Wofford 3, East Carolina 0
Wofford 3, UNC Asheville 2
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wofford Terries' women's volleyball team earned a 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-11) victory over East Carolina on Saturday morning at the C.E. Gaines Center on the campus of Winston-Salem State University in second-day action from the 2009 Lady Rams Volleyball Invitational.
The Terriers used nine kills and only one error in the first set of the match as they jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, a lead that they would never surrender.
The second and third sets belonged solely to the Terriers as they collected 14 and 12 kills respectively and held the Pirates to only three kills in the final set of the match en route to the 3-0 sweep.
Shanna Hughes led the team with nine kills while freshman middle blocker Arden Anderson added five total blocks in the win. Libero Sarah Palmer led the Terriers with 10 digs. The Pirates were led by Lizzy Bruin's eight kills.
In their second match of the day, the Terriers earned a hard-fought 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 25-20, 26-28, 15-11) five-set match victory over UNC-Asheville in a marathon match on Saturday afternoon. The win means that Wofford closed out tournament play with a perfect 4-0 record.
The Terriers were the beneficiary of 24 kills from Shanna Hughes as she led four Wofford players with double-digit kills. Hughes recorded her first double-double of the season with 12 digs and also led the team with a .468 attack percentage. Rachel Woodlee (19 kills), Stacy Byrd (12 kills) and Catelyn Amende (11 kills) all recorded double-digit kills in the victory. Byrd also notched a double-double with a career-high 20 kills. Setter Joanna Suddath ran the offense with 61 assists, falling only seven short of her career high. Libero Sarah Palmer fell one dig short of her personal best, recording 25 defensive saves.
Lauren Ficker led the Bulldogs with 15 kills and Cindi Miller added 13 kills in a losing effort. The loss drops UNC-Asheville to 7-4 on the season, while Wofford improves to 7-2 overall.
The Terriers will return home to host Winston-Salem State on Tuesday, September 15 in a 7:00 match in Benjamin Johnson Arena on the campus of Wofford College.
Western Carolina 3, Howard 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina volleyball (3-7) won the final match of the VB Rags Western Carolina Invitational defeating Howard (1-11) 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) Saturday in the Ramsey Center.
Junior Paloma Alvarez had a career-high 10 kills in the win with 24 attacks on just five errors and a .208 attack percentage. Teammate Amanda Kerr also recorded double figure kills with 10 as well and had just four errors on 22 attacks.
In the first set, Western Carolina had what appeared to be a comfortable lead, 22-14, but Howard 6-1 run to pull to 24-20. The Catamounts closed out the first game on a kill by Kara Lynzee Brooks.
Set two was even closer then the previous game. The game was tied at 22 attack errors by Howard gave Western Carolina a 24-22 advantage. Kerr got a kill off an assist by setter Katie Hennessey to assist the Catamounts in taking set two.
It was almost a carbon copy of set two in set three. Again the two teams found themselves knotted at 22. A kill by Carrie Minogue, a Howard attack error and a kill by Alvarez close out the game and the match.
Western Carolina heads back on the road next weekend to participate in the Coastal Carolina Invitational. The Catamounts face UNC Wilmington at 4 p.m. Friday to start the tournament.
Georgia Southern 3, Coastal Carolina 1
STATESBORO, GA - Sophomore Bethany Sanford posted a career-high 24 kills, recording her 18th career double-double with 10 digs while leading the Georgia Southern volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over Coastal Carolina Saturday morning (September 12). In the first game on the final day of the Bash in the 'Boro presented by Verizon Wireless, the Eagles improved to 6-3 on the season with the four-set victory (25-23, 20-25, 25-20, 25-21) over the Chanticleers, who fell to 2-6.
Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) added 13 kills for the Eagles, as Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) posted a career-best 52 assists from the floor. Senior libero Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) led Georgia Southern in digs, posting 22 for the match. Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) closed out the match striking .333 from the floor as the Eagles hit .238 with 65 kills, 58 assists and 72 digs.
"I was really pleased with the way we maintained our composure and really played disciplined in both sets three and four. We had a lack of focus and made quite a few unforced errors in game two, so it was nice to rebound against a really solid Coastal Carolina team," said head coach Chad Callihan. "They really do a nice job of fighting for every point, forcing you to be disciplined and not make any unforced errors. I thought we did a nice job of that in the final two sets and it was a great win for us. And I think we learned a lot from it."
The Eagles struck first in the opening set, garnering an early 8-4 lead. A 3-0 run by Coastal Carolina gave Georgia Southern a one point lead, forcing a timeout by the home squad. At 10-8 GSU, Gildersleeve nailed her first kill of the match and would give the Eagles a 12-10 lead with her second kill. Georgia Southern opened their lead to four points, 17-13, before the Chanticleers closed in to a one-point game, 17-16. Consecutive Sanford kills gave the Eagles a 19-16 advantage as the sophomore added two more kills before a Lauren Claybaugh (Danville, Calif.) kill gave Georgia Southern set point at 24-21. Claybaugh's fourth kill of the set secured the opening set for the Eagles, 25-23.
Coastal Carolina hit .364 from the floor to take the second set, evening the match at 1-all. The Eagles relinquished the lead early and could never regain hold. The Chanticleers led by as many as six points off Chelsy Kimes' and Sierra Livesay's four kills apiece. Coastal Carolina capitalized on Georgia Southern's seven hitting errors to the Chanticleers' two.
A distinguishing third set ensued following intermission. Georgia Southern grabbed the set, 25-20, off Sanford's eight kills. The Eagles hit a match-high .343 from the floor with 16 kills, 15 assists and 12 digs. The two squads battled for the lead, tying the match twice before Coastal Carolina grabbed the lead at 4-3. The Chanticleers would hold the advantage until the Eagles tied the set at 11-all. A 12-all tie would be the closest Coastal Carolina would get to the lead the remainder of the set as Georgia Southern fought for every point and closed out the set 25-20.
Georgia Southern wasted no time in the fourth set attacking the Chanticleers. With the match tied at 14-all, a Sanford kill gave the Eagles the lead and another Sanford kill gave the Eagles match point at 24-18. Gildersleeve closed the match with her 13th kill of the day as Georgia Southern took the fourth and final set, 25-21.
"Sarah Gildersleeve did a really nice job for us. She stepped in for us midway through the match last night and picked right up where she left off today in both attacking and blocking and taking charge while she's at the net," said Callihan. "She's worked really hard and I'm pleased to see it paying off for her."
In morning action of the tournament, Auburn grabbed a 3-0 win over Wake Forest (25-18, 25-19, 25-15) to improve to 7-3 on the year. Freshman Sarah Bullock posted a season-high 12 kills leading the Tigers to victory.
Georgia Southern will close out the tournament facing Auburn at 7 p.m. tonight. Wake Forest will take on Coastal Carolina at 5 p.m. to begin the nightcap of the Bash in the 'Boro presented by Verizon Wireless.
Auburn 3, Georgia Southern 2
STATESBORO, GA - Auburn captured the 2009 Bash in the 'Boro presented by Verizon Wireless title defeating the Georgia Southern Eagles in a five-set battle that came down to the last point Saturday night (September 12) in Hanner Fieldhouse. Tied at 10-all in the last set, the teams traded the lead before tying at 13-all. A kill by Auburn's Morgan Johns forced a home timeout at match-point for the Tigers who the secured the win with a Johns and Alyssa Davis block.
With the five-set win (25-21, 24-26, 26-28, 25-19, 15-13), Auburn improved to 8-3 on the season, while Georgia Southern fell to 6-4. Making the All-Tournament team were Tigers Sarah Bullock, Liz Crouch and Katherine Culwell, who was also named the Tournament MVP. Sophomore Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) and junior Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) joined the Tigers on the team, as well as Kadija Fornah of Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina's Chelsy Kimes.
In the final match of the tournament, Auburn jumped out with the early advantage, gaining a 10-5 lead. The Tigers led by as many as eight at 17-9 before the Eagles slowly closed the gap to four at 23-19. But the comeback attempt fell short as Auburn set-up set-point at 24-19 off a kill by Culwell. Two kills from Lauren Claybaugh (Danville, Calif.) pushed the score to 24-21, but a Davis kill ended the set at 25-21.
Eleven tied scores and seven lead changes encompassed the second set that sparked the Eagles who took the set, 26-24. Each team posted 15 kills on 36 attempts, 14 digs and two service aces, but Auburn's six block assists to Georgia Southern's two could not help the Tigers. Gildersleeve paced the Eagles in the second set with five kills, followed by Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) with four. At a tied score of 19-all, a bad set from Bullock would give the Eagles the lead. Kills from Gildersleeve and Sanford pushed GSU's lead to three at 22-19, before two Tiger kills and an Eagle error would tie the set at 22-all. The teams tossed the lead back-and-forth to a 24-all game when a Tiger error followed by a Nelson kill gave the Eagles the set at 26-24 to even the match at 1-all.
Four service errors and nine attack errors hindered Auburn in the third set as Georgia Southern capitalized on its opponent's mistakes to take the set, 28-26 and go ahead 2-1 in the match. After a 4-3 lead in the beginning of the set, Georgia Southern would not hold the lead again until a Claybaugh kill at 25-all put the Eagles on top. Auburn responded with a strike from Kelly Fidero to tie the set at 26-all before a pair of kills from Nelson and Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) gave the Eagles the set.
Auburn evened the playing field grabbing the fourth set, hitting .262 from the floor with 14 kills, five from Culwell. The Tigers and Eagles tied the score seven times in the set with the last being 15-all before Auburn took the final lead. Seven kills from the Tigers on three errors from the Eagles gave Auburn the set at 25-19.
In the deciding set, Georgia Southern opened with a 3-0 run, but Auburn responded with an identical run to tie the set at 3-all. A 4-2 Eagle run made the score 8-4 in Georgia Southern's favor, but the lead was short-lived as the Tigers tied the set at 9-all. The lead would alternate by a point to 13-all when a Johns kill gave Auburn match-point, forcing an Eagle timeout. Auburn ended the match on the next point with a block assist from Davis and Johns.
Sanford led the Eagles with 18 kills, followed by Nelson who contributed 14 and Gildersleeve who added 12. Van Dyke recorded 49 assists in the match and a team-high 16 digs. Sanford added 15 digs as Gildersleeve tallied four block assists. Culwell recorded 14 kills and 17 digs for the Tigers who hit .228 for the match. Christina Solverson led with 27 assists.
"Similar to all our matches this weekend, it was another hard-fought match for us. We just came out on the wrong end of it tonight. We definitely have some things we can do to get better and we will continue to work on those things," said head coach Chad Callihan. "But I really loved the effort the kids are playing with and I think that is something to definitely be proud of and build off of in the future."
In earlier action, Coastal Carolina topped Wake Forest in a four-set win. The Chanticleers improved to 3-6 on the season with the 25-17, 16-25, 25-19, 25-16 win. Chelsy Kimes led Coastal Carolina with 12 kills as the Chanticleers hit .198 for the match.
Georgia Southern returns to the court and will look to rebound from this tough loss on Wednesday, September 16 with a road game at Charleston Southern. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
College of Charleston 3, Loyola (Md.) 0
DURHAM, N.C. - Junior setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) recorded a match-high 32 assists and sophomore middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) posted seven kills and five blocks as the College of Charleston volleyball team (2-7) dropped Loyola (4-8) 3-0 Saturday evening at the Duke Blue Devil Invitational in Durham, N.C. The Cougars claimed victory by scores of 25-14, 25-10 and 25-15.
Making the most of their opportunities early, the College of Charleston jumped out to an 8-4 lead in Game 1 as they forced five Greyhound errors and junior right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) delivered a pair of kills. After a kill from freshman setter Aubrey Kirven narrowed the gap to 8-5, the Cougars put together an 8-1 run featuring five kills, two each from Phillips and sophomore middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.), and another three Loyola errors to push their advantage to 16-6. That would be all they would need as they held the Greyhounds at bay to claim a 25-14 victory.
Leading 1-0 in the match, CofC took full control in the second set as they forced seven more errors and pounded out eight kills from five different players as they took a commanding 18-6 lead. Momentum would continue going the Cougars way for the rest of the frame as they hammered out six more kills over the final 13 points to finish off a 25-10 victory and go up 2-0 in the contest. Senior outside hitter Emily Sawin (New Lenox, Ill.) and Elyse Chubb were key during that stretch as both drilled a pair of kills to keep the pressure on.
Another impressive start, fueled by four kills from freshman outside hitter Kelly Kolich (Overland Park, Kan.) over the first six points, staked the Cougars to another early lead, this time at 9-3. A Loyola rally would pull them to within 13-9 but kills by Kolich and Havel sparked an 8-4 run that brought the College of Charleston's lead to 21-13. They wouldn't look back as four straight Greyhound errors locked up a 25-15 set victory and 3-0 decision in the match.
Junior outside hitter Nina Camaioni delivered seven kills and nine digs to lead Loyola while Aubrey Kirven added 20 assists and six digs. Defensively, junior libero Brittany Born registered a match-high tying 11 digs.
Cole Dawley dished out a match-high 32 assists and had four blocks, six digs and three kills while Elyse Chubb and Sarah Havel each drilled seven kills and had a match-high tying five blocks. Kelly Kolich added to the offensive attack with 10 kills behind a .529 hitting percentage and Ginny Phillips added six kills, six digs and a pair of blocks. Junior libero Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) once again led the defense as she produced a match-high tying 11 digs and added a pair of assists.
The College of Charleston returns to action when it opens the 5,100 seat, state-of-the-art Carolina First Arena for volleyball competition with the Charleston Holiday Inn Riverview Classic September 18-19. The Cougars will open with South Florida at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 18 before taking on Lafayette at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 19.
NOTES
This was only the second meeting between the two teams with CofC having notched a 3-0 victory in the only other meeting on October 8, 1993 at the East Carolina Tournament.
Penn State 3, College of Charleston 0
DURHAM, N .C. - Junior setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) recorded 17 assists and junior right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) had seven kills as the College of Charleston volleyball team (1-7) fell to No. 1 Penn State (8-0) 3-0 Saturday afternoon at the Duke Blue Devil Invitational in Durham, N.C. The Cougars dropped the match by scores of 18-25, 10-25 and 13-25.
The College of Charleston came out strong against the two-time defending national champions at the start of Game 1. A kill by sophomore middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) gave them a 1-0 lead and three PSU errors and a kill from Ginny Phillips helped them maintain that one-point advantage at 6-5.
The Cougars would continue to keep it close as they stayed within four points over the next several exchanges and eventually narrowed the gap to 17-15. That would be as close as they would get though as the Nittany Lions then used an 8-3 run, fueled by a pair of kills each from junior middle hitter Arielle Wilson and senior outside hitter Megan Hodge, to claim a 25-18 victory and take a 1-0 match lead.
After a challenge from the College of Charleston in the first set, Penn State left nothing to chance at the beginning of the second frame as they powered out to an 18-4 advantage and never looked back on their way to a 25-10 decision. Wilson and Hodge once again staked PSU to their early lead as each came away with four kills during the early stretch, including three in a row by Hodge. Seven more kills, two each by Hodge, redshirt junior middle hitter Blair Brown and sophomore outside hitter Katie Kabbes, then secured the 2-0 lead in the match.
Two teams battled through four ties at the start of the third set before Penn State vaulted to a 12-5 lead as six kills, three by junior middle hitter Fatima Balza, keyed an 8-1 run. Four straight points on a pair of PSU errors and a kill each from Phillips and freshman outside hitter Kelly Kolich (Overland Park, Kan.) then narrowed the gap to 12-9.
Two CofC miscues and a pair of kills by Brown and Hodge sparked a 6-2 run and quickly pushed the lead to 18-11. The Nittany Lions would not look back from there as they scored seven of the final nine points to claim a 25-13 victory and 3-0 decision in the match.
Penn State was led offensively by Megan Hodge's match-high 18 kills and senior setter Alisha Glass' 46 assists along with seven digs. Defensively, junior libero Alyssa D'Errico led the way with a match-best 18 digs. Arielle Wilson added 10 kills behind a .562 hitting percentage to go along with three blocks while Blair Brown finished with nine kills and five blocks.
Cole Dawley's 17 assists and Ginny Phillips seven kills and four digs led the College of Charleston's effort while Kelly Kolich had four kills and a pair of blocks. Defensively, sophomore middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.) also recorded two blocks while junior libero Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) chipped in with four digs. Freshman setter Liza Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) added a service ace.
The College of Charleston wraps up the tournament with a 5 p.m. match against Loyola University.
NOTES
This is the first time in program history that the College of Charleston has faced both a defending national champion as well as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation ... it was also the first-ever meeting between the Cougars and Penn State ... the 18 points scored by the Cougars in Game 1 represents a tie for the third most that Nittany Lions have given up in a set this season ... St. Louis scored 27 and 18 while Pittsburgh notched 20 and 18 in their respective matches ... Penn State has won 72 consecutive matches including the last two national championships ... they last lost on September 15, 2007 vs. Stanford, 3-2.
Chattanooga 3, SIU-Edwardsville 1
Loyola (Ill.) 3, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - On the second day of the Country Inn & Suites Volleyball Challenge, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga went 1-1 capturing a victory against SIU-Edwardsville, 3-1, int. The Lady Mocs recorded their fourth win of the season and its first victory at Maclellan Gym. Freshman libero Paula Passmore was selected for the all-tournament team for her defensive performance for Chattanooga posting 67 digs total in the event.
The MVP of the tournament was Loyola (Ill.)'s Katie Johnson. Also, Lauren Ditsheit and Coleen Francis were named to the team from the Ramblers, while Austin Peay placed Stephanie Champine and Taylor Skinneer on the team. Tiffany Turner represented SIU-Edwardsville.
Game 1
In the first match of the day, the UTC volleyball team won its match versus SIU-Edwardsville, 3-1 (25-21, 13-25, 25-22, 27-25) at the Country Inn & Suites Volleyball Challenge raising its record to 5-2. The Lady Mocs were paced by junior middle blocker Courtney Barnes (Franklin, Tenn.) who generated a career-high 17 kills and three blocks against the Cougars who fell to 0-11 on the season.
The Lady Mocs return to action today at 5 p.m. against Loyola (Ill.) concluding the Country Inn & Suites Volleyball Challenge at Maclellan Gym.
The match was dominated by Chattanooga's middle blockers Barnes and sophomore Ellie Kuhn (San Antonio, Texas). Kuhn recorded 10 kills and both middles hit above .375 in the victory.
Freshman outside hitter Kirsten Beasley (Bushland, Texas) dug up 12 balls and had eight kills, while sophomore right side Jessica Scott (Lawrence, Kan.) posted 14 digs and five kills.
The Lady Mocs were led defensively by freshman Paula Passmore (Merritt Island, Fla.) who had 24 digs on the afternoon.
During the first set, Chattanooga controlled the play racing out to a 7-2 lead early. The squad generated 14 kills against the Cougars and only committed three errors, while SIU-Edwardsville had eight. UTC took the first set 25-21.
All the momentum that the Lady Mocs had went away early in the second set as the Cougars built a 14-4 advantage and cruised 25-13.
With the match tied at one apiece, Chattanooga once again started with the hot hand and another 7-2 lead. This time though, the hosts fought themselves the entire set with nine errors, but the squad was able to pull out a 25-22 win courtesy of their 12 kills and six mistakes by the Cougars.
In the most exciting set, the Lady Mocs and Cougars battled tightly thru the first 28 points with UTC holding a two-point advantage. Chattanooga took a 21-15 on an error by the Cougars, but SIU-Edwardsville battled hard to tie the match at 23-all. It was again tied at 25, when Chattanooga took control of the match with a Scott kill and ended it on another Cougar mistake, 27-25.
Game 2
Facing Loyola (Ill.), who won its two tournament games, the Lady Mocs had their hands full and battled tough in the first set, but the Ramblers were able to capitalize on the young team's mistakes to take the set 28-26. Chattanooga (4-3) ended up dropping the next two sets 25-15 resulting in a 3-0 loss. Sophomore outside hitter Laura Brock notched her second double-double of the season with 12 kills and 14 digs.
Once again, middle blockers Barnes and Kuhn led the Lady Mocs with six kills each, while the sophomore Kuhn registered 4 blockes and three digs.
Defensively, the Lady Mocs were led by Brock with her 14 digs and freshman libero Passmore dug up 10 balls, only because Loyola was hitting to the other players on the court.
Chattanooga played its best in the first set as the squad started on a 9-4 run. The Lady Mocs were up 21-16 on an attack error by the Ramblers, before their opponents went on a run of its own to tie the match at 23 all. The teams traded points to stand at a tie with 26 points, when Mallory Curran posted two kills in a row powering Loyola to a 28-26 win.
In the next two sets, the Ramblers were just too much for the Lady Mocs to handle as they registered 30 kills and hit over .250. Chattanooga only recorded two errors in the second set, but were their own enemy in the third hitting in the negatives with only six kills as Loyola cruised to the 3-0 victory.
Associate head coach J.O. Onikeku led Chattanooga in the second match as head coach Lisa Rhodes was attending her 30-year high school anniversary in Asheville, N.C.
The Lady Mocs are back in action Tuesday when they travel to East Tennessee State at 7 p.m. Then, Chattanooga continues its road trip in Ruston, La., for the Techster Home Tournament from Sept. 18-19 battling Grambling, Southeast Louisiana and Louisiana Tech.
Country Inn & Suites All-Tournament Team
MVP: Katie Johnson, Loyola (Ill.)
Lauren Ditschiet, Loyola (Ill.)
Colleen Francis, Loyola (Ill.)
Stephanie Champine, Austin Peay
Taylor Skinner, Austin Peay
Paula Passmore, Chattanooga
Tiffany Turner, SIU-Edwardsville
Butler 3, Appalachian State 0
ROCK HILL, S.C. - Coming off a tough loss on Friday, Appalachian State University volleyball could not hang with a strong Butler squad Saturday morning as the Apps fell to the Bulldogs 3-0. With the loss, the Mountaineers drop to 2-6 on the season.
The Apps got off to a sluggish start falling behind 6-1 early on, as BU came out on an impressive note, recording two service aces to open the match. Despite a kill by Caroline Sedon to cut the deficit to as close as four points, the Bulldogs would lead the rest of the set, as ASU scored just one more point over the course of the rest of the set while BU scored 11 more to take a 25-11 set win.
Appalachian posted a strong second set effort, going up 6-3 with points from Becca Norris and Kesley Kuehner, but Butler rallied back tying the set at nine all. The set would be tied three more times with the last time at the 15 point mark, before Butler went on a scoring run, notching the next 10 points to capture a 25-15 win.
The third and final set was the Mountaineers best of the morning, as the Apps would not give up that easily. The two squads tied the set at five all and continued to battle back and forth. Sedon pushed the Apps ahead at the 11-10 mark and the score was knotted twice more, with the final time at the 13 all mark. Althought the Apps posted a valiant effort, Butler notched a one point lead and never looked back earning the 25-23 win, defeating ASU 3-0.
Kuehner paced the Black and gold with nine kills, while Kasey Sauls tallied 25 assists and Sedon had four block assists.
ASU returns to action this afternoon with a match against Morgan State at 5 p.m.
Appalachian State 3, Morgan State 0
ROCK HILL, S.C. - In their final match of the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational, Appalachian State University volleyball shook off a tough loss to Butler from earlier in the day and finished on an impressive note, routing Morgan State 3-0 late Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Apps improve to 3-6 on the season while the Bears drop to 4-9 overall.
The two teams went back and forth early on in first set action as the scored was tied seven different times until MSU grabbed a three point advantage with Ivanti Bush registering a kill and Kierra Riley a service ace. Appalachian kept its composure, coming back to earn an 19-16 lead. Two kills by senior Maja Jechorek and four Bear errors gave the Black and Gold the edge. ASU scored six more points over the course of the set, while MSU had just two, with Kelsey Kuehner and Kasey Sauls chipping in on the offensive front, and Becca Norris and Jechorek sealing the 25-18 win.
The Apps came out strong in the second set and never looked back, earning a four point lead at the 10-6 mark. Two points would be Appalachian's lowest point margin, as the Apps just dominated the Bears.
A kill by Kuehner earned the Mountaineers an 18-14 lead, and kills by Norris and Jechorek would be all ASU needed to grab the 25-21 win.
In perhaps their most impressive set of the match, the Black and Gold notched a commanding 5-1 early lead and never backed down. Four attack errors by the Bears helped the Apps earn their advantage. ASU continued with its solid play, as Maggie Seeds recorded her first ever service aces, back to back, giving the Apps a six point cushion.
ASU was relentless with Sauls, Jechorek and Seeds all getting in on the offensive action. A Seeds kill gave ASU its largest lead of the set at 18-10 and two late points by Caroline Sedon helped ASU cruise to a 25-16 win.
Once again Jechorek paced the Apps with 13 kills while Sauls posted 29 assists. For her efforts Jechorek was named to the Hilton Garden Inn all-tournament team.
Appalachian looks to continue with its strong play, as it takes on the Charlotte 49ers on September 15 in Charlotte, N.C. at 7 p.m.
Dayton 3, Samford 1
Connecticut 3, Samford 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University volleyball team dropped its fifth and sixth straight losses of the season Saturday to Dayton and Connecticut. The Bulldogs now fall to 3-6 on the season.
"The good news is we put together our best match of the year against Dayton," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder. "The bad news is that it was against the best team we will play all year."
Against the Flyers, Samford was led by Allie Bettinger and Elizabeth Neisler. Bettinger posted 12 kills, four digs and two aces while Neisler added a career-high 11 kills and two digs. Sheriden Stangohr, who held her own against Dayton's six-foot-six-inch middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier, tallied 10 kills, led her team in hitting with a .273 average, posted three digs and had two block solos and two block assists.
Hillary Fountain dished out 33 assists, six digs and two block assists while Alexis Bauer posted 15 digs and two assists.
The Flyers were led by Becky Novecek who tallied 14 kills and Fletemier who posted 10 kills. Kacie Hausfeld dished out 16 assists while Amanda Cowdrey and Paige Vargas added 140 and 10 digs, respectively.
Neisler opened the first set with a kill to get Samford on the board first, and with assistance from Alicia Roth, Fountain and Bettinger the Bulldogs took a 5-3 lead to force Dayton to burn its first timeout. Out of the break, the Flyers put together an 8-2 run to take a 12-7 lead. The Bulldogs took a timeout to regroup but Dayton pushed strong to maintain its lead and win the first set, 25-21.
The second set was the complete opposite of the first as the Flyers took the first point of the set. However after 10 ties and six lead changes, the Bulldogs took over and pressed a four-point lead to force Dayton to take the first timeout of the set. Samford soon stretched its lead to six and although the Flyers fought to get within three, the Bulldogs went on to win the second set, 25-22, sealed with a kill by Rachel Gadberry.
Samford got on the board first in the third set with a kill by Stangohr, but Dayton answered back with three straight points to take a two-point lead. The Bulldogs soon grabbed the lead back, going ahead by two on a kill by Neisler and a Dayton error. However, the Flyers soon took the lead back and never looked back, winning set three, 25-18.
Dayton took an early two-point lead in set four, eventually stretching it out to eight. Samford fought back to get within four on several kills by Neisler and blocks by Stangohr, Gadberry and Fountain. However, the momentum was in the Dayton's hands as they went on to win the final set, 25-18.
Things seemed to turn around for the Bulldogs in their final match against Connecticut. The Bulldogs jumped on the Huskies early taking the first set, 25-18. However, Connecticut put together a big comeback winning the next three sets.
"Our immaturity showed in that match," Schroeder said of the second match. "UConn had just finished a very long five-set match and we could have jumped on top of them early. We managed to in set one, but then could not sustain it. Our leadership was lacking despite an incredible weekend from Sheriden who was consistently undersized but more productive than any middle in the gym."
Against Connecticut, Stangohr had four kills and four dig, while also notching a season-high three aces, one block solo and six block assists. Neisler notched another career high in kills with 12 while grabbing three block assists and one dig. Shelby Brandon aided in the offensive leadership with seven kills for a .333 hitting percentage while grabbing two block assists.
Fountain dished out 20 assists and nine digs, and Bauer notched 15digs for the second time on the day while also grabbing five assists. Bettinger tallied six kills while also grabbing four digs, two aces, one assist and one block assist.
Samford opened up the first set with a kill by Fountain followed by an ace by Casey Garvey to take a two-point lead. After the score was tied for almost every point after, the Bulldogs finally took over the lead,, 10-9, on a service ace by the Huskies. Samford soon pushed its lead out to four, then seven, forcing Connecticut to burn both timeouts. However, the Bulldogs would go on to win set one, 25-18.
Connecticut turned things around in the second set, never relinquishing its lead from the start. The Huskies took set two by a score of 25-14 and went on to win set three, 25-17. The Bulldogs kept a close game at first, even tying the score a few times but the Huskies would push their lead out to eight and go ahead in the match two games to one. Connecticut dominated the fourth and final game, leading by as much as eight. The Bulldogs trailed by only one for the first part of the set, but the Huskies would go on to win the final set, 25-18.
Samford is back in action next weekend, Sept. 18-19, as it travels to Memphis to play in the Memphis Invitational. There, the Bulldogs will face New Orleans, Memphis, Arkansas-Little Rock and UAB.
Radford 3, Davidson 2
DAVIDSON, N.C. - After holding a 2-0 leading, Davidson could not hold back a Radford combined as the Highlanders combined for 30 kills over the last two games to rally past Wildcats 3-2 (22-25, 22-25, 25-17, 29-27, 15-13) on day two of the Davidson Wildcat Classic Saturday afternoon at Belk Arena.
The victory was the sixth in the last seven matches for the Highlanders as they improve to 7-3, while the host Wildcats fall to 2-7 on the season.
Peele led the way for Davidson with a season-high 27 kills on 67 attempts (.239). Jorden Benedict also hit double figures for the 'Cats with 13. Hayley Lawson and Anna Bradbury split setting duties for Davidson contributing 24 and 23 assists, respectively.
Trailing two games to none, Radford closed game three on a 10-4 run capped off by four consecutive points to win the frame, 25-17, and extend the contest.
Game four featured 13 ties and six lead changes before the Highlanders tied the match at two games apiece with a thrilling 29-27 win. Along with connecting on 20 of their attempts, including six kills from Laura Waddell (Lynchburg, Va.) and five by Mariah Nussbaum (Dayton, Ohio / Chaminade Julienne), Radford hit a match-high .319 to force a fifth and deciding game.
Playing in their third straight five-game match and fourth of the young campaign, the Highlanders used a 7-2 run to erase an 11-8 deficit and secure the win.
Waddell and Nussbaum led the Highlanders with 12 kills each, while freshman Emily Hayes (Bartlett, Ill. / Bartlett) added nine and Lauren Clary (Roanoke, Va. / Cave Spring), Carly Fleming (Manassas, Va. / Osbourn Park) and Desiree Aramburu (Chicago, Ill. / Mother McAuley) finished with seven apiece.
Aramburu also tallied 45 assists and 12 digs for her third double-double of the season. Katelyn Meeks (Richmond, Va, / Mills Godwin) and Clary were also impressive defensively for Radford with 24 and 17 digs, respectively.
Thanks to 6-3 runs to open and close game one Davidson took an early 1-0 advantage with a 25-22 victory in the first. Nussbaum and Sarabeth Peele paced their respective teams in the opener with four kills each.
In game two, Radford used an 8-1 streak highlighted by the strong serving of Kiley Kent (Indianapolis, Ind. / Warren Central) to take an 11-6 lead. The Wildcats' responded with a lengthy flurry (14-5) of their own to push the margin back in their favor, 20-16, but the Highlanders fought back to even the score for a seventh and final time, 22-22. Davidson broke the deadlock and took a 2-0 lead into the break with three straight to close the frame.
Despite both teams connecting on less than 20-percent of their swings in the first two games, the Wildcats' Peele found the floor eight (.727) times in the second.
Davidson closes out the Classic with a 7 p.m. contest against Canisius later this evening.
Canisius 3, Davidson 1
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- With a late match rally and 18 kills from All-Tournament selection Sarabeth Peele, the Davidson Wildcats nearly forced a fifth set, but the Canisius Golden Griffins captured the 3-1 (25-15, 25-11, 20-25, 24-26) win in the tournament finale of the Wildcat Classic Saturday evening at Belk Arena.
Davidson (2-8) lost the first two sets, but battled back to win the third set before forcing the fourth into extra points. Canisius (3-7) got 18 kills from Renee Lettow and nine from All-Tournament selection Michelle Godfrey.
Setter Hayley Lawson posted 37 assists for the Wildcats, while Molly Crenshaw led the defense with 11 digs. For Canisius, setter Janelle Davis finished with 35 assists, and Allyson Severyn (21) and Renee Lettow (13) each hit double digits in digs.
The Wildcats were outhit .522 to .296 in the opening set of the match. The Griffs took a 12-4 lead to open play and controlled the set the rest of the way in the 25-15 win. Another early lead, 12-6, led to another quick victory for Canisius in the second set, a 25-11 win, before the Wildcats started their comeback bid.
Davidson surrendered a 6-4 edge as the Griffs won four straight points, including a pair of kills from Joanna Burt, to pull ahead, 9-6. The Wildcats answered with a 10-3 run to regain the lead, 16-12, and another 4-0 span, including a pair of aces by Lawson, put away the 25-20 win to send the match into a fourth set.
The Wildcats carried the momentum right into the fourth, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead behind two kills from Peele and strong serving from Crenshaw. The Griffs regrouped after a quick timeout and knotted the score at 13. Back-to-back putaways from Christine Perzinski and Peele gave the 'Cats a two-point cushion, but Canisius knotted the score at 20 on a Wildcat error.
Another Davidson error gave the Griffs a 21-20 advantage, but Davidson rattled off three straight to take a 23-21 lead. Davidson couldn't capitalize as a service error and attack error tied the set again, before the 'Cats got a set-point chance on a hitting error from the Griffins. Godfrey, though, put away the pass from Davis and a pair of Wildcat hitting errors delivered the 26-24 win for the match.
Peele and Godfrey were joined on the All-Tournament team by Lauren Clary (Radford), Mariah Nussbaum (Radford) and Lindsey Strucko (UNC Wilmington). Ashlyn Morris of UNC Wilmington, who went undefeated, was named Best Libero and UNC Wilmington's Paula McConnell took home tournament MVP honors.
Davidson will makes its final tournament appearance, traveling to the Winthrop Tournament to face James Madison, Gardner-Webb and the host Eagles Sept. 18 and 19.
Northern Arizona 3, The Citadel 0
Wyoming 3, The Citadel 0
Flagstaff, Ariz. - The Citadel Volleyball team dropped both of their Saturday matches at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament, falling to Northern Arizona and to Wyoming, 3-0.
In the early match, host Northern Arizona (3-5) took control and defeated The Citadel 25-16, 25-19 and 25-15. The Bulldogs were led by Jessica Maas and Kaona Mercer who each had eight kills. Mercer set a career high in kills with eight. Lauren Campbell led the attack for Northern Arizona with 13 kills and seven digs.
In the afternoon match, Wyoming (6-3) downed the Bulldogs 25-19, 25-16 and 25-19. The Citadel recorded eight total team blocks and Tatum Jestila led the way with seven kills and a service ace with a .357 attack percentage.
"We played against great competition this weekend," said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. "We switched the line-up around I thought it was a valuable change for us. Our best match was against Wyoming, we blocked well against them and I thought our freshmen played well this weekend. The Fiesta Bowl committee really take care of us and we had a great following here, there were lots of family, friends and alumni that came to support us."
Jessica Maas was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts over the weekend. Maas, a junior from Richmond, Texas, collected 20 kills, four digs and two service aces.
The Bulldogs return to action next weekend as they face North Carolina Central, South Carolina State, Alabama State and Charleston Southern in the South Carolina State Spikefest in Orangeburg, S.C.
For more information on Bulldog Volleyball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.