Elon 3, Georgia Southern 1
ELON, N.C. - In front of fans clad in pink for its annual Dig Pink match, the Elon Phoenix volleyball team handed the Georgia Southern Eagles a 3-1 (19-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-15) loss in Southern Conference action on Saturday afternoon in Alumni Gym. Sarah Schermerhorn and Traci Stewart each tallied 11 kills in the match to lead the Phoenix.
Elon improves to 16-4 on the season and 4-3 in league play. Georgia Southern, which entered the match ranked second in the SoCon's South Division, drops to 5-2 in the conference and 15-7 overall.
Schermerhorn finished with two errors in 23 attempts for a .391 attack percentage. She also added four assisted blocks and two service aces. Stewart registered four total blocks that included one solo block. Lauren Copenhagen, Emily Regan and Lizzie West recorded three service aces each to lead the Phoenix. As a team, Elon earned 16 service aces.
Georgia Southern's Bethany Sanford totaled a match-high 14 kills, while Parker Small added 11. Moriah Bellissimo and Small finished the match with three assisted blocks each.
After falling to the Eagles 25-19 in set one, the Phoenix bounced back to take set two by the same score. Georgia Southern put together an early six-point run to take a 9-6 lead. A pair of kills and a service ace by Schermerhorn knotted the score at nine. Two miscues by the Eagles sparked a 5-0 run that allowed the Phoenix a 15-11 lead. GSU pulled to within two at the 18-16 mark before Elon scored five straight points to make it a 23-16 game. Consecutive kills by Celia Eddy sealed the set for the Phoenix.
The two teams tied four times in the third set before Elon took a 10-5 lead behind the serve of West. Georgia Southern brought the set to within two at the 10-8 mark with the help of a block by Kirby Monson and Small. The Phoenix answered with consecutive points to retake a four-point lead. Trailing 13-10, the Eagles strung together five straight points to take its first lead of the night at 14-13. GSU maintained the lead until a block by Stewart and Eddy ignited a three-point Phoenix run that tied the set at 19. A Stewart kill and a block by Copenhagen and Schermerhorn gave Elon a 22-20 lead. Elon scored three of the last five points to take set three by a score of 25-23.
Elon raced to a 10-4 lead in the final set of the match that forced the Eagles to burn an early timeout. Following the break, Georgia Southern cut the score to within four at 12-8, but Elon answered with a Jessica Barrow kill and a service ace by West that allowed the Phoenix to extend its lead to 14-8. Elon scored six of the next eight points to take a 20-11 lead. Georgia Southern could not overcome the deficit, as Elon scored five of the remaining nine points to win the set 25-15 and the match 3-1.
The Phoenix will be back in action tomorrow afternoon as it hosts Davidson at 2 p.m. in Alumni Gym. Full coverage, including live stats and video streaming, will be available for the match at www.elonphoenix.com.
College of Charleston 3, Chattanooga 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Junior setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) had an impressive overall performance with 33 assists, six kills and seven digs and sophomore middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.) drilled 11 kills as the College of Charleston (9-10, 5-2) downed Chattanooga (10-9, 2-5) 3-0 Saturday afternoon in a Southern Conference match in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Cougars claimed the victory by scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-23.
The Cougars took control of Game 1 early as junior setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) notched two of the team's three service aces in a 6-2 run to open the frame. CofC kept the pressure on Chattanooga, extending their lead to 12-6 before six kills and a service ace over the next ten points stretched the score to 19-9. A late rally by the Lady Mocs narrowed the gap to seven points several times before the Cougars claimed a 25-18 opening set victory.
Following an even beginning to the second set that saw the teams battle through three ties and deadlock at 5-5, the College of Charleston took an 8-5 lead on three straight kills, including back-to-back from Sarah Havel. UTC closed to within 11-9 over the next several rallies but would see that effort evaporate behind an 8-2 Cougar run that featured three more kills from Havel and left the score at 19-11. Chattanooga made it 20-13 before three errors and a pair of kills from Dawley and junior outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.) helped seal a 25-16 Cougars' victory.
Having dropped the first two sets and facing a quick end to the match, the Lady Mocs fought their way out to a 9-5 lead before CofC notched six straight points, with the last four coming off UTC errors, to take their first lead of the set at 11-9. The Cougars would then push their lead to 15-11 and overcome another late rally that saw Chattanooga close to 24-23. At that point, junior right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) drilled her eighth kill of the day to put the match away with a 25-23 victory.
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Laura Brock and freshman outside hitter Heather Parman led the offensive attack for the Lady Mocs with eight kills apiece while Brock and freshman libero Paula Passmore finished with a team-high eight digs each. Senior setter Cassie Conner paced the offense with 24 assists and added five digs and sophomore middle blocker Ellie Kuhn contributed three blocks.
Dawley's all-around performance of 33 assists, seven digs, six kills and four service aces led the College of Charleston while Havel finished with 11 kills, three blocks and a .348 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Whitney Russell (Decatur, Ga.) added her first double-digit kill outing of the season with 10 while Phillips and sophomore middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) rounded out the offensive performance with eight and seven kills, respectively. On defense, junior libero Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) had a match-high tying eight digs and senior middle blocker Jennifer Darty (Orlando, Fla.) notched a match-best five blocks.
The Cougars wrap up weekend action with a 2 p.m. EST match against Samford (11-9, 5-1) tomorrow afternoon in Birmingham, Ala.
UNC Greensboro 3, Davidson 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Caley Redden had a match-high 10 kills and the Spartans extended their winning streak to six matches as UNC Greensboro swept Davidson, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon in Fleming Gymnasium. The match was the Spartans' annual Dig Pink match, which raises awareness and funds in the fight against breast cancer. $486 was raised for the Side-Out Foundation on the afternoon through t-shirt sales and donations.
The Spartans improved to 12-9 overall this year and 5-2 in the Southern Conference to remain in second-place in the North Division. The Wildcats fell to 4-19 this season and 1-6 in league play.
In addition to Redden's ten kills, Luciana Shafer added nine kills and Alissa Beaudway chipped in eight. Ari Lysacek had a match-high 27 assists and Catherine Hanners also had a match-high with 20 digs.
The Spartans opened the match with a kill by Redden before back-to-back aces from Kayleigh Knerr to give UNCG an early 3-0 lead. The Spartans extended their lead to 8-3 and led 14-8 midway through the set. The Wildcats rallied to bring it within 21-18, but it wasn't enough as UNCG took the first set, 25-20.
The second set was a battle of runs for each team as UNCG jumped out to an early 8-1 lead in the set. Davidson responded by going on a 15-2 run to take a 16-10 lead. The Spartans clawed back to knot the set at 20 before winning five of the final seven points to win the set, 25-22, and go up 2-0 heading into the break.
The Spartans came out of halftime on fire as Lysacek delivered back-to-back aces as they grabbed an early 5-0 lead. The Wildcats fought back to within 7-6, but the Spartans went on a 9-0 run to blow the set open and take a 16-7 lead. The Spartans went on to win seven of the final nine point to win the set, 25-14, and clinch the sweep.
The Spartans will look to make it seven wins in a row on Sunday as they take on Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. in Fleming Gymnasium.
Samford 3, The Citadel 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University volleyball team won their 22nd consecutive win at home Saturday as it defeated the Citadel Bulldogs, 3-1 (25-10, 23-25, 25015, 25-17). The win was Samford's sixth in Southern Conference play, bringing its league record to 6-1 while improving its overall record to 12-9. The Citadel falls to 4-18 overall and remains winless in conference play.
"Our middles were exceptional today, mainly because of our defense and Hillary (Fountain)," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. "It was good to get back home and defend home court against a good team."
Samford (12-9, 6-1 SoCon) was led by senior Sheriden Stangohr and sophomore Rachel Gadberry against the Citadel Bulldogs. Stangohr notched a season-high .750 hitting percentage with a career-high 21 kills on 28 attempts and no errors. She also tallied two assists, three aces and seven digs along with two block solos and two block assists. Gadberry notched a season-high .609 hitting percentage with a career-high 15 kills on 23 attempts and only one error.
Hillary Fountain dished out a season-high 51 assists while also hitting .500 with four kills on eight attempts and no errors. She added two aces, one block assist and seven digs. Allie Bettinger posted her sixth double-double against the Citadel, tallying 10 kills and a team-high 10 digs while also adding one assist.
Shelby Brandon had eight kills and two digs while Elizabeth Neisler added four kills, three digs and one block assist. Samantha Bland posted nine digs and one ace while Alexis Bauer added five digs and one assist and Casey Garvey had three digs and two aces.
The Citadel (4-18, 0-6 SoCon) was led by Jessica Maas and Tatum Jestila who tallied 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Jestila posted a double-double adding a team-high 13 digs to her 10 kills while also grabbing one assist and one block assist. Alyssa Holum dished out 28 assists while also posting a team-high .571 hitting percentage with four kills on seven attempts and no errors.
Defending North Division Champion Samford will host defending South Division Champion College of Charleston on Sunday. The match will serve as the Bulldogs' Dig Pink match in conjunction with the Side-Out Foundation. The Bulldogs will wear pink jerseys and will auction those off during the match. Bidding starts at $30. Fans can also still donate to the Side-Out Foundation at Samford's page on the Dig Pink website. A special presentation will take place during the break between the second and third match to honor those who have fought and are fighting breast cancer.
First serve is at 2 p.m. in the Pete Hanna Center. Fans can follow the action via free live streaming on www.samfordsports.com and a full recap and results will be posted upon the completion of the match.
Samford 3, Citadel 1
Samford completely dominated the first set after overcoming a brief 2-1 deficit. With the Citadel leading 2-1, Samford went on a 9-2 run to take an 11-3 advantage with the help of three kills and block by Stangohr, a kill by Bettinger and several error by the Citadel Bulldogs. Samford would only allow the Citadel to score six more points as it went on a 14-6 run to win set one, 25-10.
Set two began with Samford grabbing a quick two-point lead on kills by Neisler and Stangohr. However, the Citadel answered back to tie the score at three and a back-and-forth game broke out followed by four tied scores. With the score tied at eight a piece, the Citadel put together a 9-1 run to take an eight-point led. Samford fought back to cut it to five before the Citadel called a timeout. Out of the break, Samford rattled off four straight points to cut the lead to one, 20-21, on a kill by Gadberry, two aces by Fountain and a Citadel error. However, after another timeout by the Citadel Bulldogs, they put together a 4-3 run to win the second set, 25-23.
The Citadel broke out in the third set with a 3-1 lead, due to two Samford errors and an ace by Maas. However, Samford responded with a kill by Stangohr, and with the help of two Citadel errors, the Samford Bulldogs tied the score at three. Samford then went on a 9-3 run to take a five-point lead. After two timeouts by the Citadel, Samford had pushed its lead out to seven and with the score at 17-10, the Bulldogs went on a 8-5 run to win set three on kills by Fountain, Gadberry, Bettinger and Stangohr.
Alyssa Holum put the Citadel Bulldogs on the board first in set four with an ace, but Samford responded with an 11-5 run to take a five-point lead and force the Citadel to take a timeout. The Citadel responded with seven points against Samford's eight to cut the lead to four before taking another timeout, but with a 19-14 lead, Samford held the Citadel Bulldogs to only three more points out of the final break, and would go one to win the fourth and final set, 25-17.
Appalachian State 3, Wofford 1
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball fell behind 1-0, but reeled off three straight set wins to hand Wofford a 3-1 defeat Saturday evening, capping off the Apps four match homestand. With the win, the Mountaineers improve to 9-13 overall and 5-3 in the SoCon, while Wofford drops to 15-8 on the season and 2-5 in league play.
ASU came out on fire in the first set, taking a commanding 10-1 advantage, with senior Maja Jechorek tallying three kills and Caroline Sedon getting in on the action as well, recording two kills and two aces for ASU.
Despite the nine point advantage, Wofford came roaring back, to cut the Apps lead to just four points at the 14-10 mark. It appeared that Appalachian would roll to the first set win, as the Mountaineers were up 22-18, but the Terriers closed out the first set on a 7-1 run with Stacy Bird leading the attack. Bird had six of WC's points during the seven point streak to push Wofford to the 25-23 first set win.
Bird finished the evening with a match-high 26 kills, hitting a stout .375.
Appalachian picked up its play in the second set, taking yet another stout lead early on, going up 9-3, with Maggie Seeds and Caroline Sedon accounting for the Apps points. Wofford cut the deficit to as close as seven points at the 19-12 mark, but it was not enough, as the Black and Gold just dominated.
Two straight kills by senior Becca Norris and a final block assist by Kasey Sauls and Norris led ASU to a second set win at 25-16, tying the match at one all.
The two squads battled in third set play, before Appalachian took the lead for good at 14-13. The Apps proceeded to go on a 6-0 run with Jechorek earning three kills and Norris slamming home three of her one to take a 19-13 lead. It was all Appalachian from there on out, scoring six more points compared to Wofford's four, with Sedon heading up the offensive assault, to give the Mountaineers a 24-17 third set victory.
The score was tied at the seven all mark in the fourth set, before the Black and Gold took over. A 10-4 run by ASU, pushed the score to 17-11, with Sedon accounting for five points and teammates Seeds and Jechorek getting in on the action as well.
The Apps advantage increased at the 20-12 mark off a Jechroek kill, and the Mountaineers tallied five more points to knotch a 25-15 fourth set and 3-1 match win.
Offensively three Apps finished the contest with double-figure kills as Sedon had a season-high 13 and freshman Kelsey Kuehner posted 13 as well. Sedon also had three digs on the evening to go along with two block assists and two solo blocks.
Appalachian returns to action Saturday October 24, as the Apps travel to Georgia Southern to take on the Eagles at 2 p.m.