Florida International 3, Appalachian State 1
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Appalachian State University volleyball recorded eight blocks to go along with five service aces but fell short of its first win of the season in a 3-1 loss against Florida International in the MTSU Blue Raider Bash opener. Freshman Maggie Seeds hit a solid .417 with four kills and classmate Kasey Sauls added 34 assists and four blocks, but the Golden Panthers prevailed 25-20, 25-27, 25-14 and 25-19 at Alumni Memorial Gym on Friday.
Seeds' kills and hitting percentage marked new highs in her young career, as did Sauls' assists and blocks.
Jordan Jesberg led the Mountaineers (0-4) and matched a season high with 11 kills to go along with five digs and an ace. She was one short of matching her career best of 12 kills, set last season against Clemson. Sophomore Lauren Swecker came up just one kill shy of a double-double with 11 digs and nine kills. Her previous high for the season was eight kills, posted in the season opener against Eastern Michigan.
The Apps opened the match with their best hitting of the day, compiling a .214 hitting mark with just four errors in the opening set. It was not enough to get an early win, however, as FIU knocked down 18 kills for a .382 clip and a 25-20 win. ASU would go on to finish the match at .111.
ASU hit .146 but put down 14 kills in the second set for a 27-25 win. It was the fifth set decided by two points this season for head coach Matt Ginipro's squad, who remains winless after four matches for the first time since 2001.
The Apps posted nine errors to just seven kills in the third set, as the Golden Panthers (5-0) took a 2-1 lead after the intermission. FIU avoided a deciding fifth set by taking the fourth one, 25-19.
Senior Carla Durham fell shy of double-figure kills for the first time all season as she posted seven, but filled up the stat sheet with four blocks and five digs.
For FIU, Yarimar Rosa recorded 25 kills and put together her fifth-consecutive double-double with 12 digs, while the team finished with six aces and five blocks.
Appalachian returns to action Saturday with another pair of tough matches, against Iowa State at 1 p.m. and Loyola Marymount at 8:30 p.m. Click here for live stats for both matches.
Samford 3, UMKC 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ---- The Samford University volleyball team wrapped up day one of the UMKC Kangaroo Klassic with a sweep over the host team Kangaroos on Friday night. The Bulldogs took all three games (25-14, 25-7, 25-15) making them 2-0 in the tournament and 5-1 on the season. This marks the best start for Samford volleyball since the inception of the program.
“We talked about sustained pressure and took it to them from the first point, never looking back,” Samford head coach Derek Schroeder. “Our defensive transition was fast and clean. We had them in trouble serving 20 times with six aces and blocked nine balls while digging 36. I’m very proud of our first contact tonight.”
Samford came right out of the gate in set one to score the first two points on a kill by Sears and block by Sosnowski and Gadberry. UMKC was able to catch up and get on the board but Samford quickly raced out to a six-point lead. With the score at 25-15, the Bulldogs would go on a 10-2 run to win the first set 25-14. Samford had the final six points of the game with the Roos committing three consecutive errors for the first three followed by back-to-back kills from Sears and a block by Fountain and Stangohr.
The Bulldogs completely dominated the second set, allowing the Kangaroos to score only seven points. Samford scored the first 11 points with the help of two errors by UMKC but largely due to the blocking effort of Sosnowski, Gadberry and Sears and three aces by Fountain. After Samford put its 11th point on the board, the Roos grabbed their first point of the set. However, with the score at 11-1, Samford would go on a 14-6 run to win the second set, 25-7.
In set three, Samford gained the first point on an error by UMKC, but the Kangaroos quickly evened the score. There were three more ties before Samford took over the lead and went ahead by as much as 10. UMKC tried to fight back but never got within more than nine points before the Bulldogs took set three, 25-15.
Sheriden Stangohr led the Bulldogs with a career-high .833 hitting percentage in front of a hometown crowd. This is the second time this season that she has set a career high, the last being last weekend against Mercer. The mark was also a school record, previously held by Dana Palmer against Alabama State in 1991. Stangohr also posted five kills on six attempts with no errors while blocking five balls, two alone and three assisted. Samantha Bland led the Bulldogs in kills with 10 while hitting a career-high .526, grabbing one ace and five digs.
Rachel Gadberry lead in block assists with four while also posting three kills, two digs and one ace. Hillary Fountain dished out 35 assists, hitting .500 with two kills on four attempts. She also had a team-high three aces with three digs and two block assists. Courtney Gay led the team in digs with 12 and posted two digs while Katie Luckman was right behind her with seven digs and one ace.
Freshman Katie Weber saw action in her second match as a Bulldog, hitting 1.000 with scoring on all three of her attacks at the ball. Sara Sears was second on the team in kills with eight, hitting .389 while grabbing one dig and two block assists. Kirstein Sosnowski had seven kills, hitting .357, and took away one digs and three block assists. Sarah Gardner knocked down one kill and dug five balls.
The Bulldogs out-blocked the Kangaroos nine to one and had only four errors on 80 attempts.
Samford will play in their third match of the weekend Saturday morning as they take on Morgan State at 9 a.m. Follow all the action via live stats on www.umkckangaroos.com. A full recap and results will be available upon completion of the match.
Samford 3, Arkansas State 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ---- The Samford University volleyball team grabbed its first win at the Kangaroo Klassic hosted by the University of Missouri-Kansas City Friday afternoon as they swept Arkansas State in the third match of the tournament. The Bulldogs are now 3-1 on the season and put an end to the Red Wolves’ perfect record, sending them to 4-1 on the season.
“This was a fabulous team effort by the Bulldogs today,” Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. “We are going to play many matches where fighting for the last few points is critical. We fought off some set points and executed to win. I am very happy with how we played this match.”
Set one started with each team committing an error and getting a kill to tie that score at two. However, Samford would score three straight points on an ASU error, a kill by Sosnowski and a block by Sosnowski and Stangohr. The Red Wolves soon came up with three points of their own to tie the score again at five, but the Bulldogs took over and soon pushed their lead to six on back-to-back blocks by Sosnowski and Gadberry. Samford led by as much as seven, going on to win the first set, 25-18.
Samford took the first point of the second set on a kill by Bland, but ASU scored two consecutive points to take the lead. The Bulldogs quickly tied the score and took over but the Red Wolves returned the favor and took a two-point lead. Samford soon caught up and took its own two-point lead with an ace by Gardner, an ASU error, and a kill by Stangohr. The Bulldogs stretched that lead to four and then to six, but ASU came barreling back to cut that lead in half. However, Samford fought off the Red Wolves and won game two on a kill by Sosnowski.
Set three began with a Samford two-point lead on a kill by Bland and an ASU error. The Bulldogs pushed the lead to three on another error and a kill by Gadberry after giving the Red Wolves their first point of the set. However, ASU fought back to tie the score seven times before taking the lead for the first time in the match at 20-19. The Red Wolves held as much as a three-point lead while Samford fought to get back on top. The Bulldogs held ASU at three match points before finally scoring three straight points on a kill by Fountain and back-to-back kills by Stangohr to win the final set, 29-27.
Senior middle blocker Kirstein Sosnowski led the Bulldogs with a season high 14 kills and .591 hitting percentage, along with one assist and three block assists. Senior outside hitter Sara Sears followed behind with 10 kills, hitting .217 while grabbing two digs and one block assist. Junior middle blocker Sheriden Stangohr also contributed eight kills, hitting .438, and posted three block assists while sophomore outside hitter Samantha Bland grabbed seven kills, 11 digs, an ace and a block assist.
Sophomore setter Hillary Fountain dished out 37 assists, while hitting .400 with two kills on five attempts. She also posted five digs and assisted two blocks. Red-shirt freshman middle blocker Rachel Gadberry led the Bulldogs in blocking assisting four blocks, over half of the Bulldogs’ total. She also grabbed three kills and one assist. Senior Libero Courtney Gay posted 11 digs and two assists while junior defensive specialist Sarah Gardner grabbed 10 digs with one ace.
Samford will play one more match this evening in the first day of the UMKC Kangaroo Klassic. The Bulldogs will take on the host team at 7 p.m. Fans can follow the action via live stats or subscribe to ROO Vision to watch live video streaming of the match. Both of these options are accessible through link on the volleyball schedule page on www.umkckangaroos.com. A full recap and results will be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of the match.
Wofford 3, Radford 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C.- The Wofford volleyball team opened play in the USC Upstate Volleyball Classic Friday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Radford. Sets one and two were split 25-20 and 23-25, with Wofford taking the final two sets with identical 25-21 scores. Key plays from the Wofford front line led the way for the win.
A kill by Shanna Hughes capped a six-point run by the Terriers to a 9-3 lead. A timeout by Radford ended the Wofford (4-2) run; however, the Terriers maintained their lead taking the opening set. In a tight second set, Radford (3-2) was able to hang on to even the match a one set apiece. The Terriers responded with a win in set number three on a balanced offensive attack with a trio of players having three or more kills each.
In set four, the score went back and forth up to 20-19, in Wofford’s favor, when Joanna Suddath and Liz Sheets combined for a pivotal block to provide separation in the score column. Another block at 23-21 by Suddath and Anna Gustafson set up match point for the Terriers which they took on an attacking error by Radford.
Stacy Byrd led the Terrier offense tallying 17 kills with only two errors on 37 total attacks resulting in a .405 hitting percentage. Suddath had a strong performance adding five kills, 15 digs and 39 assists. Hughes also reached double digits in kills totaling 14.
Brittany Thompson was again the leader on the back line for the Terrier defense coming up with 20 digs, in helping to limit the Highlanders to a .220 hitting percentage.
Laura Waddell and Megan McWhorter each registered 12 kills to pace the Radford attack. Kiley Kent led all players with 41 assists, while Lauren Clary gathered a match-high 24 digs defensively for the Highlanders.
Wofford 3, USC Upstate 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C.- The Wofford volleyball team concluded day one of the USC Upstate Volleyball Classic with a 3-0 sweep of tournament host USC Upstate by scores of 27-25, 25-22 and 25-15. Tonight’s win marks the second sweep in the last three matches for the Terriers, helping generate a current four match win streak. It also improved Wofford’s record against the Spartans to 3-0 in matches played in the past two years, since USC Upstate moved to the Division I level.
Set one saw the Terriers fall behind multiple times with their biggest deficit being nine points at 19-10. A five point run cut the lead to four sparked by kills from both junior Shanna Hughes and sophomore Stacy Byrd. Wofford got within one at 21-20 on a service ace by senior Liz Sheets. Both teams continued on serve with Upstate having a set point opportunity at 24-23 that was quickly erased on a kill by Byrd. Wofford then went on to win three out of the next four points to take the opening set.
Wofford (5-2) was able to take control early of set two storming out to a 4-1 lead. The Terriers were able to maintain their early lead with USC Upstate (2-3) cutting it to one at 13-12. A three point Terrier run quickly pushed the lead back to four, a margin the Terriers never relinquished establishing a two set to none lead.
The Terriers were able to keep the momentum going in the third set jumping out to another quick lead. This time, however, the Spartans were able to cut back into it and tied the set at 9-9. Wofford would quickly respond tallying the next five points on kills by Hughes and Sheets, along with a block by Sheets and Catelyn Amende. The Five point run ultimately put the Spartans away as Wofford won the third set soundly ending the match.
Hughes had another stellar effort for the Terriers totaling 16 kills on 34 attacks while committing only two errors resulting in a .382 hitting percentage. Byrd also reached double digits in kills tallying 12 on 31 attacks. Setter Joanna Suddath also had a solid game with eight digs, and assisting on 35 kills.
Brittany Thompson once again anchored the back line for the Terriers coming up with 14 digs, while Sarah Palmer also added eight digs to help keep the Upstate hitters at bay leaving them with a .111 team hitting percentage on the night.
Sandra Campbell and Morgan Thomas led the Spartan offensive attack calculating 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while setter Morgan Bucciferro added 30 assists. Morgan Healy anchored the defense totaling 15 digs.
The Terriers conclude day two of the classic tomorrow facing UNC Asheville at 11:30 a.m. followed by Hampton at 4:30 p.m.
Elon 3, Campbell 1
ELON, N.C.-Three Phoenix combined for 35 kills on the night, as Elon downed Campbell volleyball 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 20-25) to open the Elon Volleyball Classic Friday night in Alumni Gym.
Elon sophomore middle blocker Sarah Schermerhorn, freshman ride side Traci Stewart and junior outside hitter Mandy Wilson knocked 10, 13 and 12 kills, respectively, as the Phoenix improved to 4-1 on the year. The Camels drop to 0-5 with the loss.
Junior setter Emily Reagan put up 40 assists with six digs, while senior defensive specialist Kelley Blakewood collected 16 digs, being one of three Phoenix with three service aces. Freshman Traci Stewart and sophomore Lizzie West also contributed nine digs each.
For the Camels, sophomore outside hitter Emily Werner knocked 12 kills with 10 digs to score the double-double, while freshman middle blocker Michelle White registered six kills on the night. Freshmen setter Hope Leatigaga aided the Camel offense with 25 helpers, also earning six digs, while defensive specialist Lauren Garza grabbed 17 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Caitlin Bendy punched three aces on the night, a season high, claiming four kills as well. Junior Sarah Hill and sophomore Elisabeth Ennis earned nine digs a piece on the night.
Elon will return to the floor at 12:30 p.m. when they face North Carolina A&T. The Phoenix will face UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m. for the final match of the Elon Volleyball Classic. The tournament will kick off tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. when the Fightin’ Camels take on UNCW at 10 a.m. The second session will feature N.C. A&T and Campbell and will begin at 4:30 p.m.
Georgetown 3, Davidson 0
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Despite strong play from senior middle blocker Kittery Neale, the Davidson Wildcats volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-14) decision to the Georgetown Hoyas in their first match at the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill Friday afternoon.
Neale finished the match with a team-high nine kills, while hitting .389 (9-2-18), but it was not enough offense for the 'Cats, who fall to 1-3 early in the season.
With the win, Georgetown moves to 3-1. Jessica Hardy led the way for the Hoyas, finishing with 10 kills on just 20 swings, and Sara Manley added seven kills. Hardy also led the defense with eight digs, while Caitlin Boland tallied 30 assists.
Georgetown jumped out to an early lead in the first game of the match, opening up a 14-7 deficit and forcing a Wildcat timeout. But the 'Cats clawed back and, with a 10-5 run, got within two behind back-to-back putaways from freshman Jessica McAlvany and sophomore Jorden Benedict.
Davidson stayed close, 20-18, but the Hoyas picked up a couple of crucial points late in the game. Trailing 22-18, Davidson scored on a service error from Katherine Niesen, but Manley kept Georgetown in control and a Wildcat error gave them a game-point try. Neale put away a set from sophomore Hayley Lawson to survive, but Vanessa Dorismond lifted the Hoyas to a 25-20 win in
the first game.
The Hoyas opened the second game by winning four straight points, and the Wildcats were unable to recover. An 11- 6 run pushed that lead to 16-9 and forced the Wildcats into a timeout. Davidson had a chance in the game when, after a kill from freshman Christine Perzinski followed by a block from sophomore Sarabeth Peele, they trailed just 20-15, but after a couple of hitting errors, Hardy gave Georgetown a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-17 victory.
The third game was competitive early, but a five-point serve from Manley opened up a 20-10 lead, simply too much for Davidson, who dropped the match with a 25-14 loss in the final game.
The Wildcats will play a pair of matches on the final day of the Carolina Classic, taking on Missouri State at 10 a.m. and host North Carolina in the nightcap at 7 p.m.
Chattanooga 3, Alabama A&M 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- It took the UTC Volleyball team on three sets to tally its first win of the season, as the Lady Mocs knocked off Alabama A&M, in its first game of the Comfort Inn & Suites Challenge. Chattanooga took the match in straight sets, 25-12, 25-15, and 28-26, and is now 1-3 on the year, thanks to an offense that had a season-high 38 kills.
Junior Ashley Yeager set the pace for the Lady Mocs with a match-high 13 kills, while freshmen Ellie Kuhn recorded a career high eight kills, and had a .429 hitting percentage. The San Antonio, Texas native also had three aces, which led both teams. Lara Newberry led all players with 17 digs, and setter Cassie Conner had a match-high 29 assists.
The Lady Mocs set the tone early in set one, with seven straight points, after the Lady Mocs trailed 1-0. The 1-0 lead with be the only one for the Bulldogs, as the Lady Mocs took the opening frame 25-12. Chattanooga was paced by Yeager, Kuhn, and Jessica Scott, who each recorded at least three kills. Each member of the trio also posted hitting percentages of .667 or greater. Junior Cassie Conner led the way with 10 assists, and both Conner and Lara Newberry paced the team’s defense with six digs apiece.
While the offense stole the show in the first set, it was the UTC defense that dominated in game two. The Lady Mocs held Alabama A&M to a -.103 hitting percentage, easily the lowest it has held an opponent all season, as UTC took the second set 25-15. Newberry led the way defensively for Chattanooga with eight digs, five more than any other player in the set. On offense, Scott and Yeager each posted three kills, which led both teams.
After leading the match 2-0, the Lady Mocs came out in the third set very slow. Chattanooga found itself down 11-2 after a flurry of Bulldog points. In what was the worst offensive set on the match for the Lady Mocs, UTC slowly began to creep closer to A&M. The Lady Mocs would go on scoring runs of five, six, and five, to finally nod the set up a 20-apiece. Alabama A&M wouldn’t stand pat though, as the Bulldogs quickly went on a run of their own to go up 23-20. The tenacious Lady Mocs would soon tie the game back up though with a kill from Scott and two from Yeager. After the Bulldogs went to set point following a UTC service error, the Lady Mocs once again battle back with a kill from Kuhn. Both teams would then exchange two points apiece, before the Lady Mocs put A&M away thanks to two Bulldog errors. That gave Chattanooga the set, 28-26, and the Lady Mocs, its first victory of the season.
In the first game of the Comfort Inn & Suites Challenge, Central Michigan took care of South Alabama in four sets, 25-23, 25-20, 23-25, and 25-17. Central Michigan’s Whitney Evers led all players with 15 kills, while Hristina Markova led the Jaguars with 14. The Chippewas’ libero, Alexis Lonneman had a match-high 15 digs to give the Jaguars its first loss of the season. With the win, CMU improves to 3-1, and South Alabama is now 2-1.
Day two of the tournament will begin at 10 a.m. as Central Michigan will take on Alabama A&M. The Lady Mocs will then take the court as they play host to South Alabama at noon. At 2 p.m., South Alabama will play Alabama A&M, and UTC will wrap up the tournament with a 4 p.m. game against Central Michigan. Admission is free for all games of the tournament.
Georgia Southern 3, Bethune-Cookman 0; Mercer 3, Georgia Southern 1
MACON, Ga. --- The Georgia Southern volleyball team split a pair of matches Friday at the Bear Brawl hosted by Mercer University, defeating Bethune-Cookman 3-0 (25-15, 26-24, 25-21) and losing 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-19, 25-21) to Mercer.
The win and loss moves GSU’s record to 3-2.
BCC (0-5) fought off six set points in the second set, erasing a 24-18 deficit thanks to four attack errors, an ace and a kill. But the Tigers returned the favor with two errors of their own to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Freshman Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) recorded a match-high 11 kills while sophomores Blaire Brueggemeyer (Burleson, Texas) and Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) and freshman Hayli Ketner (Spartanburg, S.C.) had two aces apiece.
In the nightcap, a .302 attack percentage in set two was not enough to overcome negative percentages in sets one and three as the Eagles hit -.026 combined.
Sanford tied her career high with 18 kills and added a match-best 16 digs. Brueggemeyer dished out 39 assists and sophomore Michelle Uzoh (San Antonio, Texas) totaled eight blocks (three solo).
Illinois State 3, Western Carolina 0
NORMAL, Ill. ? Western Carolina volleyball (3-2) fell 3-0 (23-25, 13-25, 18-25) Friday, to host Illinois State (3-2), in the first match of the Redbird Classic.
The Catamounts played it close in game one, as in the final points of the game as the two teams were tied four times. Down 22-21, Western Carolina tied it for the final time when freshman Carrie Minogue registered a kill off an assist by Katie Hennessey. Illinois State reclaimed the lead off Catamount miscue and won two of the final three points to secure game one.
Western Carolina had a .158 attack percentage in game one but in games two and three the attack percentage dropped as Illinois State’s continued to rise, as the Redbirds had a scorching .500 in game two. The Catamounts committed just three more errors then Illinois State, 17 to 14, but had just 24 kills to Illinois State’s 52.
Freshman Brittany Lysik led the Catamounts in both digs (11) and kills (7) while Katie Hennessey added 21 assists. Junior Amanda Kerr had five kills.
Western Carolina continues play in the Redbird Classic on Saturday facing Western Michigan at 10 a.m. and Oakland at 5 p.m.
Furman 3, IPFW 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Paladin volleyball team defeated IPFW in three sets to start play at the Belmont Invitational today.
IPFW jumped out to an early lead in the first set, but Furman tied the set at seven and continued on to win the set 25-21.
In a second set that saw eight tied scores and five lead changes, Furman held IPFW to a -.080 hitting percentage en route to a 25-17 win. The Paladins led during the entire third set and took the set 25-22 to clinch the match.
Sophomore Katherine Hall led Furman with 11 kills, while libero Brooke Ellison racked up 17 digs to lead the defense. Senior Nicole Palazzo added 6 total blocks, contributing to the team’s 12 blocks in the match.
IPFW was led by Ashley Dillon, who recorded 11 kills, and Rebekah Roehm, who added 16 digs.
With the win, Furman improves to 2-3 on the season, while IPFW falls to 0-4. The Paladins will face Murray State at 2:00 p.m. ET before taking on host Belmont at 8:00 p.m. ET.
College of Charleston 3, Robert Morris 0
DeLAND, Fla. - Sophomore setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) notched a match-high 31 assists and added six kills and junior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) posted a match-high tying 10 kills as the College of Charleston (2-2) defeated Robert Morris (4-1) 3-0 Friday afternoon at the Holiday Inn Stetson Invitational in DeLand, Florida. The Cougars posted set victories of 25-13, 25-21 and 25-18.
After an early 3-1 lead by Robert Morris at the start of Game 1, the Cougars wasted little time in taking firm control of the set with a dominating 12-1 run that gave them a 13-4 lead. The Colonials narrowed the gap to 14-6 before a 4-1 spurt pushed Charleston's lead into double-digits at 18-7. From there, they would maintain at least a double-figure advantage as they closed out the first set 25-13 and took a 1-0 match lead.
In Game 2, RMU once again took the early lead, pounding out five kills to go ahead 8-4. It would be a short lived lead as the Cougars tied the set at 12-12 with an 8-4 run of their own before an 11-2 run to make the score 23-14. Unwilling to go quietly, the Colonials mounted a frantic rally, notching a 7-1 run to close to within 24-21. Sophomore right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) then ended all hopes of a Robert Morris comeback as she pounded her sixth kill of the match to close the set out at 25-21 and extend the Cougar's match lead to a daunting 2-0 advantage.
Facing elimination, the Colonials came out strong at the start of the third set, battling Charleston to six ties and through three lead changes before the Cougars established a 9-7 lead. CofC then put together an 11-3 run to extend its lead to a commanding 20-10 advantage. Just as they had in the previous set, Robert Morris staged another late rally, putting together a 7-1 to narrow the margin to 21-17.
Following a Charleston timeout, the Cougars regained control of the set with a 4-1 run and powered to a 25-18 victory as Phillips closed out the set with a service ace for the 3-0 match victory.
Sophomore middle blocker Amanda Graham led the way for the Colonials with a match-high tying 10 kills while freshman setter Alyssa Bennett finished the day with 19 assists. Defensively, senior libero Alaina Gibson contributed a team-high eight digs.
For the Cougars, Emily Sawin posted a match-high tying 10 kills to go along with five digs while Cole Dawley finished with a match-high 31 assists, six kills and four digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) led the defense with a match-high 10 digs and junior middle blocker Jennifer Darty (Orlando, Fla.) extended her team-leading block total to 16 with a match-best six blocks on the day. Freshman middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) contributed nine kills and three blocks while sophomore outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.) added nine digs.
The Cougars return to action today at 3:00 p.m. when they face The Citadel.
NOTES
The victory over Robert Morris is the first in program history in the two team's first ever meeting.
College of Charleston 3, The Citadel 0
DeLAND, Fla. - In a rare non-conference match-up between two Southern Conference teams, sophomore setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) dished out a match-high 33 assists and freshman middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) delivered 10 kills and a .667 hitting percentage as the College of Charleston (3-2) downed The Citadel (2-2) 3-0 Friday afternoon at the Holiday Inn Stetson Invitational in DeLand, Florida.
In Game 1, the two teams battled through six early ties before eventually reaching a 13-13 deadlock midway through the set. At that point, Charleston took control of the tightly contested affair with an impressive 12-4 streak to run the table and close out the game with a 25-17 victory.
The Cougars continued their strong play into the start of the second set, jumping out to leads of 7-4 and 15-8 before the Bulldogs rallied to cut the margin to 18-15. That would be as close as they would get, however, as Charleston pushed the lead to 22-17 before wrapping up the set with a 25-21 victory and 2-0 match advantage.
Charleston quickly jumped out to an 8-3 advantage in the third set before The Citadel closed to within 14-10. After several mini-runs by CofC to increase its lead, the Bulldogs rallied to stay within four points, twice, before the Cougars pulled out to a 23-17 advantage on their way to a 25-19 Game 3 victory and a 3-0 win in the match.
Sophomore middle blocker Amanda Beal led the attack for the Bulldogs with a team-high eight kills while senior setter Emily Hill dished out 16 assists. Senior libero Ashley Winter led the defense with a match-high 10 digs while senior outside hitter Rachel Sanders finished with five kills and six digs.
Cole Dawley set up the Cougars offense with a match-high 33 assists and added six kills while junior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) produced a match-best 11 kills for her second straight double-digit outing. Elyse Chubb drilled a career-high 10 kills and a .667 hitting percentage and freshman libero Emily Shelton (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the team with nine digs. Freshman outside hitter Katie Robinson (Gainesville, Fla.) added six kills while sophomore right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) had a solid all-around match with four kills, three
service aces and two blocks.
The Cougars wrap up the tournament on Saturday, September 6 when they face host Stetson at 5:00 p.m.
NOTES:
With the victory over The Citadel, the Cougars run their all-time record against their cross-town rivals to a perfect 19-0.
UNC Greensboro 3, Marist 1
HIGH POINT, NC ? Junior Branagan Fuller had a 14-kill, 14-dig double-double and reached the 900-kill plateau as UNC Greensboro opened the HPU Volleyball Classic presented by Radisson Hotel with a 3-1 win over Marist on Friday, Sept. 5 at the Millis Center in High Point, NC. Set scores were 25-14, 22-25, 25-15, 25-23.
With her 14 kills in Friday’s match, Fuller brought her career total up to 905 kills. She now ranks 10th among UNCG’s career leaders, surpassing Melanie Trexler, who had 903 kills from 1990-93.
UNCG had a solid offense throughout the first set as the Spartans hit .400, making 13 kills off 30 total attacks with only one error. The Spartans put together the set’s longest run, scoring six-straight points early on en route to taking an 8-3 lead. A pair of kills from Marist’s Joanna Foss pulled the Red Foxes to within three. However, Foss’ back-to-back points would be the final time Marist scored consecutive points in the set as the Spartans’ offense took control of the set. With UNCG up 11-7, a kill by sophomore Alissa Beaudway and back-to-back Spartan blocks pushed UNCG’s lead to seven. The Spartans eventually had another three-point run to make it 20-11. Senior Kaitlyn Nortz started the run that also included a Marist error and a service ace by junior Lisa Fawell. UNCG scored the five of the next eight points, including a set-winning kill by sophomore Kayren Finney, en route to taking the first set and a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Spartans took a pair of four-point leads early in the second set, but Marist continued to fight back and eventually tied the set at 11-11 off a kill by Kelsey Schaefer. UNCG and the Red Foxes traded points before back-to-back kills by Finney and redshirt sophomore Caley Redden gave UNCG the 14-12 advantage. However, UNCG was unable to get any lead larger than two as the Red Foxes rallied and eventually took a 21-19 lead. The Spartans pulled to within one on three different occasions, but Marist scored the final two points it needed to win the set.
UNCG controlled the third set from the beginning, never relinquishing the lead during the set. The Spartans scored the set’s first five points with Marist committing a pair of errors, junior Branagan Fuller serving two aces and Nortz recording a kill. The Spartans eventually led 13-4, but the Red Foxes trimmed UNCG’s nine-point lead down to four with a Lindsey Schmid service ace. However, UNCG began to increase its lead, using a late four-point run to hold a 23-13 advantage. After the teams traded points, Nortz scored the final kill of the set as the Spartans took a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth set, UNCG put together another strong offensive effort as the Spartans hit .381 with 18 kills off 42 total attacks with two errors. The Spartans held several five-point leads throughout the set, including a 12-7 advantage off a Redden kill. Marist eventually cut UNCG’s lead down to two before a pair of Marist attack errors and kills from Finney and Fuller put the Spartans up 21-15. However, after the UNCG and Marist traded points, the Red Foxes used a four-point run to make it 23-21 in favor of UNCG. A Fuller kill allowed the Spartans to push their lead to three, but a Foss kill and a Schmid ace pulled the Red Foxes to within one. UNCG got the final point it needed to win the set and the match as Marist had a bad set.
Nortz hit a team-best .688 with 11 kills off 16 total attacks with no errors. Finney also reached double-digits in kills, totaling 13, while also having seven block assists. Sophomore Kimiko Naito and junior Lisa Fawell put up 26 and 22 assists, respectively. Junior Kayleigh Knerr tallied 16 digs.
Foss led Marist with 17 kills, while Kelsey Schaefer hit a team-best .571 (8 kills off 14 total attacks with no errors). Dawn Jan had 39 assists and Emily Brosky came up with 15 digs.
UNCG returns to action at the High Point Volleyball Classic presented by Radisson Hotel on Saturday, Sept. 6. The Spartans face South Carolina State at 10 a.m. and East Carolina at 4 p.m. at the Millis Center.
AGATE
UNC Greensboro def. Marist 25-14,22-25,25-15,25-23
Marist (1-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Foss, Joanna 17-0-0; Schultze, Alexandra 12-2-0; Schaefer, Kelsey 8-0-0; Burke, Allie 6-0-0; Schmid, Lindsey 3-5-0; Jan, Dawn 1-1-0; Totals 47-8-0.0. (Assists) - Jan, Dawn 39. (Dig leaders) - Brosky, Emily 15; Campbell, Cassie 11; Jan, Dawn 9
UNCG (3-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Branagan Fuller 14-2-1; Kayren Finney 13-0-7; Kaitlyn Nortz 11-0-2; Catherine Hanners 7-2-3; Caley Redden 6-0-3; Alissa Beaudway 4-0-5; Lisa Fawell 1-1-0; Totals 56-5-10.5. (Assists) - Kimiko Naito 26; Lisa Fawell 22. (Dig leaders) ? Kayleigh Knerr 16; Branagan Fuller 14
Stetson 3, The Citadel 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The Citadel Volleyball team battled through four sets against Stetson on Friday night before falling in a 3-1 decision. Stetson defeated the Bulldogs for the third time in program history, extending their lead in the series to 3-0.
Senior Rachel Sanders and sophomore Jessica Maas, the two All-Tournament selections from the Texas Southern Tournament, put on another outstanding performance. Sanders had 13 kills, 25 total attacks and seven digs on the night. Maas finished the match with 11 kills, 21 total attacks, four digs and three blocks.
The Bulldogs maximized the depth of their line up, giving just about everyone a chance to contribute. In the first set, the Bulldogs were dominated by the strength and speed of Stetson. The Hatters proved to be a little too much, taking the first set 25-13.
After falling in the first set, the Bulldogs were determined to fight back. The versatile Bulldogs kept their focus and fought hard to stay in the second set. With a back and forth battle and several lead changes, the Hatters slipped away, taking the set 25-22.
The Citadel was determined not to fall in three games and keep the match alive. The Bulldogs battled the Hatters and showed their offensive and defensive strengths. The scrappy Bulldogs were outstanding on the defensive end, holding the Hatters to 14 points and taking the match 25-14.
Down two sets to one, the Bulldogs hoped to take the match into five sets, but the Hatters had other plans. The Bulldogs kept the momentum and continued to battle on defense. On the offensive end, the Bulldogs put up a fight, putting on a great performance. In the end, the Hatters were too much, taking the set 25-18.
Senior Ashley Winter had 11 digs and three assists. The Bulldogs were outstanding from the setter position. Senior Emily Hill had 25 assists, three kills and nine digs. Freshman setter Alyssa Holum had 14 assists, four kills and nine digs.
The Bulldogs will conclude the Holiday Inn Invitational against the Colonials of Robert Morris on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 1:30 p.m. Bulldog fans can follow along with the match on the Bulldog website, where live stats will be available.
Game statistics and a recap will be available immediately after the conclusion of the game. Live stats will be available on The Citadel website. For more information on The Citadel Volleyball or Bulldog Athletics, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.