Wofford 3, Samford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Led by a match-high 13 kills from sophomore Bella Santoro, the Wofford volleyball team impressed the home crowd with a three-set sweep of defending Southern Conference Tournament champion Samford (25-22, 25-18, 25-18), Friday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
It was Samford’s (7-6, 2-1 SoCon) first loss of the conference season after opening with home wins over Mercer and UNCG. The Terriers (8-10, 1-2 SoCon) earned their first league win, doing so against a team they hadn’t beaten since the Bulldogs joined the Southern Conference in 2008.
Santoro was effective on both sides of the ball Friday night, hitting .242 and racking up eight digs. She didn’t record an ace, but her jump serve was in all night, making it difficult for Samford to run its offense.
Santoro was the lone Terrier to reach double figures in the kill column, but not for a lack of efficiency. Sophomore outside Alex Holland bolstered the attack with eight kills at .238 and freshman middle Colleen Reilly hit .333 with seven kills. Four of Reilly’s seven came in the final set on six swings with no errors.
Graham went for a match-high 15 digs and found an ace as part of a 4-0 Terrier run to begin the second set.
Wofford outhit Samford .202 to .112, holding the Bulldogs to their lowest hitting percentage since August 29 at Auburn. The Terriers also bested the opposition in aces (4-0) and digs (39-38), while blocking was level at five apiece.
Wofford rode a surge of momentum into the second set, scoring the first four points with the help of a Santoro kill and a Graham ace. The lead extended to 10-5 and, with Samford head coach Derek Schroeder refusing to call timeout, Wofford began to run away with it, going on top by as many as eight at 18-10 off another Santoro kill. It was too much for the Bulldogs to overcome and Wofford cruised to a seven-point set victory and a two-set lead in the match.
In the third set, Wofford used a 5-0 run to create separation late, 20-15, going on to take the set and the match on kills by Holland and Reilly.
The Terriers close out their three-match homestand next Wednesday, when they welcome defending regular season champion Furman to Benjamin Johnson Arena. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
Chattanooga 3, Mercer 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team clinched a 3-1 win over Mercer in Maclellan Gym, making the squad 4-0 in Southern Conference play. UTC improves to 15-2, the best start in school history, and is on an 11-match winning streak, the longest since 1999.
Chattanooga came out in the lead with a 25-15 first-set victory. The Bears fought backing claiming a tight second 25-22. The Mocs posted strong performances in the third and fourth frame, winning 25-17 and 25-11.
Junior Allie Davenport (Tyrone, Ga.) kicked off the third set with a kill and two service aces in a row. Senior Briana Reid (Houston, Texas) also scored two aces back-to-back in the second.
UTC recorded 9 blocks and a .203 attack percentage, with sophomore Madison Bergren setting the squad 44 times.
Junior Kristy Wieser the offense by racking up 15 kills and a .385 hitting percentage.
Freshman Miranda Elpers and senior Catherine Chason paced the team in digs, recording 18 and 17 respectively.
The Mocs make a road trip to South Carolina for two SoCon matches next weekend facing Furman Oct. 9 at 6 p.m.in Greenville, S.C., and The Citadel Oct. 10 at noon in Charleston, S.C.
Furman 3, The Citadel 1
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Despite trailing 23-22 late in the fourth set, Furman volleyball rallied to defeat The Citadel, 3-1 (25-13, 21-25, 25-12, 25-23) on Friday evening in Charleston, S.C. The win moves the Paladins to 10-4 on the year and 4-0 in SoCon play, while giving head coach Michelle Young her 300th career victory. The loss drops the Bulldogs to 6-13 and 0-3 in SoCon play.
Christen Sikora led all hitters with 16 kills, adding 10 digs and two blocks to her stat line. Annie Bierman and Taina Joseph each put down 15 kills, while Bierman added a team-high 19 digs. Jo Wilks dished out 50 assists and Carris Campbell and Amelia Bohlander tied a team-high with five blocks. Furman hit .352 for the match while holding The Citadel to a .137 hitting percentage.
Furman again opened up an early lead in set three at 5-0, forcing a Bulldog timeout. Payton Frappier continued to serve strong for the Paladins, pushing Furman’s lead to 8-0 before The Citadel finally got its first point of the set. The Paladins kept their foot on the gas pedal, pushing the lead to 10 at 16-6. The teams traded points until Furman pushed the lead to 11 at 20-9. The Paladins finished the set on a 5-3 run for a 25-12 win and 2-1 match lead.
The teams traded points early in set four, until four-straight points by The Citadel forced Furman to call a timeout trailing 12-10. The Bulldogs stretched their lead to five at 17-12, but the Paladins were able to cut it to three at 18-15, then to two at 19-17, forcing The Citadel to take a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Paladins rallied to tie the set at 19, behind blocks from Carris Campbell. Furman then continued to hold the momentum, taking a 22-20 lead and forcing The Citadel to call its final timeout of the set. Out of the timeout, The Citadel came storming back to retake the lead at 23-22, forcing Furman to call its final timeout. Out of the timeout, the Paladins capitalized on a Bulldog error and used three-straight points to take the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-1.
Furman is back in action on Oct. 7, traveling to Spartanburg, S.C., for a midweek matchup with Wofford.