Appalachian State 3, Samford 2
BOONE, N.C. - After falling behind 2-1 Appalachian State University volleyball rallied a comeback and shocked SoCon North Division leader Samford Sunday afternooon, handing the Bulldogs a thrilling 3-2 defeat. With the victory, Appalachian defeats the Bulldogs for the first time in school history, with just three meetings between the two squads and improves to 8-12 on the season and 4-2 in SoCon action. Samford drops its first SoCon match of the 2009 season and snaps an eight match winning streak.
Samford came out strong in first set play, going up by as many as seven points. Despite a solid effort by the Mountaineers a 6-0 run by Samford proved to the set-changer as three Appalachian attack errors and and two solo blocks by Shelby Brandon gave the Bulldogs a 13-7 advantage. ASU crawled back within four points at the 14-10 mark with Becca Norris recording a kill and Maja Jechorek and Norris combining for a block assist.
The Black and Gold's effort was not enough as Samford took advantage of Appalachian's errors and continued with its offensive assault, as Brandon paced the attack, putting the Bulldogs up 17-10. ASU cut their deficit to just four points after three straight kills by Lauren Swecker, Maggie Seeds and Norris. However, ASU would tally just one more point and the Bulldogs closed the set out on a 6-1 run to earn a 25-16 first set win.
Appalachian did not back down, as they battled back and forth with Samford in second set action. The Apps notched a four point advantage at the 14-10 mark, thanks in part to a 4-0 run. With Seeds and Sedon recording kills and Kasey Sauls earning a service ace.
Samford would not go away quietly, as the Bulldogs came storming back to take a 15-14 lead, but a kill by sophomore Kelly Rhein knotted the match at 15 all and an attack error by Sarah Gardner put ASU up for good at the 16-15 mark. The Mountaineers were able to maintain their lead in the waning points of the second set, going up by as many as three points and hung on for a 25-21 second set victory, to tie the match at one all.
The third set was all Samford, who came out on fire putting ASU down by as many as five points early on, with Sheriden Stangohr, Rachel Gadberry and Hillary Fountain all contributing to SU's lead.
Samford did not relinquish its advantage, pushing the score to 16-10. Appalachian tried to rally, as a kill by Sedon, a Bulldog attack error and a Sauls service ace pulled the Apps back within three. That would be the closest of margins for the Black and Gold who dropped the third set 25-19.
After falling behind 10-4, it seemed as though the match would come to a close for ASU, but the Apps continued to fight, as an 8-2 Mountaineer run put the Apps right back into the mix, tying the set at 12 all. It was three straight Bulldog errors and points by Swecker, Sedon and Kelly Rhein that helped ASU get back into the match.
Appalachian continued with its impressive play, taking its first lead of the contest at the 15-12 mark, with Rhein scoring two points and Sauls posting another service ace. The spark was all Appalachian needed, as Samford would not lead again, despite tying the set at 16 all.
It was freshman Kelsey Kuehner who kept ASU ahead, notching her first two kills of the match to push Appalachian's advantage to 18-16. Another kill by Kuehner and two kills by Seeds helped the Apps capture a 25-17 fourth set win, tying the match at 2-2.
The Mountaineers carried their momentum into the fifth set grabbing a commanding 8-3 lead, with Seeds getting in on the majority of action, with three kills and combining for a block assist with Sedon. Senior libero Cassie Engelgau's second kill of the season could not have come at a better time giving the Black and Gold the five point cushion.
Samford tried to keep pace with ASU, tying the set on five more occassions, with the final tie at the 14 all mark, but a kill by Norris and attack error by Allie Bettinger gave the Mountaineers the thrilling 16-14 fifth set win and 3-2 match victory.
It was all Seeds on the offensive front for Appalachian, as she recorded a career-high 16 kills, with five block assists. Sauls was impressive as well, tying a career-high three aces and a season-high 48 assists.
Appalachian continues with its homestand, returning to action Friday October 16, as the Apps host SoCon South division leader and defending 2008 SoCon Tournament champion Furman at 7 p.m. in the Holmes Center.
College of Charleston 3, Davidson 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Junior setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) notched a match-high 35 assists and added nine digs and five blocks as the College of Charleston (8-10, 4-2) swept Davidson (4-17, 1-4) 3-0 Sunday afternoon in a Southern Conference volleyball match in Davidson, N.C. The Cougars claimed the match by scores of 25-15, 25-23 and 25-20.
After battling through three early ties, the College of Charleston used a Davidson attack error and consecutive kills from junior outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.) to take a 6-3 lead in Game 1. The Wildcats would keep it close as they made it 7-6 and stayed within three points before the Cougars extended their lead to 13-9 and forced a Davidson timeout. CofC continued its solid play out of the break as they pushed their advantage to 16-12 before using a 9-3 run to earn a 25-15 victory.
Trailing 1-0 in the match, Davidson jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the second set before the Cougars scored three straight points to tie the score at 5-5. The teams would continue to stay within striking distance of each other as they played through three ties to deadlock at 8-8 before a pair of kills sparked a 4-0 CofC run that gave them a 12-8 lead. The Wildcats refused to go away as they eventually tied the game at 14-14. A kill by junior outside hitter Sarabeth Peele then gave them the lead but not for long.
A kill by senior middle blocker Jennifer Darty (Orlando, Fla.) for the College of Charleston then tied it at 15-15 and touched off a string of four ties that left the teams knotted at 18-18. At that point, sophomore middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.) drilled a kill and the Cougars took advantage of a ball handling error to regain the lead at 20-18 and force a Davidson timeout.
The Wildcats responded out of the break as they stayed right with the College of Charleston, closing to within 22-21. An exchange of points on the next four rallies left the score at 24-23 before a kill from sophomore middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) put the set away at 25-23 for a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Neither team could take control of the third set early on as the lead changed hands three times before the Cougars used a 3-0 run to take a 10-7 lead. CofC would eventually stretch that lead to 18-13 before Davidson used a 4-1 run, fueled by a pair of kills from sophomore middle blocker Madison Benedict, to narrow the gap to 19-17. Leading 20-18, the Cougars put together a 5-2 run and closed out the set on back-to-back kills from junior right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) and Darty for a 25-20 decision and 3-0 match victory.
Sarabeth Peele led Davidson with 14 kills while Anna Bradbury set up the offense with 32 assists. Madison Benedict added seven kills and her sister, junior middle blocker Jorden Benedict, finished with six kills and a team-high .286 hitting percentage. On defense, freshman libero Molly Crenshaw finished with eight digs.
Cole Dawley had a solid all-around match to lead the College of Charleston as she finished with 35 assists, nine digs, six kills, five blocks and a .625 hitting percentage while Sarah Havel had 10 kills. Whitney Russell contributed a season-high nine kills and Jennifer Darty finished with seven kills, four blocks and a .636 hitting percentage. Junior right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) added eight kills. Defensively, junior libero Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) led the way with 11 digs and Elyse Chubb had four blocks.
The Cougars travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. and Birmingham, Ala. next weekend for a pair of matches against Chattanooga and Samford. They will face the Lady Mocs on Saturday, October 17 and the Bulldogs on Sunday, October 18. First serve for both matches is slated for 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Chattanooga 3, Western Carolina 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga played a complete offensive and defensive match securing a 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-22) victory at Western Carolina. After clinching the first set for the first set win in three matches, the Lady Mocs rolled to victory led by junior middle blocker Courtney Barnes (Franklin, Tenn.) with 10 kills hitting .526.
"It feels good to win again," said head coach Lisa Rhodes. "And it was great to get over the hump after going through a bad stretch. Not only did we win, but we swept them, which will be very good for our confidence which has been a little shaky at times."
The story of the match was the improved defense that the team played from start to finish digging up 60 balls one by each member of the squad and they were paced by freshman libero Paula Passmore (Merritt Island, Fla.) with 21.
"Our defense is what we usually ride on and it has not been where it needed to be," said Rhodes. "But I think today that the defense did step up. On the front line in our blocks, we were touching some balls, which made it a lot easier for our back row."
Senior setter Cassie Conner (Willow Springs, Ill.) was a key to the win as she recorded 34 assists and dug up 13 attacks posting her second double-double of the season.
Freshman outside hitter Heather Parman (Ooltewah, Tenn.) contributed with nine kills along with six digs. All nine Lady Mocs who played registered a kill during the afternoon including sophomore right side Jessica Scott (Lawrence, Kan.) with six. Freshman outside hitter Kirsten Beasley (Amarillo, Texas) had only five kills, but each of them seemed to come at a key times including the match winner.
Leading Chattanooga, sophomore middle blocker Ellie Kuhn (San Antonio, Texas) recorded a match-high six blocks, while adding six kills. Scott had three blocks and Barnes and Beasley each added two.
"Jessica Scott played a nice match coming in to give us some minutes with great blocking. I think Cassie brought some leadership out there. It was nice to see her run the offense seeing her spread the ball around. She also provided some senior leadership today which is something that some of the younger girls are looking for."
In the first set, the Lady Mocs started slow, but kept the score within reach only trailing by four at the most before tying at 16. The teams continued to trade points up to 24-all, when Barnes registered two kills in a row providing Chattanooga with a 26-24 win. The victory in the set was the first one for the Lady Mocs over the past three matches since sweeping UNC Greensboro.
A tight contest ensued in the second set as the two teams traded points till the Lady Mocs opened a two-point lead at 17-15. From there, UTC scored on eight on the next 11 rallies to take the set, 25-18.
The third set saw Western Carolina take an early 4-1 lead, but Chattanooga fought back to take six points in a row. The Catamounts would not go away though as they tied it up multiple times and the Lady Mocs scored the final two points in the 25-22 win.
"I am really impressed with our aggressiveness today in ending the match on an aggressive kill by Kirsten [Beasley]. In the past, we usually would be sitting back on our heels waiting for the other team to make an error. Instead, we ended the match with a statement saying, 'Hey we can do this.'"
As a team, Chattanooga hit .222 registering 43 total kills including 15 kills in the third set. Western Carolina made numerous mistakes on the day including eight service and 21 attack errors hitting .115.
Next weekend, Chattanooga hosts the College of Charleston and The Citadel with both contests beginning at 2 p.m. from Maclellan Gym.
UNC Greensboro 3, Wofford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Freshman Olivia Humphries had a match-high 11 and the Spartans held the Terriers to a .039 hitting percentage as UNC Greensboro swept Wofford, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon in the Ben Johnson Arena.
The Spartans extended their winning streak to five matches and improved to 11-9 on the season and 4-2 in Southern Conference action. The Terriers fell to 15-6 overall and 2-3 in league play.
In addition to Humphries' 11 kills, Alissa Beaudway added 9 kills to lead UNCG offensively. Ari Lysacek had her 10th double-double of the season with 30 assists and 12 digs and Catherine Hanners had a match-high 23 digs.
Stacy Byrd had a team-high 10 kills and Shanna Hughes had 17 digs to lead the Terriers on the afternoon.
Neither team was able to take control of the match in the early going as the two teams traded points and were tied at 14 midway through the set. The Spartans won three of the next four points to take a 17-15 lead on a kill by Humphries and held on to take the set, 25-21.
The Spartans came out inspired in the second set and blew the match open as they took a 10-1 lead. UNCG continued to ride its momentum by taking the set, 25-10, on another kill by Humphries.
Wofford came out of the break with a newfound confidence as they took an early 4-0 lead, which forced the Spartans to call a timeout. The Terriers were able to extend their lead to 7-2 before UNCG went on an 11-3 run, capped off by a Caley Redden kill, to take a 13-10 lead. The Spartans never lost the lead again as they went on to clinch the victory by winning the set, 25-18.
UNCG returns to the court next weekend for a special home match against Davidson. The Spartans and Wildcats will meet on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Fleming Gymnasium in the annual Dig Pink match, which is a Breast Cancer Awareness Rally.