25-5, 25-13) victory over Savannah State Tuesday night at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Eagles win for the seventh time in nine matches and now stand at 14-13 for the season. The Lady Tigers fall to 8-18.
“It was a good, well-rounded performance from all of our players tonight,” said GSU head coach Chad Callihan. “I was excited with the way they came out and set the tone early on. We talked about playing at a level and working to sustain it, regardless of what our opponent does or does not do. We wanted to play at our best level and I thought we did a good job of that.”
The 21 points allowed bests the previous record of 23 set Aug. 26, 2006, also against Savannah State, but the 30-point scoring system was in place then instead of the current 25.
The first set was all Georgia Southern as the Eagles scored 19 of the first 20 points and did not commit a hitting error while holding Savannah State to a -.500 attack percentage.
“We wanted to run our middles every opportunity we had and we did a good job of taking it and putting it to use out on the floor,” said Callihan. “We did a good job of getting our middles involved and keeping them involved and forcing Savannah State to transition every opportunity.”
GSU middle hitters Michelle Uzoh (San Antonio, Texas) and Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) combined for 15 kills and just one error for a hitting percentage of .737.
“That was our emphasis coming in, to force the middle at every opportunity we could,” said Callihan. “We did a good job of that. Leah Kettelson (Wray, Colo.) stepped in and did a good job as well.”
Senior Mae Chabra (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) assisted on 32 of the team’s 38 kills.
The Eagles return to Southern Conference play this weekend with matches at Samford on Saturday and Chattanooga on Sunday.