TUESDAY’S SCORES
@Evansville 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-22)
Arkansas State 3,
@Southeast Missouri 2 (25-19, 15-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-7)
Southern Illinois 3,
@Murray State 2 (20-25, 23-25, 25-13, 25-18, 15-11)
EVANSVILLE 3, UT MARITN 0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team traveled to Evansville tonight for its final nonconference match of the season, falling 3-0 to the Purple Aces (17-25, 19-25, 22-25) at the Carson Center.
For the eighth time this season, freshman Lynsey Hazelwood cracked double-figures in kills – tallying a team-best 11 this evening. Taylor Simons (eight kills) and Amanda Crask (six kills, 30 assists, eight digs) also led the Skyhawk offense tonight. Defensively, Kasey Elswick piled up 20 digs to pace UT Martin (6-12).
Evansville jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first set before a kill by Jackie Harter got UT Martin on the scoreboard. Two straight kills by Shelby Hoskins and Hazelwood pulled the Skyhawks within four at 7-3 but the Purple Aces would soon go on a 6-2 run to make the score 13-5. UT Martin trailed 20-10 but would score three of the next four points to slice its deficit to 21-13. The Skyhawks would get within seven three more times but that was as close as they would get the rest of the set.
Hazelwood accounted for four of UT Martin’s nine kills in the first set.
It was UT Martin who got off to a hot start in the second set, as the Skyhawks received kills from three different players to take a 4-1 lead. After Evansville tied the match at 4-all, back-to-back kills by Hoskins and Crask gave UT Martin the lead once again. The Purple Aces would eventually take their first lead of the set at 9-8, but the Skyhawks would quickly recover and tie the match three more times. With Evansville clinging to a 16-15 lead, the Purple Aces then scored four unanswered points on their way to a 24-16 lead. UT Martin would then tally three straight points to get within five before a service error ended the set.
Crask and Simons provided three kills each in the first set to pace the Skyhawks.
The Skyhawks used a 6-0 run – featuring three kills by Hazelwood – to take an 8-2 advantage in the third set. UT Martin held a five-point lead (12-7) before a lengthy Evansville run evened the score at 12-all. A Simons kill gave the Skyhawks a 13-12 lead but the Purple Aces answered with four straight points to go on top by a 16-13 margin. UT Martin would close within one point four more times (18-17, 19-19, 20-10, 21-20) but couldn’t tie or take a lead the rest of the set.
UT Martin generated 15 kills in the third set, led by Hazelwood (five) and Simons (four). Crask handed out 14 assists while Elswick tallied nine digs in the set.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 3, MURRAY STATE 2
MURRAY, Ky. - Southern Illinois rallied from a 2-0 deficit to top Murray State volleyball, 20-25, 23-25, 25-13, 25-18, 15-11, in a non-conference match on Tuesday night at Racer Arena.
In the first set, the Racers jumped out to an early advantage and led by as many as three, at 10-7. However, from there the Salukis went on a 7-2 run and took a 14-12 lead. After a well-placed MSU timeout, the Racers took back control of the set and secured the win by ending the frame on a 13-6 run of its own. Senior Beth Mahurin (Rockville, Ind.) led the Racers with six kills in the set, including the 25th and final point.
The second set was more of the same, as the two teams traded points back and forth. Neither team was able to build more than a three point lead in the frame and once again the two schools found themselves tied up late in the set. With the score tied at 21, the Racers used an ace from freshman Sam Bedard (Breese, Ill.), kills from freshman Taylor Olden (Lincoln, Ill.) and senior Wendi Zickfield (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) and a Southern Illinois error to take the 2-0 match lead with a 25-23 set win. Olden and Zickfield also played key roles throughout the set by pacing MSU with six kills each.
The Salukis found their offensive stroke in the third set and used a 12-3 run to end the frame and pull within one in the match. Southern Illinois hit .250 in the set, while limiting the Racers to -.167. Freshman Alyssa Lelm (Mackinaw, Ill.), Olden, Mahurin and Zickfield accounted for all eight MSU kills in the set, with each notching two.
Southern Illinois continued its comeback in the fourth set by using by jumping out to an early 9-4 lead. However, the Racers mounted a comeback and pulled within one at 12-11. That was as close as MSU would get in the set, as the Salukis ended the frame on a 13-7 run to force a decisive fifth set. Zickfield once again came up big for Murray State and led the offense with four kills in the set.
In the fifth set, the Racers once again fell behind early and allowed Southern Illinois to jump out to an 8-2 lead. MSU attempted to rally in the middle of the set with an 8-3 run, but eventually fell 15-11 to give the Salukis the come-from-behind 3-2 match win.
Zickfield led three Racers in double-figures with a season-high 18 kills, while Olden and Mahurin followed with 14 and 12, respectively. Senior Lydia Orf (St. Louis, Mo.) and junior Katlyn Hudson (Columbus, Ill.) paced the defense with 17 digs each.
ARKANSAS STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri volleyball team had their six game winning streak snapped Tuesday night at Houck Field House in a 3-2 (19-25, 25-25, 21-25, 25-22, 7-15) loss to Arkansas State.
The Redhawks drop to 12-7 overall as the Red Wolves improve to 12-8.
Tuesday marked the opening match of the 2012 Dig for Life Campaign that helps raise awareness of breast Cancer in the Southeast Missouri community. Southeast will play seven home matches at Houck Field House during the month.
Emily Coon had a big night for Southeast with season-high 15 kills and a season-high nine blocks. Her nine blocks was one shy of her career-high.
Julie Shives moved into seventh place all-time in career assists at Southeast with 35 on the night. She now sits at 2,857 in her career as she passed Sarah Barth, who recorded 2,846 from 2006 to 2009.
The Red Wolves took the first set 25-19 recording a match-high 21 kills and hitting at an impressive .500 clip.
Southeast battled in the second frame and used a 10-2 run to jump out to a 13-7 lead. They also used a 6-0 run in the frame as they took the set 25-15 and tied the match at 1-1.
Arkansas State opened the third frame on a 7-3 run. Southeast used a run of their own in the frame, but the Redhawks recorded seven errors as the Red Wolves took the set 25-21.
The Redhawks held on for a 25-22 win in the fourth frame. Southeast jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the set, led by a pair of blocking assists by Coon.
Southeast was up by as much as seven at 17-10, but the Red Wolves used a run after a timeout to push within one at 21-20, but the Redhawks took the frame with a kill from Karlee Lursen.
The Red Wolves dominated the fifth frame jumping out to a 6-1 lead on their way to a 15-7 win. ASU recorded 10 kills in the stanza as they took the match from Southeast 3-2.
Colleen Yarber added 11 kills and a team-high 20 digs to go along with five blocks.
Jasmine Terry led the Red Wolves with a match-high 24 kills, hitting .296. Allison Kearney added 56 assists on the night.