Elon 3, North Carolina Central 1
Elon 3, Winthrop 1
ELON, N.C. – In the final day of the Elon Phoenix Classic, the Elon volleyball team split its two matches to finish 2-1 in the tournament. The Phoenix defeated North Carolina Central, 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-14, 25-19), early in the day but fell to Winthrop, 3-1 (14-25, 25-16, 22-25, 20-25), in the nightcap. Elon is now 11-4 on the season.
Freshmen Chanelle Smith and Kris Harris were the story of the day for the Phoenix. Smith finished with double-doubles in both matches recording a total of 23 kills and 20 digs. Harris tallied 19 kills and 10 blocks on the day.
In the first set, Elon jumped out to an early 5-1 lead before NCCU came back to tie it at eight-all. After kill by Smith put the Phoenix up 10-9, a four-point run by the Eagles gave them a three-point advantage, 13-10. The set would remain close with the maroon and gold holding the upper hand until a kill by Smith and an ace by junior Ali Deatsch put Elon up by three, 21-18. NCCU rallied to tie the set at 22-all, but the Phoenix went on to win three of the final four points to take the first-set win, 25-23.
The Eagles controlled the second set from the beginning, gaining as much as an eight-point lead, 17-9. Down 21-13, a kill by sophomore Cali Estes spurred four unanswered points by the Phoenix, cutting the deficit to four, 21-17. However, the Eagles’ lead was too much for Elon to overcome as NCCU tied the match at one set apiece with a 25-21 win.
Up 11-9 in the third, the maroon and gold used a 9-3 run, which included a block by Harris and senior Traci Stewart and kills by senior Caroline Lemke and Stewart to take a 20-12 lead. After an Eagle timeout, kills by junior Carly Ledbetter, Smith and Harris put the Phoenix back up by a set with a 25-14 win.
Elon used kills by Smith and Harris and an ace by Smith to take an early 6-1 lead in the fourth set. The Eagles came back to tie the set at eight-all before a Ledbetter kill put the Phoenix back up by only one. With a three-point advantage, 16-13, Elon scored three straight off a kill by Lemke, a block by Lemke and Ledbetter and a kill by senior Megan McMahon to increase its lead to six, 19-13. The set would end 25-19 in favor of the maroon and gold and give Elon a 3-1 match victory.
Smith recorded the third double-double of her young career with 12 kills and 10 digs. Harris also showed Elon’s young talent with eight kills and a career-high seven blocks.
In the first set against Winthrop, kills by Smith and Harris kept the Eagles’ lead to one, 4-3. After a Winthrop run increased the visitor’s lead to 14-5, the Phoenix had the chance to rebound off an Eagle miscue but was not able to come back. Winthrop went on to win the first set, 25-14.
The Phoenix used its frustration from the first set to take an early 4-1 lead in the second set off kills from Lemke, Ledbetter and Stewart. The Eagles would pull within one, 9-8, but Elon won four of the next five points to increase its advantage to four, 13-9. Kills from Smith and Harris capped a three-point run that moved the score to 19-13. With the set at 20-15, the maroon and gold went on a 5-1 run, capped by a kill from Harris, to win the set, 25-16, and tie the match at one-all.
The Eagles jumped out to the lead in the third set, 10-5, forcing Elon to call an early timeout. Winthrop continued to build on its lead, taking as much as a six-point advantage, 17-11. However, the Phoenix began to whittle away at Winthrop’s lead pulling within one, 18-17, off a kill from Ledbetter. A 5-2 run, courtesy of two kills by McMahon and a block by Harris and McMahon, gave Elon its first solid lead of the set, 22-20. But the Eagles would end the set with five unanswered points to take the win, 25-22.
Winthrop took a 6-1 lead to start the fourth set, before kills by Smith and Harris and several Eagle miscues put the Phoenix within two, 9-7. A five-point run helped the Eagles extend their advantage to seven, 16-9, and all but seal the match. A kill by Harris later in the set moved Elon to within four, 22-18, but three of the last five points went Winthrop’s way and gave the Eagles the set, 25-20, and the match.
Smith and Harris both recorded 11 kills, while 10 digs gave Smith her second double-double of the day. Lemke tallied 10 blocks and four blocks to make a strong impression on both sides of the net. Deatsch led all players with 17 digs.
Both Harris and Ledbetter were named to the all-tournament team at the conclusion of the tournament.
Appalachian State 3, East Tennessee State 1
Appalachian State 3, James Madison 0
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Appalachian State volleyball team dominated play in its final two contests at the James Madison Classic on Saturday, Sept. 17.
The Mountaineers (7-6) picked up a 3-1 win over Middle Tennessee State to start the day before taking down tournament host James Madison, 3-0, to wrap up the weekend. The Apps return home on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET against Wake Forest after spending the past three weekends on the road.
Match 1 - ASU 3, ETSU 1
The Mountaineers set the tone early with a dominating first set to pick up a 3-1 win over East Tennessee State (6-7) in Saturday’s first match. Appalachian fell behind by two points early but rebounded with five straight points to take a 5-2 lead they would never relinquish.
ETSU would close the gap to as little as two points (12-10) midway through the first set, but the Apps pulled away for a 25-17 first set win.
The Lady Bucs scored a second set victory by a 25-22 final by shutting down Appalachian after netting the first point of the set to tie the match at 1-1. Both squads battled through an intense third set that showcased nine ties and four lead before the Mountaineers netted the final two points in a 28-26 third set victory.
The Apps dominated the fourth and final set to the tune of a 25-18 set win. ETSU scored the first point of the set but would never lead again after Appalachian answered with two straight points.
Alison Blasingame and Maggie Seeds each tallied 12 ills in the set while Kasey Sauls tallied 31 assists. The Apps hit .250 as a team while holding ETSU to just a .156 attack percentage.
Match 2 - ASU 3, JMU 0
The Mountaineers ended their weekend at the JMU Classic with a dominant three-set win over the host Dukes to record their first back-to-back wins since the opening weekend of the 2011 season.
Appalachian scored a thrilling 28-26 win in a first-set slugfest that featured 16 ties and five led changes. JMU jumped out to its largest lead of the set (15-12) after pair of errors, but the Apps would recover to tie the set at 16-16 just moments later.
Neither team would lead by more than two points the rest of the way as the Mountaineers eventually put the Dukes on the ropes at 25-24 before James Madison staved off a loss twice in the closing points. A service error by JMU was followed up b a kill from Sauls for the win.
The second set saw the Apps jump out to a 3-0 lead and cruise on their way to a 25-20 win in which James Madison never tied the set or came within more than three points after Appalachian took an 11-8 lead near the midway point.
The third and final set seemed destined to go the way of the home team after the Dukes raced out to an early 8-3 lead and led by as many as six points (15-9) midway through the set.
Appalachian would rally to score nine of the next 11 points to take an 18-17 lead late in the match. The Apps would outscore JMU 7-4 the rest of the way en route to a 25-21 match-clinching victory.
Anna Wagner led the Mountaineers with 14 kills while Seeds finished with 12. Sauls was solid again with 28 assists in the match.
ASU out-hit the Dukes .233 to .105 and finished with eight blocks to JMU’s seven. Appalachian forced 20 attack errors and recorded 45 assists as a team.
Sauls and Seeds each earned JMU Classic all-tournament honors for their performances over the weekend. Sauls hit .444 in three matches while tallying 77 assists and 29 digs. Seeds led the Apps with 31 kills on the weekend while hitting .286 and picking up seven block assists.
College of Charleston 3, Wyoming 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston rebounded from a tough, five-set loss to UNF to capture the Hampton Inn Invitational championship, defeating Wyoming, 3-1, in the weekend’s final match.
College of Charleston (7-7) won the first two sets, 29-27 and 25-20, before allowing Wyoming (9-5) to grab set three, 25-20. The Cougars completed the match with an exciting 25-22 win in set four.
Senior Elyse Chubb finished the match with 15 kills, hitting .371 with just two errors. Chubb eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark for her career, becoming just the ninth Cougar player to do so. She finished with 48 kills on the weekend, notching a team-best attack percentage of .390, to go along with 14 total blocks. Chubb was named Tournament MVP, her second such honor this season after winning MVP at the Georgia State Invitational.
Freshman Sloane White joined Chubb on the All-Tournament team after she landed 15 kills and made two block assists against Wyoming. Emily Shelton was also named to the All-Tournament team for tying her season high with 29 digs against the Cowgirls. Shelton made 94 digs on the weekend, averaging 5.2 per set.
The Cowgirls were led by All-Tournament honorees Jodi Purdy and Tamara Kitic. Purdy registered a match-high 21 kills and 16 digs, and Kitic finished with eight kills.
College of Charleston trailed by one or two points for most of the first set as both teams traded kill for kill with very few uncaused errors. The Cougars allowed Wyoming to build a 23-21 lead, but College of Charleston rallied to score the next three points and force set point. The Cowgirls staved off three set points before eventually taking a 27-26 lead. However, a service error from Reese Plante kept Charleston alive. A block from Sarah Havel and Madelyn McGinnis followed by a Kallie McKown ace gave Charleston a 29-27 set win.
The Cougars jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the second set and led for the rest of the way. Havel repeatedly forced the middle and made five kills and two block assists. Havel finished with 11 kills and seven total blocks for the match. McGinnis also made several big blocks in the set as she led the team with three total blocks. White contributed three kills on five swings as Charleston won set two, 25-20.
Wyoming responded strongly in the third set, building a 9-3 lead and never allowing the Cougars to pull closer than four points, eventually winning 25-20. Purdy hit seven kills to lead the Cowgirls in the set.
College of Charleston rallied from down 8-4 in the fourth set to tie the game at 10. Sophomore Taeler Davis rallied the offensive attack as she came in at setter, notching 13 assists, 10 digs and two kills in the fourth set. Davis’ 20 total assists were a new season high for the transfer from Pacific. White finished the set with six kills including several in the final moments.
With the Cougars holding a slight 19-18 lead, White earned a disputed point that resulted in a red card against Wyoming, giving College of Charleston a 21-18 lead. Another kill from White put the Cougars up 22-18 and College of Charleston eventually won 25-22.
The rest of the Hampton Inn Invitational All-Tournament team consisted of Texas A&M Corpus Christi’s Shannon Hullum, North Florida’s Paige Pridgeon and UNC-Wilmington’s Jennifer Mallard.
Western Carolina 0, USC Upstate 3
Western Carolina 3, Charleston Southern 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -Western Carolina volleyball (5-9) dropped its first match of the day against USC Upstate (22-25, 17-25, 20-25) while picking up the win in the second match against Charleston Southern in straight sets (26-24, 25-20, 25-20) in the final day of competition at the Spartan Classic. Senior Carrie Minogue was also named to the Spartan Classic All-Tournament team, making it the third all-tournament team she has made this season.
In the first match of Saturday, Western Carolina faced the host of the Spartan Classic – USC Upstate – for the second time this season, falling 0-3 in the first meeting. The big story in this match was the lack of consistent offense for the Catamounts. WCU hit just .148 in the match, with Caitlin Piechota the lone player with double digit kills with 11. The freshman also added 11 digs, making it her third consecutive double-double.
The Spartans were led offensively by Emily Bingham and Morgan Thomas who had 10 kills and 13 kills respectively. Emily Sanders also dished out 31 assists.
Western Carolina still leads the all-time series with the Spartans, 7-4.
Later in the afternoon, the Catamounts met with Charleston Southern. Western Carolina swept the Lady Bucs, picking up the third win of the week for the Catamounts.
Offensively, Minogue led the way for WCU with 12 kills and a block assist. Senior Rebecca Stoltz came up big for the Purple and Gold with nine kills, an assist, an ace, two digs and two total blocks. Jordan Timmermann dug out 16 balls while adding eight kills.
The Catamount defense was outstanding in the match, as WCU defense held all Lady Bucs to under double-digit kills.
The Citadel 0, Liberty 3
Raleigh, N.C. – Juniors Rachael Farrell and Kaona Mercer combined for 16 kills and 10 digs, but it was not enough to turn back a Liberty University squad that completed a 25-15, 25-11, 25-13 sweep at the N.C. State University Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The Citadel split the three-day, four-match weekend to move to 5-5 on the season.
Senior captain Kathryn Johnston finished with a team-high 11 digs and five kills in the loss, as The Citadel accounted 37 digs in the match. Teammate Alexa Dahlstrom dished out 14 assists, while converting three kills in seven attempts for a .429 attack percentage.
The Flames were paced offensively by Kendle Rollins (17 kills) and Lillie Happel (14 kills). Liberty notched 50 team kills in 93 total attacks to finish with a .484 attack percentage. The combination of Courtney Boggs and Kelly Haseman finished with 11 digs apiece to provide a 49-37 edge.
Three kills within the first 18 points of the opening set allowed Liberty to jump out to the early 12-6 advantage. Farrell answered with a kill of her own and following a series of subsequent kills by Mercer, Rudnik and Dahlstrom, the Bulldogs were within three points of the Flames, 14-11. Liberty answered the challenge with a complete team effort that included four kills and two service aces in the final 11 points to earn the 25-15 win.
Liberty carried over its momentum from the first set by grabbing an 8-2 lead in the early stages of game two. Three kills by Farrell kept The Citadel within reach of the Flames, before Lillie Happel drove a kill past the Dogs defensive and then used her service game to push the lead to 16-6. After a Mercer kill sliced the deficit to 18-9, a pair of Robbins kills highlighted a 5-1 Liberty run that put the Flames at set point. The Flames faulted at their first attempt to close out the game, and took advantage of a service error to complete the 25-11 victory.
Rollins continued her solid play in the opening points of game three, driving home three kills to give Liberty the early 8-3 advantage. Farrell and Rudnik countered with consecutive kills, cutting the Flames lead to three, before seven points with Happel in serve made for an 18-7 Liberty advantage. The front row of Johnston, Mercer and Farrell accounted for five of the final six Citadel points, but they were unable to make-up ground on the Flames, who earned the 25-13 game three win.
N.C. State 3, The Citadel 0
RALEIGH, N.C.- In the early afternoon session, The Citadel Volleyball team fell to host N.C. State by scores of 25-20, 25-9, 25-12. Leading the Cadets upfront was the trio of Alexa Dahlstrom, Rachael Farrell and Kaona Mercer, who tallied five kills apiece.
Kathryn Johnston, put on a defensive showing in her home state with 10 digs to go along with a pair of kills. Also with solid defensive outings were Mercer (seven kills) and Amanda Rudnik (six kills), which proved instrumental in The Citadel finishing with 30 as a unit.
N.C. State had nine players finish with at least one kill, led by the tandem of Margaret Salata (12) and Brie Merriwether (11). The Wolfpack also recorded match-highs from Kelly Wood (15 digs) and Megan Cyr (28 assists). The victory marked the 11th straight by N.C. State, one shy of a tying a program record.
Both teams opened the match solid offensively with The Citadel grabbing a one-point advantage on three separate occasions, before N.C. State took a 10-7 lead on a kill by Dariyan Hopper. The Bulldogs stayed within two points of the lead after kills by Cassie Uribe and Kaona Mercer, however the Wolfpack went on a 9-2 run that stretched its advantage to 20-11. Johnston answered for the Dogs with a kill and service ace, keeping The Citadel within striking distance, sparking a series of Citadel points that included kills by Jessica Maxwell, Uribe, Dahlstrom and Mercer. Clinging to a three-point advantage, N.C. State scored the final two points following a late timeout for the 25-20 win.
The Citadel took advantage of a Mercer kill and an attack error by Hopper to take the early 3-2 lead. However, the Wolfpack quickly combined four unforced errors and four Margaret Salata kills to go in front 15-5. A series of kills by Johnston and Farrell put the Dogs within nine, but Salata's service game was responsible for the Pack scoring four consecutive points and taking 21-7 lead. The Citadel managed just two points among the final six to succumb 25-9.
The two teams traded blows to open the third set, making for two ties, before six straight Wolfpack points gave the tournament host a 10-3 advantage. A pair of Farrell kills was not enough during the next 17 point stretch as N.C. State jumped out 20-10. The Pack allowed just two points in the waning stages of the third set to win 25-12.
Georgia Southern 3, South Carolina State 1
Georgia Southern 3, Georgia State 1
STATESBORO, Ga. - Bethany Sanford posted 13 kills not once but twice on Saturday to help the Georgia Southern Volleyball team (6-8) finish the Bash in the Boro presented by SpringHill Suites undefeated. The Eagles defeated S.C. State (5-9) in the matinee and Georgia State (5-11) in the tournament finale on Saturday. Sanford was honored after the game along with Kate Van Dyke as members of the Bash in the Boro All-Tournament Team.
Game One vs South Carolina State
Georgia Southern put together a solid offensive attack in the 3-1 win over South Carolina State in the day's first match. The Eagles hit .286 in the match and had sets of .333 and .310 hitting percentages. Meredith Paskert and Sanford led the team with 12 and 13 kills respectively. Van Dyke powered the offense with 27 sets while also posting 14 digs on the defensive end.
The Eagle's defense held the Bulldogs to a .127 hitting percentage and posted 68 digs in the four-set match. Lauren LaRocque joined Van Dyke in double figures with 10 digs, while freshman Jamie DeRatt posted nine digs in her first start of the Bash in the Boro. Desire Waller led S.C. State with 14 kills while Shabree Roberson tallied 12 kills.
Georgia Southern ran away with the first set 25-13 but it was a close contest in the early going. The two teams battled through three ties and three lead changes before the Eagles scored six-straight points to jump ahead 16-7. GSU won the second set 25-18 to pull ahead 2-0 at the halftime break.
South Carolina State staved off a Georgia Southern rally in the third set to pick up a set point. The Eagles rattled off three points while the Bulldogs were seeking their set point. GSU carried the momentum over to the fourth set and ran away with it 25-13.
Game Two vs Georgia State
Georgia Southern rebounded from an opening set loss to defeat Georgia State 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-16. Sanford posted 13 and three service aces to power the Eagle offense along with Parker Small's 12 kills. Van Dyke tallied 36 assists to help Georgia Southern to a .200 hitting percentage.
Georgia State jumped ahead 13-5 in the first set and maintained a 21-9 advantage. Georgia Southern rallied to cut the lead to 24-20 late in the set, but the Panthers salvaged the point winning the set 25-22. The Eagles had to overcome a .057 hitting percentage to mount the rally effort and received five kills from Sanford in the process.
LaRocque posted a career-high 24 digs to help the Eagle defense hold the Panthers to a .101 hitting percentage. Van Dyke added 18 digs and Moriah Bellissimo tallied 16 digs in a 84 dig effort on defense.
Georgia Southern held Georgia State to a .029 hitting percentage in the fourth set while the Eagles offense posted their best mark of the match with a .297. LaRocque recorded seven digs in the fourth set while Van Dyke posted five kills. Sanford, Small and Paskert all recorded three kills in the set.
Georgia Southern bounced back in the second set winning 25-21 despite three ties and two lead changes. The Eagles hit a much improved .235 and got three kills from Paskert. Georgia Southern took the third set by the same score after receiving a five-kill effort from Small. The Eagles hit .278 in the third set and recorded a 66% sideout percentage.
Samford 3, Bethune-Cookman 0
Samford 3, Hampton 0
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- The Samford Bulldogs (13-1) finished the weekend with two more three-set victories, defeating host Bethune-Cookman (5-7) and Hampton (2-6). The Bulldogs defeated all of their opponents this weekend in three sets, bringing their season total to nine sweeps.
With Neisler and Murphy on the bench, Hutchinson earned the majority of the kills Saturday, accounting for 25 of Samford's 88. Her total for the entire weekend was 47 on 80 total attempts. Taylor Palmer played well in her first two starts of the season, earning 17 kills on 30 total attempts. Garvey set the offensive tempo, earning 76 of the team's 80 assists.
Match One: Samford 3, Bethune-Cookman 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21)
Samford started the day early, taking on host team Bethune-Cookman in an 8 a.m. matchup that resulted in another 3-0 Samford sweep. The Bulldogs played with different lineups, allowing Palmer to have her first double-digit kill match of the season, earning 10 and leading the team with a .643 hitting percentage. Reesor played tall at the net, earning 2.5 of the team's six blocks.
An early 3-1 lead by the Wildcats would be their largest of the first game, as Samford regained the lead shortly thereafter and maintained the close gap until the end. Samford's strong play up front prevented the Wildcats from gaining any momentum, not allowing them to ever earn two consecutive points past the 10-point mark. Samford would gain a five-point lead up 22-17 and would maintain that to a five-point win in the first game.
The streak of not allowing the Wildcats to earn two consecutive points carried over into the second game, with Samford jumping ahead 8-4 before Bethune-Cookman scored two to narrow the lead to 8-6. Up 13-9, Samford scored five unanswered points, finished off by a Taylor Chao service ace, to gain a hefty nine-point lead. With the score 20-10, Bethune-Cookman retaliated with their own five-point rally but it was too little too late as Samford eventually went on to win 25-17.
The Bulldogs scored fast out of the gate in game three, pulling ahead 7-2 after three successful services by Bauer. The gap would narrow slowly throughout the game, with Bethune-Cookman eventually tying it up at 18-18. Palmer and Reesor would be a valuable duo in the end, as they teamed up for a block to put Samford up 20-18 and earned kills down the stretch eventually giving Samford the 25-21 win.
Match Two: Samford 3, Hampton 0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-22)
The Bulldogs finished the weekend as strongly as they started it, earning their fourth-consecutive 3-0 victory to close out the Bethune-Cookman Tournament. Hutchinson took control of the outside, leading the match with 15 kills, the only player to hit double-digits. Garvey controlled the offense extremely well, accounting for 39 of the team's 42 assists, her highest total of the tournament.
The tempo was in Samford's favor early on, as a Chelsi Carter kill gave them a 4-3 lead and Bauer followed that with four consecutive serves to bring the lead to 8-3 and force the Hampton timeout. A Hampton service error shortly after the timeout would give Reesor her own four-point service rally, giving the Bulldogs a 13-5 lead midway through the set. The Pirates would fight back to within five, and the Bulldogs would take a timeout up 16-11. The remainder of the set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team earning more than two points in a row, but ultimately Samford would come out on top 25-17.
Samford built an early 7-3 lead in the second set, but Hampton retaliated quickly to tie the set up at 7-7. Tied 12-12, the Bulldogs rattled off four unanswered points, including two service aces by Carter, to pull ahead 16-12. It would be the longest sustained rally of the game, as points were traded for the rest of the set. Up 20-18, Samford would outscore the Pirates 5-2 with Hutchinson earning two kills in that stretch to help secure the 25-20 victory.
Neither team took control in the first half of game three, with Hampton holding a one-point lead halfway at 13-12. There would be six lead changes between that point and when Samford took a 20-19 lead to force a Hampton timeout late. Samford scored three in a row to pull ahead 24-20, but then Hampton answered with two of their own to draw within two points. Hampton had possession at the match point, but a service error gave Samford the 25-22 set and 3-0 match victory.
Elon 3, North Carolina Central 1
ELON, N.C. – The Elon volleyball team struggled at times against North Carolina Central but was ultimately able to take a 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-14, 25-19) victory for its second win over the Eagles this season. The Phoenix now possesses an 11-3 season record, while the Eagles remain winless with a 0-10 record.
Freshman Chanelle Smith recorded the third double-double of her young career with 12 kills and 10 digs. Freshman Kris Harris also showed Elon’s young talent with eight kills and a career-high seven blocks.
In the first set, Elon jumped out to an early 5-1 lead before NCCU came back to tie it at eight-all. After kill by Smith put the Phoenix up 10-9, a four-point run by the Eagles gave them a three-point advantage, 13-10. The set would remain close with the maroon and gold holding the upper hand until a kill by Smith and an ace by junior Ali Deatsch put Elon up by three, 21-18. NCCU rallied to tie the set at 22-all, but the Phoenix went on to win three of the final four points to take the first-set win, 25-23.
The Eagles controlled the second set from the beginning, gaining as much as an eight-point lead, 17-9. Down 21-13, a kill by sophomore Cali Estes spurred four unanswered points by the Phoenix, cutting the deficit to four, 21-17. However, the Eagles’ lead was too much for Elon to match as NCCU tied the match at one set apiece with a 25-21 win.
Up by two, 11-9, in the third, the maroon and gold used a 9-3 run, which included a block by Harris and senior Traci Stewart and kills by senior Caroline Lemke and Stewart to take a 20-12 lead. After an Eagle timeout, kills by junior Carly Ledbetter, Smith and Harris put the Phoenix back up by a set with a 25-14 win.
Elon used kills by Smith and Harris and an ace by Smith to take an early 6-1 lead in the fourth set. The Eagles came back to tie the set at eight-all before a Ledbetter kill put the Phoenix back up by only one. With a three-point advantage, 16-13, Elon scored three straight off a kill by Lemke, a block by Lemke and Ledbetter and a kill by senior Megan McMahon to increase its lead to six, 19-13. The set would end 25-19 in favor of the maroon and gold and give Elon a 3-1 match victory.
Chattanooga 1, Virginia Tech 3
BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team fell behind 2-0 against Virginia Tech (7-4), but battled back following the intermission to take the third set before the Hokies were able to close out the match, 3-1 (25-15, 17-25, 20-25, 25-15). Junior outside Heather Parman led the Mocs (1-11) with 11 kills along with sophomore outside Jennifer Kuroski who added 10.
Totaling 28 assists was sophomore Bridget Camacho setting up the Mocs offense. Junior right side Christina Teter posted eight kills during the match.
Six different players tallied one ace from the service line for Chattanooga.
The defense was led by junior libero Paula Passmore with 18 digs. Contributing nine digs was Camacho, while Parman had eight.
Sophomore middle blocker Aneisha Christie achieved a career-high with two block solos. Teter paced the Mocs being credited with three total blocks.
Virginia Tech's Victoria Hamsher led all players with 16 kills and seven blocks. Registering 29 digs was Morgan O'Neil.
The Mocs battled with Virginia Tech point for point during the first 18 games of the first set before the Hokies went on a 16-6 run to close out the frame.
In the second set, Chattanooga tallied 14 kills, but an efficient Hokies' squad was able to take advantage of mistakes in sealing a 25-17 victory and 2-0 lead in the match The Mocs did score three times with Virginia Tech on set point highlighted by back-to-back kills by Teter and a block from Teter and Camacho.
Coming out of the locker room after the intermission, the Mocs fought with the Hokies exchanging the first 12 rallies before the Mocs took control of the set in taking a 12-8 lead. A block by Christie and kills by Christie and two from Blackstock were used by the Mocs to extend the lead.
Chattanooga would go on to maintain a five-point advantage for the majority of the frame and secure a 25-20 victory. Blackstock led the Mocs attack with three kills as six players tallied a point in the frame. Both teams registered 11 kills, but Chattanooga was able to take advantage of eight Hokie mistakes.
The final frame began with the Mocs taking the first rally, but Virginia Tech took control of the set scoring the next six points and did not look back in taking the match, 25-15.