Samford 3, Furman 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Samford University volleyball team faced its biggest Southern Conference test of the season and gutted out a 3-2 (25-23, 19-25, 20-25, 25-19, 16-14) victory over Furman University on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Alley Gym to extend its win streak to 10 games. Senior Michaela Reesor proved why she was named the 2013 SoCon Player of the Year after she posted a double-double of 19 kills and 16 digs with a block and service ace also to her credit in the match.
The Bulldogs (14-7, 8-0 SoCon) were reeling in the first set as the Paladins (13-6, 6-2 SoCon) jumped on top 18-12. At that moment something clicked, after a service error by FU's Caitlyn Scioscia to make the score 18-13, Samford turned the tables on Furman. SU ripped off a 10-1 run behind the arms of Reesor and sophomore Gabbi Greenwald to take a 21-19 lead and the momentum.
That's all the team would need as they closed out the initial set 25-23.
The Paladins didn't back down in the second set as they came out and battled to regain traction on its home court. FU gained separation midway through the set and took a 15-11 lead over SU that it wouldn't relinquish and eventually took the set 25-19.
FU didn't let up off the gas in the third set as they kept the pressure on SU and took advantage of several offensive miscues made by the Bulldogs to take the set 25-20 and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Samford didn't lose hope and dug down deep to muscle out a 25-19 win in the fourth set; SU never trailed or let FU tie the set at any point. Sophomore Erin Bognar led the way with four kills while senior libero Chelsi Carter lifted five digs to keep the Bulldogs in the match.
The fifth set of the match came down to the wire as there were 10 ties and four lead changes in the emotional 16-14 set. Each team battled back and forth until Reesor and Bognar cranked out the final two kills to end the match.
Bognar finished the night with 19 kills, six digs and a solo block while Carter matched her career-high with 31 digs to go along with her 41st service ace of the season. Greenwald tallied 11 kills and four total blocks with redshirt freshman T.J. Russell who contributed nine kills and four total blocks. Junior Emily Meitz led all blockers with five total.
Sophomore setter Erika Pifer provided a complete-match performance with 56 assists, four total blocks, four digs and three service aces.
The Bulldogs return home for a three-match slate that starts with East Tennessee State University on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. inside the Pete Hanna Center. The match can be watched via live video stream on the SoCon Digital Network.
UNCG 3, Wofford 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG volleyball team saw Wofford rally late in set four to send the match the distance Saturday evening, but the Spartans buckled down and dominated the fifth set to record a 3-2 (25-15, 17-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-7) Southern Conference victory inside Fleming Gymnasium. The win was UNCG’s 12th straight over the Terriers.
The Spartans improve to 12-8 overall and 4-3 in SoCon play with the victory while Wofford falls to 10-14 and 2-5. UNCG also upped its home record to 6-1.
Both squads struggled offensively, hitting under .200. The Spartans finished at .185 (53k/26e/146ta) and limited the Terriers to a .157 (51k/26e/159ta) mark. UNCG out-dug its guests 64-58 and racked up a season-high 14.5 blocks. In the critical fifth frame, the Spartans held Wofford to a negative hitting percentage of -.190.
Freshman outside hitter Ashley Muench and senior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney both tallied a match-high 14 kills while Muench added 11 digs for her second career double-double. Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn also reached double figures defensively with 11 digs while junior libero Katherine Santiago notched a team-high 16 digs. Additionally, senior middle hitter Vicky Harley matched her career best with 10 blocks.
It was a point for point battle early in the first set before the teams finally settled at 10-10. A kill by redshirt junior middle hitter Julia Westerbur sparked a 3-0 run which gave UNCG some breathing room and forced Wofford to call for a timeout. The lead reached 15-10 before a Muench serving error stopped the momentum. The Spartans would not be fazed, however, as they held the Terriers to just four more points in the stanza to clinch it 25-15.
A block by Sidney and Westerbur put the Blue and Gold in front 3-2 in the second frame, but Wofford would eventually push ahead 13-8 and prompt a UNCG timeout. The Spartans could not get on track the rest of the way as the Terriers won the set 25-17 and tied the match at one.
UNCG broke away from a 5-5 deadlock in the third stanza and took a 12-7 advantage after a kill by Sidney. The lead grew to 16-10 after another Sidney kill and Wofford called timeout. The Spartans led by as much as 20-12 before the Terriers mounted a rally that saw them pull within 21-16. UNCG would not let them all the way back into things, however, taking the third set 25-20.
Wofford called the first timeout of the fourth set after the Spartans built an 11-5 advantage. An ace by Molly Mayo helped the Terriers draw within 13-10, but a block by Brezwyn and Harley gave UNCG a seemingly insurmountable 19-12 lead. That would not be the case though as with the Spartans ahead 23-19, Wofford ended the set on a 6-2 run to win it 25-23 and force the deciding stanza.
It would be all UNCG in the fifth set as the Spartans rung up leads of 6-2 and 11-4 before closing out the match by a 15-7 margin.
The Blue and Gold ends its five-game homestand Tuesday evening, welcoming Western Carolina to Fleming Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. SoCon match. The Spartans defeated the Catamounts 3-0 in Cullowhee back on Sept. 26.
ETSU 3, Mercer 1
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Senior Katie Muey and freshman Rylee Milhorn both recorded their first-ever collegiate double-doubles and senior Meredith Hardy hit .516 (19-3-31) as the ETSU volleyball team remained red-hot at home by defeating Mercer, 3-1 (25-16, 25-15, 19-25, 25-13), on Saturday afternoon inside Brooks Gym.
Muey finished with 19 digs and 10 assists, while Milhorn added 13 kills (.310 attack percentage) and 10 digs as the Bucs won their fifth straight home match. To go with her blistering attack percentage, Hardy totaled a match-high 19 kills and tallied six blocks. Meanwhile, Muey was one of three ETSU players to reach double-digit assists as senior Jamie Rutledge led the Blue and Gold with 23 and sophomore Kristen Favre ended with 19 assists and eight digs. Rutledge also posted three blocks and three digs.
As a team, the Bucs were plus-24 in kills (57-33) and plus-11 in digs (62-51), while ETSU also totaled eight service aces. Muey led the Blue and Gold with three.
Along with extending its home win streak, ETSU has also won five straight against Mercer inside Brooks Gym and the Bucs moved to 10-13, 4-3 in SoCon play. The Bears dropped to 5-15, 1-6.
The early stages of the first set were nip-and-tuck, but with Mercer leading 8-6, ETSU finished the frame on a 19-8 surge to earn a 25-16 victory in the opener. The Bucs used strong serving by Renzey Rice to begin the run as the sophomore defensive specialist served the Blue and Gold to four straight points, putting ETSU ahead, 11-8. From there, Muey joined Rice with some dominate serving as she led the Bucs to five consecutive scores, extending ETSU’s lead to eight, 17-9. The Bears never had an answer for the Bucs’ run and ETSU pulled out the nine-point win when Rutledge found Khadijah Wiley for the set-clinching kill. The Buccaneer defense held Mercer to a .000 attack percentage (6-6-31), while ETSU hit .281 (15-6-32) in the opener.
ETSU took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match after cruising its way to a 25-15 win in the second. The Blue and Gold started strong by winning eight of the first 11 points and built a double-digit lead when Muey found Milhorn for a kill, giving ETSU an 18-8 advantage. The Bucs eventually led by 11 as a service ace by Briana Allmon made it a 21-10 score, while Ivey Rice and Wiley combined for a block to end the set. The offensive prowess by Hardy (4-0-8) and Milhorn (7-0-8) was key in the frame as they combined to hit an astonishing .688 (11-0-16).
The Bucs were unable to earn their second straight sweep as Mercer exploded out of the gates after intermission and led wire-to-wire for a 25-19 set win in the third.
However, ETSU wasted little time putting the match away, as the Blue and Gold picked up a 12-point win in the fourth to finish off the Bears. The Bucs won three of the first four points of the stanza, but Mercer hung in there and captured an 8-7 lead. Fortunately, the Bucs answered the challenge by mounting a 9-2 run to go ahead, 16-10, following a service ace by Muey. With Mercer using its final timeout, the Bucs were able to add to their lead by winning nine of the final 12 points to complete the weekend sweep, 25-13. ETSU forced Mercer into a -.034 (7-8-29) hitting percentage in the final set and Hardy was nearly unstoppable in the fourth as she hit .667 (5-1-6).
For the match, the Bears hit .077 (33-23-130) as a team and were led by Emily Krogman and Molly Locke. Krogaman hit .321 (12-3-28) and Locke totaled a double-double (12 kills/14 digs) in the loss.
The Bucs wrap up their three-game home stint on Tuesday night when ETSU hosts The Citadel. First serve is set for 6 p.m. in Brooks Gym.
Chattanooga 3, The Citadel 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team improved its Southern Conference record to 5-3, defeating The Citadel 3-0 for the second time on the season Saturday afternoon in Charleston, S.C.
The Mocs outscored the Bulldogs 25-18, 25-20 and 25-17 in three sets, and out-blocked the opposing defense 5.0-3.0. UTC totaled 47 kills while holding The Citadel to 34 kills.
Sophomore Allie Davenport had another outstanding night on offense with 15 kills while fellow sophomore Nicole Sumida posted 10 kills to round out the UTC double-digit kills. Davenport led with 15.5 total points, Sumida with 11.5 and junior Julimar Alvarado ended the night with 10.0 points.
On defense, Chattanooga’s blocking total all came courtesy of assisted blocks. Sumida headed up the defense with three while Alvarado and junior Sarah Batterton each had two. On the dig, libero Catherine Chason led with 12 and freshman Lauren Greenspoon with 11.
Chattanooga’s best offensive showing came in the third with the Mocs hitting .452 with 17 kills. Only committing three errors in the frame, the set was only tied three times with the number of lead changes reflecting the same digit.
Defensively, the second set proved to be UTC’s best. The Mocs totaled 19 digs in the stanza and recorded three of the match’s five blocks. They also held The Citadel to a .150 hitting percentage and 12 kills.
Chattanooga is back in action next weekend as they host UNCG and Mercer at Maclellan Gym.