FRIDAY’S SCORES
Austin Peay 3, @Memphis 2 (25-17, 20-25, 25-19, 24-26, 15-11)
Jacksonville State 3, Stetson 2 (21-25, 25-13, 25-15, 26-28, 15-13)
Southeast Missouri 3, Valparaiso 1 (14-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-18)
South Dakota State 3,
Southeast Missouri 0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-22)
South Dakota 3,
Tennessee State 1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-21, 25-15)
USC Upstate 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-13)
No. 3 Penn State 3,
Morehead State 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-14)
Eastern Kentucky 3, Youngstown State 2 (19-25, 20-25, 26-24, 25-15, 16-14)
IPFW 3,
Murray State 0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-8)
UALR 3,
Austin Peay 2 (13-25, 25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13)
@Belmont 3, Alabama A&M 0 (25-22, 25-18, 27-25)
Montana State 3,
@SIUE 1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-13, 26-24)
Tennessee State 3, Alabama State 0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-14)
Jacksonville State 3, Southeastern Louisiana 0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-18)
@Arkansas 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-19)
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, VALPARAISO 1; SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Southeast Missouri volleyball team earned a split in the opening day of the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa Friday. The Redhawks defeated Valparaiso 3-1 (14-25,26-24,25-15, 25-18) in the opening match of the 2012 season.
The Redhawks dropped their second match of the day against South Dakota State (25-15,25-15,25-22).
Southeast will return to action tomorrow afternoon against the host institution Iowa at 12:00 p.m. The Redhawks will close out their weekend with a 5:00 p.m. match against Chicago State.
Southeast 3 Valpo 1
Junior Colleen Yarber led the Redhawks with 16 kills to go along with 15 digs. Sophomore Kelsey Keeve added a career-high 13 kills.
The Redhawks recovered to take the final three sets after hitting -.048 in the opening frame with only three kills.
The Crusaders took the first stanza 25-14. Southeast made five attacking errors and two service errors in an error riddled set.
The Redhawks rallied in the second frame with a 26-24 win. Valpo was in control of the set until the Redhawks used an 11-2 run to take a 22-20 lead.
Valpo replied and tied the match at 24-24 after the Redhawks' run, but back-to-back kills from Yarber and Emily Coon sealed the set for Southeast.
Yarber led the Redhawks with five kills in the second set as Keeve added four kills.
Southeast came out firing in the third set hitting .333 and holding the Crusaders to hitting percentage of .163. Southeast pounded 16 kills with four kills from both Yarber and Keeve as the tandem continued their aggressive play as the Redhawks took the set 25-15.
In the final frame the Redhawks made only three attacking errors and forced seven by Valpo as Southeast took the match with a 25-18 victory.
Junior Julie Shives added 40 assists and 16 digs. Junior Berkley Idel led Southeast with 19 digs.
Senior Karlee Lursen and Samantha Lowman added two service aces apeiece as they combined for 28 digs defensively.
SDSU 3 Southeast 0 - Box Score
The Jackrabbits hit .333 on the afternoon with 43 kills as Southeast hit .107 with 23 attacking errors. Southeast drops to 1-1 on the young season as SDSU moves to 1-0.
South Dakota State took the first set 25-15. The Redhawks made seven attacking errors hitting .081. The Jackrabbits hit .306 in their first set of their 2012 campaign.
Southeast struggled in the second stanza with 11 attacking errors hitting at a -.021 clip. SDSU pounded 13 kills, hitting .286 taking the set 25-15.
Southeast rallied in the third set with a late 5-0 run to cut the SDSU lead. Southeast showed improvement in the third frame hitting .297, but the Jackrabbits held strong in the final stanza taking the set 25-22 and the match 3-0.
The Redhawks were led by All-Ohio Valley Conference pick Emily Coon with a game-high 12 kills, hitting .450 on the afternoon.
Shives added 30 assists and 11 dig for Southeasts. Idel added 16 digs to lead the Redhawks.
PENN STATE 3, MOREHEAD STAET 0
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - No. 3 Penn State used 14 blocks and committed just eight attack errors in handing the Morehead State volleyball team a 3-0 defeat (25-18, 25-15, 25-14) Friday in the first match of the Active Ankle Challenge and both team's season openers at the KFC Yum! Center.
PSU junior All-Americans Ariel Turner and Katie Slay each turned back seven MSU attempts and had six kills apiece to pace the five-time national champion Nittany Lions. PSU landed 36 kills and hit .292 and limited the Eagles to an .027 attack effort.
MSU senior outside hitter Ellie Roberson topped the Eagle offense with 11 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Laura McDermott landed six kills and hit a team-best .500 on 10 attempts. PSU only out-dug MSU by a single scoop, 43-42, and junior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon led MSU with 12 ups. Junior libero Leslie Schellhaas registered 11 digs.
Megan Courtney paced PSU with nine kills, while Dominique Gonzalez led all players with 16 digs.
The Nittany Lions didn’t commit an attack error in the opening set, hitting .355, and claimed the 25-18 win. PSU opened on a 6-1 run, but MSU crept back into the set and trailed just 13-11 following a McDermott kill. The Nittany Lions pushed ahead 23-15 before MSU junior defensive specialist Lindsey Roth served up three consecutive aces. An MSU service error and a PSU ace closed the set.
PSU used five blocks in the second set to pull away for a 25-15 triumph. Following a toe-to-toe battle early, Penn State broke an 8-8 tie with a 10-4 run to make it 18-12. Each team landed 12 kills, but the Eagles committed nine errors.
The Nittany Lions notched three more blocks and 13 kills in the finale.
The Eagles continue the tournament Saturday at 11 a.m. against No. 31 Louisville and 5 p.m. versus No. 34 Western Kentucky.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 2
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Eastern Kentucky was one point away from falling 3-0 to Youngstown State, and one point away from losing 3-2, but the Colonels rallied each time to earn a 3-2 victory on Friday at the Spartan Showcase.
Eastern won by scores of 19-25, 20-25, 26-24, 25-15 and 16-14. It was the season-opener for both teams.
After falling behind 2-0, EKU began to rally late in the third set. YSU built a 17-12 lead, but the Colonels went on a 6-1 run to tie the score, 18-18. Kelsey Kuehner had two blocks and a kill during the run. Eastern couldn’t pull ahead, but never trailed by more than two and tied the set three more times.
A kill by Aly Ryan gave the Penguins match-point at 24-22, but the Colonels didn’t fold. A kill by Ashley Edmond cut the deficit back to one. Freshman Rachel Vick followed with a kill to tie the set. A Youngstown State attack error gave EKU its first lead since 12-11. Vick completed the comeback moments later with a solo block for a 26-24 win.
Eastern Kentucky scored the first five points of the fourth set and never looked back. Back-to-back kills by Alexis Plagens and Kuehner, followed by a YSU error, polished off a 25-15 win in set number four.
It looked as if Youngstown State had put the brakes on the EKU comeback by jumping out to a 9-3 lead in the decisive fifth set. The Penguins were up by four, 14-10, when the Colonels rolled off six unanswered to claim the victory. A block by Kuehner and Edmond tied the score at 14-14. Newcomer Julia Mindlina served up an ace before Kuehner closed it out with a solo block.
Kuehner and Plagens led Eastern Kentucky with 12 kills each. Kuehner posted a .321 attack percentage and had six blocks. Edmond finished with 10 kills and Vick contributed nine. Dena Ott posted 22 digs. Mindlina had two aces and 13 digs.
The Penguins were led by Shannon Watson’s 17 kills and .433 hitting percentage. Missy Hundelt added 10 kills.
Both teams had a .146 attack percentage but Eastern Kentucky held an 11-9 advantage in blocks.
The Colonels continue play at the Spartan Showcase with two matches on Saturday. Eastern will face McNeese State at 10 a.m. and will play host Michigan State at 7:30 p.m.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, MEMPHIS 0; UALR 3, AUSTIN PEAY 2
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Austin Peay split a pair of matches on the first day of the Memphis Invitational. The Lady Govs defeated host Memphis (25-17, 20-25, 25-19, 24-26, 15-11) before falling to UALR (25-13, 23-25, 23-25, 25-23, 13-15).
Against Memphis, Four Lady Govs hitters notched double-digit kill totals in the season-opening match. However, it was sophomore middle blocker Hillary Plybon’s career-best 19-kill effort that paced the team to its second-ever victory against Memphis.
When Austin Peay (1-0) was able to run its offense efficiently, as it did in the first and third sets, it was able to pull away from Memphis to win the set. The first set saw the Lady Govs post 15 kills with a .382 attack percentage as Plybon and junior middle blocker Lauren Henderson each had four kills. Austin Peay added 17 kills at a .293 attack percentage in a third-set victory with senior outside hitter Nikki Doyle posting an impressive eight kills without an error.
Memphis (0-1) was at its best when forcing Austin Peay into see-saw affairs. The Tigers put forth their best offensive outing in the second set with 15 kills and a .364 attack percentage, but still needed a 7-0 run to win the set after 10 ties and six lead changes. The fourth set was nearly identical with Memphis using a 5-0 run – aided by three Austin Peay errors to end the set – to win the set in overtime, 26-24.
Austin Peay turned the tables in the fifth set using a 5-1 run to end the match. The Lady Govs recorded only five kills in the frame but scored three points off service aces and received five points off Tigers errors.
Plybon finished with 19 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Also reaching double-digit kill territory were Doyle (15), Henderson (13) and sophomore Jada Stotts (10). Stotts also added 13 digs to record her first career double-double.
The Lady Govs recorded 60 kills to outpace the Tigers 56-kill effort. Austin Peay also posted 11 service aces and 10 blocks to dominate the hosts in both categories.
Altrese Hawkins led Memphis with a 19-kill, 18-dig double-double effort. Marija Jovanovic added 13 kills.
In the UALR match, Austin Peay (1-1) won a lopsided first set, jumping out to a 15-5 lead and not looking back en route to a 25-13 win. The Lady Govs needed only 12 kills in the win as UALR handed them 10 points on errors.
UALR (1-1) leveled the match with a wire-to-wire win in the second set. Austin Peay rallied from a 20-15 deficit late to tie the set at 23-23. But the Trojans held off the rally, using a Adisa Hodzic kill and a Emily Pepperman service ace to secure the win.
The third and fourth sets were wild affairs with both teams using late set rallies to post come-from-behind wins. Austin Peay led 17-9 in the third set only to watch UALR tie the set with a 10-2 run to tie the set, 19-19. The Lady Govs momentarily held off the lead change, but the Trojans used three consecutive kills to win the set, 25-23.
UALR held a 16-10 lead in the fourth set, but Austin Peay tied the set with six consecutive points, with sophomore Jada Stotts and senior Alex Sain each recording two kills. The Trojans would get within three points, 22-21, of winning the match but the Lady Govs scored four of the set’s final five points to force a decisive fifth set.
After playing the tournament’s first nine sets with the offense running efficiently, Austin Peay saw its offense sputter. The Lady Govs committed six errors in the set, allowing the Trojans to stay within striking distance early. Then, trailing 11-10, UALR finally struck and scored five of the final seven points to win the match.
Austin Peay was unable to capitalize on Stotts’ career-best 19-kill performance. Sophomore Hillary Plybon followed up her career-best outing in the season opener with a 15-kill outing against UALR. Junior middle blocker Lauren Henderson added 10 kills.
Edina Begic led UALR with an impressive 25-kill outing, including five kills in the decisive set. Hodzic and Eva Xie each added 10 kills.
The Lady Govs return to action with a 10 a.m., Saturday contest against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles enter the tournament’s second day with a 2-0 record after posting four-set wins against both UALR and Southern Illinois, Friday.
BELMONT 3, ALABAMA A&M 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont (1-0) opened the 2012 season sweeping Alabama A&M (0-1) in the second match of the fifth annual Belmont Invitational, 25-22, 25-18, 27-25. The Bruins turned in 41 kills as a team and held Alabama A&M to a .167 hitting percentage.
Belmont battled back to take its first lead of the set with an attack from junior Allison McCoy, but a service error tied the set at 15. The Bruins capitalized on two consecutive attack errors to take a two-point lead that the team would not relinquish their lead to close out the opening set, 25-22.
A block from freshman Jocelyn Youngdahl and McCoy started a 3-0 run for the Bruins. Behind kills from redshirt freshman Maddison Croft and sophomores Alex Martin and Scarlet Gable, Belmont took a 9-4 lead over the Bulldogs. Belmont went on a short 3-0 run before Alabama A&M scored four unanswered points.
A 3-0 run from the Bruins capped by another block from Youngdahl and McCoy closed out the second set, 25-18, giving Belmont a 2-0 advantage at the break.
Alabama A&M came back from the break going on a 3-0 run but their run was ended by a kill from Gable. The Bulldogs bounced back to score four consecutive points but kills from McCoy and Croft ended their run and brought Belmont within five.
The two teams battled back and forth, with each going on short runs. Two errors from the Bulldogs allowed Belmont to pull within one point, 20-19. Back-to-back kills from Gable gave the Bruins a 21-20 lead. The two teams exchanged points before Belmont closed out the set with a 27-25 win.
Martin led the Bruins with 13 kills, followed by Gable with 10. Freshman Regan Kennamer (Huntsville, Ala.) recorded a game-high 39 assists, while junior Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) paced the defense 22 digs.
The Bruins will start the action tomorrow with a 10:00 a.m. game against Northern Colorado in the Curb Event Center.
IPFW 3, MURRAY STATE 0
FORT WAYNE, Ind. -The Murray State volleyball team fell in its opening match of the 2012 season on Friday night, 3-0, to IPFW at the Hyatt Place Fort Wayne/IPFW Invitational in Fort Wayne, Ind.
In the first set, the Mastodons (1-0) jumped out to an early 13-3 lead, but the Racers were able to match the 'Dons point-for-point, taking the score to 20-10. However, IPFW was able to close out Murray State and take the first set, 25-12.
In the second set, the 'Dons once again jumped out to a big lead, holding a 20-8 advantage over the Racers. The Racers, though, were not done and battled back, falling by just 11 points, 25-14.
However, in the third set, IPFW was just too much for MSU, as the 'Dons closed the third set on a 7-0 run to take the set, 25-8, and the match, 3-0.
Despite the loss, the 2012 edition of the Racers showed plenty of promise, with returners and newcomers alike putting up impressive numbers. Freshman Kristen Besselsen (St. Louis, Mo.) led the Racers with seven kills on the night, while fellow freshman Taylor Olden (Lincoln, Ill.) had a team-high eight digs. Senior Lia Havili (Haltom City, Texas) also had a big night for MSU, notching 22 assists.
Senior Megan Steenhuysen (Grand Rapids, Mich.) led all players with 32 kills for IPFW, while senior Tessa McGill (Muncie, Ind.) had a game-high 28 digs.
On Saturday, Murray State will close out play in the Hyatt Place Fort Wayne/IPFW Invitational with games against Kent State and Cleveland State at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
USC UPSATE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Country Inns & Suites Invitational hosted by UT Chattanooga, gave the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle volleyball team its first test of the season Friday, as Tech fell to U.S.C. Upstate in three sets.
Set scores were 26-24, 25-17, and 25-13.
Tech's pinhitters proved to be the most productive on offense. Natalie Penrod, Ellen Conti and Katrina Dvorken combined for 21 of Tech's 34 kills. Penrod led the Purple and Gold with 11 kills on 23 swings, notching a .435 attack percentage. Conti fell next in line with seven kills while Katrina Dvorken hit a team high .600 with three kills on five swings.
Upstate swung for a .271 mark and dealt out five service aces. The Spartans also held a slight 48-45 edge in digs.
The first set proved to be the highlight of the match, as Tech outhit USC Upstate 18-14, and accounted for half of Tech's 34 kills in the match. The Golden Eagles hit .316, well above last seasons attack average of .143.
Tech trailed most of the set by three, but a run from behind the service line by senior Madison Comperry brought the Golden Eagles within two. Tech continued to battle when back-to-back kills held off three Upstate match points to bring the set to 24-24. A Tech ball handling error and a kill by Upstate ended the match, 26-24.
The Spartans used the momentum from the first set to propel them over the Golden Eagles the remainder of the match. Despite a four service run by Conti in the second set, the Golden Eagles had trouble putting a ball past the Spartan defense that sprawled for 21 digs.
The third set proved to be a challenge as the Golden Eagles never earned more than a two-point run. The Spartans won 25-13 in the third and finishing set.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, STETSON 2; JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 1
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team picked up their first two victories of the season Friday by taking down Stetson and Southeastern Louisiana in the ISTAP Invitational hosted by Alabama State.
In the first match JSU got huge efforts from seniors Kelsey Anderson and Jen Meyer to lead the Gamecocks to the 3-2 victory (21-25, 25-13, 25-15, 28-26, 15-13). Anderson recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs while Meyer added a match high 19 kills on a .500 attack percentage.
The Gamecocks got off to a slow start in the first set, giving up the game's first four points before settling in to tie the game at 12-12. Overall, JSU recorded 10 errors in the first set, including the game's final two points as the Hatters took the first set 21-25.
Led my Meyer's six kills in the second set, the Gamecocks found their rhythm and dominated the second and third sets by scores of 25-13 and 25-15. The Gamecocks looked prepared to run off with the fourth set after jumping out to an early 4-0 lead, but the Hatters fought back and took the fourth set 28-26.
Meyer and Anderson took over in the fifth and final set, as Meyer recorded five kills and Anderson added three kills to lead the Gamecocks to the victory in their season opener.
Junior setter Abbey Heredia recorded 50 assists and 10 digs while junior Kelly Cole added 16 digs.
Several freshmen stood out in their first collegiate action. Emily Rutherford finished with eight kills and 13 digs while Taylor Long added five kills on the day. Kaley Sierawski, Samantha Bohne and Grace Anbouba also made their collegiate debuts for the Gamecocks.
Anderson and Meyer once again led the way in the second match, with Anderson posting her second double-double of the day with 12 kills and 11 digs while Meyer added six kills in the Gamecocks' 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-18) sweep of Southeastern Louisiana.
Long added eight kills and Heredia recorded 35 assists for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks will play twice on Saturday. The first match will be at 9 a.m. against South Dakota and the second at 7 p.m. against host Alabama State.
SOUTH DAKOTA 3, TENNESSEE STATE 1; TENNESSEE STATE 3, ALABAMA STATE 0
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Tennessee State split a pair of matches on the first day of the ISTAP Invitational hosted by Alabama State. The Tigers fell to South Dakota (25-19, 21-25, 25-21, 25-15) and defeated Alabama State (25-16, 26-15, 25-14).
In the match versus South Dakota, TSU (0-1) was led by junior setter Erika Moss who had a team-high 27 assists and two blocks. Moss was also tied for the team lead in digs with 12. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Naomi Wells added 14 kills to lead all Tiger scorers.
Tori Kroll paced South Dakota (1-0) with 37 assists and five digs. Kendall Kritenbrink was the sole Coyote with double-digit kills, tallying 18.
In the first set, Tennessee State roared out of the gates to claim an early 3-0 lead. After padding the lead to 7-1, a string of TSU errors led to an 8-2 South Dakota run. With the set tied at nine apiece, South Dakota built an insurmountable lead with an 11-5 run, highlighted a handful of South Dakota kills.
The second set started much like the first with TSU jumping out to an early advantage at 2-0. The teams traded blows throughout the set until sophomore middle hitter Sherryce Butler finally ended the set at 25-21 with one of her six kills.
The score was knotted at 10-10 when South Dakota went on a 10-7 run to pull away by three. The Tigers tried to recover, and even reached within one of the lead before ultimately falling by four points.
Down two sets to one, the Tigers came out flat in the match’s fourth set. South Dakota soared to a 6-2 run, and never relinquished the lead. TSU came within two at 7-9, but a bevy of kills from South Dakota buried the Tigers, 15-25.
Tennessee State ended match one of the day with a .113 hitting percentage while South Dakota hit .244
MONTANA STATE 3, SIUE 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE opened the 2012 season at the Vadalabene Center Friday and dropped a four-set decision to Montana State 25-17, 21-25, 25-13, 26-24.
It was the first action of the season for both schools.
Montana State came out strong in the first set of the Cougar Classic with 13 kills, but the Cougars quickly evened it up in the second set by forcing 10 errors from the Bobcats.
After the break between sets two and three, Montana State regrouped and regained the momentum from the Cougars.
Montana State turned in 12 blocks for the match, including eight each from Natalee Godfrey and Eli Svisco. SIUE finished with eight blocks, including six from Kelsey Augustine.
SIUE nearly battled back in the fourth set, averting a match point before dropping the set 26-24.
Brooke Smith led SIUE with 12 kills followed by 11 from Augustine and 10 from Emma Anderson. Libero Chelsea Colclasure turned in a team-best 21 digs. The Cougars picked up some finesse kills late in the match to impede the Bobcats' blocking.
Macy Page led Montana State with 14 kills followed by 13 from Svisco.
There are four matches Saturday at the Cougar Classic. Montana State faces Western Illinois at 10 a.m. SIUE meets Santa Clara at noon. Montana State and Santa Clara clash at 5 p.m. SIUE meets Western Illinois at 7 p.m.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, DePAUL 1
CHICAGO, Ill. - Eastern Illinois volleyball opened the 2012 campaign at the two-day, four-team DePaul Invitational on Friday night, as the Panthers hit past the Blue Demons in a four set affair (25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22).
Seniors Emily Franklin and Alison Berens led the Panther attack with 15 and 12 kills, respectively, from the outside and middle.
Several newcomers also made the most of their first match in an EIU uniform as the setting duo of Marah Bradbury and Abby Saalfrank ran the Panther offense behind respective 21 and 20 assists.
Newcomer Stephanie Wallace had a fine night in the back row behind a match-high 25 digs, while junior Stephanie Arnold was a force at the net with four blocks.
For the contest, EIU led DePaul (0-1) in kills (52 to 44), attack (.171 to .122), assists (48 to 39), digs (62 to 52), and a big lead in the service game via an eight-to-one ace advantage. DePaul did win the blocking game behind a ten to six lead.
Since it was the season-opener for both squads, the two units needed some extra time to get things going in the opening set. Both teams nailed ten kills apiece in the opener, as the Panthers fired off five aces en route to the 25-20 opening frame victory, hitting .222 in the process.
The second set saw the host squad turn things around and enjoy an early 8-4 lead, forcing EIU to burn a timeout. But the Panthers countered with a 6-1 run to lead 11-9, which required a break by DePaul. The Blue Demons slowly countered to knot the score at 14-all, but Eastern rattled off six straight to lead 20-14, as the tough Berens serve forced DePaul off system and led to early EIU put-aways. Eastern would maintain the five-point lead before eventually enjoying a 2-0 match lead off the 25-19 set two victory. EIU would dominate the Demons in hitting that frame, .257 to .083.
The two teams played intense sideout ball to begin set three action, as both squads displayed good defense and scrappy ball play. After the Panthers held a two-point cushion the host squad countered to take a 15-13 lead off a stuff block, forcing EIU to use a timeout. Kills by Arnold and Hutchinson, plus a crucial Panther block, would end DePaul's mini-run and tie it at 17-all. Yet a couple of Eastern miscues would give the home team a 20-17 lead and require the Panthers to burn their final timeout of the frame. A timely Hutchinson kill and nice dump kill by Bradbury would pull EIU to within 22-21 of the hosts. DePaul would use the block to have a pair of set-points, eventually forcing a fourth frame off the thanks to the 25-22 win. EIU would be limited to just a .120 attack as compared to a .191 Blue Demon clip.
Tough Panther serves led to DePaul hitting errors, as EIU enjoyed an early 4-1 lead to begin set four. DePaul would again change the momentum a bit to tie it at 5-all, but consecutive off-speed kills by Martin would help EIU lead again at 8-5. A nice, but rare, kill from libero Wallace gave Eastern the 11-6 lead, forcing the Demons to take a break in the action. The timeout didn't stop the Panther momentum as EIU continued to enjoy a five-point advantage to lead 17-12, requiring DePaul to burn their final timeout yet again. This time the break seemed to work as DePaul surged to within 18-17 of Eastern, as the Panthers used their own TO. A wild finish would ensue as EIU lead 22-21 before going on a late run and take the match thanks to a DePaul service error and 25-22 win.
With the win, EIU now enjoys a 19-5 lead in the all-time NCAA Division I series history and have won five straight.
EIU will finish up early-season action at the two-day invite Saturday morning, as the Panthers will face Butler at 11:30 a.m. and rival Indiana State at 4:30 p.m.
ARKANSAS 3, UT MARTIN 0
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team fell 3-0 this evening to the Arkansas Razorbacks (25-16, 25-18, 25-19) in the season-opener for both teams at Barnhill Arena.
Freshman Amanda Crask registered team-highs in kills (eight) and assists (21) for the Skyhawks, who started four freshmen tonight against the formidable Southeastern Conference opponent. Fellow freshman Shelby Hoskins tallied six kills, while Dallas Zimmerman, Kelly Hogan and Emily Keaton each amassed four kills apiece. Defensively, senior Kasey Elswick was responsible for 15 of the team’s 32 digs.
In the first set, UT Martin fell behind 4-0 before a Hoskins kill made the score 7-4. The Razorbacks would stretch their lead out to nine at 15-6 but the Skyhawks clawed back for three straight points and eventually got within four points at 17-13 on yet another kill by Hoskins. However, Arkansas would end the set on a 4-1 run to take the first set by a 25-16 margin.
The freshman trio of Hoskins (three), Crask (two) and Lynsey Hazelwood accounted for six of UT Martin’s nine kills in the first set.
The Skyhawks overcame an early deficit in the second set to take leads at 4-3 and 5-4. After a kill by Hogan knotted the score at 6-all, Arkansas reeled off seven straight points until a kill by Emily Keaton made the score 13-7. UT Martin’s freshmen would keep the score close late, as Hazelwood, Zimmerman, Crask and Hoskins each notched a kill during a 4-1 Skyhawk run. However, time ran out on UT Martin’s comeback in a 25-18 loss.
The Skyhawks tallied 11 kills and hit .167 in the second set, led by five players with two apiece. Elswick snagged six digs in the set to pace the UT Martin defense.
Crask had two early kills in the third set, pulling the Skyhawks within a single point at 5-4. Crask’s third kill of the set sliced UT Martin’s deficit to 11-9, but the Razorbacks would score five of the next seven points to open up a 16-11 lead. Soon thereafter, consecutive kills by Crask and Hogan made the score 18-16 and forced Arkansas to burn a timeout. A Crask service ace kept the margin at two (20-18), but Arkansas ended the set on a 5-1 run to win 25-19.
The freshman duo of Crask (four kills, .571 attack percentage) and Zimmerman (three kills, .750) led the way for UT Martin in the third set.
UT Martin will conclude the Arkansas Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 25 with a pair of early afternoon matches. The Skyhawks will take on Kansas at 1:30 p.m., followed by a quick turnaround against Northwestern State at 4:30 p.m.