Georgia Southern 3, Wake Forest 2
STATESBORO, GA - In the first round of action of the Bash in the 'Boro presented by Verizon Wireless, Georgia Southern surprised Wake Forest with a five-set victory (25-23, 24-26, 20-25, 25-18, 15-11). After taking the first set, the Eagles dropped the next two, then came from behind to take the match in the fifth set. Sophomore outside hitter Bethany Sanford earned her first double-double of the season posting season-highs 17 kills and 19 digs.
With the win, Georgia Southern improved to 5-3 on the season, while Wake Forest continues to struggle, falling to 0-7.
"It was a hard-fought match for both schools that could have gone either way," said Eagle head coach Chad Callihan. "We put together some points at the end that made the difference in the match."
Georgia Southern jumped out with the lead early in the first set, standing at 10-7 after an Andrea Beck attack error. The Demon Deacons would capture the lead and hold the set close until the Eagles regained the lead. As Georgia Southern closed in on set point, Wake Forest took two timeouts as a block assist by Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) and Moriah Bellissimo (Blackstone, Va.) secured the set for the Eagles at 25-23.
Wake Forest opened set two with a quick 8-5 lead before Georgia Southern slowly closed the margin. The Eagles came within three at 13-10 off a Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) kill, but the Demon Deacons capitalized on two errors from the Eagles to take a six-point lead at 17-11. Seven Wake Forest errors to Georgia Southern's two kills set the score at 22-20, Wake Forest. Hannah Nelson fired two kills as the Deacons led by one point at 23-22. Nelson's third kill of the set tied the score at 24-all before an Eagle error and Lauren McIntyre kill sealed the match for Wake Forest at 26-24.
After intermission, the Eagles led by as many as five before Wake Forest posted a 6-0 run to tie the set at 11-all. The Demon Deacons took the lead at 13-12 and closed out the set, 25-20, leading 2-1 for the match.
Georgia Southern hit a match-high .300 in set four as the Eagles tied the match at two-sets-all with a 25-18 stanza. In set four, the Eagles quickly jumped out to an 8-4 lead and continued to widen their margin when a Sanford kill set the score at 17-12. A service ace by Sanford followed to force a Demon Deacon timeout at 18-12. Georgia Southern stood at set-point from Sanford's seventh kill of the set and Bellissimo secured the set for the Eagles with a kill at 25-18.
In set five, Georgia Southern and Wake Forest tossed the lead back-and-forth, tying the set eight times before the Eagles took the lead permanently. At 11-all, two Wake Forest errors pushed the score to GSU 13-11 before Van Dyke nailed a kill to give the Eagles match-point at 14-11. Lauren Claybaugh (Danville, Calif.) served up an ace to finalize the match for Georgia Southern.
Eagle sophomore Sanford paced Georgia Southern picking up 17 kills and 19 digs and freshman Van Dyke posted 43 of the Eagles' 52 assists. Libero senior Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) added 16 digs, while freshman Bellissimo served up a season-best five aces.
"I thought Bethany had a huge night for us. She supplied the offense for us the entire match," said Callihan. "Cristin kept us in system, making some key digs down the stretch. "
In earlier action of the tournament, Auburn picked up a 3-0 win over Coastal Carolina. The Tigers were led by Katherine Culwell, who recorded her first double-double of the season, with a career-best 15 kills and 12 digs. Auburn improved to 6-3 on the season, while Coastal Carolina fell to 2-5.
The final day of the Bash in the 'Boro presented by Verizon Wireless will take place on Saturday. For a complete schedule of the tournament, as well as ticket prices, visit the tournament page by clicking here.
Wofford 3, Winston-Salem State 0
Wofford 3, Savannah State 0
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wofford handed WSSU a 3-0 (25-20, 25014, 25-21) defeat in second-round play from the 2009 Lady Rams Volleyball Invitational at the C.E. Gaines Center on the campus of Winston-Salem State University on Friday afternoon.
Wofford claimed a 25-20 win in the first set, propelled by four kills from junior Catelyn Amende. The Terriers would earn a 25-14 victory in the second set, helped by a .263 team attack percentage. WSSU came just four points short of earning a set victory in the third, and final, set, but Wofford rallied behind five kills from Stacy Byrd and seven digs from libero Sarah Palmer to take the 25-21 victory.
Ashley Harris and Annika Barnwell led the Lady Rams with 10 kills a piece. Barnwell recorded a double-double with 11 digs in the loss.
Leading the way for the Terriers was Stacy Byrd who recorded 10 kills in the contest. Byrd recorded zero errors on 17 total attempts for a match-high .588 hitting percentage. Senior libero Sarah Palmer led the defense with 15 digs.
In their second match of the 2009 Lady Rams Volleyball Invitational on Friday evening, the Terriers easily dispatched the Savannah State University Tigers 3-0 (25-7, 25-12, 25-15).
Shanna Hughes led the Terriers with a match-high 16 kills in the contest as Wofford collected 39 kills and committed only 11 errors in a match that lasted only 61 minutes.
The Tigers mustered only 16 kills in the contest and committed 16 errors in the loss as they dropped to 2-7 on the season.
Leading the Tigers was Shatice White who collected a team-high eight kills in a losing effort.
With the pair of wins, Wofford improves to 5-2 on the season, while Winston-Salem State falls to 0-8 and Savannah State falls to 2-7 overall.
Wofford will take the court again Saturday as they take on East Carolina at 10:00 a.m. and UNC-Asheville at 1:00 p.m. to wrap up play in the Lady Rams Invitational.
For additional information on WSSU women's volleyball or the 2009 Lady Rams Volleyball Invitational, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2909 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at WSSURams.com.
Central Florida 3, UNC Greensboro 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Despite four Spartans finishing with double-digit kills, UNC Greensboro fell to UCF, 3-2, on Friday evening in Fleming Gymnasium.
The Spartans fell to 4-5 on the season, while the Knights improved to 8-2 this year, which marks their best start since 2001.
"I was really proud of our effort tonight by the way we came out and competed hard," said head coach Patrick Nicholas. "We need to learn to finish matches though and I feel as if that will come once we get our entire team healthy and are able to start having full scrimmages in practice. I was real proud of our defense and blocking tonight and thought our serves were a lot tougher as well. We'll take all of the positives from this match and look to build upon that as the season progresses"
Catherine Hanners led the way for the Spartans with 14 kills and 22 digs for her third double-double of the season. Caley Redden added 13 kills and Olivia Humphries had 11 kills, while Billi Baker and Emily Lindborg each chipped in 10 kills apiece. Ari Lysacek also had 51 assists for the Spartans.
Erin Campbell had 16 kills and Evija Vilde added 10 kills to lead the Knights offensively. Andee Youngblood had 47 assists and Meredith Murphy tallied 26 digs in the winning effort.
The Spartans came out on fire in the first set as they jumped out to the early 6-1 lead and never relinquished that lead. UNCG extended its lead to 18-9 later in the set on a block by Lindborg and Redden before finally finishing off the Knights, 25-14.
UNCG once again came running out of the gates in the second set as a block by Humphries and Baker gave the Spartans an 8-0 lead. The Spartans went ahead 19-9 on a kill by Hanners before taking the second set, 25-14.
UCF refused to go down without a fight and came out of the intermission an inspired team. The teams traded points continuously in the third set with the two sides finding themselves tied at 22 late in the set. A Hanners kill knotted the match at 23, but the Knights took the final two points on kills by Campbell and Vilde to win the set, 25-23.
The Spartans trailed throughout much of the fourth game, but were able to rally to tie the set at 18 on a kill by Baker. UNCG pulled within 21-20 on another kill by Baker, but that was as close as the Spartans would get as UCF took the set, 25-21.
In the fifth and final set, the two squads went point-for-point with each other and found themselves tied at six. UNCG would later tie the set at eight, but UCF won seven of the final eight points to seal the victory.
The Spartans will return to the court on Monday as they make the short trip to face High Point at 7 p.m. in the Millis Center.
Winthrop 3, Appalachian State 2
ROCK HILL, S.C. - Playing in its first five set match of the 2009 campaign, Appalachian State University volleyball was almost able to stage a comeback pushing Winthrop to the brink in the second match of the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational, but despite an impressive effort, the Black and Gold came up just short falling 3-2 to the tournament host Friday evening. With the loss, ASU drops to 2-5 on the season, while the Eagles improve to 3-4 overall.
ASU led early during first set action, going up by as many as three points, with both Maggie Seeds and Kelsey Kuehner chipping in offensively. The set proved to be a back and forth affair, with each team trading leads and the last tie of the set coming at the 19 all mark. An attack error by Kasey Sauls and a kill by Kelly Viola gave Winthrop a two point advantage. WU continued with its strong offensive play, handing the Apps a 25-20 first set defeat.
Despite being down a set, Appalachian would not go away quietly, taking an early 4-1 edge with junior Caroline Sedon and Seeds pacing the Black and Gold.
The Apps were ahead by as many as five points with a block assists by Seeds and Becca Norris putting ASU up 14-9. Winthrop tried to battle back, cutting the deficit to just two points, but a kill by Sedon and a setting error by Kellie Seller helped the Apps keep their four point cushion. The Mountaineers continued with their strong play, and kills by Kuehner and Norris helped ASU seal its 25-20 win and even the match at 1 all.
Winthrop came out strong in the third set, taking a commanding 13-5 lead over Appalachian, who was unable to get anything going offensively. The Black and Gold picked up its play, cutting the deficit to six points, thanks in part to two back to back errors by WU.
A Sedon kill moved the Apps back within three points at the 19-16 mark, but unfortunately for the Mountaineers, three points would be the closest it would get as the Eagles scored six straight points to take a 25-16 victory.
Facing its possible final last set of the match, Appalachian came out on fire, with Seeds tallying three kills and Norris and Kuehner each recording one to put the Apps up 8-3.
The Eagles knotted the set at 12 apiece, and the set was tied on three more occassions before Winthrop tried to pull away, going ahead 20-18. However, Appalachian did not back down, as two kills recorded by senior Maja Jechorek coupled with an Eagle error gave ASU the 25-23 win, tying the match at 2 sets apiece.
The Mountaineers fell behind early in the fifth set, 5-2, before kills by Seeds and Kuehner put ASU back into the hunt. Down by just one, a kill by Sedon gave the Apps their lone lead of the set up 10-9, but it would not last too long as Winthrop quickly regained the advantage.
An error by Sellers knotted the set at 13 all, but the Eagles scored the final two points, including an ace on the game winner, to hand the Black and Gold a 15-13 final set loss and a 3-2 match defeat.
Seeds, Sedon, Kuehner and Jechorek all finished the match with double-figure kills as Jechorek posted a team-high of 14. Sauls was impressive again for ASU with 45 assists, while Cassie Engelgau had a team-high 26 digs.
ASU returns to action Saturday September 12, facing Butler at 11 a.m. and then Morgan State at 5 p.m. in second day action of the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational.
Duke 3, College of Charleston 1
DURHAM, N .C. - Junior setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) dished out 33 assists and junior right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) delivered 12 kills as College of Charleston volleyball (1-6) dropped a 3-1 decision to Duke (7-1) Friday evening at the Duke Blue Devil Invitational in Durham, N.C.
CofC took advantage of four Blue Devil errors over the match's first several points to jump out to an 8-4 advantage and would hold the lead until an 11-7 rally tied the score at 15-15. Following an exchange of points, the Cougars regained the lead on a pair of kills by sophomore middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) to go up 18-16 before back-to-back scores from Duke knotted the frame at 18-18.
It would be the last points they would score in the set. The College of Charleston scored the final seven points as the Blue Devils committed four more errors and a service ace by junior libero Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) and kills by Ginny Phillips and senior middle blocker Jennifer Darty (Orlando, Fla.) finished off the 25-18 victory.
Trailing 1-0 in the match, Duke started slowly at the start of the second frame as they battled through a pair of ties before pulling ahead 5-4. Leading 8-5, the Blue Devils extended their lead with a 6-2 run behind four kills and a pair of errors to make it 14-7. The Cougars would eventually close to within 16-11 but would get no closer as Duke put together a 9-3 run to close out the set with a 25-14 victory and even the match at 1-1.
The Blue Devils started strong in the third set as four early kills and a service ace helped stake them to a 9-4 advantage. They would eventually push that to 13-5 before the College of Charleston rallied with nine of the next 12 points, forcing four straight Duke errors and capping the rally with back-to-back service aces by sophomore middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.), to pull to within 16-14.
CofC would get no closer, however, as the Blue Devils pounded out a 9-4 run, fueled by six kills and capped off with a pair from sophomore outside hitter Sophia Dunworth, to take the set, and the lead in the match, 25-18.
Facing an early exit, the Cougars responded at the start of the fourth set as an opening kill by senior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.), three straight Blue Devil errors, and three straight kills from Ginny Phillips gave the College of Charleston a 7-2 lead. A 6-1 run then evened the set at 8-8 and sparked a stretch where neither team was separated by more than a point until Duke took a 16-14 advantage.
A 3-1 spurt by CofC once again deadlocked the teams, this time at 17-17, before another exchange of points left the score at 18-18. The Blue Devils then took full control and closed out the set, and the match, with a 7-2 run for a 25-20 victory.
Sophomore setter Kellie Catanach paced the Duke offense with a match-high 50 assists and junior middle blocker Becci Burling and Sophia Dunworth registered 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Defensively, junior outside hitter Clarie Smalzer led the Blue Devils with 14 digs while senior outside hitter Rachael Moss chipped in with a double-double of 10 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Amanda Robertson added nine kills.
Cole Dawley led the College of Charleston with 33 assists, 10 digs and added five kills while Ginny Phillips drilled a team-high 12 kills. Elyse Chubb notched eight kills and Emily Sawin delivered seven kills, eight digs and three blocks. On defense, a pair of Cougars posted match-highs as Paige Johnson came away with 18 digs and sophomore middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.) continued her strong season at the net with seven total blocks.
The Cougars are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they challenge No. 1 Penn State at 12 p.m. before taking on Loyola at 5 p.m.
NOTES
The 25-18 Game 1 victory was the first for the College of Charleston in the short series history against Duke ... both previous meetings the Blue Devils claimed 3-0 decisions ... this is the first time that the Cougars have faced Duke outside of Charleston, S.C. ... the previous two meetings were both in John Kresse Arena (9/19/2008 and 9/18/2004).
UNC Wilmington 3, Davidson 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- The Davidson Wildcats suffered a 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-19) setback to UNC Wilmington in its opening match of the Wildcat Classic Friday night at Belk Arena.
Davidson (2-6) got 10 kills from Sarabeth Peele, but ran into a balanced attack from UNC Wilmington (5-4). The Seahawks were led by nine kills from Anna Price and eight from Rachel Caricato. As a team, Wilmington hit .263 to just .106 for Davidson and recorded nine blocks to the 'Cats' four.
Davidson setter Hayley Lawson posted 26 assists, and the defense was led by Peele's nine digs. Wilmington setter Kelsey Bendig tallied 29 assists, and Ashlyn Morris had 15 digs.
Wilmington opened the match with a 6-2 run and, though the Wildcats clawed back mid-way through, they would not be stopped. Davidson closed within two, 14-12, on a pair of back-to-back kills by Jorden Benedict and would not get down by more until late in the set. Trailing 22-20, a Wildcat hitting error gave the Seahawks a critical three-point cushion, and a service ace by Price all but put the set away. Price's next serve missed, but Lindsay Strucko lifted Wilmington to a 25-21 win.
The Seahawks came out quickly in the second set as well, taking a 4-1 lead and putting the Wildcats in another early hole. Davidson used a mini 3-0 run, including kills from Christine Perzinski and Jorden Benedict to narrow the deficit to 14-11, but Wilmington pulled away with a 6-2 run, opening a 20-13 lead. The Seahawks took a 2-0 lead in the match with the 25-17 win.
A kill from Peele and Perzinski's ace gave the 'Cats a slight 6-4 lead to begin the final set, but the Seahawks rallied with an 11-2 run to go up 15-8. Wilmington closed the match with a 4-1 span, en route to the 25-19 victory.
Davidson will return to action with a 10 a.m. match against Radford, who defeated Canisius, 3-2, (25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-3) in the first match of the tournament.
The Seahawks will play a double-header tomorrow, taking on Canisius at 12:30 p.m. in the second match of the day and Radford in the third at 4:30 p.m. The Wildcats will close out the tournament with Canisius in the Classic finale at 7 p.m.
Gardner-Webb 3, Western Carolina 1
Cleveland State 3, Western Carolina 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina volleyball (2-7) dropped a pair of matches in the first day of action Friday in the VB Rags Western Carolina Invitational. The Catamounts lost 3-1 (16-25, 23-25, 25-17, 23-25) to Gardner-Webb and 3-0 (25-9, 25-17, 25-13) against Cleveland State.
Senior Amanda Kerr had 11 kills and a .241 attack percentage in the loss to Gardner-Webb. Fellow senior Katie Hennessey recorded 29 assists.
Down 0-2, Western Carolina fought back against the Bulldogs to take game three and force a fourth game. Tied at five, Kerr got a kill to give the Catamounts a 6-5 advantage and the club never trailed again. Western Carolina had its best attack percentage in the match in game three with a .207 attack percentage and just four errors.
In the nightcap, Western Carolina ran into a tough Cleveland State team. Held to just nine points in the first game, and a -.080 attack percentage, Western Carolina did step it up in the second and third games. The Catamounts had a .200 attack percentage in the second game.
Junior Kara Lynzee Brooks led Western Carolina with six kills and Hennessey had 26 assists.
The Catamounts close out their home tournament by hosting Howard at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Austin Peay 3, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - In the home opener with 243 fans in attendance, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team fell to Austin Peay, 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-15). The Lady Mocs were lead by junior setter Bailee Chastain (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) who recorded 16 assists and 12 digs for her first double-double of the season and tenth career.
Freshman libero Paula Passmore (Merritt Island, Fla) used her defensive prowess to dig up 34 balls on the night topping her career-high by one set in the first match of the season against East Tennessee State.
Offensively, junior middle blocker Courtney Barnes (Franklin, Tenn.) paced Chattanooga with nine kills and recorded two of the team's four total blocks. Freshman outside hitter Megan Earnd (Munster, Ind.) played for the second time this season recording career highs with 4 kills and 6 digs.
For the first 33 points of the opening set, the Lady Mocs and Lady Govs traded points thru long rallies, but Austin Peay ended up taking control of the set 25-18. Neither team hit the ball effectively as both teams looked to rebound.
In the second set, the Lady Mocs played their best of the night posting a .349 attacking percentage with 17 kills and only two errors. The squad's effort wasn't enough as the Lady Govs took a commanding 2-0 lead by taking the set 25-23.
Unable to take advantage of a good effort, Chattanooga could not rebound dropping the third set 25-15. The Lady Mocs committed eight errors in the set allowing Austin Peay to cruise to victory.
Stephanie Champine, Kirsten Distler and Ilyanna Hernandez all posted double-doubles showing the versatility of the Lady Govs. For the match, Austin Peay posted 13 more kills than the Lady Mocs hitting at a .176 mark.
The Lady Mocs continue play in the Country Inn & Suites Volleyball Challenge tomorrow at noon against SIU-Edwardsville and then battle Loyola (Ill.) to conclude the tournament at 5 p.m. Then, Chattanooga heads to Tennessee State on Tuesday for a match scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Utah State 3, The Citadel 0
Flagstaff, Ariz. - The Citadel Volleyball team dropped their opening match of the Fiesta Bowl Tournament on Friday, falling to the Utah State Aggies, 3-0.
Utah State (4-3) use a .440 attack percentage and 43 kills to blow past The Citadel on Friday afternoon in Flagstaff in the opening game of the Fiesta Bowl Tournament. Jessica Maas had six kills while Tatum Jestila added six digs to pace The Citadel (1-8). The Bulldogs dropped all three sets to the Aggies falling 12-25, 15-25 and 19-25. Utah State was led by junior Lori Wilson-Beckstrom who had 15 kills and two service aces.
The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday as they face host Northern Arizona at 1 p.m. ET and conclude the Fiesta Bowl Tournament with Wyoming at 7 p.m ET.
For more information on Bulldog Volleyball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
Creighton 3, Samford 0
DAYTON, Ohio. - The Samford University volleyball team dropped its fourth straight loss to Creighton Friday in the first match of the Dayton Flyer Classic. The Bluejays defeated the Bulldogs in a three-set match that began with two incredibly close sets. The first two sets were decided by just two points (25-23, 27-25) while the third ended in a 25-15 score.
"We got into two very close games with a good team and did not take advantage of transition opportunities to win," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. "We are learning, just not taking the big steps forward that I would like us to take."
Creighton (1-6) took an early three-point lead to begin the first set but Samford (3-4) went on an 8-5 run to take a one-point lead on kills by Elizabeth Neisler Allie Bettinger, Rachel Gadberry and Shelby Brandon. The 'Jays tied the game at nine but Sheriden Stangohr took the lead back with a kill to make it 10-9. Samford then stretched its lead to five points before Creighton went on its own 8-5 lead to tie the score at 22. Although the Bulldogs would score one more point, Creighton would go on to win the first set, 25-23.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair with each team tying the score or taking the lead at every point. Creighton scored the first point on a kill by Megan Bober, but Samford answered back with a kill of its own by Bettinger. The score was tied three more times before the Bluejays took a two-point lead, but the Bulldogs quickly caught up and took an 8-7 lead on another kill by Bettinger.
Seven more times the score would be tied before Creighton took over the lead by two again at 18-16. However, Samford was not done yet and when on a 4-1 run to take a 20-19 lead which forced Creighton to take a timeout. The Bluejays came out of the break and tied the score and after trading the lead with Samford four more times, eventually won the second set, 276-25.
The third set began like the second with the score being tied at the first four points. However, Creighton opened up with the score tied at four, scored four straight points to make it 8-4 before taking a timeout. Samford climbed back within two points but the Bluejays soon stretched the lead out to eight and would dominate the rest of the set, winning, 25-15.
The Bulldogs were led by Stangohr who tallied 10 kills and 13.5 points while hitting .471 and grabbing two aces, one dig, one assist, one block solo and one block assist. Bettinger followed close behind with eight kills and eight points, two digs and one assist. Gadberry had four kills while Neisler had two and a block assist.
Hillary Fountain led the Bulldogs in assists with 25 while also grabbing seven digs, four points, three kills and one ace. Alexis Bauer led the Bulldogs in digs, followed by Alicia Roth with nine. Bauer also had one kill along with Casey Garvey and Shelby Brandon. Garvey also added three digs while Brandon added one.
Jessica Houts led the Bluejays in hitting with nine kills and a .444 attack percentage while also adding four blocks (0-4). Megan Bober tallied 22 assists to lead her team while grabbing five blocks (1-4).
The Bulldogs will continue play in the Dayton Flyer Classic Saturday morning at 11 a.m. ET, as they face off with host team Dayton. They will then take on the University of Connecticut in a 4 p.m. match-up to conclude play in the Classic. Live stats are available for both matches through links on the schedule pages at www.samfordsports.com and www.daytonflyers.com. Results for each match will be posted on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of each match, and a full recap will be available as well after the conclusion of the Bulldogs' final match.