The Citadel 3, USC Upstate 2

The Citadel 3, Norfolk State 0

Conway, S.C. - The Citadel Volleyball completed a pair of wins on Saturday matches at the Comfort Suites Coastal Carolina Invitational with a sweep of Norfolk State by scores of 25-11, 25-15, 25-17. Behind the performances of Cassie Uribe (12 kills, three assisted blocks) and Kaona Mercer (11 kills, two assisted blocks) the Bulldogs dominated the front row with 34 kills and a .391 hitting percentage.

Erin Bucherl, who dished out 17 assists, and Tatum Jestila (10 digs) finished with team-highs for the Bulldogs. Head Coach Carolyn Geiger got another all-around performance from Alexa Dahlstrom, who finished the match with 15 assists. The defense was solidified by six digs apiece from Bucherl and teammate Jessica Maxwell. The back-to-back victories move The Citadel to 3-8 on the season.

"These were two very nice wins today," added Geiger. "I was pleased that we pulled out the hard fought victory over USC Upstate. Then in the second match we really played solid volleyball in against Norfolk State. I couldn't be more proud of Cassie. She earned her place on the All-Tournament team with her performance."

In similar fashion to the first two sets, the teams encountered a back-and-forth affair, before Cassie Uribe slammed a kill past the Spartan defensive and gave The Citadel a 7-6 lead it would not relinquish. Rachael Farrell's service game stretched the Cadets advantage to six points, before a rally by Norfolk State closed the gap to 15-12. Erin Bucherl answered with a service ace and sparked a series of points that put the lead back to 18-13. The Bulldogs would allow just four more NSU points and close out the match with a 25-17 win.

The Bulldogs built on the momentum from the opening set win, and broke an the game's only tie to record nine of the next 12 points and take a 15-9 lead. Norfolk State would pull no closer than seven points throughout the remainder of the game as The Citadel won 25-15.

Leading by three points in the early stages of the first set, The Citadel took advantage of Maxwell's service game to score nine straight points and extend the lead to 15-3. Maxwell added a set-high five kills as the Cadets cruised 25-11.

The Citadel began its day with a five-game win over USC Upstate by scores of 19-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-23 and 15-9. The Dogs were sparked offensively by the trio of Kaona Mercer (17 kills), Cassie Uribe (13 kills) and Tatum Jestila (11 kills). It marks the first five set victory since the 2008 season, when the Bulldogs down Texas Southern (Aug. 30).

Also coming through with a solid performance was Erin Bucherl, who established a new career-high with 20 digs. Sharing the setter duties with Alexa Dahlstrom, Bucherl dished out match and career-high 30 assists. Bucherl was also one of four Bulldogs to finish with double-digit digs, along with Kathryn Johnston (18), Jestila (15) and Uribe (10). Uribe's 13 kills and 10 digs marks her first career double-double. The Citadel's Jessica Maas (seven kills) and Jessica Maxwell (six kills) rounded out a front row unit that tallied 60 kills and finished with a .202 attack percentage.

The Citadel rebounded from an opening game setback and an eight point deficit in early stages of the second set. Trailing 14-9, Bucherl forced five consecutive Spartan attack errors and knotted the game at 14-14. After the two teams traded points, an Upstate error allowed the Cadets to regain the lead, 18-17. Rachael Farrell's service game accounted for seven of the final eight points as the Bulldogs won the set 25-18.

Responding to a close third set loss, the Dogs battled through 14 ties in the fourth game to eventually emerge with the win. After a ball handling error that gave USC Upstate a 21-20 lead, Maxwell and Jestila blocked an attack by Katie Downey to deadlock the score for the final time. Jestila forced a pair of attack errors, extending the lead to two points, before kills by Mercer and Uribe accounted for the 25-23 victory.

In the decisive set the two teams continued the back-and-forth point trend before a Mercer kill broke a 4-4 tie and gave The Citadel a lead it would not relinquish. With Farrell holding serve, the Cadets would notch five of the next seven points and take a 10-6 lead. The Spartans stayed within two points of the lead before a kill by Jestila combined with an attack error by Cori Harris opened the door to a 13-9 Bulldog advantage. Bucherl assisted on a kill by Jestila and forced the Spartans into a bad set for the 15-9 match clinching win.

The Citadel will have six days off between games before competing in their final in-season tournament at South Carolina State. The Bulldogs will open with a meeting against Hampton University on Friday, Sept. 17.

Furman 3, South Carolina State 1

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Sophomore Chandler Ambrester hit .455 with 17 kills and 12 digs to lead the Furman volleyball team to a 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-9, 25-18) win over S.C. State Saturday in the final match of the Gamecock Invitational in Columbia, S.C.

After the Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead with a 25-23 victory in set one, the Paladins reeled off wins in three straight sets to take the victory.  Furman hit.368 for the day after recording a team hitting percentage of .571 in set one and .550 in set three.  The Paladins held S.C. State to a .127 attack percentage for the match.

Junior Alexis Shaffer paced the Paladins with a .571 attack percentage, and added 13 kills for Furman.  Freshman Sarah McCarthy led the team with 37 assists.  Sophomore Natalie Braun had 10 kills, seven digs, and two service aces in the match.

Furman (3-6) will travel to Washington, D.C. next weekend for the Georgetown Classic.  The Paladins will face East Carolina Friday at 5 p.m.  On Saturday, Furman will play Binghamton at 11 a.m. and Georgetown at 7 p.m.

Davidson 3, Texas Pan-American 0

UTSA 3, Davidson 0

San Antonio, Texas -- The Davidson Wildcat volleyball team split decisions on its final day of play at the UTSA Classic, sweeping the University of Texas-Pan America, 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-22) in the morning session before dropping a 3-0 (25, 13, 25-16, 25-18) to the host University of Texas at San Antonio in the UTSA Classic finale Saturday evening at Convocation Center.

Playing in front of her hometown crowd, senior outside hitter Sarabeth Peele was named to the All-Tournament team after leading Davidson (5-4) to victory over UT-PA with 11 kills. Freshman outside hitter Caroline Brown finished with a career-high nine kills and a .438 hitting clip, while senior middle blocker Jorden Benedict chipped in eight to go along with a team-high four blocks. Senior setter Hayley Lawson led the 'Cats with 21 assists, while sophomore libero Molly Crenshaw paced the defense with 13 digs.

Davidson won the first eight points of the opening match to take a commanding lead, including a kill from Benedict and a pair from junior outside hitter Christine Perzinski as Crenshaw served seven straight scores. The Wildcats extended their lead to 11-1 and rolled to a 25-12 win in the first set, as Peele, Perzinski and Benedict all recorded three kills in the frame.

UT-PA rallied in the second set, opening with a 4-0 run, before the Wildcats used a 4-2 run to draw within one, 5-6. The teams traded points, and back-to-back kills from Brown evened the set at eight. UT-PA put together a 5-1 stretch to open a 13-9 lead, but Davidson rattled off six straight, including three aces from Crenshaw, to take a 15-13 lead. The Broncs again took the lead with a 3-0 run, but Davidson went ahead for good with a 5-0 run for a 20-16 lead, and held on for the 25-22 win to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.

The Wildcats took an early 3-0 lead in the third set and would lead until the Broncs put together four straight points to go up by one, 9-8. Davidson retook the lead briefly, but Marci Logan got two kills in the middle of a 4-0 Broncs run to put UT-PA ahead, 15-12. The Broncs remained in control of the final game, leading as late as 20-17, before the Wildcats took a 21-20 lead by winning four straight scores. A Wildcat service error knotted the score at 21, but Brown put Davidson back in control, and a Bronc error gave the 'Cats a 23-21 lead, enough for a second straight 25-22 win for the match.

Benedict led the 'Cats against the Roadrunners in the nightcap, finishing with nine kills, and Peele added seven. Lawson finished with 22 assists, and Crenshaw again paced the defense with 12 digs.

UTSA opened a 7-3 lead in the opening set, but Davidson closed within two, 7-9, behind a 4-2 swing. The Roadrunners took control of the set with a 7-2 run, opening a 16-9 lead. Peele and junior right side Erin Lupfer went back-to-back for Davidson, but UTSA finished with a 9-2 run en route to the 25-13 win.

With the second set tied at seven, the Roadrunners put together three straight points to open a slight 10-7 lead and force Davidson into a timeout. The Wildcats kept the set close behind kills from Benedict, Peele, Lawson and Crenshaw, and trailed just three, 15-12, when the Roadrunners started to pull away. UTSA won the next four scores to take a 19-12 edge and would hold off the 'Cats by going 6-4 over the final 10 points in the 25-16 win.

Davidson fought back to within one point, 9-8, after getting behind 7-2 to start the final set. UTSA, thought, regained control with a 5-1 swing to open a 14-9 lead and would go on for the 25-18 win for the match.

The Wildcats will open the home season Tuesday when it hosts N.C. Central at 7 p.m. at Baker Arena. Davidson will conclude its tournament season with its own Nfinity Wildcat Classic Sept. 17 and 18, as the 'Cats host High Point, Boise State and Eastern Michigan.

Chattanooga 3, Akron 1

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In the earliest match of the season, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team was ready to go from the start against Troy rolling out to a 25-12 victory in the first set on its way to a 3-1 (25-12, 21-25, 28-26, 25-23) victory at the Best Western/UNF Invitational. Senior middle blocker Courtney Barnes had a career-high 22 kills, while freshman setter Tess Kosycarz surpassed her season-high with 54 assists.

The 22 kills by Barnes are the most for a Lady Moc since Leslee Ball registered 26 against Elon on Nov. 16, 2007, back when sets were played to 30. Last season, sophomore outside hitter Heather Parman posted 21 kills against James Madison in her third collegiate match.

Sophomores outside hitter Meagan Ernd and right side Christina Teter and freshman outside hitter Jennifer Kuroski each registered at least 10 kills. Ernd and Teter set season-highs with 11 and 10, respectively, while junior middle blocker Ellie Kuhn added eight for Chattanooga (3-7).

For the third time this season, sophomore libero Paula Passmore hit the 30-dig plateau as she notched 31 against Troy (4-7).

Also on the defensive end, Kuhn and Teter each posted season-highs in blocks with seven and six, respectively. Barnes added four total blocks including one solo as the Lady Mocs notched a season-high 11.

During the first set, the Lady Mocs rallied after giving up a couple early points against the Trojans, scoring on 11-consecutive rallies, 13-3, as Ernd, Barnes, Teter and Kuroski each had kills and UTC recorded two blocks. Chattanooga would remain handily in the lead throughout the set, which was clinched on a kill by Barnes, 25-12. A .750 attacking percentage for the Lady Mocs showed their consistency registering 16 kills on only one error and Barnes led the way with six kills.

Troy took an early 9-4 lead to start the second set and held an advantage throughout. The Lady Mocs cut the deficit to two at 11-9 on kills by Kuhn, Kuroski and Barnes, but the Trojans went on to retake its four-point lead, 14-10. Troy capture the set and tie the match at one, 25-21.

The third frame started similar to the second as the Trojans jumped out to a 6-2 advantage. The Lady Mocs fought back to tie it at 13-all following a kill by Ernd. After a timeout, the Trojans converted on six of the next eight rallies, 19-15. Chattanooga responded following a timeout of its own cutting the lead to 20-19 on kills by Barnes, Kuhn and Teter.

A big block by Teter and Kuhn kept Chattanooga within striking distance at 22-21. After a kill by Kuhn, the Lady Mocs knotted the score at 23-all. Two consecutive kills by Teter and Ernd provided Chattanooga with a 25-24 advantage, but the Trojans scored on the next to rallies to take a lead of its own.

Following a Troy attacking error, kills by Kuroski and Barnes gave the Lady Mocs the 28-26 victory and 2-1 advantage in the match. Both teams connected on 18 kills, but UTC was more consistent with a .342 pct., only committing five errors compared to eight by the Trojans.

Troy went up 9-5 to start the fourth set and the Lady Mocs took advantage of a couple mistakes to cut the lead to two. Two-straight kills by Barnes provided Chattanooga with a three-point advantage, 16-13.

After the Trojans tied the set at 16, 17 and 18, a Kuroski kill, service ace from Kosycarz and Teter kill gave Chattanooga a 21-18 lead causing its opponent to call time. Two more attacks hit the floor for the Lady Mocs by Kuroski and Kuhn (2) providing match-point at 24-20. On its third chance to close out the match, Barnes connected on her 22nd kill giving Chattanooga the victory.

The Lady Mocs return to the court at the UNF Arena later today against Charleston Southern with the first serve scheduled for 5 p.m.

After three weeks away from the friendly confines of Maclellan Gym, the Lady Mocs host the County Inns and Suites Invitational next weekend welcoming Belmont, UCF and James Madison. Chattanooga begins the two-day event on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and battle UCF and James Madison in a doubleheader starting at 11:30 a.m. the following day.

Charleston Southern 3, Chattanooga 2

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - For the second time in two days, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team fought back to tie its match after dropping the first two sets, but would come up short against Charleston Southern, 3-2 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13). Freshman setter Tess Kosycarz registered a double-double with 53 assists and a season-high 15 digs, while fellow classmate outside hitter Jennifer Kuroski also posted her second of the year with a season-high 16 kills and 14 digs.

Adding to the Chattanooga offense with a career-high 18 kills was sophomore right side Christina Teter, while senior middle blocker Courtney Barnes recorded 13.

On the defensive front, sophomore libero Paula Passmore registered a match-high 25 digs leading three Lady Mocs that hit double-digits. Sophomore middle blocker Ellie Kuhn  achieved a new season-high with eight blocks, while Kuroski added a season-high five.

The teams battled to 32 ties and 14 lead changes during the five-set match. The second set that put Charleston Southern up by two in the match saw seven changes in the lead and 12 ties. Five ties and three lead changes occurred during the pivotal fifth set.

The Lady Mocs fell behind early in the first set, but came back to knot the score at 10 on a block by Kuhn and Kuroski.  Charleston Southern opened a two-point lead and kept it until kills by Barnes (2) and Kuroski tied the match up, 17-all. The Lady Bucs recorded a run of their own scoring on six of the next seven rallies and took the set 25-20. Chattanooga committed nine errors and only recorded 11 kills, while Charleston Southern posted 15 kills and five mistakes.

In the second set, the Lady Bucs started with a 5-1 advantage, but kills by Barnes and Parman brought the Lady Mocs to within one at 6-5. After notching kills by Teter (2) and Kuhn, the Lady Mocs tied the score scoring on 5-of-six rallies and two errors by CSU provided a 13-11.

After a timeout, the Lady Bucs regrouped and retook the lead at 15-14. From there both teams matched each other in points until Charleston Southern scored on 6-of-7 rallies to win the set, 25-21. Both teams compiled eight errors in the set, but two late in the set hurt the Lady Mocs the most, who recorded 12 kills.

The fourth set began with both teams staying within two points, but a rally where Chattanooga scored on 10-of-13 rallies provided them with a 17-9 lead highlighted by kills from Kuroski, Beasley, Teter and Barnes.

After a small rally by the Lady Bucs to pull them within four, Chattanooga ended the threat on a kill by Barns and nlocks by Kuhn and Kuroski , 22-14. The Lady Mocs would take the set 25-21 and cut into Charleston Southern's 2-1 match lead. With a .294 attack percentage and 12 kills, both teams were consistent in the set and had stretches where they were in control.

During the fourth set, Chattanooga began with a 7-5 lead and pushed it to 14-7 on kills by Kuroski and Kosycarz. The Lady Bucs continued to push forward and tied the set up at 16 scoring on 9-of-12 rallies.

Chattanooga took a five-point lead, 23-17 on a block by Barnes and Kuroski, kill by Kosycarz. block by Kosycarz and Kuhn and kill by Kuhn. The Lady Bucs tied the score at 23-all following three consecutive service aces.

Finally after the teams traded six rallies, Teter notched back-to-back kills for the set victory, 27-25, to send the match to a decisive fifth set. Chattanooga posted 16 kills and hit .302 in the set, while only committing three mistakes.

With a 7-3 deficit, the Lady Mocs would have to rally in the fifth set to win and Chattanooga did come within two at 9-7 following three-straight kills by Barnes (2) and Kuroski. The Lady Mocs knotted the score at 10 on a block by Kuhn and Kosycarz.

A kill by Teter provided the Lady Mocs with their first lead of the set at 12-11 and she followed with another pushing the lead to two. Charleston Southern battled back tying it at 13 and went on to take the set 15-13.

The home slate for Chattanooga begins on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. against Belmont. The match is a part of the Country Inns & Suites Invitational at Maclellan Gym and continues the following day with a double header against UCF and James Madison beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Auburn 3, College of Charleston 0

CHARLESTON, S.C.  - The College of Charleston volleyball team lost for the first time in the Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Classic, dropping a 3-0 match to the Auburn Tigers at Carolina First Arena Saturday Afternoon (25-13, 25-10, 25-19).

The Cougars (7-3) were led by junior Elyse Chubb's seven kills, and 17 digs from senior Paige Johnson.

This match was the first ever between these two teams in the regular season. Last spring the squads played in a best of three-game match, with Auburn winning 2-1.

Auburn (9-2) scored seven of the first 10 points of the match and never looked back, winning the first set by a score of 25-13. The second stanza followed a similar pattern as the Tigers built a 10-5 lead and held the Cougars to a -.167 hitting efficiency.

The Cougars refused to give up in the third set, scoring three of the first four points to take a 3-1 lead in the set. The points went back and fourth and Freshman Emily Neideffer terminated a ball for a kill to pull the Cougars to within a point at 10-11. The Tigers then found some extra energy and went on an 11-3 run to go up 22-13 and closed out the match at 25-19.

The Cougars next face the Oregon State Beavers at 7:30p.m. Both CofC and OSU have 1-1 records in the tournament.

Oregon State 3, College of Charleston 2

CHARLESTON, S.C. -The College of Charleston volleyball team finished play in the Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Classic with a tough five-set loss to the Oregon State Beavers Saturday night at Carolina First Arena (28-30, 25-22, 14-25, 26-24, 15-10).

"We just have to finish better," said Cougar Head Coach Jason Kepner. "That's the key with us right now is stepping up and making the big plays at the end of games to finish."     

Senior Whitney Russell led the Cougars with 27 kills and set a new CofC record for attempts with 79 in the contest. The previous record of 78 was held by Stephanie Ballard against Clemson on Sept. 5, 2003.

Fellow senior Paige Johnson tied her career-high with 30 digs and was named to the All-Tournament team. Senior Cole Dawley contributed with 51 assists, 10 digs and four blocks.

The Cougars (7-4) jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the first-set, before Oregon State (5-5) battled back to even the score at 18-18. The score would be tied eight more times, before Dawley put the match away with a kill.

After struggling in the second set, the Cougars came back strong in the third set as they hit at a .294 efficiency compared to just .061 of Oregon State. The fourth set gave the Beavers some momentum with CofC failing to put the match away and going to a fifth and final set.

Kepner said that team will build on this experience as they get ready to host another tournament next weekend.

"We can play at a high level with teams from the big conferences," he said. "We have the ability to play with people, but we have to maintain that level next weekend when we don't have those names across the net. "

The Cougars will host The Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Invitational next weekend. CofC will play North Florida on Friday and then resume action on Saturday against Radford and Central Michigan.

Indiana State 3, Appalachian State 1

AKRON, OHIO- After winning the first set in convincing fashion, Appalachian State University volleyball was not able to hang on Saturday afternoon, as the Mountaineers suffered just their second loss of the 2010 campaign, falling 3-1 to Indiana State. The defeat is the Black and Gold's first loss away from the Holmes Center this season and drops the Apps to 8-2 on the season while Indiana State improves to 7-4.

Picking up where they left off Friday evening, the Apps jumped out to an impressive 6-2 lead, with Anna Wagner, Alison Blasingame and Meghann Forshey all pacing the team's offensive unit.

Indiana State hung around however, and the Mountaineers squandered their once-commanding lead, with sloppy play hindering the Black and Gold, and the Sycamores took their first lead of the set.

A battle between the two teams ensued as action was tied five more times with the last time at 13 all, before a Kelly Rhein kill provided ASU the surge it needed to regain the lead for good.

Posting a dominating 8-2 streak, Appalachian jumped back on top going up 21-15, with offensive contribution coming from all over, as Wagner, Forshey and Maggie Seeds tallied kills.

Keeping with their solid showing, the Apps rolled to a 25-18 first set victory.

The Sycamores wasted no time evening the match, as ISU went up 4-0 early in second set play off of an ace and three kills.

Appalachian did not let up, coming back within one point making down just 14-13 with Seeds pacing the offense.

Clinging to their one point advantage, the Sycamores picked up their play, while capitalizing off of ASU attack errors and took their largest lead of the set at 22-17.

ISU outscored 11-5 after leading by one at the 14-13 mark and evened the match at one apiece, taking the second set by a score of 25-18.

Unable to really get anything going, third set play was tied at three all before Indiana State took over for good.

Despite a solid effort, Appalachian was never able to find a rhythm and once ISU grabbed the lead it never relinquished it.

Two consecutive Sycamore attack errors made it interesting, as the Apps were able to cut their deficit to just two points, down 13-11.

Not letting up, Indiana State kept its advantage with Morgan Dall leading the way for the Sycamores.

Forshey tried to rally a Mountaineer attack, recording a kill, but Appalachian errors and a productive Indiana State offensive attack earned ISU the third set win and 2-1 mach lead.

It was all Indiana State in the fourth and what would be final set as the Mountaineers struggled with ISU notching a commanding 15-3 lead.

Blasingame, Wagner and Forshey tried to get the Apps back in it, cutting their deficit to just 8 points, down 20-12, but unfortunately it was not enough as the Sycamores handed the Apps a 10-point fourth set and 3-1 match defeat.

Appalachian will return to action Friday, September 17 as the Mountaineers head to the Tar Heel Volleyball Classic. ASU will battle Temple first at 4:30 p.m. in UNC's Carmichael Arena.

Liberty 3, Elon 0

ELON, N.C. - The Elon University volleyball team dropped its final match of the 2010 Elon Classic Saturday afternoon, as the Phoenix fell, 3-0 (27-29, 20-25, 15-25) to the Liberty University Flames inside Jordan Gymnasium.

Elon (7-4) finished the two-day tournament with a 1-2 record, while Liberty went 2-1. The Northern Illinois University Huskies claimed the tournament title with a 3-0 record, while Stetson finished fourth with a

0-3 mark.

"We have a quick turnaround, as we play Charlotte on Tuesday, so there are areas we need to improve on in a short amount of time," said Elon head coach Mary Tendler. "Our passing wasn't up to par in our match today against Liberty, but I thought we blocked well up front and performed well in other areas."

Sophomore Carly Ledbetter and junior Traci Stewart both tallied a team-high eight kills for the Phoenix, while sophomore Ali Deatsch paced Elon with a team-best eight digs.

The Phoenix and Flames battled point-for-point in the opening set, but Elon managed to take a two-point lead and force a Liberty timeout after a key block up front by Ledbetter and junior Caroline Lemke gave Elon a

14-12 lead.

But the Flames would not go quietly, as the two squads battled to a 20-all tie late in the game, with Liberty eventually pulling out the

29-27 win after a kill by all-tournament performer Karyl Bacon. Bacon tallied 20 kills for the Flames in the win.

The Flames carried the momentum into the second set, as Liberty broke a

6-6 tie with an 8-3 run to put the Phoenix behind, 14-9. Elon mounted a comeback late to limit the deficit to three points, 23-20, but the Flames rallied to secure the 25-20 win and a 2-0 lead.

Liberty claimed the victory in the final set, downing the Phoenix, 25-15.

Elon will be back in action Tuesday, Sept. 14, when it heads to Charlotte to face the 49ers at 7 p.m.

Morehead State 3, Georgia Southern 1

Georgia Southern 3, Mercer 0

RALEIGH, N.C. - Georgia Southern wrapped up the NC State Tournament blanking Mercer with a 3-0 win. In the day's earlier action, the Eagles fell to Morehead State by a 3-1 decision. Parker Small and Bethany Sanford led a balanced Eagle attack, combining for 51 kills. At the end of the tournament, Georgia Southern stands at 4-6 on the year.

"We had some ups and downs this weekend, but I think it will make us stronger as a team," stated Head Coach Chad Callihan. "It was nice to see us steady out there in the last match of the day. These early tournaments are definitely giving us ideas of what we need to work on to get better as we continue to try to improve."

Morehead State 3, Georgia Southern 1

Georgia Southern and Morehead State split the first two sets, but MSU held strong, closing out a 3-1 (25-16, 24-26, 25-22, 25-19) decision over Georgia Southern in the second match of the tournament for both teams. Sanford and Small teamed up for an Eagle offensive attack, combining for 28 kills.

A Moriah Bellissimo kill put Georgia Southern in front 9-6, but Morehead State (6-4) answered with a 5-0 run to take an 11-9 lead. Sanford's fourth kill knotted the score at 13-13 before a 4-0 Morehead State run forced GS to take a timeout at 17-13. Sanford snapped the 7-0 Morehead State run, but MSU wrapped up the set with a 25-16 win. Sanford led the Eagles with six kills in the set.

Georgia Southern pulled away with a 4-1 lead to open frame two, but Morehead State climbed back and took a three-point lead, 10-7. Consecutive Sanford kills returned the lead to GS following a 13-13 tie. A Ellie Roberson kill put MSU back in front, 16-15, but Georgia Southern held strong and a Bellissimo and Small block assist ignited a 3-0 GS run capped by a Small kill for a 20-19 Georgia Southern lead. Small spiked a kill to put the Eagles on top, 23-22, but a GS service error and MSU kill handed Morehead State set point at 24-23. Small erased set point for Morehead State with a kill and then went up for a block assist with Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) to give Georgia Southern its first set point of the match at 25-24. A Morehead State net violation sealed the set two win for Georgia Southern, 26-24.

Small hit .500 for the set with six kills on 12 attempts and no errors and combined for three block assists.

Trailing 13-10 in the third set, Georgia Southern trimmed the score to one point with a 3-1 run. Holding on to a two-point lead, Morehead State committed two attack errors to knot the score at 15-all. At 20-17, Bellissimo blasted a kill only to serve up an ace bringing the score to 20-19. Small followed with a kill to even the set 20-20. Tied at 21-21, Morehead State's Holly Evans put her team back on top with a kill as the MSU Eagles closed out the set on a 4-1 run for a 25-22 victory.

Tied at 8-8 in the fourth frame, Georgia Southern took a two-point lead, 10-8, following a Small and Van Dyke block assist, but Morehead State pulled back, knotting the score at 10 and surging ahead, 15-10. MSU took another five-point lead at 20-15 and closed out the match win with a 25-19 fourth set win.

Georgia Southern 3, Mercer 0

Georgia Southern closed out tournament action sweeping Mercer 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-16). Small led the Eagles with 14 kills, hitting .619 for the match. As a team, Georgia Southern struck .356 while holding Mercer to .081. Georgia Southern improved to 4-6 on the season, while Mercer dipped to 2-10.

Mercer held the Eagles close to start the match, leading by two at 8-6 before Georgia Southern regrouped and answered with a 5-0 run to take the lead, 11-8. A Sanford kill pushed the score to 13-10 before Van Dyke served up four aces intermixed with another Sanford kill. Bellissimo capped what became a 7-0 run for a 19-10 Georgia Southern advantage. The Eagles claimed set one, 25-18.

The Eagles controlled the second set jumping out to an early six-point lead at 10-4 and never looked back. With a pair of Sanford kills to cap the set, Georgia Southern took the victory, 25-15. The Eagles dominated the set by a tune of a 75% sideout percentage and .414 hitting percentage on one error. Small and Sanford, leading with four kills each, combined for eight kills and no errors on 16 swings. Ashley Roe (Campbell, Calif.) reeled in five digs to total nine for the match.

Mercer opened the third and final frame with a 4-1 lead, but Georgia Southern quickly regained the lead after a 5-5 tie. The Eagles led by as many as 13 at 22-9 and closed out the match with a 25-16 final set win. The Bears were limited to a .097 hitting clip, while the Eagles hit .324 in the set. Small racked up seven kills to lead the Eagles and three block assists. Roe and Lauren LaRocque (Borger, Texas) each posted four kills to lead Georgia Southern.

Small posted a match-high 14 kills, while Van Dyke tallied 24 assists in the win. Roe collected a team-high 13 digs.

The Eagles return to the court hosting the SpringHill Suites Invitational, Sept. 16-18. The five-team field consists of South Alabama, Winthrop, East Tennessee State and Charleston Southern in addition to host Georgia Southern. The Eagles open tournament action on Thursday, Sept. 16 against South Alabama at 7 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse.

East Tennessee State 3, UNCG 1

Austin Peay 3, UNCG 0

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - UNCG dropped a 3-1 decision to host East Tennessee State earlier in the afternoon before falling to Austin Peay, 3-0, in the final match of the day at the Buccaneer Classic on Saturday afternoon.

The Spartans fell to 8-3 on the season, while Austin Peay improved to 9-1 and ESTU to 5-4 this year.

"This just wasn't a great tournament for us this weekend," said coach Patrick Nicholas. "We made too many unforced errors today. When you are playing quality opponents you can't make that many errors and expect to have a chance to win. Now, we have some work to over these next few days to figure out how to improve as a team."

In the first match, Billi Baker led UNCG offensively as she had a team-high 10 kills. Olivia Humphries and Ariel Newman had six kills each as well for the Spartans. Ari Lysacek and Kellie Orewiler each added a team-high 11 digs.

The Bucs were led by four players with double-digit kills, including Megan Devine who posted a match-high 14. Whitney Cogburn added 49 assists and Kiley Tamblyn had a match-high 24 digs.

Things started off well for UNCG as it led for most of the first set, but found itself trailing 20-18 in the later part of the set. UNCG would then take a timeout before taking seven of the final eight points to claim the first set, 25-21.

The Bucs took early control of the second set as they led 12-7, but the Spartans rallied behind a trio of blocks to tie the set at 12. The teams went on to keep trading points as they found themselves tied at 23. UNCG then had set point after a kill by Alissa Beaudway before ETSU took the final three points to win the set, 26-24.

Coming out of the break, the two teams kept things close as they were tied at nine early. The Bucs went on to win the next seven-straight points to take a commanding 16-9 lead en route to winning the set, 25-17.

The Spartans were once again done in by an ETSU run in the fourth and final set. UNCG trailed just 14-13 midway through the set before the Bucs went on a 6-1 run to take an insurmountable 20-14 lead. A kill by McKayla Barber gave ETSU the set, 25-18.

Against Austin Peay, Baker and Humphries paced the Spartans offensively with six kills each. Baker also had a team-high 10 digs.

Ilyanna Hernandez had a match-high 11 kills to lead the Lady Governors and Nikki Doyle added nine kills. Paige Economos also had a match-high 17 digs.

The Lady Governors took control of the match from the opening set as UNCG never led in the set. Austin Peay led by as many as five in the set at 15-10, but the Spartans tried to rally late as they pulled within 20-18. UNCG couldn't get any closer though as they dropped the set, 25-21.

Austin Peay used had just a one-point lead in the second set before scoring eight-straight points to take an 18-9 lead. The Spartans just weren't able to recover as they lost the set, 25-19.

The Lady Governors continued to put the pressure of the Spartans as they took a commanding 18-4 lead to start the third set as they went on to take the set, 25-9.

The Spartans will return for their home opener this week as they host cross-town rival North Carolina A&T on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Fleming Gymnasium.

Southern Miss 3, Samford 0

Ole Miss 3, Samford 0

OXFORD, Miss.  ---- The Samford volleyball team dropped its final two matches Saturday in the Magnolia Invitational. The Bulldogs fell to Southern Miss, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-13), Saturday morning before being swept by Ole Miss (25-21, 25-20, 25-20) Saturday night.

Alexis Bauer was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 3.91 digs per set. She posted a weekend high of 18 against Louisiana on Friday and dished out 16 against Ole Miss Saturday night. She was joined on the team by Regina Thomas and Ashley Veach from Ole Miss, Ashley Mell and Halie Ecker from Southern Miss and Leslie Mirarchi from Louisiana. Ole Miss's Miranda Kitts was named the Most Valuable Player.

Against USM, Katie Murphy led with 12 kills, hitting .296, while also grabbing two digs and one block solo. Casey Garvey dished out 29 assists and six digs and also dumped two kills. Allie Bettinger led the Bulldogs in digs with nine while also posting six kills and an assist.

Elizabeth Neisler also added six kills and one dig while Holt posted five kills and seven digs. Gadberry had three kills and a dig while Taylor Palmer had a kill and a dig. Hillary Fountain also posted three assists and three digs while Alexis Bauer added nine digs and an assist.

Southern Miss was led by Ashley Mell and Halie Ecker with 17 and 11 kills, respectively. Kelsea Seymour posted a team-high 33 assists while Lisa Knecht led the Golden Eagles in digs with 17.

"The team has forgotten what it is to win with heart, hard work and effort," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. "We have far too many close plays we are just not making."

Against Ole Miss, Bettinger and Neisler led the Bulldogs with 11 kills each. Neisler hit a team-high. 348 while also grabbing an assist, a dig and a block assist. Bettinger also posted five digs. Garvey dished out 17 assists while Fountain added 12. Garvey also had six digs while Fountain posted three along with two aces.

Murphy knocked down seven kills for the Bulldogs along with a solo block and a block assist while Palmer added six kills. Holt had three kills and six digs while Bland added one dig.

Ole Miss was led by Allegra Wells with 11 kills and two block assists followed by Thomas with nine kills, two solo blocks and four block assists. Amanda Philpot dished out 22 assists while Emily Kvitle had 10. Philpot also led the Rebels in digs with eight.

Samford will be back in action on the road next weekend as the Bulldogs wrap up preseason tournament play in the Rice Invitational II. There they will take on Stephen F. Austin, Rice and Arkansas State.

Weber State 3, Wofford 1

Kennesaw State 3, Wofford 0

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. -- The Wofford College volleyball team dropped a pair of matches on day two of the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldog Classic to Weber State, 3-1  (25-14, 26-28, 25-15, 25-20) and to Kennesaw State, 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-11).  Amanda Liguori was named to the All-Tournament team for her team-high 29 kills and 31.5 total points in the three-match tournament.

Liguori, a freshman, had 18 kills and 16 digs in the Terriers' two matches on Saturday.  Fourteen of  her 18 kills came in Wofford's four-set loss to Weber State. She also added ten digs in the match to give her second double-double of the season and career.  She turned in an 11 kill, 16 dig performance in Friday's loss to Gardner-Webb.  It was the team's seventh double-double of the season.  Stacy Byrd also recorded a double-double(12 kills, 14 digs) against GWU Friday, and Bekah Dorsey has recorded four double-doubles--South Carolina State (20 assists and 11 digs), Bethune-Cookman (13 assists and 10 digs), Stetson (22 assists and 10 digs) and against Weber State on Saturday (14 assists and 17 digs).

In the first match against Weber State, the Terriers fell behind early, 10-4 and never recovered as they dropped the opening set 25-14.  As a team, Wofford had six kills compared to Weber State's 20 kills in the set.

Set two was a close set as the two teams needed extra points to decide the winner.  Neither team could pull away farther than three points -- Wofford led 13-10, and Weber State led 20-17.  With Wofford down 22-23, Liguori tied the match at 23 with a kill and followed with three kills while the Terriers faced a set points. However, Weber State won the set 28-26 with a kill and a Wofford attack error.

In set three, the two teams kept the set close, until a Weber State ball handling error, a Tara Gough service ace and a Liguori kill gave Wofford an 11-8 lead.  The Terriers only allowed six more points as they survived with a  25-14 set win.  Wofford outhit Weber State .364 to .050 and didn't record a hitting error to Weber State's nine in the set.

Set four started out tight before Weber State pulled away with a 14-9 lead.  Wofford would cut into the lead, but never got back into the set as they drop the set 25-20 to lose the match.

Liguori was the only Terrier with double digit kills.  She hit .289 and recored 16 total points to go along with her double-double.  Reagan Styles had a team-high 20 digs. Arden Anderson and Catelyn Amende had four solo blocks a piece in the match.

In the Terrier's second match of the day against Kennesaw State, they opened the match with a 25-21 loss.  Wofford never led in the set. 

Set two played out similar to set one as the Terriers fell 25-15.  Wofford had their best hitting percent of the day in a set with a .391, but Kennesaw State turned in a scorching .720 percentage.  Kennesaw State had 19 kills and one error on 25 attempts compared to Wofford's 11 kills on 23 attempts with two errors.

In the third and final set, Wofford took their first lead of the match on kill by Wendy Burnett that to make it 5-4.  However, the lead was short lived as Kennesaw State tied the match and went on an 10-1 run.  Kennesaw State took the third set 25-11.

 Byrd paced the Terriers with nine kills and a .643 hitting percentage.  Rachel Woodlee added seven kills, and Dorsey had 16 assists.

Wofford will look to snap their three-match skid Wednesday against Converse College at 7 p.m. at Converse, before they host the Wofford College Invitational September 17th and 18th.

Murray State 3, Western Carolina 0

Loyola 3, Western Carolina 0

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Western Carolina volleyball team dropped its final two contests of the Aces Dunn Hospitality Classic on Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Carson Center.

The Catamounts (3-8) fell to Murray State in three sets (25-19, 25-14, 25-22) in their first match of the day before falling to Loyola in three sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-21) in their final match of the tournament.

"We had a rough weekend, but it was full of learning experiences for the girls," said Western Carolina head coach Manuel Concepcion. "We played three solid teams that are going to help us deal with adversity in the long haul."

At the conclusion of the tournament, Junior Carrie Minogue was selected to the all-tournament team. The Louisville, Ky., native recorded a team-high 31 kills in three matches at the tournament.

Against Murray State

Minogue led WCU with a team-high 13 kills, a .400 attacking percentage. Rebecca Stoltz added seven kills and Paloma Alvarez chipped in six. Freshman Kelcie Randazzo recorded 26 assists in the match.

Defensively, Freshman Morgan Cochran had nine digs followed by Alvarez's six. Minogue and Randazzo both added two blocks each at the net. 

"We made some mental mistakes that cost us the match," said Concepcion.  "Our outside hitters struggled against their big presence in the net."

The first set saw the Catamounts take an early 12-9 lead before the Racers used a 4-1 run to tie the match at 13. The match saw the two teams tied again at 16 before Murray State took an 18-16 lead.  An Amanda Chaparro kill got WCU back within one (18-17), but Murray State finished the set on a 7-2 run to win the set.

 WCU was within five (15-10) midway through the second set on an Abbey Scroggins kill before Murray State rolled to a 25-14 set victory led by Becca Lamb's five kills in the set. 

The Catamounts showed resiliency in the third set, battling the Racers throughout the entire set as the two teams were tied eight times -with the final tie at 18 - before Murray State went on a 4-0 run to take a 22-18 advantage. Back-to-back kills by Alvarez and Minogue brought the match back within two (22-20), but the Racers held on for the 25-22 victory.

Against Loyola

After trailing 10-5 early in the set, WCU mounted a comeback to tie the match at 12 on a Stoltz service ace. The Catamounts tied the match two more times in the set - with the final tie at 20 - before the Ramblers took advantage of three WCU errors along with two Mallory Curran kills to score the final five points off the set.

The Catamounts trailed 15-13 midway through the match before a Loyola error and a Minogue service ace tied the match at 16, the sixth tie of the set. The Ramblers rattled off four consecutive points to make the score 20-16 before WCU capitalized on two Loyola miscues and a Randazzo kill to bring the match within one (20-19). The Ramblers scored the final five points to win the set.

Set three again saw the Catamounts fight the entire set only to fall short down the stretch. WCU took a 12-10 lead on a Randazzo kill before Loyola strung four straight kills together to take a 14-12 advantage. WCU rallied back, regaining the lead at 19-18 on a Minogue kill. The Ramblers connected on five kills and took advantage of two WCU errors to finish the set on a 7-2 run.

"I believe in our girls and know that we will achieve a better result next Wednesday when we host Presbyterian," said Concepcion.

The Catamounts start an eight-game home stretch beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 15 as they play host to Presbyterian at 7 p.m.