Davidson 3, CSU Bakersfield 2Davidson 3, Charleston Southern
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Rachel Earnhardt hit .319 with 19 kills as the Davidson volleyball team posted 17.0 blocks in a come-from-behind win over Cal State Bakersfield, 3-2, in game five of the Wildcat Classic at Belk Arena Saturday afternoon. The ‘Cats rallied back to take the match in set scores of 22-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-18 and 16-14.
After dropping the first two sets, the Wildcats dominated the next two sets for force a fifth. The 'Cats then posted three blocks in the final set to pull off the 3-2 victory.
The Wildcats hit .215 as a team with Taylor Pisel also hitting over .300 at .319. Caroline Brown notched another double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs along with a block and a pair of block assists. Earnhardt also had a double-double with 13 digs to go along with her 19 kills. Pisel slammed down 10 kills and a pair of aces, and Mikayla Derochie added 37 assists and five digs.
Seven of Davidson’s nine players took part in the blocking effort as Tindall Sewell’s nine block assists and two blocks led the effort. Derochie put up seven block assists with fellow freshman Emily Franklin adding in five. Anastasia Owen was the team leader in digs, recording 24 and also scoring a service ace.
Pisel led the ‘Cats with six kills in the first set, hitting .417. However the Roadrunners scored five straight to take a 21-13 lead. Davidson then went on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 21-22 but CSUB would take three of the last four points to get the 25-22 win.
A number of miscues put the Wildcats in a 3-7 hole early in the second set. Though the Roadrunners suffered several mistakes of their own, Davidson could only whittle it down to a three-point deficit with a kill by Sewell. Bakersfield took a 21-15 lead to force a Wildcat timeout, but they ‘Cats couldn’t come from behind as the Roadrunners went up 2-0 with the 25-20 set victory.
A solid performance by Earnhardt in the third set helped the Wildcats regain some ground. The junior outside hitter had a team-high five kills and hit .455 in the set, helping the team to an 11-5 lead. Pisel and Franklin added in a pair of kills and a block by Sewell and Pisel made it 19-13. A kill from Franklin would put the set away at 25-19 for the ‘Cats to cut the deficit to just one set.
The Wildcats held a steady lead for most of set three after kills by Earnhardt and Brown gave them an 11-5 lead. Earnhardt added four more kills, while Franklin and Derochie combined for a big block as Davidson took the set 25-18 to even things up at 2-2.
Both squads traded points for most of the fifth set before four straight points from the ‘Cats made it 13-9. The Roadrunners tied things up at 13-13 before a kill from Earnhardt and a block from Pisel and Franklin closed out the set 16-14.
The Davidson volleyball team finished out a great opening weekend by sweeping the Charleston Southern Buccaneers 3-0 to go 3-0 on the weekend and win the 2013 Wildcat Classic. The ‘Cats claimed the match by set scores of 25-14, 25-20 and 25-17.
Rachel Earnhardt, Caroline Brown and Taylor Pisel were named to the all-tournament team for the ‘Cats with Brown earning MVP honors.
Brown came away with her third double-double of the weekend, leading the squad in kills with 15 and finishing second in digs with 10. Pisel had seven kills and a block assists, while Earnhardt continued her stellar play with nine kills, seven digs and an ace. Tindall Sewell had eight kills to hit .444, helping the team finish with an attacking percentage of .321 as five players hit .400 or better.
Mikayla Derochie recorded 41 assists and a block in addition to seven digs as she continues to impress early in her career. Anastasia Owen led the team in digs with 12 at libero.
Davidson held a steady advantage from start to finish in the first set, with back-to-back kills by Earnhardt making it a 12-5 set in favor of the ‘Cats. A few miscues allowed the Buccaneers to gain some ground, but the Wildcats claimed five of the last seven points to earn the 25-14 win on a kill from Earnhardt.
The second set was a much tougher test, with CSU grabbing a 9-6 advantage early on. A kill by Franklin and an ace from Earnhardt made it a one-point set before a CSU error knotted things at 9-9. Pisel added a pair of kills before Brown notched a pair of her own later in the set. Sewell slammed down two more for the ‘Cats before a Buccaneer error handed the set to Davidson at 25-20.
The ‘Cats got a jump-start in the next set, scoring six straight to take a 10-2 lead on a kill from Brown. The Bucs capitalized on some errors to come within three and then later made it just a two point game on another Wildcat miscue. Derochie fed Hannah Rau on back-to-back kills to make it 17-12 in favor of the ‘Cats. Pisel then picked up an ace, followed soon after by a pair of Brown kills to put Davidson in front 21-12. Sewell and Franklin each recorded a kill as Davidson put the set away at 25-17 to claim the 3-0 triumph.
Katrina Houston had 10 kills for the Buccaneers, while Cassidy Greer recorded 18 assists. Maggie Murphy led the way with 12 digs as the team picked up seven blocks in the game.
Davidson will travel to Dallas, Texas to compete in the SMU Invite Sept. 6-7. They will kick things off with a 10 a.m. (CT) match up with Sam Houston State on Sept. 6.
UNCG 3, East Carolina 0Wake Forest 3, UNCG 0
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – It was a freshman feature of sorts for the UNCG volleyball team Saturday morning as three Spartan rookies made their collegiate debuts in the Blue and Gold’s 3-0 victory over East Carolina inside Reynolds Gymnasium. UNCG opens the season at 2-0 for the second-straight season with the win.
With the victory, fifth-year head coach Patrick Nicholas reached 199 for his career – 69 of them at UNCG.
“It feels really great to be 2-0 and to win this match with a lot of younger players competing at a high level,” Nicholas said. “I really like the fact that we can put so many different lineups on the floor and enjoy some success. If the women continue to work hard and play together, we have the makings of a really good team.”
Freshman outside hitter Sydney Darden (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) ended the match with a solid 12 kills on 29 attempts with only four errors for a .276 hitting percentage. She also added three aces and three digs as well as an assist. Classmate and setter Sara Hohman (Zionsville, Ind./Cathedral) ran the offense smoothly, dishing out 36 assists for an average of 12 per set to go along with three kills and four digs. Another rookie, outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) put down five kills and racked up eight digs for good measure.
For the second consecutive contest, senior middle hitter Olivia Humphries (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) led the way as she pounded out 15 kills on 30 attempts with just three errors for a stout .400 hitting mark. She fell just short of a double-double, tallying seven digs. Junior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette HS) hit for a high percentage as well, racking up six kills on 13 swings with only two errors to end up at .308. Defensively, sophomore libero Katherine Santiago (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez) was all over the floor, piling up 20 digs in three sets for an average of just under seven per set.
The Spartans dominated the stat sheet as a team, holding the upper hand in kills (41-26), hitting percentage (.276-.071), assists (39-25), aces (8-2) and digs (49-39). A total of five UNCG players posted an ace during the match. The Pirates’ best offensive weapon, senior Nicole Willis, racked up 13 kills but the Blue and Gold held her to a .128 hitting mark as she made eight errors.
UNCG asserted itself at the outset of the match, rolling to a 10-4 lead after Whitney Campbell miscued for ECU. The Spartans rode the hot hand of Darden to the end, taking leads of 14-6 and 20-9 before closing it out at 25-11. Darden exploded for seven kills in the set on eight attempts with no errors to hit .875.
It looked to be more of the same for the Blue and Gold in the second stanza as a Humphries ace put UNCG in front 7-2. East Carolina dug down and rallied however, eventually taking a 13-12 edge after a kill by Ashley McRae. The Blue and Gold called for timeout and that seemed to stop the Pirates’ momentum.
The Spartans took back the upper hand at 17-16 when Brezwyn ripped a kill into the middle of the floor and did not relinquish the advantage the rest of the way. ECU was able to draw within 23-22 on an attacking error by Brezwyn, but a kill and an ace by Darden slammed the door shut and allowed UNCG to take the second frame 25-22.
The third set started out as a close affair with the teams forging a 4-4 deadlock. The Spartans took control with a 5-1 run, capped off by a bad set by Willis, to move in front 9-5. East Carolina pulled within 14-12 on a Willis kill later in the stanza, but a devastating 5-0 run essentially ended the Pirates’ hopes and the Blue and Gold finished the match
The UNCG volleyball team fell behind early in each set Saturday evening and could not quite recover, dropping a 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-22) decision to Wake Forest to end the Deacon Invitational at Reynolds Gymnasium. The Spartans end the opening weekend with a 2-1 record while the Demon Deacons remain undefeated at 3-0.
The Spartans struggled hitting the ball for percentage in the contest as the Blue and Gold could only muster a .104 mark. That is what the match essentially came down to as both teams recorded 106 attempts and made 20 errors. Wake Forest tallied 43 kills to UNCG’s 31. The home side also out-dug the Spartans 48-31.
Senior outside hitter Olivia Humphries (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) led the UNCG offense with nine kills while classmate and libero Kellie Orewiler (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive) paced the defense with 13 digs. Orewiler also recorded two service aces.
With the first set tied at five, Wake Forest went on a 5-0 run capped off by a kill from Matalee Reed. The Blue and Gold would recover, however, outscoring the Deacons 9-5 to draw within one when freshman outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) put down a kill. WFU scored three straight to establish some breathing room and that would be all the Deacons needed to close out the set at 25-18.
Wake Forest got its offense going early in the second frame, racing out to a 9-2 advantage. The Blue and Gold battled back though, scoring six consecutive points to pull within 9-8 and force a Deacon timeout. The home team was able to pull ahead, outscoring UNCG 7-4 to forge a 16-12 edge. The Spartans drew to within three point s a few times, but WFU captured the second stanza 25-20.
The teams traded 4-0 runs to begin the third set and the score stayed tight for much of the way. UNCG called a timeout down 15-13 but eventually tied the frame at 17 when senior middle hitter Morgan Freeman (Virginia Beach, Va./University of Connecticut) put down consecutive kills. The Spartans attempted to wrest control away from the home squad, but the Deacons proved a bit too much and closed out the match by a 25-22 scoreline.
UNCG opens the home portion of its schedule Friday, Sept. 6, co-hosting the UNCG/A&T Invitational with crosstown neighbor North Carolina A&T. The Spartans will play Murray State at Fleming Gymnasium to open tournament play with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.
UNC Wilmington 3, Elon 0
Elon 3, Navy 0
ANNAPOLIS, Md.- The Phoenix volleyball squad finished action in the Kristen Dickmann Invitational today, Aug. 31, splitting a pair of matches against UNC Wilmington and Navy. The Phoenix (1-2) fell to UNCW (3-0), 3-0 (17-25, 16-25, 19-25), early in the day before rebounding to sweep host Navy (1-2), 3-0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-22), in the final match of the tournament.
The Phoenix started the first set off strong against UNCW taking as much as a three-point edge, 6-3, after two kills by Cali Estes and a block by Catherine Head. The Seahawks rallied back to go up by four, 14-10, and force Elon to call the first timeout of the match. The maroon and gold took the first point out of the timeout off a kill by Estes but UNCW eventually took the set, 25-17.
The Seahawks began the second set with a 6-2 advantage, causing an early Elon timeout. From there, the Phoenix put together an 5-3 run with the help of kills by Estes, Kris Harris and Chanelle Smith and a block by Megan Gravley and Harris to pull within one, 9-8. UNCW grabbed a seven-point edge, 15-8, before two kills by Estes, another from Kayla Agae and an ace by C. Smith cut the deficit to four, 16-12. However, UNCW made some strong plays down the stretch to take a 25-16 win and a 2-0 match lead.
In the third set, UNCW held a 13-7 advantage before two kills by Estes and one by Danielle Smith forced a Seahawk timeout as the Phoenix made it 15-11. Elon continued to trim the UNCW lead after kills by Estes and C. Smith and an ace by Morgan Maner capped three straight for the maroon and gold and pulled the Phoenix within two, 19-17. The Seahawks balanced attack was too strong in the end and helped them claim a 25-19 win for the set and the match.
Estes posted a new career-high and a match-high 11 kills. Harris and C. Smith both finished with eight, while Ana Nicksic tallied 21 assists. On defense, Maggie Reichard recorded a team-high 12 digs.
In the second match of the day against Navy, kills by Harris and C. Smith and an ace by Reichard put the Phoenix up, 4-1, early in the first set and caused Navy to call an early timeout. Elon went up by as many as five before the Midshipmen tied the set at nine-all. With the maroon and gold up by one, 16-15, kills by Head, Agae and an ace by C. Smith helped Elon to four straight and five-point lead, 20-15. The Phoenix reached set point when Nicksic dumped a pass over the net for a kill to make it 24-23. Navy held Elon off for several points but the Phoenix would prevail 27-25 for the first-set win.
With the second set tied at seven-all, the Phoenix put together a 6-1 run with kills by C. Smith, Harris, Agae and an ace by Maner to take a 13-8 lead. Navy managed to keep it close and took a 20-18 advantage before a kill by D. Smith sparked a big run for the Phoenix. The 7-1 run was capped by a block by Agae and Harris and then a kill by Harris to give Elon a 25-21 victory.
Elon started the third set off with a 6-1 lead after two kills by Harris, one by Agae and an ace by Reichard before the Midshipmen tied the score at 10-all. With Navy holding a two-point edge, 16-14, a kill by Estes started a 7-2 run for the maroon and gold to give the Phoenix a four-point advantage, 22-18. Navy pulled back within one, 22-21, but Elon was able to keep its strong play going to finish off the match with a 25-22 final-set score.
Harris had an outstanding match for the Phoenix, hitting .579 after 13 kills off 19 attempts and only two errors. The junior was named to the all-tournament team following the match. C. Smith finished with 10 kills, while Estes and Nicksic combined for 33 assists. Defensively, the Phoenix recorded seven blocks with four coming from Head.
Elon will play its first home match of the season on Tuesday, Sept. 3, when it hosts Campbell for a 7 p.m. match in Alumni Gym.
Coastal Carolina 3, Wofford 2Youngstown State 3, Wofford 2
CONWAY, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team took both Coastal Carolina and Youngstown State to five sets Saturday at the final day of the Chanticleer Invitational, but came up short each time to begin the 2013 campaign 0-3 from CCU's HTC Center.
Saving three set points to take the third set of its morning matchup against the host Chanticleers, Wofford led 2-1 but dropped sets four and five to hand Coastal (1-1) its first win of the season (15-25, 25-18, 25-27, 25-20, 15-10). In the later matchup, the Terriers took the first two sets from Youngstown State (2-1) and led 20-18 in the third, but saw the final three slip away. The fifth and deciding set was level at 13 apiece before Youngstown scored the final two points to win (15-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-16, 15-13).
Despite the losses, junior Taylor Baird had a career day. The Blythewood, S.C., native eclipsed her career-highs in both kills and digs during each match and posted her first two collegiate double-doubles. Baird had 17 kills and 15 digs against the Chanticleers, following that up with 19 kills and 11 digs against the Penguins – her previous highs were 12 kills and eight digs.
Sophomore Jessica Graham also posted a career-high, digging out 18 balls against Youngstown to eclipse her old mark by one. Graham added 14 digs against Coastal to finish the day with 32.
Senior Amanda Liguori had double-doubles in each match. Liguori put down a match-high 20 kills and 15 digs against CCU, followed by 14 kills and 11 digs against YSU. Senior setter Bekah Dorsey dished out 50 assists in the morning session and 47 in the afternoon, marking a double-double against Youngstown with 11 digs.
The Terriers battled Coastal Carolina in their first match up of the day. Wofford took momentum by saving three set points to win the third set and take a 2-1 lead, but Coastal Carolina would not be denied its first win. The Chanticleers rallied to victory on their home court by taking the final two sets and Wofford suffered its second five-set loss of the season.
Liguori had a match-high 20 kills and hit .255 (20-6-55), adding 15 digs for her second double-double of the season. Meanwhile, Baird had a career-high 17 kills and 15 digs to post the first double-double of her collegiate career. Dorsey led all players with 50 assists, coming up one dig shy of her double-double. Sophomore Jessica Graham contributed with 14 digs and two aces, while senior Wendy Burnett and freshman Elizabeth Ouzts had nine and eight kills, respectively.
The Terriers came out hot hitting at a .344 clip (15-4-32) in the opening set. With the score 8-6, Wofford took eight of the next nine points for a commanding 16-7 advantage on the way to a first set victory. The third set saw Wofford put together its most kills of the match, notching 16 to hit .286. Trailing 24-21, Wofford won the next three points to save the set and eventually found itself tied 25-all. An attack error setup set point, and Ouzts slammed down a kill to put the Terriers ahead 2-1. Dorsey assisted 15 of the 16 set kills, and Baird led all Terriers with five kills.
Unfortunately, the first win of the season would not come to fruition. Coastal took advantage of Wofford hitting .250 and .160 in the final two sets, respectively, and hit .400 in the fourth and .529 in the last to take the match.
In their second match, the Terriers battled the Youngstown State Penguins. Wofford won the first two sets by a combined 17 points, but could not close out the match as Youngstown State rallied from behind for the third set and took the final three sets for the win.
After posting a career-high 17 kills against Coastal, Baird one-upped herself by slamming down a match-high 19 kills. She added 11 digs for her second double-double of the day. Liguori went for 14 kills and 11 digs for her double-double, and Dorsey had 47 assists and 11 digs for hers. Graham dug 18 balls, eclipsing her career-high of 17.
It was not enough as Wofford let a 20-18 third-set lead slip away, and hit -.111 with 13 attack errors in the fourth set. The fifth only saw the Terriers hit at a .130 attack percentage.
Wofford led all the way through the opening set of the afternoon session. Wofford put the first three points on the board and Baird paced the Terriers with six kills and three digs while hitting .714 (6-1-7) to lead the attack. As a team, the Terriers hit .323 in the first set, outhitting Youngstown's mark of .172, and cruising to a 10-point set win.
Baird was back at it in the second set, adding five more kills and upping her hitting percentage to .769 (11-1-13). The effort helped Wofford go on a 14-5 run to take a 20-10 lead, coasting to a second set victory of 25-18. The Terriers were on fire with their serve, putting up seven aces in the set to make it 11 for the match with just two errors.
It fell apart in the third. Wofford led 20-18 and looked to be on its way to its first win of the season, but Youngstown State called timeout and ended the set on a 7-1 run to take it 25-21. The Penguins rode that momentum through a dominating nine-point win in the fourth, and etched out the fifth and deciding set.
Georgia Southern 3, Tennessee State 0Georgia Southern 3, South Alabama 1
MOBILE, Ala. – Jamie DeRatt posted 10 kills and five digs and the Eagles tallied eight team blocks and held Tennessee State to an .057 hitting percentage in a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-10) volleyball victory over the Tigers Saturday morning at the Jaguar Invitational.
Georgia Southern (2-0) finishes its tournament schedule with an 8 p.m. (EST) contest against host South Alabama tonight.
Kym Coley recorded six kills on seven swings and added two blocks, while Katie Bange registered seven kills. Crysten Curry, Nicole Jeschelnik and Enjoli Johnson each had two blocks, and Lauren LaRoque served up three of the Eagles’ nine aces.
Naomi Wells led the Tigers (0-2) with nine kills, and Shuantia Carr posted six.
The Eagles trailed 17-15 in the first set but scored five straight points during DeRatt’s serve to open a 21-17 lead. With GSU ahead 23-19, Coley and DeRatt finished off the set with kills off Katalin Minnerly assists.
Georgia Southern never trailed in the second set and rattled off a 7-2 run, with three kills by DeRatt, to turn a three-point margin into a 15-7 cushion. After falling behind 1-0 in the third set, the Eagles used a 15-2 spurt to take control. The margin never dwindled below 10 points the rest of the way.
In the second match,Jamie DeRatt collected 14 kills, 15 digs and Most Valuable Player accolades as Georgia Southern posted a 3-1 (25-13, 18-25, 25-16, 25-23) volleyball victory over South Alabama in the Jaguar Invitational Saturday night to finish the weekend 3-0.
Katalin Minnerly posted 43 assists, seven digs and three blocks, earning all-tournament honors. Kym Coley was also named all-tournament and finished tonight’s match with eight kills and four blocks.
Nicole Jeschelnik added 13 kills and nine digs tonight for the Eagles (3-0), and Alexandra Beecher registered a match-high 16 digs.
Jessica Lewis posted a match-high 18 kills, seven digs and two blocks to lead the Jaguars (2-1).
The Eagles hit .294 as a team in the first set while holding South Alabama to .026 in en route to taking a 1-0 lead with a 25-13 victory. Georgia Southern struggled in the second frame, posting nine kills and nine errors, and South Alabama tied the match 1-1.
The Eagles got back on track offensively in the third set, opening an 18-10 advantage and cruising to the 25-16 win. South Alabama opened up a 17-11 cushion in the fourth set, but Meghan Morillo helped GSU trim the margin by serving three straight points. Then with the score tied 21-21, a DeRatt kill sparked a 3-0 spurt for Georgia Southern. The Jaguars answered with two straight points but then a South Alabama hitting error ended the match.
Georgia Southern will meet Troy in a 3 p.m. (Eastern) contest on Monday. The game will be video streamed live by Troy, and the feed will be available through the GS Eagles All-Access package.
Samford 3, Mercer 0
No. 6 Minnesota 3, Samford 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford Volleyball (3-1) picked up its third win of the young season Saturday afternoon, sweeping Mercer (1-2), but the Bulldogs could not make it a 4-0 weekend as they fell to a very talented sixth-ranked Minnesota team (4-0) in the weekend finale.
Freshman Erin Bognar was an offensive force on Saturday, earning a combined 23 kills over the two matches with only five errors on 46 swings. The rest of Samford’s front line was also in double digits on Saturday, with Michaela Reesor (16), Katie Murphy (14) and Emily Meitz (12) guiding the Bulldog offense. Stephanie Palmer set the pace with 63 assists while Chelsi Carter anchored the defense with 22 digs.
In the first match, Samford dominated Mercer for the two opening frames, but the Bears’ offense came alive in set three to threaten the sweep. A couple clutch kills, including the match-winner by freshman Kiahna Wicks, completed the sweep as the Bulldogs moved their record to 3-0.
Samford hit a season-high .381as a team with 49 kills, led by Bognar with 17. Reesor earned her first double-double of the season, tallying 11 kills and 11 digs while Murphy added five blocks (one solo, four assisted).
After the Bulldogs took a quick 8-4 lead in the opening frame, the Bears fired back with five unanswered points to take a 9-8 lead. The teams continued to battle back and forth until Samford added some cushion with a 4-0 run to make it 16-11, forcing a Mercer timeout. Mercer would fight back to make it a four-point game, trailing 19-15, but that would be the last point they would score as Samford went on to win 25-15.
Set two would be the most one-sided of the match, as the Bulldogs held the Bears to only nine points. Tied at 6-6, Samford rattled off nine unanswered points, including a pair of aces by Reesor, to make it 15-6. Leading by the same margin later, up 17-8, the Bulldogs would close the set out with authority behind an 8-1 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match heading into the locker room.
Mercer came out of the locker rooms prepared in set three, as they held the lead in the early portion of the frame. Tied at 10-10, a pair of kills by Bognar and a service ace by Stephanie Palmer forced a Mercer timeout as Samford led, 13-10. Samford maintained a slim lead but eventually started to pull away, thanks in part to four unanswered points that made it a 20-14 game. Mercer stormed back into the set thanks to an 8-2 run that eventually tied the set up at 22-22. Reesor earned a pair of kills to reach match point, but Mercer fired back with a kill to take possession, down 24-23. Wicks sealed the win with her second collegiate kill as the 25-23 score also.
Sixth-ranked Minnesota backed up its national ranking with a great performance as the Bulldogs fell, 3-0, to the visiting Golden Gophers. Samford was limited to a season-low .146 hitting percentage thanks in part to 17 attack errors. Murphy led the Bulldogs’ offensive effort with nine kills and a .438 clip while Carter led the Bulldog defense for the third-straight match with nine digs.
The Golden Gophers would start the opening set with a 2-0 lead and would stay ahead for the remainder of the set. However, Samford fought back to make it close multiple times. Down 8-3, Samford would go on a 6-1 run to draw within one, trailing 10-9, as Minnesota took a timeout. The Golden Gophers regrouped coming out of the timeout, scoring seven unanswered to pull ahead 17-9. The momentum then shifted back Samford’s way, as a 7-3 run made it a four-point game with the Bulldogs trailing 20-16. Samford would only score one more point in the set however as Minnesota went on to win 25-17.
Set two was tightly contested in the early portion, seeing four ties with Minnesota taking its first lead on a Sarah Wilhite kill to make it 5-4. Minnesota would eventually move up 10-5, forcing a Samford timeout. The Bulldogs briefly stole some momentum thanks to a kill by Meitz to gain possession, but Minnesota quickly responded with an 8-1 run to make it 18-7. Samford would chip away at the lead but the deficit proved too large to overcome as the Golden Gophers would eventually win 25-14.
Set three ended with the same score as set two, but Minnesota would not give up the lead once in the deciding frame. They opened up the set with a 6-2 run, but Samford fought back to narrow it to a 9-7 game. Later, with Minnesota up 15-12, a 10-2 run would seal the sweep as the Bulldogs fell for the first time in the young 2013 season.
On Wednesday, Samford will head to Bartow Arena to take on intra-city foe UAB (3-1) at 7 p.m. CT. The following weekend, the Bulldogs will travel to Nashville, Tenn., for the Lipscomb Invitational. Samford plays South Alabama (10 a.m. CT) and Lipscomb (7:30 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 6 and Jacksonville State (Noon) on Saturday, Sept. 7.
Ball State 3, The Citadel 0Austin Peay 3, The Citadel 0
Tampa, Fla. – Led by Jada Stotts' match-high 20 kills Austin Peay State earned its first victory of the young season following a 25-18, 25-18, 25-17 defeat of The Citadel in the South Florida Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
Stotts accrued the 20 kills in 42 attacks, against just three errors, as she finished with a .405 hitting percentage. Also with solid front row performances for the Lady Governors were Lauren Henderson (nine kills) and Calyn Hull (eight). Austin Peay State (1-2) was led defensively by the combination of April Adams (12 digs) and Lizzy Bales (nine). The Lady Governors finished the match with 49 kills, 16 errors and a .295 hitting percentage.
The duo of Ise d'Angelo and Lauren Hurt were responsible for 14 of The Citadel's 26 total kills. Bulldog setter Rachel Keefer piloted the Cadet offense with 23 assists, integral in her earning All-Tournament honors. On the defensive end, Erin Bucherl extended her streak of consecutive double-digit dig matches to nine with 14. The Dogs fall to 0-3 overall following the weekend.
Early offensive strikes by d'Angelo, Hurt and Bailey Kernodle provided the Dogs with a three point advantage before Austin Peay State charged back in front behind the service game of Henderson. With the set deadlocked at 7-7, following a Citadel unforced error, Henderson forced consecutive errors to provide the Lady Governors with a slim two-point cushion. The set reached a 13-13 tie, following a kill by Megan Sowell, before a kill by Henderson and back-to-back unforced Citadel errors made for a 17-15 lead. Stotts began to make her presence felt for APSU with three kills in the final five points to complete the 25-18 win.
The second set began in similar fashion to the first as the two teams battled for supremacy, reaching an eventual 7-7 tie on a kill by Austin Peay State's Cami Fields. The Lady Governors extended their lead to three before kills by Samantha Espy and Hurt trimmed the deficit to 12-11, only to witness a 9-3 outburst by the Lady Governors as they moved in front 21-14 following a kill by Hull. Kills down the stretch by d'Angelo and Kernodle were not enough to deter an APSU 25-18 victory.
After falling behind leading by three points on two occasions in the early stages of the third set The Citadel retaliated with timely kills by d'Angelo, Kernodle and Katie Briggs to eventually draw even at 12-12. It was there that Hurt forced back-to-back errors by Henderson in serve to push the Dogs in front 14-12. Stotts answered with three kills in the next five Lady Governor points to make for a 17-14 Lady Governors lead as they allowed just two remaining points by the Cadets to complete the sweep, 25-17.
In the first match of the day, Ball State outside hitter Alex Fuelling posted a match-high 11 kills as the Cardinals downed The Citadel to earn their second victory of the season by scores of 25-11, 25-14 and 25-17 in the morning session of the South Florida Tournament.
With a .733 hitting percentage, Fuelling led seven Cardinals that hit .300 or above. Also instrumental on the front row were Mindy Marx (.467) and Kelly Hopkins (.312), who drove home eight kills, respectively. Ball State was the model of consistency with just 11 errors in 55 kills as it posted a .419 team hitting percentage.
The combination of Erin Bucherl (13 digs) and Ise d'Angelo (six kills) led the way for The Citadel statistically. Outside hitter Amanda Rudnik made solid defensive contributions with six digs, while Bailey Kernodle added four kills and three digs for the Bulldogs.
Ball State asserted itself at the outset of the match, streaking out to an 8-3 lead behind a pair of kills by Hopkins. The Citadel responded with a kills by Mallory Moore and Katie Briggs, trimming the deficit to 10-6. However, the Cardinals rattled off nine of the next 10 points to push the lead to 19-7. A kill by Lauren Hurt halted a 7-0 Cardinal run and despite kills by d'Angelo and Rudnik down the stretch, The Citadel fell 25-11.
The Citadel battled to a 4-4 tie early in the second set following kills by d'Angelo and Moore, only to surrender the next three straight points and allow Ball State to gain a lead it would not relinquish. The Bulldogs drew within one point on four occasions over the next 13 points, however timely kills by Hopkins and Lauren Grant kept the Cardinals in the lead. Clinging to a narrow 11-10 advantage, BSU used two kills each by the tandem of Fuelling and Mackenzie Kitchel to forge ahead 21-11. The Cardinals allowed just three Citadel points over the remainder of the set to win 25-14.
The Bulldogs responded to the challenge in the third set and following a service ace by Rachel Keefer and a kill by Hurt took a 3-2 lead in the early going. Ball State countered with a 6-2 rally, highlighted by kills by Marx and Hopkins, to assume the 8-5 lead. After a Citadel time and an unforced error, the Cardinals utilized the service game of Kati Vasalakis to put together a 6-0 run and move in front 15-6. The Cadets made one final push, keyed by two kills from d'Angelo and points in serve by Rudnik, but Ball State emerged 25-17 to complete the sweep.
The Citadel returns home to host its annual Blue-White scrimmage at McAlister Field House on Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.
Lipscomb 3, Furman 0
Georgia 3, Furman 0
ATHENS, Ga. – The Furman volleyball team fell to the Lipscomb Bison 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-20) in game two of the Georgia Bulldog Invitational Saturday morning in Athens, Ga.
Freshman Ashton Gregory and senior Christina Dorismond led the Paladins with six kills each. Junior Andrea Fisher recorded five kills and six digs, while freshman Annie Bierman recorded four kills and five digs. Sophomore Jo Wilks tallied 17 assists.
In set one, Lipscomb used an early 7-0 run to take a 10-3 lead. The Paladins used kills fromAndrea Fisher and blocks by Jo Wilks to pull the score to within 6 at 12-6. Then Furman went on a 5-1 run to get to within 4 at 15-11. However, Lipscomb used a big run of their own (7-1) to take a 22-12 lead that the Paladins could not overcome and Furman dropped set one, 25-17.
Lipscomb jumped out to an early 11-5 lead in set two, a lead that the Paladins could not come back from. Although the Paladins hit .273 in the set, they could not contain the Bison offense that hit .667 in the set and took a 2-0 lead at 25-14.
Set three was back and for from the beginning, until Lipscomb used a 12-6 run to take a 20-16 lead in the set. The Paladins clawed their way back into the set at 23-19, but the Bison prevailed, winning set three 25-20 and the match, 3-0.
The Furman volleyball team fell to tournament-host Georgia, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-15) in the final game of the Georgia Bulldog Invitational Saturday night in Athens, Ga. The Paladins finished the season-opening tournament 0-3.
Freshman Annie Bierman paced the Paladins with nine kills and 11 digs. Andrea Fisher recorded eight kills, eight digs and three blocks, while Jo Wilks tallied 27 assists.
The teams traded points in the first set until, with the score tied at 13, Georgia went on a 7-1 run to take a 20-14 lead, a deficit the Paladins could not overcome. Georgia took the set, 25-17.
Set two was close from the opening point, with the teams trading points until 22-22. Georgia closed the set with three-straight points, however, to take set two, 25-22.
Set three saw the Bulldogs jump out to an 18-10 lead and hold the lead throughout, taking set three 25-15.
The Paladins will travel to Johnson City, Tenn. to take on East Tennessee State on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
Appalachian State 3, Sam Houston State 0Appalachian State 3, Norfolk State 0
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University volleyball dominated the Appalachian Invitational, winning their third game against Norfolk State 3-0 Saturday evening at the Holmes Center to sweep the tournament, 3-0.The Mountaineers (3-0) beat the Spartans (2-1) in their final match on day two of the season opening tournament.
The first set yielded a tight battle between both squads as Appalachian took an early lead, but NSU fought back. A kill by Emily Corrigan proved to be the difference and gave the Mountaineers a 25-18 win. The Apps hit a tournament-high .457 on the attack led by Corrigan with nine kills.
It was all App after the first set. Putting together runs of four, five and six, Appalachian did not let down and took a 25-11 victory in the second set, continuing its domination on the attack to shoot an astounding .500 percent.
The Mountaineers showed the strength of their young squad, sealing the match with a 25-14 third-set victory. The Black and Gold shot a commanding .435 on the attack in the third set alone, while holding Norfolk State to .114 percentage. Appalachian never allowed a Spartan lead in either of the final two sets as App scored the first four points in the third set and did not commit a single error on 23 total attacks.
Corrigan posted double-digit numbers in kills (12) and added 11 digs. Jess Keller recorded nine kills and three blocks, while Paige Brown chipped in with a season-high 37 assists. Meghan Mahoney notched 12 digs of her own.
The Mountaineers committed just four errors on 74 total attacks, while Norfolk State recorded 23 errors on 96 total attacks.
App finished the tournament winning all games and not dropping a single set.
The Mountaineers, who are now 3-0 to open the season, recorded a second-straight shutout with a 3-0 victory over Sam Houston State earlier on Saturday morning at the Holmes Center.
App State (2-0) clenched straight sets against the visiting Bearkats (0-2) in their first match of the day.
Though the two squads traded points in the first set, Appalachian managed the close win (25-23), holding Sam Houston to .094 percent on the attack. Emily Corrigan led the Apps with four kills and two digs.
In a second round of point rallies, neither the Mountaineers nor Bearkats would exceed a four-point lead with App State eventually pulling ahead to a 24-23 second set victory.
The Bearkats simply did not have an answer for App State’s attack and were unable to crack the Mountaineers defense. Corrigan and Jess Keller added three kills apiece in the Mountaineers’ second set.
The Black and Gold closed the third go after shooting a set-high .182 attack percentage while holding the Bearkats to just -.024 percent to pull the 25-20 win and seal the match victory.
Both Keller and Corrigan led all players with nine kills, while Hailey Kerr tallied seven of her own. Paige Brown led the team with 27 assists and Meghan Mahoney chipped in with 21 digs.
The Mountaineers committed 16 errors on 117 attacks and finished with 5 blocks. Sam Houston State had 20 errors on 115 total attacks and tallied only four blocks.
Keller was responsible for 11 total points on the night, while Corrigan tallied nine and a half points.
The victory over Sam Houston State was Mahoney’s second-straight game tallying more than 20 digs.
Appalachian will be back in action Sept. 3, to take on Presbyterian in Clinton, S.C at 7 p.m.
Western Carolina 3, USC Upstate 1UNC Asheville 3, Western Carolina 0
Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina volleyball team split a pair of matches with a 3-1 (20-25, 25-11, 25-17, 25-9) win over USC Upstate and a 3-0 (24-26, 20-25, 21-25) loss to mountain rival UNC Asheville in the tournament’s finale.
WCU finished the round-robin tournament with a 3-1 record in second place. Caitlin Piechota picked up all-tournament team honors after 46 kills, 3.29 per set; a .263 hitting percentage; 49 digs, 3.50 per set, five block assists; 48.5 points, 3.46 per game; and two double-doubles.
Prior to the UNC Asheville match, Cochran was honored for breaking the 1,500 career dig barrier. She currently has 1,567 digs ranking her third all-time. She needs 115 digs to move into second place ahead of newly elected WCU Hall of Farmer Christie Attebery, and 585 digs to over-take Liz Rondone atop the all-time list.
Trailing 7-6 in the first set USC Upstate used a 4-0 run to take a 10-7. The Catamounts fought back to take a 16-13, but the Spartans forced a tie at 17 with a 4-1 run. With the set tied at 19, USC Upstate used a 6-1 run to take the opening set 25-20. The Spartans hit .119, while the Catamounts hit -.024.
The second was all WCU as the Catamounts cleaned up play and sprinted out to an 11-4 lead. Western Carolina never looked back as they tied the match at one set each with a 25-11 win. The Catamounts hit .429 compared to .067 for the Spartans. Addy George had four kills on five attempts.
Western Carolina never slowed down as they cruised to a 25-17 set three win taking advantage of USC Upstate’s -.136 hitting percentage. The Catamounts closed out the match with a 25-9 set four win behind a .438 team hitting percentage and 3.5 team blocks.
George led the Catamount attack with eight kills and a .375 hitting percentage. She also earned nine block assists for a new career-high. George’s nine block assists tied her for third in a single-match in the WCU single-match record books. Caitlin Piechota continued her torrid streak in the tournament with eight kills. Morgan Cochran collected 22 digs, while Cristina Nazario handed out 25 assists.
The Catamounts continued their control of the net with 15.5 team blocks compared to just one for the Spartans. WCU’s 29 block assists set a new school record for block assists in a single-match.
In the second match against UNC Asheville, the Catamounts broke a tie at 16 with 4-0 run sparked by two kills from Timmermann in set one. However, the Bulldogs battled back into the set and, eventually pulled, even at 23. After alternating points, UNC Asheville won the opening stanza on a kill and service ace. Timmermann had seven kills during the set for WCU.
With set two tied at 11, the Bulldogs took advantage of costly Catamount errors to mount a 7-1 run and take an 18-12 lead. WCU was able to pull within two points, 20-18, but UNC Asheville held on to take a 2-0 lead with a 25-20 set two win.
The Bulldogs picked up where they left off in set three with an early 5-1 lead. UNC Asheville never relented as they kept out of striking distance en route to a 25-21 set three win for the sweep.
Timmermann led the Catamounts with 18 kills, while Piechota picked up her second double-double of the season and 13th of her career with 11 kills and 19 digs. Cochran also collected 19 digs, and Nazario handed out 35 assists.
WCU was outhit, .305 compared to .243, and beat at the net, eight blocks compared to four blocks, for the first time in the tournament.