Samford 3, Alabama A&M 0

MOBILE, Ala. ---- The Samford Bulldogs (5-0) began competition at the South Alabama Tournament in Mobile, Ala., earning a 3-0 victory over Alabama A&M (1-5) to remain undefeated so far this season.  Three of their five victories have now come in straight sets.

Elizabeth Neisler and Lauren Hutchinson were the enforcers at the net, combining for 19 kills and five blocks.  Newcomer Reesor is already showing veteran poise, earning nine kills this match and leading the team in hitting percentage at .615.  At defense, the dependable duo of Chelsi Carter and Alexis Bauer again proved vital, earning 19 of the team's 35 digs.

Samford started strongly, winning the first set 25-21.  Tied at 3-3 in the first set, Hutchinson rattled off five consecutive successful serves, including two aces, with Reesor earning two kills during the rally to help pull Samford ahead 8-3.  A&M regained their stride, tying the game at ten, but then Samford stole the momentum, jumping ahead 16-12 thanks in part to three kills by Hutchinson setup by Casey Garvey.  The Bulldogs maintained the gap, allowing Neisler to seal the four-point victory with the final kill off an A&M serve.

Beginning the second game, the teams traded points back and forth, with neither taking more than a three-point lead.  After an Alabama A&M timeout with Samford up 13-10, Samford went on to earn their largest lead of the game, 19-13, with kills by Neisler, Hutchinson, Carter, and a solo block by Katie Murphy.  A&M threatened down the stretch, drawing within three and earning possession down 24-21, but Reesor came through, earning the final point for the Bulldogs to win game two.

The third set started much like the second, with teams trading points in a neck-and-neck battle.  Tied at 11-11, Samford took control with a 8-1 rally to move ahead 19-12.  Samford's primary server Casey Garvey proved valuable in that stretch, earning back-to-back service aces during a four-point consecutive serving rally.  The final points of the match fell Samford's way largely to A&M errors, including the final point to seal the 25-19 victory.

College of Charleston 3, Harvard 0

ATLANTA, Ga. - The College of Charleston volleyball team rallied from a two-game deficit to win a dramatic 3-2 match over Harvard in the opening day of the Georgia State Invitational at GSU Sports Arena.

Senior Sarah Havel led College of Charleston (1-3, 0-0) with a match-high 18 kills, just one shy of her career high. Havel registered a .348 attack percentage while also notching three total blocks. Sophomore Madelyn McGinnis also reached double figures in kills, slamming 12 to go along with a career-best 20 digs and three block assists. Senior Elyse Chubb picked up nine kills.

Freshmen Sloane White and Lizzie Theesfeld each tallied seven kills and White added seven total blocks. Redshirt-junior Emily Shelton registered a season-best 29 digs, and Kallie McKown set a new career high with 44 assists.

Harvard was led defensively by Christine Wu who picked up a match-high 36 digs. Three Crimson players hit double figures in kills as Taylor Docter (15), Kristen Casey (13) and Erin Cooney (11) played well up front.

Harvard came out strong in game one, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. McGinnis picked up two quick points and helped spur a Cougar run that eventually brought the margin to 14-12. However, the Crimson defense held strong through the rest of the game and Harvard took a 25-19 set decision. McGinnis finished with three kills in the first game for CofC, while Harvard's Wu picked up 10 digs.

The second game started with both teams deadlocked, playing to a 6-6 tie before Harvard won the next three points and forced a Cougars timeout. However, College of Charleston put together an 8-3 run to build a 14-12 lead off of strong offensive play from McGinnis (three kills, two service aces). Despite falling behind 19-15 and then 23-21, the Crimson rallied at the end of the set with four straight points to win the game, 25-23.

The Cougars raced out to a 12-4 lead in the third game behind a strong Havel serve and lockdown defense. The Crimson reeled off a 5-0 run to bring the margin back to 12-9, but the Cougars responded with strong play from Havel and White at the front, rolling to a 25-13 set victory.

Havel and freshman Lizzie Theesfeld each tallied four kills in the third, while White picked up four block assists. Shelton had eight digs while McGinnis notched seven digs. The Cougars hit .250 in the third set with only three attacking errors.

Both teams played to a 10-10 tie in the fourth game before the Cougars streaked to a 17-12 lead behind blocks from Chubb and White. However, the Crimson rallied yet again to tie the match at 21. A kill from White broke a 22-22 tie and the Cougars won the game on a service ace from Theesfeld. 

Cougars opened the final game with a 4-1 lead, but Harvard responded with four straight points to go up 5-4. However, with the game tied at 10, senior captains Chubb and Havel scored the Cougars' last five points, including four kills from Havel, to win the game 15-12, and the match 3-2.

Elon 0, UNC Asheville 3

Elon 3, Gardner-Webb 1

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Elon volleyball team battled UNC Asheville for three hard sets in the first match of the Gamecock Invitational, but was not able to come out with the win, falling 3-0 (22-25, 25-27, 26-28) and taking its first loss of the season. The Phoenix is now 5-1 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 2-2.

Senior Caroline Lemke led all players with 16 kills of 25 attempts recording only one error. Junior Carly Ledbetter also made a big impact for the Phoenix with 10 kills and one service ace. Seniors Nickie Halbert and Megan McMahon split the passing duties recording 23 and 19 assists, respectively. On defense, junior Ali Deatsch finished with 15 digs, while senior Traci Stewart and junior Celia Rose Eddy both compiled two blocks each.

In the first set, the Phoenix jumped out to a 7-2 lead thanks to two kills from sophomore Cali Estes, forcing the Bulldogs to call an early timeout. Out of the timeout, Asheville went on a short three-point run, off the serve of Rachel Wells, to close the gap to two. Later in the set, with the Bulldogs up by five, 20-15, Elon was able to cut the advantage to one by winning five of the next six points, courtesy of three kills by Lemke. With the Bulldogs at set point, 24-20, the Phoenix scored two straight to keep the set alive but Asheville was able to hold on for the 25-22 win.

Elon found itself in an early hole, 5-1, in the second set, but a five-point run gave the Phoenix an 8-6 lead. The set would remain close with neither team taking more than a two-point advantage for the next 16 points. With the Bulldogs up, 16-14, the Phoenix used the serve of Deatsch to earn the next three points with kills from Eddy, Lemke and junior Allison Johnson to make it 17-16, Elon. Asheville was ready to take the set win with leading 24-22 Bulldog advantage, but the Phoenix rallied to tie the score and forced Bulldogs to call its first timeout. Out of the timeout, Elon had the opportunity to win the set with the score at 25-24 and again at 25-26, but Asheville came out with the 2-0 lead after winning 27-25.

In the third and final set, freshman Kris Harris helped put the Phoenix up, 5-3, before a Bulldog run made it eight-all. The teams would trade points until Elon scored three unanswered off a kill by Johnson and two straight from Lemke to take an 18-15 lead. After a kill by junior Carly Ledbetter moved Elon up 21-18, Asheville rolled off four straight points to take a one-point lead, 22-21. With the score knotted at 23, an ace by Ledbetter put the Phoenix in position to win the set but the Bulldogs would not retreat, knotting the set at every opportunity. Asheville was able to win the final three points and take the 28-26 final-set victory.

After dropping its first loss of the season to UNC Asheville (2-2) in a morning match up, Elon (6-1) rebounded to when its afternoon contest against Gardner-Webb (1-3) to finish day one of the Gamecock Invitational on a winning note. The Phoenix fell to UNCA, 3-0 (22-25, 25-27, 26-28), but earned a strong win against GWU, 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 24-26, 25-21).

Senior Caroline Lemke led the Phoenix on the day with 28 total kills, followed by junior Carly Ledbetter who finished with 25. Junior Allison Johnson had a strong day on both sides of the net with 20 kills and 25 digs. Senior Megan McMahon also earned 59 assists between the two matches.

On defense, junior Ali Deatsch recorded 36 digs, while junior Celia Rose Eddy tallied five total blocks.

In the first set, the Phoenix jumped out to a 7-2 lead thanks to two kills from sophomore Cali Estes, forcing the Bulldogs to call an early timeout. Out of the timeout, Asheville went on a short three-point run, off the serve of Rachel Wells, to close the gap to two. Later in the set, with the Bulldogs up by five, 20-15, Elon was able to cut the advantage to one by winning five of the next six points, courtesy of three kills by Lemke. With the Bulldogs at set point, 24-20, the Phoenix scored two straight to keep the set alive but Asheville was able to hold on for the 25-22 win.

Elon found itself in an early hole, 5-1, in the second set, but a five-point run gave the Phoenix an 8-6 lead. The set would remain close with neither team taking more than a two-point advantage for the next 16 points. With the Bulldogs up, 16-14, the Phoenix used the serve of Deatsch to earn the next three points with kills from Eddy, Lemke and Johnson to make it 17-16, Elon. Asheville was ready to take the set win with leading 24-22 Bulldog advantage, but the Phoenix rallied to tie the score and forced Bulldogs to call its first timeout. Out of the timeout, Elon had the opportunity to win the set with the score at 25-24 and again at 25-26, but Asheville came out with the 2-0 lead after winning 27-25.

In the third and final set, freshman Kris Harris helped put the Phoenix up, 5-3, before a Bulldog run made it eight-all. The teams would trade points until Elon scored three unanswered off a kill by Johnson and two straight from Lemke to take an 18-15 lead. After a kill by Ledbetter moved Elon up 21-18, Asheville rolled off four straight points to take a one-point lead, 22-21. With the score knotted at 23, an ace by Ledbetter put the Phoenix in position to win the set but the Bulldogs would not retreat, knotting the set at every opportunity. Asheville was able to win the final three points and take the 28-26 final-set victory.

Lemke led all players with 16 kills of 25 attempts recording only one error. Ledbetter also made a big impact for the Phoenix with 10 kills and one service ace. Senior Nickie Halbert and McMahon split the passing duties recording 23 and 19 assists, respectively. On defense, Deatsch finished with 15 digs, while senior Traci Stewart and Eddy both compiled two blocks each.

Down 4-1 early in the first set against Gardner-Webb, the Phoenix scored three unanswered to even the score at four-all. After the Bulldogs called a timeout with Elon up three, 15-12, the maroon and gold earned four of the next six points off several Gardner-Webb miscues to take a 19-14 lead. A few plays later, a kill by Ledbetter, a block by Eddy and McMahon and two aces from Lemke capped a four-point run that gave the Phoenix the set win, 25-17

Kills from Ledbetter, Eddy and Stewart gave Elon a 4-2 edge early in the second set. Then strong block by Eddy kept Elon up by four, 12-8. The Phoenix would later go up by seven, making it 18-11, off a four-point run that ended with a kill from Johnson. After Ledbetter's eighth kill of the match gave Elon a 23-15 advantage, the Bulldogs scored three straight to pull within five. But that was as close as Gardner-Webb would get to a comeback as Elon was able seal the win by six, 25-19.

Down at the beginning of the third set, the Phoenix used an eight-point run with kills from Deatsch, Lemke and Johnson to take a 9-2 lead. The Bulldogs would close the gap to four, 12-8, but Lemke and Johnson continued their strong play at the net to take Elon back up by seven, 20-13. But the Bulldogs battled back off a 10-3 run to tie the set at 23-all. Gardner-Webb used that momentum to win the set, 26-24, and send the match into a fourth set.

Clinging on to a two-point advantage in the fourth set, a block by Eddy and McMahon started a 3-1 run, which was capped by kills from Ledbetter and Stewart, to go up 12-7 and force a Gardner-Webb timeout. The Phoenix continually tried to pull away, going up by as many as four several times, but the Bulldogs kept themselves in the match by closing the gap to two, 20-18. Kills by Eddy, Johnson and Stewart helped the Phoenix go back up, 24-19, and eventually end the match with a 25-21 final-set win.

Johnson recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 kills and 21 digs, while Ledbetter finished with a match-high 15 kills. Lemke and McMahon contributed to the offensive attack as well with 12 kills and 40 assists, respectively. Deatsch also tallied 21 digs to help keep the Bulldogs to a .183 attack percentage.

Davidson 3, UNC Asheville 0

Davidson 0, South Carolina 3

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Sophomore outside hitter Caroline Brown matched her career high with 19 kills to lead the Davidson volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-20) sweep over the UNC Asheville Bulldogs in the team's opening match at the University of South Carolina Invitational Friday afternoon at the Volleyball Competition Facility.

Brown finished with 19 kills on 34 swings to help Davidson (4-1) to its third sweep of the young season. Senior outside hitterChristine Perzinski tallied eight kills, and senior opposite Erin Lupfer had seven. Junior libero Molly Crenshaw led the defense with a match-high 15 digs, while sophomore middle hitter Tindall Sewell had a match-best five blocks. Junior setter Ariel Ley finished with a match-high 33 assists.

Anna Moore led UNC Asheville (2-3) with 11 kills, and Cindi Miller tallied a team-best nine digs. Hallie Morse finished with 20 assists, and Jaimie Dorfman added 11.

Davidson jumped out to a 6-2 lead to start the match behind a kill and ace from Brown, but the Bulldogs tied the score by winning the next four. The Wildcats responded with a 5-0 run, including a pair of kills by Perzinski and another for Brown, to open an 11-6 lead and take control of the set. Asheville cut Davidson's lead to 14-11, but the Wildcats were never really in danger, closing out the opening frame with an 11-5 advantage in the 25-15 win.

The second set was a much closer affair, with the score tied 12 times until the Wildcats put together a late 5-1 run to close out a 25-22 win. Trailing 18-15, the Seahawks knotted the set on a kill from Morse, a Wildcat error and an ace by Rachel Wells. Davidson retook a 20-19 lead behind an error and a kill from Brown, but Asheville clawed back on top, 21-20. Brown won three straight points and an error gave Davidson a set-point chance. Miller kept Asheville alive before Brown put away the set winner, 25-22, to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead in the match.

Davidson used a 6-1 run to turn a slight 15-14 lead into an important 21-15 advantage late in the third set. A pair of kills from Lupfer along with one from both Benedict and Brown gave the Wildcats some space, which proved enough for the 25-20.

Sophomore outside hitter Caroline Brown led the Davidson Wildcat volleyball team with a double-double of 13 kills and 15 digs, but the host South Carolina Gamecocks proved too much in a 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 26-24) triumph at their own University of South Carolina Invitational Friday night at the Volleyball Competition Facility.

Brown finished with match highs in both kills and digs to lead Davidson (4-2), but South Carolina's (5-0) Juliette Thevenin and Bethanie Thomas each posted double-doubles to help the Gamecocks remain undefeated. Junior setter Ariel Ley tallied 26 assists, and junior libero Molly Crenshaw (13) and senior outside hitter Christine Perzinski (10) each finished with double figures in digs for the Wildcats.

Thevenin tallied 15 kills and 12 digs, while Thomas added 11 kills and 10 digs for South Carolina. Taylor Bruns finished with 41 assists, and Paige Wheeler paced the defense with 14 digs.

South Carolina busted open a close 11-8 set with an 11-1 run to start the match and pull ahead 22-9. The Gamecocks went on to win the first set, 25-9. The Wildcats fought back from a 13-5 deficit in the second set to close within a pair of points, 17-15, behind kills from Brown, Ley and a Crenshaw ace. Brown's kill, one of her six in the set, kept the 'Cats in the match, 18-16. Davidson would get no closer, though, as the Gamecocks took a 2-0 lead in the match behind the 25-20 win.

In the third set, the Wildcats turned a 6-6 tie into a 15-9 behind a pair of kills from Brown, a point from sophomore middle hitter Tindall Sewell and a Crenshaw ace. Another score by Brown coupled with a pair of kills from senior middle hitter Madison Benedict kept the 'Cats in the lead, 21-16, but the Gamecocks began their comeback with a 4-0 run to get within a point. A kill from senior opposite Erin Lupfer and a South Carolina error gave Davidson a set-point chance, 24-22, but Hanna Forst helped South Carolina survive and an ace by Paige Wheeler knotted the score at 24. Back-to-back Davidson errors sealed the Gamecocks' comeback, 26-24, and lifted South Carolina to victory in the match.

The Citadel 3, Alabama State 2

The Citadel 0, South Carolina State 3

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - The Citadel Volleyball team rallied from down two sets to one to win a five-set thriller over Alabama State (25-21, 22-25, 22-25, 25-16, 15-10) at the opening day of the South Carolina State Tournament on Friday. Junior middle hitter Kaona Mercer sparked the Dogs with 15 digs, 14 kills and four blocks, as The Citadel begins the season 3-0 for the first time in program history.

Teammates Rachael Farrell, Ise d'Angelo and Cassie Uribe, who finished with seven kills respectively, also came through with solid performances. On the defensive side, Emily Dalton established a new career-high in digs (14), while Jessica Maxwell recorded six assisted blocks, tying a career-high. Alexa Dahlstrom proved to be the catalyst to the Bulldogs' offense with 35 assists.

The Citadel had its offense firing on all cylinders in the decisive fifth set, highlighted by the combination of d'Angelo and Mercer, who combined for five kills. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on a kill by Dahlstrom. After a series of Alabama State attack errors made for a 10-6 Citadel advantage, Luiza Griz's service game quickly pulled the Hornets within one point. Back-to-back kills by Mercer and d'Angelo down the stretch, combined with a Dahlstrom service ace, keyed the Bulldogs to the 15-10 victory.

The Bulldogs responded with a complete team effort in the fourth set, highlighted offensively by four kills from Mercer and three each from d'Angelo and Uribe. Farrell led a defensive charge with two solo blocks, while Uribe added a pair of assisted blocks, as The Citadel accounted for five blocks in the set. Khaledi's team jumped out to an early 4-0 advantage and controlled the remainder of the set. The only significant run made by the Hornets came at the midway point of the match. With the Dogs leading by five, back-to-back points by Alabama State pulled the deficit to 13-10. The Cadets allowed just six points over the remainder of the set and cruised to a 25-16 win.

The Hornets (0-5) carried over their momentum from the second set victory and established a 13-6 advantage in the early going. The Citadel quickly responded with a kill by Maxwell, which allowed Farrell's service game to force three consecutive errors and draw the lead back to four. The Bulldogs continued to chip away at the lead and through the combination of Dahlstrom and d'Angelo tied the game at 17-17. Three errors and a pair of Roselande Corneille kills down the stretch gave Alabama State a 25-22 victory and a 2-1 advantage in the set. 

Alabama State grabbed an early advantage in the second set and maintained a healthy lead for much of the set. Led by the tandem of Griz and Bell, who accounted for nine of the team's 10 kills, the Hornets finished with a .259 attack percentage. ASU established a seven-point lead on five separate occasions, , however The Citadel forced three late game errors to pull within striking distance at 23-20. The Hornets held off the Dogs surge with a 25-22 victory.

The Citadel captured the opening set, 25-21, behind four kills and three digs from Mercer. The two squads battled through seven ties over the first 24 points, making for a 12-12 score, before a kill by Kathryn Johnston gave The Citadel a one-point edge. The Bulldogs stretched the lead 16-12 before a fierce Hornets rally drew the match even at 17-17. The back-and-forth game continued until a 20-20 tie was broken when an attack error by Griz gave The Citadel a lead that it would not surrender. A Farrell service ace and three Hornet errors accounted for the 25-21 final.

The Citadel Volleyball was unable to hold off a tough South Carolina State squad, who took the afternoon match by scores of 25-14, 27-25, 25-13. The Cadets were led by the offensive efforts of Kaona Mercer, who notched 11 kills, while the trio of Emily Dalton, Kathryn Johnston and Amanda Rudnik finished with four digs.

Joining Mercer with high marks on the team in kills was Rachael Farrell, who finished with seven. Teammate Alexa Dahlstrom handed out 28 assists, while Mercer and Johnston each recorded a pair of assisted blocks.

S.C. State (2-3) opened the match strong with 13 team kills, including four by Desire Waller. SCSU established an early 8-2 advantage, before a Mercer kill stopped four consecutive points. The Citadel narrowed the deficit to four points, 14-10, following a Cassie Uribe kill, however S.C. State answered with an 11-4 run to secure the set.

The Citadel (3-1) rallied from a tough opening set with four kills apiece by Mercer, Farrell and Johnston in the second. The Cadets grabbed a 6-2 lead due in large part to the combination of Johnston on offense and Amanda Rudnik's service game. South Carolina State found its rhythm and pulled within one of the lead, 9-8, on a series of Citadel errors. The two teams traded points before a Johnston service ace opened the door for a 20-16 Citadel advantage. After a Farrell kill gave the Dogs a 25-24 lead, S.C. State scored three straight points to clinch the 27-25 victory.

The two teams endured three ties in a back-and-forth battle in the early stages of the third set. S.C. State took advantage of a series of kills by Peri Ligons and Waller to grab a 10-7 lead that they would not relinquish. Despite a kill by Mercer and forcing an S.C. State attack error, the host Bulldogs sustained a series of four straight points to establish a 17-10 lead. South Carolina State allowed just five more Citadel points en route to the 25-15 win.

Chattanooga 0, Oral Roberts 3

KENNESAW, Ga.-- Chattanooga Mocs head volleyball coach Travis Filar made the decision to go to the bench during the second set to shakeup his team, and they responded playing with a lot of energy in a solid third set during a 3-0 (25-18, 25-8, 25-21) loss to Oral Roberts (2-3) at the Owls Invitational. Four Mocs junior Meagan Emd, sophomores Andrea Johnson and Tess Kosycarz and freshman Jessi Blackstock made their season debuts on Saturday at the Convocation Center on the campus of Kennesaw State.

The Mocs (1-3) were led by junior right side Christina Teter with nine kills, while tallying five and six each were senior middle blocker Ellie Kuhn and sophomore Jennifer Kuroski.

Towards the end of the second set, coach Filar brought in Kosycarz to run the offense finishing the contest with 11 assists. She relieved sophomore setter Bridget Camacho, who totaled 13 assists.

For the first time this season, the Mocs libero for the third set was freshman Melissa Green, who paced the team with 10 digs. Junior Paula Passmore started the contest as libero and completed the match digging up seven attacks.

Chattanooga did lead the match with six blocks as Kuhn tallied four and sophomore Aneisha Christi recorded three.

Setting the tone in the match was Oral Roberts going on an 11-3 run in the first set to take a 16-9 lead. Chattanooga did battle back scoring three of the final four points, but fell 25-18.

The Mocs recorded nine kills during the set as Teter led the way with three, but the Golden Eagles registered 16 kills and .235 attacking pct.

After a two-all tie in set No. 2, Oral Roberts scored on 14 of the next 17 rallies to create a 16-5 advantage. At that point, Kosycarz entered for Chattanooga, but eight mistakes really hurt the Mocs as four of them occurred in the final eight points.

The Golden Eagles took the set 25-8 along with a 2-0 lead in the match heading to the intermission.

A completely new rotation came out for Chattanooga that included freshman Kasey Talley, Blackstock, Kosycarz and libero Green. The Mocs fell behind 16-8 early on, but a different energy could be seen on the court.

Once the squad was acclimated to the change, the tough service of Talley aided Chattanooga in going on a 9-1 run to come within one point at 17-16, which included kills by Kuhn and Teter.

The Golden Eagles used a timeout to regroup and extend their lead to 21-17 causing a Chattanooga timeout. Responding were the Mocs with a kill by Blackstock and an error by Oral Roberts. Kills by Talley and Kuroski put Chattanooga within two at 23-21, but the Golden Eagles scored on the next two rallies to take the set, 25-21.

Oral Roberts was led by Sheina Fernandez with 10 kills and Laura Taylor added seven. The offense ran through Taylor with 27 assists. Libero Bruna Silva recorded 15 digs.

Appalachian State 1, South Dakota 3

Appalachian State 0, Kansas 3

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Appalachian State University volleyball battled tough competition and untimely injuries on Friday to finish the day 0-2 at the Kansas Jayhawk Invitational. The Mountaineers (3-3) fell 3-1 against South Dakota State and were swept by undefeated Kansas.

Match 1

Meghann Forshey led the Mountaineers with 15 kills and a .323 hitting percentage to accompany a block and a dig. Maggie Seeds added 13 kills, six of ASU's 12 blocks and five digs in the effort.

The Apps took the first set by a slim 25-22 margin before injuries ended Jessica Eley and Kelly Rhein's days. SDSU (4-1) then won the next three sets by slim margins to take the match at 25-23, 25-20 and 25-23.

ASU won several statistical categories in the match, including hitting percentage (.195-.139), blocks (12-8), kills (55-45) and digs (71-63). SDSU converted 11 aces with just three service errors, compared to Appalachian's four aces and 10 errors in the match.

Anna Wagner tallied a double-double with 16 digs and 10 kills to pair up with her five blocks.

In the first significant action of her career, redshirt freshman Lindsey Sauls also posted a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.

Match 2

In the nightcap, the Jayhawks (5-0) raced out to an 8-3 lead in the first set and fended off a late ASU rally to take a 25-18 win. The momentum and 1,000-fan crowd carried KU to an 11-3 spurt in the second set that broke up a close score and gave the home team a 25-14 win and 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set was a different story, as the Apps forced 11 ties and four lead changes in the finale. ASU led as late as 17-16 on a Forshey kill, and rallied to tie at 19-19 behind freshman Lauren Gray's solid serving, before finally succumbing to the Jayhawks.

Forshey ranked second on the team with nine kills, while Gray was active on three of ASU's six blocks in the match.

Wagner again posted double-figure kills, securing 10 of ASU's 31 successful attacks on the night. The senior added eight digs, two blocks and an assist in the match.

Seeds and L. Sauls each tallied four kills in the match to tie for third on the team. However, both players were held to negative hitting percentages by KU's large front line.

Courtney Rhein dug 14 balls on the night while Lauren Brown notched 12 of ASU's 28 assists in the match.

ASU hit .105 on the night, compared to .317 for Kansas. The Apps blocked six attempts, compared to five for KU.

Furman 0, UCF 3

FT. MEYERS, Fla. - The UCF volleyball team defeated Furman 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-20) Friday afternoon in the Paladins' opening match at the FGCU Homewood Suites Invitational in Ft. Meyers, Fla.  Earlier in the day, the Knights surprised #3 Southern Cal, also handing the Trojans a 3-0 defeat.

UCF jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the opening set.  Furman cut the lead to 15-10 but could get no closer, as the Knights recorded a 25-14 set one win.  The two teams battled through a close beginning to the second set.  UCF notched three-straight points to break open a 13-13 tie, then minutes later scored four consecutive points for a 20-15 lead.  The Knights held off a late Paladin surge to win the second set 25-19 and take a 2-0 set lead into the break.

In the third set, the teams traded ties then settled in at 18 apiece before UCF scored eight-straight points for a 24-18 advantage.  The Paladins capitalized off a Knight error and a kill from Furman senior Kelly Kirby to cut the lead to four, but UCF came away with a 25-20 third set win.  

Kirby notched a double-double for the Paladins, recording a team-high 10 kills while adding 16 assists.  Junior Natalie Braun paced Furman with 19 assists, and senior Carolyn Nicoletti led the Paladins' defensive attack with 15 digs. Junior Chandler Ambrester also added 13 digs for Furman.

UCF (4-1) was led by Angelica Crump, who tallied 11 kills.  Rachel Vukson posted 37 assists for the Knights, while Meredith Murphy notched 18 digs.   

Georgia Southern 1, Brigham Young 3

Georgia Southern 0, Kansas State 3

MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Georgia Southern Volleyball team (3-4) saw its three-game win streak snapped after two losses in the first day of the Varney's Invitational. The Eagles lost 3-0 to Kansas State (3-2) in the morning game and 3-1 to BYU (4-2) in the night cap.

GSU suffered from 22 attack errors in the 25-19, 25-17, 25-15 loss to the Wildcats. Kansas State
opened with a .571 hitting percentage to earn the first set and maintained a .385 mark to earn the 3-0 win.

Kansas native Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) posted 31 assists and set up all but five of the Eagles' kills. Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) tallied six kills in 13 attempts to lead the team with a .308 attack percentage, while Moriah Bellismo (Blackstone, Va.) anchored the team's defense with 11 digs.

Georgia Southern fell behind 2-0 in the second game of the day against BYU but rallied for their only set win of the day in the third before dropping the patch 3-1 in the fourth set. The Eagles tallied 20 points or more in the first three sets in a closely contested match.

Three players tallied 10 or more kills for Georgia Southern while two eclipsed the 10 dig plateau. Van Dyke was the team's primary setter and recorded 39 of the team's 48 assists. Nicole Jeschelnik (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) recorded 10 kills and 12 digs in the team's first double-double effort of the season.