TUESDAY’S SCORES
@Jacksonville State 3, Tennessee Tech 1 (25-18, 15-25, 26-24, 25-15)
Southeast Missouri 3, @UT Martin 1 (24-26, 25-19, 25-18, 25-19)
@Austin Peay 3, Murray State 0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-11)
Belmont 3, @Tennessee State 0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-23)
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State Volleyball team concluded their 2012 home schedule with a 3-1 (25-18, 15-25, 26-24, 25-15) victory to complete the season sweep over Tennessee Tech.
Nicole Merget registered nine of her 16 kills in the first set to help the Gamecocks improve to 13-16 overall and 7-8 in Ohio Valley Conference play. Tech falls to 3-24 overall and 1-14 in conference play.
JSU held TTU to a .098 hitting percentage in the first set while hitting .244 on the offensive end. Merget's nine kills on a .750 hitting percentage led the way for the Gamecocks in the 25-18 opening set win. The Golden Eagles turned things around in the second set, hitting .368 while holding the Gamecocks to a .073 hitting percentage to claim the 25-15 victory.
Abbey Heredia recorded three straight aces in the third set to help the Gamecocks build an early 10-4 lead. The Golden Eagles would then fight back to tie the match at 16 apiece before eventually taking a 21-20 lead following an attack error from Merget. The two teams then swapped points until the Golden Eagles found themselves with a 23-22 lead. Seniors Lauren Busing and Jen Meyer then combined for a block to tie the match. Meyer then recorded a solo block to give the Gamecocks a 24-23 lead as JSU held on for the exciting 26-24 finished.
The Gamecocks then went into cruise control in the fourth set, hitting .312 in the game and holding Tech to a.056 hitting percentage during the 25-15 match-clinching victory.
Merget finished the game with a .382 hitting percentage. Meyer added 13 kills while Emily Rutherford finished with nine kills and 18 digs. Kelsey Anderson also recorded 18 digs for the Gamecocks while Kelly Cole added 12 digs. Alina Agamy recorded a double-double with 38 assists and 13 digs.
Ellen Conti, Kelsey Gray and Cody Dodd all finished with 11 kills apiece to lead the Golden Eagles. Conti also added 12 digs to record a double-double on the night.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, UT MARTIN 1
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Southeast Missouri volleyball team picked up an important 3-1 (24-26, 25-19, 25-18, 25-19) road victory at UT Martin Tuesday evening. Four different Redhawks recorded double digit kills.
The Redhawks improve to 19-12 overall and 11-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference as the Skyhawks fall to 10-19 overall and 6-9 in the OVC.
The Skyhawks took the opening frame 26-24 over Southeast. The Redhawks enjoyed an early 8-4 lead, but the two teams would finish the frame battling for position to take the match until UT Martin closed the set on a 4-1 run.
The Redhawks battled back taking the second set 25-19. The Redhawks closed out the frame on a 10-4 run that included a 5-0 run to propel them to the win. Southeast dominated the frame at the net with four total blocks.
Southeast used 10 kills and three blocking errors on their way to a 25-18 win in the third set to take a 2-1 match advantage. The Redhawks forced seven attacking errors by the Skyhawks as Southeast outhit UTM .267 to .167 in the frame.
Southeast jumped out to a 10-5 lead early in the fourth set thanks to an impressive .455 hitting percentage. Southeast also forced three UTM errors and added two service aces.
Southeast would build a 15-9 lead in the set, but a 4-0 run by the Skyhawks pulled them within two points at 15-13. But Southeast closed the frame on a 10-6 run to take the set 25-19.
Junior Emily Coon led the Redhawks with 13 kills as she added five blocks.
Colleen Yarber added 12 kills with Kelsey Keeve and Brittney Kalinoski rounding out the double-digit attack with 11 kills apiece.
Berkley Idel added a team-high 26 digs. Julie Shives finished the match with 39 assists and 10 digs.
UTM was paced by Allie Whimpey with 11 kills.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, MURRAY STATE 0
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Sophomore outside hitter Jada Stotts posted 16 kills and led Austin Peay State University's volleyball team to a three-set (25-15, 25-22, 25-11) Ohio Valley Conference victory against Murray State, Tuesday night at the Dunn Center.
Austin Peay (17-14, 10-5 OVC West) had little trouble with their rival, winning the first and third sets in wire-to-wire fashion. Murray State (5-20, 3-12 OVC West) did put up a fight in the second set forcing eight ties and four lead changes. However, the Lady Govs closed the set with an 8-4 run to post the 25-22 victory.
Stotts' 16-kill performance included a 10-kill first-set effort. She also had a .297 attack percentage and 10 digs. Junior middle blocker Lauren Henderson added 11 kills - five in the third set along - and an impressive .600 attack percentage.
Austin Peay recorded 50 kills in the three-set affair, finishing with a .310 team attack percentage. The Lady Govs also posted 11 blocks, including sophomore middle blocker Hillary Plybon's five-block night.
Murray State's offense could not get on track finishing with 25 kills, but also posting 22 attack errors to finish with a .029 attack percentage. Taylor Olden finished with seven kills to lead the Racers offense.
BELMONT 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont volleyball (14-15, 10-5) swept Tennessee State, 25-21, 25-19, 25-23 Tuesday on the road.
Tennessee State (13-16, 9-6) got on the board first, jumping to a 3-1 lead, and behind kills from sophomore Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) and junior setter Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) the Bruins were able to tie the opening set at 5-all. Back-to-back service errors from the Tigers gave Belmont the lead before TSU went on a 4-1 run.
Following a 17-all tie, Belmont took a lead it would not relinquish, scoring five unanswered points to take a 22-17 lead. Kills from freshman Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) and junior Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) closed out the set, 25-21.
Tennessee State took control of the second set early on, taking a 7-4 lead. The Tigers' lead was short lived when the Bruins silenced TSU with four unanswered points, taking a 8-7 lead. The Tigers tied it at 8-all, but Belmont continued to extend its lead, leading by as many as 10-points.
Belmont took a 2-0 lead at the break, after winning the second set, 25-19.
Similiar to the first two sets, TSU struck first in the third. The Tigers lead most of the set, with both teams going on short runs. Belmont, who trailed by as many as four-points, overcame the deficit and tied the set at 18-all and took the lead off a pair of TSU attack errors. A kill from Youngdahl gave theh Bruins a 20-18 lead, before TSU called a timeout.
The set remained close with both squads exchanging points, but Belmont did not give up its lead. A kill from McCoy and a TSU error allowed the Bruins to take 24-21 lead before the Tigers went on a 3-0 run to come within one-point, 24-23, however the Bruins closed out the set, 25-23.
Youngdahl led the team with 11 kills, while sophomore Alex Martin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) added 10. Junior Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) paced the defense with 16 kills and Gable and junior Jen Myer (New Braunfels, Texas) added 13 and 12 digs, respectively. As a team, Belmont registered seven blocks.
Tennessee State was led by Naomi Wells with 12 kills and Britani Hathorn with 18 digs.