FRIDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 3, Eastern Michigan 0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-21)
@Purdue 3,
Murray State 0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-19)
@Tennessee Tech 3, Western Illinois 2 (25-22, 22-25, 24-26, 25-19, 15-8)
Evansville 3,
@UT Martin 1 (25-15, 25-20, 19-25, 25-20)
Mercer 3,
@UT Martin 0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-23)
Loyola Marymount 3,
Belmont 0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-18)
Southeast Missouri 3, Toledo 1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-23, 25-20)
Southeast Missouri 3, North Alabama 0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-23)
Navy 3,
Eastern Kentucky 0 (25-17, 25-16, 29-27)
Charleston Southern 3,
Jacksonville State 1 (25-23, 25-16, 20-25, 25-21)
Jacksonville State 3, New Orleans 0 (25-16, 32-3, 25-20)
@Morehead State 3, Coppin State 0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-14)
Central Michigan 3,
Eastern Illinois 2 (22-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-17, 15-13)
@Youngstown State 3,
Eastern Illinois 1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22)
@Ball State 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-14)
@Tennessee State 3, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1 (13-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-17)
Central Arkansas 3,
@SIUE 2 (22-25, 25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 15-12)
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 3, BELMONT 0
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Belmont Volleyball battled hard in each frame but was held off in its opening contest of the Bulldog Brawl. The Bruins (1-12) fell to first-time opponent Loyola Marymount (5-5), 3-0, on Friday afternoon in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Lions jumped out to an early lead in the first frame before the Bruins were able to knot the score, 8-8, behind kills from sophomore Taylor Floyd (Louisville, Ky.) and junior Halee Van Poppel (Argyle, Texas). LMU was able to build up steam over the midpoint of the frame, expanding its lead to as many as four, 14-10, points before BU began attempting to chip away. A late 6-0 run for Loyola Marymount put the first-time opponent ahead and the visitor went on to take the set, 25-13.
LMU opened the second stanza with a 6-0 scoring run after Belmont got on the board. BU called for a huddle session after the Lions pulled ahead, 12-6, and used a kill by freshman Kailee Bass (Aurora, Ill.) to help spark some momentum. Belmont closed the scoring differential to seven points before Loyola Marymount pulled away down the stretch. BU used a quick 3-0 run to pull within eight, 22-14, but that would be as close as they would come as the Lions took the frame, 25-15.
The third set saw the Lions jump out to another fast start, 14-7, despite kills by Floyd, sophomore Mary Catherine Ball (Hendersonville, N.C.) and freshman Lauren Walsh (Torrance, Calif.). Belmont rolled off four consecutive points to move within three, 15-12. BU remained hot on Loyola Marymount's heels and used a combination of Lion attack errors with kills by Floyd and Ball plus a solid block by Bass and Floyd.
The sudden flurry caused LMU to call for timeout as Belmont had pulled within two, 18-16. After the brief break, the Lions rebounded with a flurry of their own points to rebuild a lead in the waning points. Belmont called for its own huddle session after it fell behind by five, 22-17. Despite a kill by newcomer MacKenzie Harless (Brownsburg, Ind.), LMU was able to push for the 25-18 win.
For the day, sophomores Mary Catherine Ball (Hendersonville, N.C.) and Taylor Floyd (Louisville, Ky.) each finished with eight kills to lead BU. Junior Akia Warrior (Fort Worth, Texas) posted a match-high 21 assists. Four Bruins contributed six digs each.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday for the final day of the Bulldog Brawl. The Bruins take on host-Butler at 11 a.m. CT and Pacific at 2 p.m. CT. Live stats will be available for both matches.
NAVY 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The Eastern Kentucky University volleyball team fell in straight sets to the United States Naval Academy on Friday night.
The Colonels lost 17-25, 16-25 and 27-29. Kaylin Johnson posted eight kills and one block. Jovana Bulatovic chipped in six kills, fours digs and two blocks.
In set one, the two teams traded points for most of the set. Eastern took a 16-13 lead after a Midshipmen service error, but Navy responded with a 5-0 run to take an 18-16 lead. Navy followed its run with another 7-0 run to take the opening set 25-17.
Eastern once again jumped out to an early 5-2 lead in set two, after a kill by Katelynn Caserma-Kloeble. Navy responded with a 9-2 run to take an 11-7 lead after an EKU error and not look back. Eastern cut it to three points after an error by Navy, but the Midshipmen took the set 25-16.
Set three was back-and-forth the entire way. After a Colonel error, Navy took a 15-11 lead halfway through the final set. Eastern responded with a 5-0 run capped off by a Clairissa Hankinson kill to give Eastern the 16-15 lead. The two teams traded points the rest of the way, before back-to-back error gave Navy the 29-27 win.
Cami Herman led the charge for Navy, posting a match-high 14 kills. The Midshipmen had three players with double-digit digs.
Eastern returns to the court tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. when they take on host West Virginia.
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1; JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, NEW ORLEANS 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team split Friday matches at the Hampton Inn CofC Invitational hosted by College of Charleston.
Jax State (5-6) dropped an early decision to Charleston Southern, before bouncing back with an afternoon sweep over New Orleans.
Senior Kaylee Frear was nearly unstoppable against the CSU Bucs in the first match, hitting .303 with 15 kills and matching her career mark with seven blocks for the ninth time in her four-year stint. Frear was the leader in a trio of Gamecocks with 10-or-more successful swings, followed by Sadie Anderson's dozen and Lena Kindermann's 10.
After JSU dropped the opening two sets, Anderson exploded for six kills in the third to help power JSU to a 25-20 set win. Unfortunately, the Gamecocks were unable to force a decisive fifth set as CSU slowly pulled away in the fourth. Trailing 22-14, JSU used a 5-0 surge to make it interesting late, but were unable to close the gap beyond four points.
Junior Kaylie Milton led JSU's defensive efforts in the early match, and later transitioned into the top attacker against UNO. Milton's team-high 11 kills helped guide Jax State to its third sweep of the season. It was a balanced offense all-around as Anderson collected eight kills, just ahead of Kindermann and Frear with seven apiece.
After a 47-assist match against CSU, junior setter Lexie Libs needed to dish just 31 assists in the afternoon affair with the Privateers. The lineup featured a slight change between matches as senior Maddie Cloutier and freshman Taylor Pribyl were inserted into the starting rotation.
JSU doubled up UNO early at 10-5 en route to a 25-16 set one victory. The second proved to be the highlight of the match. A 7-1 UNO run handed the Privateers a 14-11, which later stood at 21-16 before the Gamecocks began to chip away. The Gamecocks eventually evened the frame up at 22-22 on freshman Pribyl's kill. The Omaha, Neb., native, had a breakout day with a career-best six kills in the opener, before answering with six blocks against UNO.
UNO reached set-point at 24-22, which were fought-off by kills from Kindermann and Frear. The Colorado Springs, Colo., senior gave JSU a couple of set-point opportunities up 26-25 and 27-26 that were staved off each time. The Privateers would then have their chance to put away the set up 28-27 and 29-28, before Anderson kept things going for JSU each time. After all even at 30-30, Pribyl and Kindermann teamed up on a block, followed immediately Pribyl and Milton doing the same thing to emphatically close out the set.
With momentum carrying over from the second set, the Gamecocks jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third and continued on to complete the sweep with a 25-20 decision. JSU out-blocked UNO, 10-6, and held their opponent to just a .162 hitting percentage thaniks in part to Libs and Erin Carmichael along the back row.
JSU takes on tournament host College of Charleston tomorrow at noon central (1:00 ET). The Gamecocks are in search of their first-ever win over the Cougars after falling in the previous five meetings.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, COPPIN STATE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - In a battle of birds of prey, Morehead State volleyball proved it was the superior Eagle Friday night. Morehead State (8-3) defeated Coppin State (3-9) in straight sets, sweeping the match 25-11, 25-23, and 25-14.
Morehead State's block led the way, forcing Coppin State into 24 errors on the evening. The visitors crafted a .000 hitting percentage, committing as many errors as kills. The hosts collected 7.5 blocks at the net, paced by redshirt junior outside hitter Liz Allen's career-high five blocks. Sophomore middle blockers Hannah Keating and Mia Swearingen added three blocks apiece while junior outside hitter Olivia Lohmeier chipped in two and freshmen Abby Hulsman and Peyton Kennedy tallied two apiece.
On the backline, Morehead State collected 40 digs, led by sophomores Olivia Montelisciani and Allison Whitten who scooped up eight balls apiece. Redshirt senior Danielle McCarson added six digs, finishing just behind Montelisciani and Whitten for the team lead.
Offensively, Lohmeier once again paced the hosts, collecting 15 kills in the match. By reaching double-figures, Lohmeier extends a streak—which dates back to last season—of reaching 10 more kills, having done so in 23 consecutive matches. Fellow junior outside hitter Lauren Rokey finished one kill shy of double-digits, adding nine for Morehead State. On the evening, Morehead State collected 36 total kills, crafting a .270 team hitting percentage.
Running the offense, freshman setter Bridget Bessler and redshirt junior Chandler Clark combined to total 31 of the team's 35 assists on the night, as Morehead State assisted on all but one kill in the match. Bessler dished out 23 assists across two sets while Clark chipped in eight in a lone set.
In service, Morehead State landed an additional six service aces tonight, upping its season total to 70. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Hodges and Montelisciani added two aces apiece against Coppin State as Montelisciani has landed 20 aces on the season. Also collecting aces were McCarson and Bessler who collected one apiece.
Morehead State which improved to 2-0 in its own Comfort Inn-Vitational returns to the court tomorrow afternoon, facing Southeastern Louisiana. First serve is set for 2 p.m. ET.
BALL STATE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0
MUNCIE, Ind. – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team led late in the first two sets against Ball State but could not close the door, falling in three sets (21-25, 23-25, 14-25), Saturday, in their opening match of the Active Ankle Challenge.
Austin Peay (1-10) got out to a strong start and led in the first set 20-19 to force a Ball State timeout. Ball State scored six of the final seven points of the set after the timeout to claim the opener. The Govs led by a point, 22-21, again in the second but Ball State rallied with four of the final five points to take a 2-0 lead. Ball State (5-5) led the third set wire-to-wire to win the match.
Brooke Moore, Jenna Panning and Karli Graham each had six kills to lead the Governors offense, which finished with 29 kills and a .128 team attack percentage.
Allison Hamaker led Ball State with 14 kills. The Cardinals opened their tournament with 47 kills and a .297 team attack percentage while also posting six blocks.
Austin Peay continues play at the Active Ankle Challenge with a 9 a.m., Saturday contest against Missouri State.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2; YOUNGSTOWN STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Eastern Illinois lost its first two matches of the Youngstown Red and White Invitational to Central Michigan and Youngstown State. After these two losses the Panthers fall to 0-11 this preseason. The Panthers return to action Saturday (Sept 21) against Robert Morris at 10 a.m.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 3 – EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
In the first match of the day for the Panthers they took on Central Michigan and lost 3-2 (25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 17-25, 13-15).
The first set opened close as the teams were trading punches until EIU started to pull away with a 4-0 run led by Maggie Runge. Central Michigan came back quickly as they capitalize on multiple Panther mistakes. Runge was 6 for 8 in attack attempts as she led the Panthers past Central Michigan in the first set with six kills.
In the second set it was all tied up at 12-12 until Ireland Hieb had a pair of kills to separate the Panthers from the Chippewas and went on a 5-0 run. Hieb continued her dominance at the net and scored four of the last five points and helped the Panthers past CMU in the second set by six points.
In the third set Central Michigan took control of the set after a Cunningham error. The Chippewas went on a 4-0 run to pull away from the Panthers. The Panthers couldn't find there rhythm and end up losing the set by five. In the fourth set Central Michigan kept the momentum going in the fourth set and went on a 9-0 run dominating the panthers to push the match to set five.
In the final set the Chippewas got off to a strong start with a 3-0 lead, the Panthers were able to tie it up and take the lead back but Central Michigan was just to strong and took the final set.
The Panthers were led by Ireland Hieb with 16 kills and Maggie Runge who had 12 kills and led the team in blocks with seven. Laurel Bailey was close to a double-double with eight kills and 21 digs.
The Chippewas were led by Kalina Smith and Anna Erickson both with 11 kills. Megan Sivertsen led the team defensively with five blocks.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
In the second match of the day for the Panthers lost to host Youngstown, 3-1 (25-20,19-25,25-23, 25-22).
In the first set, it was back and forth until the Penguins took a four point lead at 18-14. Sommer, Chandler, Heib and Runge all had two kills to try and take control of the set but never could get the ball to fall their way.
In the second set the Panthers took control with a three point run in the middle of the set. The Penguins tied it up at 16-16 but the Panthers were too strong as Katie Sommer scored the last point for EIU to take the second set.
In the third set Youngstown took an early three point lead but the Panthers were able to tie it up quickly. Youngstown was able to capitalize off of some of the Panthers errors to win set three. In the fourth set the Penguins and the Panthers were trading punches but after YSU went on a 5-0 run the Panthers couldn't get their footing back.
The Panthers were led by Katie Sommer who recorded 12 kills and five blocks. Bailey Chandler led the team in assist with 23. The Penguins were led by Aleah Hughes with 12 kills and 10 digs. Erin Kalahar was a force at the net with five blocks and Alexia Byrnes had 36 assists.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, TOLEDO 1; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, NORTH ALABAMA 0
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (7-6) opened the Beale Street Challenge with a pair of wins Friday at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. SEMO prevailed over the Mid-American Conference's Toledo (6-4), 3-1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-23, 25-20), before sweeping North Alabama (2-10), 25-10, 25-12, 25-23.
Mikayla Kuhlmann paced the Redhawks with a season high 18 kills on a .471 hitting clip in the Beale Street Challenge opener against Toledo. Annie Wehrheim added 12. Laney Malloy chipped in 10 with 11 digs for her sixth double-double this season.
In the late afternoon sweep of UNA, Claire Ochs followed up her season-best 48 assists against UT with her 25th career double-double that included 26 assists with 11 digs versus the Lions.
SEMO jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first set with their noon contest against Toledo. That advantage grew to 12-5 after kills from Malloy, Berns and Kuhlmann.
A 4-0 run by the Redhawks widened the gap to 20-11. Malloy had three kills in the rally and posted five in the opening frame.
Wehrheim added a kill before a Rockets error made the lead 10, 22-12.
Toledo stormed back with five straight points to cut the deficit to 22-17. The Rockets came within two before a Malloy rally stopper sealed the set, 25-22.
Southeast connected at a .333 pace in the first set.
Toledo then evened the contest at 1-1 with a 25-17 second set.
In the third frame, SEMO started with a 6-3 edge after Talia Gouard notched a kill then assisted on a block with Claire Ochs.
The Rockets then registered six unanswered points to take a 9-6 lead and prompt a Redhawks timeout.
A kill from Wehrheim knotted the set at 13-13 as the frame saw eight tie score lines and four lead changes. Wehrheim led SEMO in the set with four rally stoppers on a .500 hitting percentage.
Two kills from Kuhlmann along with a winner from Maggie Adams gave SEMO a two-point edge, 19-17.
Toledo retook the lead, 21-19, with a 4-0 run. Southeast then responded with a 5-0 rally to bring on set point, 24-21.
SEMO then grabbed the set and a 2-1 match advantage on a Rockets attack error, 25-23.
The Redhawks notched a .371 hitting mark in the final set while registering the first three points. Malloy then blasted a kill to tie the frame at 6-6.
A 4-0 SEMO rally that featured kills from Kuhlmann and Malloy combined with an Ally Dion service ace grew the distance between the two teams, 14-10.
Wehrheim added a rally stopper before a pair of Emily Boggetto service aces propelled the lead to 18-13.
Kuhlmann knocked two of her six fourth set kills to provide the Redhawks with a 23-16 advantage.
The Rockets rallied off four straight points to pull within one, 22-21, before kills from Kuhlmann and Dion sealed the match, 25-20.
Beilsmith led the defense with 17 digs and Dion added 14.
Dion, Boggetto and Ochs each had two service aces in the match with Toledo.
Dion is now tied for second with Julie Shives in Southeast program history (25-point rally scoring era from 2008 to present) with 87 career service aces.
In the late afternoon match with North Alabama, Southeast hit at a .579 pace while bursting out to a 10-2 advantage in the first set. Beilsmith registered both of her aces in the rally that also featured kills by Malloy and Wehrheim.
A pair of rally stoppers from Gouard along with some Lions errors brought the advantage to 21-9.
Malloy and Dion each connected with kills before a Gouard block finished the set at 25-10.
Southeast improved to 2-0 in the match with a 25-12 second frame win.
Kills from Ochs and Malloy along with a Malloy service ace extended the lead to 12-4.
Wehrheim chipped in a winner as the Lions had started to close the gap, 16-10.
Malloy then blasted a kill to start a 7-0 Redhawks to close out the set, 25-12. Malloy had three of her four personal best services while serving down the stretch in the second frame.
The third set was the most competitive of the three. Southeast had to bounce back from adversity in the frame.
North Alabama started the set with an 8-4 lead that grew to 12-6.
Malloy belted a kill before a Lions attack error evened the set at 15-15.
She then added a rally stopper followed by a block by Gouard and a kill by Ochs as SEMO pulled ahead 19-17.
UNA committed consecutive errors to provide Southeast with a 24-22 edge. Nura Abakar tallied a kill before a Lions attack error concluded the match in the Redhawks favor, 25-23.
SEMO out blocked North Alabama, 8-1. Gouard matched a career best of five in the match.
Beilsmith was second on the Redhawks with nine digs and Dion had seven.
Malloy posted eight kills and Adams notched a season high six kills.
Southeast closes out the Beale Street Challenge Saturday against tournament host Memphis 1 p.m. at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
MURRAY STATE 3, EASTERN MICHIGAN 0; PURDUE 3, MURRAY STATE 0
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Murray State volleyball team came out of the gates swinging at the Stacey Clark Classic, defeating Eastern Michigan in three sets for their first sweep of the season. In the nightcap, the Racers took on #21 Purdue but fell in straight sets.
Against EMU, reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Week Rachel Giustino started her campaign to win it again by tallying 21 kills while hitting .487, committing just two errors the entire match. Rachel Holthaus also had a strong match, notching nine kills with a .348 hitting percentage.
Ashley McBee dished out 34 assists and had 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season while Becca Fernandez led the team with 11 digs against the Eagles. Giustino and Katirah Johnson also chipped in three blocks each.
In the first set, the Racers jumped out to a 7-2 lead and never looked back. Three straight kills by Giustino later in the set extended the lead to 16-6 before she ended the set with another kill to win the set, 25-17.
The Racers carried their momentum into the second set as they raced out to a 4-0 lead. The Eagles slowly climbed their way back into the set as they cut their deficit to one at 20-19 but another 4-0 run by MSU gave them set point before a Giustino kill gave the Racers the set, 25-20.
In the third set, the teams were even after eight points before an 8-2 Racer run gave them a 12-6 lead. Eastern Michigan got the set as close as three points at 23-20 but it was too late as a kill by Holthaus and an Eagle error gave the Racers the set, 25-21, and the sweep.
In the nightcap against the 21st-ranked Boilermakers, the Racers kept it close, but were Purdue proved too much to handle as they won in three sets, 25-19, 25-22, and 25-19. Giustino led the team with 16 kills while McBee and Fernandez contributed with 29 assists and 13 digs, respectively.
The Racers will close out non-conference play tomorrow morning when they take on Texas A&M - Corpus Christi at 9:30 a.m.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 3, SIUE 2
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE volleyball christened Firs Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center playing host to three other teams on the opening day of the 2019 SIUE Cougar Classic.
The Cougars dropped a hard-fought five-set decision (25-22, 22-25, 25-26, 22-25, 12-15) to Central Arkansas in the first home game of the season. It was only the second five-set match of the year for the Cougars, who are now 1-1 in those games. Central Arkansas improved to 4-1 in five-set affairs.
SIUE won sets one and three, before Central Arkansas came back to take the last two sets for the win. The Cougars 5-5 on the season. Central Arkansas is 6-6. Both teams will continue tournament play Saturday.
The Cougars used a strong net presence to counter Central Arkansas hitters Lexi Miller, Madi Bowles and Abbie Harry, who each finished with double-digit kill efforts. The Cougars were one shy of their season high, finishing with 24 blocks. Annie Ellis finished with a career-high nine blocks while Hope Everett tied her career high with eight blocks. Everett led SIUE offensively with a team-high 13 kills. She finished with a .357 attack percentage. Rachel McDonald turned in a double-double with 10 kills and 15 digs.
The turning point came in the fourth set with SIUE leading 17-13. Central Arkansas took a timeout which proved to be well-timed. After dropping the first point after the timeout, the Sugar Bears ripped off the next seven points and outscored the Cougars 12-5 to close out the set.
The third set also was a set of runs. SIUE got out to a 12-2 lead before Central Arkansas scored seven of the next eight points. The Cougars closed out the set winning eight of the last 11 points.
SIUE hit .182 for the third set and .143 for the match. Central Arkansas' best set proved to be the fifth, when the Sugar Bears hit .211 for the set. UCA hit just .067 for the match.
SIUE will face Presbyterian Saturday morning at 11 a.m. and wrap up the tournament with Purdue Fort Wayne at 6 p.m.
TENNESSEE STATE 3, ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee State won the match agaisnt University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 3-1 (13-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-17) in Kean Hall on Sept. 20.
Aniya Williams and Kendall Bullock both had eight kills, leading the Tigers offensively. Gina Rivera-Ortiz led the match woth 20 digs. Sofia Garcia-Guerrios assisted 21 times.
SET ONE
The Golden Lions took an early lead with a kill from Savione Usoro and Zyaire Garrit. Two attack errors on Tennessee State gave UAPB a four-point advantage. Julia Pierson with a kill tried to keep the Tigers in the set. UAPB kept gaining points agaisnt TSU due to errors on Tennessee State and kills from Kaila Robinson. After two aces for Bri-Anna Armstrong and an eight-point lead, the Tigers gained some momentum with a kill from Khalia Jordan. Usoro with her second kill and Darynne Bicker's first kill won the match for Arkansas Pine Bluff 25-13.
SET TWO
Aria Holmes with her second kill of the match and two errors on UAPB gave the Tigers a head start. Jasmine Fuqua and Kariely Santana-Delgado with kills kept the scoredboard in TSU's favor. With a four-point lead, Holmes drilled a kill into the Golden Lion's defense. Satana-Delgado with two more kills gave the Tigers a 12-point advantage. Williams drilled two kills into Arkansas Pine Bluff's defense which hyped the Tigers up. With her fifth kill of the match, Williams won the set for the Tigers, 25-16.
SET THREE
Two errors on TSU and a kill from Bullock kept the set tied. But a kill from Garrit took the lead for the Golden Lions. Williams with a kill got Big Blue back into the set and a kill from Santana-Delgado tied it up. A block asssist for Armstrong and Bickers kept UAPB in the lead. Fuqua with a kill tied the set up and took the lead with another kill. An attack error on UAPB, a block assist from Holmes and Fuqua and Bullock's fourth kill of the match gave the Tigers a three-point lead. Pierson with her third kill of the match, TSU took the set 25-17.
SET FOUR
Kills from Pierson, Fuqua and Kiara Hill took the scoreboard for TSU. The Golden Lions squeezed it's way back into the set but a kill from Pierson kept Big Blue on top. Fuqua with her eigth kill of the match gave Tennessee State a four-point advantage. Holmes with a solo block secured the set for TSU, not allowing UAPB over the net. Gomez tried to keep Arkansas Pine Bluff in the set with a kill but TSU pulled ahead to a seven-point lead with a service error on UAPB. An attack error on the Golden Lions gave Tennessee State the match, 25-17.
The Tigers will travel to Richmond, Ky. to play in it's first conference match against Eastern Kentucky. The match will take place Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. in Alumni Coliseum.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Golden Eagle volleyball secured a five-set victory on Friday over Western Illinois in their home-opener on Friday at the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Quality Inn.
Ali Verzani was an offensive weapon for the Golden Eagles, tallying a career-high 22 kills. Verzani added 10 digs during the contest to notch her fourth double-double of the season. Sophomore Taylor Dorsey dominated at the net for Tech as she also tallied a career-high nine blocks. Freshman Emma Osterbur had a career night as well, recording a career-high and Golden Eagle season-high 23 digs. Ashley Hand rounded out the Golden Eagle performances, dishing out a phenomenal 51 assists in the win.
The Golden Eagles opened the match with four-straight points to take an early 4-0 lead. However, the Leathernecks responded with a 4-1 run of their own to tie the set up at five. Things would remain even through 12-12 until Tech notched four unanswered again to take the 16-12 advantage. Western Illinois would once again bring things even at 19, but the Golden Eagles would close out the set on a 6-3 run to take the opening set, 25-22.
Following a Tech point to open the second, the Leathernecks tallied five-straight points to lead 5-1 early. The Golden Eagles would slowly come back as they would eventually knot things up at 14. A 5-1 Western Illinois run would make it 20-15 and the Golden Eagles just couldn’t catch up with a 7-5 run as the Leathernecks would even the match 25-22.
The third set was an absolute battle as the match would remain knotted even through 17 ties until the Golden Eagles would spoil a Leatherneck set-point to make it 24-24. However, Western Illinois capitalized on a pair of Golden Eagle errors to take the set and the 2-1 lead, 26-24.
Tech came out on fire in the fourth as they produced a 9-2 lead to open the set. The Leathernecks would respond with a 12-5 run of their own to bring things back even at 14. Tech went on a 5-1 run to extend their lead back to four before Western Illinois would cut it to three, 19-16, but that was as close as it would get before Tech sent the match to a fifth-set with the 25-19 victory.
The fifth set opened to a 5-1 Golden Eagle run. Western Illinois would cut the lead down to three at 8-5, but the Golden Eagles battled back to outscore the Leathernecks 7-3 to seal the five-set comeback, 15-10.
The Golden Eagles return to the court tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. against Southern Illinois, followed by the final match of the Golden Eagle Invitational at 7:30 p.m. against Middle Tennessee.