SATURDAY’S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 3, Presbyterian 1 (28-26, 16-25, 25-13, 25-20)
@Morehead State 3, Hampton 1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-21)
Samford 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-13)
Tennessee Tech 3, Stony Brook 2 (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 21-25, 15-11)
Wichita State 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-15, 25-8, 25-10)
Memphis 3,
SIUE 1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-21)
Valparaiso 3,
SIUE 1 (25-16, 25-14, 24-26, 25-20)
Marshall 3,
Eastern Kentucky 1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-23, 25-20)
Southern Illinois 3,
Eastern Kentucky 1 (24-26, 25-18, 25-14, 25-23)
@Ohio State 3,
Southeast Missouri 1 (25-12, 20-25, 25-19, 25-13)
Southeast Missouri 3, IUPUI 2 (24-26, 10-25, 25-18, 25-22, 15-13)
@Indiana 3,
Tennessee State 1 (25-27, 25-15, 25-21, 25-14)
Wyoming 3,
Tennessee State 1 (25-21, 25-18, 21-25, 25-19)
@Morehead State 3, Campbell 1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17)
Nicholls State 3,
UT Martin 2 (28-26, 21-25, 10-25, 25-23, 15-10)
@Alabama 3,
UT Martin 0 (28-26, 25-10, 25-15)
Oregon 3,
Belmont 0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-15)
CSU Bakersfield 3,
Belmont 0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-21)
Murray State 3, Robert Morris 2 (16-25, 25-15, 22-25, 25-16, 15-12)
Jacksonville State 3, New Orelans 0
Jacksonville State 3, @Alabama State 0
Murray State 3, @Wright State 1 (25-16, 25-22, 23-25, 27-25)
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, PRESBYTERIAN 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Eastern Illinois volleyball finished up UMKC Kangaroo Klassic action on a high note on Saturday (Sep. 14), as the Panthers topped Presbyterian in four sets (28-26, 16-25, 25-13, 25-20) to move to 4-6 in the early season.
The EIU win follows a pair of hard-fought three-set losses to Wake Forest and the host Kansas City squad on Friday, which marked the first time all season that the Panthers have been swept.
Seniors Stephanie Arnold and Reynae Hutchinson paced all players on the court with 13 kills apiece, as Arnold earned a .526 attack and five total blocks.
Hutchinson, meanwhile, secured her 26th career double-double, marking the first of the season, thanks to the addition of a team-high 17 digs.
Junior Kelsey Roggemann and sophomore Abby Saalfrank chipped in nine and seven put-a-ways, respectively, as the twosome also combined for 11 EIU blocks.
In fact, the Panther block and attack was the difference in the contest, which featured 23 ties and 10 lead changes, as EIU held a 15-to-11.5 advantage in net defense and secured a .189-to-.113 attack lead.
Sophomore Stephanie Wallace added 15 digs, while EIU ace leader Dakota Springer continued fine play behind the service line with the junior adding three unreturnable serves, which tied sophomore setter Marah Bradbury.
No Blue Hose player earned double-digit kills as Lena Gavin finished with a team-best nine kills for Presbyterian (1-10). Defensively, Mary Trimpe out-paced all players on the court with 20 digs while Kelly Berryman roofed seven total EIU shots.
EIU will finish up the non-conference and early-season tourney slate next weekend as the Panthers travel to Kent, Ohio to compete in the two-day, four-team Kent State Golden Flash Classic versus Illinois-Chicago, the host Flashes and Binghamton.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, HAMPTON 1; MOREHEAD STATE 3, CAMPBELL 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Led by three players in double figures kills and a season-high 28 digs from senior libero Leslie Schellhaas, the Morehead State volleyball team powered past Hampton, 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-21), Saturday afternoon in the Eagle Challenge at Wetherby Gym.
MSU moved to 5-4, while the Lady Pirates dipped to 4-4.
Sophomore outside hitter Courtney Smith led the Eagles with 15 kills to go along with 18 digs for her fourth double-double of the year. Senior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon smacked 13 winners and notched 11 digs for her fifth double-double.
Schellhaas, who ranks fifth in career digs at MSU, scooped 20 attempts in the first two sets. The Eagles held an 86-63 advantage in digs. That marked MSU's second highest single-match total this season.
Junior middle blocker Laura McDermott compiled six of Morehead State's 10 blocks, while junior right-side hitter Alex Fitzmorris totaled five stops. Junior setter Colbey Cameron also had a double-double with a match-best 45 assists and 10 digs.
Vendula Strakova, the nation's leader in points generated, piled up a team-high 18 kills and had 13 digs for Hampton. MSU limited HU to just .126 hitting efficiency. The Eagles hit .168 but landed 16 kills and hit .316 in the third set.
Junior right-side hitter Alex Fitzmorris crushed a career-high 19 kills and hit .421 to help guide the Morehead State volleyball team to a come-from-behind 3-1 win (23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17) over Campbell in the finale of the Eagle Challenge Tournament Saturday at Wetherby Gym.
Fitzmorris only misfired on three attacks and also added three blocks to help MSU improve to 6-4. Campbell, who is led by former MSU Associate Head Coach Greg Goral, fell to 7-4.
The Eagles also got 16 kills and a season-high 21 digs from senior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon. Senior libero Leslie Schellhaas followed up a 28-dig effort in the day's earlier match with 24 scoops tonight. Senior defensive specialist Lindsey Roth recorded a career-high 19 digs as the Eagles out-dug the Camels, 84-67.
Fitzmorris and Schellhaas were named to the all-tournament team.
SAMFORD 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0; TENNESSEE TECH 3, STONY BROOK 2
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Tennessee Tech volleyball team (4-6) split its matches during the final day of the Kennesaw Invitational. In its first match of the day, Tech topped Stony Brook in five sets and then lost to Samford in three in the final match of the tournament.
Topping the Seawolves
In a five-set thriller, Tennessee Tech was able to take the ultimate advantage in the match and pull out the win.
Set one went to the wire as Tech and Stony Brook battled. Stony Brook took the lead early on, leading Tech 7-1. However, Tech battled on behind service runs by senior Ashleigh Hancock and junior Ellen Conti. The Golden Eagles were able to get the score within one, at 22-23, but the fight was not enough as the Seawolves took the set 25-23.
Tech and Stony Brook took the court for set two and continued to battle, staying within one point all the way to a score of 12-11 in favor of the Golden Eagles. From there Tech took the momentum and did not lose it for the set. A combination of forced errors and Tech kills gave the Golden Eagles the win, 25-18.
Set three was almost identical to set two, as the two teams remained in a tight race for points. Again staying within one point up to a 12-11 Tech lead, the Golden Eagles took advantage from there. Kills from senior Natalie Penrod, sophomore Cody Dodd and a set-winning kill from Conti led Tech to a 25-22 win.
Again in set four, Tech and Stony Brook opened fighting tooth and nail for each point. A score of 9-9 was where Stony Brook gained their momentum and didn't relinquish it. Forcing errors and distributing an effective offense, Stony Brook forced the fifth set with a 25-21 win.
In an offensive fury, Tech took control of the deciding set and never looked back. Committing just one hitting error in the entire set, the Golden Eagles were able to earn 12 of the 15 points on their own, the other three coming on the Seawolves' errors. Behind seven kills and six blocks, Tech took the set and the match with a win of 15-9.
Senior Elise Robertson lead the way with 17 kills, hitting a clip of .424, adding five blocks. Junior Madison Keyes was a wall for Tech, putting up a career-high 11 blocks, she also added 8 kills. Dodd and Penrod added 10 kills apiece.
Stopped by Samford
In the final match of the tournament, Tech was halted by a powerful Samford team, losing 3-0. Samford's offense proved too much for the Golden Eagles as they averaged 15 kills a set while hitting a cumulative .442 for the match.
In set one, Samford was in control from the beginning as it took an early 7-3 lead, never looking back. Samford sealed the set with a kill, winning 25-12.
Tech looked to bounce back, taking an early 4-0 lead off service aces and forcing Samford to make errors, but that would not hold as the Bulldogs grabbed the lead at 6-5 and did not let go. Despite forcing the Bulldogs to make seven hitting errors and holding them to a .250 hitting percentage, Tech was not able to crack Samford. Samford took the second set 25-16.
Samford picked up its offense again in set three, committing one error during its aggressive attacking. Tech was unable to find a way to stifle their attack. Samford took the set and the match with a 25-13 win.
Tech was led by junior Ellen Conti who had six kills and senior Natalie Penrod added five. Senior Ashleigh Hancock put up 15 assists.
The Tennessee Tech volleyball team has off the next weekend and will return to action at home on Sept. 27 and 28 as it takes on Ohio Valley Conference opponents Murray State and Austin Peay.
WICHITA STATE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team had few answers for a streaking Wichita State squad, falling in three sets (16-25, 8-25, 10-25) in its final match of the Comcast Lady Vol Classic, Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Wichita State (9-1) had won each of its previous three matches in the tournament in straight sets and did not waver in its final match in Knoxville. The Shockers used a 7-0 run to break open the first set en route to a 25-16 win. Wichita State had a 9-0 run and a pair of 5-0 runs in a 25-8 second-set win. The Shockers didn’t have a long string of points in the third set, but used five runs of three points or more to post the 25-10 victory.
Austin Peay (2-10) could not get its offense in rhythm the entire match. The Lady Govs had an equal number of kills and attack errors in both the first and second sets. Austin Peay’s offensive woes continued in the third as they recorded only six kills but were charged with 13 attack errors in the frame.
The Lady Govs recorded just 18 kills in the match and were charged with 25 attack errors. Senior Calyn Hull, junior Hillary Plybon and sophomore Samantha Strother each had four kills.
Ashley Andrade led Wichita State with 10 kills. The Shockers recorded 40 kills and 10 blocks in the match.
Austin Peay returns to action with a three-match stay at the Memphis Invitational, beginning with a 10 a.m., Friday contest against UALR.
MEMPHIS 3, SIUE 1; VALPARAISO 3, SIUE 1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - SIUE volleyball saw moments of strong play but not enough to overcome Valparaiso and Memphis at the final day of the UE Invitational.
The Cougars, 2-7, lost to Valparaiso 25-16, 25-14, 24-26, 25-20 and then dropped a second four-set decision to Memphis 23-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-21.
SIUE's defense held up at the UE Tournament. Chelsea Colclasure, a junior libero, improved her defensive numbers and averaged 5.58 digs per set for the weekend.
Johnson said SIUE's middle hitters stood out for the weekend. Kristen Torre boasted 26 kills and led the team in hitting percentage for the weekend at .288. Senior Kelsey Augustine was the team leader in kills (27) and blocks per set (1.08).
Cori Harris provided much of the offensive punch Saturday. She recorded a team-leading 13 kills against Memphis, now 6-3, and tied Augustine for the team lead in kills (10) against Valparaiso, 8-1.
The Cougars return to the Vadalabene Center for a single game against Kansas City Tuesday. The first serve is set for 6 p.m.
MARSHALL 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1; SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Eastern Kentucky suffered a pair of 3-1 losses to Marshall and Southern Illinois on Saturday at the Thunder Invitational hosted by Marshall.
Marshall (4-7) won by scores of 25-19, 24-26, 25-23 and 25-20. Southern Illinois (3-7) earned its victory by scores of 24-26, 25-18, 25-14 and 25-23.
Against Marshall (4-7) the two teams split the first two sets. After the Thundering Herd went up 1-0, EKU squeaked out a 26-24 win in the second set. Marshall had set-point at 24-23, but the Colonels rolled off three straight points. Ally Peters tied it with a kill. After an attack error by Marshall, Ashley Edmond ended the set with a kill.
In the key third set, Eastern had a 21-19 lead after a kill by Rachel Vick, however the Thundering Herd went on a 6-2 run to end the set and take a 2-1 lead. With the fourth set tied 13-13, Marshall used an 8-3 run to build a five-point cushion and held control the rest of the way.
Edmond led Eastern with 15 kills to go along with 12 digs and three blocks.
A kill by Plagens and a service ace by Julia Mindlina got the Colonels off to a good start with a 26-24 win in the first set against Southern Illinois. However, the Salukis won the next two sets by margins of seven and 11 points.
EKU led 23-22 in the fourth set in an effort to force a fifth. SIU scored the next three points, two of which came off Colonel attack errors, to secure the match.
Edmond had a match-best 14 kills for Eastern. Vick added 11 kills. EKU had nine more kills than SIU, but committed 12 service errors and was out-blocked 14.5 to 2.0.
Jessica Whitehead led the Salukis with 12 kills.
OHIO STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, IUPUI 2
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Southeast Missouri (5-4) volleyball team fell to No. 13 Ohio State (8-0) Saturday afternoon, 3-1 (12-25, 25-20, 19-25, 13-25). The squad turned it around in the nightcap, defeating IUPUI (4-7), 3-2 (24-26, 10-25, 25-18, 25-22, 15-13).
Southeast finished the Sports Imports DC Koehl Classic 1-2, ending in third place. Senior Colleen Yarber earned all-tournament team honors.
No. 13 Ohio State 3, Southeast Missouri 1
Southeast took charge in the second set but it wasn't enough to overcome a strong Buckeye offense in the end.
The first set belonged to Ohio State, 25-12. The Redhawks struggled to get their offense going as they recorded only six kills and five attack errors in the frame. Ohio State's defense proved to be key in shutting down Southeast with 12 digs and three blocks, all solo.
Southeast took set two, 25-20. The Redhawk defense came alive in the second set recording 17 digs and four blocks. With only one Redhawk contributing to the dig count in set one, a total of seven contributed in set two. Southeast never trailed in the frame after jumping out to an early 8-3 lead. Up 11-8, Southeast used a 5-1 run to force Ohio State to call their second and final timeout of the set. It was all Southeast as they rolled the rest of the set, tying up the match at one set apiece.
After dropping set two, Ohio State came out after the intermission looking for revenge. The Buckeyes opened the match with a 9-2 run to gain a comfortable lead on the Redhawks. Much like the first set, the Redhawk offense struggled to get going; however, the defense was strong. Southeast recorded only six kills in the set but nearly doubled their block total from the previous sets with five and dug the ball 11 times. Fueled by a second set loss, the Buckeyes took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-19 set win.
A determined Ohio State closed out the match with a 25-13 set-four win. Ohio State used a match-high 20 kills in the set to shut down the Redhawks.
The Redhawks combined for 30 kills on the day with Yarber recording eight. Junior Meredith Stranges had a career day; recording four kills, a .308 hitting percentage, and five blocks, all a career-high. Stranges, a Dublin, Ohio native, performed in front of a "home crowd" in the match against the Buckeyes.
Southeast Missouri 3, IUPUI 2
Falling behind early, Southeast tied the first set at 10 and used a 5-1 run to take control of the set. Down 20-15, IUPUI surged with a 5-0 run to tie the set at 20 each. The Jaguars got the better of Southeast in the end, 26-24. Southeast had 35 digs and four blocks in the set.
Southeast went cold in the second set, being downed by the Jaguars 25-10. The team managed eight kills in the frame.
Down two sets, Southeast went on the offensive in third set with 14 kills and forcing six errors in the 25-18 set win. Southeast added three blocks in the set and 18 digs. With the set win, Southeast narrowed the deficit in the match to 2-1.
Southeast tied up the match to force a decisive fifth set with a fourth-set win, 25-22. The set was close, as the score was tied a total of eight times and the lead changed six.
The fifth set was very close as the 15-point set was tied five times. Down 9-5, Southeast tied the set at 10 a side. Down again, 13-11, Southeast closed out the set, and the match, with a 4-0 run to win the set, 15-13.
Yarber posted a season-high 20 kills and a career-high 28 digs. Andrea Baylin killed the ball a season-high 15 times. Libero Berkley Idel tied a career-high 29 digs in the contest.
Southeast Missouri will open the 2013 home schedule Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. as they welcome the UMKC Roos to Cape Girardeau.
INDIANA 3, TENNESSEE STATE 1; WYOMING 3, TENNESSEE STATE 1
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Tigers volleyball team were stopped in both contests as they closed out play on Saturday at the Hoosier Classic. TSU (1-5) took a 1-0 lead with a 27-25 win, but dropped the next three 15-25, 21-25, 14-25 to the host team. Indiana (7-1) outhit the Tigers .376 to .204. In the second game of the day, Wyoming (7-3) was able to fend off the Tigers and hold on for a 3-1 win (21-25, 18-25, 25-21, 19-25).
Naomi Wells was named to the all-Tournament team for the second time in as many tournaments. The junior registered a double-double against Wyoming with 13 kills and 13 digs and added a team high 12 kills against tournament champions Indiana.
Setter Erika Moss recorded 79 assists on Saturday, with 37 versus the Hoosiers and 42 against the Cowboys.
Freshman Arijana Anderson notched her first two double digit kill matches with 10 in each contest.
The Tigers scored the first point of the match in the opener versus Indiana and held the lead throughout the game and found themselves locked at 25-25. Wells put the Tigers on top with one of her 12 kills. TSU would claim the first match 27-25 on an attack error by the Hoosiers. The two teams each hit .333 in game one.
The Hoosiers took control of the game after Anderson delivered a kill to tie the set at 10-10. IU would hit .379 as they outscored the Tigers 15-5 to even the match at 1-1.
In the third game, Indiana stormed out to a 19-9 lead, but TSU stormed back with two kills apiece by Anderson and Zoe Sostre to go along with a block by Anderson and Shuantia Carr to force a timeout trailing 22-16. After the break, Carr added a couple kills to continue the charge, but TSU ran out of points and dropped the set 21-25.
Indiana closed out the Tigers in the fourth set by knocking down 16 kills for a .500 hitting percentage. TSU could only manage eight kills in 25 attempts for a .200 average.
In the final match of the classic the Tigers stayed with the bigger UW squad, but 10 errors in each of the first two games provided low efficiency rates by hitting just .023 and .000, respectively. With the score tied 10-10 in game three, TSU put together two four-point spurts to open a 19-13 lead. The two teams would trade blows the rest of the way as the Tigers grabbed a 25-12 to force a fourth set.
The Tigers fell behind early and could not catch the Cowboys who delivered 15 kills for a .406 average. In the match, Wyoming out hit TSU .316 to .116 and had a 13-4 block advantage on the afternoon.
The Tigers return to the friendly confines of Kean Hall for their first home match of the year. TSU will host Alabama A&M on Tuesday evening at 6:00pm in Kean Hall.
NICHOLLS STATE 3, UT MARTIN 2; ALABAMA 3, UT MARTIN 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team narrowly fell to Nicholls State 3-2 (26-28, 25-21, 25-10, 23-25, 10-15) in the morning before falling to host Alabama 3-0 (26-28, 10-25, 15-25) in the Hampton Inn Bama Bash.
UT Martin (6-6) boasted three players with double-digit kills against Nicholls State, led by Emily Keaton’s 13 kills. Allie Whimpey (10 kills, 14 digs) and Lynsey Hazelwood (10 kills, 10 digs) also racked up double-doubles while Amanda Crask hit .368 with eight kills and 39 assists. Defensively, Chelsea Bowles was responsible for a match-high 25 digs to go along with six blocks by Alisha Erves.
Against Alabama, Keaton led the way with 12 kills while Crask (18 assists) and Bowles (eight digs) also guided the Skyhawks.
UT Martin got going early in the first set, racing out to a 5-2 lead thanks to an assisted block by Hazelwood and Julia Devinney. The Skyhawks led 10-6 but Nicholls State would soon come back to take a 13-12 lead. However, a quick 4-0 run gave UT Martin a 16-13 lead. The Skyhawks would hold leads of 21-17 and 24-23 but Nicholls State would score six of the last eight points to claim a comeback win.
The Skyhawks outhit Nicholls State .250 to .222 in the first set, led by Hazelwood’s four kills and Crask’s 13 assists. Bowles led the way defensively with nine digs.
UT Martin charged out of the gate to take a 4-2 lead in the second set. After Nicholls State took an 8-7 lead, the Skyhawks went on an 8-3 run, capped off by a Hazelwood service ace that made the score 15-11. Nicholls State closed within two points at 22-20 before a Crask kill and Nicholls State attack error put UT Martin in prime position to even the match. Two points later, a Keaton kill gave the Skyhawks a split in the first two sets.
Keaton had five kills to pace UT Martin while Bowles compiled eight digs in the second set. The Skyhawks hit .257 as a team.
The third set was close (6-5) until the Skyhawks went on a huge run, outscoring Nicholls State by a 16-3 margin, beginning with a 9-0 run. After two straight Nicholls State points made the score 15-7, two kills by Keaton provided UT Martin with a 20-7 advantage. An assisted block by Keaton and Devinney made the score 22-8 on the way to the Skyhawks gaining a 2-1 lead.
Keaton’s offense (five kills) and Whimpey’s defense (seven digs) lifted UT Martin in the third set.
The Skyhawks led 3-1 in the fourth set but Nicholls State responded with six unanswered points. UT Martin got within 8-5 until Nicholls State came up with another 6-0 run to go ahead 14-5. The Skyhawks then accounted for nine of the next 11 points to pull within two points at 16-14. Nicholls State would take a 21-17 lead but UT Martin made it close, getting within 24-23 after back-to-back kills by Erves and Whimpey. However, Nicholls State would survive the Skyhawk comeback.
Whimpey’s four kills paced UT Martin in the fourth set.
In the decisive fifth set, Nicholls State used an early 7-0 run to go on top by an 8-1 margin. The Skyhawks would battle back to make the score 12-9 but they could not dig themselves out of the early hole, as Nicholls State scored three of the last four points.
In the tournament finale against Alabama, the Skyhawks would trail 5-2 but eventually clawed back to get within a single point at 12-11. Alabama pushed its lead out to 20-16 but three straight points from UT Martin made the score 20-19 and forced Alabama to take a timeout. The Skyhawks broke through to take a 22-21 lead courtesy of a Whimpey kill. UT Martin would earn set point honors twice (24-22 and 26-25) before Alabama answered with a 3-0 run to close out the set.
Keaton’s four kills in the first set led the Skyhawks.
Alabama jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set but UT Martin quickly closed the gap to three points at 8-5 and 10-7. However, Alabama then used a 6-0 run to go ahead 16-7 and then concluded the set with seven unanswered points to go on top by a 2-0 margin.
The Skyhawks came out with a purpose in the third set, turning a 5-4 deficit into a 10-5 lead thanks to a 6-0 run. UT Martin’s lead remained at five (12-7) until Alabama got within two at 13-11. After a Keaton kill, Alabama went on a 14-1 run, scoring eight consecutive points to start the run. Keaton had another kill but then Alabama rounded out the set with another lengthy run, scoring the final six points.
Keaton had five kills to lead UT Martin in the third and final set.
The Skyhawks will take part in the fourth and final nonconference tournament next weekend when they travel to Indianapolis, Ind. for the Butler Classic on Sept. 20-21.
OREGON 3, BELMONT 0; CSU BAKERSFIELD 3, BELMONT 0
FRESNO, Calif. - Belmont volleyball (3-9) fell to No. 20 Oregon and CSU Bakersfield Saturday at the Fresno State Classic.
No.20 Oregon 3, Belmont 0
Oregon had an early lead but a run capped by a kill from Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) put Belmont ahead, 6-5. The Bruins continued to maintain a small lead early. The Ducks, however, put together a 13-1 run to take a 21-10 lead. Oregon took the opening set, 25-12.
A 7-2 run in the second set put Oregon on top, 12-7, but Belmont battled back. A pair of attack errors sparked a Bruin run closing the Ducks' lead to four, 24-20. It wasn't enough to hold off Oregon as they took at 2-0 advantage at the break, winning set two, 25-20.
After the break, both teams exchanged points with the Ducks maintaining a small lead before an ace from Ashley Ferguson (Fresno, Calif.) tied the set at 7. Oregon scored six straight points before Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) silenced their run, but another long and late run gave Oregon the 25-15 win.
Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) led the team with eight kills. Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) dished out 19 assists.
CSU Bakersfield 3, Belmont 0
The opening set remained close with both teams battling back and forth as the set was tied 14 times. CSU Bakersfield was able to close the set, 25-20, scoring four unanswered points.
With the second set tied at 11, Belmont scored three straight points to take a 14-11 lead over the 'Runners. CSU Bakersfield responded with their own 4-0 run to regain the lead. The Bruins continued to silence their runs, but the 'Runners took a 2-0 lead at the break winning set two, 26-24.
Belmont jumped on the board first in the third set with an ace from Miranda. Again, the set remained close with both teams battling.
CSU Bakersfield took a 19-14 lead over the Bruins, but a pair of kills from Vestal brought them within three, 19-16. The 'Runners continued to extend their lead and Jen Myer (New Braunfels, Tx.) and McCoy closed the gap, but it wasn't enough as CSU Bakersfield won the third set, 25-21.
Vestal paced Belmont with 11 kills. McCoy, who was named to the All-Touranment team recorded seven kills in the match.
Belmont returns to action at home on Tuesday, September 17 against Evansville at 6:00pm.