Furman 3, Belmont 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Furman volleyball team claimed the Belmont Invitational championship with a 3-1 win over the host Bruins on Saturday.
Furman led the whole first set and won 25-20, helped by four kills from senior outside hitter Alison West. Belmont responded by jumping out to an early 11-2 lead in the second set, and the Paladins were unable to catch up, allowing the Bruins to take the second set by a score of 25-16.
The Paladins regrouped in the third and fourth sets, winning both by scores of 25-19 and 25-16, respectively.
Senior Alison West led Furman with 17 kills, while sophomore Brooke Ellison led the defense with 17 digs. Sophomore Katherine Hall recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 12 digs.
Belmont was led by Maggie Johnson with 10 kills and Megan Clements with 19 digs.
Sophomore Katherine Hall earned All-Tournament MVP honors for her role in leading the Paladins to the championship. Hall averaged 3.9 kills per game over the weekend, and added three service aces, 21 digs, and eight blocks.
Setter Kelsey Salava and libero Brooke Ellison were also named to the all-tournament team. Salava finished the weekend with 89 assists, 11 kills, and 25 digs, while Ellison averaged 4.8 digs per game.
With the win, the Paladins improve to 4-3 on the season, while Belmont falls to 4-3. Furman will return home to host the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs on Tuesday in a 7:00 p.m. match.
Furman 3, Murray State 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Furman Paladin volleyball team evened their record on the season to 3-3 with a 3-0 win over Murray State at the Belmont Invitational Saturday afternoon.
Furman handled the Racers easily in the first two sets, posting wins of 25-17 and 25-15, respectively. In the first set, the Paladins outblocked the Racers 4-1, and racked up three service aces en route to the 25-17 victory. In the second set, the Paladins racked up 13 kills to the Racers’ seven.
Murray State battled back in the third set, however, turning it into a battle that ended in a 32-30 win for the Paladins. While the Racers posted 20 kills to the Paladins’ 17, the Paladins outblocked the Racers again, this time 6 to 3 to help secure the close win.
Sophomore Katherine Hall again led the Paladins with 15 kills and a .295 hitting percentage. Senior Nikki Palazzo added 9 kills and an impressive .389 attack percentage, helping the team to a .237 mark. Palazzo also racked up five total blocks to lead the net defense, while libero Brooke Ellison and West recorded 14 digs apiece to lead the floor defense.
The Racers were led by Ashley Nenniger’s 10 kills, while Alison Mugler recorded 16 digs to lead the defense. Kayleah Sauer and Heather Norris each added 14 digs in the losing effort.
With the win, the Paladins improve to 3-3 on the season, while Murray State falls to 2-3. Furman will face host Belmont in an 8:00 p.m. ET match on Saturday to conclude tournament play.
Iowa State 3, Appalachian State 0; Loyola Marymount 3, Appalachian State 1
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Appalachian State University volleyball fought hard against tough competition all weekend and despite several players having strong showings on Saturday, the Mountaineers fell 3-0 against Iowa State and 3-1 to Loyola Marymount to close out MTSU's Blue Raider Bash. After the early shutout, the Mountaineers challenged the Lions for four hard-fought sets before succumbing to the Lions. Several different players stepped up in each match but were unable to come away with the first win of the season.
The day opened with a tough match against the Big 12's Iowa State. The Apps (0-6) posted a season-low .047 hitting percentage compared to .302 for the Cyclones. Senior Carla Durham led the offense with seven of the squad's 25 kills in the match, to go along with ASU's only service ace and two of the team's five blocks.
Freshman Kasey Sauls and sophomore Caroline Sedon tied for the team lead in blocks with three each against ISU. Sauls added 19 assists and eight digs while Sedon put down five kills and a .250 hitting percentage.
After the Cyclones (4-2) took the first two sets by sizable margins the Mountaineers made the third set competitive, as it took extra points to decide the match. ASU held Iowa State to a .200 hitting percentage and forced extra points in the 26-24 setback.
In the nightcap, the Apps fought back from an early 1-0 deficit to tie the match at the intermission with a 26-24 win against Loyola Marymount (4-2). Lauren Swecker led the squad with 13 kills and 11 digs for a double-double while Jordan Jesberg also reached double-figure kills with 12. She added 12 digs of her own as the Mountaineers dug 65 attacks in the match. Cassie Engelgau was the team leader with 17 in the match to complement her pair of aces.
Heather Kale paced ASU with three aces, as the team had seven to LMU's six. The Apps were out-blocked 10-5 in the match, but had just five fewer kills over the four sets.
The Mountaineers will take a brief recess from the rigors of tournament play as the team opens its home schedule on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Winston-Salem State.
The game will be broadcast live on GoASU.com.
Wofford 3, UNC Asheville 1; Wofford 3, Hampton 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C.- The Wofford Volleyball team capped off a 4-0 weekend at the USC Upstate Volleyball Classic on Saturday defeating UNC Asheville 3-1 in the morning, then sweeping Hampton in the afternoon 3-0. The undefeated weekend gives the Terriers their second straight USC Upstate Classic championship.
Wofford was able to pick up where it left Friday night with a victory over UNC Asheville, 3-1, by scores of 25-12, 27-25, 23-25 and 25-14.
Set one saw the Terriers come out fired up as they scored seven of the opening eight points to take an early 7-1 lead. Wofford would maintain the lead and eventually extend it to 10 points at 18-8. The Terriers capped off the opening set on a kill by Shanna Hughes. Set two saw the Terriers play from an early deficit. UNC Asheville (2-3) would break a 4-4 tie and lead the entire set on an average of three points until the Terriers mounted their charge. Trailing 22-16, Wofford strung together another long run with six straight points. Four of those points came off kills by Hughes. The Bulldogs were able to earn two points at 24-22, but a block by Liz Sheets and Stacy Byrd, followed by a kill from Joanna Suddath evened the score at 24. Wofford then won three of the next four points to take a two set to none lead.
Leading 2-0, the Terriers fell behind early in set three and by seven points; however, they bounced back to even the set at 15. The two squads then battled back and forth until 23 apiece, when the Bulldogs put together back-to-back service aces by Raquel Miotto to take the set. Set 4, featured Wofford coming out strong, storming to a 10-3 lead. The Terriers would then maintain at least a six point advantage to eventually take the match.
Leading the Terrie offense was Hughes and Byrd. Hughes had a solid hitting game with a career high 25 kills on 43 attacks with only three errors resulting in a .512 hitting percentage. Byrd on the other hand also reached double digits in kills tallying 15 on 4o attacks with just four errors. Suddath had her third solid match of the weekend totaling 47 assists along with five kills and seven digs.
Hughes was also the rock on the Terrier defense as she came up with 12 digs, while Brittany Thompson had nine digs and Carolyn Rivers posted 8. Senior Liz Sheets also chipped in eight digs while also coming up with two blocks.
Kelsey Benorden, Lauren Ficker and Heather Burns all reached double digits in kills for the Bulldogs collecting 15, 14 and 10, respectively. Libero Miotto and Benorden anchored the Bulldogs defense with 12 digs each.
The Terriers were able to extend their current win streak to six with a 3-0 win over Hampton in the final match of the tournament. Wofford picked up the victory by 25-16, 25-22, and 26-24 scores.
Wofford (7-2) continued its hot starts in sets one, gaining a 14-5 advantage. The lead then grew to 21-12 on kills by Hughes which eventually led to a first set win. Set two saw the teams play even at 10-10 when the Terriers pulled away winning 10 of the next 13 points to increase their edge to 20-13. A mini run by Hampton (0-8) was stopped on a kill by Suddath and the Terriers took set two. Set three was tight throughout with neither team able to pull away, neither team able to gain a lead bigger than three points. Tied at 24, an attacking error by Aaryn Harrison and a ball handling error by Lihi Elkayam gave Wofford the win.
Hughes once again led the Terrier offense as she scored 16 kills on 35 attacks with only four errors calculating a .343 hitting percentage. Joanna Suddath also chipped in two kills while adding 30 assists.
Thompson played steady on the back line coming up with 14 digs, while Suddath also had a solid defensive effort tallying 15 digs, helping limit the Lady Pirates to a .115 hitting percentage.
Harrison was the lone Lady Pirate to reach double digits in kills as she collected 12 on 32 total attacks with five errors. Defensively, Alyssa Jackson and Manna Armstrong came up with 10 digs each.
Wofford returns to action on September 14 as it travels to Kennesaw, Ga., to take on Kennasaw State at 7 p.m.
SPARTANBURG S.C.- Shanna Hughes capped off a strong weekend performance as she was selected as the 2008 USC Upstate Volleyball Classic MVP. It marks the second consecutive year a Wofford player has picked up the honor, as junior Joanna Suddath received the accolade last year. Suddath backed up her MVP efforts from last season as she and fellow teammate Stacy Byrd were selected to the all-tournament team.
Shanna Hughes helped lead the Terriers to a 4-0 record in the 2008 USC Upstate Volleyball Classic and their second consecutive USC Upstate Volleyball Classic Championship. Hughes had a strong offensive showing tallying 71 kills on 154 attacks with only 14 errors resulting in a hitting percentage of .370, covering all four matches. She also chipped in five service aces. Against UNC Asheville Saturday, Hughes tallied a career high 25 kills on 43 total attacks, calculating a .512 hitting percentage of. Hughes also had a solid defensive effort picking up 35 digs and three blocks over the weekend.
Suddath posted totals of 14 kills, 151 assists, and 45 digs. Byrd finished with 51 kills, seven digs and eight blocks.
Tournament MVP ? Shanna Hughes, Wofford
Upstate Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Team
Aaryn Harrison, Hampton
Lauren Clary, Radford
Laura Waddell, Radford
Lauren Ficker, UNC Asheville
Kelsey Benorden, UNC Asheville
Sandra Campbell, USC Upstate
Stacy Byrd, Wofford
Joanna Suddath, Wofford
Western Michigan 3, Western Carolina 0; Oakland 3, Western Carolina 1
NORMAL, Ill. ? Western Carolina volleyball (0-7) dropped a pair of matches to close out the Redbird Classic hosted by Illinois State. The Catamounts fell 3-0 (12-25, 15-25, 14-25) to Western Michigan in the fist match of the day Saturday and ended the tournament with a 3-1 (25-20, 11-25, 21-25, 14-25) loss to Oakland (3-3).
The Catamounts had just 19 kills in the match against Western Michigan with freshman Carrie Minogue collecting six of the 19. Junior Katie Hennessy added 14 assists.
Western Carolina won its first game in a match, at the Redbird Classic, taking game one in its match against Oakland. After a 3-3 tie, the Catamounts took the lead and never relinquished it. Freshman Brittany Lysik closed out game one, to give WCU an early 1-0 lead, off a kill from an assist by Hennessey.
For the second game of the day, Minogue lead the club recording 10 kills against Oakland. Lysik added nine and also had 17 digs. Junior libero Liz Rondone ground out 22 digs and Hennessey dished out 31 assists.
Western Carolina returns to action Saturday September 13 at North Carolina State taking on the Wolfpack and William & Mary.
Auburn 3, Georgia Southern 2; Presbyterian 3, Georgia Southern 0
MACON, Ga. --- The Georgia Southern volleyball team dropped a pair of matches Saturday at the Bear Brawl hosted by Mercer.
Georgia Southern rallied from a 2-1 deficit but fell in set five to Auburn and were swept by Presbyterian.
The Eagles lost 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 16-25, 15-12) to Auburn and 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-19) to Presbyterian to fall to 3-4 on the season.
In the opener, GSU hit .425 in the first set on 18 kills and just one error, and recorded a season-high .237 attack percentage as a team.
But the Tigers rallied to edge the Eagles in the next two sets while holding them to just .073 in the second.
Freshman Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) notched a double-double with a career-high 20 kills and 10 digs. It was her fourth double-double in her last five matches. Also recording a double-double was senior Christy Dowd (Indianapolis, Ind.) with 12 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore Blaire Brueggemeyer (Burleson, Texas) had 48 assists and junior Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) posted 13 digs.
Sanford was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Auburn’s Jonelle Wallace posted 16 kills and a .419 attack percentage and Sara Shanks recorded 49 assists.
Presbyterian held Georgia Southern to a .080 attack percentage for the match while hitting .270 to earn the sweep.
The Eagles hit just -.053 in the opening set as the Blue Hose easily won 25-13. GSU rebounded to hit .212 in the second frame but was still out-hit by PC.
Lisa Shelley had 12 kills and a .370 hitting percentage to lead Presbyterian. Heather Swain posted 10 kills on just one error and Elizabeth Heineman added a match-high 20 digs.
Sanford had a team-best 11 kills and Haines recorded 17 digs for Georgia Southern.
The Eagles return to action next weekend when they host the Bash in the Boro starting Friday at 10 a.m.
Elon 3, North Carolina A&T 0
ELON, N.C. ? The Elon volleyball team downed North Carolina A&T 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-18) in the fourth match of the Elon Volleyball Classic. With the win, Elon improves to 5-1 on the season while N.C. A&T falls to 0-5 following the loss.
The teams kept the score close in the early part of the opening set. The teams tied 13 times before Elon strung together a four-point run behind the serving of Lizzie West, who recorded three aces during the run, to take a 20-16 lead. N.C. A&T would score just twice more before falling 25-18.
Elon started strong in set two, scoring 14 of the first 19 points to take a 14-5 lead. Following a point by the Aggies, Elon added three more points to the board, making it a 17-6 lead. N.C. A&T put together a four-point run that brought the team into double-digits. The Aggies continued to fight, but an attack error by Jordan Gray gave Elon a 25-14 win in set two.
The Phoenix jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Aggies tied the set at three. The teams would tie four more times before the Aggies scored five consecutive points that gave them a 12-8 edge that forced Elon to call a timeout. Elon fought back to a 17-17 tie, off a kill by Caroline Lemke, before a kill by Sarah Schermerhorn gave the Phoenix the lead for good. Elon scored five straight points to force the Aggies to call a timeout at the 24-18 mark. Stefanie Meyers’ kill sealed the set and match for Elon at 25-18.
Schermerhorn led the match with a .571 hitting percentage, connecting on 10-of-14 attempts and registering two errors. Meyers was five-for-10 with one error for a hitting percentage of .400. Pacing the Elon offense, who finished with a team hitting percentage of .309, was freshman setter Megan McMahon with 37 assists.
Defensively for Elon, it was Schermerhorn who came up big, recording one solo block and three assisted blocks. Mandy Wilson and Meyers each finished with one solo block and two assisted blocks. Controlling the defensive place was Kelley Blakewood with 14 digs.
N.C. A&T’s offense was held to a .083 team hitting percentage that was led by a combined 12 kills from Jordan Gray and Aundia Gray. Jordan Gray finished with a team-high 18 assists.
Defensively, Aundia Gray and Janae Mitchell each registered two assisted blocks, while Avingnon Williams and White had one assisted block each. As a team, N.C. A&T collected three blocks. Amber Inman finished the day with double-digit digs with 10.
The final session of the Elon Volleyball Classic will begin at 4:30 p.m. and will feature Campbell and N.C. A&T. Elon will close out the tournament with a match-up against UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m. Full coverage, including live stats and video (Elon’s match only) will be available at www.elonphoenix.com.
UNC Wilmington 3, Elon 0
ELON, N.C. ? The Elon volleyball team fell to UNC Wilmington 3-0 (25-27, 21-25, 20-25) in the championship match of the Elon Volleyball Classic Saturday night in Alumni Gym. The loss drops Elon to 5-2 while UNC Wilmington improves to 5-1.
Picking all-tournament honors for the second weekend in a row was freshman Traci Stewart who hit a .253 click with 30 kills, earned 27 digs, three service aces, and four assisted blocks during tournament play. Also picking up all-tournament honors was sophomore Sarah Schermerhorn who hit .211 with 22 kills, four service aces, 10 digs, three solo blocks and nine assisted blocks.
Leading Elon for the match was Lemke with 14 kills. Stewart earned seven while Stefanie Meyers recorded five kills. Splitting time at setter to pace Elon’s offense were Emily Regan who registered 15 assists and Megan McMahon with 13 assists.
It was Stewart and Schermerhorn who led the defensive attack for the Phoenix. Schermerhorn earned one solo and four assisted blocks, while Stewart recorded four assisted blocks. Meyers also recorded two assisted blocks. Senior Kelley Blakewood led the team in digs with 15, with Stewart adding 13.
UNCW’s Paula McConnell, who earned tournament MVP honors, tallied 12 kills for a hitting percentage of .429. Also recording double-digit kills was Lindsey Strucko with 11 kills. All-tournament selection Caricato went eight-for-17 for a hitting percentage of .412. Jacqueline Crane, an all-tournament selection, paced the Seahawk offense with a match-high 34 assists.
Caricato earned the team’s only solo block of the match and also added an assisted block to the team’s six. McConnell and Megan Nash each recorded two assisted blocks in the win. Libero Ashlyn Morris notched a match-high 22 digs, while Strucko added 13 and Anna Price added 11.
Elon returns to the court next weekend when they travel to Moon Township, Pa. for the Robert Morris Invitational, hosted by Robert Morris University. Elon will face the Colonials in the opening match of the tournament on Friday, Sept. 12 at 11 a.m. Full coverage of the match will be available at www.elonphoenix.com.
UNC Greensboro 3, South Carolina State 0; UNC Greensboro 3, East Carolina 2
HIGH POINT, NC ? UNC Greensboro won its final two matches at the HPU Volleyball Classic presented by Radisson Hotel on Saturday, Sept. 6, sweeping South Carolina State 3-0 and then hanging for a 3-2 victory over East Carolina at the Millis Center. Set scores to the match against South Carolina State were 25-17, 25-15, 25-18. Set scores in the East Carolina match were 26-28, 25-16, 25-21, 16-25, 24-22.
UNCG controlled the first and second sets of the match against South Carolina State. The Spartans had 32 kills off 60 total attacks with 8 errors for a .400 hitting percentage through the first two sets. Additionally, UNCG held the lead throughout the entire first two sets.
In the first set, UNCG put together three-point runs on four different occasions to eventually take a 15-7 lead. Although the Lady Bulldogs pulled to within six at several different times late in the match, back-to-back kills by senior Kaitlyn Nortz and junior Branagan Fuller gave the Spartans a 22-14 advantage. UNCG ultimately won the set as sophomore Alissa Beaudway recorded a kill off an assist by junior Kayleigh Knerr.
In the second set, the Spartans took an early 7-3 lead, scoring three-straight points off a kill by sophomore Kayren Finney and back-to-back kills by freshman Luciana Shafer. After South Carolina State made it a three-point set on two different occasions, the Spartans continued to increase their lead. With the score 13-9, a kill from Beaudway began a four-point run, allowing UNCG to lead by eight. The Spartans ultimately pushed their lead to nine as Shafer and junior Emily Lindborg blocked Linnie Garrett’s attack to make it 20-11. UNCG and South Carolina State traded points and each team had a two-point run before the Lady Bulldogs committed an error that allowed the Spartans to take the second set.
UNCG and South Carolina State battled for control early in the third set. After UNCG scored the set’s first three points, South Carolina State had a pair of three-point runs in order to take a 6-4 advantage. The lead flip-flopped between the two teams before Garrett’s kill tied the set at 12-all. Junior Samantha Kirby had a kill on the next play gave UNCG the lead for what proved to be for the remainder of the set. The Spartans eventually concluded the set with a five-point run that included a pair of South Carolina State errors and kills from Fuller and juniors Catherine Hanners and Lisa Fawell.
Fuller posted her second double-double of the tournament, totaling 16 kills and 10 digs, both of which were match-highs. Fawell had a match-high 18 assists, while sophomore Kimiko Naito totaled 16 assists.
Peri Ligons led the Lady Bulldogs with eight kills. Bria Brimmer totaled 17 assists, while Lauren Harris had nine digs.
The match against East Carolina proved to be a marathon with two of the sets, including deciding set five, going into extra points.
UNCG and East Carolina remained close to each other throughout the first set as just a few points separated the two teams. The Pirates eventually took a 20-16 lead as Lizzy Bruin had a kill. UNCG responded and rattled off five-straight points to take a 21-20 advantage. After trading points, East Carolina got a kill from Bruin and a block by Bruin and Stephanie Turner to take a 23-22 lead. From that point on, the teams traded points before the Pirates got the final two points of the set.
In the second set, the Spartans set the tone on both offense and defense. Offensively, UNCG had a trio of five-point runs and a late four-point run. Defensively, the Spartans registered 15 block assists for a team total of 7.5 blocks. An early kill by Finney started the first five-point run that included three blocks and resulted in a 6-2 UNCG advantage. Although East Carolina got a kill from Amanda Lutzow on the next play, a Beaudway kill started the Spartans’ second five-point run. During that run, both Nortz and Fuller had kills, while Nortz and redshirt sophomore Caley Redden combined for a block as UNCG took an 11-3 lead. The Pirates cut UNCG’s lead in half before they had a service error that began the Spartans’ third five-point run and allowed UNCG to make it a 16-7 set. UNCG ultimately pushed its lead to 10 points on two occasions, including a 22-12 advantage. The Spartans eventually won the set and even the match at 1-1 with a Nortz kill.
UNCG led throughout the third set, but was not able to big a large lead until a late five-point run. With the score 19-17, a kill by Finney began the Spartans’ run. East Carolina committed three straight errors, including having an attack blocked by Hanners, Finney and Beaudway. Fawell served an ace in order to put UNCG up 24-17, but the Pirates rallied with their own four-point run to pull to within three. However, Finney recorded the set-winning kill to give the Spartans a 2-1 match lead.
In the fourth set, UNCG and East Carolina remained within striking distance of each other until the Pirates scored five-straight points. The Pirates run started with an Erica Banning kill and resulted in East Carolina holding an 18-14 advantage. Back-to-back kills by Nortz and Shafer allowed UNCG to pull to within two, but the Pirates reeled off the final seven points of the set to tie the match at 2-2 and force a deciding set five.
Control of the fifth set flip-flopped between UNCG and the Pirates early in the set. The Spartans eventually took a 7-4 lead, which ultimately proved to be the largest lead either team would hold during the set. East Carolina had the next two points of the set in order to make it a one-point set. The teams traded points until the Pirates score three-straight to take a 13-12 advantage. UNCG answered with kills from Fuller and Hanners return the lead to the Spartans and make it a 14-13 set. UNCG and East Carolina exchanged points until a pair of Spartan errors allowed the Pirates to take a 21-20 lead. Nortz evened the set at 21-all with a kill, but Lutzow’s kill allowed East Carolina to make it 22-21. However, Finney recorded the set-tying and go-ahead kills for the Spartans, while a Hanners kill sealed the win for the Spartans.
Fuller posted her second double-double of the day and her third of the tournament with a 20-kill, 22-dig performance against East Carolina. Nortz chipped in with 17 kills, while Finney had a career-tying 14. Finney also set a new career-high in blocks as she totaled nine block assists. Meanwhile, Fawell totaled 33 assists, while Naito had 26.
Lutzow totaled a team-high 19 kills, while Turner had a 13-kill, 13-dig double-double. Banning also added 13 kills. Hannah Fenker put up 59 assists. Trish Monroe tallied 28 digs.
The All-Tournament Team was announced following the completion of the High Point-Marist match. Fuller and Finney were both selected to the team. Fuller posted a double-double in all three of the Spartans’ matches. She totaled 50 kills and 46 digs and averaged 4.17 kills per set and 3.83 digs per set. Finney totaled 16 block assists and averaged 1.60 blocks in the tournament. She also made 29 kills.
UNCG is back in action on Sunday, Sept. 7 when the Spartans host Missouri State at Fleming Gymnasium. Match time is scheduled for 12 Noon.
AGATE
UNCG def. South Carolina State 25-17,25-15,25-18
South Carolina State (1-6) (Kills-aces-blocks) - LIGONS,Peri 8-0-2; KLOSS,Gisela 6-2-2; GLEATON,Jarne 3-1-0; GARRETT,Linnie 3-0-3; HARRIS,Lauren 1-0-0; BRIMMER,Bria 1-0-1; ROBERSON,Shabree 1-0-2; Totals 23-3-6.0. (Assists) - BRIMMER,Bria 17. (Dig leaders) - HARRIS,Lauren 9; BRIMMER,Bria 8
UNCG (4-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Branagan Fuller 16-0-0; Luciana Shafer 6-0-3; Catherine Hanners 6-0-1; Samantha Kirby 4-0-1; Emily Lindborg 4-0-5; Kaitlyn Nortz 3-1-0; Alissa Beaudway 3-0-1; Kayren Finney 2-0-0; Lisa Fawell 2-2-0; Kayleigh Knerr 0-1-0; Totals 46-4-6.0. (Assists) - Lisa Fawell 18; Kimiko Naito 16. (Dig leaders) - Branagan Fuller 10; Kimiko Naito 9
UNC Greensboro def. East Carolina 26-28,25-16,25-21,16-25,24-22
UNCG (5-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Branagan Fuller 20-3-3; Kaitlyn Nortz 17-0-8; Kayren Finney 14-0-9; Catherine Hanners 8-2-5; Alissa Beaudway 5-0-6; Caley Redden 3-0-6; Luciana Shafer 1-0-0; Kimiko Naito 0-1-0; Kayleigh Knerr 0-1-0; Lisa Fawell 0-1-0; Totals 68-8-19.0. (Assists) - Lisa Fawell 33; Kimiko Naito 26. (Dig leaders) - Branagan Fuller 22; Kayleigh Knerr 15
East Carolina (6-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - LUTZOW, Amanda 19-0-4; BANNING, Erica 13-0-5; TURNER, Stephanie 13-0-3; BRUIN, Lizzy 8-0-3; ZENTNER, Melissa 7-0-0; FENKER, Hannah 4-0-2; ROPER, Britney 3-0-0; PRAST, Katie 3-0-0; STALL, Bobbi Jo 1-0-2; GILMORE, Kylie 0-1-0; Totals 71-1-10.0. (Assists) - FENKER, Hannah 59. (Dig leaders) - MONROE, Trish 28; TURNER, Stephanie 13
Chattanooga 3, South Alabama 2; Central Michigan 3, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? The Chattanooga Lady Mocs came within one match of the Country Inn & Suites Challenge Championship Saturday as UTC fell to Central Michigan 3-0 in the tournament’s championship game, 25-22, 25-17, and 25-20. Ashley Yeager led the Lady Mocs in the loss with seven kills, while Lara Newberry paced the team defensively with 14 digs. Michaela Huff had a team-high 20 assists in the loss, which drops UTC’s record to 2-4.
For Central Michigan, the Chippewas had three players with double digit kills, in Kaitlyn Schultz, 11, Whitney Evers, 10, and Kate Fissel, 10. Stephanie Budde led all players with 41 assists, and Alexis Lonneman had a match-high 19 digs. With the victory, Central Michigan improved to 5-1 on the season.
In the first set, both teams played neck-and-neck, until the Chippewas broke a 16-all tie with a Whitney Evers ace. Central Michigan would then score five straight points to increase its lead before eventually taking a 1-0 lead. Budde led all players in the set with 11 assists, while Lonneman had a set-high eight digs. Both CMU’s Whitney Evers, and UTC’s Courtney Barnes led with four kills a piece.
The second set began much like the first for both teams as neither squad to pull away from one another. After a Kate Fissel kill to put CMU up 10-9, the Chippewas never trailed again, winning the second frame 25-17.
The next set started with both teams swapping leads all the way to a 8-all tie. A Cassie Conner service error would give the Chippewas the lead, one they wouldn’t relinquish, as CMU won the set, the match, and the tournament, with the 25-20 win.
To get to the championship game, the Lady Mocs had to get past the South Alabama Jaguars. In what proved to be the most exciting game of the tournament, the Lady Mocs prevailed in five sets, winning 26-24, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, and 15-10.
Chattanooga’s Michaela Huff led all players with 49 assists, while Newberry and USA’s Samia Salomao tied with 31 digs. Offensively, Yeager, and the Jaguars’ Tereza Bendlova, and Lindsay Schwartz, led with 13 kills.
Chattanooga jumped out early winning the first two sets, only to see USA storm right back with two sets of its own. Early in the fifth, and deciding set, UTC found itself down 6-4. A kill by Courtney Barnes, and an ace by Yeager, quickly brought the Lady Mocs back to a 6-all tie. Chattanooga would then score two more consecutive points to give itself the 8-6 lead, and the Lady Mocs wouldn’t trail again as they took the set, and the match 15-10, to improve to 2-3 on the season.
In the other two games played in the tournament on Saturday, Central Michigan took out Alabama A&M 3-0, while South Alabama was also victorious over the Bulldogs in straight sets. In Central Michigan’s bout with AAMU, Schultz led all players with eight kills as the Chippewas had a hitting percentage of .312 in the set. In the other matchup, USA won in straight sets thanks to Tereza Bendlova’s match high 12 kills. The loss dropped Alabama A&M to 0-6 on the season, while South Alabama improved to 3-2.
After the final game of the tournament, the Country Inn & Suites Challenge All-Tournament team was announced. Central Michigan’s Kaitlyn Schultz, and Whitney Evers were selected, as Schultz was tabbed the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Schultz had 28 kills for CMU, and recorded a .462 hitting percentage. Chattanooga also had two players named to the team, as Lara Newberry, and Ashley Yeager were selected. Newberry recorded 62 digs in the tournament, second only to South Alabama’s Samia Salomao. Selected from the Jaguars was Maria Kashavelova, and Alabama A&M’s Courtney Jenkins was named to round out the team.
Next up for the Lady Mocs will be the Chanticleer Invitational on Sept. 12-13, in Conway, S.C., where UTC will play Troy, Georgia State, and Coastal Carolina. Chattanooga will open up the tourney Friday, against Troy, at 4 p.m.
2008 Country Inn & Suites Challenge All Tournament Team
1. Kaitlyn Schultz (CMU) (MVP)
2. Whitney Evers (CMU)
3. Lara Newberry (UTC)
4. Ashley Yeager (UTC)
5. Maria Kashavelova (USA)
6. Courtney Jenkins (AAMU)
Samford 3, Morgan State 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ---- The Samford University volleyball team earned its third win in the UMKC Kangaroo Klassic Saturday morning over the Morgan State Bears. The Bulldogs (5-1, 0-0 SoCon) swept all three games (25-12, 25-12, 25-7) from the Bears and remained undefeated in the tournament.
"We took care of business," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. "I am very happy to get both freshmen some productive playing time. This sets up an important match against Florida Atlantic which is important for us to play in a match early in the season that has some meaning and is for a tournament championship."
Adams put the Bulldogs on the board first in the set one with a kill but the Bears quickly caught up on a Samford error. Two more errors by each team tied the score at two but Morgan State soon took over with a three-point lead. The Bulldogs fought back and tied the score at eight and immediately took over the lead, soon leading by as much as 15. Samford dominated the final third of the set after a Bulldog timeout, going on a 10-3 run to win the first set, 25-12.
Fountain started out the second set for Samford with an ace but with a Morgan State kill and a Samford error, the Bears took a 2-1 lead. That would be the last time the Bears would lead in the match because the Bulldogs would immediately take the lead and continue to widen the gap.
With Samford leading by seven, Morgan State took a timeout, but Samford would come out of the break blazing, grabbing seven of the last eight points of the set. Sears grabbed a kill right out of the gate, followed by a block by Sosnowski and Weber and a kill by Ashley Adams. An error by Morgan State and another block by Sosnowski and Weber gave Samford a 12-point lead. After allowing one more point for the Bears, Samford made 25-12 the final score on kills by Weber and Sosnowski.
Samford completely dominated the third set winning, 25-7. Morgan State took the first point of the set but would only get on the board six more times in the set. Four consecutive kills by the Sears and Brandon along with a block by Gadberry gave the Bulldogs a seven-point lead (9-2) before Morgan State took a timeout. However, Samford was relentless after the break, allowing the Bears only five more points in the match, soaring to an 18-point lead to close out the match.
Senior Sara Sears led the Bulldogs in kills with nine while hitting .294 and grabbing one dig and one block assists. Ashley Adams was right behind with eight, hitting .538 and posted six digs, one ace and one assist. Sheriden Stangorh and Kirstein Sosnowski led Samford in blocks with four assists each. Stangohr also posted six kills and hit .556 while Sosnowski scored on all three of her attacks at the ball.
Rachael Gadberry had the only two blocks solo for the Bulldogs. To that she added, one block assist, one dig, one ace and four kills while hitting .429. Samantha Bland dug seven balls and had two aces while Sarah Gardner grabbed four digs and three aces.
Setter Hillary Fountain dished out 35 assists while digging six balls and grabbing three block assists, one ace and one kill. Libero Courtney Gay led the team with 11 digs and grabbed one assists while Katie Luckman grabbed two kills on three attempts, hitting .667. True freshman Shelby Brandon score on all three of her attempts in her first appearance on the court as a Bulldog while fellow freshman Katie Weber grabbed three block assists, two kills and one dig.
The Bulldogs will wrap up play in the Kangaroo Klassic Saturday afternoon as they take on Florida Atlantic for the tournament championship. Match play begins at 3 p.m. Follow the action via live stats on www.umkckangaroos.com and a full recap and results will be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of the match.
Samford 3, Florida Atlantic 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford volleyball team grabbed the UMKC Kangaroo Klassic Championship title Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 (25-20, 250-20, 25-15) win over Florida Atlantic. The Bulldogs are 6-1 on the season now, continuing their best season start yet. Sophomore setter Hillary Fountain was named tournament MVP while senior Libero Courtney Gay and junior middle blocker Sheriden Stangohr also earned spots on the all-tournament teams.
"It gives us great experience early in the season to play a championship game," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. "The team really bared down and executed when they needed to. Our offense was fast and efficient all weekend which showed when Hillary Fountain got MVP. Our first contact was awesome which is proved through Courtney Gay being named All-Tournament."
Samford opened up the first set grabbing the first two points on a kill by Sears and an FAU error, but the Owls quickly evened the score. Samford soon took a took a five-point lead with the help of some opponent errors and kills by Adams and Sosnowski and a block by Fountain and Sosnowski. The Owls fought to cut the lead to one, but Samford held on won set one, 25-20.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early three-point lead in the second set, first with a block by Gadberry and Sosnowski followed by an ace by Fountain and kill by Sosnowski. The Owls got on the board due to a blocking error by Samford but the Bulldogs still held on to their lead, extending it to seven. After an FAU timeout, the Owls went on a 9-5 run to get within two but Samford then took a timeout to regroup. Leading 17-15, the Bulldogs came out of the break and took care of business, allowing the Owls only four points in the final third of the set, and winning 25-20.
At the beginning of the third set, it looked to be a close game. The Bulldogs went up by two but the Owls quickly caught up and tied the score. With a 5-5 tie, Samford tacked on three straight points to go up by three and soon the Bulldogs lead by five. FAU took a timeout with the Bulldogs leading 14-9, but Samford continued to dominated the third set and eventually won, 25-16.
Fountain earned her MVP status notching 138 assists (11.58 apg), 15 digs and 10 blocks over the weekend. Against Florida Atlantic, she had 32 assists with three block assists, one dig and three kills, hitting .429. Gay added eight digs to her weekend total of 42 while Stangorh posted eight kills and hit .500 against the Owls while grabbing four block assists.
Kirstein Sosnowski hit .333 with seven kills and three block assists while Sara Sears had six kills, two digs and one block assist. Rachel Gadberry posted three kills and three block assists while adding one ace and one dig. Sarah Gardner dug nine balls and had three aces while Samantha Bland had six digs and Katie Luckman added one dig and one ace.
The Bulldogs will be back in action next weekend, Sept. 15-16, in the Hampton Inn Bama Bash hosted by the University of Alabama. In that tournament, Samford will take on Alabama and Murray State on Friday and South Florida on Saturday.
All Tournament Team:
Samford
Hillary Fountain - MVP
Courtney Gay
Sheriden Stangohr
Missouri State 3, Davidson 1; North Carolina 3, Davidson 0
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Senior middle blocker Kittery Neale was named to the All-Tournament team for a second weekend as the Davidson Wildcat volleyball team completed play at the Carolina Classic, losing a pair of matches Saturday to Missouri State, 3-1, and host North Carolina, 3-0.
The Wildcats faced Missouri State in the first match, dropping a 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-9, 25-18) decision before losing 3-0 (25-10, 25-14, 25-18) to the host Tar Heels in the nightcap. Davidson falls to 1-6 on the season.
In the opening game of the day, Neale established the Wildcat offense early, earning three points and keeping the score tied 3-3. The Bulldogs put together a 6-2 run to take a 10-5 lead and control of the game. Mississippi State maintained the margin, 16-8, but the 'Cats would manage to get within three late in the game. A kill from sophomore setter Hayley Lawson meant the 'Cats trailed just 20-17, and though the survived three game points, the Bulldogs would take the first game by a score of 25-20.
In the second game, the teams battled and traded points for the first third of the game, tied at 9-9, until sophomore Jorden Benedict gave her team the lead. Davidson held the slight advantage until Foley knotted the score at 13, and a Wildcat hitting error would relinquish the lead. Sophomore outside hitter Sarabeth Peele recorded three straight putaways to put the 'Cats back on top, and though the game would stay close the rest of the way, freshman Madison Benedict lifted the 'Cats to a 25-23 win to even the match at a game apiece.
The Bulldogs came out ready to attack after the break, and posted a 25-9 win in the third game. The final game was close early, but with the score tied at 3-3, a four-point serve from Kelley Michonwicz gave the Bulldogs a 7-3 cushion they maintained the rest of the way, winning the match with a 25-18 win in the final game.
In the nightcap, the Tar Heels proved too much for the Wildcats, winning three straight games behind a balanced offense to take the match. No hitter had double-digits in kills for the Heels, who were lead by Lauren Prussing with nine. For the 'Cats both Peele and Neale finished the match with eight, but the Heels outhit the 'Cats .280 to -.032.
Davidson will open its home season on Friday at the Wildcat Classic, featuring Charlotte, George Mason and Rutgers. The 'Cats first action of the 2008 season in Belk Arena will come against Charlotte at 7 p.m. Friday.
Robrt Morris 3, The Citadel 0
DeLAND, Fla. ? The Citadel Volleyball team concluded the Holiday Inn Invitational with a hard fought battle against the Colonials of Robert Morris, but the Bulldogs were unable to come out victorious, losing in a 3-0 decision. The Bulldogs faced the Colonials for the first time in program history.
The Colonials entered the set with a 5-1 record, looking to keep their one and only loss in the tournament. The Bulldogs entered the set with back-to-back losses in the tournament and a 2-3 record. The Citadel came out strong in the first set, keeping the game close and staying with the Colonials. The Bulldogs were unable to hang on, losing 25-22.
“We played with aggression, enthusiasm and consistency in the first set,” said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. “We played point for point against them and just didn’t earn the points at the end of the set.”
After losing a heart-breaking first set, the Bulldogs continued to fight for a chance to stay in the match and the possibility of giving the Colonials their second loss of the season. The Bulldogs couldn’t get their momentum back and the Colonials’ strength and speed was too much for The Citadel, losing the second set 25-11.
The third set was a much better match for the Bulldogs, where they managed to hang with the Colonials on the offensive end. The Bulldogs tallied six kills and 31 total attacks, while the Colonials tallied nine kills and 26 total attacks. Even with a solid offense, the Bulldogs couldn’t get by the Colonials, losing 25-12.
“In the second and third sets, the setters and the hitters weren’t connecting well,” said Geiger. “Robert Morris is a solid team. We need to control our passes in serve receive better and use better shot selection, so we’re not as predictable.”
On the offensive end, Tatum Jestila, Amanda Beal and Rachel Sanders dominated for the Bulldogs. Jestila had 23 total attacks with five kills, while Sanders had 20 total attacks and five kills. Beal had 17 total attack and 8 kills. Emily Hill contributed to the offense with 11 assists and she also had seven digs on the defensive end.
The Bulldogs were glad to have Beal back. Coming back from an injury, Beal put on an outstanding performance at the tournament, earning her a spot on the All-Tournament team. She finished with 22 kills, 47 total attacks, three digs and five blocks.
“Amanda Beal performed well all weekend and was named to the All-Tournament team,” said Geiger. “I am glad to have Amanda back in the line-up. She has come back better than ever.”
The Bulldogs (2-4) will be back in action on Wednesday, Sept. 10 when they travel up the road to battle the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern at 7:00 p.m. Last season, the Bulldogs defeated the Buccaneers in McAlister Field House to start the 2007 season.
College of Charleston 3, Stetson 0
DeLAND, Fla. - Sophomore setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) fell two blocks shy of a triple-double with 35 assists, 10 digs and a career-high eight blocks as the College of Charleston (4-2) downed Stetson (1-5) 3-0 Saturday evening at the Holiday Inn Stetson Invitational in DeLand, Florida. Charleston collected wins of 25-14, 25-21 and 25-16.
After reaching a 4-4 deadlock early in Game 1, the Cougars took complete control with eight straight points to go ahead 12-4 and extended out to an 18-6 advantage as part of a larger 14-2 run. During that stretch, junior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) delivered three kills while junior middle blocker Jennifer Darty (Orlando, Fla.) and sophomore right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) added two apiece. Charleston would then maintain that double-digit lead for the remainder of the set, posting a 25-14 victory to go ahead 1-0 in the match. In addition to her offensive production, Darty added five block assists in the set.
In Game 2, the Cougars jumped out to an early 6-2 lead before the Hatters rebounded to narrow the margin to 11-10. From there, the teams would battled through four ties, knotting the set at 17-17, before a 5-2 mini-run gave CofC a 22-19 advantage. Stetson would close to within 22-21 as they capitalized on back-to-back errors, but that would be as close as they would get as Charleston rattled off the final three points to claim the 25-21 victory and go up 2-0 in the match.
The Cougars once again took the early advantage as they pounced on the Hatters for a 9-4 advantage before Stetson closed to within 10-7. Charleston quickly extended its lead to 20-11 with a 10-4 run before wrapping up the third set 25-16 to notch its third consecutive straight sets victory.
Senior outside hitter Rebecca Orzechowicz led the attack for the Hatters with nine kills and added six digs while junior right side hitter Sarah Sears notched eight kills. Freshman setter Jennica Hagberg finished with a team-high 26 assists to go along with five digs while freshman outside hitter Kaylee Ream posted a team-best eight digs.
Dawley led the way for the Cougars as she posted her third double-double of the season with match-highs of 35 assists and eight blocks to go along with 10 digs while junior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) notched her third double-digit kill performance of the tournament with 11 kills. Freshman middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) finished with nine kills and six blocks and Jennifer Darty added six kills and seven blocks, five of which came in the opening set.
Defensively, freshman libero Emily Shelton (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the way with a match-high 15 digs and sophomore defensive specialist Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) contributed 13 digs.
For the Cougars, Elyse Chubb was named Tournament Most Valuable Player with 28 kills and 10 blocks while Cole Dawley and Emily Sawin were named to the All-Tournament Team. Dawley finished the weekend with 98 assists, 17 digs and nine blocks while Sawin posted 32 kills over 12 sets.
The Cougars return to action on Friday, September 12 when they travel to the Carolina Classic for a 10 a.m. match against in-state rival South Carolina.
NOTES
Charleston has now won four straight matches and 13 consecutive games dating back to the fourth game against Wyoming on August 30.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Amanda Beal - The Citadel
Amanda Graham - Robert Morris
Jaye Hellmich - Robert Morris
Melanie Boyer - Stetson
Jennica Hagberg - Stetson
Cole Dawley - College of Charleston
Emily Sawin - College of Charleston
Tournament MVP
Elyse Chubb - College of Charleston