Chattanooga 3, Stetson 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball defeated Stetson 3-0 Friday night to open the Scenic City Showdown tournament at Maclellan Gym, improving to 6-7 on the season. Freshman Eden Murray earned her first career start and led UTC to the win with six kills and five blocks.
Murray tied for the team lead in blocks with junior Lauren Gainer, and sophomore Allie Davenport led the Mocs with nine kills. Defensively, both sophomore Kristy Wieser and libero Catherine Chason totaled 12 digs. Sophomore Anne Bachmann collected a team-best 18 assists at setter.
Chattanooga’s first set saw the Hatter hit -.027, winning the frame 25-15. The 10-point win came with the Mocs jumping out to a 2-0 lead and never letting it slip. Chattanooga pieced together pieced together nine multi-point runs, including a four-point rally with Chason back to serve – including one ace from the junior.
The Mocs were most effective on the attack in the second stanza, hitting .438 against Stetson. A tighter set, with the lead changing three times and the score tied 13 times, the Hatters took the first point. Near the half-way point, the teams were knotted at nine-all courtesy of a five-point rally from the visitors. UTC then went on a run of its own, taking the next seven of 11 scores following a timeout to claim an 18-17 advantage. Gainer nailed down the contest with a set-point kills on a serve from Stetson’s McKenna Foster.
Once again, the Chattanooga defense stayed strong in the final frame to hold the Hatters to a .000 hitting percentage. With Stetson taking the lead only once, the Mocs claimed the final game of the matchup 25-18 to insure its third home win.
In other action, UT Martin defeated South Carolina State 3-1 in the Showdown’s 3 p.m. match.
All four teams are back in action Saturday as Stetson and UT Martin square off at 10 a.m. The Mocs host South Carolina State at 12:30 p.m., and SCSU takes on Stetson at 4:30 p.m. UTC faces UT Martin in the tournament’s finale at 7 p.m.
Western Carolina 3, Elon 0
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - For the third-straight match, the Western Carolina volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep of its opponent. The Catamounts opened up play at the Deacon Classic hosted by Wake Forest University with a match against former Southern Conference foe Elon University. WCU outlasted the Phoenix in the first set 26-24 before dominating the second set 25-13. The final set was a 25-21 come-from-behind victory for the Cats.
The last time the Catamounts swept three-straight matches was during the 2003 season. WCU improves its 2014 record to 6-5 while the Phoenix fell to 4-8.
Senior Caitlin Piechota and freshman Jo-Leigh Vervelde led the Catamounts with nine kills each. Piechota added 14 digs, three blocks and a service ace. Vervelde had 13 assists, five digs, three blocks and a service ace.
Senior's Addy George and Jordan Timmermann added seven kills each. George also had three blocks while Timmermann had 13 digs and a pair of blocks. Junior setter Cristina Nazario picked up a double-double with 21 assists and 12 digs while adding three service aces. Junior libero Elyssa Mulheron finished with 13 digs and a pair of service aces.
The Catamounts jumped out to a 14-8 lead in the first set but the Phoenix responded with a 10-1 run to take their first lead of the match. A few moments later trailing 20-16, the Catamounts stormed back with a 6-0 run on the serve of Mulheron that included one ace. The set continued its trend of runs as the Phoenix rebounded to take a 24-22 lead. With the set on the line the Catamounts once again responded with a 4-0 run to take the set 26-24. The set finished with a pair of blocks by Piechota and Katie O'Connor.
WCU opened the second set with a 9-1 run and never looked back as the Catamounts never trailed in the set and took a dominating 25-13 victory in the period.
The Phoenix took the early advantage in the third set as Elon got off to a 10-4 start. The Catamounts trailed almost the entire set but a late 10-3 gave WCU the 25-21 third set victory and 3-0 match win.
Elon was led by Kayla Agae who had 13 kills and 10 digs.
The Catamounts will return to action tomorrow with matches against host Wake Forest and Winthrop. Winthrop defeated Wake Forest 3-1 Friday evening.
Samford 3, Lamar 1
OXFORD, Miss. – The Samford University volleyball team secured a 3-1 victory over Lamar University in the first game of the 2014 Rebel Classic on Friday, Sept. 19, at the Gillom Sports Center. Sophomore Erin Bognar led the charge with a career-high 20 kills on 42 attempts (.333) in the match.
The Bulldogs (4-6) dropped the first set to the Cardinals (0-10) 22-25 after the team posted a .171 attack percentage. Samford went back and forth with Lamar and eventually held the lead late 21-20 in the set but LU rallied for a 5-1 run to close out.
Samford didn't waiver in their strategy despite giving up an early lead to Lamar
SU bounced back and took the next three sets 25-16, 25-20 and 25-19 to close out the match. The Samford offense picked it up in the second set and never relinquished the lead as the team improved its attack percentage to an impressive .480 and recorded 15 kills on just 25 attempts with only three errors.
Bognar and Michaela Reesor combined for five kills each in the set.
Bognar continued pace the offense in the third set as she notched seven kills on 10 attempts (.700) while Reesor followed suit with four kills and three service aces. The Bulldogs jumped on in front early thanks to two Reesor service aces.
Lamar made a late push in the third set and took an 18-17 lead but Samford would not be denied as the team struck for an 8-2 run to end the set and took a 2-1 lead in the match.
Senior Chelsi Carter scratched out 14 digs in the match to go along with three services aces while sophomore Erika Pifer tallied 38 assists.
Samford compiled 15 service aces as a team in the match.
Ole Miss 3, Samford 0
OXFORD, Miss. – The Samford University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to the University of Mississippi on Friday, Sept. 19, at the Gillom Sports Center. Sophomore Erin Bognar paced the Bulldogs offense for the second straight match with 13 kills on 28 attempts (.214) in the effort.
Samford (4-7) started the match strong and Bognar was the hot hand that led the way but Ole Miss (12-0) hit its stride and captured the initial set 25-17. Bognar tallied six kills on eight attempts (.625).
The Rebels carried its momentum from the end of the first set right away into the second as the team tallied 10 kills, a service ace and four blocks to take the second set 25-15. SU committed 11 attack errors in the set that hindered the offensive production.
Ole Miss's offense committed only five attack errors on the night and zero in the third set as the Rebels tallied 13 kills on 20 attacks (.650). Samford committed a total of 25 attack errors on 104 total attempts on the night.
Senior Chelsi Carter picked up 10 digs while Erika Pifer notched 32 assists in the effort. The Ole Miss offense pitched in a balanced effort but was led by Lexi Thompson who recorded nine kills on 14 attempts (.571).
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. versus Jackson State University for the last day of the 2014 Rebel Classic at the Gillom Sports Center.
Wofford 3, Tennessee Tech 0
USC Upstate 3, Wofford 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team hosted day one of The Spartanburg Courtyard Classic on Friday at Benjamin Johnson Arena, earning a three-set sweep over Tennessee Tech before dropping a rough five-setter to USC Upstate.
Wofford (4-7) won its most lopsided set of the season in what was the team’s home opener against Tennessee Tech (4-9). The Terriers won the first set 25-12 and cruised to a three-set victory (25-12, 25-23, 25-21), led by freshman Danni Densford’s 11 kills and .667 attack percentage (11-1-15). Freshman Alex Holland also blasted 11 and hit an impressive .474, while senior Taylor Baird led the match with 13 kills, hitting .154.
Wofford and USC Upstate (7-5) put on a show In front of a great turnout of students Spartanburg-area fans for the nightcap. The Terriers won the first two sets, each by scores of 25-21, but could not finish the match. Upstate won a close third by three and grabbed all of the momentum, completing the comeback in five (25-21, 25-21, 22-25, 19-25, 12-15).
Bella Santoro – the reigning Southern Conference Freshman of the Week – tied a career-high with 23 kills against the Spartans. She had 14 digs to earn her second straight double-double and fourth of the season and was joined in double figures by Baird’s 14 kills and 13 from Holland. Freshman Molly Mayo had an impressive 62 assists, while four Terriers reached double-figure digs, led by junior Jessica Graham’s season-high 30.
The Terriers will look to rebound from the tough loss with two matches on Saturday. Wofford’s day gets started at 12:30 p.m., against NC A&T (0-13), followed by the final match of the tournament, scheduled for 8 p.m., against Gardner-Webb (4-9).
Densford and Holland posted 11 kills apiece to lead Wofford to a three-set victory in its first ever meeting with Tennessee Tech.
Densford played the role of closer, hitting an error-free .875 with seven kills in the final set. Holland did most of her damage early, going for five kills in the first. The freshmen duo combined to .559 (22-3-34) on the afternoon.
Baird registered a match-high 13 kills and hit .154. Mayo finished with a match-high 37 assists and junior Jessica Graham earned a match-high 19 digs.
Wofford dominated the opening set thanks to five kills apiece from Holland and Baird. Tied at two, the Terriers scored nine of the next 11 points to go on top 13-4 and never looked back. Holland finished the set with her fifth and final kill.
Tennessee Tech responded in the second, tying the set nine times and leading 23-20 in the late stages. Wofford answered with the final five points, getting kills from junior Liz Buterbaugh and Baird before scoring set point with an ace off the hand of sophomore Ellie Tallman.
The third played close but Densford was too overpowering for the Golden Eagles. The middle hitter tallied a set-high seven kills on eight attempts and put the Terriers in front 16-10. The Golden Eagles used a 5-1 run to cut the margin to just two, but it was as close as they would get. Wofford went on to score five of the next six and open up a 22-17 lead to earn the sweep on Baird’s 13th and final kill of the match.
USC Upstate showed its experience by coming back from two sets down to roll off the third, fourth and fifth sets and defeat Wofford inside Benjamin Johnson Arena for the first time since September of 1993.
The team of four junior starters kept its cool after dropping back-to-back 25-21 decisions in sets one and two. In fact, USC Upstate never trailed in any set the rest of the match. The Spartans led wire-to-wire for a 25-22 win in set three, and Wofford only ever managed to tie a few times in the fourth and fifth.
The tiebreak was level at 6-6 when Upstate rolled off five straight to grab an 11-6 advantage. The Terriers then scored five of the next six points to get within one, 12-11, on Santoro’s 22nd kill of the match, but Upstate responded with kills by Shannon Weiss and Emily Koelling to earn three match points at 14-11. Santoro’s 23rd kill followed to save the first match point, but the freshman was then put in a pressure situation and served the final point of the 2 hour, 7 minute affair into the net.
When all was said and done, three Terriers had finished with double-figure kills and four earned double-figure digs. Wofford outplayed Upstate in nearly every statistical category, but fell victim to itself with 16 service errors, which ultimately cost it the match.
Wofford was rolling to begin the contest. After a few early ties and lead changes, the Terriers scored five straight to go in front 12-8, forcing an Upstate timeout and never trailing the rest of the set. Santoro had a set-high seven kills and the Terriers were good on offense, earning 19 of their 25 points with kills and hitting .234 for a comfortable four-point win.
Upstate took the first significant lead of the second. After neither side led by more than two through the first half of the set, the Spartans took the first three-point lead at 17-14 with one of Weiss’s team-high 12 kills. The Terriers came right back after a timeout, getting five straight points with the help of a Santoro kill and four Spartan errors to lead 19-17. Weiss then got Upstate back to within a point on an ace at 21-20, but Wofford ended the set on a 4-1 run, closing it out with a Baird kill and an ace from Buterbaugh.
It all fell apart. Despite Upstate hitting just .121 in the third set, Wofford was never able to grab a lead. Ten of the team’s 16 service errors came through the final three sets, including five to begin the unraveling in the third. Every time the Terriers started to sniff any sort of momentum, Upstate shut the door. The Spartan fans in attendance got behind the comeback and it made for a competitive atmosphere, which ultimately saw Upstate walk away victorious.
Eastern Kentucky 3, The Citadel 0
The Citadel 3, Norfolk State 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel volleyball team earned a split in the first day of action at the Carolina Classic following a four-set victory (25-19, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23) over Norfolk State. The Bulldogs avenged an earlier setback to Eastern Kentucky, who earned a sweep by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-11.
Bailey Kernodle was the bright spot for The Citadel (5-8) in the win over Spartans, finishing with 15 kills and 11 digs as she notched her third double-double of the season. Ise d'Angelo was also a major contributor with nine kills and seven digs.
Rachel Keefer piloted The Citadel's offense with 37 assists, while Lauren Hurt and Dominique Williams were responsible for six assisted blocks apiece. Those blocks helped Hurt become the all-time assisted blocks leader (207), surpassing Jessica Maas and Jessica Maxwell, and total blocks leader (294), previously a mark held by Lindsey Hodge, in program history.
Norfolk State (0-11) countered with a front row attack that included Jessica Johnson (14 kills) and Tori Tulensru (11). Noelle Eagles was the catalyst for the defensive attack with 14 digs, while teammate Darcy Moore completed a double-double with 40 assists and 11 digs.
The Citadel battled through eight ties in its first 15 points before assuming a 17-15 lead on a series of unforced Norfolk State errors. The lead eventually reached seven points, with Samantha Espy in serve, as the Bulldogs took the opening set following a series of late kills by d'Angelo.
Leading 13-12 the Bulldogs used a 6-2 run, which included two kills by Kernodle and Hurt, to stretch their lead to 19-14 in a tightly-contested second set. From that point The Citadel capitalized on three Norfolk State unforced errors and a pair of strikes by d'Angelo to win the second set.
Norfolk State grabbed momentum early in the third set when it jumped out to a 10-2 lead with Moore in serve. The Citadel retaliated by scoring 15 of the next 25 points, including two strikes by d'Angelo and Dominique Williams, as it narrowed the gap to 20-17. The Spartans completed the victory due behind timely kills by Dominique Parker, Adriana Ramos and Jessica Johnson.
In the fourth set, The Citadel trailed by as many as six points before rallying to take a 21-20 lead. With the match deadlocked at 23, consecutive kills by Megan Sowell helped the Dogs earn the victory.
Eastern Kentucky used a balanced offensive attack to earn a 3-0 victory over The Citadel in the first match of the afternoon.
The Colonels had 44 kills as a team, including nine by Alexis Plagens and eight from Rachel Vick, while the defense was highlighted by Dena Ott (10 digs).
The duo Bailey Kernodle and Dominique Williams led The Citadel with six kills, respectively. On defense, Lauren Hurt continued to climb up the Bulldogs' all-time list of career solo blocks as she recorded her eighth of the season. This places Hurt five shy of Lindsey Hodge for third place on the all-time list.
In the first set, Abbey Cvelbar allowed Eastern Kentucky to stretch a two-point lead to 12-6 with a series of service aces. The Citadel responded with a 6-3 run, including three kills by Kernodle, trimming the margin to 15-12. The Colonels allowed just five Bulldog points down the stretch and used two kills each by Vick and Ally Peters to complete the win.
Plagens provided the critical point early in the second set as the Colonels eventually grabbed a 15-9 lead. An unforced error by Cvelbar put The Citadel into double figures, but it was not enough as Eastern Kentucky used two kills each from Ciera Koons, Johanna Boyer and Plagens to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set proved to be the difference for Eastern Kentucky, who cruised to a victory due in large part to a .414 attack percentage. The Colonels used strong service games by Plagens and Sanks to build a 23-9 lead. Plagens was also a focal point of the offense with four kills as EKU finished with 15 kills in the decisive set.
The Bulldogs complete the tournament on Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. match against host South Carolina.
Miami (FL) 3, UNCG 0
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The UNCG volleyball team opened the Hurricane Challenge Friday evening, falling to host and ACC member Miami 3-0 (21-25, 20-25, 14-25) inside the Knight Sports Complex. The Hurricanes improve to 6-4 with the victory while the Spartans drop to 7-4 as the start of Southern Conference play looms next weekend.
Freshman outside hitter Ashley Muench led the way offensively for UNCG with seven kills. She made just one error in 15 attempts for a .400 hitting mark. Junior libero Katherine Santiago paced the defensive efforts with 12 digs.
Miami recorded 42 kills as a team and hit .312 while the Spartans managed a .153 showing with 29 kills in 85 attempts and 16 errors. The Blue and Gold won the defensive battle with 34 digs as compared to the Hurricanes’ 30 but Miami notched nine blocks and limited UNCG to just one.
The first set started out close with neither team taking more than a two-point lead in the early goings. UNCG assumed an 11-9 advantage when senior middle Vicky Harley put down a kill, but Miami responded with a 7-4 run to edge in front 16-15 on a Mackenzie Moughon service error. The Spartans took timeouts trailing 18-16 and 20-17, but could not quite make a comeback as the Hurricanes clinched the frame 25-21.
The Blue and Gold was forced to call for timeout early in the second stanza when an ace put Miami in front 7-3. The Hurricanes pressed and extended the cushion to 11-5 before an 8-4 run drew UNCG to within 15-13 – prompting a Miami timeout. With the Hurricanes leading 20-15, the serve of senior middle Kelsey Sidney helped the Spartans rattle off four straight scores to make it a one-point affair. The Blue and Gold came as close as 21-20, but the hosts captured the final four rallies to escape 25-20 and take a 2-0 advantage into the intermission.
The Hurricanes went up 5-0 in the first set and led 9-3 before UNCG used its first timeout. The Spartans got within 13-9 on an attacking error, but Miami proved to much in the end, securing the sweep by a 25-14 margin.
UNCG ends its weekend of play Saturday morning, taking on SEC power Missouri at 11 a.m.
Ball State 3, ETSU 1
VCU 3, ETSU 0
RICHMOND, Va. – The ETSU volleyball team suffered a pair of setbacks on day one of the VCU Invitational on Friday.
The Bucs began the day with a four-set loss to Ball State (25-12, 26-28, 14-25, 15-25) and was swept by tournament host VCU (21-25, 12-25, 18-25) in the nightcap inside the Siegel Center.
Following the pair of losses, ETSU’s record dipped to 4-9 on the season.
Despite starting strong and winning the opening set in dominate fashion, the ETSU volleyball team was unable to sustain the course as Ball State rallied for a four-set win.
The Bucs finished with a season-high .264 attack percentage (48-15-125), but just like they were haunted by inconsistent serving Tuesday night at Tennessee State, unforced errors continued to be the storyline in ETSU’s setback Friday afternoon.
As a team, the Blue and Gold totaled 15 unforced errors (nine service and six ball handling errors), while also allowing the Cardinals to post five service aces.
Senior Meredith Hardy (Kingsport, Tenn.) totaled a team-high 11 kills, while junior Khadijah Wiley (Columbus, Ga.) hit .438 (9-2-16) and added seven blocks.
The Bucs got off to a fast start and finished with a flurry of points as ETSU won the opening set, 25-12. The Blue and Gold won the five of the first six points, and after Ball State pulled within three, 15-12, ETSU rattled off 10 unanswered scores to claim the 13-point win. As a team, the Bucs hit .440 (14-3-25) in the first set, while Bethany Gesell (High Point, N.C.), Jamie Rutledge (Kingsport, Tenn.) and Wiley were a perfect 5-for-5 in their attempts. Ivey Rice (Johnson City, Tenn.) led the Blue and Gold with four kills in the opener, while Gesell posted three.
Following a seesaw battle in set two, the Bucs were unable to take a 2-0 lead in the match as Ball State evened things up with a 28-26 win. After playing from behind the majority of the frame, ETSU took its first lead of the set when an attack error by the Cardinals gave the Bucs a 19-18 advantage. From there, the set saw seven more ties, and even after serving for set point at 24-23, ETSU couldn’t pull out the comeback win as Ball State won five of the final seven points to earn the two-point win. Overall, the set consisted of 12 ties and four lead changes.
Ball State carried momentum out of the break and led from start to finish en route to posting a 25-14 win in the third.
The early stages of the fourth set were evenly played, but with the Cardinals leading by one, 9-8, Ball State registered six unanswered points to gain control of the set by going ahead by seven, 15-8. From there, the Blue and Gold were only able to pull within six points as Ball State closed out the match with the 10-point victory, 25-15.
The Cardinals were led by Mackenzie Kitchel’s 14 kills and Jenna Spadafora accounted for 45 of Ball State’s 51 assists.
Ball State moved to 5-6 with the win.
Kalah Jones recorded a match-high 14 kills and Cecilia Aragao finished with a double-double (33 assists/10 digs) as VCU swept ETSU to wrap up day one of the VCU Invitational on Friday night.
The Rams out-hit the Bucs, .323 to .062, while also finishing plus-15 in kills, 41-26. ETSU, who entered the match as one of the top blocking teams in the country, were out-blocked, 7-3, in the setback.
Individually, Ivey Rice led the Blue and Gold with eight kills on a .207 attack percentage, while Meredith Hardy and Khadijah Wiley extended their block streaks. Hardy finished with a block and has now recorded at least one block in 106 consecutive matches, and Wiley added a pair of blocks and has accomplished the feat in 44 straight matches for the Bucs. Rice and Katie Muey (Alexandria, Ind.) both totaled 10 digs.
The Rams set the tone early as they never trailed in the first set and won the opener, 25-21. VCU won five of the first six points, and after pulling within two at 18-16, ETSU was unable to get over the hump as the Rams held on for the four-point win.
In the second set, VCU led 6-4 and used a 15-5 run to open a 12-point lead (21-9), before finishing things up with the 25-12 victory.
The third set went back and forth early on, but with ETSU leading 11-10, the Rams mounted an 11-2 surge to take over and eventually ended the match with their 25-18 win.
The Rams improved to 3-7 on the campaign.
ETSU concludes play at the VCU Invitational on Saturday as the Bucs face Virginia at 1 p.m.
Memphis 3, Mercer 1
Austin Peay 3, Mercer 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Junior Molly Locke piled up 24 kills and 17 digs on Friday as the Mercer volleyball team dropped two matches to start the Lady Vol Classic. The Bears fell to Memphis 3-1 (27-29, 25-18, 25-23, 25-18) before losing to Austin Peay 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-19).
Mercer's losses dropped the team to 3-8 on the year while Memphis moved to 8-4 and Austin Peay jumped to 6-9 after Friday's action.
Locke's team leading seventh double-double of the year featured 17 kills and 11 digs in the day's opener against Memphis. Later, Locke came back to collect seven digs and six digs against the Lady Govs.
Mercer got the day off to a strong start as the Bears were able to break away from a 27-27 tie against Memphis for a first set win. Locke was paramount in the victory, notching nine kills in the frame including the final two set-clinching scores.
Late in the second set, the Tigers used a 7-2 run to gain separation and ultimately even the match at 1-1. In the third set, Memphis was able to gain the upper hand after finishing the stanza on a 6-3 surge. In the final frame, the Tigers took an early 10-5 lead and never trailed the rest of the way.
Freshman Claire Walizcek and sophomore Hannah Noon split time at setter, tallying 21 and 18 assists, respectively. Sophomore Tori Penrod led the way in the dig department, registering 18 in the losing effort.
In the first set against Austin Peay, the Lady Govs scored six-straight times to turn a 16-16 tie into a 22-16 lead. In the second frame, Mercer held a slim 20-19 edge when Austin Peay scored three consecutive times to go in front. Things were tight midway through the third set as well, but an 8-2 charge by Austin Peay put the match out of reach.
Sophomore Ellie James and junior Monica Johnson joined Locke with seven kills in the loss. Noon totaled a team-high 14 assists while Penrod added 13 digs on the back line.
Mercer concludes its showing at the event against Tennessee on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.