Western Carolina 3, Alabama A&M 0
Memphis, Tenn.– The Western Carolina volleyball team completed the Memphis Invitational with a 3-0 record as the Catamounts swept Alabama A&M 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-16) behind 25 digs from Morgan Cochran, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after three matches with 20 or more digs.
Cochran opened the tournament with 20 digs against Southeastern Louisiana, 30 digs against host Memphis and 25, in three sets, against Alabama A&M in the finale for 6.82 digs per set tournament average. Cochran entered the weekend leading the Southern Conference in digs per set at 5.93. She has recorded 20-plus digs in five of the team’s seven matches this season and 35 total for her career. She has posted double-digit digs in 15 straight matches dating back to the end of the 2012 season.
Jordan Timmermann was also named all-tournament team. Timmermann had 31 kills, 2.82 kills per set, and 35 digs, 3.09 per set. She had five kills and 11 digs against Southeastern Louisiana, 15 kills and 14 digs against Memphis and 11 kills and 10 digs for her second double-double of the tournament – third straight and 16th of her career – against Alabama A&M.
Timmermann was the only Catamount in double-digit kills against the Bulldogs Saturday. Caitlin Piechota recorded nine kills, while Nicole Ford and Addy George each had six kills. George paced the Catamounts at the net with two block assists. Cristina Nazario passed out 36 assists.
WCU took control of the opening set early and never looked back as the Catamounts cruised to a 25-18 win.
In set two, Western Carolina took an early 9-3, and held the margin at eight points, 17-11. Alabama A&M didn’t quit as the Bulldogs battled back and tied the set at 23. After trading the next four points, WCU picked up the 27-25 set win on a kill by Piechota and an A&M attack error. Cochran picked up 10 digs in the set.
The third and final set was all WCU as the Catamounts led wire-to-wire to claim the set 25-16 and earn the match sweet.
Western Carolina finished the match with a .234 hitting percent, while Alabama A&M hit at .114 clip. The Catamounts were out blocked for only the second match on the season as the Bulldogs had four total team blocks compared to WCU’s three total team blocks.
With the win, WCU improves to 6-1 on the season. The Catamounts are off the their best start since 1985 when they started out 10-0.
Georgia Southern 3, Kennesaw State 0
OXFORD, Miss. – Katie Bange posted 10 kills and five blocks, and Georgia Southern had 13 team blocks in a 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-17) volleyball victory over Kennesaw State Saturday morning.
The Eagles (6-1) finish the weekend 3-0, win their second tournament of the season and have now won 19 of their last 21 matches, dating back to last season.
Georgia Southern held Kennesaw State (1-5) to an .018 hitting percentage and collected three solo blocks and 20 block assists as a team, led by Crysten Curry’s nine (2 solo, 7 assists).
Kym Coley posted eight kills and four blocks, and Curry added five kills. Katalin Minnerly tallied 23 assists, and Alexandra Beecher finished with 13 digs.
Cierra Royster led the Owls with 10 kills, and Camille Pedraza had a match-high 21 digs.
The Eagles showed no signs of a letdown following last night’s win over Ole Miss as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first set. Coley had four kills during the stretch, and the Eagles won six points during Lauren LaRoque’s serve.
Leading 14-12 in set two, GSU distanced itself with a 6-2 run en route to winning the set 25-17. Three team blocks, with Curry involved in all three, helped the Eagles start the third set with an 8-1 run. The Owls battled back to trim the margin to 15-13 before Bange ignited a 4-1 spurt with a kill. Christina Vereb got two kills and was in on a block as the margin grew to seven points, and Bange ended the match with a kill.
The Eagles will play their first home match of the season when they host Georgia at 6 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse Tuesday. There will be a #TrueBlue Tailgate for students in the Hanner parking lot, beginning at 4 p.m., and it’s the first opportunity for students to pick up football tickets to the Georgia Southern – Florida game in November.
The volleyball match against Georgia begins an 11-match homestand for the Eagles, which includes two home tournaments and their first four Southern Conference matches.
Furman 3, South Carolina 1Clemson 3, Furman 1
Clemson, S.C. – The Furman volleyball team topped South Carolina, 3-1 (29-27, 25-21, 24-26, 25-20), on Saturday afternoon in game three of the Big Orange Bash to mark the Paladins’ first win in the history of the series. Furman moves to 1-5 on the season, while the Gamecocks fall to 3-2.
The Furman middle hitters combined for 44 kills, as Christina Dorismond recorded a career-high 23 kills and Ashton Gregory tallied a career-high 21. Gregory hit a team-high .581 on the day, while Dorismond hit .426 and added a team-high three blocks. Freshman Annie Bierman and senior libero Elle Ross led the team in digs with 18 each, while setter Jo Wilks totaled 65 assists.
Set one was tight from the opening serve as the largest lead by either team was just two points. With the score tied at 20, a kill by Gregory forced South Carolina to call their first timeout of the set. Three plays later, South Carolina tied the match at 22 after a service ace, forcing Furman’s first timeout of the set. After another kill by Gregory, South Carolina burned their second timeout of the set with the score at 23-22 in favor of the Paladins. The teams traded points until Furman was able to capitalize on a South Carolina attack error and another kill by Gregory closed out the set for the Paladins, 29-27.
The second set mirrored the first, as the two teams traded points until the Gamecocks pushed their lead to four at 15-11. The Paladins clawed their way back into the match, tying the score at 17 after four straight Paladin points. The teams traded points again until, with the score tied at 21, Furman used a 4-0 run to finish out the set, 25-21, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set three was just as close as the first two, with the teams going back and forth until South Carolina opened their largest lead of the set at three, 20-17. The Paladins would not go down easy, however, as Furman rallied back to take a lead at 23-22. The teams again traded points until SC used a kill and a Furman error to take the set, 26-24.
The final set was all Furman from the beginning, as the Paladins jumped out to a 15-9 lead, behind the stellar play of Dorismond and Gregory. South Carolina managed to cut the Furman lead to one at 19-18, but the Paladins closed out the match on a 6-2 run to take the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.
Furman returns to action later tonight as they take on Big Orange Bash-host Clemson at 6:00 p.m.
In the second game of the day. the Furman volleyball team fell to tournament-host Clemson, 3-1 (25-23, 25-27, 17-25, 19-25), on Saturday evening in the finale of the Big Orange Bash. Christina Dorismond was named to the All-Tournament team.
The Paladins had three hitters with double digit kills (Christina Dorismond - 16, Andrea Fisher - 12, Ashton Gregory – 12) but could not overcome the play of Clemson’s seniors, Hannah Brenner and Mo Simmons. Elle Ross recorded a team-high 19 digs, while Fisher recorded her second double-double as a Paladin (12 kills, 17 digs). Jo Wilks tallied 47 assists, while Dorismond and Gregory each had two blocks.
Furman jumped out to an early 8-3 lead in behind the play of Dorismond. The Tigers pulled to within two at 8-6, but the Paladins used some key blocking to push their lead to 12-7. Furman continued their strong play, stretching their lead to17-12, forcing Clemson to call their first timeout of the set. The Tigers then used a 6-2 run to cut the Furman lead to one at 19-18, forcing the first Paladin timeout of the set. The Paladins fought back, capitalizing on Clemson errors and forcing the Tigers to call another timeout with the Furman lead at 22-20. Then, with the score tied at 22, Furman used a kills by Dorismond, a Clemson error and a kill by Bierman to take the set, 25-23.
Clemson opened up a lead in set two at 10-5, forcing Furman to call an early timeout. The Paladins battled back, using kills by Dorismond to cut the Clemson lead to one at 14-13. The teams traded points until a Gregory kill on a Clemson overpass forced the Tigers to take a timeout, leading by one at 18-17. A Bierman block and a Dorismond kill gave the Paladins their first lead of the set at 20-19. Clemson fought their way back into the game, retaking the lead at 24-23 and forcing a Furman timeout. The teams traded points until Clemson took the set, 27-25, to tie the match at one.
The teams traded points early in set three, before Clemson stretched their lead to the largest of the set at 19-13. The Paladins cut the lead to four at 20-16, but Clemson finished the set on a 25-17 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Tigers started set four with an early 7-2 lead, before Furman battled back to cut the Clemson lead to two at 10-8. The Tigers pushed their lead back to five at 14-9, before the teams traded points and the Paladins were able to cut the Clemson lead to three at 16-13. A Bierman ace cut the lead to two at 16-14, but the Tigers used a 4-0 run to take a 20-14 lead. The teams closed out the set at a 5-5 clip, but the Tigers took the set 25-19 and the match, 3-1.
The Paladins finished the tournament 1-2 and returns to action Friday in Newark, Del. at the Delaware Tournament.
Samford 3, Jacksonville State 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ---- Samford Volleyball closed out its weekend at the Lipscomb Invitational with another sweep over an in-state foe, as the Bulldogs defeated the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in three sets Saturday afternoon at Allen Arena.
Samford (5-3) set a fast pace on offense, hitting .296 to Jacksonville State’s (2-5) .133 clip, outscoring them 58-39.5. Michaela Reesor led all players with 13 kills, nearly scoring a double-double with seven digs as well. Freshman Gabbi Greenwald, making her first collegiate start, was second on the team with eight kills and a .385 attack percentage. The defense did their part as well, digging twice as many balls as Jacksonville State, 54-27, led by Chelsi Carter with 18 and Taylor Chao with 10.
The Samford offense spread things out early in set one, as five different Bulldogs scored a kill en route to a strong 10-4 lead. Samford kept rolling to a 17-9 lead before Jacksonville State began to fight back, scoring four unanswered to make it 17-13 as the Bulldogs took a timeout. Samford answered with a 4-1 run to take a 21-14 lead as the Gamecocks took a timeout. Samford hit set point, leading 24-15, and Jacksonville State scored two but a kill by Greenwald sealed the 25-17 win.
Set two was very tightly contested, with neither team able to build more than a two-point lead early. The teams traded points back-and-forth with Jacksonville State finally taking a timeout after a hard kill up the middle by Reesor made it a 16-15 game. Tied at 20-20, Samford outscored Jacksonville State 5-2 as a kill by Greenwald gave the Bulldogs set point, 24-22, and a block by Greenwald and Emily Meitz sealed the 25-22 win.
With Stephanie Palmer at the service line to start set three, Samford climbed to an early 4-0 lead including two service aces as the Gamecocks took a frustrated early timeout. The Bulldogs continued to roll out of the break, building a 12-4 lead after Erin Bognar found the back corner on a kill from the outside, forcing another Jacksonville State timeout. Samford eventually built a double-digit lead, up 14-4, and kept rolling to the 20-point mark, up 20-7. With Samford up 21-8, the Gamecocks scored five unanswered points to draw back within single digits, 21-13, as the Bulldogs took a timeout. Jacksonville State would only score one point in the remainder of the match, as Samford went on to win 25-14 and secure its fifth sweep of the season.
Next weekend, Samford heads to Kennesaw, Ga., for the KSU Owls Invite, hosted by Kennesaw State. On Friday, Sept. 13, Samford will play Coastal Carolina (10 a.m. ET) and Stony Brook (2:30 p.m. ET) and on Saturday, Sept. 14, the Bulldogs face Tennessee Tech (2:30 p.m. ET) and Kennesaw State (7:30 p.m. ET).
Elon 3, George Washington 2
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Elon volleyball team fell in another heart-breaking five-set match to George Washington, 3-2 (25-16, 23-25, 25-18, 22-25, 11-15), today, Sept. 7, in the final day of the Holiday Inn Select/UCF Classic.
Junior Chanelle Smith recorded a match-high 16 kills, while sophomore Megan Gravley finished with 15. Junior Kris Harris tallied 11 kills to go along with three aces.
On defense, Elon out blocked GWU, 15-11. Sophomore Catherine Head recorded a career-high seven blocks with C. Smith, Cali Estes and Danielle Smith all contributing three.
With the first set tied at 12-all, the seventh tie of the set, a kill and an ace by Harris and a block by Head and C. Smith helped the Phoenix to four straight, giving Elon a 16-12 lead and forcing a Colonial timeout. The maroon and gold finished the set on an 11-4 run to win by a 25-16 final.
In the second set, three kills by Harris and one by Head helped Elon to an 11-8 advantage. GWU battled back and managed to tie the set at 17-all. Kills by C. Smith gave the Phoenix a 23-21 lead, but the Colonials were able to finish score the next four and claim a 25-23 victory.
Elon grabbed a six-point lead, 10-4, early in the third set before GWU managed to close the gap to two, 12-10. From there, a block and kill by C. Smith led the Phoenix to a 7-0 run that put Elon ahead by eight, 18-10. The maroon and gold held on to its strong lead and used a block by Harris to close out the third set, 25-18, and take a 2-1 match lead. C. Smith recorded an impressive seven kills in the third set off nine attempts and only one error to hit .667.
With the Colonials leading 18-15 in the fourth set, kills by C. Smith and Gravley helped the Phoenix close the gap to one, 19-18, and force a GWU timeout. However, the Colonials managed to hold on and force a fifth and final set, winning the set 25-22.
Huge blocks by Head and D. Smith and Head and Gravley gave Elon an 8-6 lead in the fifth. The Colonials tied the score at 10-all and were able to finish on a 5-1 run to win the set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2.
Elon’s next match will be on Tuesday, Sept. 10, when the Phoenix travels to High Point to face the Panthers in a 7 p.m. match in High Point, N.C.
Georgia State 3, Wofford 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Committing 18 service errors and 25 attack errors in four sets, the Wofford volleyball team fell to Georgia State, 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 25-22, 25-18), Saturday at the Hampton Inn & Suites Spartan Classic inside the G.B. Hodge Center.
Wofford (1-4) looked like a much different team from Friday when it hit .248 to beat USC Upstate. Saturday, the Terriers managed just .131 (43-25-137) for the match and never really got it going against Georgia State (3-3), which came back from two sets down to defeat the Spartans in the morning session. The Panthers did not hit all that well at .175 (43-22-120), but, rather, let Wofford beat itself for the win.
Two bright spots for the Terriers were Jessica Graham and Wendy Burnett. Graham went for 16 digs and had six assists. Burnett hit .409 with 12 kills and just three errors. Unfortunately, the hot hand only got 22 attempts and was not as much of an impact as she could have been.
After the match, Burnett was named to the Spartan Classic All-Tournament Team, along with senior outside hitter Amanda Liguori. Liguori got the majority of the attempts on the outside but hit -.042 (10-12-48) after having 16 kills and hitting .314 on Friday. Junior Taylor Baird got 40 attempts on the right side, hitting .225 (12-3-40), and freshman Ellie Tallman hit .062 (6-5-15).
The poor day on the attack started in the opening set, where Wofford managed to outhit the Panthers .176 to .161, but committed six service errors. Those mistakes allowed Georgia State to get away with only 11 kills in the set on its way to a five-point win.
The second set saw GSU hit at a much more impressive .333 (13-5-24), while the Terriers dropped to .148 (9-5-27). The Panthers won the first five points of the set and never trailed, scoring five of the final seven points to take a 2-0 lead at the intermission.
Coach Sweet went for a different look in the third set, starting freshman Moorea Dippel and senior Tara Gough. Dippel got five digs in her first collegiate set and Burnett went for six kills on nine attempts to keep Wofford competitive. With the score tied 20-all, it was Wofford who took five of the last seven points this time for a set victory.
It was not enough to carry the Terriers. Georgia State jumped out to an early 7-1 lead in the fourth set and led by as many as ten before clinching the match, 25-18.
The Wofford volleyball team will complete its tour of Spartanburg on Tuesday when it plays at Converse College. Match time is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Morgan State 3, The Citadel 2Loyola 3, The Citadel 0
Greenville, N.C. – Zuri Smith tallied 15 kills and teammate Samantha Prescott finished with 10 kills and 12 digs to lead Morgan State to a five-set victory over The Citadel by scores of 20-25, 25-14, 15-25, 25-22 and 15-9 at the East Carolina Invitational.
The Bears took advantage of solid defensive performances by Tamara Leslie (14 digs), Ngebui Chefeh (11) and Shayna Hunt-Colon (11) to earn their first victory of the season. On the offensive end, Morgan State (1-6) finished with 52 team kills due in large part to Chefeh's 39 assists.
Seven different Bulldogs recorded kills in the afternoon match, including Katie Briggs who posted a team-high 12. Joining Briggs in double-digit kills was freshman Megan Sowell (11), while the trio of Erin Bucherl (15 digs), Ise d'Angelo (10) and Rachel Keefer (10) guided The Citadel to 58 team digs.
The Citadel (0-6) persevered through 11 ties in the opening set to assume a 15-14 lead on a Sowell kill. From there the Dogs took advantage of a Bucherl service ace and an unforced Morgan State error to move in front 17-14. Stretching the lead to five, 21-16, following a kill by Lauren Hurt, the Cadets overcame three Prescott kills in the final eight points to win the first set 25-20.
In similar fashion to the first set, the two teams battled for supremacy with Morgan State eventually gaining the upper hand, 13-12, following a timely kill by Janelle Wilson. Five points later Hurt responded with a kill and kept the Dogs within striking distance, 16-14, before the Bears rattled off the final nine points of the set to win 25-14.
Trailing by two points early in the third set The Citadel used Bucherl's service game, which included four service aces, to forge in front by an 11-7 margin. That five point margin eventually reached seven, 17-10, as Hurt forced the Bears into three consecutive errors while in serve. Two kills by d'Angelo and Sowell proved to be the difference down the stretch as the Bulldogs completed the win, 25-15.
The Citadel overcame an early two point deficit to draw the game even, 8-8, following a kill by d'Angelo. Working off that momentum, along with a series of kills by Sowell, the Bulldogs managed to maintain their slim two-point lead. Morgan State used a kill by Prescott to put Wilson in serve and pieced together a four-point run to move in front 18-17. The two teams eventually reached a 22-22 tie before three points with Leslie in serve provided the Bears with a 25-22 victory.
Hurt proved to be the catalyst for The Citadel offense that ran out to a 7-0 lead to open the fifth set. In that stretch the junior middle blocker forced four Morgan State errors and took advantage of kills by Briggs and Sowell to establish The Citadel early. Morgan State retaliated with eight unanswered points with Wilson in serve, assuming an 8-7 lead on a kill by Smith. After a bad set by Dinah Jones deadlocked the game at eight, the Bears used two Smith kills and a pair of Citadel errors to complete the 15-9 five-set victory.
In the second match of the day, Morgan Reardon drove home a match-high 12 kills to pace a Loyola (Ill.) squad that earned a 25-18, 25-11, 25-5 sweep of The Citadel volleyball team in the morning session of the East Carolina Invitational.
Reardon, along with Maureen Carls (eight kills) and Libby Bresser (six kills), anchored a front row that totaled 42 Rambler kills. Bresser and Carls also made their presence known defensively with seven and six assisted blocks, respectively. Loyola's defense was solidified with the play of back row duo Vicki Wrobel (14 digs) and Kathleen Vogel (12), which provided a 47-27 advantage in digs. The Ramblers improved to 4-2 overall following the victory.
Freshman Megan Sowell earned high marks for The Citadel with a team-high five kills. Teammates Lauren Hurt and Rachel Keefer, who combined for seven of the team's eight assisted blocks, also had solid performances.
Loyola started off strong, taking a 6-1 lead in the first set behind the service game of Stephanie Kinane, before two kills and a service ace by Sowell trimmed the margin to 9-5. The Citadel continued to apply pressure, cutting the lead to 10-7 following a kill by Samantha Espy, only to see the Ramblers run off seven of the next 12 points and regain control 17-12. Bulldog kills down the stretch by d'Angelo and Katie Briggs were not enough to offset the Loyola offense that completed the 25-18 opening set win.
Establishing themselves early on in the second set the Ramblers streaked out to an 8-3 lead behind three kills by Reardon. After the two teams traded the next two points, Loyola's Brittany Brown forced The Citadel into four unforced errors as the lead ballooned to 18-5. A kill by Hurt followed by an Erin Bucherl service ace gave the Dogs their seventh point, but it was not enough as Laura Purcell's three kills helped the Ramblers complete the 25-11 victory.
The offensive rhythm established in the second set carried over into the third as Loyola allowed just two Citadel points en route to a 19-2 lead. The Ramblers' run was keyed by the service game of Kinane, which consisted of two service aces and six Bulldog unforced errors. A kill by Dominique Williams halted The Citadel scoring drought and following strikes by Mallory Moore and Bailey Kernodle the Dogs had three of next five set points. However, three kills by Carr down the stretch secured Loyola's 25-5 win.
The Citadel returns to action next weekend when it hosts The Citadel Tournament that will include Charleston Southern, DePaul, Radford and South Carolina State. The Cadets open with a pair of matches against in-state rivals S.C. State and Charleston Southern.
UNCG 3, Alabama State 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG volleyball team ended the Spartan-Aggie Invitational Saturday night with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-19) sweep of Alabama State inside Fleming Gymnasium. With the victory, the Spartans improve to 4-2 overall while the Hornets fall to 1-6.
The Blue and Gold hit over .300 as a team for the second-straight match, tallying 46 kills on 91 attempts with just 17 errors to finish at .319. The Spartans also won the battle defensively with 36 digs as compared to 26 for Alabama State. Additionally, UNCG added six more aces to bring its season total to 41 (1.86 per set) and out-blocked the Hornets 10.0-8.0.
Sideout percentage was key again as the Spartans limited the Hornets to 49 percent while siding out at 66 percent themselves.
Senior middle hitter Olivia Humphries (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) paced the offense with 10 kills on 18 attempts while making just one error to hit .500 in the match. She was just one UNCG player to play low-error volleyball as junior middle hitter Vicky Harley (Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood) put down seven kills on her way to a .308 showing and seven blocks. Junior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney made no errors in coming off the bench, pounding down four kills on five swings for a mark of .800.
Having been voted libero of the tournament, sophomore Katherine Santiago (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez) racked up double-digit digs for the third-straight match with 11 – ending the weekend with a total of 54 (4.90 per set).
Freshman setter Sarah Hohman (Zionsville, Ind./Cathedral) continued to gain valuable playing experience and took advantage of it in this match, dishing out 31 assists to finish with just over 10 helpers per set. She also tallied three aces and five digs.
Alabama State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in set one before UNCG recovered to tie the frame at six on a kill by Harley. The Spartans kept the pressure on, scoring four of the next five points to push in front 10-7 and force a Hornet timeout. ASU was able to draw within 11-10 when Humphries committed as service error, but two aces by freshman outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn spurred on a 4-0 UNCG run and gave the home team a 15-10 cushion.
The Spartans extended their lead to 20-13 on a block by Humphries and Harley and would roll the rest of the way, shutting down Alabama State and winning the stanza by a 25-19 score.
Hohman served up two aces in the beginning of the second set to help the Blue and Gold establish a 5-1 lead. The Hornets attempted to rally, pulling within 10-7 when Myla Marshall put down a kill. However, a devastating 7-3 run took the drama out of the frame as UNCG led 17-10 and eventually took the set 25-18.
The third stanza proved to be quite competitive from the outset as ASU scored the first three points before UNCG answered with a 3-0 run of its own. A solo block by senior outside hitter Karrian Chambers (College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated) made it 6-4 in favor of the Spartans, forcing a timeout by Alabama State, but the Hornets were able to pull within 9-8 on a kill by Marshall.
The middle of the set started to swing in ASU’s favor as the Hornets went on a 6-3 run to take a 14-12 advantage – forcing the Blue and Gold to call for timeout. UNCG quickly tied the score at 14 on a kill by Harley and a block by Harley and Humphries, but Amber Bennett put down a kill to give Alabama State the lead again.
The set was tied at 17 a few points later, but the Spartans finally wrested control of the frame away from the visitors, scoring five points in a row to essentially end it. A kill by redshirt sophomore middle hitter Julia Westerbur (College Station, Texas/SMU) gave UNCG match point at 24-19 before Marshall committed an attacking error to end the match.
The Spartans hit the road next weekend (Sept. 13-14), traveling to the University of Georgia for the Benson’s Hospitality Group Invitational. The Blue and Gold will face Louisiana, North Florida and the host Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum during the round-robin event.
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University volleyball swept its competition on the second day of the North Carolina State Midtown Courtyard Classic at Reynolds Coliseum. Appalachian managed a pair of 3-0 victories over Towson and Binghamton to wrap up its second regular-season tournament.
APPALACHIAN 3, BINGHAMTON 0
Following the evening victory, the Mountaineers are now 6-1 overall, while Binghamton dropped to 0-6 after being defeated 25-16, 25-18 and 25-15 by the Mountaineers. The Bearcats are now 0-2 all-time versus Appalachian State.
A 7-1 run by Appalachian State in the first set handed the Mountaineers a 12-6 advantage, but Binghamton managed to cut the deficit to three following a pair of kills from Grace Vickers. The Mountaineers extended their lead to eight, however, forcing a Binghamton time out before closing the set on an 8-1 run to jump ahead, 1-0.
Appalachian extended its momentum into the second set, edging ahead with a 14-7 lead. The Bearcats attempted a comeback, but Appalachian’s match-best .452 hitting percentage would prevent any chance as the Mountaineers took the frame, 25-18.
The final set saw the Black and Gold hold Binghamton to a negative hitting percentage as the Apps jumped out to a 12-5 lead and never looked back. A quick shot from Binghamton, along with a pair of Allison Hovie kills, pulled the Bearcats within three, but Appalachian connected on 10 terminations, while committing just one attack error to take the final set at 25-15.
Appalachian hit at a .340 clip with 41 kills and just eight errors, while Binghamton hit .051 for the match and put down just 28 kills compared to 23 attack errors.
All-tournament selection Lauren Gray boasted a team-high 16 kills for a .556 hitting percentage and 20 points. Sophomore Meghan Mahoney chipped in 16 digs, while outside hitter Jess Keller tallied two blocks.
Senior middle Grace Vickers had a team-high nine kills for the Bearcats, while junior setter Amanda Dettmann handed out 22 assists and senior libero Xiomara Ortiz collected a team-best 14 digs.
APPALACHIAN 3, TOWSON 0
Appalachian State University volleyball opened up day two of the NC State Tournament in strong fashion following a 3-0 sweep of Towson University at Reynolds Coliseum.
With the morning victory, the Mountaineers improve to 5-1 on the season, while Towson falls to 3-4 overall.
For the third consecutive match, outside hitter Emily Corrigan led Appalachian’s offensive effort with 12 kills and 14 points. Sophomore Jess Keller followed closely behind with nine kills, adding 11.5 points for the Black and Gold.
Once again, Meghan Mahoney held the defensive side of the ball with 12 digs, while freshman libero Kati Stammen put up seven digs of her own.
Appalachian saw five of its players shoot .200 or better, with middle blocker Hailey Kerr recording a team-high .571 percentage against the Tigers. Lauren Gray hit a solid .364 for the night, along with four block assists, while Corrigan recorded .360 on the attack.
Junior Victoria Williams led Towson with nine kills and Candace Steadman recorded a team-high .400 hitting percentage, while five other Tigers recorded negative percentages in the loss. Outside hitter Saitaua Iosia notched a team-high six digs for Towson, while Lindsay Flaherty had three block assists.
Up next, the Mountaineers will head to Waco, Texas to compete in the Baylor Tournament, facing Colorado and Baylor on Friday, September 13, followed by Northwestern State that Saturday.
UT-Martin 3, Chattanooga 2
UNC Asheville 3, Chattanooga 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Chattanooga volleyball’s Briana Reid was named to the Country Inns & Suites All-Tournament Team Saturday night at the conclusion of the three-day, five-team tournament. It is the sophomore’s first All-Tournament honor and the close to a successfully-hosted Chattanooga tournament despite a couple of Mocs losses to UT Martin and UNC Asheville on the final night.
The Houston, Texas native led the Mocs with 103 assists and averaged 6.06 assists per set. The outside-hitter-tuned-setter also recorded 55 digs and 15 blocks, en route to 25.0 points on the weekend.
The UT Martin Skyhawks took the first set of the day from the Mocs with a nail-biting 3-2 win. Chattanooga snagged the first set with a 25-23 victory that saw four long rallies put the Mocs over the top. Freshman Kendall Sexton served up five Chattanooga attacks from behind the line while a couple of kills each coming from fellow freshman Allie Davenport and sophomore Sarah Batterton forced a UT Martin timeout.
The Skyhawks returned to win set two with four points in the end to take the victory. A neck-and-neck set from the starting line, UT Martin began to pull away and soon collected a three-point lead they would command for most of the frame. The Skyhawks took the set 25-18 and their drive carried over into the third with a 25-16 win, putting them up 2-1 in the match.
Chattanooga stormed back in the fourth set with a 25-22 spot, edging out a tie and sending the match to a deciding set. Chattanooga’s luck would run out though, falling 15-9 in the fifth.
Batterton led the Mocs offense with 13 kills while Reid and freshman Hannah Merkle steered the defense with 19 and 18 digs, respectively.
UNC Asheville handed the Mocs their seventh loss of the season in the final game of the tournament with a 3-1 defeat.
Chattanooga won the first set with a narrow 25-23 victory, but the Bulldogs proved too strong with three straight set wins – nearly identical scores – to take the win.
UNC Asheville took an early lead in the second frame and won 25-18 before repeating their jump-ahead success in the third stanza with a 25-17 win. The Bulldogs sealed off the ‘W’ with a 25-17 win in the third.
Sophomore Julimar Alvarado stood tall for the Mocs with 10 kills and six digs to serve as UTC’s standout in the match. Merkle led the defense with 18 digs Reid and Sexton each collected five blocks.
The Mocs continue their 2013 schedule Tuesday as UTC travels in-state rival Belmont for a match in Nashville, Tenn., at 7 p.m. After their trip to Music City, the Mocs then head to Miami, Fla., to participate in the Florida International Invitational. There, Chattanooga will meet up with FIU, Jacksonville and South Dakota State.