Samford 3, Jackson State 0
OXFORD, Miss. - It was all Samford from the start as the Bulldogs ran away with a 3-0 victory over Jackson State University on the final day of the 2014 Rebel Classic at the Gillom Sports Center on Saturday, Sept. 20. Sophomore Erin Bognar led the team for the fourth-consecutive match with an 11 kill performance to earn a spot on the Rebel Classic All-Tournament team.
Fellow sophomore Gabbi Greenwald inspired the offensive effort in the first set over the Lady Tigers (1-13) and went on to record four kills on six attempts (.667) to go along with a block. The Bulldogs (5-7) took the set easily 25-10. Junior Emily Meitz added to the effort with three block assists and two kills on three attempts
Redshirt freshman T.J. Russell cranked it up in the second set to pace the team with five kills and Bognar followed closely behind with four in kills in the 25-11 win. The Bulldogs separated themselves in the set when sophomore setter Erika Pifer held serve for eight straight points and served up three aces in the run.
JSU responded in the third set and made SU have to respond to adversity as the set was tied at one point 7-7. Greenwald and the Bulldogs held serve for eight straight points to take a 15-8 lead and eventually put the match out of reach.
Samford now prepares itself for its Southern Conference opener when the team travels to face the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga on Friday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m.
Chattanooga 3, South Carolina State 0
UT Martin 3, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team placed second at the Scenic City Showdown at Maclellan Gym, taking a 3-0 win over South Carolina State while falling 3-0 to UT Martin later Saturday night.
Sophomore Allie Davenport and junior Lauren Gainer were each named to the all-tournament team following the Mocs’ 2-1 finish. Davenport recorded 29 kills over the two-day tournament, including a 13-kill performance against UT Martin, and Gainer posted eight blocks along with 22 kills.
The Mocs began Saturday with a 3-0 win over South Carolina State. Defeating the Bulldogs 25-19, 25-18 and 25-13, UTC hit .276 in the match while holding the visitors to a .125 mark.
Junior Julimar Alvarado led the offense with 11 kills while both Gainer and junior Sarah Batterton posted 10. Junior Catherine Chason collected 19 digs and Lauren Greenspoon was the assists leader with 16.
Chattanooga’s final match of the weekend, despite being a 3-0 loss to UT Martin, included a neck-and-neck third set that brought the crowd at Maclellan Gym to its feet.
With the Skyhawks leading the match 2-0 (25-22, 25-20), UTC forced the third set to extra points to give UT Martin a run for its money. With the two teams battling back-and-forth for 12 extra points with tensions high and the fans screaming with each point scored, Martin eventually bested UTC 32-30 to take a 3-0 win.
Despite the loss, Davenport had 13 kills and sophomore Anne Bachmann steered the offense with 22 assists. Davenport also led Chattanooga with 16.0 points in the three frames.
On defense, UTC totaled 5.0 blocks, including solo blocks from Batterton, Alvarado and Gainer. Davenport also registered an assisted block, while Gainer had two.
Joining Davenport and Gainer on the all-tournament team was South Carolina State’s Kirby Anderson, Stetson’s McKenna Foster, UT Martin’s Allie Wimpey and Emily Keaton, and the Skyhawks’ Madison Bergren was named the tournament’s MVP.
In other action, Stetson defeated UT Martin 3-0 in the 10 a.m. match and the Hatters downed South Carolina State 3-0, as well. UTC, UT Martin and Stetson each finished with a 2-1 record while SCSU was 0-3 on the weekend. Decided by sets won, Martin placed first, Chattanooga second, Stetson third and South Carolina State fourth.
The Mocs are back in action Friday as they open up Southern Conference play against Samford at Maclellan Gym. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m., and East Tennessee visits for the first time since joining the SoCon Saturday at 3 p.m.
Wofford 3, North Carolina A&T 0
Gardner-Webb 3, Wofford 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team posted another 1-1 record on the final day of the Spartanburg Courtyard Classic, cruising past NC A&T in three (25-18, 25-18, 25-20) and dropping a four-setter to Gardner-Webb (25-15, 20-25, 20-25, 23-25) in the finale.
Freshman Danni Densford highlighted the day. The middle hitter posted eight kills and hit .375 against the Aggies and followed it up with seven kills and a .600 attack percentage against Gardner-Webb. She was named to the all-tournament team at the conclusion of play, hitting .385 on the weekend – the third-best attack percentage of all players in the tournament – with 35 kills.
Junior Liz Buterbaugh finished the Courtyard Classic with a tournament-best .500 attack percentage, registering 31 kills on 52 attempts. Freshman Bella Santoro led all players in kills per set (4.33), freshman Molly Mayo led in assists per set (11.00) and Wofford’s offense hit a tournament-best .228.
Benjamin Johnson Arena hosted a volleyball tournament for the first time since the Wofford Invitational in 2010. Gardner-Webb, NC A&T, Tennessee Tech, USC Upstate and the Terriers battled through nine matches for most of Friday and Saturday – one of which was held at Gardner-Webb’s campus. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were crowned tournament champion with a record of 2-1, winning the head-to-head tiebreak over USC Upstate.
Gardner-Webb’s Tyler Cockrell was named Tournament MVP, hitting .460 with 36 kills in three matches.
The Terriers continue their stretch of seven games in five days on Sunday, traveling to the campus of Gardner-Webb to take on Savannah State at 4 p.m.
Missouri 3, UNCG 1
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The UNCG volleyball team went toe to toe with defending SEC champion Missouri for the majority of Saturday’s match at Miami’s Knight Sports Complex but could not solve the Tigers in the end, falling 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 19-25, 14-25) to end the Hurricane Challenge.
Senior middle hitter Vicky Harley paced the offense with a match-high 15 kills. She made six errors in 28 attempts to finish with a solid .321 hitting mark. Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn and senior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney were next in line with nine kills apiece. Defensively, junior libero Katherine Santiago led the way with 16 digs.
Sophomore setter Sara Hohman tallied her sixth double-double of the year, recording 42 assists and 13 digs. She also picked up two block assists.
After hitting .267 and .206 in the first two sets, the Spartans fired at .053 and .000 in the final two frames to end up at .124 for the match. The Tigers finished at .267 with 52 kills and 17 errors in 131 attempts. The squads ended up tied in digs at 55 while Missouri had the better of the blocking battle 16.0-8.0.
UNCG scored the first two points of the match and led 8-5 after a miscue by Missouri attacker Emily Wilson. The Spartans kept the advantage at 13-11 after an ace by redshirt junior middle hitter Julia Westerbur but the Tigers fought back and scored six of the next eight points to assume a 17-15 edge. UNCG was not done, as an ace by Brezwyn knotted the score at 19. A kill by freshman outside hitter Anna Romaniszyn fought off one Missouri set point before a kill by Emily Thater clinched it for the Tigers 25-23.
After a deadlock at four early in the second set, the Blue and Gold scored three-straight points to establish some breathing room. Missouri briefly took the lead away at 8-7, but UNCG quickly snatched it back when Hohman notched a kill to make the score 10-8. A kill by Harley saw the Spartans take an 18-15 edge before UNCG closed it out 25-20 to tie the match.
The Blue and Gold led by as much as 10-6 early in the third stanza but allowed the Tigers to score four straight and tie things up. UNCG held its last advantage at 11-10 before Missouri ripped off a 6-1 run to seize control of the proceedings. A block drew the Spartans within 21-18 but the Tigers settled and scored four of the final five points of the set to take it 25-19.
Missouri broke a 3-3 tie with a 9-3 run which put the Tigers ahead 12-6 in the fourth set. UNCG could not recover from that point as Missouri secured the fourth set and the win by a margin of 25-14.
The Spartans will open their Southern Conference schedule with two matches next weekend. UNCG faces off against Western Carolina in Cullowhee Friday at 7 p.m. before heading to Mercer Saturday for another 7 p.m. first serve.
Tennessee 3, Mercer 2
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Mercer volleyball team battled through 26 tie scores and 10 lead changes against Southeastern Conference foe Tennessee on Saturday, but ultimately the Lady Vols were able to capture a 3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-13) victory at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Mercer’s sixth-straight loss dropped the team to 3-10 overall while Tennessee snapped a two-game slide and moved to 5-7 overall.
Junior Molly Locke compiled a match-high 20 kills while adding 11 digs. Freshman Claire Walizcek also booked a double-double, collecting 34 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore Ellie James finished just shy of her own double-double with nine kills and a match-high 21 digs.
Locke’s season-high 20 kills came on 60 attempts with just eight errors. Senior Caroline Carlton and junior Monica Johnson also had double-figure kill totals with 12 and 11, respectively.
After dropping the first set, Mercer got six kills from Locke and limited the Lady Vols to a .132 hitting percentage in the second frame to pull the match even. Mercer’s defensive effort was led by James, who racked up seven digs and a block-assist during the set.
After Tennessee claimed the third set, Mercer dug deep to win the fourth set and extend the match. The Bears used an 11-4 run midway through the frame to break open an 18-10 lead and never looked back.
Mercer’s momentum carried over the fifth set, and the Bears seemed poised to pull the upset after assuming an early 3-0 advantage. The Lady Vols came back to tie matters a 4-4, and from there the teams played evenly until the scoreboard showed a 9-9 tie.
Tennessee finally asserted control with three-straight points to go ahead 12-9. Mercer got back within two of the Lady Vols three more times, but the hosts were able to ultimately prevail 15-13.
Mercer makes its Southern Conference debut next time out, taking on the Citadel in Charleston, S.C. on Sept. 26.
Virginia 3, ETSU 1
RICHMOND, Va. – Senior Ivey Rice finished with 15 kills and 11 digs, but the ETSU volleyball team was unable to pick up another win against an ACC foe as Virginia rallied past the Bucs, 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 15-25, 22-25), on Saturday at the VCU Invitational.
After knocking off Georgia Tech last Saturday in Nashville, the Blue and Gold looked prime for another win against an ACC contender after winning the opening set, but the Cavaliers rattled off three straight set wins to cap off the comeback victory.
Joining Rice with double-digit kills was Rylee Milhorn as the freshman outside hitter tallied 10 kills, five digs and three blocks, while senior Meredith Hardy and junior Khadijah Wiley combined for a .400 attack percentage (15-3-30). Hardy totaled eight kills (.375 attack percentage) and three blocks, and Wiley added seven kills (.429 attack percentage) and three blocks as well.
The difference in the match was Virginia had 14 more attack attempts than the Blue and Gold (142-128) and the Cavaliers capitalized on those opportunities by finishing plus-15 in kills, 65-50.
Following the setback, ETSU suffered its fourth straight loss and dipped to 4-10, while Virginia improved to 7-4.
Both teams controlled different stages of the first set, but after falling behind 16-13, ETSU stepped up and rallied for a 25-23 win in the opener. The Bucs began the stanza strong as ETSU led 10-7 after Jamie Rutledge found Rice for a kill, but the Cavaliers responded with a 9-3 run to go ahead by three. Fortunately, the Blue and Gold didn’t back down as ETSU received strong serving by Milhorn and Katie Muey, and the Buccaneer duo ignited an 8-1 run to regain a 21-17 advantage. Virginia managed to inch within a point on two different possessions, but Kristen Favre connected with Hardy for set point, giving the Blue and Gold a two-point win.
However, ETSU was unable to maintain the momentum as the Cavaliers led wire-to-wire in the second and held on for a 25-22 victory, while securing a 10-point win in the third (25-15) to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Bucs fought back in the fourth, but despite holding a five-point lead midway through and by one late in the frame, Virginia rallied for the set-clinching 25-22 win. ETSU led 15-10 when Kayla Sears committed one of the Cavaliers’ 10 service aces in the match, but the Blue and Gold were unable increase their advantage as Virginia mounted an 8-3 run to tie things up at 18. From there, ETSU went ahead 19-18, but the Cavaliers won seven of the final 10 points to finish the comeback.
Virginia had three players reach double figures in kills as Tori Janowski led all players with 20 kills and 13 digs. Lauren Fuller also added a double-double, finishing with 53 assists and 11 digs.
The Cavaliers out-hit ETSU, .345 to .234.
The Bucs return to action Tuesday night as ETSU hosts Furman in its home and Southern Conference opener. First serve is set for 7 p.m. inside Brooks Gym.
South Carolina 3, The Citadel 0
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Taylr McNeil tallied a match-high 15 kills and KoKo Atoa-Williams added nine as South Carolina completed a 25-14, 25-13, 25-20 victory over The Citadel at the Carolina Classic on Saturday afternoon.
The Gamecocks (10-2) posted a .404 attack percentage in the match, driving home 43 kills while committing just seven errors. Defensively, South Carolina also converted 48 digs, led by Micael Christiaansen's 14. USC tallied 16 assisted blocks, including five coming by Jacqy Angermiller.
The Citadel (5-9) was paced offensively by the tandem of Bailey Kernodle (11 kills) and Samantha Espy (eight). Kernodle's weekend, which included 32 kills, 21 digs, two service aces and a .207 attack percentage, earned her all-tournament honors for the second time in as many weeks. Ise d'Angelo was the bright spot on defense with a team-high eight digs.
The Bulldogs held tight with South Carolina early in the first set, using three Kernodle kills to force an eventual 10-all tie. The Gamecocks answered with a 10-3 run, highlighted by three kills each from Atoa-Williams and Taylr McNeil, as they assumed a 20-13 lead. A late Citadel timeout was not enough to deter the South Carolina offense, which completed the 11-point victory.
South Carolina's offense was clicking on all cylinders in the second set behind 13 kills and a .565 attack percentage. Darian Dozier sent a series of kills past The Citadel defense as the Gamecocks established a 15-9 lead in the early going. Taylr McNeil took over from that point, uncorking four of her game-high six kills, as the Cocks took a 2-0 lead.
The Citadel, behind the service game of Amanda Rudnik, responded to the challenge with a 4-0 lead early in the third set. South Carolina reacted by scoring 10 of the next 16 points to knot the match at 10. Two kills each from Taylr McNeill and Elizabeth Johnbull highlighted an 11-6 USC run that made for a 21-16 contest. The Bulldogs closed within three points on two occasions over the remainder of the set, but USC held on to complete the five-point win.
The Citadel returns home next weekend when it begins Southern Conference play against Mercer and Wofford. The Bulldogs host Mercer on Friday at 6 p.m. before squaring off with the rival Terriers on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
Wake Forest 3, Western Carolina 1
Winthrop 3, Western Carolina 0
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Western Carolina volleyball team was unable to keep is three-match sweep streak alive as the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University and the Eagles of Winthrop University handed the Catamounts a pair of losses at the Deacon Classic Saturday afternoon. Wake Forest opened the action with a 3-1 win over WCU while Winthrop downed the Catamounts 3-0.
The losses end Western Carolina's time at the Deacon Classic with a 1-2 record. The Catamounts are now 6-7 on the year while Wake Forest improves to 9-4 and Winthrop moves to 9-6.
Western Carolina won the opening set of the day against Wake 25-20 but the Demon Deacons won the next three, 26-24, 25-17 and 25-22. Winthrop battled WCU for an opening set 25-23 win in the second match and then took a 25-23 victory in the second set and cruised to a 25-18 win in the third.
Senior Caitlin Piechota led the Catamounts against Wake Forest with 13 kills and six digs. Senior Jordan Timmermann added 10 kills, nine digs and three blocks. Classmate Brandi Anderson finished third in kills with nine while adding a pair of blocks.
Junior Cristina Nazario and freshman Jo-Leigh Vervelde continued to split setting duties. Nazario ended the opening match with 22 assists, 10 digs and a pair of service aces. Vervelde had 21 assists, 11 digs, six kills, two blocks and two service aces.
Junior libero Elyssa Mulheron led the team with 19 digs.
The Catamounts hit .286 as a team in the match while the Demon Deacons hit .315.
Senior Addy George led the Catamounts against Winthrop with 10 kills and four blocks including one solo. Piechota added seven kills and a block while Timmermann had five kills, 10 digs and three blocks.
Freshman Katie O'Connor hosted her own block party as she posted a match-high seven blocks to go along with three kills. Anderson joined in on the fun with five blocks and four kills.
Nazario and Vervelde each had 16 assists. Nazario added six digs while Vervelde had four kills, three digs, two service aces and a block. Mulheron once again led in the digs department with 20.
The Catamounts recorded 11 blocks but it was not enough to overcome the Eagles who hit .254 as a team while WCU hit .142.
WCU plays its final non-conference match of the season as the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs visit the Ramsey Center Wednesday night. The match begins at 7 p.m.