Furman 3, Clemson 2
Clemson 3, South Carolina 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Behind tournament-MVP Jo Wilks’s 12.54 assists per set, Furman volleyball downed Clemson and South Carolina on Saturday to win the Carolina Classic, hosted in Alley Gym by the Paladins.
Furman opened the tournament’s second day with a 3-2 (25-22, 26-28, 23-25, 25-13, 15-12) win over the Tigers, then closed out the day with a 3-1 (25-14, 28-30, 25-17, 25-22) win over the Gamecocks. This is Furman’s second consecutive Carolina Classic win, after going 2-1 in 2014 when the tournament was hosted by Winthrop.
Wilks totaled 114 assists on the day (12.67 assists per set) and helped the Paladins out-hit their opponents .242 to .142 (133 kills to 107 kills). The senior from Union Grove, Wisc., added 22 digs and three aces on Saturday. Annie Bierman led the Paladins in kills on Saturday, putting down 33 for a 3.67 kills per set average, while Christen Sikora added 31 kills and earned All-Tournament honors. Taina Joseph also earned All-Tournament honors, while Amelia Bohlander totaled 19 kills on the day and added a team-high-tying 8 blocks, including five against South Carolina.
In Saturday night’s Carolina Classic Championship match, the Paladins came out with all the momentum, taking a 1-0 lead against South Carolina after a dominant 25-14 set victory. Set two was tight from the opening serve, as the teams traded points until Furman earned match-point at 24-22. South Carolina used a furious comeback to tie the match at 24, then the teams traded points until South Carolina used two-straight to finally end the marathon set, 30-28, and tie the match at one.
The Paladins were able to hold off any form of a South Carolina comeback in the third set, taking it 25-17 for a 2-1 match lead. The teams again traded points in set four, until South Carolina took a 20-19 lead. The Paladins rallied, however, to regain the lead at 21-20. Then, with the score tied at 22, Furman used kills by Taina Joseph and Christen Sikora to take the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-1.
The Paladins are back in action next weekend as they travel to Bowling Green, Ky., for the Holiday Inn University Plaza Invitational, hosted by Western Kentucky.
UNCG 3, Tennessee Tech 2
UNCG 3, North Florida 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Trailing two sets to one to Tennessee Tech Saturday afternoon, the UNCG volleyball team won the fourth set and rallied from a big deficit in the fifth to pull out a 3-2 (25-15, 23-25, 19-25, 15-13) victory at the DISH Tennessee Classic inside Thompson Boling Arena. UNCG ended its stay at the DISH Tennessee Volleyball Classic in its second match with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-19) sweep of North Florida inside Thompson Boling Arena.
The Spartans went 3-1 during the event to improve to 5-2 overall and capture runner up honors of the five-team event while the Ospreys dropped to 4-3.
The UNCG outsides were very solid in the match as junior Jessica Brezwyn and sophomore Ashley Muench turned in identical offensive lines – 15 kills on 31 attempts with three errors for a .387 hitting percentage. Freshman redshirt middle hitter Jasmine Jones had another spectacular performance as well, hitting .455 with seven kills and three blocks. She was named to the all-tournament team as she averaged 2.44 kills per set, 0.69 blocks per set and hit .309 in the four matches.
Defensively, senior Katherine Santiago completed a fine weekend with 13 digs in the three sets. She averaged an outstanding 5.06 digs per set with 81 total. Freshman defensive specialist Christina Gregory added nine digs to the cause.
The Blue and Gold makes its home debut Tuesday welcoming intra-Triad rival High Point to Fleming Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. first serve.
Samford 3, Tennessee State 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Samford University volleyball team saved its best for last as they rallied to defeat Tennessee State University 3-2 after falling behind 0-2 in the first two sets on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Klein Hall.
Samford (2-2) faced its first five set challenge of the season and was locked into a 10-10 tie in the final moments with Tennessee State (0-4) until senior Emily Meitz and junior Gabbi Greenwald stonewalled the Tigers attack with a block to go up 11-10.
The Bulldogs had their best offensive outing of the season as the team hit .306 compared to the Tigers (0-4) .222 average on the match. Redshirt freshman Katie Neisler stepped up in her first collegiate match to record 19 kills on 43 attacks (.302). Neisler was one of four on the team to post double-digit kills in the victory: Krista Boesing (17), Emily Meitz (14) and T.J. Russell (11) each provided offensive support in the match.
Samford righted the ship with a convincing 25-15 win in the third set and took away the strong TSU serve by only allowing one service ace in the set. The Tigers recorded a total of 12 service aces in the first two sets of the match.
Meitz took over the fourth set for the Bulldogs as she recorded 7 kills on only 8 attempts for an astounding .875 hitting percentage. Samford needed to earn every point in the set but the team eventually took it 27-25 to force the deciding fifth set.
The Bulldogs return to action on Friday, Sept. 11, to take on McNeese State in the South Alabama Tournament at 4 p.m.
ETSU 3, CSU Bakersfield 0
Troy 3, ETSU 1
TROY, Ala. – The East Tennessee State University volleyball team split a pair of matches in the final day of the Troy Invitational Saturday at Trojan Arena. The Bucs swept CSU Bakersfield, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-17), but dropped a four-set decision to Troy, 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 17-25, 19-25). With the split, ETSU’s record moves to 3-3 this season.
Against CSU Bakersfield, after a kill by Briana Allmon to give the Bucs a 4-3 lead in the second set, ETSU never relinquished the lead as it went on to take the frame, 25-20. Rylee Milhorn, Allison Humes and Wiley each had three kills to lead the Bucs.
The Buccaneers continued to roll in their second match of the day against Troy. After the Trojans scored the first point, ETSU scored six of the next seven to grab the lead and never gave it up as it went on to take the first set, 25-15. ETSU hit .577 with 17 kills in 26 attempts in the frame.
The fourth set was all about runs put together by the Trojans. Troy had a pair of 4-0 runs along with a 5-0 run to take the fourth and deciding set, 25-19. Milhorn and freshman AJ Lux (Shelbyville, Ind.) led the Bucs with four and three kills, respectively. Milhorn finished the match with 15 kills and 16 digs.
The Bucs will return to action Sept. 11-12, when they compete in the Clemson Classic in Clemson, S.C. ETSU will take on Clemson, USC Upstate and Presbyterian in the Classic.
The Citadel 3, Gardner-Webb 2
Southeast Missouri State 3, The Citadel 2
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Citadel volleyball team split the competition on Saturday, defeating Gardner-Webb and falling to Southeast Missouri State at the Runnin’ Bulldogs Classic hosted by Gardner-Webb inside Paul Porter Arena.
The Bulldogs (2-5) dropped their first set to Gardner-Webb and responded with back-to-back wins in sets two and three, 26-28 and 25-22, respectively. The Citadel posted eight unanswered points in the third set to take an early 13-4 lead. After a loss in the fourth set, the blue and white solidified their win in the fifth, 15-12.
Sophomore Moriah Smith earned her first double-double of the day with a match-high 33 digs and 17 kills.
Senior captain Rachel Keefer posted a match-high 35 assists and 17 digs for her second double-double of the season.
The Citadel claimed the first two sets against Southeast Missouri State, 25-23 and 28-30, before dropping the final three, losing the match 3-2.
Smith earned her second double-double on the day with a match high 27 kills and 18 digs. Senior Bailey Kernodle followed suit, posting 16 kills and 12 digs.
The Bulldogs will return to action next weekend in Asheville, North Carolina as they take on Alabama A&M, UNC Asheville, South Carolina State and New Orleans at the UNC Asheville Tournament.
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Wofford 3, Alcorn State 0
Wofford 3, Alabama A&M 0
CENTRE, Ala. – The Wofford volleyball team completed a 4-0 weekend with three-set sweeps of Alcorn State and Alabama A&M to win the JSU Gamecock Invitational on Saturday at Cherokee Arena.
Wofford (5-3) got the day started at 9 a.m. Central Time with a 25-19, 25-23, 25-13 defeat of Alcorn State (1-7). In the afternoon, the Terriers kept it going with a 25-15, 25-16, 25-21 victory over Alabama A&M (1-6), completing the tournament undefeated and earning their fifth straight win.
Sophomore setter Molly Mayo averaged 12.15 assists per set through the four matches, quarterbacking the Terrier offense the whole way and topping it off with two double-doubles. Sophomore middle Danni Densford hit .541 for the tournament, totaling 40 kills, averaging 3.08 kills per set and also coming up with six blocks. Senior libero Jessica Graham led the Terriers on the ground, diving from 59 digs (4.65 digs per set), including a season-high 18 in just three sets against AAMU.
The Terriers got the tournament started on Friday, defeating UL-Monroe in the first all-time meeting between the two programs, 3-1, and blanking host Jacksonville State, 3-0.
Wofford returns to action on Friday when it battles Tennessee in its first of three matches at the CofC Invitational in Charleston. The Terriers will then play Jacksonville and host College of Charleston on Saturday.
Chattanooga 3, Stetson 0
Mississippi State 3, Chattanooga 1
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Chattanooga volleyball team split their matches on the second day of the Maroon Classic, including a 3-0 win against Stetson and a tight loss to SEC opponent Mississippi State.
UTC's performance this weekend improved their record to 4-2. This is the most wins in the first six matches for Chattanooga since 2009.
The Mocs started the day with a 3-0 win against the Stetson Hatters, the third three-set win in a row and fourth win in a row for Chattanooga. Briana Reid and Sarah Batterton both hit double digits in kills to lead the Mocs' offense. Reid hit 12 followed by Batterton's 10. Catherine Chason guided the back row with 14 digs.
UTC put up a good fight against Mississippi State in a 3-1 match. No set saw fewer than 21 points from either team.The Bulldogs and the Mocs were head-to-head in the final game statistics. Mississippi State posted 186 attacks, while UTC had 181. The host-team recorded 89 digs, and Chattanooga followed with 88.
Batterton and Reid led the Mocs again in kills, with 16 and 15. Reid hit double-digits in digs as well, with 15. Lauren Greenspoon recorded 42 assists and was second on the team with 19 digs.
The Mocs return home for the Scenic City Showdown - Presented by Hampton Inn & Suites (Downtown Chattanooga) Sept. 11-12 in Maclellan Gym. The two-day tournament features UAB, Gardner-Webb and Austin Peay.
Western Carolina 3, George Mason 1
Howard 3, Western Carolina 1
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina volleyball team split a pair of matches at the District of Columbia Invitational Saturday. WCU won 3-1 against George Mason before falling 3-1 to host Howard. Sophomore Jo-Leigh Vervelde notched her third career triple-double against GMU and second of the season with 11 kills, 18 assists and 10 digs.
WCU moved to 3-3 on the season while George Mason fell to 2-2 and Howard improved to 1-4.
Vervelde was the lone Catamount to reach double-figure kills in the win over George Mason with her 11 while sophomore Katie O’Connor chipped in nine. Freshman Alyssa Zupan and sophomore Kaycey Cermin added eight kills apiece. Vervelde and senior Cristina Nazario each dished out 18 assists while four others had one each.
WCU was unable to get a single Catamount in double-digits in the kills category against Howard. Cermin, Kohlhagen and Zupan all had nine kills while O’Connor and Vervelde added seven.
Once again Vervelde and Nazario dished out the exact same amount of assists with 15 apiece. Vervelde and Mulheron shared the lead in digs with 16 each and Kohlhagen added 13.
Unlike the George Mason match WCU was unable to get a single ace and had 10 serving errors.
WCU won the first set 25-23 before dropping the final three sets, 25-22, 25-18 and 26-24.
The Catamounts will now travel to the University of Maryland for the final day of the District of Columbia Invitational. WCU will face both Maryland and Penn.