Washington State 3, ETSU 0
ETSU 3, LIU Brooklyn 1
RADFORD, Va. – The East Tennessee State University volleyball team split a pair of matches Saturday in its final day of competition in the Virginia Tech/Radford Invitational. The Buccaneers dropped a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-21) decision in their first match to Washington State but rebounded to earn their first win of the season defeating LIU Brooklyn, 3-1 (25-21, 16-25, 26-24, 25-16). With the split, ETSU’s record moves to 1-2 this season.
Washington State got out to a quick 7-0 lead in the first set and never looked back as it not only went on to take the first frame, 25-18, but it also took the next two stanzas en route to 3-0 sweep of the Buccaneers.
In the second match of the day, the Buccaneers used a balanced offense along with a stifling defense to earn their first victory of the season, 3-1. ETSU put together its best offensive performance of the season hitting .214, while totaling 15 blocks and 44 digs.
Individually, the Bucs had four players post at least seven kills in the victory: Wiley (14), McPartland (7), Allmon (7) and Rylee Milhorn (7) (Kingsport, Tenn.). Like in the first match of the day, the Buccaneers made their mark on the block. ETSU’s two middle blockers, Wiley and McPartland, combined for six solo blocks and nine block assists. Wiley matched a career-high with nine total blocks.
The Buccaneers will return to the court Sept. 4-5 when they compete in the Trojan Invitational in Troy, Ala. ETSU will face off against Alabama State Friday and will compete in a pair of matches Saturday against CSU Bakersfield and Troy.
Memphis 3, Wofford 0
High Point 3, Wofford 2
ATHENS, Ga. – A career day for Alex Holland could not lift the Wofford volleyball team to victory in either of its two matches on Saturday, as the Terriers fell to Memphis in three sets and High Point in five on the final day of the Benson Hospitality Invitational.
Holland struck for 15 kills and hit .379 in a three-set defeat to Memphis (20-25, 10-25, 20-25). In the nightcap, she chalked up a career-high 22 kills and hit .476, shattering her previous career-high of 16.
The Terriers needed just one of the final two sets to earn their first victory of the year but could not find it. High Point jumped out to large leads of 10-5 and 20-11 to run away with the fourth. In the deciding fifth, the only Terrier lead came after the set’s first point. HPU ran off the next five and Wofford never led again, succumbing to defeat on Camryn Freiberg’s 10th kill of the match (25-18, 25-23, 24-26, 16-25, 10-15).
Holland totaled 37 kills and hit .437 on the day. For the tournament, she hit .337 with 44 kills, averaging 3.67 kills per set to land on the Benson Hospitality Invitational All-Tournament Team.
The Terriers return to action on Wednesday, making the short trip down I-26 to Clinton, S.C., to take on Presbyterian. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Templeton Center.
UNCG 3, Hampton 0
UNCG 3, Fairleigh Dickinson 0
LYNCHBURG, Va. – After an uncharacteristic performance in last night’s season opener, UNCG rebounded with a solid all-around effort Saturday morning in a 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-15) victory over 2014 NCAA Tournament participant Hampton inside the Vines Center.
The Spartans committed just nine errors in the match and hit .321 with 36 kills in 84 attempts. UNCG also held the upper hand in assists (34-28), aces (9-3), digs (43-31) and blocks (8.0-2.0) while limiting the Lady Pirates to a .082 hitting mark.
Senior middle hitter Julia Westerbur and junior outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn both notched a match-high 11 kills. Defensively, senior libero Katherine Santiago posted a match-high 13 digs as the only player on either side in double figures.
UNCG recorded its second sweep of the day Saturday afternoon defeating Fairleigh Dickinson by set scores of 25-15, 25-19 and 25-15 to conclude the Liberty Invitational inside the Vines Center.
UNCG earned tournament runner up honors for the second-straight season after also finishing 2-1 in last year’s Liberty Invitational. Senior middle hitter Julia Westerbur and senior defensive specialist Katherine Santiago earned all-tournament accolades for their efforts over the weekend.
The Blue and Gold returns to action next weekend as a participant in the DISH Tennessee Volleyball Classic hosted by SEC member Tennessee. UNCG will play four matches during the tournament against Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech and North Florida.
Nicholls State 3, Mercer 2
Mercer 3, Southern 0
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Mercer University volleyball team split two matches against Nicholls State (3-2 loss) and Southern (3-0 win) in the second and final day of the Southern Miss Invite. Junior libero Tori Penrod took home All-Tourney honors for her performance over the three matches.
The first match of the day against the Colonels was a see-saw affair. Mercer grinded out an opening set victory by a score of 28-26. Nicholls St. then responded by taking the second (25-23) and third (25-21) sets to take a 2-1 lead. The Bears forced a decisive fifth set by winning the fourth (25-20). Nicholls State managed to outlast Mercer by claiming victory in the fifth (15-6) to win the match 3-2.
Mercer had its best performance of the season against Southern, cruising to a straight-set sweep of the Jaguars for its first victory of the season. The Bears raced out to a one set lead after taking the opener by a score of 25-14. Mercer capped off the match by winning the second 25-21 and third 25-18.
After having the best night of her career in the season opener against Southern Miss, Morgan MacGilvary turned in an even better performance against Nicholls State. The sophomore recorded a personal best 17 kills to lead the Bears' attack. MacGilvary also earned her second straight double-double with 10 digs. To complete her performance the Plano, Texas native added two blocks, two assists and an ace. In the second match of the day against Southern MacGilvary totaled five kills and added seven digs, an ace and an assist.
The Bears will take on three intrastate foes next week at the Georgia Challenge in Athens, Ga. Mercer plays Georgia Tech on September 3 at 4 p.m. ET before returning to action on Friday, Sept. 4 for a doubleheader against Georgia at 1 p.m. and Kennesaw St. at 4 p.m.
Samford 3, Stephen F. Austin 0
Auburn 3, Samford 1
AUBURN, Ala. – The Samford University volleyball team secured its first victory of the season with a 3-0 sweep of Stephen F. Austin University on the second day of the War Eagle Invitational inside Auburn Arena on Saturday.
The Bulldogs showed up in a big way to start the match against the Ladyjacks as the team streaked out to a 5-0 lead in the first set.
Junior outside hitter Erin Bognar flashed reasons of why she was selected to the 2015 Preseason All-SoCon Team as she went 7-of-15 (.333) from the attack line. Bognar also helped out defensively with five digs in the set to provide support for sophomore libero Morgan St. Germain.
In the second match of the day, Samford split the first two sets against SEC foe Auburn before the Tigers eventually pulled away with a 3-1 victory.
Meitz was the most efficient attacker for the Bulldogs going 9-for-16 (.438) with four total blocks. Russell followed up Meitz with eight kills and a spot on the War Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team.
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Tennessee State.
Chattanooga 3, Troy 1
Chattanooga 3, Eastern Kentucky 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team won their first two match of the season against the Troy Trojans 3-1 and the Eastern Kentucky Colonels 3-0 to close out the Chattanooga Classic.
In their first match of the day against Troy, Briana Reid led the team with 13 kills, and Sarah Batterton followed close behind with 11 kills. Reid also paced the Mocs with 16 digs.
Miranda Elpers and Rachel Petkosh had an impressive debut weekend for Chattanooga. Against Troy, Petkosh recorded the most service aces on the court with three, while Elpers posted two. Additionally, Elpers marked eight kills.
Against Eastern Kentucky, Wieser marked a .667 hitting percentage, paired with Batterton at .562.
Greenspoon and Wieser represented the Mocs on to the Chattanooga Classic All-Tournament team. Valparaiso's Taylor Graboski was named the MVP of the tournament. Graboski and her fellow teammates Morganne Longoria and Emily Campbell were named to the all-tournament team, in addition to Troy's Ali Dowdall and Eastern Kentucky's Ciera Koons.
UTC travels to Starkville, Miss., Sept. 4-5 for the Maroon Classic. The Mocs face Mississippi Valley State, Stetson and Mississippi State.
Murray State 3, Western Carolina 0
Fresno State 3, Western Carolina 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina volleyball team picked up its first two losses of the season on the final day of the Catamount Volleyball Classic Saturday inside the Ramsey Center. Sophomore Jo-Leigh Vervelde was named to the All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the day after averaging a team-high 2.37 kills per set and playing every single point of the tournament for the Catamounts.
WCU opened the day falling to eventual tournament champion Murray State, 3-0, and concluded the day with a 3-0 loss to tournament runner-up Fresno State.
Vervelde led the way against MSU with five kills, six assists and nine digs. Sophomore Kaycey Cermin (4) and freshman Alyssa Zupan (3) were the only other Catamounts to have more than one kill in the match. Junior Cristina Nazario dished out eight assists while junior libero Elyssa Mulheron led the team with 15 digs.
MSU hit .263 as a team and held WCU to its lowest hitting percentage, .000, since Sept. 11, 2012 when the team swung for -.031 against ETSU. Tournament MVP, Kristen Besselsen, led the Racers with 13 kills and a pair of blocks.
Vervelde put down a team-high eight kills and Fresno State while adding 14 assists, nine digs and five blocks. Freshman Savannah Kohlhagen added seven kills and three digs while sophomore Katie O’Connor put down a team-high six blocks. Nazario led the team with 16 assists and Mulheron dug up 11 balls.
WCU will be back in action this Tuesday, Sept. 1, against mountain rival UNC Asheville. The match starts at 7 p.m. inside the Ramsey Center and is free for all fans.
Milwaukee 3, Furman 2
Furman 3, Western Michigan 1
MILWAUKEE – Annie Bierman put down a combined 47 kills as Furman volleyball split a pair of matches in the final day of the Pepsi Panther Invitational in Milwaukee, Wisc. Furman fell to tournament-host Milwaukee early in the day, 3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 11-25, 12-15), before defeating Western Michigan 3-1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-20, 25-21). The Paladins finish the opening weekend at 1-2.
Bierman capped off a solid weekend performance with a career-high 28 kills in the win over Western Michigan, while adding 17 digs in the match for her first double-double of the year. The junior from Hamilton, Ohio, put down 19 kills with nine digs against Milwaukee. Senior Amelia Bohlander tallied 13 kills against Milwaukee, while freshman Carris Campbell added 11 against Western Michigan.
After taking two of the first three sets, Furman opened an early lead in set four, forcing a Western Michigan timeout with the Paladins holding a 10-5 lead. Western Michigan again would not go down quietly, using a 5-1 run to cut the lead to two at 21-19. Out of a Furman timeout, the Paladins outscored the Broncos, 4-2, to take the set 25-21, and the match, 3-1.
Against Milwaukee, Furman cut the lead to 13-10 in the decisive fifth set, but out of the timeout the Panthers were able to hold off the Furman rally to take the set, 15-12, and the match, 3-1.
Furman is back in action next weekend as the Paladins host Winthrop, South Carolina, and Clemson in the Carolina Classic in Alley Gym.
Coastal Carolina 3, The Citadel 1
Georgia Tech 3, The Citadel 0
ATLANTA – The Citadel volleyball team fell to Coastal Carolina and Georgia Tech Saturday at the Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Midtown Invitational hosted by Georgia Tech at O’Keefe Gym in Atlanta.
Sophomore Moriah Smith was named to the All-Tournament Team, along with Coastal Carolina’s Leah Hardeman and Eszter Nagy, Georgia Tech’s Teegan Van Gunst, UT-Martin’s Calleen Larson and Siena’s Kalehuna Katagiri.
Despite a win by The Citadel (1-3) in the second set, Coastal Carolina claimed the match 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-12, 25-12). Smith led the contest in kills with 21, contributing to her .319 attack percentage. Junior Samantha Espy and senior Rachel Keefer posted 10 digs each, while Keefer tacked on 38 assists.
The Citadel fell to Georgia Tech in the final match of the tournament, 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 15-12). Smith recorded 13 digs and six kills, while junior Megan Sowell earned six kills and eight digs.
The Citadel volleyball team returns to action next weekend as they compete in the Runnin’ Bulldog Classic hosted by Gardner-Webb in Boling Springs, North Carolina. The blue and white will take on UNC Upstate Friday at 4:30 p.m. and will compete against Gardner-Webb and Southeast Missouri State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.