Georgia Southern 3, Central Florida 2
STATESBORO, Ga. --- The Georgia Southern volleyball team came back from a 22-17 deficit in set four and held off Central Florida in set five to defeat the Knights 3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 19-25, 29-27, 15-12) Saturday afternoon at the Holiday Inn Invitational at Hanner Fieldhouse.
GSU improves to 2-0 on the young season while UCF drops to 1-1.
“I thought (our team) worked hard,” said GSU head coach Chad Callihan. “We talked about hard work and enthusiasm will take us a long way, and I thought with the exception of game three, we showed that. It was a good performance for us.”
The Knights led throughout set four and held a 22-17 advantage until the Eagles took six of the next seven points to tie it up at 23-23. GSU held off two match points before freshman Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) finished the set with three straight kills.
Georgia Southern went on a 6-1 run in the fifth set to take a four-point lead but after a Central Florida timeout, the Knights came back with a 4-0 rally to tie. GSU took four of the last five to complete the comeback.
“We just wanted to keep playing hard,” said Callihan. “We talked before that game started and just said ?Take care of our serve, but other than that, let’s play to win ? we have nothing to worry about right now.’ ” It’s the second match of the season and we’re just trying to continue to improve. The one thing I didn’t want to see them do was let up and play not to lose. We just wanted to go out and be aggressive and see what happens.”
Junior Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) paced the Georgia Southern defense with 24 kills, sharing match-high honors with senior Bianca Julio (Curitiba, Brazil)
“(Haines has) just been crucial for us right now,” said Callihan. “She really solidifies the defense for us. Just having another upperclassman on the court helps. Even though she’s new to the program, it’s someone else for the freshmen to be able to lean on in crucial situations. She’s able to give them an encouraging word. Sanford struggled a little bit at the beginning of game five ? Cristin gave her a little pick-up and I think it helped her. She’s bringing intangibles beyond just digging and passing that we really need.”
Sanford posted a team-best 18 kills and 14 digs.
“I think she’s doing a great job,” said Callihan. “We’re asking a tremendous amount of a true freshman to have to step on the court and play right away. I think she’s handling it extremely well. (She was) a little bit nervous there in the fifth game but I thought she settled in nice and really finished strong. A good start to hopefully a great career.”
The Eagles recorded 14 team blocks for the second straight match.
UCF’s Janine Williams led all players with 25 kills and added 13 digs and three blocks.
Central Florida wraps up play later today at 5 p.m. against Presbyterian while Georgia Southern faces off against Jacksonville at 7 p.m.
Delaware State 3, Wofford 2
HAMPTON, Va.?In day two action of the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament, the Wofford Terriers dropped their second five set match of the weekend falling to Delaware State, 3-2, by scores of 25-20, 13-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-10. Both teams alternated wins in the opening four sets with Delaware State taking set five. This was the third consecutive match in which the Terriers went the distance.
Sophomore Stacy Bryd had a solid match calculating 19 kills with only four errors on 47 total attacks resulting in a .319 hitting percentage. Shanna Hughes also tallied double digit kills with 15 kills on 71 attacks while adding 25 digs.
Brittany Thompson anchored the Wofford (1-2) defensive efforts with a match-high 35 digs, while junior setter Joanna Suddath chipped in six kills and another match high with 45 assists.
For Delaware State (1-2), Cassandra Joyner led the way with 20 kills and six errors on 55 total attacks leading to a .255 hitting percentage. Erica Tajchman and Sarah Wheatcroft also reach double figures in kills adding 13 and 10, respectively.
Wofford hit a match high .316 totaling 14 kills with just one error on 38 total attacks in set two. The Terrier defense limited the Hornets to a .023 hitting percentage during the second set leading to a 12 point win.
Wofford 3, Canisius 1
HAMPTON, Va.?The Wofford Terrier volleyball team evened its season record with a 3-1, four set, win over Canisius Saturday 25-10, 19-25, 25-20, 25-20. It marked the final match for Wofford in the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament, hosted by Hampton.
Junior Shanna Hughes led the way for Wofford (2-2) with 19 kills on 45 total attacks with only five errors for a .311 hitting percentage. Fellow teammates Lindsey Richardson added 15 kills and a .407 hitting percentage, while Stacy Byrd hit a team high .500 behind the strength of 13 kills.
Senior Brittany Thompson once again led the defensive effort with 22 digs, while Sarah Palmer chipped in 18. Joanna Suddath had a match high 45 assists. She also contributed 16 digs.
Morgan Ammons and Renee Lettow each had double digit kills with 15 and 11, respectively for Canisius (3-1). Janelle Davis had a team-high 35 assists while recording 12 digs.
Wofford had a .336 hitting percentage. The Terrier defense held Canisius to a .165 mark.
The Terriers open up their home slate on Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Southern Wesleyan inside the Benjamin Johnson Arena. The match will be broadcast live on the internet by clicking on the link “TerrierVision” on the homepage of the athletics website (athletics.wofford.edu).
Oregon State 3, College of Charleston 0
Corvallis, Ore. ? A balanced offensive attack, led by 13 kills from junior outside hitter Rachel Rourke, and solid defense led Oregon State (2-0) to a 3-0 victory Saturday afternoon over the College of Charleston (0-2) at the Oregon State Classic in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers picked up the victory by scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-19.
A back-and-forth affair early in Game 1, the Cougars eventually clawed their way out to a 12-7 advantage before Oregon State mounted a 12-2 run to pull ahead 19-14. A brief 3-0 run by Charleston closed the gap to 19-17, but that would be as close as they would get as the Beavers closed out the set with a 6-2 run for a 25-19 victory.
Charleston once again jumped out to early leads at the start of Game 2, this time 4-0 and 10-6, before pushing their advantage to 14-9. At that point, however, OSU put together a dominating 16-4 run that featured 11 kills, including four in a row at one point by sophomore outside hitter Jill Sawatzky, to power to a 25-18 victory in the set and a 2-0 advantage in the match.
The Beavers continued their strong play in the third game as they staked themselves to early leads of 3-0 and 9-5. CofC would then narrow the gap to 9-7 with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.) and a service ace from freshman middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.). With the score at 11-8, Oregon State went on a 7-3 run to extend its lead to 18-11 before the Cougars answered with a 5-1 run of their own to make the score 19-16.
Three straight kills by the Beavers pushed their advantage to 22-16 before a pair of kills by Russell and freshman middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) brought Charleston back to within four points, 22-18. Two kills and a service ace would be all that Oregon State would need, however, as they closed out the set with a 25-19 victory and claimed the match 3-0.
Rachel Rourke led all attackers with a match-high 13 kills and .333 hitting percentage while Sawatzky added 12 kills and seven digs. On defense, senior libero Ashley Evans led the way with 15 digs and junior setter Camilla Ah-Hoy posted a match-high 39 assists to go along with 10 digs. Senior middle blocker Lauren Rinderknect finished with a match-best five blocks.
For the Cougars, Whitney Russell nearly posted her second consecutive double-double, finishing with a team-high 10 kills to go along with eight digs while sophomore setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) dished out 20 assists and had five digs. Defensively, freshman libero Emily Shelton (Cincinnati, Ohio) had another strong performance, notching a match-high 16 digs.
The Cougars wrap up the season-opening tournament when they take on Wyoming at 9 p.m. EST this evening.
NOTES:
Freshman libero Emily Shelton currently has 46 digs in two matches and eight games for an average of 5.75 digs per game ...Whitney Russell has posted double-digit kills in both matches, registering 22 kills against Portland State and 10 vs. Oregon State, to lead the team with a 4.00 average ... the two losses to begin the season marks the first time since 2004, when the Cougars lost their first three matches, that Charleston has opened a campaign at 0-2 ... that season the team went 26-6 and won 19 straight matches before falling to No. 8 Southern California in the NCAA Tournament.
College of Charleston 3, Wyoming 1
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Sophomore setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) dished out 41 assists and sophomore outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.) led three Cougars in double-digit kills with a match-high 17 as the College of Charleston (1-2) topped Wyoming (0-3) 3-1 Saturday evening in the finale of the Oregon State Classic in Corvallis, Oregon. CofC took the match by scores of 25-23, 25-23, 18-25 and 25-16.
A tightly contested opening set saw the two teams battle through four ties and three lead changes before Charleston took a 13-8 advantage with a 5-0 run that was capped off by three straight kills from Russell. The Cowgirls quickly battled back, however, drawing to within 15-14 and eventually tying the set at 17-17.
The teams then traded points over the next seven rallys until back-to-back kills by freshman middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) and another by Russell brought the Cougars to set point, 24-21. After consecutive points by Wyoming, CofC then closed it out for a 25-23 Game 1 victory and 1-0 match lead.
Much like the first set, the Cougars took the early advantage in Game 2, pulling out to an 8-5 lead. From there, it would remain tight the rest of the way as the Cowgirls closed the gap and did not face more than a three-point deficit as they eventually tied the set at 18-18. Four straight points by the Cougars then gave them what would be an insurmountable lead as they withstood a late rally to take the set 25-23 and secure a daunting 2-0 lead in the series.
After an early 3-0 Cougar lead, it became evident that Wyoming would not go quietly, rallying to tie the set five times before taking a 12-10 lead. That would be a lead they would not surrender as the Cowgirls extended their advantage to as much as six points, 23-17, before earning the set victory with a 25-18 decision.
Wyoming battled through a number ties at the beginning of the fourth set and took a 12-9 lead before four consecutive points from Charleston, three on kills, gave them the lead back at 14-12. That would be all they would need as they pushed the margin to 18-15 and ended the match on a 7-1 run for a 25-16 victory and their first win of the year, 3-1.
Sophomore right side hitter Dani Bedore led the offensive attack for the Cowgirls, notching a team-high 15 kills while sophomore outside hitter Lauren Whitney finished with 14 kills. Senior setter Tasha Weishahn setup the offense with a match-high 47 assists while senior liberos Samantha Eley and Carissa Lee led the defense with 14 and 11 digs respectively.
The Cougars were led by Cole Dawley's 41 assists and 13 digs, her second double-double in three games, and Whitney Russell's match-high 17 kills and eight digs. Joining her in double-digits were Elyse Chubb, who pounded 13 kills and hit a match-best .417, and junior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) who recorded her first double-double of the young season with 12 kills and 10 digs. Freshman libero Emily Shelton (Cincinnati, Ohio) continued her outstanding play as she posted 17 digs on the night which was good enough for her third straight match-high performance.
The Cougars return to action on Friday, September 5 when they travel to DeLand, Florida to take on Robert Morris in the first round of the Stetson Invitational at 1p.m..
NOTES
While it was announced that there will not be an All-Tournament Team named this weekend, Whitney Russell and Emily Shelton made a strong case to be on it if there were one, notching 49 kills and 63 digs, respectively, in 12 games.
Jacksonville 3, Georgia Southern 1
STATESBORO, Ga. --- Jacksonville recorded a .516 hitting percentage in the first set and used the momentum to defeat Georgia Southern 3-1 (25-13, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23) Saturday night at the Holiday Inn Invitational at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The win gives the Dolphins the tournament title with a 2-1 record. The Eagles suffer their first defeat (2-1).
“We just came out flat,” said GSU head coach Chad Callihan. “We didn’t come out prepared. It was the most undisciplined and unfocused that we’ve looked at any point this season. We haven’t had a practice or a competition where we didn’t come out and play hard. So that was pretty frustrating.”
Jacksonville reeled off a 13-2 run midway through the first set to break open a one-point match into a 20-8 lead. The Dolphins had 17 kills and just one error.
“They played well,” said Callihan. “They did everything they needed to do. They played a low-error game which they’ve pretty much done this entire weekend. We knew that was going to be one of their strengths. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. We just didn’t match the intensity. They out-blocked us and out-dug us in the first couple of games. Really, that’s just a lot of desire and attitude and we were lacking in both areas.”
The Eagles took game three and led 21-16 in game four but allowed a 9-2 run to end the match.
“I just don’t think we had the right mindset the entire evening,” said Callihan. “We started to make some nice plays. It’s early in the season so there’s a lot of ebb and flow to a game and runs are pretty common at this stage in the season ? no lead is really safe. We got ahead, they came back, you saw the same thing there in the fourth game. We were up 21-16 and allowed them to get back in to it. It’s early in the season. We’ll learn from it and build on it and get better.”
JU’s Sara Bendorf posted a match-high 18 kills and added 10 digs. Hannah Munneke dished out 54 assists and Shelley Walroth had 25 digs.
GSU freshman Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) recorded a team-high 16 kills and Michelle Uzoh added 12 on a .357 attack percentage. Junior Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) tallied 20 digs.
The Eagles return to action next weekend when they participate in the Bear Bash hosted by Mercer. The team’s first match is Friday at 3 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman.
New Orleans 3, Samford 1
AUBURN, Ala. --- The Samford University volleyball team was handed its first loss of the season Saturday afternoon as it fell, 3-1, to New Orleans in game four of the War Eagle Invitational. The Bulldogs are now 1-1 on the season, and leads the series with UNO, 3-2.
Neither UNO nor Samford had lost a match yet in the tournament so it was a typical battle of the unbeatens. New Orleans too the first set, while Samford took the second but the Privateers began to put the pressure on and eventually the Bulldogs' gameplan broke down.
Sears knocked down the first point for Samford Saturday's match, but New Orleans took quickly took the lead. The Bulldogs were able to come back a tie the game on a block by Stangohr and Adams, followed by a kill by Adams but the Privateers held onto their lead. Samford kept it close, never letting their opponents get ahead by more than three points, but New Orleans would go on to win the first set, 25-22.
The second set proved to be a close one as well. New Orleans began with the lead but Samford tied the score at five on a kill by Sears and took a four-point lead thanks to kills by Gay, Adams and Gadberry and a service ace by Shelby Brandon. With the Bulldogs leading 12-8, UNO would go on a 6-2 run to tie the score. Samford took the lead once more but the Privateers tied it again. From that point, each team traded the lead. However, Samford would pull through and win the second set, 25-23, on two kills by Adams.
The Bulldogs took the first two points of the third match on a UNO error and a huge block by Sosnowski and Gadberry. The Privateers quickly evened the score and fought through six ties to eventually take a five-point lead late in the game. Samford fought back with kills by Fountain, Stangohr and Adams and two aces by Gay but UNO extended their lead to seven and took set three, 25-18.
UNO completely dominated the fourth set, leading by as much as 14. Samford fought hard to catch up with the Privateers but just could not pull it out. New Orleans sealed the match win with a 25-13 victory in the fourth set.
"We are going to play a number of team this year that are bigger and more physical than us," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. "UNO was definitely one of those challenges. In order to be successful, we need to be strong with our first contact so our systems can take away the opponents' advantage. UNO served and passed the ball exceptionally and kept us out of system."
Despite the loss, several Bulldogs highlighted the Samford statistics box. Senior outside hitter Ashley Adams grabbed her first double-double of the season and led the Bulldogs in kills and digs with 14 and 10, respectively, while adding one. Junior middle blocker Sheriden Stangohr had the highest hitting percentage, a career-high .692, of both teams in the match while posting nine kills, two block assists and one block solo. Sophomore setter Hillary Fountain dished out 37 assists and added four kills, two digs and one block assist while hitting .375.
Red-shirt freshman middle blocker Rachel Gadberry had five kills, two block assists and one dig and hit .455 while senior outside hitter Sara Sears posted seven kills and four digs. Senior Libero Courtney Gay had nine digs and one kill, while senior middle blocker Kirstein Sosnowski added four kills, one dig and one block assist and junior defensive specialist Sarah Gardner added four digs.
Samford will play Mercer tonight at the Auburn University Student Activities Center in the final match of the War Eagle Invitational. First serve will take place one-half hour after the match between Auburn and New Orleans concludes. You can follow all the action on Gametracker on Auburn's athletic website and a recap and results will be available upon the completion of the match on www.samfordsports.com.
Samford 3, Mercer 1
AUBURN, Ala. --- The Samford University volleyball team wrapped up play in the War Eagle Invitational Saturday night with a 3-1 win over the Mercer Bears. The Bulldogs are now 2-1 on the season and now lead the series with Mercer 28-5.
The New Orleans Privateers took the War Eagle Invitational title while the Bulldogs grabbed second place. Samford placed two players on the All-Tournament team with Ashley Adams and Sheriden Stangohr.
Samford dominated the first set leading by as much as 10 points. Adams had half of the Bulldogs’ kills (5) while Gadberry score all three blocks for Samford, assisting two. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early three-point lead before Mercer got within two. However, Samford pushed the lead back out to five, then ten, and finally ended the set with a block by Gadberry and Fountain to win, 25-14.
The Bulldogs gained the first point of the second set due to a Mercer error, but the Bears soon charged out to a five-point lead. However, Samford began to take back the game with a seven point run that started with a kill by Gadberry and ended with a Mercer error to tie the score at 20. The Bears gained one more point before the Bulldogs went on a 5-2 run to win the match, 25-22, on a kill by Adams followed by a block by Adams and Gadberry.
Samford grabbed the first two points of set three on back-to-back kills by Sosnowski and Gadberry, but Mercer soon took the lead. It was a close score, with the Bears never leading by more than two, but after Samford tied the score at 13, the Bears soon took a three-point lead. The Bulldogs fought back to bring the gap to two, but Mercer extended it to four eventually. The Bears led 22-18 when Samford took a timeout. The Bulldogs came out of the break and gained three straight points on Mercer errors to get within one, but after a Mercer timeout, the Bears would score three points and only give up one to win the third set, 25-22.
In the fourth set, each team traded service errors for the first two points, and then traded the lead several times, fighting through five ties before Samford took at two point lead. The Bears cut the lead to one soon but the Bulldogs eventually pushed their lead out to six on consecutive kills by Sosnowski, two kills by Stangohr, and blocks by Gadberry, Fountain and Stangohr. The Bears held Samford on three match points but after a Bulldog timeout, Stangohr came out swinging and the Bulldogs took set four, 25-20.
Against the Bears, Adams grabbed her second double-double on the day, posting 17 kills and 11 digs while hitting .424 and assisting one block. Stangohr had 11 kills and four digs, assisting three blocks. Junior Sara Sears had 11 kills and seven digs with one block solo. Senior Kirstein Sosnowski posted seven kills, while grabbing two digs and five block assists. Red-shirt freshman Rachel Gadberry had six kills while hitting .250 and posted two digs, four block solos and five block assists.
Sophomore setter Hillary Fountain dished out 49 assists, with two kills, three digs and three block assists. She also led the Bulldogs with three aces. Senior Libero led Samford with 14 digs, while junior Sarah Gardner added six digs and one ace. Sophomore Samantha Bland also had one kills and four digs. The Bulldogs out-blocked the Bears, 14-8.
“I thought this was a very well executed match,” Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. “We a defensive hiccup in the third set but that something we are going to get in the gym this week and work on.
“I’m very proud of our two all-tournament girls, Sheriden and Ashley,” Schroeder said. “Hillary had a great game and Courtney Gay deserves some recognition as well. Sara Sears also did very well. She stepped up and did what we asked her to do.”
Marquette 3, Chattanooga 0; Houston 3, Chattanooga 1
MILWAUKEE, WI. ? The UTC volleyball team took the court Saturday looking for its first victory of the season, but was not able to get it as the Lady Mocs fell to Marquette 3-0 in their first game of the day, with the Golden Eagles winning 25-11, 25-12, and 25-17. In the second game, UTC was matched up against the Houston Cougars. The Lady Mocs captured their first set of the season, but weren’t able to knock of the Cougars, as Houston won 3-1. The Cougars won 25-13, 23-25, 25-3, and 25-17. With the losses, Chattanooga falls to 0-3 on the season.
In the first game, Jessica Scott led the Lady Mocs with seven kills in the match, while Marquette’s Ashlee Fisher led all players with 18. Lara Newberry and Ashley Yeager both had 11 digs for UTC and Cassie Conner had a team-high 13 assists. As a team, the Lady Mocs had a hitting percentage of .059 and committed 17 errors. In game two, freshman Stephanie Harville led Chattanooga with nine kills, while Newberry had a team-high 12 digs for UTC. Cassie Conner was the team’s leader in assits, with 15 in the second match of the day.
In game one, Marquette took the first set 25-11 and was led by Fisher, who had seven kills on only 11 attempts. As a team, the Golden Eagles had 15 kills on 34 attempts, which is a .412 hitting percentage. Scott led the Lady Mocs with three kills on six attempts, and Newberry led all players with five digs in the set. Throughout the beginning of the match both teams remained close. With Marquette only leading 8-6, Laura Nethery scored a kill to but the Lady Mocs within one. The Golden Eagles would then rattle off 11 straight points to give Marquette a substantial lead as they went on to take the opening set.
In the second frame, Marquette took advantage of seven UTC attack errors to claim the 25-12 victory. Marquette broke a 1-1 tie early on and never trailed again in the set. Three Lady Mocs led the team with two kills apiece while the Golden Eagles’ Fisher led all players with five kills in the set. The Lady Mocs’ Ashley Yeager led all players with five digs and Cassie Conner led Chattanooga with four assists.
In the third, and what would be the final, frame Marquette jumped out early to a 12-4 lead. The Lady Mocs tried to battle back but could only get within seven points, as the Golden Eagles ended the match, winning 25-17. Freshman Ellie Kuhn got her first career start on the afternoon and also recorded her first two aces.
In the Lady Mocs’ second game, Houston took off with an efficient offensive attack, as the Cougars had 12 kills on 20 attacks to take the first frame 25-13. In her first career start, Stephanie Harville led UTC and tied for the match-lead with three kills. On the defensive side for the Lady Mocs, Lara Newberry led the team with 4 digs and Chattanooga had three players tied in assists with two apiece.
In the next set, Ashley Yeager recorded a team-high four kills and Aurore “Loo” Kullak had a set-high five digs as the Lady Mocs captured their first set of the season to tie the game at one. Freshmen Stephanie Harville and Ellie Kuhn continued their early season successes with two kills apiece. Early in the set both teams remained close. With both squads tied at nine, Houston’s Kelsey King had a serving error and gave the Lady Mocs a 10-9 lead, one they would not relinquish. The Lady Mocs forced nine attack errors and committed only four to take the set 25-23, and tie the match at one-apiece.
The third set was dominated by the Cougars’ high octane offense as Houston recorded 15 kills on just 28 attempts, in the 25-3 win. Houston scored the set’s first six points and lead by as much as 22-1 in the frame. Lucy Charuk led the Cougars with six kills, while Justine Farmer and Ingrida Zauere each had four. Jessica Scott and Cassie Conner each recorded a kill for the Lady Mocs’, and Newberry had four digs for UTC.
In the fourth set, Stephanie Harville had four kills for the Lady Mocs, which led the team, as did her .800 hitting percentage. The Lady Mocs could not hang with Houston’s offensive firepower though as the Cougars had 17 kills on 32 attempts. Lara Newberry led the Lady Mocs with 12 digs.
Next up for the Lady Mocs will Alabama A&M on Friday, Sept. 5 at 7:00 p.m. at Maclellan Gym, as UTC hosts the Comfort Inn & Suites Challenge. In the first game of the tournament, Central Michigan will play South Alabama.
Cal State Fullerton 3, UNC Greensboro 0; UNC Greensboro 3, Delaware 0
FULLERTON, Calif. ? UNC Greensboro fell to host Cal State Fullerton 3-0, but rebounded with a 3-0 sweep of Delaware at the Radisson Suites Buena Park Volleyball Classic on Saturday, Aug. 30 at Titan Gym. Set scores to the UNCG-CSU Fullerton match were 16-25, 22-25, 24-26. Set scores to the UNCG-Delaware match were 25-15, 25-22, 25-21.
In the first set against CSU Fullerton, UNCG had to contend with the Titans’ solid attack as they hit .455 in the set. However, the Spartans did not allow the Titans to lead by more than three during the first part of the set. Eventually, CSU Fullerton was able to build a six-point cushion and take a 19-13 lead. UNCG cut the Titans’ lead in half with a three-point run that included two kills from sophomore Billi Baker and one from Kayren Finney, but the Titans closed out the set with a six-point run.
The second set started out close until the Titans used a five-point run to take a 7-3 lead. The Spartans answered with a three straight points to make it a one-point set, but CSU Fullerton went on another five-point run to hold a 12-6 lead. However, UNCG began to fight back. After the teams traded points, a Titan service error started a four-point UNCG run that pulled the Spartans to within two and make it a 14-12 set. During that run, freshman Luciana Shafer had a kill while junior Emily Lindborg and Baker blocked an attack attempt by Deven Bukoski. The Spartans continued to close the gap as a kill by Baker sparked a three-point run that resulted in a 17-17 tied set. Although CSU Fullerton took a one-point advantage off a Brittany Moore kill, a Titan service error tied the set once again. Back-to-back kills by sophomore Alissa Beaudway and redshirt sophomore Caley Redden gave the Spartans a 20-18 lead. However, the Titans scored three-straight points to take a 21-20 lead. Shafer evened the set at 21-all and Redden notched the go-ahead kill to make it 22-21, but CSU Fullerton reeled off four straight points to take the set.
The Titans scored the first three points of the third set, but were not able to get a lead any larger than three in the early parts of the set. UNCG eventually tied the set 9-9 as CSU Fullerton’s Sarah Day had an attack error. The Titans pulled ahead with an Erin Saddler kill and then took a two-point lead with a Spartan attack error. UNCG remained close behind and used a Redden kill to tie the set at 13-all. However, CSU Fullerton scored six of next seven points in order to take a 19-14 advantage. The Spartans started to rally, using two three-point runs and a two-point run to eventually make it a 22-22 set. CSU Fullerton took a one-point lead off a UNCG service error, but a kill by junior Branagan Fuller tied the set. Although Saddler’s kill put the Titans ahead 24-23, another Fuller kill tied the set once again. However, CSU Fullerton tallied its final two points as Alex Wolnisty had a kill and Brittany Moore had a block.
Baker, Fuller and Redden each had a team-high five kills for the Spartans. Both junior Lisa Fawell and freshman Jenna Olbright put up 11 assists, while junior Catherine Hanners totaled 11 digs.
Moore led the Titans with a 15-kill, 11-dig double-double, while Bukoski added 13 kills. Genie Francisco had a 37-assist, 11-dig double-double. Cami Croteau tallied a match-high 14 digs.
In the first set against Delaware, the Spartans used several runs to establish control of the set. Baker scored UNCG’s first point of the match, which also sparked a four-point run. Later in the set, UNCG scored three straight points and made it a 10-5 set as Delaware committed a service error and an attacking error, while Fuller recorded a service ace. UNCG used another four-point run to increase its lead to nine. After Delaware committed a service error, kills from senior Kaitlyn Nortz and Fuller and a service ace by junior Kayleigh Knerr put UNCG up 18-9. Delaware eventually took advantage of three UNCG errors to pull within seven and make the score 20-13. The Spartans and Delaware exchanged kills before a Fuller kill led to three-straight points and a 24-14 Spartan lead. A Paige Erickson kill kept the set alive for the Blue Hens, but a Delaware attacking error gave UNCG the final point it needed to win the set.
UNCG found itself trailing early in the second set as Delaware put together a five-point run to take a 9-5 lead. The Blue Hens’ lead grew to seven before UNCG began to make its comeback. With Delaware holding a15-8 lead, UNCG used a seven-point run to tie the score at 15-all. During that run, Fuller and Baker each had kills and Hanners served an ace, while Delaware had three attacking errors and a bad set. The teams traded points until UNCG had a key run. A kill by Nortz tied the set at 17-17, while a pair of Fuller kills and a service ace from Kimiko Naito gave UNCG the 20-17 advantage. Although Delaware came within two on three different occasions, Hanners had the set-winning kill in order to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead in the match.
UNCG led for much of the third set. However, the Spartans had to fend off Delaware’s offense for most of the set. After UNCG held a 7-3 lead off a Fuller kill, Delaware came back and evened the match at 9-9. Three-straight kills by Finney and another kill by Hanners allowed the Spartans to have a four-point cushion. However, the Blue Hens responded with a four-point run in order to knot the set up at 13-all. UNCG and Delaware traded points before kills from Finney and freshman Luciana Shafer allowed the Spartans to take a 16-14 lead. The Blue Hens scored a pair of points off UNCG errors to tie the set. A Delaware service error and a Naito ace allowed UNCG to regain a two-point lead. Dennehy’s kill pulled the Blue Hens to within one, but a pair of runs further increased UNCG’s lead. Fuller had a kill and a service ace in order to make it a 20-17 set in favor of the Spartans. Meanwhile, Beaudway’s kill started a three-point run that allowed the Spartans to take a five-point 23-18 lead, its largest of the set. Delaware trimmed the Spartans’ lead down to three at two different occasions, but Shafer notched the match-winning kill in order to give UNCG its first win of the season.
Fuller led the Spartans with a 10-kill, 12-dig double-double. Naito and Fawell put up 15 and 14 assists, respectively. Knerr tallied 15 digs.
Dennehy led the Blue Hens with 10 kills. Jess Chason had a match-high 23 assists, while Stephanie Barry totaled 15 digs.
At the end of the tournament, Hanners was named to the All-Tournament Team. In nine sets played, Hanners totaled 25 digs, four kills and five assists. She also served five service aces.
UNCG returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 3 for its home-opener against North Carolina A&T at Fleming Gymnasium. Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
AGATE
CSU Fullerton def. UNC Greensboro 25-16, 25-22, 26-24
UNCG (0-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Branagan Fuller 5-0-0; Billi Baker 5-0-3; Caley Redden 5-0-1; Alissa Beaudway 4-0-2; Luciana Shafer 3-0-1; Kaitlyn Nortz 3-0-2; Emily Lindborg 3-0-2; Kayren Finney 2-0-1; Catherine Hanners 0-1-1; Totals 30-1-6.5. (Assists) - Lisa Fawell 11; Jenna Olbright 11. (Dig leaders) - Catherine Hanners 11; Luciana Shafer 5
CSF (2-0) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Moore, Brittany 15-0-1; Bukoski, Deven 13-0-1; Day, Sarah 8-1-1; Saddler, Erin 7-0-0; Wolnisty, Alex 5-0-1; Collier, Ashley 1-1-0; Francisco, Genie 1-1-0; Totals 50-3-3.0. (Assists) - Francisco, Genie 37. (Dig leaders) - Croteau, Cami 14; Moore, Brittany 11; Francisco, Genie 11; Collier, Ashley 8
UNC Greensboro def. Delaware 25-15, 25-22, 25-21
DELAWARE (0-3) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Dennehy, Katie 10-1-2; Bonk, Meghan 6-0-1; LaLonde, Michelle 5-0-3; Chason, Jess 3-1-2; Erickson, Paige 3-0-2; Murphy, Cindy 2-0-0; DelleDonne, Elena 1-0-0; Gibboney, Greta 0-2-0; Barry, Stephanie 0-1-0; Totals 30-5-5.0. (Assists) - Chason, Jess 23. (Dig leaders) - Barry, Stephanie 15; Gibboney, Greta 10; Stewart, Kim 9
UNCG (1-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Branagan Fuller 10-2-2; Kayren Finney 7-0-4; Kaitlyn Nortz 5-0-1; Billi Baker 4-0-1; Catherine Hanners 3-2-1; Luciana Shafer 2-0-0; Alissa Beaudway 2-0-1; Lisa Fawell 2-0-0; Kimiko Naito 0-3-0; Kayleigh Knerr 0-2-0; Totals 35-9-6.0. (Assists) - Kimiko Naito 15; Lisa Fawell 14. (Dig leaders) - Kayleigh Knerr 15; Branagan Fuller 12; Catherine Hanners 9; Kimiko Naito 8
UMBC 3, Appalachian State 0; William & Mary 3, Appalachian State 1
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Carla Durham crushed 22 kills to go along with five blocks and five digs on Saturday but it was not quite enough to carry Appalachian State University volleyball to its first win of the season. The Mountaineers fell 3-0 to UMBC in the early match and Tribe Invitational host William & Mary in four sets in the nightcap.
Durham was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts, but Appalachian (0-3) was unable to get in the win column for the first time this season.
The Mountaineers had a tough start to the matcha gainst UMBC, with just seven kills compared to eight hitting errors in the opening set. Four newcomers saw action in the match, as Maggie Seeds started and recorded three kills along with six digs and a block. Kasey Sauls set 18 asists in two sets to accompany her eight digs as ASU fell 25-18, 25-22 and 25-19.
Maja Jechorek took a team-high 24 swings and picked up five kills in the match and Julia Marstall recorded a block. For the returnees, Lauren Swecker was second on the team with seven kills and eight digs. Libero Cassie Engelgau led the team with nine digs. Durham's 10 kills, two aces and three blocks were team highs for the early match.
ASU got a slow start in the opening set against W&M and was unable to recover, as the visitors recorded negative hitting percentages in the first and third games, and averaged just a .143 hitting percentage for the match. The Tribe took the 3-1 victory by margins of 25-13, 23-25, 25-13 and 25-19.
Durham again led the Mountaineers with 12 kills, three digs and both of the team's blocks for the match. Engelgau (13) and Sauls (12) each reached double-figure digs as ASU picked up 56 in the match.
In the Apps' set two triumph, the squad hit an impressive .400 with 18 kills and just two errors but were not able to hang on to the momentum following the intermission.
W&M swept their way through the tournament to move to 3-0 on the season and hit .312 for the match, bolstered by 15 kills from Erin Skipper.
The match also marked a reunion of sorts as Appalachian head coach Matt Ginipro faced off against his former boss Melissa Aldrich Shelton, William & Mary's new head coach. Ginipro coached under Shelton at Virginia for eight seasons before moving to the High Country.
The Mountaineers return to action next weekend at the MTSU Blue Raider Bash in Murfreesboro, Tenn. before opening the home slate on Sept. 9 against Winston-Salem State. The first match of the weekend is against Florida International on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Florida Gulf Coast 3, Elon 0; Elon 3, Charlotte 1
DURHAM, N.C. ? The Elon Phoenix volleyball team defeated Charlotte 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 25-22) to claim the Hilton RTP/NCCU Tournament title hosted by N.C. Central in Durham, N.C. The title marks the first time that Elon has won its’ opening tournament under head coach Mary Tendler. Elon is now 3-1 on the season.
The freshman had a successful showing this afternoon with Traci Stewart being named to the all-tournament team and Carolina Lemke being named the tournament MVP. Lemke finished the tournament with 35 kills, three assists, eight digs, one service ace and four assisted blocks. Stewart recorded 38 kills, one service ace, 32 digs, one solo block and three assisted blocks to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.
The first set saw the Phoenix string together six consecutive points to gain a 7-5 lead before Charlotte came back to tie the game at nine. The teams battled, tying four more times. With the score knotted at 21, Charlotte’s Kathleen Hicks recorded a service error that gave Elon a one-point lead. Elon controlled the rest of the set and won 25-23 off a service error by Charlotte’s Courtney Cowles.
The 49ers opened set two by scoring nine of the first 10 points. The Phoenix answered with a four-point run to bring the score to 9-5. A kill by Stewart tied the set at 11. The teams kept the score close for the remainder of the set before Charlotte’s Priscilla Barbanell notched the set-winning kill to give the 49ers a 25-21 win.
The third set started with seven ties before either team got into double-digits. A Lemke kill gave the Phoenix its’ 10th point of the match. The set remained close until sophomore Sarah Schermerhorn recorded four service aces to put the set away for the Phoenix, 25-19.
The fourth and final set saw another heated battle between the teams with teams trading points on the opening five plays. With the score knotted at 11, Charlotte scored on two consecutive plays to give them a 13-11 edge. Elon took the lead for good on a kill by Stewart. Lemke capped off her superior tournament performance with a kill that gave Elon its’ 25th point and clinched the match and tournament for the Phoenix.
Lemke led the team offensively with 12 kills in the match. Stewart tallied a .375 hitting percentage after notching 11 kill. Schermerhorn recorded six service aces in the victory. Emily Regan paced the offense with 29 assists.
Defensively for the Phoenix, it was Stewart who shined, recording a team-leading nine digs. The team finished the afternoon with eight blocks, including three by Schermerhorn. Lemke also recorded two solo blocks.
Charlotte had three players in double-digit kills. Kaitlin Knight recorded 14, Kara Rake ended 12, and Hicks recorded 11. Despite the lofty numbers, Elon’s defense held the 49ers to a .164 hitting percentage.
Prior to winning the championship game, Elon fell to Florida Gulf Coast 0-3 (18-25, 18-25, 16-25). Elon was held to a .177 hitting percentage, while the Eagles enjoyed a mark of .419. Highlighting the offensive production for Elon was Stewart who was eight-for-nine with four errors for a hitting percentage of .444. She also led the team defensively with 14 digs. Freshman Megan McMahon finished the match with 13 assists, while Regan added 10.
Elon will return to the court next weekend when it welcomes Campbell, UNC Wilmington and North Carolina A&T to Alumni Gym for the third annual Elon Volleyball Classic. The first match is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 5 at 4:30 p.m. and will feature North Carolina A&T and UNC Wilmington. Elon will take on Campbell at 7 p.m. Full coverage of the 2008 Elon Volleyball Classic will be available at www.elonphoenix.com .
The Citadel 3, Texas Southern 2; Arkansas State 3, The Citadel 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The Citadel Volleyball team concluded the Texas Southern Tournament Saturday where they faced Texas Southern and Arkansas State. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers of Texas Southern in a 3-2 decision, followed by a 0-3 loss to the Red Wolves of Arkansas State.
The Bulldogs battled the Tigers in the first match of the day, taking the Tigers into five sets. The momentum from Friday’s victory did not carry over into the first set of the day. The Citadel had a hard time finding a rhythm and dropped the first set 22-25. After losing the first set, the Bulldogs fought back to take the second set 25-22.
With a 1-1 tie going into the third set, the Tigers were determined to fight back and stay in the match, defeating the Bulldogs 23-25. The Bulldogs refused to give up and battled back to dominate the Tigers in the fourth set, defeating them 25-5. The momentum continued to flow in the Bulldogs’ direction and they took control of the set, defeating the Tigers 25-8, giving them the match.
The Citadel would take the floor once again to take on the Red Wolves of Arkansas State. After a hard fought match against Texas Southern, it seemed the Bulldogs did not have quite enough energy to hang on. The Arkansas State Red wolves took over the first set, defeating the Bulldogs 13-25.
“They were a powerful and scrappy team,” said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. “We needed to pass better both in serve receive and defensively. They were also taller than us, which put our block at a disadvantage.”
Set two belonged to the Red Wolves, as the Bulldogs fought hard to come back. After losing the first set, The Citadel could not find the momentum and were defeated 13-25 in the second set. Down two sets to none, the Bulldogs battled back in a hard fought game, but fell short, losing 19-25.
“The third game we came alive and kept it close,” said Geiger. “It was tied 14-14. We were serving tougher and passing very well in serve receive. A couple of errors put us at a deficit that we didn't come back from. They ran a quick offense. We need to get used to that tempo and we'll see much of that same tempo next weekend when we travel to Stetson.”
The Bulldogs will be back in action Sept. 5-6 in DeLand, Fla., where they will battle Nicholls State, Stetson and Robert Morris in the Stetson Tournament.
For more information on Bulldog Volleyball or The Citadel Athletics, visit the official website at www.CitadelSports.com. Live stats will be available for all three games of the Stetson Tournament, which can also be accessed on the website.
Winthrop 3, Davidson 0; Davidson 3, Norfolk State 0
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Davidson Wildcats dropped a close decision to the Winthrop Eagles, 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-21), before picking up their first win of the season, a 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-15) triumph over Norfolk State Saturday afternoon.
Davidson finishes the opening weekend with a 1-2 overall record. Norfolk State remains winless, 0-3, while Winthrop and Wake Forest, both 2-0, face each other in the nightcap to close tournament play.
With two matches on the final day, the Wildcats faced Winthrop in a 10 a.m. match and gave the Eagles, a volleyball power in the Big South, a battle. In the first game, Davidson took an early 4-1 lead with freshman Jessica McAlvany serving, but a putaway from Winthrop's Kelly Taylor knotted play at five. The teams traded points, staying tied at 8-8, when the Eagles began to pull away. Nursing a 14-11 lead, Winthrop went on a 9-1 run and secured a 25-19 win.
The Wildcats were in control of the second game, leading 16-12, until three straight hitting errors gave Winthrop new life. Davidson stayed a point up throughout most of the match, as late as 23-21, until back-to-back points from Kellie Sellers and Shannon Sitzmann tied the score at 23. Kelsey Hall aced her serve to give the Eagles a game-point try, but a bad set tied the score and forced overtime. Sitzmann gave the Eagles advantage, and Sellers lifted her team to a 26-24 win to pull ahead 2-0 in the match.
The third game was much of the same, with the teams battling for points and tied as late as 17-17. Winthrop opened a slight lead with a 3-0 run and would not be dismissed, marching to victory with a 25-21 win.
The 'Cats hit the court again at 4:30, taking on Norfolk State in their final match of the tournament. Sophomore outside hitter Sarabeth Peele put together her best match of the tournament, finishing with 11 kills and hitting .333 (11-3-24). Sophomore Hayley Lawson had 22 assists, and senior middle blocker Kittery Neale led the defense with eight digs.
Davidson and Norfolk State traded points to open the match, before the 'Cats pulled away behind a four-point serve from sophomore Jennifer Chamblee, 11-9. Davidson extended the lead to 17-13, with a 7-3 run, and went on for the 25-18 win.
In game two, sophomore middle blocker Jorden Benedict showed strong serving, winning four straight points off hitting errors, to give the 'Cats a 5-2 lead. Davidson controlled much of the second, but four straight Wildcat errors allowed State to tie the game at 16 and pull ahead, 18-16, with Angie Clewis serving seven straight points. Not to be denied, a service error and Peele putaway tied the score, and she served out the game for a 25-19 win.
Davidson took no chances in the final game, taking an insurmountable 19-9 lead. The 25-15 win delivered the first win of the season for the Wildcats, who return to action next weekend at the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C. Davidson will play Georgetown Sept. 5 at 4:30 and Missouri State and host North Carolina at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, the following day.
Kentucky 3, Western Carolina 0; Pittsburgh 3, Western Carolina 1
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Western Carolina freshmen Carrie Minogue and Brittany Lysik each had 15 kills to lead the Catamounts (0-4) in their 3-1 (24-26, 25-23, 22-25, 19-25) loss against Pittsburgh to close out the Kentucky Classic. Earlier in the day, WCU fell to host Kentucky 3-0 (12-25, 18-25, 12-25).
"We faced a high-level of competition this week," said Head Coach Stephanie Dragan. "There is a lot of promise for this team, we proved we can compete."
In game one, Western Carolina was up 24-21, but Pittsburgh battled back to tie it at 24 all and then collected the final to points to clinch the first game. Western Carolina came back to tie the games at one a piece, tied at 23, a kills by Minogue and a Pitt error gave WCU the game. Pittsburgh won the final two games of the match to secure the win.
Minogue had a .522 attack percentage with the 15 kills and just three errors. Setter Katie Hennessey had 39 assists and Liz Rondone had 19 digs.
"Liz played out of her mind defensively," Dragan said. "She played with a lot of heart and passion."
In the earlier match, Western Carolina fell to Kentucky. Minogue led the club with seven kills.
Western Carolina returns to action September 5 as the Catamounts travel to Normal, Ill. to participate in the Redbird Classic.