FRIDAY’S SCORES
@Kennesaw State 3,
Tennessee Tech 2 (25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 22-25, 18-16)
VCU 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-22)
Jacksonville State 3, Savannah State 0 (25-5, 25-14, 25-21)
Jacksonville State 3, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (25-14, 25-12, 25-6)
Xavier 3,
Southeast Missouri 1 (27-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-12)
East Tennessee State 3,
Austin Peay 1 (25-27, 25-12, 25-20, 25-22)
South Alabama 3,
UT Martin 1 (25-23, 25-13, 26-28, 25-14)
Arkansas State 3,
UT Martin 1 (15-25, 25-12, 25-17, 25-21)
Murray State 3, Indiana State 1 (25-15, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21)
Wake Forest 3,
Eastern Illinois 0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-21)
West Virginia 3,
@Morehead State 1 (16-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19)
UAB 3,
Tennessee State 0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-14)
Coastal Carolina 3,
Tennessee Tech 1 (27-25, 25-22, 26-28, 25-22)
@UMKC 3,
Eastern Illinois 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-17)
Kent State 3,
Eastern Kentucky 2 (21-25, 25-27, 25-20, 25-14, 15-8)
@Evansville 3,
SIUE 1 (25-17, 25-18, 19-25, 25-23)
@Fresno State 3,
Belmont 2 (21-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-10)
VCU 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0; EAST TENNESSEE STATE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 1
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team appeared on the verge of breaking through but VCU overcame the late deficits to post a three-set sweep (19-25, 20-25, 22-25) in Friday afternoon action at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic.
Austin Peay (2-8) was its own enemy to start the opening set, committing six attack errors en route to a 9-4 deficit. The Lady Govs would rally midway through the set, using a 7-3 run to cut its deficit to one point, 14-13. However, they could not tie the set and VCU used a 4-1 run to close the set, posting a 25-19 victory.
The Lady Govs got off to a better start in the second set, posting four kills to take the early 4-2 lead. VCU (7-1) would tie the set with a pair of quick points to tie the set. Neither team would gain more than a two point advantage until VCU used a 7-1 run to close the set for a 25-20 victory. The Lady Govs, who recorded only eight kills in the set, were helped by 10 VCU errors, including seven attack errors.
A lack of concentration proved costly in the third set. The Lady Govs built a small two-point lead and led 10-9 when confusion at the scorer’s table led to a significant break in the action.
Afterwards, it appeared VCU handled the stoppage better than APSU as they rattled off nine consecutive points, including three service aces, to build a 17-10 lead. Austin Peay rallied back with a 6-3 run late in the set, cutting the deficit to two points, 22-20, but could not close the gap entirely. VCU closed with three of the final five points to win the set, 25-22.
VCU’s Romana Kriskova recorded 17 kills to lead all hitters. Kalah Jones chipped in 12 kills at a .455 attack percentage.
Senior Calyn Hull again led Austin Peay offensively with 10 kills. Junior Hillary Plybon chipped in nine kills and one of APSU’s three blocks in the match. The Lady Govs finished with 34 kills – 19 by the Hull-Plybon pairing – but were charged with 18 attack errors. – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team was unable to build on a first-set comeback and fell in four sets (27-25, 12-25, 20-25, 22-25) to East Tennessee in Friday action at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic.
After battling offensive inconsistency in the day’s first match, it was a lack of defense that cost Austin Peay against East Tennessee. The Lady Govs offense was efficient with 43 kills and a .242 attack percentage, committing only 13 errors in four sets. Yet, East Tennessee had few problems with a 74-kill performance that saw them commit only 19 errors in posting a .407 attack percentage.
After battling in close quarters through the first two-thirds of the opening set, Austin Peay (2-7) stared down a set point against at 24-22. The Lady Govs responded in fine fashion, scoring five of the final six points to rally for the 27-25 victory. Junior Hillary Plybon had a big hand in the comeback, scoring a kill and assisting on a block during the rally.
The second set promised more closely fought action. However, East Tennessee (5-6) dispelled any chance of an APSU come back with a 9-0 run to grab a 16-8 lead. The Lady Govs suffered through an offensive drought that saw them score just one kill in a 17-point span, sophomore Aubrey Marsellis breaking the drought but APSU trailing 17-10. Another 4-0 run by ETSU put the set out of reach as the Buccaneers leveled the set with a 25-12 victory.
East Tennessee built a large lead nearly out of the gate in the third set, scoring the first three points en route to a 9-3 lead. Austin Peay scored back-to-back points just twice in the set’s first 29 points, but used a 3-0 run on junior Liz Landon’s serve and a 4-0 run on freshman Syd Litchfield’s serve to trim its deficit to four points, 21-17. ETSU would not allow them to get closer and won the set 25-20.
Austin Peay appeared poised to level the match and force a fifth set, thanks largely to senior Lauren Henderson’s serve. The Lady Govs scored five straight points with Henderson on serve, pushing out to a 10-5 advantage. However, ETSU reeled APSU in slowly, using a 4-0 run later to tie the set, 18-18. The Buccaneers took control with a 4-1 run for a 23-21 lead and clinched the match with a 25-22 victory.
Hull led the Lady Govs with 14 kills, but was held to a .205 attack percentage. Senior Lauren Henderson and junior Hillary Plybon, Austin Peay’s middle blockers, combined for 17 kills. Henderson was particularly effective behind the service line with three aces and helped APSU build impressive scoring bursts in the first and fourth sets.
Bethany Gesell (19 kills), Megan Devine (18) and Ivey Rice (17) did the bulk of offensive damage for East Tennessee. Gesell also posted an efficient .552 attack percentage, with only three attack errors.
Austin Peay concludes its stay in Knoxville with a 3:30 p.m. (CT), Saturday contest against Wichita State
XAVIER 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Southeast Missouri (4-3) volleyball team fell to Xavier (6-2), 3-1, to open tournament play at the Sports Imports DC Koehl Classic hosted by No. 13 Ohio State.
The Redhawks and Musketeers fought a very close first set as the score was tied a total of nine times. Down 23-20, Southeast surged to tie up the set at 23. Xavier responded by tying the game at 25 and eventually taking the set 27-25 and a 1-0 lead in the match. Emily Coon and Colleen Yarber each had five kills in the set with Coon hitting .625.
Once again, both teams fought a very close set two with the score tied nine times. Xavier got the better of Southeast, taking the set 25-21 and a 2-0 lead in the match.
With a 25-20 win in the third set, Southeast narrowed the deficit in the match to 2-1. Once again, the third set proved to be a close one with the score tied 12 times and the lead changing five. For the third set in a row, Yarber had five kills; the team hit .325 in the set.
The fourth set proved to be all Xavier as the Musketeers closed out the match with a 25-12 set win over Southeast.
Yarber finished the match with 15 kills with Coon recording 14 of her own. Julie Shives assisted on 42 kills.
Abbey Bessler finished the match with 23 kills for Xavier with Sarah Brown and Makayla Agin finishing with 13 each.
The Redhawks will take on tournament host No. 13 Ohio State Saturday at 11:30 a.m., CT, followed by a match-up with IUPUI at 3:30, CT.
SOUTH ALABAMA 3, UT MARITN 1; ARKANSAS STATE 3, UT MARTIN 1
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Junior Allie Whimpey recorded a pair of double-digit kill performances today but the University of Tennessee at Martin fell 3-1 to South Alabama (23-25, 13-25, 28-26, 14-25) and 3-1 to Arkansas State (25-15, 12-25, 17-25, 21-25) on the opening day of the Hampton Inn Bama Bash.
Whimpey’s 10 kills led the Skyhawks (6-4) in the morning matchup against South Alabama. Emily Keaton slammed down nine kills against only one error, while Amanda Crask (eight kills) and Shelby Hoskins (seven kills) also paced the offense. Crask added 28 assists and 13 digs while Chelsea Bowles (team-high 18 digs) and Keaton (11 digs) helped guide the defense.
Against Arkansas State, UT Martin was led by Lynsey Hazelwood’s 11 kills and 13 digs – her second double-double in the last three matches. Whimpey amassed 10 kills while Crask handed out 30 assists while Bowles tallied 12 digs.
An assisted block by Keaton and Julia Devinney got the Skyhawks out to an 8-2 start in the first set against South Alabama. However, South Alabama would score six unanswered points to even the score before two straight attack errors tilted the score back in UT Martin’s advantage. South Alabama briefly led 12-11 before back-to-back kills by Hazelwood and Hoskins resulted in a Skyhawk lead. South Alabama answered with a 6-1 run and although UT Martin would battle back to even the score at 20-all, the Skyhawks could not break through to take another lead in the set.
Despite the narrow loss, UT Martin (.257) outhit South Alabama (.222), as the Skyhawks tallied 12 kills against three errors in 35 attempts.
The Skyhawks clawed out of a 4-1 deficit to go on top 5-4 in the second set. South Alabama then scored eight unanswered points before a Crask kill ended the run. A pair of kills by Hoskins during a 3-1 UT Martin pulled the Skyhawks within five at 16-11 but South Alabama then scored four straight points and UT Martin would not get within eight points for the duration of the set.
South Alabama led 5-1 in the third set before UT Martin made a comeback. The Skyhawks kept chipping away and with UT Martin trailing 16-13, Whimpey went on a tear – unreeling three consecutive kills to singlehandedly even the score. The Skyhawks then broke through to take a 20-19 lead courtesy of a Hoskins kill. South Alabama then scored three straight points but UT Martin would soon gain the upper hand, as a kill by Devinney and an attack error gave the Skyhawks the 28-26 win.
Whimpey’s six kills and Bowles’ seven digs helped UT Martin come away with the fourth set victory.
UT Martin trailed 4-2 early in the fourth set before South Alabama went on a 4-0 run. A service ace by Keaton got the Skyhawks got back within four (9-5) but South Alabama then scored five unanswered points. The Skyhawks would continue to battle but ultimately would not get any closer than eight points the rest of the way.
The first set of the Arkansas State match was tight in the early going, as the two teams traded blows to the tune of six ties through 9-9. UT Martin then scored four straight points to take a 13-9 lead. A late 7-1 run by the Skyhawks resulted in a double-digit lead (23-13) as UT Martin cruised to the 25-15 victory.
Hazelwood’s four kills on six swings led UT Martin, who hit a remarkable .385 with zero errors on 26 attempts in the first set.
Arkansas State led 5-1 to start off the second set but two straight kills by Hazelwood and Keaton sliced the Skyhawk deficit to 8-6. Arkansas State would then score six unanswered points and UT Martin could not recover from that point forward.
Hazelwood (three kills) and Whimpey (three kills) accounted for six of the Skyhawks’ eight kills in the second set.
The two teams swapped points back-and-forth early in the third set before a 5-0 Arkansas State run. UT Martin fought back behind a pair of Devinney kills to get back within a single point at 7-6 but Arkansas State responded with six unanswered points. A pair of Keaton service aces capped off a 4-0 Skyhawk run and made the score 13-10. UT Martin kept the margin at three (17-14) until Arkansas State ended the set on an 8-3 run.
The fourth set was reminiscent of the first set, as the two teams combined for 12 ties and six lead changes while the margin of lead did not exceed two points until the score was 19-16. UT Martin took its first lead at 10-9 off a Keaton kill and the Skyhawks led 16-15 courtesy of a service ace by Colleen Larson. However, Arkansas State scored six straight points to go on top 21-16. A solo block by Hoskins and a kill by Keaton bumped UT Martin within two at 23-21 but Arkansas State would account for the final two points of the set.
Whimpey’s five kills in the set paced the Skyhawks.
UT Martin returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 14 when it faces Nicholls State (9 a.m.) and host Alabama (7 p.m.) in the second and final day of the Hampton Inn Bama Bash
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JACKSOVNILLE STATE 3, SAVANNAH STATE 0; JACKSONVILLE STATE ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 0
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team picked up sweeps over Savannah State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the first day of action at the ISTAP Collegiate Cup Tournament hosted by Alabama State.
The Gamecocks opened the day with a 25-5, 25-14, 25-21 sweep of Savannah State (0-9) and then capped the day with a 25-14, 25-12, 25-6 sweep over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-6).
The Gamecocks used a balanced offensive attack in the first match against Savannah State, hitting .324. Freshman Kacy Clinkenbeard led JSU with eight kills while junior Nicole Merget and freshman Liza Pflugradt added six kills apiece.
Senior Abbey Heredia led the way with 18 kills while senior Kelly Cole paced the Gamecocks with 13 digs.
The Gamecocks limited the Lady Tigers to a -.054 hitting percentage for the day. Bianca Brochu and Christian Lyle led the way with five kills apiece.
With the opening set tied at 1-1, a kill by Heredia started a 7-0 run by JSU to build a 7-1 lead. The Gamecocks would hold SSU to a -.083 hitting percentage while posting a .429 hitting percentage in the opening set. Leading 17-5, JSU would then go on an 8-0 run to pull out the 25-5 victory.
Savannah State opened the second set with a 4-1 lead. The Gamecocks would fight back to tie the match at 7-7 before going on a 13-3 run to build a 20-10 lead. Clinkenbeard would then record two of her set-high five kills to propel JSU to the 25-14 victory.
The Gamecocks then wrapped up the sweep with a 25-21 victory in the third set, holding the Lady Tigers to a -.042 hitting percentage in the set.
Merget led the way in the second match against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 12 kills. The Canton, Mich., native set a career high with a .688 hitting percentage. Rutherford followed with five kills and also set a new career best with a .625 hitting percentage.
The Gamecocks used a balanced offensive attack in the first set, hitting .417 while holding the Lady Lions to a -.286 hitting percentage. Five different JSU players recorded a kill to help the Gamecocks pull out the 25-14 opening set victory.
Merget again helped the Gamecocks get off to a quick start in the second set, posting eight kills on nine total attempts as JSU hit .500 in the set. JSU used a 9-0 run to build an 11-2 lead en route to the 25-12 victory.
The Gamecocks then opened up the third set on an 11-2 run. Freshmen Trisha Mockapetris and Laney Torkelson each finished with four kills in the set to help JSU clinch the 25-6 victory.
The Gamecocks will return to action Saturday with a match against New Orleans at 11 a.m. before facing off with the host Hornets (2-6) at 3 p.m.
KENNESAW STATE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 2; COASTAL CAROLINA 3, TENNESSEE TECH 1
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Tennessee Tech volleyball team played hard all day Friday as they went to extra points in two of their sets, losing in five to host Kennesaw State and falling in four to Coastal Carolina.
Close call with Kennesaw
Down 0-2 to open the match, The Tennessee Tech volleyball team did not back down. Tech rallied to win the next two sets, before falling 18-16 in the fifth to give Kennesaw the win.
Tech opened up set one by keeping close through the first 10 points, but following a 5-5 tie, Tech was never able to catch back up to Kennesaw. Tech dropped set one, 25-21.
Set two played out the same way. Tech never was able to gain control of the set. Despite a few service runs by freshman Sharon Anderson and junior Courtney Smith, Tech was never able to gain more than a few points at a time. Kennesaw took set two by a score of 25-21.
Tech was down in set three, but fought back hard. Down 10-5, a few Tech kills and a five-point service run by Anderson gave Tech its first lead of the set, 12-11. From there, Tech took control. Behind five services ace, two from Anderson, and three blocks from senior Elise Robertson, Tech took set three, 25-20.
Maintaining momentum into the fourth, Tech and Kennesaw battled back and forth once again. Following a 9-9 tie, the Golden Eagles took control. Junior Madison Keyes prowled the net, defending the court by tallying five blocks in the fourth set alone. Anderson added three blocks in the fourth, also. Tech's defensive power led the way as they won the set, 25-22.
In the fifth and deciding set, the back-and-forth went one last time. Despite three blocks by Keyes and Robertson, Kennesaw and Tech fought into extra points. Following a 14-14 tie, the two teams continued to trade points until Kennesaw was able to win back-to-back points and took the fifth and deciding set, 18-16.
Robertson and Keyes both set career-highs while protecting the net with 10 and nine blocks, respectively. Robertson also added 12 kills. Junior Ellen Conti added 10 kills and seven digs. Anderson dished out 33 assists, three aces, three digs and three blocks. Junior Courtney Smith added 18 digs.
Extra points with Coastal Carolina
Tech continued its close matches Friday when it took on Coastal Carolina.
In set one, Tech took the early lead at 10-6 off kills by sophomore Cody Dodd and juniors Madison Keyes and Ellen Conti. Tech maintained the lead most of the set, but a few kills by the Chanticleers brought them back in and tied the set at 24. Back-and-forth the final points went until Coastal Carolina was able to score off a service ace and Tech error to take the first set, 27-25.
Back-and-forth it went, again, just like a yo-yo. Set two was tied through 12 points at 6-6, then again at 7-7. Coastal Carolina went on a small run to take the lead 10-8. Tech was able to get the tie at 12-12, and from there, points were traded on kills or errors from either offense. Tech was able to gain a 19-17 lead, but following a Coastal Carolina timeout, the Chanticleers never looked back, winning set two, 25-22.
Set three followed in fashion as Tech and Coastal Carolina battled. Tech took the early lead as the well-rounded offense was distributed by freshman setter Sharon Anderson. With a 24-18 lead, Tech looked to have the set in hand, but a string of errors, and some fight from the Chanticleers, Coastal Carolina took the lead 25-24. But Tech did not give up; a kill by senior Elise Robertson, and two attack errors from the Chanticleers, and Tech took set three 28-26, and stayed alive in the match.
Back-and-forth, back-and-forth, again the Golden Eagles and the Chanticleers volleyed the points in set four. All through the set, both teams looked to gain an advantage and it looked like each team might win, at different points throughout. Tech took the early lead at 14-10, but then the Chanticleers responded, coming back to tie the set at 19-19, and from there the yo-yo match continued. It continued until Coastal Carolina was able to clinch the set and the match, 25-22.
Sophomore Cody Dodd led the way with 14 kills and 5 blocks. Senior Elise Robertson and junior Ellen Conti added 12 and 13 kills, respectively. Anderson put up 39 assists.
Tennessee Tech will finish play at the Kennesaw Invitational on Saturday as they face Stony Brook at 9 a.m. and Samford at 1:30 p.m.
UAB 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Tiger volleyball team returned to action after a week off and dropped a hard fought battle at the Hoosier Classic on Friday afternoon. UAB (8-2) swept TSU (1-3) 21-25, 20-25, 14-25 to earn a 3-0 win on day one of the two day event.
Senior Erkia Moss recorded a double-double with 25 assists and 10 digs. The Tigers were held to a .066 hitting percentage with Sherryce Butler at the top with a .300 average, while Naomi Wells delivered 13 kills.
The Tigers started fast as they used seven kills, two blocks and a Jaime Cooper service ace to take a 12-7 lead and force the first UAB timeout. Arijana Anderson delivered one of her eight kills out of the break to take a six point lead. The Blazers started to charge back and forced TSU to call a timeout after a 6-1 run. UAB was able to gain advantage as the two teams battled through the mid points with the Tigers tying the score at 20-20 on a kill by Wells. The Blazers would go another run outscoring the Tigers 5-1 to close out the first set 25-21. Both teams registered 13 kills and each finished with a .128 hitting percentage.
Once again, the Tigers would take an early 9-5 lead with five kills and aces by Wells and Ileanushka Maldanado. TSU would run into trouble committing six errors to fall behind 9-11. Another battle through the middle of the set ensued and was capped off with back-to-back kills by Wells and Anderson to even the score at 18-18. UAB would close out the Tigers by using two kills, two aces and three Tiger miscues for a 7-2 surge. The Blazers hit .241, needing just nine kills to secure a 25-20 win. TSU scored 11 kills in 31 attempts for a .032 average.
UAB was awarded a point to start the third set as the officials deemed TSU was late getting back to the court. The Blazers took a quick 4-0 lead before Wells and Shuantia Carr could team up for a block to get the Tigers started. Wells followed with a pair of her match leading 13 kills to cut the deficit to one. With the Tigers trailing 10-12, the Blazers used eight of their 15 kills and four blocks to earn the 25-14 win. UAB outhit TSU .250 to .023 in the final game.
The Tigers will play two matches on the final day of the Hoosier Classic. TSU will open with host Indiana at 11:00am and will close out the day with a 4:00pm matchup with Wyoming.
WEST VIRGINIA 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - West Virginia's Nikki Attea and Jordan Anderson combined for 27 kills as the Mountaineer volleyball team got past Morehead State, 3-1 (16-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19), in the Eagle Challenge Tournament Friday at Wetherby Gym.
WVU remained unbeaten in 2013 at 8-0, while the Eagles fell to 4-4.
MSU sophomore outside hitter Courtney Smith returned from an injury last weekend to lead her team with 15 kills via a .314 hitting efficiency while also completing a double-double with 10 digs. Senior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon landed 14 winners and chalked up 10 digs for her fourth double-double this year.
Attea led the visitors with 15 kills on a .357 hitting night. Anderson notched 12 kills and tied for her team's lead with 14 digs. After hitting negative-.054 in the opening set, the Mountaineers smacked 40 kills and hit .255 in the final three frames.
Morehead State senior libero Leslie Schellhaas led all players with 18 digs as the Eagles held a 56-52 advantage in the dig column. WVU held a 48-46 lead in kills, and the Mountaineers recorded 10 blocks. Caleah Wells had a match-high six stops.
The Eagles totaled 12 kills in the opening frame and used a 10-2 run to put away the visitors. WVU crawled to within 11-10 but junior setter Colbey Cameron served during five straight points, including a pair of aces. The Eagles notched eight aces in the match.
WVU raced to a 20-14 lead in the second stanza, but the Eagles responded with a 9-3 flurry to tie it at 23. Kills from Attea and Anderson gave West Virginia the two-point victory.
Sets three and four saw a combined nine ties and three lead changes, but the Eagles Women's volleyball has now won five consecutive tournament matches and five of their last six games overall after defeating Indiana State (3-1 - 25-15, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21) in the opener of the Wright State Invitational in Dayton, Ohio. The Racers improve to 5-3 on the year while the Sycamores drop to 4-4.
Set number one was nearly flawless as the Racers opened up an early lead and extended it to as much as 12 before claiming the 25-15 victory. MSU connected on 15 kills, their most in the four sets, against only two errors for a .406 hitting percentage.
Murray State was able to jump ahead at the outset of set number two, but the lead didn't last long. After going up 4-1, the Sycamores scored five of the next six points to take over the lead, which they never gave back. After MSU tied the score at 6-6, Indiana State went on a 6-0 run to pull away for good on their way to a 25-21 win.
The Racers survived a pair of scares in the third and fourth sets. Seemingly in control with a seven point lead, 18-11, the Sycamores climbed back into the set to get to within three at 21-18. That's as close as they would come however, as Murray State was able to hold on for a 25-21 victory and a 2-1 set advantage.
Although the Racers led the fourth set from beginning to end, it came with its share of nerves. This time trailing by eight, 20-12, Indiana State cut that to one with a 9-2 run. With the score 22-21 MSU, coach Schwepker called a timeout hoping to kill the momentum and his team responded. Kamille Jones landed a kill, Katlyn Hudson an ace and a Sycamore attack error halted the Indiana State comeback attempt.
Sam Bedard finished a dig shy of a triple double with 10 kills, a game-high 35 assists and nine digs. Taylor Olden was the only other Racer with double-digit kills, she finished with 12.
Scottie Ingram led the defense with 21 digs to go with nine kills. She now has 20+ kills in three of her past five matches.
Indiana State's Morgan Dall led the match with 16 kills and tallied 13 digs for a double-double. Molly Murphy finished with a match-high 29 digs.
Murray State will finish up the Wright State Invitational tomorrow with matches against Wright State at 11 am and Robert Morris at 2:30 pm. committed 13 attack errors, including eight in the final set.
MSU finished with a .181 attack efficiency to .170 for WVU.
Morehead State takes on Hampton at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday and finishes the weekend with a 7 p.m. contest versus Campbell.
MURRAY STATE 3, INDIANA STATE 1
DAYTON, Ohio - Women's volleyball has now won five consecutive tournament matches and five of their last six games overall after defeating Indiana State (3-1 - 25-15, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21) in the opener of the Wright State Invitational in Dayton, Ohio. The Racers improve to 5-3 on the year while the Sycamores drop to 4-4.
Set number one was nearly flawless as the Racers opened up an early lead and extended it to as much as 12 before claiming the 25-15 victory. MSU connected on 15 kills, their most in the four sets, against only two errors for a .406 hitting percentage.
Murray State was able to jump ahead at the outset of set number two, but the lead didn't last long. After going up 4-1, the Sycamores scored five of the next six points to take over the lead, which they never gave back. After MSU tied the score at 6-6, Indiana State went on a 6-0 run to pull away for good on their way to a 25-21 win.
The Racers survived a pair of scares in the third and fourth sets. Seemingly in control with a seven point lead, 18-11, the Sycamores climbed back into the set to get to within three at 21-18. That's as close as they would come however, as Murray State was able to hold on for a 25-21 victory and a 2-1 set advantage.
Although the Racers led the fourth set from beginning to end, it came with its share of nerves. This time trailing by eight, 20-12, Indiana State cut that to one with a 9-2 run. With the score 22-21 MSU, coach Schwepker called a timeout hoping to kill the momentum and his team responded. Kamille Jones landed a kill, Katlyn Hudson an ace and a Sycamore attack error halted the Indiana State comeback attempt.
Sam Bedard finished a dig shy of a triple double with 10 kills, a game-high 35 assists and nine digs. Taylor Olden was the only other Racer with double-digit kills, she finished with 12.
Scottie Ingram led the defense with 21 digs to go with nine kills. She now has 20+ kills in three of her past five matches.
Indiana State's Morgan Dall led the match with 16 kills and tallied 13 digs for a double-double. Molly Murphy finished with a match-high 29 digs.
Murray State will finish up the Wright State Invitational tomorrow with matches against Wright State at 11 am and Robert Morris at 2:30 pm.
WAKE FOREST 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0; UMKC 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Eastern Illinois volleyball opened UMKC Kangaroo Klassic action on Friday, as the Panthers suffered consecutive three-set losses to Wake Forest (25-15, 15-23, 25-21) and the host squad (25-23, 25-19, 25-17).
Having now dropped three straight, the Panthers fall to 3-6 overall on the season.
In the opening match of the weekend tourney, senior Reynae Hutchinson and sophomore Chelsea Lee paced EIU with 12 and 11 kills, respectively, as Lee also led the Panther attack with a .348 clip.
Sophomore setter Marah Bradbury earned her 11th career double-double off 33 assists and team-high 13 digs, while senior Stephanie Arnold finished with three total blocks.
The match between EIU and Wake Forest, which featured 15 ties and eight lead changes, marked just the second all-time meeting with the win helping the Demon Deacons avenge last season's four-set loss to the Panthers at the Marquette tourney.
In the nightcap match versus the host UMKC squad, Lee nabbed 12 kills to lead all players on the court.
In back court defense, sophomore Stephanie Wallace and junior Dakota Springer earned 16 and 15 digs, respectively.
Despite the loss to the Kangaroos, EIU still maintains a 4-2 series lead in the all-time matchups.
Unforced errors doomed the Panthers in day one action as EIU finished with a combined 37 miscues, while as a team, Eastern hit just .178 in the loss to Wake Forest, and registered a season-low .076 attack in the UMKC defeat.
In other Friday action, UMKC and Wake Forest both defeated Presbyterian in four sets.
Panthers will finish up Kangaroo Klassic action first thing on Saturday morning, as EIU is set to face the Blue Hose for the first time ever at 11:30 a.m.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, KENT STATE 2
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Eastern Kentucky jumped out to a 2-0 lead but couldn’t hold off a Kent State comeback in a 3-2 loss on Friday at the Thunder Invitational hosted by Marshall.
The Golden Flashes (2-5) won by scores of 21-25, 25-27, 25-20, 25-14 and 15-8. The Colonels fall to 4-4 on the season.
EKU trailed 18-17 in the first before using a 4-0 run to take control of the set. Rachel Vick had a kill and an ace during the run. Back-to-back kills by Alexis Plagens ended the set, 25-21.
A kill by Plagens late in the second set gave the Colonels set-point, 24-23, but Kent State tied the score. After KSU tied it again at 25-25, Ashley Edmond recorded a kill. Plagens and Tori Anderson blocked an attack by Kent State to end the set, 27-25, and give Eastern a 2-0 lead.
Plagens and Vick each finished with 15 kills. Vick made just one error for a .538 attack percentage and had three blocks. Dena Ott registered 24 digs.
The Golden Flashes won the third set 25-20 to stay alive. The momentum carried over into the fourth set as KSU jumped out to a 14-3 lead on its way to a 25-14 win to even the match at 2-2. Eastern couldn’t regain any traction in the decisive fifth set. Kent State took an 8-1 lead on its way to a 15-8 win.
Kelly Hutchinson led KSU with 13 kills. Liz Reikow had 10 kills and five blocks
FRESNO STATE 3, BELMONT 2
FRESNO, Calif. - Belmont volleyball (3-7) dropped a five-set match to Fresno State on Friday night at the Fresno State Classic.
Belmont took an early 3-0 lead in the first set and the Bruins continued to extend their lead with several short runs to silence Fresno State's rallies. A 4-2 Belmont run allowed the Bruins to take the first set, 25-21.
Fresno State bounced back in the second set to take an early lead. Four unanswered points allowed the 'Dogs to take a 14-11 lead before Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) sparked a 3-0 Belmont run to bring the Bruins within one.
The 'Dogs continued to extend their lead, before a kill from Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) sparked a 4-0 run that gave Belmont a 19-17 lead. Fresno State tied the set at 19, but Belmont regained a 23-19 lead before ending the set with a block from Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) and a kill from McCoy.
Fresno State took the third set, 25-22, as the team jumped out to a 9-3 lead and continued to extend it from there. Belmont scored six unanswered points capped by a run from Vestal to put the Bruins within one, 17-16. The 'Dogs and BU exchanged points, before Fresno State won the set.
The fourth set remained close throughout with both teams exchanging points. A 2-1 by the 'Dogs closed out the set, 25-22 to push the match into a fifth and deciding set.
Fresno State took the match taking the final three sets after the break. In the fifth set, the 'Dogs however had the upper hand and took the set, 15-10 to win the match 3-2.
Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) led the Bruins with 18 kills. Vestal and McCoy added 17 kills. Miranda recorded a season-high 53 assists, while Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) registered 27 digs.
Belmont will return to action in the Fresno State Classic tomorrow at 12:00pm against No.20 Oregon.
EVANSVILLE 3, SIUE 1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - SIUE volleyball made a strong push late but fell to Evansville in four sets at the opening day of the UE Tournament.
Evansville evened its season record to 4-4 with a 25-17, 25-18, 19-25, 25-23 victory over the Cougars, now 2-5.
Cori Harris, who recorded a double-double for the third time this season, led the Cougars with 12 kills and added 14 digs.
Kristen Torre and Alicia Streetar followed with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Streetar, a freshman outside hitter, was a force as she hit .556 for the match with no errors on 18 attacks.
Evansville jumped out to a two-set lead behind Ashley Ring who picked up 10 of her match-leading 15 kills in the opening two sets.
Ring had seven kills in the first set alone when the Purple Aces opened the match with a .407 hitting percentage.
The Cougars, which had a season-best six service aces, would fight back in the third set when Harris collected five kills and Streetar was successful on all three of her attacks.
SIUE, which hit .206 as a team for the match, would make a stunning comeback in the fourth set. Down by eight points at 21-13, the Cougars went on a 10-2 run that evened the score 23-23. Back-to-back kills, however, by Evansville's Meaghan Holmes and Emma Roberson for the Aces would close out the match.