Mercer 3, College of Charleston 0
Davidson 3, Mercer 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Mercer volleyball team captured the team title at the College of Charleston Invite with a split against the College of Charleston and Davidson on Saturday. The Bears went 2-1 at the event, with junior Molly Locke earning Tournament MVP recognition and senior Caroline Carlton and sophomore Tori Penrod taking home All-Tournament team selections.
Mercer blanked the Colonial Athletic Association preseason favorites CofC in the first match of the day 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 28-26) before falling to Davidson 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-23).
Mercer’s second day at the event got off to a rousing start as the Bears downed a strong CofC team in convincing fashion. Highlighting the victory was Locke’s 14-kill, 11-dig double-double double performance.
Thanks to a stout defense, the Bears got off to a quick start against the Cougars by limiting the tournament hosts to a paltry .174 hitting percentage in the first set. The frame was played to an even 24-24 score before junior Monica Johnson smashed a kill and the Bears captured the set via a ball handling error by CofC’s Bailey Humes.
The second set against the Cougars saw the Mercer holding a slim 23-22 edge before going to Locke for a pair of kills to end the stanza. The third frame was hotly contested as well, with 10 tie scores and two lead changes leading up to a 26-26 tie. The Bears were able to ultimately triumph as CofC attacking error and a kill by sophomore Hannah Noon put the match away for good.
Freshman Claire Walizcek dished out a match-high 23 assists and finished just shy of a double-double with nine digs in the victory. Freshman Emily Krogman was particularly efficient offensively, converting six of her 13 attack attempts into kills for a .385 attacking percentage.
Against Davidson, seniors Carlton and Cara Tripp were both effective on the offensive end. Carlton hammered down nine kills on 15 attempts with a single error while Tripp posted nine kills on 15 attempts with only two miscues.
Freshman Morgan MacGilvary also made her presence felt against the Wildcats, registering nine kills on 26 swings.
The Wildcats used a five-point run early in the first frame to gain separation and run away with the set. In the second frame, Mercer held an 18-17 lead before the Wildcats ripped off four-straight points to take control. The final set saw the teams knotted at 22-22 before Davidson scored on back-to-back plays and ultimately won 25-23.
Penrod collected 12 kills and three assists in the losing effort.
Mercer returns to action at the Troy Invitational on Thursday and Friday. The Bears are set to play South Carolina State, Troy, Jacksonville State and Alabama A&M at the event.
UNCG 3, Morgan State 1
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The UNCG volleyball team racked up 12 blocks for the second consecutive match Saturday on the way to a 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 25-19) victory over Morgan State in the Spartans’ final match of the Charlotte Invitational at Halton Arena.
UNCG went 2-1 in the tournament, marking the third-straight season in which the Spartans have ended their opening weekend with a winning record. UNCG also finished the five-team tourney in second place.
The Spartans continued their historical dominance over teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), upping their record to 40-2 against the conference and improving to a perfect 4-0 versus Morgan State.
The Blue and Gold was led offensively by all-tournament honoree and sophomore outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn, who tallied a match-high 14 kills. Senior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney added nine kills while classmate and fellow middle Vicky Harley chipped in with eight.
Defensively, junior libero Katherine Santiago racked up 17 digs to end the weekend with 55 in the 10 sets she played. Sophomore setter Sara Hohman posted 11 digs and dished out 34 assists for her first double-double of the season. She also registered three block assists and three aces. With 104 assists over the weekend, Hohman needs just 100 more to reach 1,000 for her young career.
The Bears (1-3) had the better of the hitting percentage, .171 to .165, but the Spartans (2-1) tallied more digs (53-50), more blocks (12.0-6.0) and sided out at a better percentage (60-45).
An early ace saw Morgan State jump out to a 5-2 lead in the first set before UNCG tied it up at six after a kill by Brezwyn. The Blue and Gold was forced to call timeout when the Bears pushed in front 13-11. The short break proved useful as UNCG scored 10 of the next 11 points to take a 19-14 advantage and prompted a timeout from the MSU bench. The Spartans pushed their edge all the way to 23-17 before closing out the set 25-21.
UNCG forced an early Morgan State timeout in the second set when a kill by Brezwyn put the Spartans ahead 9-5. The Bears were able to recover and pull within 13-12 before eventually taking a 15-13 edge thanks to a Sidney ball-handling error. Another big run by UNCG in which it scored eight of the nine points gave the Spartans some breathing room at 23-17. The Blue and Gold reached set point at 24-18 and a Brezwyn kill sealed it 25-19.
With the score deadlocked at nine in the third frame, MSU scored six of the next nine points to pull ahead 15-12 and force a UNCG timeout. The Spartans could only muster six more points in the stanza as the Bears took it 25-18 and forced a fourth set.
The Blue and Gold raced out to an 8-2 cushion in the fourth frame thanks to a couple aces and a number of Morgan State errors but the Bears rallied all the way back and put together a 10-3 run to move into the lead by a point. A kill by Sidney tied the proceedings at 13 and UNCG would capture four of the next six rallies to re-establish a two-point edge. Morgan State called for timeout at that point but it proved futile as a Spartan block capped a 10-3 Spartan run which put the match out of reach. The Blue and Gold would go on to win the fourth set 25-19 and, subsequently, the match.
UNCG returns to action next weekend (Sept. 5-6), traveling to Lynchburg, Va., for the Liberty Flames Invitational. The Spartans will take on USC Upstate, Howard and host Liberty in the two-day event at the Vines Center.
Campbell 3, Wofford 0
Wofford 3, N.C. Central 0
DURHAM, N.C. – The Wofford College volleyball team earned its first win of the 2014 season on Saturday, defeating North Carolina Central in three sets (25-13, 25-14, 25-17) on the final day of the NCCU Invitational inside McDougald-McLendon Gym.
Wofford (1-2) dominated the Eagles (0-2) the whole way, outhitting the tournament host .309 to .062 and doubling up NCCU in kills, 33-16. The Terriers also finished the match with a 14-1 advantage in aces and a 35-20 edge in digs.
Freshmen duo Bella Santoro and Danni Densford headed the attack. Santoro hit .571 en route to a match-high nine kills, adding six aces for another match-high 16 points. Meanwhile, Densford hit a blistering .857 and was error-free with six kills on seven attempts.
On the ground, junior Jessica Graham came up with a match-high 14 digs. Freshman Alex Holland and junior Liz Buterbaugh each rejected two Eagle attacks.
Wofford started the day at 10 a.m., against Campbell (2-0), falling in three sets (21-25, 21-25, 18-25). Junior Taylor Baird hit .371 with a match-high 16 kills.
The Terriers will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., next Friday and Saturday for the Deacon Invitational, hosted by Wake Forest. Wofford is scheduled to face Presbyterian on Friday, followed by NC Central and Wake on Saturday.
The Terriers met Campbell for the ninth time in school history to begin day two of the NCCU Invitational. The Camels took the match in straight sets to improve to 8-1 lifetime against Wofford.
Campbell was better down the stretch in each set. The Camels scored four of the final five points in the first, eight of the last 11 in the second and seven of the final nine in the third to remain undefeated on the young season.
Baird went for 16 kills and had just three errors on 35 attempts, continuing her impressive start to the 2014 campaign. Densford had a season-high eight kills and Santoro registered six, along with a season-high 16 digs.
Freshman Molly Mayo assisted 24 of Wofford’s 39 kills in the match.
For Campbell, Lorin Thomas hit .348 and led the way with 10 kills. Preseason All-Big South selection Mary Crema gathered a match-high 17 digs, while Kayla Schanback reached double figures with 10. Setter Summer Schuitema earned a match-high 27 assists.
Wofford jumped ahead first in the opening set. A kill by Santoro put the Terriers up 7-4, but back came Campbell with an 13-4 run, going on top by five, 17-12. Back-to-back kills by Baird stopped the bleeding and the Terriers got within a point multiple times. The final occasion was at 21-20 off a Densford kill, but Campbell scored four of five for three match-point opportunities, converting on a Thomas kill.
The second saw Campbell break away first with an early 7-4 cushion. Wofford scored four straight, which included a Holland kill, to take its first lead of the set, 8-7. The margin remained tight and Wofford led 18-17 off of a Buterbaugh kill, but Campbell was stronger down the stretch, once again. Ali Harty tied the match at 18 and Crema served the next seven points with two aces to put Campbell ahead 24-19, winning the set on a Terrier serve error.
The Camels rode their momentum into the third, scoring five of the first six points. Wofford rallied to tie the score at eight, but was unable to attain a lead. The final tie came at 14-all, before Campbell rattled off four straight to gain the space they needed to close out the sweep.
Bella Santoro and Danni Densford led Wofford to its best attacking match of the tournament, as the Terriers hit .309 to sweep NC Central in 1 hour and 13 minutes.
Santoro led all players with nine kills and hit .571, while Densford posted six kills to hit .857. Baird added seven kills and Holland finished the match with six.
Junior transfer Katelynn Slade (Cowley College) started her first match as Wofford’s setter. She had a match-high 29 assists and put up five digs and an ace.
Da’sha Brown posted a team-high six kills for NC Central, which struggled to a .062 attack percentage (16-12-64).
The Eagles held a very early lead in the opener by scoring the first two points, but it was quickly erased. Wofford tied the set at four and continued with a 7-0 run to lead 11-5. Santoro was on serve during the run and picked up three aces. The lead extended to eight at 18-10 and Wofford used a 6-1 run to win the first, capped by Santoro’s fourth ace of the set.
Wofford was dominant in the second and led wire-to-wire to take a two-set lead. Slade got the set going with consecutive aces and the Terriers led 11-3 after Baird served her lone ace of the match. Wofford led by 10 for the first time ahead 15-5, which was more than enough room to take the set by 11. Freshman Sutton Alexander put down the set-winner, assisted by freshman Kaity Widmyer.
The third set was the most competitive. There were 10 ties and four lead changes, the last putting Wofford in front 10-9 on a Santoro kill. The Terriers then put the match away, using a 9-2 run to push their lead to 19-12. Freshman Jen Espenschied served three straight points to put Wofford in front 23-16, and sophomore Ellie Tallman notched the match’s final kill for the win.
The Citadel 3, Providence 0
Navy 3, The Citadel 0
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Citadel volleyball program earned one of its most impressive victories in school history on Saturday afternoon when it downed Providence 27-25, 15-25, 25-23 and 25-20 at the Kristen Dickmann Invitational on the campus of Navy.
The Bulldogs, who finished with 53 kills in the match were led individually by All-Tournament selection Mallory Moore (11 kills), Moriah Smith (10), Lauren Hurt (eight) and Ise d'Angelo (seven). The Citadel's defensive efforts were led the combination of Amanda Rudnik (22 digs) and Rachel Keefer (20).
Providence, who rejoined the Big East Conference prior to the 2014 campaign, becomes the first member of well-known conference that the Dogs have defeated in their history. Among the individual standouts for the Friars included Marina Rose (14 kills) and Mackenzie Ziegler (12). Michelle Cruz also made her impact felt for PC by virtue of 23 digs.
The battle between the two teams began in the opening set as they endured eight ties before reaching a 21-21 deadlock. It was there that Providence seemingly grabbed the momentum with a kill by Abbie Trzeciak, but the Dogs responded with timely strikes by Moore and d'Angelo to knot the set at 24-24. A kill by Kayla Fitzgerald put the Friars on the verge of the win, but The Citadel responded with kills by Bailey Kernodle and Samantha Espy by a 27-25 margin.
Providence responded to the challenge in the second set, jumping out to an 18-7 advantage behind four kills by Rose and three off the hand Ziegler. Timely strikes by d'Angelo and Hurt moved the Dogs into double figures on the scoreboard, but it was the Friars that emerged 25-15.
After the intermission the Bulldogs found their offensive rhythm as they reached an 11-11 tie on a kill by Smith. Providence regained the lead behind the play of Ziegler and Rose, moving in front by four on four occasions, but strikes by Moore, Keefer and Espyforced a 23-23 tie. The Bulldogs managed to complete the 25-23 come-from-behind victory with a series of kills by Smith and Moore.
Sensing the opportunity to clinch its first win of the season, The Citadel bolted out to a 16-6 advantage due in large part to six points in serve by Moore. Providence answered with a run of its own, drawing within seven points late in the set, before Smith and Moore completed the 25-20 win.
Navy's Katie Sylakowski drove home 14 kills and Rachel Fortner added eight as host Navy completed a 25-19, 25-19, 25-23 victory over The Citadel in the final match of the Kristen Dickmann Invitational.
The Citadel offense was sparked by the play of freshman Moriah Smith who finished with a team-high nine kills. Joining Smith among the top offensive performers were Mallory Moore and Bailey Kernodle, who chipped in six kills. Amanda Rudnik highlighted the Dogs' defense with 15 digs, while Rachel Keefer dished out 23 assists.
Sylakowski helped Navy break a 2-2 tie early in the first set as Navy eventually moved in front 13-8 following a kill by Gaby Smith. After a Citadel timeout, the Mids stretched their lead to five, 16-11, before a series of unforced errors allowed the Bulldogs to trim the margin to two. Navy used three kills by Sylakowski in the final seven points to complete the 25-19 win.
The opening of the second set was similar to that of the first as Navy broke a 2-2 tie by putting together an 8-2 run highlighted by kills from Sylakowski and Smith. The Bulldogs answered with strikes by Kernodle and Samantha Espy, making for a 14-11 contest. Navy allowed The Citadel to pull within two on just one occasion over the next 19 points, assuming a 2-0 advantage with a 25-19 victory.
The third set witnessed 11 ties among the first 28 points as the game reached a 14-14 deadlock. The Citadel eventually pulled in front by two, following consecutive unforced errors by the Mids, which they maintained before Fortner sent a pair of kills past the Dogs defense for a 20-20 tie. With the two teams knotted at 23-23, Navy used a kill by Maggie Phillips and an unforced error to earn the 25-23 win.
The Bulldogs make their first appearance at McAlister Field House this season on Tuesday night when they host the annual Blue-White Scrimmage at 6 p.m.
Charlotte 3, ETSU 1
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – At times the ETSU volleyball team took steps in the right direction this weekend, but at other times the Bucs took a few steps back.
Unfortunately, after playing a strong match in the season-opener on Friday, the Blue and Gold ended the Charlotte Invitational on a negative note as the host 49ers handed ETSU its second straight setback by defeating the Bucs, 3-1 (20-25, 25-15, 19-25, 15-25), on Saturday inside Halton Arena.
The Bucs were short-handed from the beginning as they were without one of their top offensive weapons on Saturday. Ivey Rice (Johnson City, Tenn.), who had played in 77 consecutive matches and led ETSU with 18 kills on Friday, missed her first game since Oct. 14, 2011.
Without the services from one of their key veterans, the Bucs got off to slow starts in three of the four sets and ETSU couldn’t get consistent play from its remaining players on the court.
The Blue and Gold were led offensively by senior Bethany Gesell and freshman Rylee Milhorn as they both registered 10 kills each; however, senior Meredith Hardy and junior Khadijah Wiley were held in check. As Gesell led the team with a .600 attack percentage (10-1-15), Hardy and Wiley combined to hit -.059 (10-12-34) for the match. Junior Ashleigh Shain (Geneva, Ill.) gave the Bucs a spark as she registered three of ETSU’s seven service aces and added eight digs.
The 49ers set the tone early in the opening set as Charlotte won the first five points and held off a late charge by the Buccaneers to take a 25-20 win. With Charlotte ahead 15-12, the Blue and Gold used a 4-1 spurt to pull even at 16; however, ETSU couldn’t get over the hump as the 49ers won nine of the final 13 points to claim the opener.
ETSU responded in the second as the Bucs used a strong surge midway through the frame and cruised to a 10-point win, 25-15. With the score knotted at five, the Bucs posted an 11-3 run to take a 16-8 lead after Charlotte was called for a bad set. From there, the Blue and Gold eventually saw their lead soar to 11 as the 49ers were charged with three straight attack errors, resulting in a 24-13 Buccaneer advantage. ETSU hit .379 (14-3-29) in the set as they were fueled by Gesell (3-0-3) and Milhorn (6-0-8).
However, sluggish starts doomed the Bucs in the third and fourth sets as Charlotte remained undefeated on the early season at, 3-0.
In the third, Charlotte started and finished strong to win the set, 25-19, and went up 2-1 in the match. The 49ers won eight of the first nine points of the frame, and despite ETSU eventually getting within two, 21-19, Charlotte won the final four points to place momentum back on their side of the net.
The Blue and Gold held an early 4-2 advantage in the fourth set, but ETSU couldn’t extend its lead as Charlotte responded with 14 unanswered points to go ahead, 16-4. The Bucs managed to clip their deficit to six (17-11) when Hardy registered one of her seven kills of the match, but the 49ers ended the set on an 8-2 run to secure the victory.
Hardy’s streak of recording at least one block in 95 straight matches was in jeopardy, but the Kingsport, Tenn. native recorded her block late in the fourth set to keep the run intact.
Both teams had equal chances, but Charlotte tallied 11 more kills than ETSU, 51-40. The 49ers hit .230 (51-23-122), while the Bucs finished with a .142 clip (40-23-120). The Blue and Gold out-blocked Charlotte, 8-3, but the 49ers were plus-9 in digs, 46-37.
Charlotte was led by Sarah McDonald and Semen Sen as they both pitched in with 11 kills, while Britney Lehigh Held quarterbacked the offense with 39 assists.
The Bucs return to action next weekend when ETSU heads to Fairfax, Va. for the Patriot Invitational. The Blue and Gold open the tournament against William and Mary on Friday at 3 p.m.
No. 21 Duke 3, Furman 0
DURHAM, N.C. – Despite having a lead in sets two and three, Furman volleyball could not capitalize and fell 3-0 (13-25, 23-25, 21-25) to 21st-ranked Duke in the final game of the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C. on Saturday. The Paladins close out their first tournament of 2014 with a 1-2 record, while the Blue Devils win the tournament and move to 3-0 on the season.
Ashton Gregory, named to the Duke Invitational All-Tournament team, led the Paladins offensively, putting down 10 kills and adding four blocks. Annie Bierman turned in eight kills, while Andrea Fisher added seven kills, five digs and a service ace. Jo Wilks dished out a team-high 18 assists, while Meg DeMaar again reached double digit digs with 15.
With the score tied at five in set one, Duke went on a 5-0 run to prompt the first Furman timeout of the day, leading 10-5. The Paladins cut the lead to four out of the timeout, but never got closer than that as the Blue Devils used a strong offensive performance to take set one, 25-13, and a 1-0 lead in the match.
The teams traded points in set two before Duke took a five-point lead at 12-7, forcing Furman to call a timeout. After extending the lead to 13-7, the Paladins used an 8-2 run of their own to tie the game at 15. The teams then traded points until Furman took a 23-19 lead behind the serving of Andrea Fisher, forcing Duke to call a timeout of their own. The Blue Devils came out of the timeout on fire and rallied to take set two, 25-23, and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Duke jumped out to an early 9-3 lead in set three, before the Paladins came roaring back to tie the set at 14. The teams then traded points until Duke managed three-straight points to force a Furman TO with the score at 19-16. Furman cut the lead to two out of the timeout, but couldn’t manage to get any closer, as Duke took set three 25-21 and the match, 3-0.
Furman is back in action on Friday night as they face Winthrop in the Battle for South Carolina in Rock Hill, S.C.
No. 16 Michigan State 3, Samford 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The electricity could barely be contained inside the Pete Hanna Center on Saturday, August 30, as the Samford University volleyball team gave No. 16 Michigan State University all they could handle before eventually falling 3-1.
The Bulldogs' offense was slow to get going in the first two sets due to untimely miscues but rallied in third to take the set 33-31 over the nationally ranked foe.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the third and the Spartans held a 22-19 lead before Samford made its' move. A Chelsi Carter service ace brought the Bulldogs within two points and fellow senior Michaela Reesor tied the set at 23-23 shortly after with a monster shot from the outside.
SU carried the momentum from the rally and feed off the energy from the raucous crowd in attendance to put the set away.
Samford attempted to maintain the energy it created in the fourth set but the Michigan State depth showed as they fought back to take the set and the match 25-19.
Carter finished the match with 27 digs while Reesor tallied 15 kills on 53 attempts. Sophomore Erika Pifer notched another great night with 43 assists.
Allyssah Fitterer paced the Spartan offense with 16 kills on 26 attemps while Rachel Minarik tallied 35 assists.
The Bulldogs return to action on September 5, when the team travels to Highland Heights, Kentucky to compete in the Northern Kentucky University Tournament.
Northern Arizona 3, Chattanooga 0
Chattanooga 3, Houston Baptist 2
HOUSTON, Texas – The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team claimed a 3-2 win over Houston Baptist Saturday night in Houston, Texas at the Husky Classic. Junior Catherine Chason (Alpharetta, Ga.) was also named All-Tournament for her three-march performance at libero.
The Mocs jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, winning the first two sets 25-16 and 25-23, but the Huskies stormed back to tie the contest 2-2, 25-23 and 25-19. UTC was able to put HBU away in the fifth set with a convincing 15-7 score to pick up the team’s first win of the season.
Junior Sarah Batterton (Colbert, Wash.) paved the way for the Mocs offense with 19.5 total points. She recorded a team-best 18 kills while fellow junior Julimar Alvarado (San Juan, Puerto Rico) followed up with a 15-kill, 16-point performance. Kristy Wieser (Lincoln, Neb.) and Briana Reid (Houston, Texas) both posted double-digit kill performances with 12 each.
Chattanooga was held to 38 points by Northern Arizona, falling 3-0 in its first Saturday match. NAU defeated the Mocs 25-17, 25-18 and 25-17.
Reid led the Mocs with 8.5 points on eight kills and an assisted block. Sophomore Nicole Sumida (Hixson, Tenn.) followed up with 7.5 points on six kills and a block assist.
Chason was named to the all-tournament team at the close of the weekend series after leading the Mocs with 52 digs, averaging 4.33 digs per set from the libero position.
The Mocs return to Maclellan Gym for the first time in 2014 Tuesday to open its home schedule against Kennesaw State. UTC hosts the Owls for a 6 p.m. match for the program’s first “Mocs Fly Together” event. Students, student-athletes and staff members are all encouraged to attend the team’s only midweek match of the year in an effort to “Pack the Mac.”
Eastern Kentucky 3, Western Carolina 0
ORLANDO, Fla. - Seniors Jordan Timmermann and Caitlin Piechota recorded double-digit kills to pace Western Carolina as the Catamounts dropped their finale to Eastern Kentucky, 3-0, in the Radisson UCF Invitational at The Venue at UCF Saturday evening. EKU won the match by counts of 30-28, 25-15, and 25-19.
Piechota paced the team with a .310 attack percentage, tallying the 10 kills with just one error in 29 total attacks. The Batavia, Ill., product added six digs for the Purple & Gold. Timmermann added five digs and a pair of block assists for WCU.
Western Carolina (0-3) twice had set-point in the opening set but was unable to put the Colonels away. EKU scored three-consecutive points down 28-27 to take the early lead with a 30-28 victory. The Catamounts trailed most of the second set as EKU broke open a 6-6 frame with a 10-to-2 run to claim the 10-point victory, 25-15.
In the third set, Eastern Kentucky led by only two, 19-17, late in the third set before scoring four unanswered to put the match away. Julia Mindlina's service ace polished off the set, 25-19, and the match.
Defensively, libero Elyssa Mulheron recorded a team-high 14 digs while setters Jo-Leigh Vervelde and Cristina Nazario had eight digs to go along with 15 assists apiece. Nicole Ford finished with one solo block and three block assists to lead all players at the net in the match.
Eastern Kentucky (3-1) had two players record double-doubles with Alexis Plagens tallying 10 kills and 11 digs and setter Abbey Cvelbar with 35 assists and 15 digs. Rachel Vick added 10 kills for the Colonels while Dena Ott chipped in 13 digs.
Western Carolina plays road matches at Georgia State (Sept. 3) and at High Point (Sept. 7) before opening play at home in the Ramsey Center on Sept. 9 against in-state foe, Charlotte.