UNC Greensboro 3, George Washington 2; UNC Greensboro 3, UMBC 0
MORGANTOWN, WV ? Junior Branagan Fuller notched the 1,000th kill of her career on Saturday as the UNC Greensboro defeated George Washington 3-2 and swept UMBC 3-0 at the WVU Classic held at the WVU Coliseum. Set scores to the match with George Washington were 25-13, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-8. Set scores to the match with UMBC were 25-23, 25-21, 25-21.
Fuller’s 1,000th kill came in the third set against UMBC that put the Spartans up 17-16. She entered the weekend with 973 kills. Fuller is eighth player in program history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau and is one of two active players to reach that mark. Senior Kaitlyn Nortz recorded her 1,000th career kill last season at Chattanooga on Oct. 13, 2007.
In the match against George Washington, the Spartans jumped out quick in the first set as they scored seven of the set’s first eight points and held a 7-1 advantage. George Washington eventually cut UNCG’s lead down to four as a Spartan attack error made it a 10-6 set. However, an attack error by the Colonials on the next play began a six-point Spartan run. Freshman Luciana Shafer had a pair of kills and Fuller and junior Emily Lindborg each had a kill during the run, which allowed UNCG to take a 16-6 lead. The Colonials trimmed UNCG’s advantage down to nine on two different occasions, but that proved to be the closest the Spartans would allow George Washington to get. The Spartans pushed their lead to 13 on two occasions late in the set before ultimately winning the set on a kill by redshirt sophomore Caley Redden.
The second set proved to be a different story as neither team was able to build much of a lead through the first parts of the set. UNCG held a pair of three-point leads early on as sophomore Kimiko Naito had a service ace to make it 7-4. After a UNCG attack error, Fuller returned the three-point lead to the Spartans. However, George Washington’s Jackie Yaniga had a kill on the next play that started a four-point run and led to the Colonials taking a 9-8 edge. UNCG scored straight points on a George Washington attack error and a service ace by junior Catherine Hanners to hold a 10-9 lead. On the next play, Hannah Stuart’s kill tied the set 10-10, but UNCG regained the lead a Nortz had a kill. UNCG maintained the slim lead until a three-point Colonial run resulted in George Washington taking a 15-14 advantage. The two teams exchanged points again until a kill by Liz Moult sparked a four-point run for the Colonials and made it 20-16. The Spartans eventually trimmed the lead down to two with a Shafer kill. George Washington regained a four-point margin as Abby Syverson and Stuart blocked a UNCG attack to make it 23-19. UNCG began to rally back, using a Colonial attack error and kills from Fuller and Redden to pull to within one. However, a Stuart kill and a UNCG attack error provide the Colonials with the final two points they need to win the set and tie the match 1-1.
UNCG and George Washington traded the lead through the early parts of the third set. With the Colonials up 9-8, Shafer had a kill that was the first of five-straight Spartan points that resulted in UNCG taking a 13-9 lead. UNCG remained in control of the lead throughout the rest of the set. The Spartans increased their advantage to six as George Washington committed four consecutive miscues to put UNCG up 19-13. Although the Colonial pulled to within three on two different occasions, sophomore Kayren Finney’s kill started a three-point run to give UNCG a 23-17 edge. Sophomore Billi Baker ultimately recorded the set-winning kill and gave the Spartans a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set was just as close as set two. The teams tied 14 times during the set. Meanwhile, George Washington had a pair of four-point leads, which was the largest margin of the set. With UNCG up 7-6, the Colonials rattled off four points to take a 10-6 lead. However, the Spartans answered with its own four-point run to tie the set. Neither team could establish much of a lead until UNCG had a service error that started a four-point run for the Colonials and made it 22-18 in favor of George Washington. The Spartans began to comeback and back-to-back kills by Finney made it a one-point, 23-22 Colonial edge. George Washington regained a two-point lead off a Stuart kill, but a bad set by MacKenzie Knox made it a one-point set. However, a UNCG attack error provided the Colonials with the final point they needed and forced a deciding fifth set.
Control for the final set flip-flopped between the two teams until the midway point. After Jackie Yaniga’s kill gave George Washington an 8-7 lead, a Finney kill on the next play resulted in eight-straight UNCG points and the Spartans winning the match. UNCG’s final run also included two service aces from Hanners, two Shafer kills and three George Washington attack errors.
Fuller and Shafer each recorded a double-double. Fuller totaled a team-high 15 kills and had 19 digs. Shafter made 13 kills and 15 digs. She also had five block assists. Naito posted a team-best 25 assists, while Hanners totaled a match-high 22 digs. Finney posted a team-best nine block assists, while Nortz had six.
Stuart led the Colonials with a 16-kill, 13-dig double-double. Alyssa Valentine totaled 39 assists and three block solos. Leah Hill totaled a team-best 20 digs.
In the first set of the match with UMBC, the Spartans had to withstand several late rallies by the Retrievers. UNCG held the lead throughout much of the first set and eventually took a 17-10 advantage off a UMBC attack error. UMBC cut the Spartans’ lead down to five with a kill by Bridget Scheetz and a block assist by Ashley Oscars and Sarah Hill. The Spartans regained a seven-point lead with a Finney kill and a UMBC attack error to make it a 19-12 set. However, a kill by Oscars sparked a five-point run that made it 19-17 in favor of UNCG. Back-to-back attack errors by UMBC and a block assist from Nortz and Shafer pushed UNCG’s lead to five, but the Spartans’ advantage disappeared as a kill by Alyssa Lang started a five-point run that evened the set at 22-all. The Spartans went up 24-22 off a Shafer kill and a block assist by sophomore Aissa Beaudway and Nortz. A kill by Hill made pull the Retrievers to within one, but Beaudway notched the set-winning kill to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead in the match.
UMBC held the lead throughout the early parts of the second set, but UNCG used a four-point run to take an 11-8 advantage. A kill by Nortz started the run that also included two Fuller kills and a block assist by Beaudway and Nortz. The Spartans eventually pushed their advantage to five as a UMBC attack error made it a 20-15 set. A kill by Sarah Joy and a UNCG attack error allowed the Retrievers to come within three, but a kill from Nortz and a block by Finney put UNCG up 22-17. The Retrievers made it a three-point set on three different occasions, including a kill from Oscars to make it 24-21 in favor of UNCG, but Finney scored the set-winning kill to put the Spartans up 2-0 in the match.
In the third set, UMBC was up 8-6 before a four-straight points for the Spartans allowed UNCG to take a 10-8 edge. The Spartans maintained the advantage until back-to-back kills from Lang and a UNCG attack error gave the Retrievers a 15-14 lead. UNCG got a two points, but a Scheetz kill evened the set at 16-all. The Spartans regained a two-point margin off Fuller’s 1,000th kill and a UMBC attack error, but back-to-back UMBC points tied the match at 18-18. UNCG began to pull away as Retrievers had three consecutive errors to make it 21-18 in favor of the Spartans. However, an Oscars kill and a UNCG attack error made it a one-point set. UNCG answered with a Shafer kill and UMBC committed an attack error as the Spartans took a three-point, 23-20 edge. After a kill by Joy pulled the Retrievers to within two, UNCG closed out the set and the match with a pair of block assists. Baker and Nortz teamed up for a block assist that made it 24-21, while Nortz and Shafer’s block on Hill’s attack allowed UNCG to get the match-winning point.
Finney and Nortz each recorded a match-high 11 kills and posted hitting percentages of .400 and .346, respectively. Nortz also had seven block assists, while Finney tallied three block solos. Sophomore Lisa Fawell totaled 18 assists. Hanners posted a match-high 20 digs, while Fuller and Shafer had 16 and 11 digs, respectively.
Oscars led the Retrievers with nine kills. Alexandria Spaay totaled 20 assists, while Pam Jarrett had 18 digs.
UNCG returns to action on Wednesday night when the Spartans open Southern Conference play at Appalachian State. Match time is set for 7 p.m., from the Holmes Center in Boone, NC.
AGATE
UNCG def. George Washington 25-13,22-25,25-20,23-25,15-8
George Washington (5-4) (Kills-aces-blocks) - STUART, Hannah 16-2-1; MOULT, Liz 9-0-0; YANIGA, Jackie 8-0-1; SYVERSON, Abby 5-0-2; KNOX, MacKenzie 3-0-0; VALENTINE, Alyssa 2-0-3; BUTZ, Katie 1-0-0; CRAMER, Chelsea 0-2-0; ZULANDT, Katie 0-0-1; HILL, Leah 0-1-0; Totals 44-5-6.0. (Assists) - VALENTINE, Alyssa 39. (Dig leaders) - HILL, Leah 20; CRAMER, Chelsea 16; STUART, Hannah 13; VALENTINE, Alyssa 11; WRIGHT, Maggie 10
UNCG (7-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Branagan Fuller 15-2-1; Luciana Shafer 13-2-5; Kaitlyn Nortz 12-0-6; Kayren Finney 8-0-9; Caley Redden 4-0-4; Emily Lindborg 3-0-0; Kimiko Naito 2-1-0; Billi Baker 2-0-4; Alissa Beaudway 1-0-3; Catherine Hanners 0-4-0; Totals 60-9-16.5. (Assists) - Kimiko Naito 25; Lisa Fawell 20. (Dig leaders) ? Catherine Hanners 22; Branagan Fuller 19; Luciana Shafer 15; Kimiko Naito 9
UNCG def. UMBC 25-23,25-21,25-21
UNCG (8-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Kayren Finney 11-0-3; Kaitlyn Nortz 11-0-7; Branagan Fuller 5-0-0; Luciana Shafer 4-0-4; Billi Baker 2-0-1; Alissa Beaudway 2-0-2; Lisa Fawell 1-0-0; Catherine Hanners 0-2-0; Totals 36-2-10.0. (Assists) - Lisa Fawell 18; Kimiko Naito 13. (Dig leaders) - Catherine Hanners 20; Branagan Fuller 16; Luciana Shafer 11
UMBC (9-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Oscars, Ashley 9-0-3; Lang, Alyssa 8-0-1; Scheetz, Bridget 7-0-2; Joy, Sarah 6-0-1; Hill, Sarah 3-0-3; Spaay, Alexandria 1-0-1; Ball, Sarah 1-1-0; Giles, Kira 1-2-0; Jarrett, Pam 0-1-0; Totals 36-4-6.0. (Assists) - Spaay, Alexandria 20. (Dig leaders) - Jarrett, Pam 18; Lang, Alyssa 14
Maryland-Eastern Shore 3, Elon 0
WILLIAMSBURG, VA. ? The Elon volleyball fell to Maryland-Eastern Shore 3-0 ( in the third match of the Colonial Classic hosted by William and Mary in Williamsburg,Va. The loss drops Elon to 10-4, while UMES evens its record to 6-6.
Set one saw seven ties before either team reached double digits. UMES scored three in a row to take an 11-9 lead. The Phoenix fought back to tie the set at 11 off a kill by freshman Traci Stewart. The teams would tie three more times before an Elon service error sparked a UMES three-point run that give the Hawks a 19-16 advantage. A kill by Stewart tied the set at 22 before UMES’s Whitney Johnson scored two of the final three points to seal set one 25-22.
UMES scored 10 of the first 14 points in set two before Lauren Copenhagen and Stewart earned back-to-back kills to bring the set within four at 14-10. The Hawks scored the next three points to force Elon to take a timeout at the 17-10 mark. Trailing 23-15, Elon scored nine consecutive points to take a 24-23 lead over the Hawks. UMES scored the final three points to take the second set 26-24.
The Hawks scored the opening eight points of the third set before a service error gave Elon’s its first point of the set. The Phoenix scored back-to-back points to make it a 10-4 set. UMES string together a five point run to extend its lead to 10 at 15-5. Elon got into double digits of an attack error by Johnson. Elon would score just four more points in the set, the final off a Lizzie West service ace, before the Hawks took the set 25-14 and the match.
Caroline Lemke continued her tournament success, going 15-for-29 in kills for a match-leading attack percentage of .483. Stewart was second on the team in kills with eight. Splitting time at setter was Megan McMahon with 13 assists and Emily Regan with 12.
Defensively, the Phoenix tallied 20 assisted blocks to go along with 10 team blocks. Leading in the effort was Stewart with six assisted blocks and Lemke with five. Stephanie Meyers and Copenhagen earned three assisted blocks each. Copenhagen recorded 11 digs to lead the Phoenix, followed by McMahon with nine.
Maryland-Eastern Shore had three players earn double-digit kills in the win. Johnson led the team with 15, followed by Christine Edwards and Christina Estebane with 13 and 10, respectively. Estebane also led the team in assists with 33.
Thonya Joseph, Woodward, and Adora Luster each earned two assisted blocks in the win. Johnson notched the only solo block in the match to go along with her one assisted block.
Elon will be back in action tonight at 7 p.m. when it takes on tournament host William and Mary in the final match of the Colonial Classic. Full coverage, including live stats, will be available at www.elonphoenix.com .
William and Mary 3, Elon 1
WILLIAMSBURG, VA. - The Elon Phoenix volleyball team fell 3-1 (16-25, 14-25, 25-16, 18-25) to William and Mary in the final match of the Colonial Classic in Williamsburg, Va. With the loss, Elon drops to 10-5 on the season while William and Mary improve to 10-3.
Elon finished third at the Colonial Classic, while freshman Caroline Lemke picked up her second all-tournament nod. Lemke earned 38 kills for an attack percentage of .380, including a .619 hitting percentage against Radford. She finished with 13 total blocks (3 solo, 10 assisted).
A block by Lemke and Shelley MacBean put the first point of the night on the board for the Phoenix. The Tribe, however, answered with a three-point run to take a 1-3 lead. Elon fought back within one off a kill by Emily Regan. William and Mary strung together four consecutive points to force the Phoenix to take their first timeout of the night, with W&M leading 8-4. The teams traded points on five straight possessions to narrow William and Mary's lead to four at 14-10. A kill by Mandy Wilson brought the set with in five at 14-19. That would be the final point of the set for Elon, as the Tribe scored the final six points to take the set 25-14.
Elon opened the second set by scoring the first three points, before William and Mary string together nine consecutive points to take a 9-3 lead. Back-to-back points off an attack error and a kill by Traci Stewart narrowed William and Mary's lead to 9-5. Consecutive points by the Tribe forced an Elon timeout. Following the timeout, the Phoenix scored two of their own to make it a 12-18 set. The teams traded points on the next eight possessions to make it 22-16, with the Tribe leading. William and Mary won the battled off a bad set by the Phoenix and went on to score the final two points and take set two, 25-16.
Elon took an early 4-2 lead in the third set off of two Tribe attack errors and a kill by Lemke An Elon miscue tie the set at four, before Wilson notched a kill to break the deadlock. William and Mary brought the set within one twice (7-6, 8-7) but Elon held on to the lead for the remainder of the set. Elon put together a four-point run that was highlighted by a block from Stewart and Wilson and a service ace by Lauren Copenhagen. Elon tacked on three more off a Stewart kill, an attack error, and a block by Wilson and Lemke forced a Tribe timeout. The teams kept the set close until an Elon service error sparked a William and Mary run that brought the set within three at the 21-19 mark. Elon scored four of the final six points that was capped off by a Wilson kill to take the set 25-16 and force a fourth set.
The team opened the final set by trading points on the first six possession before William and Mary broke the tie to take a 5-3 lead. Elon fought back to tie the set at six, but the Tribe answered with four straight to take a 10-6 lead. A Stewart kill ended the run and narrowed the score to 10-7. Elon called a timeout following three straight Tribe points at the 18-11 mark. Following the timeout, the teams traded points on four possessions. The battled continued, as the teams went back-and-forth on the final eight possessions, but it would not be enough s Elon fell 25-18.
Stewart earned a double-double in the effort, recording a team-high 11 kills and 12 digs. Wilson also earned double digit kills with 10. Copenhagen and Lemke finished the match with eight kills each. Megan McMahon and Regan split time at setter, recording 19 and 16 assists, respectively.
Lemke led the team defensively with one solo block and four assisted blocks. Wilson was second on the team in blocks with two assisted blocks. MacBean, Stewart, Copenhagen, and McMahon each notched one assisted block each. The Phoenix has three players with double digit digs with Kelley Blakewood leading the team with 18. Stewart earned 12, while McMahon had 11.
The Tribe has two players notch double digit kills with Erin Skipper leading the way with 12, Lauren Powell finished with 11. Ginny Bray earned nine kills while Katie McCarney and Bryana Carey has eight each. Setter Kim Mount went six-for-nine in kills and paced the offense with 34 assists.
Lindsey Pflugner controlled the defensive place with 23 digs. McCarney led the Tribe in blocks with five block assists. Carey notched one solo block and three block assists, while Bray added one solo block and four assisted blocks. Mount and Skipper were in on two block each.
Elon will return to Alumni Gym to face High Point in a 7 p.m. match on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Full coverage, including live stats, will be available at www.elonphoenix.com.
College of Charleston 3, Gardner-Webb 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Sophomore outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.) drilled 11 kills and hit a career-high .455 and junior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) finished with seven kills, nine digs and a career-high tying four service aces as the College of Charleston (6-5) defeated Gardner-Webb (2-10) 3-0 Saturday afternoon at the Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Invitational in Charleston, South Carolina. The Cougars claimed the straight sets victory by scores of 25-16, 25-13 and 25-16.
The College of Charleston wasted little time taking an 8-6 lead in Game 1 before using a 7-1 run, fueled by a pair of kills from Whitney Russell and back-to-back service aces from Emily Sawin, to push the margin to 15-7. The Cougars would maintain their high level of play as they extended their lead to 21-12 before closing out the set at 25-16 and taking a 1-0 match lead.
After taking a quick 3-0 lead to start the second set, CofC saw the Bulldogs tie the game at 3-3 and force three more ties, the last coming at 7-7. At that point, the Cougars took complete control of the game with a dominant 8-1 run to make the score 15-8. A 3-1 spurt by GWU narrowed the gap to 16-11 before two service aces from sophomore right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) and a pair of kills pushed the lead back to 20-11. Charleston would then go up 2-0 in sets as they polished of the game with a 25-13 victory.
In Game 3, it was all Charleston right from the very beginning as the Cougars scored the first four points and proceeded to build a 10-3 advantage. With the score at 13-5, Gardner-Webb notched three consecutive points to close to within 13-8. They would get no closer as CofC quickly extended its lead to 20-11 behind three straight kills from freshman outside hitter Katie Robinson (Gainesville, Fla.), Sawin and freshman middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.). Charleston then wrapped up the match with a 25-16 victory.
Junior setter Regina Feagin led the way for the Bulldogs with a team-high 15 assists along with 11 digs while freshman outside hitter Lauren Evans paced the offense with six kills. Senior libero Katie Matykowski posted a team-best 15 digs and freshman middle blocker Laura Wilcox added seven digs.
Russell’s 11 kills and .455 hitting percentage paced the offensive attack for the College of Charleston while Sawin added seven kills, nine digs and a career-high tying four service aces. Sophomore setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) finished with a match-high 36 assists and nearly missed a double-double with nine digs and Elyse Chubb rounded out the double-figure kills with 10.
Freshman libero Emily Shelton (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the defense with a match-high 19 digs and recorded her first career kill and freshman setter Sarah Taggart (San Francisco, Calif.) added 13 digs. Sophomore right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) contributed eight kills and two service aces.
The Cougars return to action Saturday evening when they take on the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens at 7:30 p.m. to close out the tournament.
NOTES
Emily Sawin tied her previous career-high of four service aces, equaling her previous mark set against Elon on October 23, 2007 ... Whitney Russell finished with a career-high .455 hitting percentage, surpassing her previous mark of .435 set against on Charlotte on September 1, 2007.
College of Charleston 3, Delaware 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Junior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) and sophomore outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.) combined for 18 kills, 17 digs and four blocks as the College of Charleston (7-5) swept Delaware (3-10) 3-0 Saturday evening at the Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Invitational. The Cougars took the match by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-18.
Trailing 2-0 early in Game 1, Delaware responded with a 5-0 run, fueled by three kills, to pull ahead 5-2 before the Cougars answered with a 4-0 run of their own that featured two kills by sophomore outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.). With the score at 6-5 Charleston, the game of runs continued as the Blue Hens drilled three straight kills to pull back ahead 8-6.
The Cougars, however, had the final significant run of the set as they compiled a 12-1 streak that saw Emily Sawin pound five of her match-high 12 kills to put Charleston ahead 18-9. The Blue Hens would rally to within 20-14 before CofC put the set away, 25-17, to take a 1-0 match lead.
It was much the same at the start of Game 2 as Charleston scored the first six points of the set and raced out to an 8-1 lead. A 5-2 run by Delaware narrowed the margin to 10-6 before a 5-0 Cougar run pushed their advantage to 15-6. Charleston eventually extended to a double-digit lead before holding off a late Blue Hen rally to close out the set by an identical 25-17 score and improve to 2-0 in the match.
The third set was more tightly contested as the two teams stayed within three points until CofC took a 10-6 lead. With the score at 14-11, the Cougars mounted a set-turning 4-0 rally keyed by three kills from freshman middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) to extended to 18-11. Delaware pulled to within 19-15 before another 4-0 stretch gave Charleston a 23-15 advantage that would turn into a 25-18 set victory and 3-0 match win.
Delaware was led offensively by sophomore hitters Paige Erickson and Katie Dennehy, who each delivered a team-high eight kills, and by sophomore setter Jess Chason’s 20 assists. Freshman outside hitter Kim Stewart added seven kills and nine digs while junior libero Stephanie Barry posted a match-high 13 digs.
For the Cougars, Emily Sawin’s led the way with a match-high 12 kills on a .300 hitting percentage and added six digs while Elyse Chubb finished with seven kills, a .400 hitting percentage and four blocks. Sophomore setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) setup the offensive attack with a match-high 29 assists and added seven digs, four blocks and a pair of back-to-back service aces.
Freshman libero Emily Shelton (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the defense with 12 digs while Whitney Russell finished with six kills and 11 digs. Sophomore right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) had a solid all-around performance with seven kills, a .333 hitting percentage, five digs, and three blocks.
For their efforts, Emily Shelton and Cole Dawley were named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Cougars return to action when they open up the Southern Conference portion of their schedule by traveling to Wofford on September 26 for a 7:00 p.m. match before heading to Greenville, South Carolina for a 2:00 p.m. match with Furman.
HOLIDAY INN CHARLESTON RIVERVIEW TOURNAMENT RESULTS
September 19
Delaware 3, Gardner-Webb 0
Duke 3, College of Charleston 0
September 20
Duke 3, Delaware 1
College of Charleston 3, Gardner-Webb 0
Duke 3, Gardner-Webb 0
College of Charleston 3, Delaware 0
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Becci Burling ? Duke
Kellie Catanach ? Duke
Cole Dawley ? College of Charleston
Emily Shelton ? College of Charleston
Stephanie Barry ? Delaware
Laura Wilcox - Gardner-Webb
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Jourdan Norman - Duke
Samford 3, Alabama A&M 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University volleyball team swept Alabama A&M (25-9, 25-14, 25-14) Saturday afternoon in the final match of the UAB-Samford Invitational series hosted at the Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs out-blocked (9-2) and out-hit Alabama A&M to win and move to 11-2 while the A&M Bulldogs fall to 3-10.
Ashley Adams led the Bulldogs again in hitting with a .529 percentage and nine kills while grabbing nine digs, two block assists and one ace. Kirstein Sosnowki followed right behind with a .600 hitting percentage and five kills. Sosnowski also added three block assists and one dig. Freshman Katie Weber led the Bulldogs in blocks against A&M, tying a career-high three block assists and grabbing her first block solo. Weber also knocked down three kills for the Bulldogs.
Rachel Gadberry scored on all four of her attempts against A&M and grabbed one block assist while Samantha bland led in digs with 12 and added four kills and one block assist. Hillary Fountain posted 35 assists while grabbing two kills, two digs, one block assist and one ace. Sheriden Stangohr contributed five kills, three block assists and one dig while Sara Sears added four kills and one block assist. Courtney Gay posted six digs and one assist while Sarah Gardner had one assist and one ace. Katie Luckman grabbed one dig and freshman Shelby Brandon grabbed two kills and two block assists in her first collegiate appearance. One of her kills solidified the win for the Bulldogs.
Samford will begin the conference season next weekend, Sept. 27-28, as they head out on the road to take on Davidson on Saturday and Georgia Southern on Sunday.
Appalachian State 3, North Carolina A&T 0; Appalachian State 3, Charlotte 0
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball swept North Carolina A&T and Charlotte in Saturday's Appalachian Invitational double-header. The Mountaineers take on Charlotte at 7 p.m. in the tournament finale. Jordan Jesberg and Kasey Sauls were named to the all-tournament team.
The Apps (4-10) opened the first set against A&T with a bang, hitting .375 en route to a 25-11 win. ASU was even more efficient in the second set 12 kills in 18 attacks for a .429 hitting percentage.
Appalachian closed it out in the third set with a 18 kills and just four errors. For the match, Lauren Swecker posted 12 kills with a .458 hitting percentage and five digs. Heather Kale led the team with 14 digs while Cassie Engelgau had eight of her own to go along with a pair of aces. Sauls led all players with three of ASU's seven aces and set 34 assists. Jesberg slammed down nine kills and Caroline Sedon added seven.
ASU fell behind 3-0 very early in the evening match but set out on a 5-0 run to take a lead and opened up a 10-6 lead and kept the advantage to a 25-18 win. Jesberg led the offense with five kills and a .300 hitting percentage as the Apps hit .310 as a team to open the match.
The second set saw eight tie scores and neither team led by more than three points before the Mountaineers scored the final three points of the set to take a 25-21 win and 2-0 set advantage.
The third set was the closest of the night by far, as ASU hit just .176 with 13 kills and seven errors. UNCC battled off five-consecutive match points to rally to 24-23 before a Carla Durham pounded the final kill of the match for a 25-21 win. Durham ended the match with nine and a .412 hitting percentage.
Jesberg led the team with 13 kills to go with nine digs while Maggie Seeds added eight kills with just one error. She also had two of the team's four blocks. Sedon was in on all four blocks and added six kills.
Libero Kale led the match with 16 digs and added an ace. Sauls and Engelgau tied for the team led with two aces each as the team had seven and allowed just two. The Mountaineers have allowed just five aces in 13 sets at home this year.
The Mountaineers finished second in the tournament and will open Southern Conference play next week. ASU hosts UNC Greensboro Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Memphis 3, Chattanooga 0
BIRMINGHAM ? The Lady Mocs volleyball team came into Saturday matched up against another tough non-conference opponent in the Memphis Tigers. The Tigers entered the day 9-3 and were able to squeak by the Mocs 25-23 in the game’s first set, en route to a 3-0 victory. Memphis took sets two and three 25-18 and 25-19, respectively.
Courtney Barnes led the Lady Mocs offense with eight kills. The sophomore also posted a hitting percentage of .286 on the afternoon. Cassie Conner was the team’s primary setter on Saturday with a team-high 29 assists, and Lara Newberry led the team’s defense with 17 digs.
Just like its match with Florida International, the Lady Mocs fought tough with the Tigers in the first set. Both teams found itself tied at 22-apiece before Memphis was able to put two points on the board for set point. A Barnes kill would put the Lady Mocs within one, but Memphis put the opening frame away with a kill from Carolyn Baker.
In the second and third sets, the Tiger offense only committed seven errors to drop the Lady Mocs to 4-9 on the season. In the second frame, the Lady Mocs hung tough as both squads were nodded at 8-apiece. Memphis would then go on a 12-4 run to go up 20-12, as the Tigers took the second game, 20-18.
The third set began strong for UTC as Cassie Conner started the frame with three straight service aces. Memphis would then right itself, and began to chip away at the Lady Mocs’ early lead. Kaitlin Inglish put down five kills for the Tigers in the set as Memphis had a hitting percentage of .317, and ended the match with a 25-19 victory in the final frame.
On Tuesday the Lady Mocs will travel to Kennesaw State for the team’s final non-conference game of the season. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
Coastal Carolina 3, Wofford 1; Wofford 3, North Carolina Central 0
ORANGEBURG, S.C.- The Wofford volleyball team went 1-1 Saturday afternoon in the SCSU Invitational falling to Coastal Carolina 3-1, while defeating North Carolina Central, 3-0. The Terriers ended the weekend going 1-3 after a seven match win streak.
In match number one Wofford fell to Coastal Carolina by scores of 15-25, 25-14, 25-20, and 25-22.
In the opening set, the Terriers opened an 8-3 advantage and continued that stretch increasing their lead to 19-10.
Set two saw Coastal return the favor jumping out to a 12-3 lead, one which they would not relinquish en route to tying the match at one set apiece. In the third set both teams played even to an eventual tie at 15-15, when Coastal went on two three run spurts to take the set and two sets to one lead.
In set four, the Chanticleers had an early run to take an 8-2 advantage, however, the Terriers would battle back and even the score at 12. Coastal then responded with two more scoring spurts to take a final lead and the match.
Shanna Hughes and Stacy Byrd reached double digit in kills to lead the Wofford offense with 14 kills apiece. In set one, the Terriers offense hit .500, but for the match averaged .186.
Brittany Thompson and Hughes both reached double digits in digs with 15 and 10, respectively, to lead the Wofford defense.
Wofford responded with a win in the second match of the day defeating North Carolina Central 3-0 by a score of 25-20, 25-15, and 25-22.
Set one saw both teams play to a stalemate at 15-15 when the Terriers were able to string some points together to take the set. Wofford then picked up the intensity to take a two set lead. In the third set, the Eagles stiffened and kept it close tying the set at 19. The Terriers then scored six of the next nine to win the match.
Hughes was the only Wofford hitter to reach double digits in kills as she totaled 11 on 29 attacks and four errors resulting in a .241 hitting percentage. The Wofford offense was held once again to under a .200 hitting percentage.
Thompson once again led the backline for Wofford tallying 18 digs.
The Terriers will open conference play Friday as they play host to the College of Charleston at 7 p.m. in the Benjamin Johnson Arena.
Toledo 3, Georgia Southern 1
TAMPA, Fla. --- Georgia Southern junior Cristin Haines (Palos Heights,
Ill.) set a new school record for digs in a match in the Eagles’ 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23) loss to Toledo Saturday at the USF Tournament.
GSU falls to 6-7 and will close out the weekend with a match against Harvard at 5 p.m.
“I thought they competed well I just didn’t think they executed well enough,” said GSU head coach Chad Callihan. “We had a game plan of some things we wanted to try and do, and we really didn’t start implementing it until the third game and that’s when you see the score swing in our favor. Those first two games we really weren’t playing with a purpose and it cost us in the end.”
Haines’ total of 39 is an overall and four-set record, surpassing Flavia Pereira who totaled 35 on Aug. 25, 2007 vs. Stetson.
“She’s just phenomenal,” said Callihan. “She’s been so critical for us on the floor in all phases both defensively and her serve-receive passing. We’ve been able to funnel some attacks her direction and she just makes play after play for us. She’s incredibly steady and beyond that she brings intangibles to the floor ? we’re starting four freshmen right now ? and she’s doing a good job of keeping those kids focused and in the game.
Toledo used a 7-0 run to close out set one and outscored the Eagles 11-5 to wrap up the second set. Georgia Southern rallied to edge out the Rockets in set three and came back from a 22-18 deficit to tie UT in the fourth frame but two straight kills from Amber DeWeerdt, her 19th and 20th of the match, finished off the Eagles.
The Rockets hit .287 as a team through the first two sets compared to
.041 for the Eagles.
Freshman Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) recorded double-figure kills for the second straight match with a team-high 12 and added four blocks, two solo. Classmate Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs and sophomore Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) posted eight blocks.
Toledo had four players in double-digit kills led by DeWeerdt and Kassie Kadera tallied 52 assists.
Harvard 3, Georgia Southern 0
TAMPA, Fla. --- The Harvard volleyball team hit .352 overall, including .550 in the second set alone to sweep Georgia Southern 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-16) Saturday at the USF Tournament.
The Eagles’ record drops to 6-8 overall while the Crimson improve to 2-7.
“It was our worst performance of the year,” said GSU head coach Chad Callihan. “It was a poor effort mentally and physically on our part. Give credit to Harvard for playing with a lot of energy and setting the tone early and it carried over the rest of the match.”
Harvard’s Anne Ingersoll recorded 12 kills and just one error on 14 attempts for a .786 attack percentage. Chelsea Ono Horn added seven kills on a .467 percentage and Lily Durwood dished out 34 assists.
For Georgia Southern, freshman Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) recorded a match-high 15 kills.
GSU returns to action Wednesday when they open Southern Conference play at Davidson.
The Citadel 3, Hampton 0
ORANGEBURG, S.C. ? The Citadel Volleyball team took the momentum from Friday evening’s victory over Wofford into Sunday’s match against Hampton. The Bulldogs overpowered the Pirates, with a mirror image of their match against the Terriers, dominating Hampton, 3-0.
“We came out strong from the beginning against Hampton,” said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. “I thought we ran the quick tempo offense well and created a hole in the block for our outsides. We had solid performances from all of our hitters, in particular Jessica and Amanda. Both of our middles hit above .400 percent.”
Jessica Maas and Amanda Beal were key contributors for the Bulldogs. Maas recorded 10 kills and 17 total attacks, hitting .529 percent. Beal recorded seven kills and 12 total attacks, hitting .417 percent. Rachel Sanders added on the offensive end, recording double-digit kills with 10.
The first set was all about the Bulldogs, dominating on the offensive end. The Citadel hit .259 percent, recording 12 kills and 27 total attacks. The Pirates couldn’t get their offense going because of the Bulldogs’ domination on the defensive end. The Bulldogs held Hampton to a .042 hitting percentage with eight kills and 24 total attacks. Beal was the main reason behind the defense, tallying a team-high 12 digs. The Bulldogs took set one, 25-14.
The Citadel continued to dominate, giving the Pirates a hard time on the offensive end. The Pirates had a hard time defending the Bulldogs’ aggressive outside hitters. The Bulldogs recorded 16 kills on 33 total attacks, hitting .303 percent. The Citadel defense was unstoppable, keeping the Pirates from getting their offense going. The Pirates hit .139 percent, recording nine kills and 36 total attacks. The Bulldogs won, 25-20.
Set three wasn’t any different for the Pirates, who struggled to get any offense going. The Bulldogs continued to use their power and strength to take control of the match. The Citadel hit .333 percent, recording 13 kills and 27 total attacks. The Bulldogs’ scrappiness showed on defense, not allowing the Pirates much room to stay in the set. Hampton hit .000 percent, recording nine kills on 27 total attacks with nine errors. The Bulldogs dominated, winning 25-16 and earning their fifth win of the season.
The Citadel finished with a .299 hitting percentage, 41 kills, 87 total attacks, 38 assists with Emily Hill contributing 24 of those, nine service aces and 35 digs. The Bulldogs were powerful at the net, earning 10 blocks, with Beal having three block assists. Blaine McAllister and Tatum Jestila contributed with two block assists apiece.
The Citadel Bulldogs will conclude the South Carolina State Tournament at 1:00 p.m. when they face South Carolina State. The Citadel looks to come away with a victory, putting them at .500.
The Citadel 3, South Carolina State 1
Orangeburg, S.C. ? The Citadel Volleyball team went out with a bang on Saturday after defeating Hampton early in the morning and then dominating South Carolina State, 3-1, to conclude the South Carolina State Tournament. The Bulldogs improved their record to 6-6, giving them an even record going into conference play.
Tournament host South Carolina State was the last non-conference opponent for the Bulldogs before they head to the Greenville-Spartanburg area for their first conference matches. The Citadel was determined to leave Orangeburg with a .500 record, and they did just that, dominating South Carolina State.
“We had to adjust to the high hitting attacks from South Carolina State,” said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. “They passed well and came out strong from the beginning. We served well and created a cushion in the third set. We also spread the offense around and had four hitters with over 20 attempts.
The Bulldogs were strong on both the offensive and defensive ends, connecting well with all of their hitters. Their depth and versatility really showed in this match. Four Bulldogs had over 20 attempts and four Bulldogs recorded double-digit digs, showing the aggressiveness of the Bulldog defense.
Tatum Jestila, Jessica Maas, Rachel Sanders and Amanda Beal all had over 20 attempts. Jestila recorded seven kills on 25 total attacks, Maas recorded nine kills on 20 total attacks, Sanders recorded eight kills on 27 total attacks and Beal recorded nine kills on 25 total attacks. On the defensive end, Jestila, Maas, Sanders and freshman Alyssa Holum recorded double-digit digs. Jestila had 13 digs, Maas recorded 11, Sanders had 10 and Holum recorded 11.
In the first set, the Bulldogs hit .229 percent, recording 13 kills and 35 total attacks. South Carolina State was just as effective on the offensive end with 12 kills and 42 total attacks, hitting .119 percent. The Bulldogs had a little more heart and a little more determination, taking the first set, 25-19.
South Carolina State, who was playing in front of their home crowd, decided to make the match a more interesting one. The South Carolina State Bulldogs were determined to make the match last longer, overpowering The Citadel on offense. The Citadel was held to seven kills on 47 total attacks with eight errors, while South Carolina State’s offense recorded 11 kills on 45 total attacks. Because their offensive was so effective, the South Carolina State Bulldogs claimed the set, 25-20.
The Citadel, determined to win, battled back in the third set. Their offense and defense were effective, giving South Carolina State some trouble. The Citadel Bulldogs showed their strength from the outside and played their best set of the match, winning 25-18. The Citadel hit .308 percent with 10 kills and 26 total attacks. The Bulldogs’ defense held South Carolina State to a .100 hitting percentage with 12 kills on 30 total attacks.
A set four would determine if The Citadel would go home with a .500 record or if South Carolina State would take them into a deciding set five. The Bulldogs wanted to take the match and go home. South Carolina State overpowered The Citadel on the offensive end, but The Citadel defense kept the Bulldogs alive. The Citadel hit .250 percent, recording nine kills on 24 total attacks, while South Carolina State hit .308 percent with 14 kills on 26 total attacks. Even though South Carolina State was stronger on defense, The Citadel managed to stand their ground, claiming a 25-19 victory and earning their sixth win of the season.
The Citadel finished with 39 kills on 132 total attacks, 36 assists, 14 service aces, 56 digs and six blocks. Because of her outstanding tournament, Maas was named to the All-Tournament team, her second All-Tournament honor of the season. She was named to the Texas Southern All-Tournament team as well.
“I thought Alyssa and Emily connected with all of our hitters this weekend,” said Geiger. “Overall, I thought our team played hard and had a successful weekend all around.”
The Bulldogs are back in action when they travel to the Greenville-Spartanburg area to take on conference foes Furman and Wofford. The Citadel will battle Furman in their first conference match of the season on Friday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m. in Greenville, S.C. The Bulldogs will then head to Spartanburg, S.C. to take on Wofford once again on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7:00 p.m.
High Point 3, Davidson 2; Buffalo 3, Davidson 0
BUFFALO, N.Y. --- Freshman Christine Perzinski represented the Davidson Wildcats on the University of Buffalo Classic All-Tournament Team, as the 'Cats finished tournament play with a pair of losses Saturday, dropping a five-set match to High Point and losing 3-0 to host Buffalo in the nightcap.
Perzinski finished the tournament with 22 kills and a .237 hitting percentage (22-8-59). She also had a team-high 11 service aces to go along with a pair of blocks and 27 digs.
After concluding tournament play, Davidson is 4-8 overall.
In the first match of the way, despite a two-set lead and three players in double figures, the Wildcats failed to put away the High Point Panthers, who rallied for a five-set win (22-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-15, 15-12) in the first match of the day at the University of Buffalo Classic.
Sophomore Sarabeth Peele led Davidson with 16 kills, while freshmen Christine Perzinski (11) and Madison Benedict (10) each finished in double-figures. Sophomore setter Hayley Lawson had a match-high 41 assists and 15 digs. Perzinski also double-doubled with 11 digs, and sophomore Jennifer Chamblee and senior KIttery Neale finished with 25 and 11 digs, respectively.
High Point was led by Ashley Mellott with 13 kills and Lindsay Raus with 12. The Panthers improve to 10-2 win the win.
In the tournament finale, Perzinski had 11 kills and nine digs, while hitting .348 (11-3-23), but it wasn't enough for the 'Cats, who suffered the 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-20) loss to host Buffalo.
Buffalo (5-9) was led by Marissa Hornbaker, who had 13 kills on 29 swings.
Davidson will open Southern Conference play next weekend, hosting Georgia Southern Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Samford Saturday at 2 p.m.
Western Carolina 3, Presbyterian 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina volleyball (2-11) defeated Presbyterian College (2-7) 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-20) to place second in the final day of action at the Catamount Clash Saturday in the Ramsey Center.
The Catamounts notched their best attack percentage of the season, with a sizzling .320. The club has a season-low 10 errors in the match on 43 team kills and 103 total attacks. Western Carolina was also strong on the block with 12 total team blocks.
"I am so proud of our team, going 2-2 this week," said Head Coach Stephanie Dragan. "The team had a goal to come into today's game with some intensity and strike early and they did that."
Junior Amanda Kerr led the team with 12 kills and also had 11 digs for her first career double-double. Freshman Brittany Lysik also notched a double-double with10 kills and 14 digs. It is the first time this season two Catamount players have had double-doubles in the same match.
Freshman Carrie Minogue had just 12 attempts in the match but committed one error and had eight kills for a scorching .583 attack percentage. Minouge was named to the Catamount Clash All-Tournament team averaging 2.67 kills per game with a total of 24 for the tournament.
Fellow freshman Rebecca Stoltz was also voted to the all-tournament team. For the three matches in the tournament Stoltz averaged 1.44 blocks per game and also had 20 kills averaging 2.22 per game.
Western Carolina returns to action at 4 p.m. September 27 in the Ramsey Center hosting UNC Greensboro in the Catamounts first Southern Conference match of the season.
Catamount Clash All-Tournament Team
Konae Purcell (MVP) - Arkansas State Carrie Minoge - Western Carolina Rebecca Stoltz - Western Carolina Mafo Joelle - Arkansas State Breanna Allums - Norfolk State Rachel Lewis - Presbyterian