FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Tennessee Tech 3, Tennessee State 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-15)
@UT Martin 3, SIU Edwardsville 2 (25-19, 23-25, 26-28, 25-23, 15-13)
@Jacksonville State 3, Austin Peay 2 (21-25, 11-25, 28-26, 25-16, 15-13)
@Southeast Missouri 3, Morehead State 2 (25-18, 21-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-11)
TENNESSEE TECH 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Five Golden Eagles finished with eight-or-more kills on Friday evening as the Tennessee Tech volleyball team displayed its balance in a three-set victory (25-23, 25-17, 25-15) against the visiting Tennessee Tech Lady Tigers on Dig Pink Night.
With the victory, Tech improves to 10-14 overall and 9-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference, while TSU falls to 3-23 overall and 2-12 in the OVC. The Golden Eagles entered Friday's match tied for fourth in the conference.
Junior Leah Meffert accomplished something that has only been done eight times before in TTU volleyball history as she became a member of the 1,000/1,000 club. Meffert, who surpassed 1,000 career kills earlier this season at the Louisville Invitational, needed eight digs in Friday's match to break the 1,000 career digs milestone. Midway through the third set, the outside hitter tallied her eighth scoop to become the ninth Golden Eagle to have both 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
"It feels really good to accomplish that," Meffert said. "There have been many good players here before me and to be in the same category as some of them is exiting."
Meffert finished the match with 11 kills and 10 digs to record her ninth consecutive double-double and 18th overall this season. The Louisville, Ky., native also hit .364 for the match.
"I'm not concerned about my personal statistics as long as we win - that's what is important," Meffert said. "Every game from now on is really important, and we know that we can't take anyone lightly."
Two Golden Eagles recorded hitting percentages above .400 has freshman Kelsey Gray (.500) finished with 10 kills on 18 attempts with just one error and junior Marie Peddicord tallied 11 kills on 23 attempts with zero errors.
Seniors Teresa Craig and Amanda Lindgren also got in the offensive act on Friday evening as Craig put down eight kills and Lindgren finished with nine. Both players also notched two blocks apiece, while Craig's 12 digs were the second most in the match.
Junior setter Melanie Culp set a personal record for assists in a three-set match as she finished with 43 helpers on the night. Culp also recorded an ace and had six digs.
Senior Katie Kenline extended her double-digit digs streak to 22 matches as she notched a match-high 19 saves. The libero paced the Golden Eagles who out-dug the Lady Tigers, 59-47.
For the match, Tech hit .330 as a team, including the second set when the Golden Eagles pounded 20 kills with just three errors for a .515 hitting percentage.
UT MARTIN 3, SIU EDWARDSVILLE 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - Lauren Montague turned in a record setting night to lead The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team to a five set win over visiting SIU Edwardsville. Montague finished the match with 26 kills, shattering her previous career-high of 18, and matching the program's top single-match showing, which was done only once before by Heather Kea in 2003.
The win improves UT Martin's record to 8-19 overall and it remains 2-14 in conference play. The Cougars remain with only one win on the year, falling to 1-24 overall.
In the opening set SIU Edwardsville took the initial lead at 1-0, but that would be the only lead they managed the rest of the set. The Skyhawks gained their first lead of the set at 2-1 on a kill by Montague down the line. The Cougars then tied it at four and five apiece, but UT Martin then moved back in front for good on a SIU Edwardsville service error. UT Martin went on to push its lead out to five at 18-13, forcing a timeout from the Cougars.
Coming out of the break Montague put away a quick kill that sparked Skyhawk run to again build their lead. UT Martin stretched it to eight at 21-13 on another Montague put-away, before eventually closing it out at 25-19 on a kill from Britany Wilburn.
In the first the Skyhawks hit .324 as a team, thank in large part to Montague's seven kills along with two each from Katie Redman and Wilburn.
In the second SIU Edwardsville jumped out to a quick lead, going up by five early on at 10-5. The Skyhawks began to chip away at the lead, pulling it to two at 15-13 on a kill by Ashley Doherty. The Cougars pushed their lead back out to four at 18-14, but the Skyhawks again rallied back to pull within one at 21-20 on a Jenna Miller ace.
After a SIU Edwardsville timeout the Cougars were able to force set point at 24-22, but the Skhawks fought it off with a kill from Montague. However the Skyhawks were unable to continue their rally as a service error gave the deciding point to the Cougars, 25-23.
In the second Doherty led the way with four kills, while Montague and Wilburn each added three along with a pair from Clements. As a team UT Martin hit .314, but SIU Edwardsville managed to hit .386 in the set and committed only three errors.
In the third SIU Edwardsville again jumped out to an early lead, building a five point edge at 13-8. UT Martin again battled back, pulling within two at 17-15 on a kill by Clements. The Cougars continued to hold their lead before UT Martin eventually drew the set even again at 21-all on a Wilburn block and again at 22 apiece on a kill by Wilburn.
The Cougars then were able take a one point edge at 23-22, but again Montague came through with a kill to tie the set at 23-23. A powerful Clements kill off the back line gave the Skyhawks their first lead of the set at 24-23. SIU Edwardsville responded with back-to-back points to earn set point, but a service error again tied the set at 25-all. After trading hitting errors the score was again tied but a hitting error by the Skyhawks ultimately gave the set to the Cougars 28-26.
In the third UT Martin hit .214 as a team and Montague and Clements each landed six kills apiece, while three other Skyhawks recorded one each.
The fourth set opened with UT Martin taking the early lead, stretching it to five at 7-2. UT Martin held at least a four point edge until the Cougars cut it to only three at 15-12. A service error from SIU Edwardsville slowed its momentum, allowing the Skyhawks to move back up by five on a Montague kill. The Skyhawks earned a set point opportunity at 24-18, but allowed the Cougars to score five consecutive points and pull within one at 24-23. Five set point opportunities were all the Cougars were able to fend off though as Montague landed a kill down the middle to force a fifth set at 25-23.
In the fourth the Skyhawks hit only .100 and were led by Montague's five kills, while four others each landed two kills each.
UT Martin again took an early lead in the final set, building a quick 6-2 edge off a pair of Montague kills and forced a timeout from the Cougars. The break didn't slow the Skyhawks' momentum as they came out of the break and recorded back-to-back kills, to stretch their lead to six at 8-2. SIU Edwardsville battled back to cut the lead to only three at 10-7, but a Clements kill slowed the Cougars momentum and pushed the lead back to four. From that point on the Skyhawks went on to earn a match point opportunity at 14-8. SIU Edwardsville scored four consecutive points to pull within two at 14-12, but a back row violation ended its run and gave the match to UT Martin 15-12.
On the night in addition to Montague's record setting performance, Clements finished with 11 kills while Doherty tallied nine and Wilburn added eight. Miller finished with 25 assists while Kelsey Miles was not far behind with 23 to go along with 10 digs to give her the first double-double of her career. On defense Kasey Elswick led the way with 23 digs, followed by Miles' 10 and nine from three different Skyhawks.
SIUE picked up a team-high 15 kills from Karie Downing and 11 each from Kelsey Mosher, Sydney Winslow and Jessica Hemann.
SIUE setter Jamie Mueller, who finished with 51 assists, collected six kills on seven attack attempts. SIUE boasted a .260 hitting percentage, tops for the 2009 .
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 2
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Despite dropping the first two sets on Friday night, the Jacksonville State volleyball team rallied to win the final three and claim a 3-2 (21-25, 11-25, 28-26, 25-16, 15-13) win over Austin Peay and clinch the 2009 Ohio Valley Conference regular season title.
The Gamecocks (22-5, 15-0 OVC) were able to overcome an 0-2 deficit for the second-straight match and extend their winning streak to 16 matches. Despite being picked to finish sixth in the OVC's preseason poll, JSU finished off the season sweep of the Lady Govs (19-8, 12-3 OVC) to secure its fourth OVC Trophy in the past five seasons and the right to host the conference tournament in two weeks.
Sophomore Lauren Harkins led a JSU defensive effort that made a turnaround after dropping a lopsided second set. The Louisville, Ky., native had 21 digs in the match, 16 of which came over the final three sets. She increased her career total to 1,000 digs, making her just the eighth player in school history to reach that mark.
Harkins also moved her season total to 518, just eight digs shy of Kisha West's single season record that was set in 2005. Senior Brittney Whitten, who is second on the school's career digs list, recorded a double-double with 17 kills and a match-high 26 digs. The Boonville, Ind., native amassed 13 kills and 18 digs over the final three sets.
Two other JSU players, freshman Alyx Schulte and sophomore Allie Schleisman, contributed to the defensive effort with 12 digs apiece. The Gamecocks' front row defense was also a big turning point. They knocked down just three blocks but got a hand on a lot of APSU attacks at the nets, helping the back row set up the offense with solid passes.
Whitten was one of five JSU players with 10 or more kills on the offensive end, with freshman Jen Meyer adding 16 on a .483 attack percentage. The Maineville, Ohio, native was a bright spot on a team that hit just .208 through the first two sets in the match. Junior Caitlin Vorbeck added 15 kills in the win, while Schulte and junior Kara Slater each pitched in 10 kills.
Austin Peay, who hit .382 over the first two sets before hitting less than .200 in each of the last three, were led by Stephanie Champine's 18 kills and 15 digs. Paige Economos led the Lady Govs' defense with 23 digs, while Kirstin Distler notched a double-double with 12 digs and 10 kills.
The tournament, which will consist of the league's top six teams, will be in Jacksonville for the third time in the past four seasons. It will span three days, and full details will be released next week.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, MOREHEAD STATE 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Redhawks volleyball team is on a roll and third-place Morehead State got to see first-hand on Friday evening at Houck Field House. Finally healthy and playing with confidence, the Redhawks played their best match of the season as they defended their homecourt with a 3-2 (25-18, 21-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-11).
The Redhawks (12-15, 7-8 OVC) were clicking in all phases of the game and extended their winning streak to a season-high three matches.
The Redhawks beat the Eagles (18-9, 10-5 OVC) in their own game, using a balanced offense and a tough, frontline defense. The Eagles looked frustrated and it showed as they handed the Redhawks 50 points on their own errors. 35 of those errors were on attack and another 10 were service errors.
Meanwhile the Redhawks played nearly perfect. They committed just 14 attack errors on 140 swings for a season-high .286 attack percentage. It was the third-straight match the Redhawks have finished with an attack percentage over .200 and the fourth in the last five matches.
The Redhawks came out determined in the opening set jumping ahead 2-1, but the Eagles grabbed the lead quickly and led 10-5. The Redhawks used a 9-1 run to go ahead 14-11. The Eagles would later grab a two-point lead, 18-16 but that would be the last time they would serve as the Redhawks closed the set with an amazing 9-0 run.
The Eagles were held to a .000 attack percentage (10 kills, 10 attack errors) while the Redhawks hit .241, committing just five attack errors.
The Eagles answered in the second set as the only lead the Redhawks held was winning the opening point. The lead was 17-11 for the Eagles as the Redhawks attempted a comeback. They would only get to within three points, 20-17 before the Eagles closed out the set with an Emma Keough kill.
The set was all offense as the Eagles finished with a .389 attack percentage and the Redhawks a .387 percentage.
In the third set the Eagles overcame a early 12-10 Redhawks lead thanks to a 7-0 run that opened up a 22-14 lead of their own and held off the Redhawks to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Redhawks lost the set despite just committing just two attack errors. However the Eagles recorded a .343 attack percentage with 17 of their 25 points coming by kill.
The crucial fourth set was all Redhawks as the led from the opening point and jumped ahead 14-4. The Eagles managed to cut the lead to three, 18-15 but the Redhawks closed with a 7-3 run to force a fifth and deciding set.
As with the previous four set the Redhawks won the opening serve of the fifth set and jumped ahead 4-0 and later 6-1. A Karleigh DeLong (Santiago/Corona, Calif.) kill gave the Redhawks an 8-5 lead and prompting the switching of sides. A 3-0 run after the switch gave the Redhawks a 11-5 lead. The Eagles managed to cut the lead to two, 11-9 but the Redhawks answered 4-1 run to close the set and match.
The Redhawks improved to 5-2 in five-set matches and snapped a two-match losing streak to the Eagles at Houck Field House.
The Eagles came into the match ranked 19th nationally in blocks at 2.68 per set with freshman Annie Gruenschlaeger ranked tenth nationally in blocks per set at 1.44 per set. The Eagles finished with just six blocks and Gruenschlaeger one for the whole match.
The Redhawks however recorded eight blocks with freshman Emily Maher (Marcus/Flower Mound, Texas.) recording a career-best six block assists.
Emily Hughes (St. Benedict/Memphis, Tenn.) led the Redhawks with 16 kills (six coming in the second set). She committed just three attack errors on 33 swings for a .394 attack percentage.
Hughes was the only Redhawk in double figures in kills as they featured a balanced offense. Four players recorded eight or more kills.
DeLong had nine and a team-best 14 digs. She also handed out a season-best five assists and had a season-best six block assists.
Claire Keaton (Incarnate Word Academy/St. Louis, Mo.) had nine kills and eight digs while hitting .263. Maher finished with eight kills and one attack error for a .368 attack percentage.
Sarah Barth (Central Community/Germantown, Ill.) looked fully recovered from her early season wrist fracture as she came up one kill short of her third career triple-double. She recorded nine kills, a team-high 39 assists and ten digs. It was her fourth double-double of the season. She finished with a match and season-high .533 attack percentage as she committed just one error on 15 swings.
Senior Molly Davis (Burris/Muncie, Ind.) led the team with 11 digs followed by Amanda Rickhoff (Southwestern Illinois College/Bartelso, Ill.) who chipped in ten digs.
The Eagles had three players in double-figures in kills with All-OVC selection Kaitlin Craven and freshman Ellie Roberson leading all players with 18 kills apiece. Kirstie Brangers led all players with 58 kills and added 13 digs for a double-double. Kristina Schoo had a match-high 19 digs.