Furman 3, South Carolina 2
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Behind career days from Ashton Gregory, Christen Sikora and Meg DeMaar, Furman volleyball downed South Carolina, 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 21-25, 25-21, 17-15), on Saturday morning in the third game of the Carolina Challenge, held at Winthrop’s Winthrop Coliseum.
Gregory put down a 21 kills, tying a career-high set last year against the Gamecocks. She led the Paladins with a .326 hitting percentage and added five blocks. True freshman Christen Sikora tallied 16 kills and 10 digs for her first career double-double, while adding three blocks.
Annie Bierman added her third double-double of the season with 11 kills and 16 digs, while Amelia Bohlander was one shy of a career-high tying kills mark with 12. Jo Wilks dished out 59 assists with 16 digs for her first double-double of the season, while Meg DeMaar added a career-high 32 digs.
The teams traded points early in set one, before Furman used an 8-1 run to take a 10-4 lead. The teams continued to trade points until South Carolina cut the lead to two at 14-12, forcing a Furman timeout. The teams again traded points until the Paladins stretched their lead to three at 21-18, prompting a South Carolina timeout. The Paladins were able to hold on to their lead, never letting the Gamecocks closer than three, taking set one, 25-21.
Set two was another tight one from the get go, as the teams went back and forth until Furman took a 12-11 advantage, leading to a South Carolina timeout. The teams continued to trade points until the Paladins stretched their lead to two at 19-17, causing South Carolina to take their second timeout of the set. The teams again traded points until it was the Gamecocks who eventually outlasted the Paladins, 25-22, tying the match at one.
The Gamecocks took an early lead at 12-7 in set three, prompting Furman’s first timeout of the set. The teams traded points, but the Paladins couldn’t get any closer than two, as South Carolina took set three 25-21, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The teams traded points in set four, before South Carolina took an 11-10 lead. The teams traded points until South Carolina took a four point lead at 20-16, prompting a Furman timeout. The Paladins clawed back to tie the set at 20, then finished the set on a 5-1 run, taking set four 25-21, and forcing a fifth set for the second-straight match.
The Paladins came out of the gate with all the momentum in the fifth set, taking a 6-2 lead, forcing a South Carolina timeout. The Gamecocks battled back to cut the Paladin lead to one at 8-7, then the teams traded points until Furman took their final timeout of the day. With the score tied at 15, Furman used consecutive kills from Ashton Gregory to take set five, 17-15, and down the Gamecocks, 3-2.
Furman 3, Clemson 2
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Behind the play of outside hitters Annie Bierman and Christen Sikora, Furman rallied from an 0-2 hole to top Clemson, 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-18, 25-22, 15-9), in the Paladins final game of the 2014 Carolina Challenge at Winthrop. With the win, Furman moves to 3-3 on the year while handing Clemson its first loss to put the Tigers at 6-1 on the season.
Annie Bierman led the Paladins with 18 kills and 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the year, while Christen Sikora turned in 15 kills for her second double-digit kill game of the day. Ashton Gregory and Amelia Bohlander each added nine kills, while Jo Wilks dished out 48 assists. Payton Frappier tallied 11 digs and Meg DeMaaAr added 25.
Set one was tight from the opening serve. After an Annie Bierman service ace and an Ashton Gregory kill, Clemson called the first timeout of the set, trailing 15-14. The teams then traded points until Clemson took a 21-20 lead, prompting Furman’s first timeout of the set. The Paladins fought back to take a 22-21 lead, forcing Clemson to use their second TO. The Tigers then fought back themselves take a 23-22 lead, prompting Furman to take the final TO of its own. After an Annie Bierman kill tied the set at 23, Clemson finished the set on a 2-0 run to take set one, 25-23.
The second set was all Tigers, as Clemson opened up a 12-7 lead, prompting Furman to call its first timeout of the set. The Tigers continued their strong play in the set, not allowing the Paladins to get any closer than six. Clemson would finish the set with two consecutive kills, taking set two, 25-18 and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Paladins came out with a vengeance in set three, jumping out to a 10-5 lead. They continued to pour it on against the Tigers, extending their lead to 16-10. The Tigers tried to claw their way back into the set, cutting the Furman lead to four at 20-16, but the Paladins closed out set three on a 5-2 run taking set three, 25-18, making the match score 2-1.
The teams traded points early in set four, until a Jo Wilks ace stretched Furman’s lead to 11-7 and forced Clemson to take its first timeout of the set. The Paladins continued to dominate, opening up a 19-13 lead. The Tigers again tried to claw its way back into the set, cutting the lead to four at 21-17. Clemson cut the lead to three at 23-20, but the Paladins were able to hold on to the three point lead, taking set four 25-22 and forcing a fifth set.
Set five was all Paladins. With the score tied at three, Furman used a 6-0 run to open up a 9-3 lead. Clemson would get no closer than four as the Paladins took set five, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.
Furman is back in action on Tuesday as it hosts Gardner-Webb at 7:00 p.m. in the 2014 home opener.
UNCG 3, Howard 1
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Senior middle hitter Vicky Harley exploded offensively for the second-straight match, leading the UNCG volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 25-20) victory over Howard at the Liberty Invitational inside the Vines Center.
Harley hit a sizzling .714 in the match with 15 kills on 21 attempts with no errors. She broke the Vines Center facility record for hitting percentage while also tying her career high in blocking with 10 (four solo). The .714 mark also surpassed the previous program single-match record for four sets.
Offensively, sophomore outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn compiled 14 kills, three blocks and a pair of aces. She also contributed seven digs on the defensive end. Freshman outside Anna Romaniszyn registered 10 digs and two aces while junior defensive specialist Leah Wells chipped in with two aces of her own.
Sophomore setter Sara Hohman tallied her third-straight double-double, notching 33 assists and 11 digs. She also added three block assists and an ace.
Freshman defensive specialist Cayce Bell played the libero position for the final three sets and did nicely, racking up a team-high 13 digs.
With most statistical categories ending up even, UNCG (4-1) arguably won the match with its offensive by out-hitting the Bison (2-4) .138 to .063. The Spartans tallied more kills (47-35) but made one more error than their counterparts. The teams also combined for 28 service errors.
In a contest between two statistically-potent blocking squads, both sides ended up with 14 total blocks. It was the fourth-straight match in which the Spartans piled up double-digit stuffs.
With the score knotted at four in the first set, UNCG went on a 4-0 run thanks to four Howard errors to establish some early breathing room. A kill by Romaniszyn kept the Blue and Gold in front 12-8 and prompted the Bison to call timeout for the first time in the match. Howard called timeout again with the Spartans leading 20-16 before an attacking error by senior middle hitter Kelsey Sidney allowed the Bison to draw within 22-21. A bad set by the Howard setter and a Harley kill gave UNCG set point at 24-21 and a service error would end the set 25-22 in favor of the Spartans.
The Blue and Gold fell behind 10-6 in the second stanza and, as a result, used a timeout. UNCG pulled within 10-9 on a Harley kill, but the Bison stretched the advantage to 17-12. The Spartans could not recover at that point as Howard tied the match with a 25-20 margin of victory in the frame.
The teams played to a 7-7 deadlock in the third set before the Spartans ripped off an 8-0 run behind the serving of Romaniszyn to take full control of the frame. UNCG took leads of 19-9 and 23-14 on the way to a 25-17 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Liberty 3, UNCG 2
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The UNCG volleyball team grabbed a 2-0 lead over host Liberty Saturday night, but the Flames fought back for a 3-2 (25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 18-25, 8-15) victory to end the Liberty Invitational. The Blue and Gold entered the match 2-0 and had a chance to clinch a share of the tournament title with Murray State.
The Flames (5-3) hit .409 in the final set while limiting the Spartans (4-2) to a .083 clip.
Redshirt junior middle Julia Westerbur (College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated), led five UNCG players in double figure kills with a career high-matching 13. She made just two errors for a final .500 hitting mark. Sophomore outside Jessica Brezwyn (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South), senior middle Kelsey Sidney (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette HS), senior middle Vicky Harley (Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood) and freshman outside Ashley Muench (Hurdle Mills, N.C./Orange) all chipped in with 12, 11, 11 and 11 kills respectively.
Harley was named to the Liberty Invitational All-Tournament Team after a stellar weekend in which she hit .446 and averaged 3.36 kills and 1.57 blocks per set.
Sophomore setter Sara Hohman (Zionsville, Ind./Cathedral) turned in a double-double for the fourth-straight match, registering 52 assists and 12 digs.
In the back row, freshman defensive specialist Cayce Bell (Creedmoor, N.C./South Granville) tallied a career-high 20 digs while classmate and defensive specialist Anna Romaniszyn (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek) chipped in with 13 of her own.
The teams played to an 8-8 deadlock in the first set before a pair of aces by junior defensive specialist Leah Wells (Statesville, N.C./Catawba Valley CC) sparked a 4-0 run to give UNCG some breathing room. Liberty tried to stop the momentum with a timeout but it proved ineffective as the Spartans extended their lead to 17-10. The Blue and Gold reached set point at 24-17 and Westerbur ended the set with a kill.
UNCG continued its high level of play in the second set, racing out to a 7-2 lead and prompting a Flame timeout. Liberty rallied to within 16-14 but, after a timeout, the Spartans scored four of the next five points to establish a 20-15 edge. The Blue and Gold allowed the Flames just two more points in the set as UNCG took it 25-17 on a Westerbur kill.
Liberty broke open the third set with a 5-2 run which gave the Flames a 12-8 edge in the third stanza. The Spartans used two timeouts but could not stop the Liberty momentum. A kill by Caroline Douglas made the score 15-8 and the Flames looked to cruise from there. UNCG had other ideas however, using a 13-7 run to draw within 22-21. A kill and an attacking error proved the downfall for the Spartans, however, as Liberty took the third frame 25-22.
The Blue and Gold trailed early in the fourth set 8-5, but took a 12-11 lead when Sirena Vorster committed an attacking error. Liberty rallied to move back in front 18-14 and did not relinquish the lead – sending the match to a deciding set with a 25-18 margin of victory.
The Flames raced to a 4-1 lead in the fifth set, forcing a timeout from the UNCG bench. Hohman produced an ace to bring UNCG to within 9-8, but Liberty ended the match on a 6-0 run to complete the rally.
The Spartans open their home schedule next weekend, hosting the Spartan-Aggie Invitational at Fleming Gymnasium. UNCG will begin the tournament Friday, Sept. 12, against Alabama A&M at 7 p.m.
Samford 3, Eastern Michigan 2
SIU Edwardsville 3, Samford 1
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Samford University volleyball team split in the final day of the NKU Invitation after taking the first match 3-2 over Eastern Michigan University in the early bird match before falling to Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville in the afternoon session 3-1.
On a shorts night rest and an early 10 a.m. match against Eastern Michigan the Bulldogs (3-3) pulled together and persevered to emerge victorious.
The first two sets of the match were both similar and opposite in several ways as the Bulldogs fell behind early then battled back to tie each one.
In the first set the Eastern Michigan jumped out in front early 4-0 before Samford could rally and tie it at 17-17. The Eagles responded to close out the set 25-21. Set two was similar in the fact that EMU jumped out again early forcing SU into a come from behind role. This time however the Bulldogs did respond and took set two from the Eagles 25-23.
The Bulldogs blocking effort really stepped up in the second set of the match as the team and Russell and Reesor led the way. Russell tallied six block assists and 10 kills while Reesor notched three block assists and one solo block that ended the match in the fifth set.
Reesor pounded 25 kills in the match to pace Samford's offensive efforts while sophomore Gabbi Greenwald tied her career-high with 14 kills.
Senior libero Chelsi Carter recorded five service aces and 24 digs while sophomore Erick Pifer tallied 55 assists.
In the evening event, against SIUE, the Bulldogs found itself in another back and forth grind it out match.
The Cougars hit a blistering .522 in the first set and recorded 15 kills on 23 attempts with only three errors while Samford tallied a .046 with only seven kills on 22 attempts and three errors.
SU responded in the second set thanks to solid defensive play and Reesor's attacking prowess where she tallied seven kills on 15 attempts (.538) in the set alone. Reesor finished with 18 total kills in the match to go along with two block assists.
SIUE finished the match with an overall .350 attack percentage and was led by Kristen Torre who tallied 18 kills on 27 attempts (.630).
Greenwald turned in another solid match with 11 kills on 23 attempts (.348) while Kiahna Wicks notched four block assists.
Samford sets it sights now on the Seminole Classic hosted by Florida State University on Friday, September 12, at 10 a.m. against the University of Central Arkansas.
ETSU 3, Lehigh 0
Maryland 3, ETSU 1
FAIRFAX, Va. – The ETSU volleyball team picked up a split on the final day of the Patriot Invitational as the Bucs swept Lehigh (25-18, 25-22, 25-17) to wrap up the tournament and win their third match of the season. Earlier on Saturday, the Blue and Gold dropped a 3-1 decision to
Maryland (16-25, 25-18, 16-25, 23-25) inside the George Mason Recreation and Athletic Complex.
After securing a split on Saturday, ETSU saw its record move to 3-4 on the season.
Looking to bounce back from a four-set loss earlier in the day to Maryland, the Bucs started fast and never looked back, sweeping the Lehigh Mountain Hawks to close out this weekend’s play at the George Mason Patriot Invitational.
Junior Khadijah Wiley led the Bucs with 10 kills on 13 attacks and was trailed closely on the offensive end by teammates Rylee Milhorn and Meredith Hardy, who each totaled nine kills apiece. Senior Katie Muey led ETSU’s stingy defense with a single-match career-high 33 digs.
The Blue and Gold stormed out of the gate, accumulating a 7-3 advantage in set one off of a defensive stop by Wiley and senior Jamie Rutledge. Following a timeout, Lehigh crept back into the fold, trailing 8-7, but the Bucs answered with a 5-0 run to pull ahead, 14-7. ETSU kept its foot on the gas, never relinquishing a lead of less than four points before ending the set, 25-18, on a kill by Milhorn off of an assist by Rutledge.
Set two featured tightly-contested play with back and forth action early. Midway through the set, the Bucs attempted to separate from the Mountain Hawks, building up a three-point advantage (15-12) off of a Wiley and Milhorn block. As this continued and match point loomed, Lehigh fought back to get within two points, 23-21. The Bucs then held strong to fend off the LU attack and ended the set, 25-22, on a Wiley kill via a Rutledge assist.
Holding the momentum, the Blue and Gold attempted to run away with the match early in set three. ETSU accumulated a 9-4 advantage on a kill from Wiley, but Lehigh again showed fight. The Mountain Hawks pulled within two, 12-10, off of a kill by Whitney Krantz and aimed to send the match to the fourth set. The Bucs had other plans and mounted a 9-2 surge to pull ahead, 21-12. ETSU kept the pressure on LU and capped off the set with a kill from Ivey Rice off of a feed from Kristen Favre to win 25-17 and sweep Lehigh.
ETSU held a 43-32 kill advantage over LU and also finished with 40 assists, compared to 32 for the Mountain Hawks. In addition, the Blue and Gold held a 69 percent team attack percentage and registered three service aces.
Lehigh was led by Stephanie Slater who posted nine kills. LU was also aided by Amy Matula with 16 assists and Mariah Brantley with 20 digs.
The Mountain Hawks dropped to 3-5 on the season.
Rylee Milhorn finished with a career-high 20 kills, but it wasn’t enough to lift the Bucs past Maryland as the Terrapins defeated ETSU in four sets (16-25, 25-18, 16-25, 23-25) on Saturday at the Patriot Invitational.
Milhorn was the lone Buccaneer player to record double-digit kills as Meredith Hardy (Kingsport, Tenn.) was second on the team with four. Milhorn also added six digs, three blocks and two service aces for the Blue and Gold.
Maryland led wire-to-wire in the first set and used an 11-3 run early in the frame to control the tempo as the Terrapins finished with the 25-16 win. With the Bucs trailing 6-4, Maryland mounted its run to push the lead into double figures at, 17-7. ETSU was able to cut its deficit to six, 19-13, forcing the Terrapins a timeout after Khadijah Wiley and Jamie Rutledge combined for a block, but the Bucs were unable to inch closer as Maryland pulled out the nine-point win.
The Bucs returned the favor in the second set as ETSU never trailed and evened the match at one with a 25-18 victory. With the score tied at four, the Blue and Gold rattled off six unanswered points to go ahead, 10-4. From there, ETSU quickly pushed its lead to 10 when Rutledge and Hardy combined for a block, giving the Bucs an 18-8 advantage. The Blue and Gold eventually led by 11 at 20-9 and 21-10, and ETSU secured the win when Wiley and Rutledge connected on another block.
Unfortunately, Maryland again led the entire third set and despite a late Buccaneer rally in the fourth, ETSU fell to the Terrapins in four sets.
In the third, Maryland won 10 of the first 15 points and eventually built a nine-point lead (19-10) before taking the frame by the same margin, 25-16.
The fourth set was tight early on but with the score knotted at six, the Terrapins won four straight points to take a 10-6 advantage. Maryland eventually led by six (16-10), but strong serving by Ashleigh Shain propelled the Bucs back into the set as ETSU got within one, 17-16; however the Blue and Gold couldn’t get over the hump. The Bucs were within a point on two additional possessions, but with the Terrapins ahead, 23-22, Maryland won two of the final three points to close out the match.
Maryland held ETSU to a .000 (32-32-127) attack percentage, while the Terrapins were plus-16 in kills, 48-32. The Bucs ended with a season-high eight service aces, but inconsistent play proved to be ETSU’s achilles.
The Terrapins were led by Chavi St. Hill and Hailey Murray as they combined to hit .530 (21-3-34), while Carlotta Oggioni finished with 43 assists and eight digs.
Maryland kept its unblemished record intact as the Terrapins improved to 5-0 with the win.
The Bucs continue their road swing as ETSU heads to Nashville next weekend for the Lipscomb Invitational. ETSU opens play against Utah on Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern.
Stetson 3, The Citadel 1
Charleston Southern 3, The Citadel 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Intercity foe Charleston Southern got the best of The Citadel on Saturday evening as the Buccaneers earned a 25-15, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17 victory over the Bulldogs to complete The Citadel Invitational. The outright tournament title went to Stetson who completed a three-match sweep of the two-day event.
Charleston Southern (3-3) completed the four-set win behind the play of offensive standouts Siraya Windsor (22 kills), Meredith Parrott (14) and Kylie Klein (six). Collectively CSU ended the match with 57 kills and a .295 attack percentage. Those three, combined with performances by Kirsten Struksnes (18 digs) and Taylor Allman (16 digs) helped improve the Bucs to .500 on the season.
Meanwhile, The Citadel (2-4) was led by Moriah Smith who tallied a team-high 17 kills to go along with six digs. Smith was the Bulldogs as the lone representative on the all-tournament team. Teammate Mallory Moore finished with nine kills, while Lauren Hurt chipped in six. The steady play of Amanda Rudnik provided the Dogs with 18 digs, while Rachel Keefer added 40 assists.
The Bucs grabbed the lead early in the first set an established a 14-7 lead following a service ace by Struksnes. CSU eventually stretched the lead to 10 after a Parrott strike against the Dogs' defense, allowing The Citadel to only pull as close as seven throughout the remainder as they completed a 25-15 win.
The Bulldogs rallied in the second set forcing 11 ties through the first 32 points as the set reached a 16-16 deadlock. A unforced error by CSU coupled with an ace by Moore gave the Cadets a two point advantage. However, Charleston Southern answered by scoring eight of the next 11 points, due in large part to six points in serve by Parrott to take a 2-0 lead on a 25-21 victory.
In the third set The Citadel overcame a series of early ties to move in front 16-14 on a CSU attack error. Rudnik provided a four-point cushion for The Citadel as they assumed a 20-16 lead. A series of kills down the stretch by Moriah Smith, Hurt and Gracie Barnes gave the Dogs a 25-19 win.
Charleston Southern's offense returned to form in the third set as the Bucs streaked out to an 8-4 lead on a kill by Klein. The Dogs quickly trimmed that deficit to one, before a 10-2 run highlighted by kills from Parrott and Windsor stretched the margin to 19-11. Two kills by Moriah Smith and one off the hand of Lauren Hurt was not enough to hold off the Bucs who won 25-17 in the decisive set.
The Stetson front row tandem of McKenna Foster and Shelby Connors drove home 14 kills apiece as the Hatters downed The Citadel in four sets by scores of 25-18, 25-23, 22-25 and 25-15.
Stetson, who improved to 6-1 overall, also took advantage of solid offensive performances by Madison Akins (nine kills), Tiffany Creamer (six) and Erika White (six). Alexa Drost made the biggest impact on the Hatters defense with 18 kills, while Kayla Weller handed out 45 assists.
The Citadel offense was highlighted by the performances of Dominique Williams and Moriah Smith who drove home 11 kills each. Moriah Smith completed her second double-double in the last four matches with 13 digs, while senior Amanda Rudnik anchored the back row with 17 digs. Rachel Keefer sparked the Dogs' offense with 37 assists.
In the first set the two teams reached a 15-15 deadlock following a kill by Williams before Stetson rattled off seven unanswered points with Akins in serve. The Hatters took advantage of five unforced errors to move in front 22-15. Stetson closed out the 25-18 win on a series of kills by Foster and Connors.
The Citadel rallied from a series of three-point deficits to knot the second set at 10-10 on a kill by Ise d'Angelo. Stetson again pieced together a run, this time highlighted by four kills by Tiffany Creamer, to assume a 19-14 advantage. A late surge by the Bulldogs that included offensive strikes by Moriah Smith, Bailey Kernodle and Keefer eventually tied the score at 22-22. Stetson forged back in front on an unforced error before earning the 25-23 victory.
The evenly-matched teams continue to force a series of ties in the third set, battling to a 19-19 deadlock on a kill by Kernodle. The Citadel used a kill by d'Angelo to take the lead and following a strike by Moriah Smith the Bulldogs provided themselves a cushion they would not relinquish. The Citadel took advantage of two Stetson errors and a Moriah Smith kill to complete the 25-22 win.
Stetson established itself early in the fourth set, streaking out to a 10-5 lead behind the service game of Akins. The lead eventually ballooned to seven, 15-8, but a brief Citadel rally behind kills by Gracie Barnes and d'Angelo trimmed the deficit to 17-14. The Hatters, sensing another Bulldog comeback, again turned to Akins who accounted for five points down the stretch of the 25-15 triumph.
The Citadel returns to action on Sept. 11 when they face S.W. Missouri State at the Alabama State ISTAP Collegiate Cup. The first-ever meeting with the Redhawks is set for 6 p.m.
Wofford 3, N.C. Central 0
Wake Forest 3, Wofford 0
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wofford volleyball team split its final day of matches at the Deacon Invitational on Saturday, defeating NC Central in three sets and falling to host Wake Forest in the same fashion.
The Terriers (2-4) were led by senior Taylor Baird in the win over NC Central (0-8), who matched her season-high of 22.5 and registered a match-high 17 kills. Against the Deacons, freshman Bella Santoro posted a team-high 11 kills and hit .333.
At the conclusion of Saturday’s matches, freshman setter Molly Mayo was named to the Deacon Invitational All-Tournament Team. Mayo had 109 assists in 10 sets played, averaging 10.9 assists per set, including a weekend-high 45 assists against Presbyterian.
Wofford travels to Clemson for its third preseason tournament next Friday and Saturday. The Terriers will face Tennessee State, William & Mary and host Clemson at the Clemson Classic.
Senior Taylor Baird matched a season-high of 22.5 points on 17 kills and five aces, leading the Terriers to their second victory of the season over NC Central.
Baird hit .355 on 31 attempts and the Terriers were dominant with a team mark of .372. Freshmen Bella Santoro and Alex Holland had seven and six kills, respectively, and Holland hit .455. Meanwhile, junior Liz Buterbaugh was error free with four kills on six attempts, finishing the match hitting .667.
Freshman Molly Mayo set the entire way and assisted 32 of Wofford's 40 kills. Graham went for a match-high 15 digs and Wofford outblocked the Eagles 5-3. Holland and freshman Danni Densford registered three block assists apiece.
Kelsey Murphy led the Eagles with six kills, heading an attack that struggled to hit .053.
Wofford got it going from the onset, putting down 11 kills in the first and hitting .280, compared to -.020 for the Eagles. Baird and Santoro notched four kills apiece and attacked at a .429 clip. The Terriers were even on point with their serve, earning four aces, including two by Densford.
Wofford trailed just once in the first at 2-1, but scored five of the next six points to lead 6-3. The big run came mid set, scoring eight straight to go up 19-7. Densford served during the run, where she found both aces, and redshirt freshman Alyse High capped it with a kill.
Wofford turned up its offense in the second, hitting a match-best .500 (13-2-22), led by five kills from Baird and four from Holland. Again, NC Central held a brief lead in the early stages, but Wofford rattled off four straight to go up 9-7. The Eagles hung around and even led for a second time at 12-11, until Wofford went on a 10-0 run – its largest of the match. Baird had three kills on the run and Holland put down a pair, pushing the Terriers ahead 21-12.
Baird capped Wofford's victory with eight kills in the third. The reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week was set 16 times and had three aces in the set. Trailing 4-2, Wofford scored seven of the next eight points for an 11-5 lead. The six-point margin remained intact at 18-12, and Baird served four straight points with two aces. Freshman Tierney Flaherty made her collegiate debut and earned her first kill to make it 22-12, and Buterbaugh put the match away.
The Demon Deacons won a hard-fought first set and the Terriers could not catch up. The host team hit an impressive .463, outpacing Wofford’s mark of .216 and blocking eight Terrier attacks.
Santoro led Wofford with 11 kills and hit .333. Densford continued her impressive start to her collegiate career with seven kills and a .357 attack percentage. Buterbaugh had her best attacking match of the season with eight kills at a .385 clip, and also earned three blocks.
Mayo completed the match with 32 assists, five digs and two aces.
Santoro led Wofford with five kills and no errors in the first set. Densford also attacked without any errors, notching four kills on seven attempts. As a team, the Terriers hit an impressive .308, but Wake Forest countered by hitting .375. Matalee Reed and Ashlee Rusk were perfect on their attack attempts, with Reed earning five kills and Rusk tallying three.
Wofford kept it close the whole way. The Terriers tied the set for the first time 6-6 and weathered a 4-0 Wake run to tie it up again at 12. After the Deacons pushed their lead back to a pair, Santoro slammed a kill and Baird found the baseline with an ace to level the score once more at 15. Santoro came back with another kill and the Terriers took their first lead at 17-16 off a thunderous block from Densford and Mayo. Wofford held the lead for the final time at 19-18, before Wake used a 5-1 run to grab ahold of the set.
The Terriers trailed the whole way in the second as Wake opened on a 6-0 run. Holland put down her first of two kills to put Wofford on the board, and the set got as close as three when Graham connected on an ace to make it 8-5. Wake responded with a 3-0 spurt and Coach Sweet called time with his team trailing by seven at 15-8. Holland, Santoro, Baird and Densford all added kills the rest of the way, but Wake proved too much and took the second by 11.
Wofford got a 10-minute break to talk things over and seemed to benefit from it. Densford gave the Terriers the lead with the set’s opening point and Wofford was tied 8-8 when Santoro served and earned a kill. A 5-0 Wake run ensued, but the young Terriers held tough and used a 7-1 run to take a 15-14 lead. Buterbaugh went for three of her six kills in the set during the run – she hit .714 (6-1-7) in third – and Wofford was digging up every attack Wake Forest could muster. Another Buterbaugh kill made 16-15 Terriers.
Wake called time and regrouped, stopping the Wofford run by scoring four straight to go up 19-16. Another 5-0 Deacon run followed, ending the match in three.
College of Charleston 3, Chattanooga 2
Belmont 3, Chattanooga 0
ATHENS, Ga. – The Chattanooa Mocs volleyball team found itself winless Saturday evening with losses to College of Charleston and Belmont on the final day of the Bulldog Invitational.
The Mocs took College of Charleston to five set Saturday morning, falling 3-2 to the Cougars. CofC improved to 3-3 while UTC fell to 1-5 with the loss (25-18, 25-27, 22-15, 25-22, 11-15).
Chattanooga had three register double-digit kills. For the third set in a row, Kristy Wieser (Lincoln, Neb.) posted the team’s best with 17 kills, while Sarah Batterton (Colbert, Wash.) and Allie Davenport (Tyrone, Ga.) followed up with 12 and 11, respectively. Wieser also added 10 digs to her day’s total.
Catherine Chason, with 16, and Brianna Guzinski, 15, were Chattanooga’s dig leaders. Nicole Sumida led the Mocs with six assisted blocks and two solo blocks.
There were a total of 12 lead changes and 23 tied scores in the match. The second set turned into a nail-biter as the two teams were all knotted up at 22-22. Back-to-back kills from Batterton and Julimar Alvarado pushed the score to 25-24 in favor of the Mocs, but the Cougars went on a three-point run to claim the middle frame.
The Mocs then fell 3-0 (13-25, 23-25, 14-25) to Belmont to close out the Athens, Ga., tournament. The Bruins were able to limit UTC offensively, holding it to 25 total kills and a .072 hitting percentage. Belmont only allowed 34 points.
Wieser was once again the kills leader, this time with seven, and Davenport registered five. Wieser also led the defense with 13 digs while Chason finished with 10. Sumida and Batterton both came up with two blocks, as well.
Chattanooga’s best chance came again in the second set as the score was tied 20-20. Batterton gave UTC a one-point lead, 21-20, and the Bruins tied the score 21-21. The lead swapped once more before the set came to a 23-23 tie, but a service error and two attacking errors gave Belmont the set win.
The Mocs return to Chattanooga Friday to host the Chattanooga Classic. UTC is set to play three matches over the two-day invitational. Mississippi Valley State, Wright State and Murray State are set to visit the Scenic City for the tournament.