Furman 3, Campbell 0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Senior Kelly Kirby hit .727 with nine kills and recorded a double-double with 13 assists and 14 digs to lead the Furman volleyball team past Campbell, 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-19), Saturday morning at the Hilton University 49er Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.
Furman quickly built a 16-3 lead in set one and went on to the 25-11 victory. The Camels led the second set 8-5 before the Paladins reeled off five-straight points to take command of the set. Following a kill by Campbell's Annie Kobeski, Furman won eight out of ten points to build an 18-11 advantage. The lead remained seven at 21-14, but the Paladins took advantage of a kill from junior Chandler Ambrester, then two Camel errors, and a final kill from Kirby to win the final four points and win the set 25-14.
Following the break, the teams battled through a close beginning to set three. Furman led 5-4 before an 8-2 run gave the Paladins a 13-6 advantage. The Camels came within three points of the Paladins at 16-13, before Furman again put together an 8-2 run for a 24-15 lead. Campbell fought back, winning four-straight points to cut the deficit to 24-19, but a service error by the Camels gave Furman the match.
Junior Natalie Braun recorded a double-double for Furman, notching 10 kills and a team-high 17 assists, while senior Carolyn Nicoletti paced the Paladin defensive attack with 16 digs. Ambrester hit .444 and added nine kills and 11 digs, and sophomore Christina Dorismond and senior Alexis Shaffer each had three blocks to lead Furman.
Campbell (3-7) was led by Jordan Reeves with seven kills. Heather Wilson tallied 12 assists in the match-up.
Furman 3, Charlotte 0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Junior Chandler Ambrester was chosen tournament MVP after the Furman volleyball team defeated Charlotte, 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-14), Saturday to sweep the Hilton University 49er Tournament in Charlotte, N.C. Junior Natalie Braun and senior Alexis Shaffer represented the Paladins on the all-tournament team, as Furman recorded its third-straight 3-0 shutout to close out the tournament.
With the 49ers leading set one 9-8, Furman went on a 10-2 run to take a commanding 18-11 lead. Charlotte then won four out of five points to slice the lead to four at 19-15, but the Paladins answered with a 5-1 run for a 24-16 advantage. Charlotte capitalized off two Furman errors to cut into the lead, but a kill from senior Kelly Kirby gave the Paladins the 25-18 victory.
The teams were tied at 8-8 in the second set before Charlotte scored three-straight points for an 11-8 lead. The 49ers kept the advantage and led 16-13 before the Paladins scored three-straight to tie the match at 16. The score remained tied at 22, then Charlotte's Bianca Rose notched a kill for a 23-22 lead, but Furman tied the match again off a kill from sophomore Christina Dorismond. Following a 49er timeout, Ambrester recorded two kills to clinch the 25-23 set win, giving Furman a 2-0 lead at the break.
Furman jumped out to an early 10-4 lead in set three, then Charlotte answered with a 5-2 run to chip into the lead, but could come no closer than three points at 12-9. After building a 17-12 lead, Furman won eight out of the last 10 points for a 25-14 win.
Ambrester recorded a double-double, leading the team with 12 kills and 18 digs, while Kirby added a double-double of her own with a team-high 22 assists and 11 digs. Braun also tallied a double-double with 17 assists and 12 digs. Shaffer led the Paladins with a .400 attack percentage and added seven kills and three blocks in the victory.
Charlotte (5-4) was led by Leah Leventhal, who notched 11 kills. Sheri Davis had 22 assists for the 49ers, while Bianca Rouse tallied 11 digs.
Elon 3, Central Michigan 1
Elon 3, Austin Peay 1
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - A tough loss a day ago gave the Elon volleyball team the momentum it needed to earn two impressive 3-1 victories, defeating Central Michigan (25-17, 28-30, 25-20, 25-19) and Austin Peay (25-23, 25-21, 27-29, 28-26) in the second day of the Butler Invitational in Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Phoenix is now 8-3 on the season, while CMU falls to 3-4 and APSU to 1-8
Freshman Chanelle Smith led the team with 37 kills on the day, followed by senior Caroline Lemke with 32. Senior Megan McMahon finished with 90 assists, while junior Ali Deatsch led the defensive attack with 52 digs. Lemke also recorded seven total blocks on the day.
The Phoenix jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set off a three-point run that included kills from junior Allison Johnson and Lemke and an ace from Deatsch. With the score still in favor of the maroon and gold, 13-8, Elon used a 4-2 run with two kills by Lemke and one from junior Celia Rose Eddy and Johnson to take a seven-point lead, 17-10. Up by five, 21-16, the Phoenix used a block from Lemke and senior Traci Stewart to close out a 4-1 run and win the set, 25-17.
In the second set, a kill by Eddy and a block by Johnson tied the set at 11-all for the Phoenix. From there, the Chippewas scored four unanswered to go up 15-11. Elon then responded with a four-point run of its own, capped by two Deatsch aces, to tie the set again at 15-all. The set remained close with neither team taking more than a one-point advantage as points were traded back and forth. A block by Lemke and Johnson gave the Phoenix its first set-point opportunity at 25-24 as a total of five set-point chances were stopped between Elon and CMU. The Chippewas finally managed the two-point advantage at 30-28.
With the match tied at one-all, CMU jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the third before a block by Stewart completed a four-point run to put Elon up 4-3. Down by one, 6-5, the Phoenix put together another run of four with a kill from Lemke, an ace by Stewart and back-to-back block assists by Lemke and junior Carly Ledbetter to take a two-point advantage, 9-7. Another tight set ensued but Elon always had the upper hand and took advantage with the score tied at 19-all. A kill by sophomore Cali Estes put the Phoenix up 20-19 and started a 6-1 run that won the set for the maroon and gold, 25-20.
Early kills by Estes and Smith in the fourth and final set helped Elon go up 6-5, before the Chippewas tied it at seven-all. The Phoenix then scored three straight for a 10-7 lead. The set continued with the tone of the previous two sets, remaining close with an Elon advantage. With the set tied at 15-all, two kills each by Lemke and Smith helped the Phoenix score five unanswered for a 20-15 lead, forcing CMU to call a timeout. After the short break, three kills by Smith and a final one by Ledbetter helped Elon seal a 25-19 set win and the 3-1 match victory.
Smith led the Phoenix for the second straight match with 17 kills, while Lemke followed with 13. S McMahon set a new season-high with 42 assists. Deatsch earned five aces to match her career high set in 2009.
Deatsch led the defensive attack for Elon with 21 digs, followed by McMahon who recorded 10. Lemke tallied four blocks to help the Phoenix out block the Chippewas 8-6.
In the first set against Austin Peay, a block by Estes and Lemke helped put the Phoenix up by four, 7-3, before the Lady Governors came back to tie it at eight-all. After APSU took a 21-17 lead, the maroon and gold went on a 5-1 run to make it even at 22-all. An ace by Stewart put the Phoenix up 23-22 and gave it the necessary surge to win the set, 25-23.
The Lady Governors had all the momentum at the beginning of the second set jumping out to a 7-1 lead. The Phoenix worked to whittle down the defeicit as a kill by Smith cut the Austin Peay advantage to four to make it 16-11. Down five, 20-15, three aces and one kill by Ledbetter and two kills by Smith helped Elon score six unanswered to take a 21-20 lead. From there, the maroon and gold scored four of the last five to take a 25-21 win and a 2-0 match lead.
With the set tied at six-all, kills from Smith and freshman Kris Harris started a seven-point run that put Elon up 14-6. A few plays later, a block by Estes and Harris increased the Phoenix lead to seven, making it 16-9. After a Smith kill made it 21-16 in favor of Elon, Austin Peay scored seven unanswered to take a 23-21 lead, forcing Tendler to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, three straight by the Phoenix, capped by a kill by Harris put the maroon and gold back up and at match point 24-23. The Lady Governors stopped the Phoenix on match point four times before taking a 27-28 lead and winning 29-27 to send the match into a fourth set.
The Phoenix jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead in the fourth set with kills by Lemke and Johnson. Austin Peay would cut the Elon lead to two, 10-8, before a kill by Smith, block by Lemke and Estes and an ace by Deatsch put the Phoenix back up by five 13-8. With the score only at a two point Elon advantage, 20-18, back-to-back kills from Lemke and Harris increased the maroon and gold lead to four. Just like the previous set, the Lady Governors refused to give up and scored six straight to take a 24-23 lead. Elon would regain the lead and go on to a 28-26 set win for its second victory of the day.
Smith and Lemke's dominance at the net earned them 20 and 19 kills, respectively. Lemke's 19 kills set a new season-high for the Carmel, Ind., native. After setting a new season-high earlier in the day, McMahon posted 48 assists to set another season best.
On defense, Deatsch also set a season-high with 31 digs, while Estes posted a career-high six blocks.
Wofford 3, Bethune-Cookman 1
Wofford 3, Stetson 1
DELAND, FLA. -- The Wofford volleyball team tied a school record with 19 total team blocks in their second match of the day against host Stetson in a 3-1 (25-27, 25-23, 25-12, 25-18) win, but dropped a 3-1 (27-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-22) decision to Bethune-Cookman in their first match at the Clarion Invitational.
Arden Anderson, Rachel Woodlee and Reagan Styles all earned all-tournament team honors.
In the first match against Bethune-Cookman, Wofford fell behind 10-4, but would battle back and tie the match at 23. A block by Arden Anderson and Rachel Woodlee gave the Terriers a 24-23 lead, but the Terriers couldn't finish the set as the Wildcats tied the it a 24. With the score tied at 25, Bethune Cookman closed the match with two kills to take the set 27-25.
The Terriers took control early in the second set with a 6-2 start. The Wildcats pulled within one point, 9-8, but Wofford led wire-to-wire tying the match at one set with the 25-18 win.
In the third set, neither team could pull away, but Bethune-Cookman broke a 23-23 tie on a Wofford attack error and a kill to take the third set 25-23.
The fourth and final set again was closely contest until late in the set. The Wildcats broke away with set when they pushed a 19-18 lead into a 23-19 lead. Bethune-Cookman sealed the match with a 25-22 set four win.
Wofford was led by Amanda Liguori, who had 14 kills and 17 digs to earn the double-double. Bekah Dorsey also earned a double-double with 33 assists and 14 digs. Anderson and Burnett added nine kills apiece. Anderson led the team with two total blocks, one solo and two block assists. Kelsey Bagwell added 17 digs.
In match two of the day against tournament host Stetson, neither team could pull away with more than a one point lead until Stetson broke a tie at 25 with a kill and a Terrier attack error to earn the 27-25 set one win.
Set two was another closely contested set but the Terriers used a Hatter attack error and a Liguori kill to win the set 25-23.
Wofford took control of set three early as they jumped out to a 13-7 lead en route to a 25-12 win to take a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was similar story as the Terriers led the whole way to finish the match with the 25-18 win.
Anderson paced the Terriers with 14 kills on 22 swings with just one error for a .591 hitting percentage. She added 11 block assists and one solo block for a total of 20.5 points. Liguori followed with 11 kills and Woodlee added ten kills. Liguori had her second double-double of the day as she added 11 digs. Dorsey handed out 25 assists and earned her second double-double of the day with 11 digs. Reagan Styles collected a team-high 19 digs.
The Terriers tied a school record in a four-set match with 19 total team blocks against the Hatters.
College of Charleston 2, South Carolina 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. - College of Charleston rallied from down two sets to force a deciding fifth game, but the South Carolina Gamecocks scored the last three points of the match to win a dramatic 3-2 decision.
Playing in a five-set match for the second time in less than 24 hours, the Cougars tied the final game at 12 off a kill from junior Kelly Kolich. However, an attack from senior Elyse Chubb was ruled out on the next point and South Carolina was able to win the final two points and the fifth set, 15-12.
Freshman Sloane White led College of Charleston (3-5, 0-0) with new season highs in 14 kills and hitting percentage (.407). She tied with sophomore Madelyn McGinnis and senior Sarah Havel for the team lead in kills on the match. Chubb finished with 13 kills and the team hit .226 for the match.
Defensively, Kolich set a new career high with 18 digs to go along with a season-high eight kills. Senior Hayley Harrell also set a new career mark in digs with 18. Sophomore Kallie McKown recorded a season-best 56 assists to go along with 16 digs, while redshirt-junior Emily Shelton finished with 21 digs.
South Carolina (8-1, 0-0) was led by Juliette Thevenin who landed a match-high 23 kills. Teresa Stenlund notched 11 kills on 20 attempts for a hitting percentage of .450. Libero Paige Wheeler registered a match-high 31 digs.
The Gamecocks exploded out of the gates in game one, hitting .464 on attack and cruising to a 25-12 set win. Despite a more resolute Cougar effort in game two, including 5-of-6 hitting from Chubb, the Gamecocks were again able to take a 25-22 set victory. Thevenin and Bethanie Thomas each had six kills while Wheeler picked up eight digs for South Carolina in the second set.
College of Charleston came out strong after the break, pulling away from a tie at 14 to build a 20-15 lead on several South Carolina attacking errors. The Cougars won a 25-20 set decision behind a .304 hitting percentage and efficient swinging from White.
The Cougars seemed in trouble in the fourth set after South Carolina opened a 12-8 lead. However, Charleston reeled off ten straight with points coming from Havel, Kolich, Chubb and Shelton, grabbing an 18-12 lead and firmly taking the match momentum. The Gamecocks pulled to within 21-17, but could not get closer as Charleston won the fourth game, 25-19.
The Cougars played from behind for nearly all of the final game, going down 7-2 early after three straight errors. However, the Cougars picked up eight of the next 12 points to cut the lead to just 11-10, getting the fans in TD Arena to their feet. Kills from McGinnis and Kolich tied the game at 12, but the ensuing call against Chubb gave the Gamecocks a 13-12 advantage they did not relinquish.
College of Charleston 2, Clemson 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston Cougars brought the 2011 College of Charleston Invitational to an exciting conclusion taking eventual tournament champion Clemson to a fifth set, the third of the weekend, before falling to the Tigers on the final two points.
College of Charleston (3-6, 0-0) and Clemson (7-3, 0-0) took turns dominating three of the first four sets, as the Cougars took set one (25-15) and Clemson took sets two and four (25-12, 25-15). Charleston won set three in a tight 25-20 decision, while the Tigers took the final game 15-13.
Junior Kelly Kolich excited the rowdy Cougar faithful with a big kill in the final set that gave College of Charleston an 11-9 advantage. However, a kill and block assist from Clemson's Sandra Adeleye knotted the score at 11 again. A kill from sophomore Madelyn McGinnis and one from senior Elyse Chubb bracketed a Cougar error, and CofC led 13-12. Clemson rallied to take the next three points and win the final game, 15-13.
The Tigers finished the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record to win the tournament championship. The Tigers' Alexa Rand was named tournament MVP, while Hannah Brenner and Sandra Adeleye made the All-Tournament team. South Carolina's Paige Wheeler and Juliette Thevenin, Winthrop's Becca Toor and College of Charleston's Sloane White also made the All-Tournament team.
College of Charleston went 0-3 on the weekend, yet took every match to a fifth game, creating many tense moments for the home crowds.
Kolich's big kill in the final set capped a career day for the junior from Overland Park, Kan. Kolich finished with a career-high 15 kills to go with 12 digs. Senior Sarah Havel led the Cougars in attacking percentage, landing 13 kills on 30 attempts for a .367 mark. Chubb also reached double digits with 10 kills.
All-Tournament selection White finished her weekend with 30 kills and a team-best five aces, including three against Clemson.
Rand finished with 18 kills in the final match for Clemson, posting an attack percentage of .607. Adeleye finished with 12 kills while Serenat Yaz picked up 13. Hannah Brenner recorded a double-double with 40 assists and 12 digs.
College of Charleston built a lead of 10-4 early in the first set and never looked back, going up 18-10 before winning 25-15. Havel posted her best stats of the match, hitting 6-of-8 from the net.
Clemson turned the tables on Charleston in the second set, building a similar 14-4 lead before winning 25-12. The Tiger defense recorded four blocks and allowed just seven Cougar kills in 31 attempts.
The third set proved to be a tight battle as neither team could establish big leads. College of Charleston finally opened a slight lead after a Chubb kill preceded five Tiger errors to give Charleston a 21-17 lead. Kolich finished with six kills in the set as CofC won, 25-20.
Clemson responded strongly in the fourth period, running from a 7-7 tie to a 20-10 lead. Rand nailed six kills on eight attempts and added a block solo. The Tigers won 25-15 to force the fifth and final set.
Davidson 1, James Madison 3
HIGH POINT, N.C. - Despite a pair of players in double figures in kills, the Davidson Wildcat volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 21-25, 16-25) decision to the James Madison Dukes in the opening game on the final day of competition at the High Point Invitational Saturday afternoon at the Millis Center.
Sophomore outside hitter Caroline Brown led Davidson (6-3) with 19 kills and 16 digs, and senior middle hitter Madison Benedict added 10 kills and a team-best four blocks. Junior setter Ariel Ley finished with 36 assists, and the Wildcats placed five players in double-figures in digs, led by junior libero Molly Crenshaw.
James Madison (5-2) was led by Natalie Abel, who finished with 11 kills and 30 digs. Holly Wall tallied 10 kills for the Dukes, and Megan Wiechmann posted 24 assists and 13 digs.
After the teams traded points to start the match, James Madison put together three straight points to take a 6-2 lead and never trailed the rest of the way. The Wildcats cut that lead in half, 10-8, on a Duke hitting error and a Brown kill, but James Madison used another 6-2 run to grab a 16-10 lead en route to a first-set 25-20 victory.
The second set played out in reverse, with the Wildcats jumping out to a 5-2 lead on three kills by Benedict, and the Dukes cutting into that lead, 9-7. Davidson rattled off four straight on two straight kills by senior opposite Erin Lupfer and a point each for Brown and Benedict to take a 13-7 lead, which proved enough for the second-set win. Trailing 18-13, the Dukes mounted a late rally with an 8-4 swing to shrink Davidson's lead to one point, 22-21. A pair of scores for Brown gave the Wildcats a set-point chance before the Duke hitting error evened the match with a 25-23 victory in favor of the 'Cats.
But James Madison went ahead 2-1 in the match with a 25-21 comeback win in the third set. The Wildcats were in control early, taking a 12-9 lead on a pair of aces by Ley and kills for senior outside hitter Christine Perzinski, but James Madison responded with a 10-2 run to open a 19-14 advantage. Davidson scored three straight points, including a kill by Perzinski, to cut the lead to 19-17, but the Dukes won six of the last 10 points to go ahead 2-1 in the match behind the 25-21 win. The Dukes turned a 4-4 tie into a 12-5 edge in the fourth set. James Madison used a couple of 3-0 runs to take control of the frame, and clinched victory in the match with the 25-16 win.
Davidson 3, Wright State 0
HIGH POINT, N.C. - Sophomore outside hitter Caroline Brownposted a career-high 20 kills and was named to her third straight all-tournament team as the Davidson Wildcat volleyball team wrapped up play at the High Point Invitational with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 27-25) sweep of the Wright State Raiders Saturday evening at the Millis Center.
Brown, who hit .425 in the match, led all players with 20 kills and 16 digs to help Davidson (7-4) to its second win of the weekend. Senior outside hitter Christine Perzinski added eight kills and 10 digs, and sophomore middle hitter Tindall Sewellalso tallied eight kills. Junior setter Ariel Ley finished with a match-high 41 assists.
Heidi Splinter led Wright State (1-8) with 13 kills and 11 digs, and Ashley Langjahr added nine kills. Jessica Levy led the Raiders with 12 digs, and Ashleigh Lucco finished with 36 assists.
The Wildcats had to battle back from a 9-4 lead in the opening set, regrouping after a timeout with a 5-2 run to pull within three, 11-9. Davidson kept chipping away and cut the Raiders' lead to a point several times before finally knotting the score at 20. The Wildcats won the next two points on an ace from Brown and a kill by Pisel to take a 22-20 lead, which proved enough for the 25-22 win.
After Wright State started the second set with a 3-2 lead, Davidson took control with an 8-2 run to force the Raiders into a timeout. The Wildcats pushed that lead to 23-10 before Wright State mounted a late comeback attempt behind a 7-0 run. But the Wildcats' lead proved too great, as senior middle hitterMadison Benedict and sophomore middle hitter Taylor Pisel's block lifted Davidson to the 25-18 win for a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Raiders nearly pulled off the late-set comeback in the final frame, fighting back from an 18-14 deficit to tie the score at 22 on a Wildcat service error. Wright State won the next point, but a kill by Brown tied the set at 23. After McAuley's kill for the Raiders, Davidson survived a pair of set points, and McAuley's error tied the score at 25. Brown's 19th and 20th kills lifted Davidson to a 27-25 win for the match.
Appalachian State 3, George Mason 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Kelly Rhein and Anna Wagner each tallied 12 kills as the Appalachian State Volleyball team picked up a 3-1 win over George Mason in four sets on Saturday at the Morehead State Invitational.
The Mountaineers (5-5) dropped the first set (25-23) before rallying to sweep the final three sets by scores of 25-18, 25-17 and 25-14. As a team, the Apps hit .326 compared to just .142 for the Patriots (3-5).
George Mason jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead and would lead by as any as four points (6-2) early in the first set but the Mountaineers would battle back to tie the score on eight different occasions.
The Patriots were forced to call a timeout after the Apps rallied to tie it a 22-22 late in the first set, but GMU reeled off three-straight points to take the first set.
It would be all Appalachian from that point on as he Mountaineers took a 6-5 advantage in the second set and never trailed on their way to a 25-18 second set win.
The Apps would find themselves trailing in the third set by a 7-4 margin before striking for six unanswered points to take a 10-7 lead that they would never relinquish. The Mountaineers finished off the Patriots in convincing fashion in the fourth and final set.
Appalachian raced out to a 14-7 lead and extended the margin to 18-8 before finishing off the Patriots with 4-1 run over the final five points to win by a score of 25-14.
The Apps finished with four blocks while the Patriots recorded three. The Mountaineers also had three players hit .300 or better including Wagner (.417) and Jessica Eley (.562). Kasey Sauls chipped in with 27 assists and eight digs while hitting .333.
Wagner earned all-Tournament honors after finishing the weekend with 40 kills and 34 digs in three matches. The senior outside hitter has led the team in kills eight times this season.
Samford 1, Georgia 3
Samford 3, Georgia Tech 1
ATLANTA, Ga. ---- The Samford Bulldogs (9-1) split two matches today, losing to Georgia (4-5), 1-3, early for their first loss of the season, but rebounding to beat host team Georgia Tech (6-4), 3-1, in the final game of the tournament. In total, the Bulldogs were 2-1 on the weekend after a 3-0 victory over Mercer Friday.
Numerous Bulldogs were also honored for their outstanding play this weekend. Lauren Hutchinson and Katie Murphy were named to the All-Tournament team, Alexis Bauer was named the Most Valuable Libero and Elizabeth Neisler was the Tournament MVP.
Neisler was the Bulldogs' offensive leader Saturday, tallying 36 kills between the two matches. Murphy and Hutchinson were also in double-digits both matches, each totaling 24 on the day. Bauer was the primary serve receiver on the day, taking 28 of the team's 92 digs. Michaela Reesor found herself playing a role on defense as well, taking 15 digs in the Georgia match. Blocking duties were spread evenly, but Hutchinson led the team with nine assisted blocks and one solo.
Match One: Samford 1, Georgia 3 (26-28, 25-17, 28-30, 16-25)
In the battle of the Bulldogs, it was Georgia that came out on top, giving an undefeated Samford team its first loss of the season. Two of the four games stretched past the 25-point mark, as it was a tightly contested match. Hitting percentages were nearly identical, as Georgia barely held the edge .228-.218. The usual trio of Neisler, Hutchinson and Murphy were all in double-digit kills but all hit under .250.
Samford jumped to the early 12-6 lead in game one, not allowing Georgia to maintain any service rallies. Down 7-13, Georgia started to establish some momentum, rattling off three points to cut the defecit to three. The teams traded points back and forth, but Samford maintained their lead until Georgia eventually tied it at 22-22. Neither team relented more than a one-point lead, stretching the game until Georgia won 28-26.
Samford evened it up in the second game, winning 25-17. After falling behind 3-6, Samford regained possession off a service error and Hutchinson served three in a row successfully, giving Samford a lead which they never relented for the rest of the game. Down the stretch, Georgia threatened, drawing within five, but Hutchinson again had an extended rally with kills by Murphy and Carter to go up 24-15. Georgia regained possession but Michaela Reesor finished the game with a kill set up by Casey Garvey.
The third game was the longest one so far this season for Samford, with the teams combining for 58 points. Samford maintained control for most of the first half of the game, maintaining a multi-point lead until Georgia eventually tied it at 20-20. Neisler brought Samford one point away from the win with a service ace to make it 24-23, but a service error allowed Georgia to tie it up and regain possession. The teams traded points as neither could earn the two-point lead required to win. Tied 28-28, Georgia earned a kill to regain possession and a Samford attack error gave Georgia the 30-28 win.
Georgia earned a more decisive victory in the fourth game, 25-16, to seal their 3-1 victory. Samford chipped away throughout the match, but Georgia capitalized on long service rallies to earn a 17-10 lead. Neisler looked to start a comeback for Samford, earning a kill and preventing Georgia from scoring their final point. Samford earned a point after regaining possession but Georgia followed that with the game-winning kill.
Match Two: Samford 3, Georgia Tech 1 (25-20, 25-23, 24-26, 25-18)
After Samford lost its first match of the season earlier in the day, they closed the tournament in fine fashion, earning a 3-1 victory over host team Georgia Tech. Neisler led the team again in kills (19, .318) while Murphy and Hutchinson both earned 14. The Yellow Jackets had more blocks and digs, but that did not prove enough to counter the Bulldog's offensive power.
Georgia Tech earned the first point of game one, but Samford quickly earned possession off a Murphy kill and rattled off three more points to take the 4-1 lead. The Yellow Jackets tied it up at 8-8 and again at 9-9, but Samford never relented the lead after that point. Up 19-18, Neisler slammed one down and Garvey helped serve up three unanswered points, including one ace, to bring the Bulldogs within two points of the win. The Yellow Jackets had possession for the set point, but an attack error gave Samford the 25-20 win in game one.
Samford earned a tightly-contested game two by the minimum two points, 25-23. The game was defined by extended rallies, with each team taking gaining significant leads before the other closes the gap. Samford took a timeout down 8-11 and gained possession off a Georgia Tech service error. Chelsi Carter followed serving five in a row to put the Bulldogs up 14-11 and forcing a Yellow Jacket timeout. Georgia Tech bounced back to tie it at 15-15 and the teams traded points, eventually ending up tied at 23-23. Georgia Tech had possession, but a kill by Neisler gave Samford the ball for the set point and Hutchinson finished it off, setting up Samford for the potential 3-0 victory.
Georgia Tech, however, had other plans, winning another tightly-contested set by two, 26-24. Down 8-11, the Yellow Jackets went on a 5-0 run to gain the lead, 13-11. The rest of the set was a back-and-forth affair, with eight points down the stretch where the game was tied. Tied at 24-24, it was a game either team could win. Georgia Tech earned possession on a Samford attack error to go up by one and sealed the win with a service ace.
Samford took an early 9-4 lead, forcing the Yellow Jackets to take a timeout. The Bulldogs maintained a lead, but Georgia Tech hung with them every step of the way. The Bulldogs were only up 20-18 when they took it to another gear, serving five unanswered points with Garvey leading the rally.
Georgia Southern 0, North Carolina 3
Georgia Southern 1, San Diego 3
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Georgia Southern Volleyball team (3-8) finished the 2011 Carolina Classic winless after dropping a pair of games against two quality opponents. The Eagles faced host North Carolina in the first match and wrapped up the tournament with a loss to #18 San Diego.
The Eagles fell 3-0 to host North Carolina in the first game of the day. The Tar Heels won the three-set match 25-18, 25-17, 25-23 to improve to 5-2. Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) recorded 10 kills but committed five errors for a .179 attack percentage. Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) tallied 34 assists and posted a team best .429 hitting percentage in the first match.
North Carolina hit .406 in the win while committing only eight attack errors. Emily McGee posted 19 kills for a .459 mark while Kayla Berringer recorded 11 kills. Erica Behm powered the offense with 33 assists and added six digs.
The Toreros hit just .193 but won the match 3-1. The Eagles took the second set 25-21 but San Diego won their three sets 25-22, 25-15, 25-18. Rachel Alvey posted 54 digs to set up three double-digit kill performances by Chloe Ferari, Amber Tatsch and Carrie Baird.
Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) led GSU with 11 kills. Van Dyke added 4 kills, 32 assists and a team best .429 hitting percentage. Georgia Southern committed fewer attack errors than their opponent, but a San Diego defense powered by C'era Oliveira's 25 digs held the Eagles to a .108 hitting percentage.