Samford 3, UNCG 0

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Saturday was Senior Night in the Pete Hanna Center, as Samford concluded an undefeated weekend with a 3-1 victory over UNCG.  The win is Samford’s 20th of the season and it gives the Bulldogs a five-match winning streak.  It was also the 12th and final match of the season at the Pete Hanna Center, where Samford held an impressive 11-1 record.

With Elizabeth Neisler out for a second-straight match, most of Samford’s (20-8, 12-2 SoCon) work at left side fell to Michaela Reesor, who tied a personal-high with 64 swings while leading all players with 21 kills.  She is now only 13 kills away from cracking Samford’s single-season top ten.  The Bulldogs’ potent pair of middle blockers, Katie Murphy and Lauren Hutchinson, combined for 32 kills and each hit above .400. 

Reesor showed off her versatility yet again, snagging 12 digs to earn her 10th double-double of the season, her sixth over the last seven matches.  Casey Garvey also earned a double-double, her eighth of the year, with 58 assists and 16 digs.  Garvey is only 37 assists shy of breaking into the single-season top ten for the second-straight year.  Alexis Bauer’s 30 digs puts her only four shy of setting a new personal single-season best, which would rank second on Samford’s single-season top ten list.

UNCG (13-13, 7-7 SoCon) won set three but could not force a fifth set despite hitting .333 and only committing one attack error in the fourth frame.  Karrian Chambers and Olivia Humphries accounted for 26 of the team’s 45 kills, while Chambers and Katherine Santiago led the defense with 17 digs each.

Tied at 8-8 in the opening frame, Samford would knock in six unanswered points to jump ahead 14-8 before UNCG slowly closed the gap, drawing within one, down 20-19.  Up 22-21, a bad set and consecutive attack errors by UNCG would give the Bulldogs the 25-21 victory.

The teams battled back-and-forth for the first half of set two.  Samford began to pull away when, tied at 13-13, the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run to move up 17-13.  Up 20-17 later in the set, Samford would close out the frame with a 5-0 run, including two kills and a block by Katie Murphy, to win 25-17.

Samford owned the early momentum in set three, looking for the sweep, but the Spartans were not going to roll over, battling back to tie the match at 14-14 and take the lead, moving up 16-14 as Samford took a timeout.  The Bulldogs would tie the match multiple times but could not regain the lead as UNCG eventually won 25-22 to force a fourth set.

Timely errors by UNCG began to help the Bulldogs in set four, as consecutive ball-handling errors gave Samford the 13-9 edge and forced the Spartans to regroup with a timeout.  Up by five later, 17-13, another bad set by UNCG made it 18-13 Samford and the Spartans took yet another timeout.  UNCG was looking for a comeback, drawing as close as three points, but Murphy put a stamp on the victory with a kill to make it 25-20 and give the Bulldogs a 3-1 match victory in their final home match of 2012.

Georgia Southern 3, Western Carolina 2

STATESBORO, Ga. –  Alexandra Beecher (Orlando, Fla./Bishop Moore) broke a school record with 40 digs, and Meredith Paskert tallied 19 kills to lead Georgia Southern to its ninth-straight volleyball victory, a 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-15, 15-8) comeback, Southern Conference win over Western Carolina Saturday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.

It was the third consecutive victory in a 5-set match for the Eagles (21-6, 12-1 SoCon), and Beecher’s career-high 40 digs broke the school mark of 33, set by Stacy Lewis in 1995.

The Eagles rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set. Clinging to a 5-4 lead, Crysten Curry sparked a 5-1 run as Georgia Southern pushed the margin to 10-5. An ace by Morgan Cochran brought the Catamounts to within four points at 12-8, but Paskert got a kill, Curry and Kate Van Dyke combined for a block and Catamount hitter Abbey Scroggins’ last attack went out of bounds to end the match.

Kym Coley finished with a career-high 15 kills to go along with five blocks, and Curry had a career-high 10 kills and a block. Kate Van Dyke finished with 58 assists and six digs, and Paskert added eight digs.

Caitlin Piechota led Western Carolina (8-21, 4-10 SoCon) with 14 kills and 14 digs, and Scroggins finished with nine kills. Cochran collected 29 digs, and Tina Nazario had 41 assists and 11 digs.

The Catamounts seemed to have the Eagles’ number defensively in the first two sets and held GSU to a .053 hitting percentage while logging 45 digs and four team blocks en route to a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set was tied 17-17, when Paskert logged two kills, and Moriah Bellissimo, Jamie DeRatt and Coley each had one as the Eagles closed the set on an 8-3 run. A 9-2 run early in the fourth set helped Georgia Southern distance itself and open a 14-7 lead. DeRatt and Coley each had two kills during the stretch. The Catamounts never got closer than five points the rest of the way as GSU evened the match 2-2.

Wofford 3, The Citadel 0

Spartanburg, S.C. – Ise d'Angelo drove home a team-high 10 kills, while teammate Rachael Farrell added six, but it was Wofford that emerged with a 25-16, 25-14, 25-17 victory on senior night at Benjamin Johnson Arena.

The combination of d'Angelo and Farrell were the bright spots for a Citadel offense that mustered 28 kills. Erin Bucherl continued to be the leader defensively for the Dogs, tallying 11 digs, while Farrell added eight. The Citadel also got 16 assists and six digs from freshman setter Mikaela Tracy, however slipped to 6-26 overall and 0-14 in Southern Conference action this season.

Wofford's well-balanced lineup was highlighted by the performance of Amanda Liguori, who totaled 15 kills. Teammate Rachel Woodlee added eight kills and the Terriers (15-12, 5-9 SoCon) got seven each from Wendy Burnett and Arden Anderson. On the defensive end, the back row the combination of Reagan Styles and Bekah Dorsey notched 17 and 12 digs, respectively. Wofford also got a defensive lift with four assisted blocks by Anderson and three by Burnett, to close with 14 as a unit.

The Dogs assumed an early 4-1 lead behind kills by Farrell and Jessica Maxwell, but were unable to maintain the advantage as the score reached 11-11, following a series of strikes by Liguori. Wofford rattled off six unanswered points and moved in front 17-11, before a d'Angelo kill ended the Cadets scoring drought. The Citadel managed just one kill in their final five points as the Terriers completed the 25-16 victory.

Wofford's offense stayed in rhythm as five kills in the first 10 points, including two by Liguori, made for a 10-6 second set lead. Two kills and a service by d'Angelo over a four-point stretch kept the Bulldogs close, 12-9. But, it was Wofford's four kills in five points, during a critical stretch, which allowed the Terriers to grab a 17-11 advantage. Wofford allowed just three Citadel points over the remainder of the set en route to a 25-14 win.

Sensing the opportunity to complete the sweep, Wofford opened with an 8-2 run in the third set, highlighted by two kills each by Woodlee and Anderson. Farrell responded with three kills for The Citadel and combined with three unforced errors the Wofford lead was trimmed to one, 11-10. The host Terriers regrouped and pieced together a 6-3 run, highlighted by two kills from Anderson, upping its lead to 17-13. However, it was five kills among the final six points that proved to be the difference for Wofford in the 25-17 victory.

Chattanooga 3, Elon 2

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Elon and Chattanooga battled on the volleyball court for five sets as the Lady Mocs took the win over Elon, 3-2 (17-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-23, 14-16), tonight, Nov. 3, in Maclellan Gym. The Phoenix is now 14-15 (7-7 SoCon), while UTC improves to 12-17 (6-8 SoCon).

Freshman Megan Gravley recorded 15 kills for the Phoenix, while sophomore Kris Harris had 14. Sophomore Chanelle Smith tallied her second straight double-double (eighth of the season) with 11 kills and 14 digs. On defense, junior Maggie Reichard had a career-high 28 digs. Harris led Elon at the net with seven blocks.

Kills by Harris, Gravley, Celia Rose Eddy and Ana Nicksic put the Phoenix up 8-4 early in the first set. The Lady Mocs came back to tie the set at 14-all and then went on to score five straight to lead 19-14 and force Elon’s final timeout of the set. Chattanooga would close out the set on a 6-2 run to win 25-17.

With the second set tied at six-all, the maroon and gold used a 4-1 run off kills by C. Smith and Gravley, a block by Eddy and Chelsea Rafetto and an ace by Harris to take a three-point lead, 10-7. The Lady Mocs would tie the set at 10-all and pull out to a four-point advantage, 17-13. Kills by Eddy, Gravley, Harris and Nicksic helped the Phoenix to a 7-3 run to knot the set at 20. Chattanooga would win five of the last six points to take the set, 25-21.

Elon opened the third set with an 8-3 lead capped by a kill from Harris. Up by four, 12-8, the Phoenix scored four unanswered off kills by Nicksic, Allison Johnson, an ace by Deatsch and a block by Johnson and Harris to extend the advantage to eight, 16-8. The Lady Mocs managed to cut the deficit to two, 20-18, but kills by Eddy and Johnson and an ace by Nicksic gave the Phoenix set point, 24-19, and then the win, 25-19.

The fourth set was extremely close with neither team taking more than a three-point lead though the entire set. With the score tied at 22-all, kills by C. Smith and Gravley gave the Phoenix set point, 24-22. Chattanooga would score the next point but a miscue by the Lady Mocs’ Heather Parman gave Elon the 25-23 victory to force a fifth and final set.

Elon took the lead, 10-6, to start the fifth set off kills by Eddy, C. Smith and Harris, forcing Chattanooga to call its only two timeouts. The Lady Mocs came back to tie the set at 12-all as the teams would trade the next four points to keep the score knotted at 14. Chattanooga scored the final two points to take the 16-14 set win and the match, 3-2.

College of Charleston 3, Furman 2

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman seniors Chandler Ambrester, Caroline Adams, Natalie Bruan, and Christina Curry combined for 59 kills, 30 digs, and 8 blocks, but the effort fell just short as the College of Charleston slipped past Furman, 3-2 (25-20, 16-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-12), in the Paladins’ Senior Day match Saturday before a capacity crowd at Alley Gymnasium in Greenville, S.C.  The match featured 20 ties and six lead changes as each team battled through long and aggressive rallies.

Prior to the match, the Paladins honored the four seniors, who have amassed an 85-33 overall record and a 48-14 Southern Conference mark during their four years at Furman.  The team dedicated the season to the memory of Mike Ambrester, father of Chandler Ambrester, who passed away last month.

Ambrester recorded her eighth-straight double-double, posting 24 kills and 14 digs, while Braun added her 16th double-double of the season after notching 13 kills and a team-high 15 digs.  Adams led the team with a .441 attack percentage, adding 16 kills and three blocks, while Curry finished the match with six kills and three blocks. 

Freshman Jo Wilks led the Paladins with 61 assists and added 11 digs, and junior libero Elle Ross collected 12 digs.  Freshman Caitlyn Scioscia tallied a team-high four service aces and 11 digs in the match-up.  Junior Christina Dorismond posted 13 kills and two solo bocks for Furman.

The Cougars led throughout the first set, stretching a two-point 13-11 lead to a 19-12 advantage following a 6-1 run mid-set.  The lead remained seven at 22-15 before the Paladins put together a 4-1 run of their own, but College of Charleston managed two of the last three points for a 25-20 set win.

Fueled by the strong service of Scioscia, Furman reeled off eight-straight points late in the second set to turn a 15-14 deadlock into a 23-14 lead. The Paladins capitalized off four Cougar errors during the run, bring the crowd to their feet during the “rally in the Alley.” A kill from Dorismond quickly gave Furman set point and a CofC service error sealed the Paladin set win, 26-15.

Following the break, the teams battled through five ties and two lead changes in set three. Down 17-14 following three consecutive Cougar kills, the Paladin won three out of four points off back-to-back kills from Braun and a kill by Dorismond to cut the deficit to one at 18-17.  CofC again built a three-point lead at 22-19, but a kill from Ambrester, coupled with a Cougar ball handling error, again brought the Paladins within one.  The teams traded points to settle at 23-22 before CofC put together back-to-back points for the 25-22 victory.

College of Charleston led 14-11 in the fourth set, but Furman scored the next four points to build a 15-14 margin after a block by seniors Adams, Curry, and Ambrester. The Paladins led by one at 18-17 before connecting on four straight points, including a kill from freshman setter Jo Wilks and a service ace by Scioscia, to take a 22-17 lead.  The Cougars pulled within three at 24-21, but a kill from Ambrester gave Furman the 25-21 win and forced a decisive fifth set. 

College of Charleston built a quick 7-4 lead in set five but the Paladins put together back-to-back points to pull within one.  The teams remained within one point until the Cougars won three out of four points to take a 14-11 advantage.   A kill from Dorismond kept the Paladins in the match, but a final kill by White gave the College of Charleston the 15-12 victory.

College of Charleston (21-7, 12-2 SoCon) was led by Darcy Dorton, who had a double-double with 19 kills and 11 digs.  Libero Emily Shelton paced the Cougar defense with 16 digs, while Taeler Davis collected 62 assists for CofC.  Melissa Morello notched a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs.

Davidson 3, Appalachian State 1

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Courtney Rhein set a new Appalachian State University volleyball record by notching her 1,832nd career dig in a 3-1 loss at Southern Conference rival Davidson on Saturday.

The Mountaineers (7-21, 3-11 SoCon) fell to the Wildcats (10-13, 6-7) for the second-straight time despite overcoming an early 1-0 hole to tie the match at 1-1 after two sets.

Davidson began the match in dominating fashion, jumping out to an early 15-7 lead in the first set. The Apps were never able to retake the lead as the Wildcats finished things off for a 25-18 first-set win.

The second set featured a back-and-forth battle as the teams traded the lead three times. The Wildcats took the early lead before App State rallied to jump out by seven points (15-8), but Davidson battled back to take a one-point advantage (21-20) late in the set.

With their backs to the wall and trailing by two points (23-21), the Mountaineers reeled off a 4-0 run to tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 second-set win.

The third set was even more intense as the teams swapped the lead four times. Appalachian held an early three-point lead (8-5), but Davidson rallied with a 6-0 run to take an 11-5 lead and force a Mountaineer timeout.

Appalachian State responded with two-straight points out of the break and kept it within three points until the Wildcats posted four-straight points to take a 23-18 lead en route to a 25-20 third-set win.

The fourth and final set, the Mountaineers seized all the momentum early on by racing out to a 7-1 lead, but Davidson used an 8-1 run to grab a 9-8 lead and never looked back as it snagged a 25-19 third-set win and a 3-1 match victory.

Jacqui Spurgeon led all players with 17 kills on the afternoon while Dalton Tolliver tallied 13. Rhein finished with a team-high 25 digs and Jessica Eley set a career-high with 12 block assists.

Davidson was paced by Caroline Brown’s 15 kills while Tindall Sewell and Taylor Pisel each notched 11. Molly Crenshaw led all players with 26 digs and Ariel Ley tallied a match-best 39 assists.

The Mountaineers were held to an attack percentage of just .112 in the match while the Wildcats hit just .157. App State finished with 15 blocks to Davidson’s eight.