Samford 3, Chattanooga 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University volleyball team rebounded after a tough outing this past weekend to take down the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga 3-0 inside the Pete Hanna Center. The win was also a milestone victory for head coach Derek Schroeder as he now holds 150 career victories in seven years as a head coach.
The Bulldogs (16-8, 10-1 SoCon) hit at a .483 clip in the first set to scratch out a 25-22 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match over the Mocs. Senior outside hitter Michaela Reesor spearheaded the offensive attack with six kills on just seven attempts (.853) with a service ace to add to it. Samford found themselves down early and trailed for most of the set until they managed to tie it 18-18 and then took control from there.
It was the same story for the beginning of the second set for Samford as the team found itself down 17-14 to Chattanooga (12-14, 5-6 SoCon) . This time however the Bulldogs hit a different gear and reeled off a 12-2 run to take the set 25-19; Reesor again led the way in the rally as she issued four kills along the way.
Chattanooga jumped out in front again early but Samford managed to tie the set at 5-5 then take the lead and never look back. The Bulldogs strung together point after point until the set was taken 25-17 and the 3-0 sweep was complete.
Reesor finished the night with 17 kills on just 25 attempts (.600) while only committing two attack errors; she also contributed an ace, block assist and four digs in the match.
Junior Emily Meitz and sophomore Gabbi Greenwald both contributed efficient performances as Meitz tallied six kills on 12 attempts (.600) while Greenwald was 8 of 13 (.385).
Senior Chelsi Carter and sophomore Erin Bognar defensively held the Mocs at bay as Carter notched 11 digs while Bognar tallied 10.
The Bulldogs hit the road for a single Southern Conference match this weekend. The team travels to Macon, Ga. to take on Mercer University on Saturday, Nov. 1.
Furman 3, Wofford 0
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Behind 42 kills and a blistering .415 hitting percentage, the Furman volleyball team powered past Wofford, 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-14), on Wednesday night. The Paladins held the Terriers to just 25 kills and a .000 hitting percentage, the best mark against an opponent all season. The win moves Furman to 16-6 and 9-2 in SoCon play, while the loss drops Wofford to 11-16 and 3-7 in conference.
Andrea Fisher paced the Paladins with 15 kills and no errors for a .484 hitting percentage, adding a service ace, block and six digs. Ashton Gregory recorded double-digit kills for the 20th time this season with 12, while hitting a team-high .667 and adding three digs and eight blocks. Kasey Hohlen added six kills and four blocks, while Jo Wilks dished out 37 assists and Meg DeMaar added a team-high 12 digs.
Furman jumped out to a 5-1 lead in set one, before Wofford cut the lead to two at 7-5. Then, Furman used an 8-1 run to push the lead to nine at 15-6. Two-straight Terrier points cut into the Furman lead at 15-8, before the Paladins again opened up a nine-point lead at 17-8. The teams then traded points until Furman closed out the set with a Kasey Hohlen kill and Ashton Gregory block to take set one, 25-16. Furman hit .483 as a team in set one, while holding the Terriers to a .147 hitting percentage.
Furman again opened up a big lead in set two, this time opening the set with a 12-5 advantage, forcing an early Wofford timeout. Following the timeout, the Paladins used runs of three and four to push their lead to 11 at 19-8, then close out the set on a 6-3 run to take set two, 25-11, for a 2-0 lead in the match. The Paladins hit .333 and held the Terriers to a -.133 percentage.
The teams traded points in set three before Wofford used a 4-0 run to take a 10-9 lead. The Paladins then used a 6-1 run to regain the lead and stretch it to four at 15-11, forcing a Terrier timeout. Out of the timeout, Furman closed out set three on a 10-3 run, including six kills, to take set three, 25-14, and the match, 3-0.
The Paladins are back in action on Saturday for a 5:00 p.m. match at UNCG.
Mercer 3, Savannah State 0
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Mercer senior Caroline Carlton and junior Molly Locke combined for 27 kills as the volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-18) victory at Savannah State on Wednesday evening.
Mercer’s third win in its last four outings pushed the Bears to 8-16 while Savannah State fell to 4-24.
Carlton’s match-high 14 kills came with just three errors on 31 attempts. Locke also had just three miscues, while registering 13 kills, nine digs and a pair of block assists.
As a team, the Bears hit .278 with 46 kills on 108 attempts. Savannah State, however, was limited to an .097 hitting percentage with just 26 kills on 103 attempts.
Mercer trailed only a few times and was never really threatened en route to the victory. The Bears went ahead 10-6 in all three of the sets and each time Savannah State was unable to mount a comeback.
Freshman Bailey Noon and sophomore Tori Penrod each collected 11 digs in the winning effort. Freshman Claire Walizcek nearly missed her fifth double-double of the year with a match-high 41 assists and nine digs.
Mercer resumes Southern Conference play on Friday, hosting The Citadel at 6 p.m.