Appalachian State 3, East Tennessee State 2
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Appalachian State University volleyball battled former Southern Conference foe East Tennessee State to five sets and was able to defeat the Buccaneers 3-2 Tuesday evening in Johnson City, Tenn. The five-set contest between the two teams marks the third-straight meeting between the two squads that has been played to five sets.
With the win, the Black and Gold pick up their first win at ETSU since 2004 and Appalachian improves to a stout 4-0 on the season while ETSU drops to 1-3 overall. The 4-0 start is the squad's best start to a season since 2002.
After falling behind 2-1, with the match on the line, ASU came out strong in the fourth set, jumping out to an 8-4 lead. The Apps were able to grab the advantage by posting stellar defensive efforts at the net, as both Caroline Sedon and Maggie Seeds and Sedon and Kelly Rhein combined for block assists.
The Bucs pulled within one point at the 9-8 mark, but the Black and Gold outscored ETSU 12-4 to stay on top, and earn a commanding 21-12 lead.
Junior Alison Blasingame was quite impressive both offensively and defensively, tallying both a block assist and slamming home a kill. The Virginia Tech transfer closed out the evening with seven kills and seven block assists.
Final kills by Seeds and Meghann Forshey kept ASU alive, and gave the Apps the 25-17 fourth set win, pushing the match to five sets.
Eerily similar to fifth-set play against High Point on Saturday evening, the Apps carried their momentum into the final set and came out firing, totally dominating ETSU.
Appalachian grabbed a 5-1 advantage with the Bucs tallying three early errors.
ETSU tried to comeback pulling within in two points, making it 6-4, but consistent offensive productivity by Seeds and Forshey kept the Mountaineers' lead alive.
Forshey yet again paced ASU's offense, finishing the match with a team-best 10 kills, hitting .304 in the contest.
With the Black and Gold notching the 12-6 lead, ETSU self-destructed, recording four-straight errors (three attack errors/one bad set) to propel Appalachian to the 15-7 fifth set and 3-2 match victory.
Struggling to find its footing, ASU faced a 19-10 deficit in the first set.
Three kills by Seeds cut into ETSU's nine-point cushion, making it a four-point set at 20-16, and a Blasingame kill made it as close as 20-19.
Despite the solid effort, East Tennessee State was able to hang on for the 25-21 first set win.
Second set action was a highly competitive back and forth affair, as it was tied ten different times.
Once the set was tied at 17 apiece, Seeds tallied another crucial kill, giving Appalachian the lead for good at 18-17.
The Apps tried to run away with the it, pushing the score to 21-18 in their favor, but ETSU's Desiree Dyck tallied a kill, and that combined with a Black and Gold error made it a one point set.
Continuing with its resiliency, Appalachian did not let up and eked out the 25-22 win, to tie match action at one all.
After the Bucs came out on fire at the beginning of the third set, ASU could never quite bounce back.
Appalachian was down by as many as seven points, and could never muster a comeback, falling 25-20.
Picking up its play and displaying strong performances, ASU captured fourth and fifth set wins, to improve to an undefeated 4-0 on the young 2010 season.
Making its 2010 home-debut, Appalachian welcomes three opponents to the High Country for Labor Day weekend, as the Apps host the Appalachian Invitational. Action kicks off Friday, September 3 with USC Upstate playing Valparaiso at 4:30 p.m. and ASU battling Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m. in the Holmes Center.
Furman 3, Presbyterian 0
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Sophomore Natalie Braun recorded ten kills and five service aces to lead the Furman volleyball team to a 3-0 (28-26, 25-16, 25-17) win over Presbyterian in the Paladins' 2010 home opener Tuesday night in front of a capacity crowd in Alley Gymnasium.
In the first set, the score was tied 21 times before the Paladins rallied with two straight points to break a 26-all tie for a 28-26 win. Furman then dominated the next two sets, winning set two 25-16 and set three 25-17.
Freshman Sarah McCarthy paced the team with 25 assists, and rookie Elle Ross recorded a team-high nine digs. Junior Carolyn Nicoletti and Braun each posted seven digs, while sophomores Alexis Shaffer and Chandler Ambrester and junior Kelly Kirby tallied six kills apiece in the Paladin effort.
"We were really excited to be back in our gym," said Braun following the match. "It was great to have so many fans here and pack the place out. We didn't do as well as we wanted to in Colorado, so it was great to come home and get a win in our first home match."
Furman (1-2) will face UAB Friday at 10 a.m. in the first round of the Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Elon 3, High Point 0
ELON, N.C. - After taking the first set, 25-19, the Elon University volleyball team came out victorious after a thrilling second and third set to sweep the High Point University Panthers, 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-18), Tuesday night in the Phoenix's home opener inside Jordan Gymnasium.
After taking the first set, 25-19, Elon (5-0) found itself in a battle with HPU in the second set, as the Panthers came back from two points down to knot it at 22-all late in the game. However, the Phoenix managed to rally down the stretch to win the set and take a 2-0 lead, as a floater up front over a pair of Panther defenders by senior Lauren Copenhagen sealed the win for Elon.
The Phoenix carried its momentum into the third set of the match, taking a 10-3 advantage early to force High Point head coach Jason Oliver to call a timeout.
After Elon went ahead eight points, 17-9, following an ace by senior Sarah Schermerhorn, the Panthers mounted a comeback and pulled back within five at 22-17, using a kill by Courtney Johnk to gain momentum. However, the Phoenix managed to close the match down the stretch, as three consecutive points, including a match-point kill by junior Caroline Lemke, gave Elon the victory.
Lemke and Copenhagen led Elon with a team-best 11 kills, while junior Traci Steward notched her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 digs.
Sophomore Ali Deatsch registered a team-high 16 digs for the Phoenix, while sophomore Megan McMahon recorded 35 assists and 14 digs.
Elon makes the trek to the Golden State this weekend, Sept. 3-4, for the Sacramento State University Tournament in Sacramento, Calif. The Phoenix opens up against Cal State Northridge on Friday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. (EST).
Charleston Southern 3, The Citadel 2
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel overcame a two-game deficit in the match before Charleston Southern emerged with a 25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 19-25, 15-9 victory. Senior Tatum Jestila led the Bulldogs with a double-double (18 kills, 24 digs) while teammate Jessica Maas added 12 kills. Joining Jestila with double figure digs was Rachael Farrell (22), Kathryn Johnston (22) and Shannon Frain (12).
The emergence of Jessica Maxwell and Kaona Mercer, who each had seven kills for The Citadel, proved to be the difference in the latter stages of the match. Maxwell, who finished with a .438 attack percentage, was a key defensive presence with three blocks. At setter, the tandem of Alexa Dahlstrom and Erin Bucherl dished out 25 and 22 assists respectfully.
"It was a hard fought match," said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger. "We showed a lot of character, coming from a two set deficit to force a game five. Tatum anchored our offense and our defense, but we got contributions from everybody which we need to be successful."
Charleston Southern was paced by Amanda Hill who finished with a match-high 26 kills and completed the double-double with 19 digs. Teammate Amy Nokes dished out 49 assists, while the Buccaneer defense was sparked by Tricia Rodl's 29 digs.
CSU grabbed an early lead in the fifth set, before a kill by Maas and attack error by Emily Libertowski tied the game at 6-6. After a Amberle Trinder kill the Buccaneers held onto their lead and closed the match on a 9-3 run. CSU improved to 2-3 on the season, while The Citadel falls to 0-4.
With The Citadel trailing 2-1 in the match, the fourth set reached a 6-6 tie before The Citadel took advantage of four Buccaneer attack errors to take a lead it would not relinquish. The lead remained six points before a series of CSU points cut the deficit to 18-17. Successive kills by Jestila and Maas accounted for the next five Bulldog points, and led to the 25-19 victory.
The Citadel front row of Maxwell, Maas, Mercer and Jestila rattled Charleston Southern in the third set of the match. Behind four kills by Maxwell, three from Jestila and two each from Maas and Mercer the team never trailed throughout a third set. The Bulldogs built a six-point lead on three occasions, including an 18-12 advantage that came on a kill by Maas.
Charleston Southern carried the momentum from an opening set victory into the second set and established a 6-3 advantage in the early going. A series of Buccaneer errors, combined with a pair of kills by Jestila, gave The Citadel a 7-6 lead. The back-and-forth contest would see neither team hold greater than a two-point advantage until a climatic 21-21 tie. CSU scored three straight points before a service error and Jestila kill cut the lead to 24-23. The Buccaneers tallied the final point and 25-23 victory.
Behind kills by Amanda Beal, Maas and Kaona Mercer the Dogs rallied early in the first set to knot the game at 5-5. CSU responded with the next five points before a series of Citadel kills tied the game for a second time, 14-14. After splitting the next six points, the game reached a 17-17 tie. The Buccaneers, behind a strong service game by Emily Libertowski, recorded eight of the final 11 points to capture the 25-20 win.
The Citadel returns to action this weekend participate in the Mercer University Tournament. The Bulldogs open with Tennessee-Martin on Friday, Sept. 3 at 3 p.m. At Following the conclusion of the match with the Skyhawks, The Citadel meets Presbyterian College.
Fans of The Citadel Volleyball team are invited to come out and "Meet the Bulldogs" on Wednesday night to McAlister Field House. The event will begin at 4:00 p.m. and it is free and open to the public. The event is sponsored by California Dreaming and is an opportunity for Bulldog fans to enjoy refreshments while watching a scrimmage match involving the 2010 volleyball squad. Following practice, fans will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the Bulldogs and enjoy food from California Dreaming during a meet-and-greet and autograph session.