Samford 3, Auburn 0
AUBURN, Ala. --- The Samford University volleyball team grabbed its first win of the season Friday night as it swept the Auburn Tigers on the road in the second match of the War Eagle Invitational. The Bulldogs are now 1-0, and this is Samford head coach Derek Schroeder's first career win as a women's volleyball coach and Samford's first-ever win over the Tigers.
"Our gameplan revolved around determination and making Auburn earn every point they scored," Schroeder said. "Our girls really put their head down and play relentlessly during the entire match."
Senior outside hitter Ashley Adams led the Bulldogs in her Samford debut with 10 kills, hitting .357, and posting five digs and one block assist. Senior middle blocker Kirstein Sosnowski was right behind her hitting .353 with seven kills and posting two block assists. Sophomore middle blocker Sheriden Stangohr and freshmen setter Hillary Fountain both posted six kills, hitting .333 and .500, respectively. Fountain also dished out 27 assists in the sweep for the Bulldogs and had eight digs.
Senior Libero Courtney Gay had nine digs and two aces, while senior outside hitter Sara Sears posted five kills and two digs. Sophomore outside hitter Samantha Bland added three digs, and junior defensive specialist Sarah Gardner added two digs and two service aces.
"Hillary (Fountain) made great decisions and set every ball in a great tempo," Schroeder said. Ashley (Adams) was unstoppable at the net, and Courtney Gay was not just the captain, she was a leader on the floor. I'm proud of the entire team."
Samford charged out to a 6-0 lead in the first set with an opening kill by Gay, a kill by Stangohr, two aces by Gardner and a couple of Auburn errors. Auburn finally tacked on four points, cutting Samford's lead to three, but senior Ashley Adams and red-shirt freshman Rachel Gadberry made it a five-point game with their first kills as Bulldogs. The Tigers were able to cut the lead to one but the Bulldogs pushed it back out to as much as four, never relinquishing their lead, and wining the first set, 25-21.
In the second set, the Bulldogs took the first point on a kill by Stangohr, but evened up the score with a service error. Still, Samford scaled to a 10-5, before Auburn went on 8-3 run to tie the game at 13. From that point on it was a close game, each team trading the led, battling through nine tied points. With the score tied at 21, Samford would allow just one more point from the Tigers, before winning the second set, 25-22.
The third set began with a Samford kill but Auburn quickly retaliated. The Bulldogs scored again and the Tigers tied it up. Auburn quickly took a two point lead but the Bulldogs tied the game again on a block by senior middle blocker Kirstein Sosnowski and Gadberry. There were two more tied points and the Bulldogs soon charged to a nine-point lead on back-to-back kills by sophomore setter Hillary Fountain. Two service errors by the Bulldogs gave Auburn its final two points of the match but with a block by the two Bulldogs making their Samford debut, Adams and Gadberry, the Bulldogs soared to their first win of the season, winning the third set, 25-16.
The Bulldogs continue action the War Eagle Classic as they take on New Orleans at 11:30 a.m., tomorrow morning. Samford will wrap up play in the tournament tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the last match against Mercer. Admission for all matches is free, and fans that cannot make it in town for the matches can follow all the action live with GameTracker on AuburnTigers.com.
Results will be available on www.samfordsports.com at the conclusion of each match and a recap of the action will be posted on the website at the end of each day of competition.
Elon 3, UNC Asheville 0; Elon 3, Maine 1
DURHAM, N.C. ? The Elon volleyball team opened the 2008 season with two victories at the Hilton RTP/NCCU Tournament hosted by North Carolina Central in Durham, N.C. The team handed UNC Asheville a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 26-24) shutout before defeating Maine 3-1.
Set one of the match against UNCA saw Elon take a 15-10 lead off a service ace by Mandy Wilson. The Phoenix extended their lead to 17-13 following a service error by UNCA. The Seahawks battled back, scoring three consecutive points, bringing the game within two at 18-16. Elon responded by scoring six of the final eight points to take the set 25-20.
Elon’s momentum continued into the second set, as the Phoenix took a early 10-3 lead. The Phoenix lead extended to 12-4 off a kill by Wilson. UNC Asheville battled back to within six at 20-14 off a kill by Lauren Ficker. A kill by Stefanie Meyers put set two away as the Phoenix won 25-17.
The final set of the match saw the Phoenix come back after UNCA scored eight of the first nine points of the game. Elon strung together a four-point and three-point scoring run, capped off with a kill by Wilson, to bring the game to 8-10. An attack error by UNCA’s Kelsey Benorden tied the game at 13. The score would tie 10 times before an attack error by the Seahawks’ Heather Burns and a kill by freshman Traci Stewart sealed the set and the match for the Phoenix.
The Phoenix notched a .338 hitting percentage, while holding UNC Asheville to a .253 hitting percentage.
Stewart led the team with 11 kills in 17 attempts for a .529 hitting percentage. Wilson added eight kills, with Sarah Schermerhorn tallying seven kills. Junior Emily Regan paced Elon’s offensive attack with 24 assists on the afternoon.
Defensively for Elon, Stewart came up with seven digs, while Schermerhorn added six. The team combined for four blocks against the Seahawks, including two by Schermerhorn and one each by freshman Caroline Lemke and Stewart.
For the Seahawks, Ficker displayed offensive prowess, earning 11 kills for an attack percentage of .529. Adding to UNCA’s kill total was Heather Burns and Bridget Holliday with seven a piece. Rachel Guinane paced the offense with 11 assists.
Elon returns to the court tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. when they face Florida Gulf Coast. Following the match against Florida Gulf Coast, the second-place teams in the tournament will take the floor at 3 p.m. The first-place teams will begin their match at 5 p.m.
Furman 3, Georgia State 1
ATHENS, Ga. ? The Furman volleyball team opened the season with a 3-1 win over the Georgia State Panthers in the opening match of the Georgia Bulldog Invitational today.
After a close beginning with five tie scores, the Paladins pulled away to take the first set by a score of 25-17.
Georgia State tied the second set at 12 before going on a 10-4 run to take the second set 25-21. The Paladins bounced back, however, and took the lead in the match with a decisive 25-16 win in the third set, and claimed the win after a 25-21 victory in the fourth and final set.
Senior outside hitter Alison West paced the Paladins with 11 kills and 6 service aces in the opening match of the season, while Emily Harby added 10 kills and Katherine Hall contributed 9. Furman out-hit the Panthers .259 to .154, helped by senior Nicole Palazzo’s .400 hitting percentage.
The Paladins also outblocked the Panthers 12.5 to 3 for the match, with Palazzo leading the way, racking up 8 total blocks.
Sophomore Brooke Ellison led the floor defense with 19 digs, while West contributed 16 to record her first double-double of the season.
Georgia State was led by Ashley Jones and Torrie Brown, who both notched 12 kills, while Liz Schaab added 11 to the losing effort.
Furman improves its record to 1-0, while the Panthers fall to 0-1 to start the season.
The Paladins will take on host Georgia on Sunday at 12:30, and will then face Georgia Tech at 4:30 to conclude play at the Bulldog Invitational.
Tennessee 3, Chattanooga 0
MILWAUKEE ? The 26th season of UTC volleyball got off to a rocky start Friday, as the Lady Mocs fell to the Lady Vols of Tennessee in straight sets, 3-0 in the opening match of the Marquette Kickoff Classic in Milwaukee. The Lady Vols defeated the Lady Mocs 25-13, 25-14, and 25-18 to put UTC at 0-1 on the season.
Senior libero Lara Newberry led all players with 17 digs on the afternoon. Newberry now creeps closer to the NCAA’s all-time digs leader, needing 376 more to break the record. Junior Ashley Yeager led the Lady Mocs offensively with five kills, and led both teams with 34 total attacks, while junior Cassie Conner led UTC with 11 assists.
For the Lady Vols, Nikki Fowler led with 13 kills, while Chloe Goodman had a team-best 10 digs. Tennessee used their tall front line to their advantage, turning in and 13 team blocks, to UTC’s four.
“We showed some very positive signs, especially in the second set,” Head Coach Lisa Rhodes said. “In the first set, we came out a little scared, but I think we overcame those first-game jitters, and played with a lot more poise in the last two sets.”
In the first set, the Lady Vols jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and took the first set 25-13. Senior libero Lara Newberry had 11 digs in the first frame, which led all players, while Aurore “Loo” Kullak, and Ashley Yeager led the Lady Mocs with three kills apiece. Redshirt freshman Jessica Scott, starting in her first game for UTC, recorded the first two kills of her career, as well as her first service ace.
In the second set, the Lady Mocs played within five of Tennessee to the 16-11 point, but the Lady Vols ran away from UTC to win 25-14. In the set, Yeager led all players with 11 total attacks, and Newberry led both teams with six digs.
In the third set, Chattanooga jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but the Lady Vols fought back to eventually tie the match at 7-apiece. The game remained tight throughout the remainder of the set before the Lady Vols pulled away to take the match 25-18. Lady Mocs freshmen Stephanie Harville and Ellie Kuhn recorded their first career kills in the set.
Next up for the Lady Mocs will host-school Marquette at 1:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday. Chattanooga will play Houston following that match-up at 5:30 p.m. EDT, to wrap up the tournament for UTC.
South Dakota 3, Wofford 2
HAMPTON, Va. -- The Wofford volleyball team opened its 2008 season with a 3-2 loss to South Dakota during day one action at the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament in Hampton, Va., Friday. The Terriers claimed a 2-1 lead in the match before surrendering the final two sets in a 16-25, 25-20, 25-15, 20-25, 9-15 decision.
Sophomore Stacy Byrd led the Wofford (0-1) offense with a .333 hitting percentage on the strength of a match-high 16 kills and 42 total attacks with just two errors. Junior setter Joanna Suddath added nine kills and 23 assists, while classmate Shanna Hughes knocked down seven kills on a team-high 43 total attacks.
Defensively, senior Brittany Thompson amassed 32 digs to lead all players. She was one of three Terriers in double figures and was joined by Hughes (15) and Suddath (13).
The Coyotes were led by Kathleen Hruska with 13 kills on 41 total attacks, while Heather Hult hit a match-high .385 after posting 12 kills on 26 total attacks with just two errors. Kristin Kritenbrink gave South Dakota (1-0) a trio in double-figure kills with 10.
Gina Baldwin tallied a match-best 34 assists, while Amber Kobus paced the squad with 28 digs on the defensive end.
Wofford held an advantage in hitting percentage and limited the Coyotes to a negative mark during the third set to win it by 10 points.
Wofford 3, Fairleigh Dickinson 2
HAMPTON, Va. -- Senior Liz Sheets hit nearly .500 as Wofford managed a split on day one of the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament in Hampton, Va., Friday with a 3-2 triumph over Fairleigh Dickinson in volleyball action. The Terriers held on for the victory after taking the first two sets and winning the deciding set for a 25-22, 25-15, 26-28, 22-25, 15-11 decision.
Sheets led Wofford (1-1) with a .429 hitting percentage behind 11 kills on 21 total attacks with just two errors. Teammate Shanna Hughes posted 12 kills on a team-best 51 total attacks, while also coming up with 15 digs on the defensive end.
Sophomores Anna Gustafson added a .308 hitting percentage and Stacy Byrd provided nine kills to the Terrier offense.
Junior Joanna Suddath paced the squad with 39 assists in addition to her 14 digs, one more than classmate Sarah Palmer's 13.
Senior Brittany Thompson was the top Wofford player for the second-straight match with 22 digs.
Megan Philbrick accumulated 17 kills and 35 total attacks with just two errors for the Knights. Lauren Boothby scored 16 kills on a match-best 57 total attacks, while adding a team-high 21 digs for Fairleigh Dickinson (1-1).
Karolina Kowalski tallied 22 assists and Sarah Willey added 15 helpers.
The Terriers will continue play at the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament with two more matches Saturday. Wofford will face Delaware State at 9 a.m. before concluding play at 1 p.m. against Canisius.
Eastern Michigan 3, Appalachian State 1
Williamsburg, Va. - No set was decided by more than three points, but Eastern Michigan (1-0) edged out Appalachian State University volleyball 3-1 in the opening match of the Tribe Invitational. Sophomore Jordan Jesberg recorded her first career double-double in the effort with 13 digs and 11 kills in the 22-25, 26-24, 25-23, 30-28 setback.
The Mountaineers (0-1) faced an early four-point deficit in the opening set before rallying to a 12-12 tie. The foes split the next ten points evenly before ASU took the lead for good and closed out the set 25-22. Carla Durham, Lauren Swecker and Caroline Sedon had three kills each in the game to account for all but one of Appalachian's ten kills in the first stanza.
Durham led the Apps with 15 kills in the match and hit a robust .314, with just four attack errors in 35 attempts. The Dallas, Ga. native added three digs and was in on five of ASU's nine blocks.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the second set and held a strong 23-17 advantage late before a Mountaineer rally. With libero Cassie Engelgau serving, the Apps reeled off four-straight points to cut the deficit to two. After the rally was stopped, the Mountaineers then staved off three set point opportunities to knot the score at 24-24. EMU then tied the match score with a pair of points for a 26-24 win.
Engelgau led the Mountaineers with 20 digs in the game to go along with three aces. ASU held a 6-3 advantage in service aces for the evening. Swecker matched Engelgau with a career-high 20 digs of her own. The outside hitter added eight kills and a pair of blocks.
The third set was the best-hitting of the night for the Apps, as they recorded 11 kills with just three errors in 31 swings, but it was not quite enough to hold off a late Eastern Michigan surge. The Apps led 6-1 early on and extended the advantage to 20-14 late in the set, but a 7-0 run gave EMU a 24-22 advantage that was stretched into a 25-23 victory.
The fourth and final set saw 12 ties, six lead changes and eight set points to decide the match. Trailing 24-20 and facing match point, the Mountaineers rolled to take a 25-24 lead behind strong serving from Durham. The teams tied four more times, but the stalemate was broken and the match ended with a pair of ASU attack errors in the 30-28 defeat.
Sedon led the Mountaineers with three kills in the set to give her a career-best seven in the match. Sedon hit .238 with three blocks on the evening. Senior Charissa Clearman started at setter and turned in 37 assists without any ball-handling errors and added three block assists as well.
The meeting was just the second in the series between the teams, as EMU defeated the Apps 3-0 in last year's Charlotte Invitational and the loss snapped a string of four-straight season-opening wins for Appalachian.
ASU has two chances to reach the win column on Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. match against UMBC and a 7 p.m. meeting with Tribe Invitational host William & Mary.
Georgia Southern 3, Presbyterian 1
STATESBORO, Ga. --- Senior Bianca Julio (Curitiba, Brazil) had a match-high 18 kills and Georgia Southern recorded 14 blocks to defeat Presbyterian 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 18-25, 25-22) Friday night at the Holiday Inn Volleyball Invitational.
The match was the season opener for both teams. GSU takes on Central Florida Saturday at noon while PC faces Jacksonville at 10 a.m.
“I thought we played hard,” said GSU head coach Chad Callihan. “We met beforehand and we talked about playing hard and playing with enthusiasm and I thought we did both of those things. So I thought it was a good performance.”
The Eagles had five players ? and one head coach ? make their Georgia Southern debut. The team has eight newcomers compared to six returning players.
“(They were) jittery,” said Callihan. “But that’s to be expected. When we had our meeting we said don’t worry about your mistakes because you’re going to make them; that’s just part of the game. The trick right now is to not dwell on them and allow them to get you out of the next point. So I thought they did well overall. There were some ups and downs but while they made mistakes they didn’t let them bring them down and allow it to snowball and turn into quite a few errors.”
Julio had 18 kills for a .368 attack percentage and added 14 digs and five blocks. Her participation in preseason practice was limited due to off-season shoulder surgery.
“She was critical for us this evening,” said Callihan. “I was glad to see it. She struggled a little bit in practice this past week so it was nice to see her rebound out here. She’s a senior, she’s a competitor, she’s somebody we know we can lean on in crucial situations and she definitely came through for us.”
Junior Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) and freshman Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) each added a match-high 17 digs.
Freshman Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) had eight blocks assists and sophomore Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) had a solo and six assists. The 14 team blocks are the school’s highest since 2006.
“We really didn’t know what we were going to get with our blocking,” said Callihan. “We try to run a faster tempo offense and sometimes it’s hard for the block to catch up to that. When we got out here we thought we were going to see a slower tempo which would produce more for us blocking-wise but we really weren’t sure. It was a pleasant surprise and hopefully we can continue to build on that.”
The Citadel 3, Mississippi Valley State 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The Bulldog Volleyball team won their season-opener Friday, Aug. 29 against Mississippi Valley State in their first game of the Texas Southern Tournament. The Citadel won in a 3-1 decision, earning them their first victory of the 2008 season.
The first set was a back and forth battle for both teams. The Bulldogs came out with confidence and a will to win. Mississippi Valley State tried hard to outscore the Bulldogs, but The Citadel was determined to win. They never let down, defeating the Devilettes, 25-19.
“We came out with a lot of energy and adrenaline,” said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. “The first game was a back and forth battle, but everyone contributed to our offensive efforts.”
The Bulldogs weren’t so lucky in the second set. After several lead changes and a see-saw battle between the two teams, the game slipped away from The Citadel. The Devilettes fought hard and defeated the Bulldogs, 25-23, in the second set.
“Mississippi Valley came out hard in game two,” said Geiger. “With the score at 23-22, I thought we would come back and take game two but we couldn't quite make up the deficit.”
After losing the second set, the Bulldogs were determined to keep fighting and take home a victory. Set three was dominated by the Bulldogs. The Citadel didn’t give the Devilettes a chance, winning 25-10. The fourth set was a battle, but the Bulldogs managed to stay focused and pull out the win. The Bulldogs won 25-21 in the fourth set, giving them the victory and their first win of the season.
“We wanted to step up our game and we did in games three and four,” said Geiger. “We served tough and made less hitting errors. We got everyone in the match which was nice and I was pleased with our first win of the season.”
The Bulldogs are back in action on Saturday, Aug. 30 when they battle Texas Southern at 9 a.m. and Arkansas State at 11 a.m. to conclude the Texas Southern Tournament.
Pepperdine 3, UNC Greensboro 0
FULLERTON, CA ? UNC Greensboro fell 3-0 to Pepperdine in the opening match of the Radisson Suites Buena Park Volleyball Classic at Titan Gym on Friday, Aug. 29. Set scores were 15-25, 21-25, 15-25.
In the first set, the Spartans had to contend with several early runs by Pepperdine. After the Waves took an 11-6 advantage off a Kiah Fiers kill, UNCG started to cut the deficit. A bad set and back-to-back attacking errors by the Waves allowed the Spartans to make it a two-point set. However, Pepperdine used several runs to pull away and win the first set.
Both UNCG and Pepperdine battled for control early in the second set as neither team held a lead larger than three. Although the Waves used a four-point run to take a 6-3 lead, the Spartans clawed back and took a 9-7 advantage off a kill by junior Branagan Fuller. The two teams traded points and tied the set score three times before Pepperdine scored four-straight points in order to take a 16-12 advantage. UNCG started to chip away at Pepperdine’s lead and eventually pulled to within one off a service ace by junior Lisa Fawell, making it 20-19 in favor of the Waves.
However, after a Pepperdine timeout, the Waves scored three points and took a 23-19 lead. UNCG tried to comeback again and pulled to within two as redshirt sophomore Caley Redden blocked Lilla Frederick, but Pepperdine got the final two points it needed to win the second set.
UNCG fell behind early in the third set. The Spartans trailed by as many as six on two occasions before a Kaitlyn Nortz kill and a Pepperdine attack error allowed UNCG to make it 10-6 in favor of the Waves. However, Pepperdine went on a six-point run to distance itself en route to taking the third set and the match.
Sophomore Kayren Finney totaled a match-high nine kills, while classmate Kimiko Naito tallied 11 assists. Fawell had a team-high six digs and Redden had four total blocks, including one block solo and three block assists.
Lilla Frederick and Rachel Lumsden each had a team-high eight kills for Pepperdine. Fiers put up 19 assists and Stevi Robinson totaled 14 digs.
UNCG returns to action at the Radisson Suites Buena Park Volleyball Classic on Saturday, Aug. 30 with a 4 p.m. ET match against host Cal State Fullerton and a 7:30 p.m. ET match versus Delaware. Free audio and video of the UNCG-CSU Fullerton match will be available online at www.fullertontitans.com.
Portland State 3, College of Charleston 2
Corvallis, Ore. - A career-high 51 assists from sophomore setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) and career-best 22 kills and 13 digs from sophomore outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.) was not enough as Portland State (1-0) outlasted the College of Charleston (0-1) 3-2 Friday evening at the Oregon State Classic in Corvallis, Oregon. The Vikings notched the five-set victory 24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 15-9.
The Cougars wasted little time in jumping out to a 7-1 lead in Game 1 before the Vikings countered with a 9-2 run of their own, taking a 10-9 lead. A 3-0 Charleston run made the score 12-10 before PSU rallied to tie the game at 17-17.
Over the next ten points, the teams would battle to five ties before CofC pulled ahead 24-22 on a kill by Russell and sophomore right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) third service ace of the set. Following back-to-back points by the Vikings to tie the set at 24-24, consecutive kills by Russell and Dawley gave the Cougars a 26-24 win and 1-0 advantage in the match.
The teams picked up at the start of Game 2 right where they left off as the first 18 points featured eight ties before Portland State pulled ahead 13-10. They would maintain that three point lead, pushing out to a 20-17 advantage, before tying the match with a 5-1 run to take the game 25-18.
PSU continued its strong play in the third set, powering out to an early 12-6 advantage. The Cougars would eventually close to within 18-14 before the Vikings put together another game-ending run, this one a 7-3 streak that included five straight points at the outset. That run gave them a 25-17 Game 3 victory and a 2-1 advantage in the match.
After trailing 14-9 midway through the fourth set, Charleston put together an 12-3 run to take a 21-17 lead. The Cougars would maintain that advantage until PSU narrowed the gap to 23-22. That would be as close as they would get, however, as a pair of kills by junior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) closed out the set with a 25-23 victory, sending the match to a decisive fifth game.
In that fifth game, Portland State jumped out to an early 5-2 lead before the Cougars closed to within 7-6. With the score at 8-7 after the break, the Vikings took control of the set, notching seven of the final nine points to come away with a 15-9 victory and take the match 3-2.
Sophomore outside hitter Christie Hamilton led the offensive attack for Portland State, pounding out a team-high 14 kills while senior Jalen Pendon led the defense with 16 digs. Junior outside hitter Lindsey Steele posted a solid all-around performance with 15 digs, six blocks and nine kills while junior setter Nique Fradella set up the offense with 44 assists. Junior outside hitter Marija Vojnovic added a double with 11 kills and 11 digs and Lana Zielke rounded out the offensive attack with ten kills and five blocks.
Cole Dawley led the way for the Cougars, notching a career-high 51 assists to go along with 12 digs and four blocks while Whitney Russell notched her second straight season-opening double-double with career-bests of 22 kills and 13 digs. Ginny Phillips also notched career-highs with 12 kills, six service aces and five digs. Freshman libero Emily Shelton (Cincinnati, Ohio) paced the defense with 31 digs in her first collegiate appearance and junior middle blocker Jennifer Darty (Orlando, Fla.)
posted a match-high six blocks and nine digs.
Sophomore defensive specialist Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) finished the night with 13 digs while junior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) fell one kill shy of a double with nine kills and ten digs. Freshman middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.) contributed seven kills in her first collegiate match and hit a team-best .294 to round out the offensive attack.
The Cougars return to action on Saturday, August 30 when they face host Oregon State at 3 p.m. EST and wrap up the tournament against Wyoming with a 9 p.m. EST match.
NOTES:
Cole Dawley's 51 assists break her previous career high of 49 set against UNC Greensboro on September 22, 2007 ... Whitney Russell posted her second career double-double with 22 kills and 13 digs ... both marks are career-bests, surpassing her 18 kills and 12 digs against Coastal Carolina on August 28, 2007 ... the six aces by Ginny Phillips represent a career high.
Stephen F. Austin 3, Western Carolina 0; #13 Wisconsin 3, Western Carolina 0
LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Western Carolina volleyball (0-2) dropped a pair of matches to open the 2008 season. The Catamounts fell 3-0 (15-25, 19-25, 18-25) to Stephen F. Austin and 3-0 (13-25, 9-25, 25-27) to No. 13 Wisconsin.
Freshman Brittany Lysik led the club with 11 kills in the match against Stephen F. Austin and Liz Rondone had 15 digs. Lysik and Rondone each paced the club in the loss to Wisconsin with nine kills and 16 digs respectively.
Western Carolina closes out the Kentucky Classic against host Kentucky and Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Wake Forest 3, Davidson 0
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest spoiled Davidson's season-opener on Friday night with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-13) win in the 'Cats' first match at the Black and Gold Challenge.
As a team Wake Forest (1-0) hit .357 (45-15-84) in the match, and individually, placed two players in double digits. Natalie Mullikin led all players with 15 kills, and Madison Vain added 12. Abby Miller had a match-high 37 assists, while Kadija Fornah contributed a match-high 13 digs to lead the defense.
For the Wildcats, sophomore outside hitter Sarabeth Peele and senior middle blocker Kittery Neale each had six kills, and sophomore Hayley Lawson tallied 20 assists. In her collegiate debut, freshman Jessica McAlvany led the Wildcat defense with six digs.
Wake Forest took an early lead in the first game of the match, but the 'Cats pulled ahead 8-6 early behind a four-point serve by Neale. Wake Forest regrouped after a quick timeout, evening the score at 15, and turned a 7-3 run into a 25-19 win.
In the second game, the Deacons jumped out to an overwhelming 10-3 lead and closed with a 7-1 run behind strong serving from Cambrey Oehler. With the 25-11 win, the Deacons took control of the match.
Oehler again served Wake Forest to an early 3-1 lead in the final game, and Mullikin pushed it to 9-3 to force the 'Cats to take a timeout. A pair of Wake Forest hitting errors led to a three-point serve from Neale, and Davidson closed the gap to 9-6. Unable to capitalize, Wake Forest pulled away and, with the 25-13 win, captured the match.
The Wildcats have a pair of matches remaining in the tournament, facing Winthrop at 10 a.m. Saturday and Norfolk State later that day at 4:30.