SATURDAY’S SCORES
Tennessee Tech 3, Alcorn State 0 (25-5, 25-20, 25-7)
Northern Colorado 3,
@Belmont 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-18)
@Louisville 3,
Morehead State 1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-18, 25-16)
Butler 3,
@Eastern Illinois 0 (25-19, 32-30, 25-17)
Eastern Michigan 3,
Austin Peay 0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-18)
Southern Illinois 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-21)
Santa Clara 3,
SIUE 1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 25-10)
Kent State 3,
Murray State 0 (25-17, 25-22, 27-25)
Jacksonville State 3, South Dakota 2 (17-25, 12-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-13)
Tennessee State 3, Southeastern Louisiana 1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-14)
Eastern Kentucky 3, McNeese State 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-13)
Southeast Missouri 3, @Iowa 2 (27-29, 25-23, 25-19, 13-25, 15-13)
Kansas 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-23)
Western Kentucky 3,
Morehead State 0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-17)
Cleveland State 3,
Murray State 1 (25-19, 26-28, 25-20, 25-16)
Eastern Illinois 3, Indiana State 2 (25-17, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-8)
Southeast Missouri 3, Chicago State 0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-15)
TCU 3,
@Belmont 0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-14)
Tennessee State 3, Stetson 1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-17, 26-24)
@Chattanooga 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (25-16, 25-15, 27-25)
@Michigan State 3,
Eastern Kentucky 0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-10)
Jacksonville State 3, @Alabama State 0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-18)
SIUE 3, Western Illinois 1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18)
EASTERN MICHIGAN 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0; SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team struggled offensively and dropped a pair of three-set matches, Saturday, at the Memphis Invitational. The Lady Govs fell to Eastern Michigan (24-26, 18-25, 18-25) and Southern Illinois (14-25, 16-25, 21-25) to conclude their opening-weekend road trip.
Austin Peay (1-3) opened the day with impressive starts in its first two sets against Eastern Michigan. However, the Lady Govs were unable to maintain that lead in either set as the Eagles mounted furious charges to gain the lead each time.
The Lady Govs 10-4 in the opening set but the Eagles slowly reeled them back and used a six-point run later in the set to take a 20-18 advantage. Austin Peay would force overtime, but Eastern Michigan scored back-to-back points to win the set, 26-24.
The Lady Govs again jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set but surrendered a 12-4 run as Eastern Michigan grabbed a 13-9 lead and would not look back.
The third set was more closely fought with 15 ties and five lead changes. Eastern Michigan (3-0) seized control with a 7-0 run to take a 23-16 lead en route to the set victory to secure the match.
Freshman outside hitter Samantha Strother led the Lady Govs with 10 kills. Junior middle blocker Lauren Henderson added eight kills. Austin Peay’s offense could not get on track, recording only 43 kills in the three-set affair.
Rachel Iaquaniello led Eastern Michigan with 13 kills. The Eagles posted 48 kills in the win while registering a .300 attack percentage.
Austin Peay ran into a hot-hitting Southern Illinois squad in its final tournament match. The Lady Govs only led briefly in the first set as the Salukis controlled the match.
The Lady Govs recorded only 30 kills in the three-set loss and were held to a .162 attack percentage. Sophomore Jada Stotts led the offense with six kills.
Southern Illinois (2-1) had no such offensive woes and finished the match with 56 kills and a .389 attack percentage. Laura Thole scored 19 kills and posted an impressive .567 attack percentage.
Austin Peay returns to action when it travels to Western Kentucky for a 7 p.m., Tuesday contest.
BUTLER 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0; EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, INDIANA STATE 2
CHICAGO, Ill. – Eastern Illinois split a pair of matches on the last day of the DePaul Invitational. The Panthers fell to Butler (19-25, 32-30, 17-25) and defeated Indian State (25-17, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-8).
Against Butler, Senior Alison Berens led the EIU attack with nine kills while classmate Emily Franklin and sophomore Kelsey Roggemann chipped in eight put-a-ways.
Defensively, junior Reynae Hutchinson led with 15 digs, followed by freshman libero Stephanie Wallace with 11. At the net, junior Stephanie Arnold tied Roggemann with three blocks.
DePaul was led by Belle Obert's 12 kill, 11 dig double-double, while Rachel Barber added 10 kills of her own as the Bulldogs out-hit EIU .235 to .108 in the match. In fact, Butler (1-1) led EIU in nearly all stat categories.
Meeting for the 18th time, the Bulldogs jumped ahead 8-3 to start the first set behind timely blocks and some EIU miscues, forcing the Panthers to burn an early timeout. A cross-court kill by Saalfrank and a Butler hitting error would snap the Butler run. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs continued a five-or-six point cushion as Eastern utilized their final TO down 20-14. A soft shot over the block by Berens would pull EIU to within 21-17, but the Bulldogs held on for the 25-19 first set win, out-hitting EIU, .355 to .214 in the frame.
Like the first set, Butler would steam ahead, 7-3, before EIU countered with consecutive blocks to tie it at nine-all as sophomore Kelsey Roggemann came in to provide a nice spark to the EIU net defense and offense. Eastern would earn the key 20th point first before extending the lead at 21-19 off a block. Following a Butler timeout, EIU held onto a two-point cushion, but the Bulldogs countered to knot the score at 23-all, forcing a Panther TO. A left-side put-down by Saalfrank gave Eastern their first set-point, but Butler would tie it again at 26-all. Multiple sideouts would eventually knot the score at 30-all before Butler gutted out the tough 32-30 win following an EIU blocking miscue. Roggemann came off the bench to lead EIU with four kills as neither team hit particularly well with Butler leading, .184 to .146 as each squad had three aces and four blocks. The set featured 20 ties and 10 lead changes.
Both squads played solid ball in the first half of the third frame before EIU jumped ahead 12-10 off a hard-hit kill down the line by junior Reynae Hutchinson. However, Butler would fire off seven straight to force a break in the action down 15-12. A dump set-kill by Bradford would end the Bulldog run, yet EIU still trailed 18-14. Following Eastern's final timeout, the Butler block would stymie the Panthers before senior Emily Franklin drilled consecutive shots to pull EIU to within 21-16. Unfortunately Butler would hold on for the 25-17 win and match sweep of Eastern.
With the win, the Bulldogs now own a 12-6 all-time lead in the series history.
In the win over Indiana State, Eastern Illinois volleyball ended competition at the two-day DePaul Invitational late Saturday afternoon by scratching past long-time rival Indiana State in a five-set thriller (25-17, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-8).
The win moves the Panthers to 2-1 on the early season, and helped Eastern snap a recent three-match losing streak to the Sycamores (1-2) and extend the all-time Division I series lead over the I-70 rivals to 19-10.
Four different EIU players hit in double-digits with seniors Alison Berens and Emily Franklin tying freshman Abby Saalfrank with 13 put-a-ways apiece. Junior Reynae Hutchinson added 10 kills of her own.
Both Hutchinson and Saalfrank also secured their first double-double of the season behind the addition of 10 digs and 19 assists, respectively. Newcomer Marah Bradbury also registered a duo-duo off 24 assists and 12 digs.
Defensively, both Saalfrank and Hutchinson blocked five ISU attacks as the Panthers roofed the Sycamores 11-to-seven in total net defense.
Freshman libero Stephanie Wallace continued her fine opening weekend with 11 digs.
The team stat of the game was the serve as EIU had 12 aces to just five for the Sycamores, with Bradbury leading all players with a six unreturnable serves. Yet 14 service miscues would also hinder the Panther game plan.
ISU was led by the duo of Shea Doran and Molly Murphy off their respective 17 and 14 kills, with Doran also tallying 11 digs. On defense, Kyla Thomas had four blocks and libero Ashlen Buck upped 16 attacks.
Panthers jumped out to an early 5-2 lead to open the match, with the lone ISU points coming via EIU serving miscues. A deeply placed ace by Bradbury, followed by a right-side kill from Saalfrank, extended the Panther lead to 14-8, forcing ISU to burn a timeout. A put-down through the block by Franklin helped Eastern to maintain the five-point cushion and after an ISU sideout, EIU would rattle off four straight to sudden lead, 22-15. A crushing cross-court kill from Franlin gave Eastern their first set point, while the duo block from Arnold and Saalfrank handed the Panthers a 25-17 first set win. EIU out-hit ISU by a commanding .306 to .094 clip with Berens, Hutchinson and Franklin all nailing four kills each.
After Eastern took another quick lead to open set two, ISU countered to knot the score at 5-all, but the Panthers scored three straight to go up 8-5. EIU held onto a four-point lead but ISU responded to tie it at 13-all, but Franklin's shot off the block, followed by an ISU miscue and Panther ace, would help Eastern retake the lead at 16-13. Continued tough EIU serves helped the Panthers lead at 23-17, eventually taking the 2-0 match lead following an off-speed shot by Hutchinson for the 25-19 win. EIU hit .367 in the frame, while ISU improved considerably behind a .233 clip.
After both squads opened set three action tied 6-all, ISU would go on a run to lead 10-8, with an off-speed kill from Saalfrank ending the run. Yet ISU kept up the pressure to force EIU head coach Kate Price to use a timeout down 14-11. Sycamores eventually upped the lead to 22-16 before a dump kill by Bradbury in the heart of the ISU defense ended the scoring drought. Yet the ISU momentum would continue as the Sycamores countered with a 25-20 third set win to pull to within 2-1 of the Panthers in the match. ISU out-hit Eastern, .500 to .379 in the frame.
An EIU 3-0 lead quickly turned to a 8-4 ISU advantage to open the fourth stanza, forcing an early Panther timeout. The break would help as EIU pulled to within 9-8 off nice serves by redshirt sophomore Kelsey Brooke and key blocking. With ISU holding a two-to-three point cushion, both squads continued side-out play with the Sycamores eventually pushing ahead 21-16, forcing an EIU timeout. That's when Eastern went on a major 7-1 run. First a soft shot by Hutchinson over the ISU block was followed by a Bradford ace, after a Berens/Saalfrank block Berens would drill consecutive kills to suddenly give the Panthers a 23-22 lead, forcing an ISU break in the action. But ISU countered the streak with two blocks before earning the hard-fought 25-23 win to force a fifth and decisive set. Neither team hit well in that set, as ISU led .143 to .129.
EIU came up on all cylinders in the fifth as tough serving by Bradford forced ISU off-system as Eastern jumped to a 5-0 lead. A shot through the ISU block by Saalfrank and an ISU miscommunication on a serve by Brooke would force the Sycamores to use call timeout as the Panthers suddenly led, 11-5. A mini ISU run would end thanks to a dump kill by Saalfrank, as EIU would take the match off the 15-8 win thanks to a Sycamore error and Berens over-pass kill.
EIU will next compete at next weekend's Oakland Invitational in Rochester, Mich. as the Panthers are set to face Iowa, Toledo and the host Grizzly squad.
LOUISVILLE 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1; WESTERN KENTUCKY 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Morehead State dropped a pair of matches on Saturday, falling to Louisville (21-25, 25-20, 18-25, 16-25) and Western Kentucky (19-25, 16-25, 17-25).
Morehead State senior outside hitter Ellie Roberson totaled a match-high 23 kills, but host Louisville defeated the MSU volleyball team 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-18, 25-16) Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Cardinals, who are ranked No. 31 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, improved to 2-0. The Eagles dipped to 0-2.
Lola Arslanbekova led the hosts with 17 kills, while libero Caitlin Welch led all players with 22 digs. Both teams registered 70 digs.
Playing in her hometown, Roberson led all players in kills and hit .326 off 43 swings. Junior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon and senior setter Caitlin Clark each notched their first double-doubles of the year. Bohannon had 10 kills and 12 digs, while Clark handed out 31 assists and dug 12 Cardinal attacks.
Defensively, senior middle blocker Annie Gruenschlaeger tallied eight blocks, while freshman middle blocker Hannah Sigala totaled five rejections. Gruenschlaeger added seven kills and hit .278.
Brooke Mattingly also reached double digits in kills for U of L with 11 while hitting a match-high .381.
Following seven ties and three lead changes, the host Cardinals sealed the first set win by outscoring the Eagles 6-3 in the end. A Cardinal attack error brought MSU to within 19-18, but the hosts scored the next four points via MSU attack errors.
The Eagles hit .324 and smashed 16 kills in the second set. MSU used an 8-2 run midway through the frame to pull away. A Louisville service error broke an 11-11 stalemate, and an attack error by the Cardinals gave the visitors a 19-13 advantage. The Cardinals climbed back to within three twice, but a Roberson kill and another attack error closed it in favor of the Eagles.
Trailing 4-1 early in the third set, the Eagles put together a 7-1 run to grab an 8-5 advantage. The set was knotted at 11 later, but the Cardinals strung together a 7-1 run of their own to push ahead 18-12 and effectively seal the set victory.
The Cardinals hit .310 with 14 kills in the final set.
Western Kentucky had 10 blocks and handed the Morehead State volleyball team a 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-17) defeat Saturday evening at the KFY Yum! Center.
The Hilltoppers won their first match of the 2012 season, improving to 1-2, while MSU fell to 0-3.
MSU committed 25 attack errors and also gave WKU eight points off service errors. Junior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon led the Eagles with eight kills, while senior middle blocker Annie Gruenschlaeger and junior middle blocker Laura McDermott totaled four blocks apiece.
The Hilltoppers got a match-best 13 kills, five blocks and a .310 attack efficiency from Jordyn Skinner, the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. Lindsay Spears added four rejections.
MSU trailed just 17-15 in the first set following a Gruenschlaeger solo block, but the Hilltoppers doubled up the Eagles down the stretch to win 25-19.
The Eagles had the second frame tied at nine, but five straight WKU winners set the tone. The ‘Toppers hit .400 in the set and used a 11-2 run to pull away and eventually build a 20-12 advantage.
Junior libero Leslie Schellhaas notched a team-high 13 digs.
KENT STATE 3, MURRAY STATE 0; CLEVELAND STATE 3, MURRAY STATE 1
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Murray State volleyball team lost a pair of hard-fought matches to Kent State and Cleveland State on Saturday, as it concluded play at the Hyatt Place Fort Wayne/IPFW Invitational in Fort Wayne, Ind.
In the first match, despite a late surge in the second set and a third set that went to extra points, the Murray State volleyball team fell in straight sets to Kent State on Saturday morning.
In the first set, the Racers (0-2) kept it close for most of the frame, but were unable to recover from an early 8-2 deficit and fell to the Golden Flashes, 25-17.
The second set saw Kent State (1-1) once again take an early lead and hold a 7-1 advantage over the Racers. However, MSU was able to notch the next six points and tie the game at seven. From that point, the game went back and forth with Murray State taking the lead on three separate occasions until the game was tied at 20.
With the score tied, the Golden Flashes finished the game on a 5-2 run to take a two set to none advantage.
In the final set, the Racers held the lead for majority of the match, even leading 15-10 at one point. Despite the lead, the Golden Flashes were able to battle back and take a 21-19 advantage. However, the Racers used two kills from freshman Emily Schmahl (Edgewood, Ky.), one from junior Michelle Lazorchak (Marion, Ill.) and an ace from senior Lia Havili (Haltom City, Texas) to take re-take the lead at 24-22
Despite several opportunities, Murray State was unable to close the Golden Flashes out and dropped the final set, 27-25, giving Kent State the 3-0 match win.
Schmahl led all players in the match with 15 kills, while freshman Jodie Klein (Louisville, Ky.) led the Racers with 10 digs. Havili added a team-high 31 assists, while Lazorchak notched one solo block and six block assists to finish the match with seven total.
In the second match against Cleveland State, the Racers once again fell behind early in the opening set, but were able to battle back and knot the score at nine. With the Racers trailing by one at 13-12, the Vikings scored the next four points and built a lead MSU was never able to recover from to give them a 25-19 opening set win.
In set number two, the Racers came out firing on all cylinders and took an early 9-3 lead. Despite MSU’s best effort the Vikings kept coming and eventually forced the set into extra points. With the set on the line and tied at 26, Schmahl and fellow freshman Kristen Besselsen (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded the next two kills to give the Racers the 28-26 win and hand Cleveland State its first set loss of the season.
In the third set, the two teams started off matching each other point for point. However, late in the set, the Vikings scored four straight points to take an 18-13 lead and give them the cushion they needed to grind out a 25-20 victory.
Trailing 2-1 in the match, the Racers were unable to get out to the fast start that had helped them so much in the second frame and fell, 25-16. The match win advanced Cleveland State to 3-0 on the year, while MSU dropped to 0-3.
Even in the loss there were several bright spots for Murray State, including Besselsen’s first collegiate double-double with 17 kills and 11 digs. Also putting up big numbers for the Racers in the tournament finale were Schmahl with 13 kills, freshman Jodie Klein (Louisville, Ky.) with 19 digs, junior Katlyn Hudson (Columbus, Ind.) with 16 digs and Havili with 41 assists. Havili also finished the match just one dig shy of her own double-double with nine.
Up next for the Racers is LaQuinta Inn & Suites Highlander Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Radford, Va. While in the other Commonwealth, Murray State will take on St. Francis (PA), The Citadel and hosts, Radford.
NORTHERN COLORADO 3, BELMONT 0; TCU 3, BELMONT 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont dropped its final two matches of its own Belmont Invitational. The Bruins fell to Northern Colorado (19-25, 19-25, 18-25) and TCU (21-25, 13-25, 14-25).
Despite a tough battle from Belmont, Northern Colorado took the opening set, 25-19. The Bruins got on the board first and the two squads exchanged points back and forth. Back-to-back kills from sophomore Alex Martin (Ooletwah, Tenn.) gave Belmont a two-point lead. The Bears wouldn't allow Belmont to extend their lead as the set remained close.
Northern Colorado went on a 4-0 run to take their first lead of the set, but a kill from sophomore Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) silenced them. However, the Bears were able to regain a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The Bears took a 22-16 lead, but kills from junior Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Martin brought Belmont within four, but it wasn't enough as Northern Colorado took the first set.
The second set began much like the first, with the two teams battling back and forth early. Northern Colorado jumped to an early lead, but the Bruins remained close.
Northern Colorado took a 2-0 lead at the break as the Bears who took the second set, 25-19. Northern Colorado held Belmont to a .114 hitting percentage in the second set.
A kill from Martin and a Bears attack error, allowed the Bruins to come within one, but Northern Colorado continued to pull away and scored four unanswered points. Once again, Martin silenced them and Belmont capitalized on consecutive errors, but it wasn't enough, as Northern Colorado extended their lead.
After the break, Belmont took a 2-1 lead before the Bears went on a 6-0 run, taking a 7-2 lead. Northern Colorado continued to lead as the Bruins trailed by as many as seven, but the squad continued to fight back. It wasn't enough as the Bears continued to remain perfect in the Belmont Invitational.
Martin led the Bruins with a game-high 13 kills, while Gable and junior Danielle Prochaska (Middleton, Wisc.) each added six. Freshman setter Regan Kennamer (Huntsville, Ala.) dished out 31 assists. Junior Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) paced the team with 13 digs while Gable added nine.
Early in the opening set, Belmont and TCU exchanged points, TCU's 3-0 run to giving the Horned Frogs a 11-6 lead, forced the Bruins to battle back. Kills from redshirt freshman Maddison Croft (Edwardsville, Ill.) and sophomore Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) brought Belmont within one, and Belmont capitalized off TCU attack errors to take the lead.
TCU followed with three unanswered points, regaining their lead to close out the set, 25-21. The Horned Frogs, who recorded a .324 hitting percentage in the first set, held Belmont to a .175 hitting percentage.
Belmont got on the board first in the second set, but TCU went on a 6-0 run. The Bruins trailed by as many as 11 points as the Horned Frogs went on another long run and took the win in the second set, 25-13.
The third set remained close early; with Belmont taking a 3-2 lead. TCU went on short runs, scoring unanswered points as the Horned Frogs extended their lead over the Bruins to close out the third set.
Sophomore Alex Martin (Ooletwah, Tenn.) led the Bruins with eight kills, while junior setter Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) dished out 28 assists. Junior libero Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.), who was named to the 2012 Belmont Invitational All-Tournament Team tallied 14 digs for Belmont.
Belmont will take the road for the first time this season as the team travels to San Antonio, Texas to compete in the UTSA Invitational.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, IOWA 2; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, CHICAGO 0
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Southeast Missouri volleyball team won the Hawkeye Challenge with a pair of wins Saturday afternoon in Iowa City, Iowa. Southeast defeated Iowa 3-2 (27-29, 25-23,25-19,13-25,15-13) and Chicago State 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-14).
The win over the Hawkeyes was the Redhawks first win over a Big Ten opponent since September 13, 2002 when Southeast defeated Purdue 3-1.
Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference selection Emily Coon was named tournament MVP after recording 38 kills and 12 blocks.
Colleen Yarber and Julie Shives were named to the All-Tournament team. Yarber finished with 47 kills and 56 digs. Shives recorded 146 assists and 49 digs.
The Redhawks head to Milwaukee, Wisc. next Friday to take part in the UW-Milwaukee Invitational.
Southeast 3 Iowa 2
Southeast defeated Big Ten foe Iowa Saturday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It was the first meeting between the respective schools.
Coon led a balanced Southeast attack with 14 kills. Senior Karlee Lursen followed with 12 kills.
The Hawkeyes took the first set from the Redhawks 29-27. Iowa looked in control halfway through the first frame, but a 7-2 run by Southeast gave the Redhawks their first lead at 18-17.
The Redhawks had a pair of chances to take the set with match point, but the Hawkeyes battled back to take the frame.
The Second set saw each team make a pair of runs early in the set. Southeast used a four-point run to take an 8-4 lead. Iowa replied with a five-point run to take back the lead at 9-8.
The Redhawks got the best of the Hawkeyes the rest of the frame hitting .233 and holding Iowa to an hitting percentage of .170 as Southeast took the set 25-23.
Yarber and Lursen led the Redhawks to a 25-19 win in the third set. The duo added two services aces apiece. Southeast hit a team match-high .263 in the frame.
The Hawkeyes rallied in the fourth set to tie the match at 2-2 taking the set 25-13. The Hawkeyes were aggressive in the frame with 15 kills hitting an impressive match-high percentage of .344.
The Redhawks forced seven Iowa errors in the fifth and deciding set taking the frame 15-13. A big block late from Shives and Taylor Masterson sealed the match for Southeast.
Yarber added 10 kills and a career-high 24 digs. Junior Berkley Idel was impressive in the back row with a team-high 24 digs.
Shives finished the afternoon with 46 assists and 18 digs. Masterson and Kelsey Keeve added to the attack with nine kills apiece.
Alex Lovell led Iowa with a match-high 17 kills. Bethany Yeager added a match-high 26 digs.
Southeast 3 Chicago State 0
Southeast swept Chicago State to wrap up play in the Hawkeye Challenge. Yarber led the Redhawks with 14 kills and 12 digs, earning her second double-double of the day in the victory over the Cougars.
The Redhawks got off to a hot start taking the first set 25-14. Southeast pounded 15 kills in the opening frame and hit .324, their highest percentage of the day.
The Cougars made a bid to take the second set, but the Redhawks came back and took a 2-0 match lead with a 26-24 win.
Chicago State used a 9-2 run to tie the set at 21-21 and would eventually have a chance to take the match at 24-22, but Southeast battled back with four straight points with Yarber and Masterson highlighting the run with a set winning block.
The Redhawks sealed the match with a 25-14 victory in the third frame. The Redhawks added a game-high 16 kills in the stanza and held the Cougars to nine kills and six errors.
Southeast finished the match with a .206 hitting percentage and held the Cougars to .068 on the evening.
Shives added eight kills to go along with 30 assists and four digs. Idel led the Redhawks defensively with 15 digs.
KANSAS 3, UT MARTIN 0; NORTHWESTERN STATE 3, UT MARTIN 1
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Senior libero Kasey Elswick set yet another milestone this afternoon as The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team wrapped up its participation in the Arkansas Invitational, falling 3-0 to Kansas (19-25, 17-25, 23-25) and 3-1 to Northwestern State (17-25, 21-25, 25-21, 21-25) at Barnhill Arena.
Elswick, from Louisville, Ky., led the UT Martin defense with 37 digs in the two matches today, giving her 2,015 digs through 95 career matches. She becomes the eighth player in Ohio Valley Conference history to tally at least 2,000 career digs.
Senior Kelly Hogan led the Skyhawk offense with 20 total kills this afternoon, while Brandy Dennis (36 assists) and Amanda Crask (26) shared time at setter. Dallas Zimmerman turned away a team-high seven blocks to pace UT Martin defensively today.
Against Big 12 member Kansas, Hogan tallied a team-best 11 kills, while Crask handed out 24 assists. Elswick’s 14 digs and Jackie Harter’s four blocks set the tone for the Skyhawk defense.
The Skyhawks received a huge effort out of freshman Zimmerman against Northwestern State, as she accumulated team-highs of 12 kills and six blocks. Dennis’ 36 assists came up one shy of her career set last season against Tennessee Tech on Oct. 18, while Elswick was responsible for 23 digs to lead UT Martin.
Following the Northwestern State contest, Crask was named to the all-tournament squad.
UT Martin will hold its home opener next weekend, hosting Troy, Wright State and DePaul in the second-annual First State Skyhawk Invitational. The Skyhawks will battle Troy on Friday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. and will follow that with a pair of matches on Saturday, Sept. 1 (Wright State at 1 p.m., DePaul at 7 p.m.). Overall, the tournament features six matches to be played through two days – all taking place at Skyhawk Fieldhouse.
Kansas
The Skyhawks trailed 5-2 early but unreeled four straight points thanks to a pair of blocks from Harter and one from Hogan. UT Martin would take the lead on two more occasions before the Jayhawks used a 4-1 run to lead 12-9. Lynsey Hazelwood and Crask then tallied back-to-back kills to pull the Skyhawks within one point. Kansas would eventually stretch its advantage back out to three before a kill and service ace by Hogan made the score 16-15. However, the Jayhawks scored four of the next five points and eventually took the set by a 25-19 margin.
Hazelwood’s four kills and six digs led the Skyhawks in the first set, while Crask and Hogan each chipped in three kills apiece.
UT Martin found itself in a 6-1 hole to begin the second set before consecutive kills by Harter and Hogan. After Kansas opened up an 11-5 lead, the Skyhawks generated five straight points to cut their deficit to a single point. The Jayhawks would soon score three unanswered points to take a five-point lead, but UT Martin pulled back within two after an assisted block by Emily Keaton and Harter. In spite of the Skyhawks’ run, Kansas would tally three straight points and UT Martin would not get within four points the rest of the way.
Hogan notched three of the Skyhawks’ eight kills in the second set.
The Skyhawks kept the third set close throughout before Kansas eventually escaped with a 25-23 win. UT Martin started off hot – taking a 3-1 lead thanks to the hot hand of Keaton, who at one point accounted for three straight points. The Skyhawks held a 7-5 advantage before Kansas scored five straight points to go ahead 10-7. Shortly thereafter, UT Martin would erase a three-point deficit by going on a 5-0 run. The Skyhawks stretched their lead out to three after a Keaton kill made the score 17-14. After a Jayhawk timeout, Kansas scored four straight points to take a brief lead, but UT Martin recovered to lead as late as 21-20. The match was tied at 22-all and a Hogan kill staved off an elimination to make the score 24-23, but Kansas ended the set with a kill moments later.
Keaton (six kills against zero errors in eight attempts) and Hogan (five) were the offensive stars for UT Martin in the third set, while Elswick racked up seven digs to lead the Skyhawk defense.
Northwestern State
A Hogan kill got things started in the first set, setting the tone for UT Martin to take an early 5-3 advantage. The Lady Demons would soon go on a 5-0 run to take a 9-6 lead. With the margin still at three points, Northwestern State would tack on another lengthy run – this time scoring six straight points to take a 17-8 lead. The Skyhawks clawed back with an 8-4 run, but the Lady Demons closed out the set with three consecutive points to win 25-17.
Hogan, Crask and Keaton each registered two kills apiece to lead UT Martin in the first set.
In the second set, the Skyhawks led early on, eventually claiming a 10-7 lead after a solo block by Zimmerman. Northwestern State then scored five unanswered to go on top 12-10 before UT Martin responded with a run of its own – reeling off six consecutive points to maintain a 16-12 advantage. However, the Lady Demons then pieced together a 9-1 run to lead 24-18. UT Martin scored three straight points to make the score 24-21 but the comeback came up just short in a 25-21 loss.
Elswick’s eight digs helped the Skyhawks hold Northwestern State to a .083 attack percentage in the second half.
UT Martin overcame deficits of 3-0, 5-1 and 7-2 to win the third set by a 25-21 margin. Harter ignited the Skyhawk comeback, slamming down three straight kills to slice UT Martin’s deficit to 8-6. Hogan then came up with back-to-back kills, followed by two straight kills by Zimmerman, helping the Skyhawks take their first lead of the set at 15-14. Despite two more kills by Harter, Northwestern State led 18-17 before a 6-0 UT Martin run switched up the momentum. Kills by Hogan and Zimmerman closed out the set with the Skyhawks claiming a 25-21 victory.
Harter tallied five kills and a .833 hitting percentage (zero errors in six attempts) in the third set, as UT Martin hit .226 in 31 attempts. Zimmerman and Hogan each chipped in four kills, while Dennis handed out a dozen assists in the third set.
Zimmerman stayed hot to begin the fourth set, accounting for both of the Skyhawks’ first two points via a kill. Harter then amassed three kills in a span of four points for UT Martin, who capped off a 5-0 run with a Hogan kill that made the score 9-5. The Lady Demons would then score seven unanswered to take a 12-9 lead, but the Skyhawks responded with three straight points to even the score at 12-all. Two straight kills by Zimmerman gave UT Martin a 14-13 edge but Northwestern State took another lead before back-to-back kills by Keaton and Taylor Simons tilted the score 16-15 in UT Martin’s favor. After the score was deadlocked at 17-17, the Skyhawks scored three of the next four points to lead 21-19, but the Lady Demons ended the set with six consecutive points.
Zimmerman (six) and Harter (four) combined for 10 of UT Martin’s 16 kills in the fourth set. Dennis (12 assists) and Elswick (seven digs) also stood out for the Skyhawks.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, ALCORN STATE 0; CHATTANOOGA 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech volleyball team rebounded from a Friday night loss and stormed the court Saturday morning to post its first victory of the season, topping Alcorn State 3-0 at the Country Inns & Suites Invitational.
The Golden Eagles downed Braves by set scores of 25-5, 25-20, and 25-7.
Later on Saturday evening, Tech completed play at the invitational falling to host UT Chattanooga in three, 25-16, 25-15, and 27-25.
Junior outside hitter Natalie Penrod was named to the all-tournament team, the first of her career.
In dominating fashion, Tech out-hit, out-blocked, and out-dug Alcorn State. Penrod led the charge with 12 kills, while Ellen Conti recorded nine kills hitting at a .571 mark and middle hitter Kelsey Gray tallied seven kills.
Serving was the name of Tech's game as the Golden Eagles recorded 14 service aces. Gray led the team with five aces from behind the service line with Conti, and Ashleigh Hancock each chipped in with three.
Hancock joined Madi Comperry in leading a balanced attack, each dishing out 16 assists.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles made a strong stand, popping up 36 team digs. Libero Courtney Smith sprawled for 17 digs.
The first set was the Golden Eagles strongest offensive showing. Tech hit an unprecedented .500 as a team, but the points were controlled by consistent serves. Tech was able to control the tempo of the game, and become aggresseive with their serves.
Hancock opened the first set with a three-point run, before a few point exchanges between the teams. Gray was next in line and served for five points before Conti went on a 10-point run. Despite taking a timeout, the Braves couldn't recover from the deficit, folding at 25-5.
Set two proved to be a bit more of a challenge, but the Golden Eagles never trailed. Attack errors crept into the Golden Eagle game. Three attack errors in a row brought the score to 10-6, but that would be the closest the Braves would rally to. Tech continued to stay aggressive at the net, and closed out a 25-20 victory.
Tech came out in the third set and made quick work of the Braves. The score was 4-2 before Gray went behind the service line and rattled off four aces. Serving continued to highlight Tech's crusade, with Conti registering two aces of her own. Tech went on to win, 25-7.
Later in the day, Tech faced host UT Chattanooga. Tech dropped the first two sets, and ran out of time in the third.
The Golden Eagles were led by Penrod with her second 12-kill performance of the day. Gray followed with nine kills and had a hand in five blocks. Freshman Cody Dodd assisted in two blocks and had a solo block in her first college tournament weekend. Keyes chipped in with nine kills. Conti had six terminations and picked up 11 digs. Smith went to the floor for 16 digs.
The first set was a nail-biter, as the two teams went point-for-point. The Golden Eagles used a spread offense, but just couldn't convert in serve receive. Tech fell, 25-16.
In the second set, the Mocs went on an early run to put a gap between them and the Golden Eagles. Despite a rallying effort by Tech, the Mocs were able to fend off a last minute effort and win the set, 25-15.
The third set was a thriller. The Golden Eagles led for most of the set. The Mocs tied the contest at 15-15 and points coninued to go back and forth until a block by UTC's Bridget tied the score at 24-all. A kill by Conti held off a match point for the Mocs, but it wasn't enough as UT Chattanooga went on to win the set, 27-25.
The Golden Eagles (1-2) return to the court next weekend at the Xavier Tournament in Cincinnati. The Golden Eagles will face head coach John Blair's previous team, Ole Miss, along with Marquette and host Xavier. Tech opens the tournament against Xavier at 11 a.m. CT on Friday. Later Friday night, Tech faces Marquette at 4 p.m. CT. Saturday, Tech closes out the tournament with a match against Ole Miss at 1 p.m. CT.
TENNESSEE STATE 3, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 1; TENNESSEE STATE 3, STETSON 1
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Tennessee State volleyball team won its second consecutive match with a 3-1 win (20-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-14) over Southeastern Louisiana. The Tigers then followed up their win with another 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-15, 25-17, 26-24) against Stetson.
The wins gave the Tigers a 3-1 record in the ISTAP Invitational.
In the first match, TSU was led by junior setter Erika Moss, who notched a season-high 49 assists. Offensively, sophomore outside hitter Naomi Wells paced the Tigers with 22 kills while sophomores Serryce Butler and Rachel Ambroch chipped in with 14 and 13 kills, respectively.
Wells also added 11 digs, but senior libero Britani Hathorn led Big Blue with 17.
For Southeastern Louisiana, Beck Bekelja had 25 assists of the team’s 27 assists. Courtney Donald was the only Lady Lion with double-digit kills with 10, but she also led the team with three errors.
The first set started slowly for TSU as Southeastern Louisiana jumped out to a 5-2 lead. Head coach Kathy Rouhlac called a timeout, and her team responded by pulling within one at 8-7. The team’s traded blows until a series of service errors late in the set opened the door for Southeastern Louisiana.
Neither team was able to gain ground early in set two and the teams were tied at three. Then, a handful of errors from Southeastern Louisiana allowed TSU to pull away 9-6. From that point, the TSU hitters racked up kills and the Tigers ended the set on a 16-11 run.
With the match tied at one set apiece, Southeastern Louisiana showed some fight early in the set and neither team seemed to have the advantage. However, with the Tigers up 8-6, a pair of Lady Lion errors ignited a fire under TSU. The team rolled to a 25-16 set victory thanks to an 8-4 run.
With the match on the line, TSU made sure to finish off the Lady Lions in the fourth set, and did so in dominating fashion. The Tigers leapt out to an early 10-5 lead with four different players scoring kills. The Tigers didn’t look back, and they proceeded to go on a 8-4 run with Moss setting up Wells and Butler with two kills apiece. The Tigers ended the match on a 5-2 run and Butler recorded the match-clenching kill.
In match two, Moss had 38 assists, Wells and Ambroch again notched double-digit kills and three players recorded ten or more digs.
Stetson had a pair of players with double-digit assists while two others had ten-plus kills.
Neither team was able to pull away in the first set until the score was tied at eight. A TSU service error sparked a 17-15 run from Stetson to close out the set.
However, TSU rebounded in set two with an 11-7 run to start the set. A timeout from Stetson didn’t help the Hatters and TSU added to its lead via kills from three different players. A 6-2 TSU run gave the Tigers the equalizer and Moss got a rare kill to end the set.
The Tigers won the first two points of set three and never relinquished the lead. An 8-5 run highlighted by a pair of kills from Ambroch gave the Tigers a 2-1 set advantage.
The final set turned out to be a 26-24 thriller. TSU needed that extra point, but fended off a hard-fought Stetson run to seal the match.
The Tigers will return to action on the road in Portland, Ore. on Aug. 31 for the Nike Portland Invitational.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, McNEESE STATE 0; MICHIGAN STATE 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Eastern Kentucky started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2005 with a 3-0 victory over McNeese State on Saturday morning at the Spartan Showcase. The Colonels lost 3-0 to host Michigan State on Saturday evening.
Eastern beat McNeese State by scores of 25-16, 25-21 and 25-13. The Spartans beat the Colonels by scores of 25-21, 26-24 and 25-10.
Against McNeese State (0-2), EKU took the lead for good in the first set on two kills by Kelsey Kuehner and a kill by Mallori Moffat. After McNeese closed to within three, 19-16, the Colonels rolled off six straight points, including a pair of kills by freshman Rachel Vick, to close out the set 25-16.
A 10-2 run in the second set by Eastern Kentucky turned an 8-4 deficit into a 14-10 lead. McNeese got within two, 22-20, late before the Colonels scored three of the final four points to take a 2-0 lead. EKU jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the third set and never trailed.
Ashley Edmond led Eastern Kentucky with 15 kills. She made only one error in 21 attempts for a .667 attack percentage. Vick finished with 12 kills and two blocks. Alexis Plagens added 10 kills, two aces and two blocks.
After dropping the first set against Michigan State by four points, the Colonels were on the verge of tying the match late in the second set. Back-to-back attack errors by MSU put Eastern in front 23-21. A kill by Plagens gave EKU set-point at 24-22. However, Michigan State rolled off four unanswered to claim the set and take a 2-0 lead.
MSU jumped out to a 15-4 lead in the third set and never looked back.
Edmond had a team-high 11 kills. Dena Ott contributed 19 digs. Jessica Mueller led the Colonels with three blocks.
EKU will return to action on Friday when they begin play in the three-day Shamrock Invitational hosted by Notre Dame. The Colonels will face Buffalo at 4:30 p.m.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, SOUTH DAKOTA 2; JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, ALABAMA STATE 0
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team improved to 4-0 on the season after picking up two more victories on Saturday in the ISTAP Invitational hosted by Alabama State.
With the two wins over South Dakota and Alabama State, JSU claimed the Team Championship. Senior Kelsey Anderson was named tournament MVP while Jen Meyer was named to the all-tournament team.
The Gamecocks survived an exciting 3-2 (17-25, 12-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-13) victory over South Dakota in the first match of the day. After dropping the first two sets, Anderson, senior Hivya Leite, and Meyer helped turned things around for the Gamecocks.
Anderson, who made her debut for the Gamecocks on Friday after transferring from Alabama, recorded her-third straight double-double, recording 12 kills and 11 digs. Leite and Meyer also recorded double digits in kills with 13 kills and 10 kills, respectively.
Defensively, junior setter Abbey Heredia recorded a double-double with 25 assists and 11 digs while junior Kelly Cole registered 24 digs.
The Gamecocks had a much easier time in the second game of the day by sweeping the host school Alabama State. The Gamecocks breezed through the Lady Hornets by scores of 25-16, 25-17 and 25-18.
Meyer once again led the way for the Gamecocks with 11 kills on an impressive .786 hitting percentage. Anderson and Sophomore Nicole Merget added eight kills for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks will be on the road once again next weekend as the team will travel to play in the Auburn Invitational.
SANTA CLARA 3, SIUE 1; SIUE 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE closed out its own Cougar Classic with a victory Saturday night defeating Western Illinois in four sets 25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18.
Earlier in the day, SIUE, now 1-2 overall, dropped a four-set decision to Santa Clara 25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 25-10.
SIUE would hit a season-best .258 overall against the Leathernecks.
Brooke Smith led the Cougars with a double-double of 16 kills and 17 digs. Emma Anderson also had a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs. Kelsey Augustine patrolled the middle with 13 kills and a team-best six blocks.
Johnson said Chelsea Colclasure's play on defense helped the Cougars feel in sync Saturday. She totaled 22 of her team-high 28 digs in the first two sets. Setter Sammi Minton finished with 49 assists and three kills.
SIUE was held to 40 kills in the Santa Clara match. Smith and Augustine led SIUE with eight kills each.
Next up for SIUE is the Jessica Barkman Memorial Classic in Terre Haute, Ind., next Saturday and Sunday. As it goes, there will be a rematch to start the tournament. SIUE plays Western Illinois to start the tournament and also will face host Indiana State and Loyola (Ill.).