College of Charleston 3, Appalachian State 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston volleyball team gave the Appalachian State Mountaineers a fight, scoring the first six points of the opening set and never looking back, picking up a 3-0 win Saturday at Carolina First Arena (25-13, 25-16, 25-18).
Senior Whitney Russell led the attack with 12 kills and junior Sarah Havel batted down five blocks in the match. Senior Cole Dawley finished with 37 assists and junior Emily Shelton carved out 12 digs.
The Cougars (22-5, 10-1) won their seventh consecutive conference match and have now won 15 of their last 16 matches overall.
Havel's three block assists moved her into seventh on the CofC all-time list with 245. Also moving up in the blocking ranks was junior Elyse Chubb, who passed Dawn Zmuda for fourth on the total block list with 358. Dawley crept into eighth on the all-time digs list with 1,273.
CofC held Appalachian State (15-9, 6-5) to a .120 hitting percentage, while hitting .319 with 42 kills.
The Cougars are tied with Georgia Southern for first-place in the South Division of the Southern Conference, but hold the advantage, winning an earlier match between the two schools.
CofC resumes conference play on Tuesday at 7p.m. with a match against rival The Citadel. ASU looks to get back in the winning column and snap its two-match skid, as the Mountaineers begin a three-match homestand, Wednesday, November 3. Appalachian opens its first of three home contests against Western Carolina, with the match slated to start at 7 p.m. in the Holmes Center
Samford 3, UNCG 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford volleyball team upset Southern Conference North Division leader UNC Greensboro, 3-1, at the Pete Hanna Center Saturday afternoon in arguably one of the best offensive showcases for the Bulldogs this season. Samford improves to 6-6 in SoCon play and 12-14 on the season while UNCG falls to 18-8 overall and 6-5 in league play.
In front of a rowdy crowd of Bulldog fans, Samford took the first set, 25-20, and the second set, 25-11. UNC Greensboro came out of the 10-minutes break down two sets, looking for a way to get back in the match. The Spartans bested Samford in set three, 25-20, but the Bulldogs dominated set four, 25-10, and walked away with the upset.
UNCG is not only the top-ranked team in the conference, it is one of the top three blocking teams in the league and boasts the SoCon's top blocker, Kayren Finney. Samford not only out-hit the Spartans with a season-high .400, it matched UNCG in blocking as well with six team blocks. The Bulldogs held the Spartans to a .198 team hitting percentage and the conference's top blocker to half a block on the day.
Neisler led the Bulldogs with 21 kills on 36 swings, only committing two errors, for a career-high hitting percentage of .528. She also posted a career-high two solo blocks along with a block assist and two errors. Hillary Fountain followed behind with an impressive career-high 13 kills while also hitting .545. She just missed a double-double, grabbing nine digs and seven assists.
Lauren Hutchinson tallied 12 kills on 28 attempts with zero errors. She posted a .429 hitting percentage along with four block assists and a dig. Taylor Palmer matched a career high with seven kills on 11 swings with one error for a .545 hitting percentage. Allie Bettinger also added seven kills in addition to 12 digs.
Casey Garvey dished out 49 assists for the second-straight match while posting a season-high 12 digs and career highs in kills and block assists with three in each category. Alexis Bauer led in digs with 21 while also posting two assists and two aces. Samantha Bland also added two assists and six digs.
Ariel Newman and Caley Redden led the Spartans with 11 kills each. Newman also added 13 digs, two solo blocks, and an assist while Redden posted eight digs, three assists, a solo block and a block assist. Olivia Humphries added seven hits and hit .312 while setter Ari Lysacek posted five kills and led the team in hitting with a .571 percentage. She also led in assists with 33 and added three digs. Kellie Orewiler led the back row with 15 digs.
UNCG opened the first set with an error to get Samford on the board but came right back with a kill to even the score. Neisler took the lead for Samford on a kill but Redden answered back to tie the game at two. Samford then pulled out to a four-point lead on a 6-3 run with kills by Hutchinson, Bettinger and Neisler and a block by Hutchinson and Garvey. The Spartans cut the lead to three and Samford moved back ahead by five but UNCG eventually chiseled away at the Bulldog lead and when on a 4-0 run to get within one point.
Samford called a timeout and extended the lead back out to five on kills by Neisler and Fountain. The Bulldogs had reached set point and UNCG called a timeout. The Spartans came back to hold Samford off for a point due to a Bulldog block error, but Samford sealed the deal with a kill by Neisler to win set one, 25-20.
Neisler got Samford on the board in set two with a kill but a service error by the Bulldogs quickly evened the score. Samford then went on an 8-3 run to take a five-point lead with the help of back-to-back blocks by Hutchinson and Garvey, four kills by Fountain and a kill by both Hutchinson and Garvey. UNCG's Redden cut it to a six-point lead with an attack error and Samford continued to apply pressure and built a dominating lead. The Bulldogs eventually took a 24-10 lead, and although the Spartans held Samford at set point again, the Bulldogs put set two away, 25-11, on a kill by Hutchinson.
The third set started like the previous two with one team scoring the first two points on a kill and an error. This time it was UNCG. The Spartans then built a four-point lead on a pair of four-point runs. Samford called a timeout but UNCG continued to press forward and eventually took a seven-point lead before the Bulldogs wanted another timeout. The Bulldogs fought to get back within five points on kills by Palmer, Fountain, Hutchinson and Neisler and a block by Hutchinson and Neisler. UNCG called a timeout but the Bulldogs cut the Spartan lead to three on kills by Neisler and Palmer. However, UNCG called another timeout and held Samford to only two more points in the set to go on to win set three, 25-20.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the fourth and final set on a kill by Palmer, an ace by Garvey and a kill by Fountain. The Spartans finally got on the board but Neisler answered right back with a block to keep the three-point lead for the Bulldogs. UNCG cut the lead to two but it was short-lived as Samford tacked on four straight kills by Hutchinson, Bettinger and Garvey to take a 10-4 lead. UNCG called a timeout and came back with a kill by Redden but Samford knocked down three more kills to push its lead out to eight. UNCG called another timeout but would only score four more points in the set as Samford went on to win the final set, 25-10.
Samford is back in action Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. when the Bulldogs will take on the Elon Phoenix. UNCG will get back to the court on Sunday as they play on the road against Chattanooga at 5 p.m.
The Citadel 3, Western Carolina 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel Volleyball team, behind the play of seniors Tatum Jestila and Blaine McAllister, defeated Western Carolina to earn their first Southern Conference win of the season by scores of 25-18, 28-26 and 25-19 on Saturday afternoon. The tandem accounted for a combined 21 kills and were the catalyst to a Bulldogs front row unit that finished with a .238 attack percentage.
The sweep marks the first in conference action since a 2009 against Western Carolina in Cullowhee.
Jestila led the Cadets with 11 kills and a match-high .450 attack percentage.
McAlister finished second on the team with 10 kills to go along with seven digs and a service ace. The trio of Kathryn Johnston (13 digs), Erin Bucherl (12 digs) and Jessica Maas (12 digs) gave the Bulldogs a 61-49 edge in digs. Sophomore Jessica Maxwell was a key cog up front with five assisted blocks. Bucherl and Alexa Dahlstrom dished out 14 assists each. The win snaps a 12-match losing streak for the Bulldogs and improves their record to 6-20 overall and 1-10 in conference action.
Outside hitter Abbey Scroggins drove home 11 kills, while teammate Paloma Alvarez tallied eight for the Catamounts. Emily Franklin recorded 24 assists to pace the offense. Western Carolina got a lift defensively from the tandem of Alvarez and Morgan Cochran, who finished with 11 and 10 digs respectively. The loss drops WCU to 6-21 overall and 1-10 in SoCon play.
The Citadel rallied from an early 10-5 deficit before three attack errors by the Catamounts knotted the opening set at 11-11. The Bulldogs grabbed a two point lead, 17-15, before four straight points from McAllister's service game allowed for the 25-18 win.
The second match was a reverse of the opening set as the Cadets took a 7-4 lead. Western Carolina recorded four of the next five points and tied the set at 8-8. With neither team able to stretch the lead beyond three points, the game reached a climatic 26-26 tie. The Citadel assumed a 2-0 lead in the match on a kill by Jestila and service ace from Bucherl for the 28-26 win.
The Citadel got on the board first in the third stanza behind three forced errors by Bucherl's service game. Leading 9-4, McAllister widened the Cadets lead to 12-5 with a service ace and back-to-back attack errors. The Citadel's lead reached nine points, 22-13, down the stretch before an eventual 25-19 victory.
The Citadel will have a pair of road matches against College of Charleston (Nov. 2), which begins at 7 p.m., and Georgia Southern (Nov. 5), slated to start at 6 p.m., this week. The Catamounts return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 3 when they travel to Boone, N.C., to face Appalachian State at 7 p.m.
Furman 3, Davidson 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Sophomore Caroline Adams hit .526 with 11 kills and two blocks to lead the Furman volleyball team past Davidson, 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-20), Saturday night in Davidson, N.C.
The two teams battled through nine ties early in the first set before Davidson pulled away for a 19-14 lead. Furman then went on an 8-1 run, sparked by two kills by sophomore Chandler Ambrester, putting the Paladins ahead 22-21. Back-to-back kills by Ambrester and senior Katherine Hall gave Furman a 24-22 advantage. Jorden Benedict posted a Wildcat kill to bring Davidson within one point, but a final kill by Adams gave the Paladins a 25-23 win in the first set.
Furman jumped out to an early lead in the second set and went on to notch a 25-13, taking a 2-0 set advantage at the break. Davidson and Furman again fought through a close beginning to the third set, with the teams recording six ties before the Wildcats took a 13-9 lead. The Paladins then went on an 7-3 run to tie the match at 16 apiece. Davidson won the next two points to take an 18-16 advantage, but the Paladins came on strong to end the match, winning nine of the last 11 points to post a 25-20 win in the set.
Junior Kelly Kirby led the Paladins with 26 assists. Sophomore Natalie Braun posted nine kills and 14 digs, while Ambrester added eight kills and 14 digs in the match. Freshman Elle Ross tallied 10 digs in the effort.
Sarabeth Peele led Davidson (14-14, 5-6 SoCon) with nine kills in the match, and Hayley Lawson added a team-high 29 assists. Jennifer Chamblee recorded 23 digs to lead the Wildcats defensively.
Furman (14-10, 8-4 SoCon) will play its final two home matches this week. The Paladins face Wofford Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Alley Gymnasium, before closing out the home season against UNC Greensboro at Furman Senior Night Saturday at 7 p.m. Davidson returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Wofford (12-17, 2-9) at 2 p.m. at Belk Arena.
Elon 3, Chattanooga 2
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Elon University volleyball team completed a season sweep of the Chattanooga Lady Mocs tonight after taking an exciting 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-19, 21-25, 15-9) match victory. Junior Caroline Lemke tied her career-high with nine total blocks (one solo and eight assisted). Elon improves to 7-4 in Southern Conference play and 16-12 overall, while Chattanooga drops to 10-18 overall and 5-7 in the SoCon.
Lemke led Elon with a .343 attack percentage with senior Sarah Schermerhorn leading the team in kills with 17. Lemke tallied 14 kills in the match, while sophomore Allison Johnson and senior Lauren Copenhagen recorded 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Senior Lizzie West and Lemke each recorded three service aces to contribute to Elon's ten total service aces in the match, with junior Megan McMahon earning 48 assists on the night.
The nine blocks from Lemke helped spur the Elon defense that finished the match with 12 total team blocks. Sophomore Ali Deatsch totaled 28 digs, while Copenhagen recorded 20 on the night.
The Lady Mocs took an early 7-1 lead in the first set before Elon scored the next four points to limit the deficit to two points. Elon shortened the UTC lead to two points again late to make the score 14-12, but the Lady Mocs scored six of the next eight points to move their advantage to 20-14. With the score in favor of Chattanooga, 23-17, the Phoenix went on a four-point run that included two kills from Lemke and closed the gap to just 23-21, forcing UTC to call a timeout. However, Chattanooga would score two of the final three points to take the first set, 25-22.
In the second set, UTC once again jumped out to the early lead, 4-1, but off the service of junior Traci Stewart, Elon was able to tie the score at five-all. A service ace by Stewart then moved the Phoenix to its first real advantage of the match at 8-5. The Lady Mocs fought back to tie the set at 11-all and then once again at 16-all. The rest of the set would remain close with three ties and four lead changes, until the score reached a 23-21 Phoenix advantage. Elon maintained its lead and eventually went on to win the set, 25-22, off a serve and assist by McMahon and a kill from Lemke.
The third set found the Phoenix with the early 4-1 lead until the Lady Mocs tied the score at four-all. Elon was able to take the slight lead, 15-14, and then went on a six-point run that moved it to a 20-14 Phoenix advantage. Chattanooga was not able to catch up and the Phoenix took the third set, 25-19, and the 3-1 match lead.
The fourth set remained tight until Chattanooga took a 10-7 lead off a service ace from Heather Parman. The Phoenix tied the set at 11-all before the Lady Mocs once again jumped ahead 17-14. Elon then scored three of the next four points to trail UTC by just one with the score at 18-17. The Phoenix was not able to surpass the Lady Mocs as Chattanooga took the 25-21 set win and sent the match into a deciding fifth set.
The fifth and final set started off tight with three ties and four lead changes until Elon took the first solid lead at 6-3 off a kill from Schermerhorn. Chattanooga then narrowed the gap to one with the score still in favor of the Phoenix, 7-6. But the Phoenix went on to score five of the next seven points and pulled ahead, 12-8, to put the set out of reach for the Lady Mocs. A kill by Lemke sealed the season sweep of Chattanooga and gave Elon the 15-9 set win and the 3-2 match victory.
Elon will return to action tomorrow, Oct. 31, at Samford. The match is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Chattanooga concludes the weekend on Sunday at 5 p.m. against UNC Greensboro inside Maclellan Gym before traveling to Appalachian State and Western Carolina next weekend.
Georgia Southern 3, Wofford 0
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Wofford College women's volleyball team fell to Georgia Southern, 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-21) Saturday night in a Southern Conference match in the Hanner Fieldhouse.
Wofford was led by Rachel Woodlee, who had ten kills and ten digs to record her first double-double of the season. Woodlee's ten kills was a match-high.
Wofford fell behind early in the first set, 10-8, but rallied to tie the match at 12 on a kill from Wendy Burnett. However, the Eagles would mount a 7-3 run to take a 19-15 lead and control the set as they won the opening frame 25-20.
In the second set, neither team could pull away early as the match stay closed and was tied at 19-19 before Georgia Southern won six of the final eight points to take the set 25-21. The Eagles outhit the Terriers .259 to .182 in the set and added three total team blocks compared to Wofford's one block.
The third set saw Wofford jump out to an 8-5 lead, before Georgia Southern would rally and take a 13-10 lead. Wofford cut the lead to 16-15 and 20-19, but could force a fourth set as they fell 25-21.
Behind Woodlee, Wofford had three players with five kills, Arden Anderson, Catelyn Amende and Stacy Byrd. Bekah Dorsey had 18 assists, while Tara Gough handed out 11 assists.
For the Eagles, Hannah Nelson and Lauren Claybaugh had seven kills. Kate Van Dyke passed out 26 assists, and Lauren LaRocque had a match-high 14 digs.
Wofford will return to action Sunday at Davidson for their next match.