College of Charleston 3, Davidson 1
CHARLESTON, S.C.- The College of Charleston volleyball team re-gained the top spot in the South Division of the Southern Conference with a 3-1 victory over the Davidson Wildcats Saturday afternoon at Carolina First Arena (26-24, 18-25, 25-18, 25-14).
Senior Whitney Russell led the team with 13 kills and fellow senior Cole Dawley recorded her eight consecutive double-double with 36 assists and 15 digs.
The Cougars (16-5, 5-1) came out swinging in the first set, converting 34 attempts into 16 kills with just two errors, good for a .412 hitting efficiency. CofC blocked four shots and forced Davidson (11-9, 2-1) into seven attack errors.
After falling 18-25 in the second set, the Cougars were eager to come back out and take control of the match. In the third set it was the CofC defense, which totaled four more blocks and a balanced offensive attack to lead the team to a 25-18 set victory.
Although the Cougars struggled in the fourth set in their win against Georgia Southern last night, they dominated the fourth set against the Wildcats, jumping out to an early 12-3 lead on a kill by freshman Madelyn McGinnis.
In a similar manner to the first set the Cougars totaled 16 kills and held Davidson to a .125 hitting percentage to win the set and the match.
CofC returns to action next weekend with two more home matches. On Saturday Oct. 16 the Cougars will battle Samford at 2p.m., followed by a Sunday game against Chattanooga, also at 2p.m. Davidson will return to action tomorrow at The Citadel at 2 p.m.
UNCG 3, Wofford 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Senior Kayren Finney and junior Ariel Newman each posted double-doubles for UNCG as the Spartans defeated Wofford, 3-2, in Southern Conference volleyball action on Saturday night in Fleming Gymnasium.
The Spartans improved their record to 16-5 this season, including a 4-2 mark in the SoCon. The Terriers fell to 11-12 on the year and 1-5 in the league.
Finney had a season-high 14 kills and tied a career-high with 10 blocks to record just her second-career double-double. Newman, who was coming off a career-high 16 kills on Friday, registered a match-high 15 kills and added 13 digs for a double-double. Ari Lysacek had a double-double, as well, as she had a match-high 29 assists and 12 digs. Kellie Orewiler and Caley Redden tied for the match-high in digs as they each had 17.
Stacy Byrd led the Terriers offensively as she had 14 kills. Bekah Dorsey had a double-double for Wofford with 26 assists and 14 digs. Reagan Styles had a team-high 15 digs as the libero.
With the match tied at two, the two teams headed towards a fifth and decisive set. In the set, the two sides kept it close as they were tied at five in the early going. The Spartans held a narrow 9-7 lead before rattling off the next four points to take a 13-7 lead on a kill by Caley Redden. The Terriers would go on to pull within 13-10, but the Spartans held on to win the final two points and take the set, 15-10.
The two teams traded points to open the match as they were tied at 11 apiece in the first set. The Spartans then won eight of the next 11 points to take a 19-14 lead. UNCG closed out the set with a kill from Alissa Beaudway to win the opening set, 25-19.
The Terriers came fighting back to open the second set as they took a 5-1 lead and never trailed the entire set. UNCG tied the match at 12 on an ace by Newman, but Wofford responded by going on an 8-2 run to take a commanding 20-14 lead. The Terriers went on to win the set, 25-18, to tie the match at one going into intermission.
The Spartans came out of the break with renewed vigor as they opened the third set by winning six of the first seven points. Wofford came back to pull within 11-9, but the Spartans regrouped and finished the set on an incredible 14-3 run to win the set, 25-12.
It appeared as if UNCG was heading towards winning the match in four sets as the Spartans took a 10-5 lead to open the fourth set. Trailing 15-13 midway through the set, Wofford won the next four points to go ahead, 17-15. The two sides then began to trade points before the Terriers went in front 23-21 on an ace. UNCG pulled within one at 24-23, but Wofford got an ace from Liguori to win the set, 25-23.
The Spartans return to the court on Friday as they travel to Georgia Southern to face the Eagles at 6 p.m. Wofford will return to Ben Johnson Arena Saturday, October 16th with a 6 p.m. match against Western Carolina.
Elon 3, Furman 2
ELON, N.C. - The last time the Elon University volleyball team had won a match against Furman was Sept. 24, 2004. That six-year Paladin streak ended tonight as the Phoenix registered a 3-2 win (16-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 15-9) at home in Jordan Gym.
Elon wrapped up a two-match winning home stand with a current season record of 13-9 (5-1 Southern Conference), while Furman drops to 9-8 (3-2 SoCon).
With the help of junior Megan McMahon, who recorded 51 assists, junior Caroline Lemke led the Phoenix with 19 kills. Senior Sarah Schermerhorn finished with a .333 attack percentage with a total of 13 kills and just three errors, as well as recording seven total blocks. Senior Lauren Copenhagen and sophomore Allison Johnson also came up big for the Elon attack with 12 and 10 kills, respectively.
On the defensive side, senior defensive specialist Lizzie West recorded 17 digs, while McMahon tallied 16 and sophomore Ali Deatsch finished the night with 11. Junior Traci Stewart also contributed to the Phoenix defense with six blocks.
In the first set, the Paladins ran off to an 11-6 lead, and despite a few rallies by the Phoenix, Furman took the set, 25-16. The second set started off tight with the score reaching a tie five times by the time it was nine-all. Furman then grabbed the momentum and moved to a 13-10 advantage, but Elon came back with a kill by Schermerhorn to bring the set back to a tie at 15-all. With Furman holding a 19-17 lead, the Phoenix went on a five-point run to take their first big lead of the night, 22-19. Elon would go on to win the last three points and the set on Furman error, 25-21, and tie the match at 1-1.
After going to a 10-all tie in the third set, the Phoenix grabbed a two-point lead, 13-11. But the Paladins scored the next five points and maintained no less than a two-point lead the rest of the set to win 25-21 and take a 2-1 match lead.
After jumping out to a five-point edge early, Elon saw its lead evaporate as a 7-3 run by Furman forced Tendler to call a timeout. After the short break, Elon jumped back out to a three-point lead on a kill from Copenhagen. The lead remained with the Phoenix until the Paladins tied the set at 20-all. With the score at 24-23 Phoenix, Elon was determined to not let Furman walk away with another victory in the all-time series. A kill by Schermerhorn won the set for the Phoenix, 25-23, and sent the game into a deciding fifth set.
After Elon jumped out to a 6-3 lead, Furman came back to tie the set at seven-all with a 4-1 run. But on the serve of Schermerhorn, the Phoenix scored four-straight points off two kills each by Copenhagen and Lemke to claim an 11-7 edge. After two more kills from Copenhagen moved the score to 13-8, the Phoenix knew it was on the verge of breaking the Paladins' winning streak. A kill from Stewart sealed the deal with a 15-9 set win and a 3-2 match victory. Elon held Furman to only a .083 team attack percentage in the fifth set, while the Phoenix hit .370 as a team in the final set.
Elon will spend the next two matches on the road as the team travels to Davidson on Oct. 16 and Georgia Southern on Oct. 17. Both matches will begin at 2 p.m. Furman (9-8, 3-2 SoCon) returns home to face Davidson Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Chattanooga 3, Western Carolina 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team notched its first Southern Conference victory of the season against Western Carolina in come-from-behind fashion taking the final three sets, 3-1 (23-25, 28-26, 25-17, 25-12). The Lady Mocs were down 22-17 in the second set, mounted a 6-1 rally to knot the score at 23 and eventually picked up the 28-26 win.
Two Lady Mocs posted double-doubles in the contests as sophomore outside Heather Parman compiled 11 kills and 10 digs, while senior Bailee Chastain totaled 50 assists and 11 digs.
The offense flowed through the middle for Chattanooga as senior Courtney Barnes (posted 19 kills without an error for a .593 hitting percentage and junior Ellie Kuhn notched 10. Sophomores Meagan Ernd recorded nine kills and Kirsten Beasley added nine and five kills, respectively.
An all-around defensive effort led by sophomore libero Paula Passmore with a match-high 26 digs was used by the Lady Mocs in recording 81 digs. Four individuals hit double-digits in digs including senior right side Jessica Scott (14), Chastain (11) and Parman (12), while Ernd and Beasley aided in the effort with six and seven, respectively.
Another aspect to the defense was consistent blocking as Barnes stopped four attacks and Kuhn had three. Both teams totaled seven blocks during the match.
Chattanooga (6-15, 1-4 SoCon) registered 63 kills in the victory, 20 more than Western Carolina (7-15, 1-5 SoCon). The Lady Mocs also hit at least 14 kills in each set including a match-high 17 in the final stanza on only a single error.
Chattanooga is back in action on Sunday against Appalachian State. The first serve from Maclellan Gym is scheduled for 5 p.m. The Catamounts return to action on Oct. 15 as they travel to Greenville, S.C. to face Furman at 7 p.m.
Samford 3, Appalachian State 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University volleyball team fell to 2-4 in Southern Conference play Saturday night after a four-set loss to Appalachian State in the Pete Hanna Center. The Mountaineers (13-5, 4-1 SoCon) snapped the Bulldogs' six-set win streak when they took the first set, 25-20. Samford (8-12, 2-4 SoCon) came back to win set two, 25-19, but ASU won the next two, 25-18 and 25-23.
Elizabeth Neisler led the Bulldogs in kills with 13 while also tallying three digs, a solo block and a block assist. Shelby Brandon and Katie Murphy followed with seven kills each. Brandon also had three digs and two block assists while Murphy posted six block assists. Lauren Hutchinson tallied six kills and four block assists while Allie Bettinger and Samantha Bland each had three kills. Bland also posted 11 digs and two block assists while Bettinger added two digs.
Hillary Fountain posted 31 assists, seven digs and two block assists while Alexis Bauer led the back row with 14 digs. Bauer also added an assist while Alicia Roth posted 11 digs and a kill. Casey Garvey had seven assists, nine digs and a block assist while Taylor Palmer posted two kills and two block assists and Taylor Chao had a dig.
Appalachian State was led by Alison Blasingame and Anna Wagner who posted 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Wagner also led her team in digs with 16. Lauren Brown led the Mountaineers in assists with 24 followed by Kasey Sauls with 15. Caroline Sedon posted nine blocks (two solo and seven assists) while Wagner also added five blocks (one solo and four assists).
The first set started out with three tied scores before the Mountaineers took the lead on a Bulldog error and a kill. ASU then went on a 5-2 run to take a five-point lead, and Samford called its first timeout of the match. Back-to-back Mountaineer errors out of the break cut the lead to three and Samford went on a 12-10 run to get within two, capped off by a block from Fountain and Murphy. Appalachian State called a timeout but Samford roared back with a kill by Neisler to cut the lead to one. However, ASU would only allow one more point from Samford as it went on to win set one, 25-20.
ASU grabbed the lead quickly in set two on a block and a kill but Samford immediately answered with a 9-5 run to take a two-point lead with the help of a kill and an ace by Fountain, a kill by Bland, a block by Brandon and Murphy and a few Mountaineer errors. ASU called a timeout but Samford forged ahead and extended its lead to five on kills by Murphy and Neisler. The Mountaineers fought to get within two but after two timeouts by Samford, the Bulldogs would hold on to the lead and go on to win the second set, 25-19.
Roth scored the first point of the third set for the Bulldogs on a kill but ASU came back with six straight points to take a five-point lead. Samford called a timeout but the Mountaineers continued to forge ahead and take a13-5 lead. After another Bulldog timeout, Samford fought to get within five points but ASU would go on to win the third set, 25-18.
Neisler knocked down a kill to get Samford on the board first in set four but a Samford error followed and evened the score. The Bulldogs then took a 7-3 lead on a kill by Murphy and several ASU errors but the Mountaineers went on a 6-1 run to take a 10-8 lead and force Samford to call a timeout. ASU continued to press and although Samford fought to keep the gap at two, the Mountaineers scored three straight points to go ahead by five. The Bulldogs called another timeout and a kill out of the break by Brandon sparked a 9-5 run to get within one point. After an ASU timeout, Hutchinson tied the score at 20 with a kill but the Mountaineers would fight off the Bulldogs and go on to win the fourth and final set, 25-23.
Samford is back on the road next weekend as it travels to the College of Charleston and The Citadel Saturday and Sunday. The Bulldogs will then return for a five-match homestand where they will host Furman, Wofford, Chattanooga, UNC Greensboro and Elon over the next two weeks. The Mountaineers head to Chattanooga, Tenn., Sunday, October 10 to battle the Lady Mocs. The match between the two teams is set to begin at 5 p.m.
Georgia Southern 3, The Citadel 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Hannah Nelson and Parker Small combined for 24 kills leading Georgia Southern past The Citadel 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-13) Saturday night (October 9) in McAlister Fieldhouse. The Eagles hit .330 for the match to improve to 13-7 overall and 4-1 in Southern Conference action. The Citadel dropped to 5-15 overall and 0-5 in league play.
Nelson led the Eagle attack with 14 kills followed by Small with 10. Kate Van Dyke picked up 33 assists, while Bethany Sanford narrowly edged Van Dyke in the backcourt with nine digs.
The Eagles limited the Bulldog offense, keeping The Citadel to a -.053 hitting percentage and only 16 kills. Georgia Southern hit .330 for the match with 45 kills and added eight blocks.
Led by Small's seven kills in the opening frame, Georgia Southern took the early match lead with a 25-12 first set win. The Eagles outhit the Bulldogs .562 to .115 in the opening frame, pulling away with a 14-8 advantage. The Citadel called its final timeout trailing 20-11 as the Eagles were able to close out the set on a 5-1 run.
Georgia Southern came back from an early deficit in set two to grab the frame, 25-20. Posting seven kills in the set, Nelson helped the Eagles battle back from a 10-6 deficit and capped the set win for Georgia Southern with a pair of kills.
The Eagles controlled the third and final frame, jumping out with an early 8-4 lead and never looked back. Leading 18-13, Georgia Southern closed out the match on a 7-0 run to seal the win. Nelson led the offense with four kills.
Georgia Southern returns to Hanner Fieldhouse Friday, Oct. 15 to face UNC Greensboro. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. Meet the Basketball Eagles will follow after the match.