Elon 3, NCCU 0
Elon 3, Gardner-Webb 0
DURHAM, N.C. - The Elon University volleyball team continued its hot start to the 2010 season on Saturday, as the Phoenix captured the Hilton RTP/North Carolina Central University Tournament title with a pair of 3-0 sweeps over NCCU (25-13, 25-10, 25-15) and Gardner-Webb University (25-12, 25-15, 25-13) at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.
Elon (4-0) was the only team in the tournament to finish with an undefeated record, as the Phoenix dropped only two sets in the two-day affair and captured eight-straight set victories going back to yesterday's victory over the University of Texas at El Paso. Senior Sarah Schermerhorn was named tournament MVP, while junior Caroline Lemke and sophomore Allison Johnson both earned all-tournament accolades.
"We're obviously very pleased to win the tournament and we had the opportunity to see a lot of great things out of our team this weekend as we move forward," said Elon head coach Mary Tendler. "Our outside hitters started out the tournament on fire and we continued to carry that momentum throughout both days, but the strength of our team came through its passing and defense. We had a balanced attack in all four games, which gave us the opportunity to give a lot of people playing time."
The Phoenix never trailed in its first match of the day versus host NCCU, as a balanced attack up front and several errors by the Eagles helped pave the way for the Elon victory. Johnson led the Phoenix with a team-best eight kills in the opening match, hitting .353. Johnson recorded a team-best 41 kills in tournament, hitting .330 and averaging over three kills per set. Senior Lauren Copenhagen and Lemke both posted five kills for Elon in the win over NCCU.
Elon continued its dominance over to its fourth and final match of the tournament versus Gardner-Webb, as the Phoenix wore down the Bulldogs down the stretch with several key digs in the final few points to capture the 3-0 sweep and improve to 4-0 on the year.
Lemke led the Phoenix with a team-best 11 kills versus GWU, hitting .714 against the Bulldogs. Copenhagen and junior Traci Stewart both registered eight kills apiece for Elon in the win, while junior Ali Deatsch posted a match-best 10 digs.
"Having the chance to play all 15 players gives us a lot of confidence going into Tuesday's home opener," Tendler added. "It's going to be our first match inside Jordan Gym in a very long time, so we're excited to see the fans come in and pack the arena and give us their support."
Elon is back in action Tuesday night, Aug. 31, for its home opener versus the High Point University Panthers at 7 p.m. The match will take place in Jordan Gymnasium inside the Koury Athletic Center.
Hilton RTP/NCCU Volleyball All-Tournament Team
Allison Johnson - Elon
Caroline Lemke - Elon
Sarah Schermerhorn - Elon*
Sonja Banicevic - Delaware State
Belinda Behncke-Biney - North Carolina Central
Tyler Cockrell - Gardner-Webb
Amanda Hill - Charleston Southern
Patty Jarmoc - UTEP
Jzima-Malaki Kalao - North Carolina Central
Megan McDonald - Delaware State
Amy Nokes - Charleston Southern
Melissa Toth - UTEP
Laura Wilcox - Gardner-Webb
*Tournament MVP
UNCG 3, Norfolk State 2
UNCG 3, Providence 1
NORFOLK, Va. - UNCG began its day with a dramatic come-from-behind win over Norfolk State before defeating Providence, 3-1, later in the day to win the Spartan Classic title on Saturday in Joseph Echols Hall. It was the first tournament title for UNCG since winning the High Point Volleyball Classic in 2008.
UNCG improved to a perfect 4-0 on the young season, while Norfolk State fell to 2-2 and Providence 0-4. The Spartans dropped just four sets the entire tournament.
Olivia Humphries and Ariel Newman were named to the All-Tournament team, while Humphries also earned the distinction of being named the Spartan Classic Most Outstanding Player.
"What a fantastic start to the season," said head coach Patrick Nicholas. "I liked how we stuck together as a team and the enthusiasm and effort that we gave all weekend. Our physicality and ball control really paid off for us as we were able to wear teams down. I also want to commend Norfolk State on having such a well-run tournament, especially for this being the first one they have hosted in school history."
In the first match against Norfolk State, sophomore Olivia Humphries led the Spartans offensively with 13 kills and nearly had a double-double as she added nine blocks. Ariel Newman had her second double-double in as many days as she chipped in 11 kills and 14 digs. Billi Baker also had double-digit kills with 10 and added seven blocks. Caley Redden had a team-high 20 digs and Ari Lysacek had 29 assists.
The two teams set the tone for the rest of the match in the first set as they played to a wild finish. The set saw 13 ties and seven lead changes in the seesaw battle. Norfolk State led 24-23 late in the set, but UNCG knotted it at 24 and neither team was able to close out the set.
The teams continued to go back-and-forth with UNCG seeing another set point at 34-33, but a service error and a pair of attack errors by UNCG allowed Norfolk State to win the set, 36-34. Norfolk State had eight set points and UNCG had four in the set.
UNCG responded though by winning the first three points in the second set and led 11-9 midway through the set. Norfolk State though took the next six points, thanks to a trio of errors by UNCG, to take control of the set at 15-11. UNCG would go on to tie the match at 18 later in the set on an error, but Norfolk State was able to hold on and win the set, 25-21.
UNCG began to turn the momentum in its favor to begin the third set as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead. UNCG led just 8-5 in the set before going on a 9-3 run to open its lead to 17-8 as it cruised to a 25-16 set win.
The team continued to attack as they won the fourth set in dominating fashion. UNCG closed the set on an incredible 17-4 run to win the set, 25-8, and force a fifth set.
In the decisive fifth set, UNCG trailed early before rallying to tie the set at 13. Norfolk State then had match point at 14-13, but UNCG claimed the final three points on a kill by Newman and a pair of Norfolk State errors to win, 16-14.
In the tournament finale against Providence, freshman Karrian Chambers and Alissa Beaudway shared team-best honors with 11 kills each. Humphries added 10 kills and five blocks in the match as well. Fellow freshman Kellie Orewiler had a match-high 24 digs from her libero position and Lysacek chipped in 31 assists.
The Spartans opened up a little sluggish in the first set with the Friars as they saw themselves trailing 13-11 in the set. UNCG took control though and went on an 11-2 run, capped by a pair of Humphries kills to take a 22-15 lead en route to taking the opening set, 25-18.
UNCG continued to roll as it led for much of the second set. The Spartans took the lead for good on a four-point run to go ahead 11-8 and never looked back as they went on to win the set, 25-20.
It appeared the Spartans were on its way to a three-game sweep as they led 19-15 in the third set, but the Friars continued to fight. Providence took the next eight points to take a 23-19 lead before winning the set, 25-21, on a kill by Lauren Hendel.
UNCG bounced back though in the fourth set as the Spartans ran off seven-straight points midway through the set to take a 15-10 lead. Savannah Tomlinson capped off the match with a kill for UNCG as the Spartans won the set, 25-18.
The Spartans will return to the court on Monday as they host Wingate for an exhibition in Fleming Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m.
Wofford 3, Maryland Eastern Shore 2
Wofford 2, South Carolina State 2
SPARTANBURG, SC - The Wofford volleyball team won two matches on Saturday at the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament hosted by Hampton University. The Terriers defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore 3-2 (25-18, 15-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-13) and in the final match downed South Carolina State 3-2 (25-14, 21-25, 19-25, 25-14, 14-9).
In the first match of the day against UMES, the first set was tied at nine before the Terriers pulled away and scored the final five points to capture the win. The Hawks won the second set by ten points. In the third set, Wofford had a lead at 23-20 advantage but a rally by the Hawks gave them a 25-23 win.
Down 2-1, the Terriers fought back and in the fourth set were tied at 22 all before closing out the set with a 25-23 score. In the deciding fifth set, the Hawks built a four-point lead. However Wofford was able to tie the score at twelve. With Bekah Dorsey serving, the Terriers scored the next two points and picked up the match winner on an attack error by the Hawks for a 15-13 win.
Against Maryland-Eastern Shore, Bekah Dorsey had 24 assists to lead the team. Catelyn Amende, Melissa Kearse and Amanda Liguori all were in double-digits in kills.
In the second game of the day against South Carolina State, the Terriers jumped out to an early 12-4 lead on the way to a 25-14 win. The Lady Bulldogs answered in the second set with a 25-21 win to tie the match. In the third set, South Carolina State won 25-19. Wofford answered in a big way in the fourth set as they led from start to finish in a 25-14 win. In the fifth set, the Lady Bulldogs scored the first point. The Terriers tied it at one point each and never trailed again as they won 14-9.
Against the Lady Bulldogs, Amanda Liguori led the team with 14 kills while Bekah Dorsey had 20 assists and eleven digs. Reagan Styles led the squad with 19 digs. In the tournament, Wofford and Bryant both finished with 3-1 marks.
Wofford is now 3-1 on the season and will play at Savannah State on Wednesday at 7:00 pm. The first home match will be September 17 against SIU Edwardsville.
Appalachian State 3, UNCW 0
HIGH POINT, N.C.- Appalachian State University volleyball continued with its strong play, as the Mountaineers easily picked up a 3-0 win over UNC Wilmington Saturday morning in their second match of the High Point Invitational. With the victory, ASU improves to 2-0 on the season, its best start to a campaign since 2006.
First set action was a back and forth affair, as it was tied on seven different occasions.
It appeared ASU would run away with the set, going up 13-10 after kills by Meghann Forshey and a block assist by Caroline Sedon and Kelly Rhein gave the Apps the three-point advantage.
However, the Seahawks knotted play at 13 all, after the Black and Gold posted two attack errors.
Facing a three-point deficit, down 18-15, the Mountaineers continued to battle and tied action once again at 19 apiece. With momentum swinging in ASU's favor, the Apps closed out the set on a 7-0 run, thanks in part to impressive play by Alison Blasingame and Forshey.
A final attack error by UNCW clinched Appalachian's first set 25-19 win.
After dominating much of the second set early on, ASU was able to take a 9-5 advantage.
Despite the Black and Gold's lead, UNCW would not go away quietly scoring three points to make it a two-point set.
UNCW continued to take advantage of sloppy Mountaineer play, tying it at 14 all, and twice more at 15 and 18 all.
Senior Caroline Sedon was able to step up her play, coming through when it counted as she put the Apps on top for good with a kill.
Blasingame contributed as well on both the offensive and defensive fronts, recording a block and kill to lead ASU to a 25-20 set second victory.
A hard-fought third set ended in Appalachian's favor, as ASU was able to earn a closely contested 25-23 win.
Paced by impressive play by senior Lauren Swecker at the beginning of the set, who had three kills and helped the Apps go up 11-6 after the set was knotted at four all.
Play was tied at 15 and 17 apiece, before Forshey kills and UNCW errors gave ASU its largest lead of the set since early on, up 22-18.
The set was as close as one point down the stretch, with the Mountaineers lead diminishing to just one point up only 24-23, but Sedon was able to silence the Seahawks with a set and match-winning kill.
Appalachian closes out play at the High Point Invitational, with a final match against tournament-host High Point tonight at 7 p.m.
Appalachian State 3, High Point 2
HIGH POINT, N.C.- Appalachian State University volleyball remained undefeated, as the Black and Gold mustered a comeback, earning wins in three straight sets to edge tournament-host High Point University Saturday evening. The victory improves ASU to a perfect 3-0 on the young 2010 season and drops the Panthers to 2-1. The 3-0 mark is the best start to a season under head coach Matt Ginipro and the best start for ASU since going 3-0 to begin the 2005 campaign.
After falling behind by two sets, the Mountaineers rallied and picked up a 25-18 third-set win and 25-22 fourth-set win to push the match to five sets.
Continuing with its impressive performance, the Apps dominated High Point in the fifth set, to pick up the thrilling win.
The Mountaineers jumped out to a decisive 5-0 lead in the fifth set, one that the Panthers could never recover from as Caroline Sedon and Meghann Forshey paced Appalachian's offense.
A block assist by Kelly Rhein and Alison Blasingame gave ASU the commanding 10-3 lead that proved too be too much for High Point. Rhein then registered a kill to make the score 12-4 in ASU's favor. That combined with two attack errors by HPU gave ASU the thrilling 15-6 fifth set and 3-2 match win.
Rhein ended the contest with 16 kills and 16 digs to go along with five block assists.
The start of the match was hotly contested, as the first set saw 18 ties, with a block assist by the duo of Blasingame and Forshey putting the Apps ahead 23-22. However, High Point tallied a kill to knot the set at 23 all, and two Mountaineer errors proved costly, giving High Point the 25-23 first set win.
It appeared Appalachian would tie the match at one apiece, after grabbing a 12-8 second set lead, thanks in part to back-to-back kills by Blasingame.
Despite the advantage, the Panthers came roaring back, tying action at 15 all. The set was evenly played, as both squads traded points, but once again two Black and Gold errors gave HPU a two-point lead that they never gave up.
Closing out the set on a 5-0 streak, High Point handed ASU a 25-19 second set defeat and took a 2-0 match lead.
Down but not out, Appalachian stepped up and dominated third set action.
A kill by tournament MVP Meghann Forshey, coupled with kills by teammates Rhein and Kasey Sauls gave the Apps an 11-5 lead.
Continuing to dominate, ASU went up by as many as seven points, leading 19-12.
Kills by Blasingame and Rhein, along with a final attack error by High Point helped ASU cap off the third set victory and stay alive in the contest.
After going up at the beginning of the fourth set, ASU never relinquished its lead to even the match at two sets apiece, with a 25-22 fourth set win.
Always able to keep at least a one point cushion, strong offensive play by Sedon, Forshey and Rhein enabled ASU to stay on top.
Once High Point pulled within one point, making it 15-14, Appalachian outscored the Panthers 7-3 to earn a 22-17 lead. The Panthers were able to make it interesting, cutting their deficit to just three, but ASU hung on, as a set-winning kill by senior Lauren Swecker pushed the match to five sets.
The Black and Gold dominated fifth-set play and remained a spotless 3-0 on the season with their win over the tournament-host.
The Mountaineers step out of tournament play, as they take on former Southern Conference rival East Tennessee State, Tuesday, August 31, with the match slated to begin at 7 p.m. in Johnson City, Tenn.
College of Charleston 3, Oakland 0
DeKALB, Ill. - The College of Charleston volleyball team picked up their third straight 3-0 victory, this one coming against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (25-13, 25-16, 25-19).
"It's nice to play teams well enough to win 3-0," said Head Coach Jason Kepner. "I think we have been very consistent throughout all of the games. We have made a lot of big runs ourselves and have not allowed teams to make runs against us."
The Cougars (3-0) controlled the first set, holding the Golden Grizzlies (0-3) to a -.048 hitting efficiency compared to CofC with a mark of .304.
Once again it was a balanced attack for the Cougars as all 14 athletes played, led by junior Elyse Chubb, who tallied eights kills on 11 attempts with no errors. Defensively Chubb rejected four of the 13 total blocks.
Kepner said he thought Chubb had a solid effort for the Cougars.
"She played great," he said. "She has been a little frustrated coming back from her shoulder surgery. She didn't get a chance to play in the spring at all. Cole hasn't been able to set her on a regular basis so it's taken a little while for them to get their connection back. As you can see from the results today they really connected well."
After winning the first two sets decisively, both teams elevated their play in the third set with Oakland hitting at .211 and the CofC at .438. In the end it was the Cougars, who finished the match with a block assist by Chubb and sophomore Kelly Kolich.
For the match five CofC athletes had at least six kills. Senior Cole Dawley directed the offensive attack with 33 assists, and Sleepy Hollow, Ill. native Paige Johnson collected 12 digs.
The Cougars will conclude the Northern Illinois Invitational with a match against host-school Northern Illinois at 8p.m. ET. The Cougars and the Huskies are currently the only teams in the tournament that have not lost a match.
"They are a very big team," Kepner said of the Huskies. "They are very big, very physical, and just young. What we have to do is take advantage of their youth and force them into making some errors and hopefully we can get out of here with a 4-0 start and a tournament championship."
Northern Illinois 3, College of Charleston 2
DeKALB, Ill. - The College of Charleston volleyball team lost a heartbreaker 3-2 against the host, Northern Illinois Huskies at the Northern Illinois Invitational (26-24, 25-15, 25-27, 31-33, 15-7).
Senior Whitney Russell led a balanced effort with 22 kills and 14 digs. Russell was one of four Cougars, along with senior Ginny Phillips and juniors Elyse Chubb and Sarah Havel to tally double-digit kills.
Both Russell and senior Cole Dawley were selected to the Northern Illinois Invitational All-Tournament team.
The Cougars (3-1) narrowly dropped the first set 24-26 and lost the second 15-25. In the third set the team was in trouble again, trailing 14-18, but they battled back and eventually would tie the game at 22-22. The Huskies (4-0) had a match point at 24-23, but Havel connected on a ball from Dawley and tied the game at 24. Russell followed up the kill by Havel with one of her own and the Cougars took control of the set and tallied a 27-25 victory on a block assists from Phillips and Chubb.
The fourth set went back and fourth again with the Huskies trying to win the match and the Cougars trying to force a fifth set. Again, it was Northern Illinois jumping out to a lead at 7-13 and forcing CofC to come back from a deficit. The Huskies took a 20-15 lead in front of their home crowd, but the Cougars refused to go away. Led by kills from Phillips and Russell and two block assists from Chubb the Cougars tied the game at 22. Eventually it would be two Huskie miscues that would end the set with a 33-31 win for CofC.
The Cougars had the momentum going into the fifth set and claimed an early 3-0 lead, but the Huskies matched their energy, scoring the next four points. Northern Illinois, hitting at a .500 efficiency in the set, started to pull away and claimed the match with a 15-7 fifth set victory.
In addition to the strong offensive play, the Cougars also played a great defensive contest, with four players finishing with double-digit digs and the team combining for 22 block assists and two solo blocks.
The Cougars resume action next weekend as they travel to Rock Hill, S.C. for the Carolina Challenge. In addition to a match against host-school Winthrop, the Cougars will battle South Carolina and Clemson.
Davidon 3, Stetson 0
HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Junior middle blocker Madison Benedict totaled 14 kills on just 17 attempts to hit a school-record .824 to lead the Davidson Volleyball team to its second straight 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-17) shutout, this time over Stetson in the opening match of the second day at the JMU Coca-Cola Classic Saturday morning.
Benedict finished with a match-high 14 kills and hit a career-best .824 (14-0-17), also a new school record in hitting percentage for Davidson (2-0). The school record was previously held by Rebecca Teichgraeber, who hit .778 against The Citadel on Sept. 23, 2000.
Junior right side Erin Lupfer finished with nine kills on 16 attemps, and junior Christine Perzinski and senior Jorden Benedict each tallied seven for the Wildcats, who hit an efficient .310 as a team. Sophomore Ariel Ley and senior Haley Lawson split the setting duties once again, finishing with 22 and 18 assists, respectively, and senior Jennifer Chamblee led the Wildcat defense with 14 digs.
Kaley Melville finished with 11 kills to lead the Stetson (0-2) attack. Kelli Carneal totaled 19 assists, and Monique Russell led the Hatter defense with 10 digs.
The Hatters jumped out to an early 3-1 lead to open the match and held that margin until the Wildcats won three straight points on kills from freshman Caroline Brown and Madison Benedict and an ace from Ley to tie the game at nine. Stetson won the next two points, but Benedict and senior outside hitter Sarabeth Peele answered to knot the score at 11, and the Wildcats used a 9-3 run to take an 18-14 lead and force the Hatters into a timeout. Davidson closed with a 7-4 run for the comeback 25-18 win in the first set.
The Wildcats got out to a quick start in the second set, winning the first five straight points behind two aces from Ley and kills from Perzinski and the Benedict sisters. Stetson, though, got the score knotted at 8 with an 8-3 run, and the game would stay close most of the way until with a one-point lead at 17-16, the Wildcats put together four straight scores on a kill from Jorden Benedict and two aces from Lawson to take a 21-16 lead. The teams traded points to finish the set, but Davidson held the margin for a 25-20 win to take a 2-0 advantage into the third game.
Perzinski won the first point of the third set for Davidson, but Stetson went on a 8-2 run to force the Wildcats into a timeout. The Wildcats rallied out of the break, winning the next five points to knot the score at 8, and the teams would stay knotted at every point until, with the score tied at 12, kills from Peele and Lupfer and a pair of aces from Perzinski gave Davidson a four-point lead. Davidson used a 3-1 spurt to take a 19-13 lead and closed out the match with the 25-17 win.
The Wildcats will return to action tonight, finishing tournament play with the host JMU Dukes at 7:30 p.m.
James Madison 3, Davidson 0
HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Danielle Erb had 20 kills to lead the James Madison Dukes to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-13) win over the Davidson Wildcats in the JMU Coca-Cola Classic finale Saturday evening at Sinclair Gymnasium/Godwin Hall. Erb earned Tournament MVP honors for her effort, while junior Madison Benedict and senior Jennifer Chamblee were named to the All-Tournament team to represent the Wildcats.
Davidson (2-1) dropped its first match of the season, after sweeping UNC Asheville and Stetson in earlier tournament play. Madison (3-0) closed out its tournament play with an unblemished record.
Erb led all players with 20 kills on 31 swings (.613), while Natalie Abel finished with eight kills and 14 digs for the Dukes. Holly Wall led all players with 15 digs, while Megan Wiechmann finished with a team-high 20 assists.
For Davidson, junior outisde hitter Christine Perzinski finished with seven kills for the Wildcats, who also got six kills from senior outside hitter Sarabeth Peele. Perzinski also led the Davidson defense with 12 digs, while Chamblee added 10. Sophomore setter Ariel Ley finished with a career-high 55 assists.
James Madison turned a 7-2 run into an 14-6 lead to open the match. The Wildcats put together a 3-1 run out of a timeout on a Peele kill and a Crenshaw ace, but Madison would use another 7-2 run to extend its lead to 22-11. Though Davidson would win seven of the last 10 points, the deficit proved too great as the Dukes took the opening set, 25-18.
The Dukes started hot in the second set, turning a 4-0 lead into a 14-4 controlling advantage. Though Davidson would put together a 7-3 run to get to 19-11, Madison would do enough, winning eight of the last 14 points to take a 2-0 edge with the 25-19 win.
The third set was close in the early goings, with Davidson holding leads at 3-2 and 5-4 before the Dukes started to pull away. A 3-0 run gave Madison a slight cushion before it opened up a 15-9 lead to force the Wildcats into a timeout. The teams went back and forth, until with the Wildcats trailing 20-13, the Dukes closed out the match by winning the final five points in the 25-13 win.
Davidson will return to action at the Radford University Tournament, taking on Canisius at 3 p.m. Friday. The Wildcats will also play ETSU (10 a.m.) and Radford (3 p.m.) Saturday to close tournament play.
Georgia Southern 3, Troy 1
AUBURN, Ala. - Behind junior middle hitter Parker Small's match-high 14 kills, Georgia Southern defeated Troy, 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19), in the first game of day two at the War Eagle Invitational on the campus of Auburn University. The Eagles moved to 2-0 on the season.
Small finished the match with a .545 attack percentage with 14 kills on 22 attacks and two errors. The Charlotte, N.C., native also finished with two block solos and four block assists. Sophomore setter Kate Van Dyke led the match with 39 assists, while juniors Bethany Sanford and Ashley Roe tied for a team-best 14 digs.
Troy (0-2) was led by Devin Von Pingel with 12 kills, setter Megan Henderson with 36 assists and Courtney Cohen with a match-high 15 digs.
The Eagles came out in set one quickly taking the lead, going up by five at the 9-4 mark in part from a kill by Small. The Trojans pulled to within three at 12-9 following Von Pingel's third kill of the set, but a Sanford kill followed by two services aces from Van Dyke and a Trojan error pushed the Eagles in front, 16-9. At 20-13, the Eagles solidified set one using a 5-2 run highlighted by a couple aces from junior Roe.
Troy captured set two, 25-23, holding the Eagles to a .135 attack percentage and 11 kills. The two teams battled through 17 ties and eight lead changes with Sanford leading the Eagles with four kills. The Trojans jumped out with a 4-1 lead, but the Eagles drew the set back to even as the two teams tossed the lead back-and-forth through a 21-21 tie with neither team leading by more than two points at a time. GS took a 23-21 advantage using two Trojan errors, but Troy knotted the score again at 23-all. Two attack errors from the Eagles followed, sealing the Troy win, 25-23.
The Eagles regrouped and immediately pulled out with the lead in set three. Troy kept close and tied the score back at 9-9 off a kill from Kayla Giles. After two ties, Troy took a two-point lead, 14-12, but the Eagles immediately reversed the lead and pulled away with a 20-15 advantage using an 8-1 run. GS went on and took set three 25-19.
Small led the Eagles in their best offensive set with five kills as GS tallied a .379 attack percentage on only one error. Troy was limited to a .083 attack percentage committing seven errors in the third set.
Georgia Southern opened the fourth set taking a 10-4 lead. The Trojans closed to within three at 12-9, but that would be the closest they would get as the Eagles held strong and finished out the set to win 25-19.
The War Eagle Invitational wraps up this evening with the Eagles battling host Auburn at 8 p.m. (ET).
Auburn 3, Georgia Southern 1
Auburn, Ala. - Georgia Southern dropped a tight 3-1 (25-17, 16-25, 13-25, 19-25) decision to the Auburn Tigers to round out the War Eagle Invitational on the campus of Auburn University Saturday evening (August 28). The Eagles went 2-1 in the tournament. Junior Bethany Sanford and sophomore Kate Van Dyke were named to the All-Tournament team to close out the season-opening tournament.
Sanford led the Eagles with 32 kills in the 11 sets played, while Van Dyke collected 101 assists, 9.18 assists per set.
In the final match, Sanford tallied a team-high 13 kills and Van Dyke recorded 33 assists to lead the Eagles. The two tied for a team-high nine digs apiece. Parker Small added eight kills and five block assists.
"We came out and played a very good first set. The team really challenged Auburn and caught them off guard," stated Head Coach Chad Callihan. "But Auburn did a nice job of regrouping and they controlled the tempo for the rest of the match with the serve."
Tiger Sarah Bullock finished with a match-high 18 kills, while Liz Crouch picked up 17 digs. Christina Solverson led Auburn (3-0) with 36 assists.
Georgia Southern grabbed the first set, 25-17, after battling back from an early deficit. The Eagles knotted the set at 4-4, but the teams battled back-and-forth until GS pulled away following an 8-8 tie. A 7-2 Eagle run highlighted by a pair of service aces, capped by a Hannah Nelson kill, handed the Eagles a 15-10 advantage. Auburn pulled to within two at 17-15, but GS pushed ahead and sealed a 25-17 win.
Auburn opened set two scoring four unanswered points and took a 10-5 lead before Georgia Southern closed the gap to 10-7 off a Sanford kill and Small ace. But the Tigers continued to pull away and took the set, 25-16.
A 7-1 Auburn run opened the third set and forced the Eagles to burn a timeout. A Lauren Claybaugh kill and Auburn attack error brought the score to 11-6 and Sanford pulled the Eagles to within five again at 12-7, but that would be the closest the Eagles would come. Auburn took a 2-1 match lead with a 25-13 set three win.
Georgia Southern and Auburn battled in the fourth set, but the Tigers took the early lead and never looked back. Auburn jumped out with a 7-2 lead before Georgia Southern rallied back on a 6-2 run drawing the score to 9-8, Auburn. Sanford's third kill of the set brought the Eagles to within one point, 10-9, but Auburn answered with a 4-0 run. At 22-16, two kills from Sanford and Nelson set the score at 22-18, but Auburn solidified the match win with a 25-19 fourth set victory.
"We need to work on our ball control and defense," stated Callihan. "This tournament pointed out some weaknesses that were exposed by different teams in different ways, but it gave us a good baseline on what we need to go back and improve on."
The Eagles return to action at the MT Blue Raider Bash, September 3-4. Georgia Southern opens the tournament against Southern Mississippi on Friday, Sept. 3 at 5 p.m. and will face Duke and Miami on Saturday.
Samford 3, UMKC 0
Arkansas 3, Samford 0
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ---- The Samford University volleyball team split matches Saturday on the final day of play in the Arkansas Invitational. The Bulldogs swept UMKC Saturday morning, but fell to Arkansas, 3-0, in the night cap.
The Bulldogs (2-1) played three very close sets in both matches, defeating the Kangaroos 26-24, 28-26, 25-19 before falling to the Razorbacks, 25-21, 25-23, 25-21.
Two Bulldogs were named to the All-Tournament team. Lauren Hutchinson tallied 3.11 kills per set throughout the weekend, knocking down 28 in all while hitting .595 and averaging 0.67 blocks per set. Alexis Bauer led the Bulldog back row, posting 3.00 digs per set, 29 digs overall.
Against the Kangaroos, the Bulldogs were led again by newcomers Katie Murphy and Lauren Hutchinson. Murphy topped her performance from Friday as she notched 12 kills and a .346 hitting percentage against UMKC while also adding two block assists. Hutchinson posted seven kills and a .417 hitting percentage while also grabbing two digs, one block assist and one set assist.
Allie Bettinger knocked down nine kills on 24 attempts with only one error for a .333 hitting percentage. She also posted nine digs, just missing her first double-double of the season. She added one assist, two aces and one block assist.
Elizabeth Neisler posted five kills, one dig and one block assist while Lyndsey Holt and Shelby Brandon each had three kills. Holt also added six digs, two aces and one assist.
Hillary Fountain and Casey Garvey dished out 16 and 12 assists, respectively. Fountain added six digs, one ace and one block assist while Garvey had eight digs, one ace and one kill. Alexis Bauer posted a team-high 11 digs while also adding five assists.
UMKC was led by Elizabeth Beck who posted a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs. Christina Quinn also added 10 kills and six digs while Ella Meier and Holly Schmidt added 15 and 12 assists, respectively.
Against Arkansas, Hutchinson was the leader once again as she posted nine kills on 14 attempts with only one error to hit .571. She also added one ace and two block assists. Neisler followed close behind with eight kills while hitting .353 and adding three block assists, one dig and one assist. Murphy added seven kills, hitting .353, and two block assists while Holt knocked down six kills and hit .417 while also adding two aces, one dig and one solo block. Bettinger posted five kills and seven digs.
Fountain and Garvey each dished out 17 assists while Garvey posted six digs and Fountain added two digs and one ace. Bauer notched 10 digs and one assist while Bland added one ace and one assist. Taylor Palmer posted two kills and one block assist in her collegiate debut.
The Bulldogs will be back home for a five-match homestand that will begin with their home opener against Troy on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Samford will then host the Samford Invitational presented by McDonald's and Hampton Inn Friday and Saturday, Sept. 3-4.
Tennessee 3, Chattanooga 0
Xavier 3, Chattanooga 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team concluded the Comcast Lady Vol Classic on Saturday falling to No. 19 Tennessee, 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-13), and Xavier, 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-23). Senior setter Bailee Chastain registered the first double-double of the season with 15 assists and 10 digs against the Muskateers
With the season opening tournament completed, the Lady Mocs may have made some mistakes, but did have stretches where they came together as a team and showed potential.
Against No. 19 Tennessee, Chattanooga stayed with the Lady Vols during the first set as sophomore libero Paula Passmore dug up 11 attacks. Then against Xavier, the Lady Mocs looked to be down after dropping the first two sets, but rebounded and did not trail the Muskateers by more than two points during the final frame.
Defense is the strength of the Chattanooga team and Passmore was up to the challenge totaling 40 digs Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Mocs look to gain more experience against tough competition next weekend at the Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence, Kan. Chattanooga opens the event against Arkansas at 11 a.m. on Friday followed by a match with Akron at 6 p.m. The two-day tournament concludes with a matchup with host Kansas on Saturday at 2 p.m.
SIU Edawardsville 3, The Citadel 0
Indiana State 3, The Citadel 0
Edwardsville, Ill. - The Citadel Volleyball completed their first weekend of action with a pair of losses on Saturday afternoon to SIU-Edwardsville and Indiana State. In the early afternoon contest, the host Cougars edged the Bulldogs 25-18, 25-13 and 25-13. Indiana State followed with a tough fought 25-14, 25-18, 26-24 match against The Citadel. Leading the way were outside hitters Kaona Mercer (14 kills, four assisted blocks) and Tatum Jestila (12 kills, 21 digs).
Mercer and Jestila shared match-high honors with seven kills against SIU-Edwardsville. The Bulldogs used their size to finish with eight assisted blocks, two each coming from Amanda Beal, Jessica Maas, Alexa Dahlstrom and Mercer. In addition, Dahlstrom added 20 assists and 10 digs, but it was not enough to overcome a solid SIUE front row. The trio of Jessica Hemann (12 kills), Sydney Winslow (nine kills) and Brianne Graunke (9 kills) guided the Cougars to a .367 attack percentage and their first win of the season.
The Citadel (0-3) wrapped up the SIU-Edwardsville Tournament against Indiana State. Trailing deep in the third game, the Dogs Rachael Farrel drove a kill past the Sycamores defense for a 22-22 tie. After a kill by Beal and Jestila the set was knotted for the seventh and final time, 24-24, before a pair of service aces by Loni Mackinson completed the victory. Mercer and Maas shared team-high honors with seven kills, followed closely by five kills each from Jestila, Beal and Dahlstrom. Dahlstrom, who finished with a .400 attack percentage, also had 28 assists.
"We played much better as the match progressed against Indiana State," said Bulldog Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. "Kaona had a strong weekend for us offensively, while Tatum anchored our efforts on the defensive side. Overall we struggled in our service game, but showed courage and determination against Indiana State. That is something that we will have to build on going into this week's match against Charleston Southern."
Fans have the opportunity to watch The Citadel when they play at intercity rival Charleston Southern on Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m.
Game statistics and a game recap will be available immediately following the match. For more information on Bulldog Volleyball or The Citadel Athletics, visit the website.
Colorada State 3, Furman 0
Fort Collins, COLO. - Sophomore Chandler Ambrester tallied 10 kills Saturday night to lead the Furman volleyball team in the Paladins' 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-21) loss at #17 Colorado State.
Colorado State jumped out to an early lead, winning set one 25-16. The Paladins rebounded in the second set, taking a 22-15 lead before the Rams reeled off seven straight points. The two teams were tied at 24 points and 25 points apiece before Colorado State won two straight points for a 27-25 victory. In set three, the teams were deadlocked at 14-14 when Colorado State began to slowly pull away for a 25-21 win to take the match.
Junior Kelly Kirby led the Paladins with 14 assists and added 13 digs, while freshman Sarah McCarthy recorded 12 assists in the match. Sophomore Natalie Braun paced Furman with 14 digs, and sophomore Caroline Adams hit .500 with six kills and two block assists.
Furman (0-2) will open the 2010 home season Tuesday, when the Paladins play host to Presbyterian at 7 p.m. in Alley Gymnasium.
NC State 3, Western Carolina 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -The Catamount volleyball team fell to NC State on Saturday afternoon, 3-0, to wrap up the VB Rags Western Carolina Invitational.
The Catamounts (2-1) dropped the first set, 25-16, before losing the last two sets to the Wolfpack (3-0) by scores of 25-14 and 25-15.
"I saw good things this weekend despite the situation we are in with so many young players," said Western Carolina head coach Manuel Concepcion. "In a month when we start conference play, the girls are going to be doing well. Our ball control is getting better and as long as we keep getting better at the net and as a team we will do fine."
The first set saw the two teams battle to a five all tie before the Wolfpack went on a 6-1 run to push their lead to five (11-6). Western could only get the match within four (14-10) before NC State pulled away to a 24-14 advantage. An Amanda Chaparro kill and an attacking error by N.C. State's Margaret Salata brought the match to 24-16 before a kill by Luciana Shafer won the set for the Wolfpack, 25-16.
The Catamounts fell behind early in the second set, trailing 10-1 before back-to-back kills by Rebecca Stoltz made the score 10-3. NC State went on an 8-1 run to take an 18-4 advantage, but the Catamounts took advantage of four miscues by the Wolfpack plus a kill by Paloma Alvarez to bring the match to 18-9. Western got with nine (22-13), but could not overcome the early deficit as they dropped the set, 25-14.
Western never led in the third set and trailed by as much as 10 midway through the set (18-8) before capitalizing on two N.C. State attacking errors while adding a kill by Chaparro to get within seven (18-11). The Catamounts could not close the gap as the fell in the final set, 25-15.
Alvarez recorded seven kills in the match to lead the Catamounts while middle blocker Rebecca Stoltz added five kills and two blocks.
Morgan Cochran posted a match-high 19 digs while fellow freshman Kelcie Randazzo chipped in 11 assists and seven digs on the afternoon.
"We are going to get our synchronizing between blocking and defense together this week at practice," said Concepcion on preparing for next weekend's tournament. "We need to get a little more aggressive in our services as well. "We are facing good teams next weekend and it will be a good preparation for the conference season."
The Catamounts hit the road for their next set of matches, traveling to Terre Haute, Ind., to participate in the Indiana State Tournament on Sept. 3-4. Western opens tournament action against Montana State on Friday, Sept. 3 at 4 p.m.