FRIDAY’S SCORES
UT Martin 3, Charlotte 0 (25-23, 25-25, 27-25)
Virginia Tech 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-21, 25-6, 25-16)
@Akron 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-16)
Milwaukee 3,
Tennessee Tech 1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-20, 25-22)
Boise State 3,
Belmont 0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-22)
SIUE 3, Southern Utah 1 (22-25, 25-12, 25-13, 25-22)
@Lipscomb 3,
Jacksonville State 0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-15)
Austin Peay 3, North Dakota 2 (26-24, 25-23, 26-28, 20-25, 15-6)
Kansas State 3,
Southeast Missouri 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-15)
Southeast Missouri 3, Siena 0 (27-25, 25-13, 25-13)
Jacksonville State 3, South Alabama 1 (28-25, 25-27, 25-23, 25-20)
UT Martin 3, UNC Asheville 1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-18)
SIUE 3, @Omaha 0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-13)
Murray State 3, UNC Greensboro 2 (25-15, 11-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-13)
Eastern Illinois 3, South Dakota State 1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-21)
@Northwestern 3,
Belmont 1 (25-14, 30-32, 25-14, 25-17)
Utah Valley 3,
Eastern Kentucky 1 (25-21, 28-26, 21-25, 33-31)
VIRGINIA TECH 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0; AUSTIN PEAY 3, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 2
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - With its leading offensive threat sidelined, Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team saw senior Calyn Hull come to life with a career-high 25 kills and gutted out a five-set victory (26-24, 25-23, 26-28, 20-25, 15-6) victory against North Dakota in its second match at the MT Invitational, Friday, at Alumni Memorial Gymnasium.
Austin Peay (2-4), which saw leading hitter Jada Stotts injured in the day’s first match, had to battle back from an early 7-4 deficit in the opening set. The Lady Govs took the lead at 15-14 thanks to a 5-2 run that included kills by Samantha Strother, Sammie Ebright and Hillary Plybon. Austin Peay would not hold more than a two-point lead the rest of the way and needed back-to-back kills by Plybon and Lauren Henderson to secure the set in overtime, 26-24.
The Lady Govs jumped out to the early lead in the second set, building a 10-4 advantage thanks to good all-around play. North Dakota slowly reeled the Lady Govs back in, tying the set at 13-13. UND would get a two-point, 17-15, advantage but back-to-back kills by Henderson wiped out that advantage. Austin Peay scored four of the set’s final five points to win 25-23.
North Dakota (1-4) and Austin Peay fought through a see-saw affair in the third set with each team leading by three points at one point. UND led 7-4 early only to see APSU gain a 18-15 edge late. North Dakota used a 9-5 run from there to get its first set point opportunity. Austin Peay thwarted the first set point and got its first match-point chance with two consecutive points. UND staved off the match point and scored four of the final six points to secure a 28-26 victory.
UND controlled the fourth set, winning in wire-to-wire fashion. North Dakota scored the set’s first three points and slowly pushed its lead to five and then seven points, 18-11, and did not look back to tie the match with a 25-20 victory.
Austin Peay returned the favor in the fifth set, leading wire-to-wire. The Lady Govs scored the set’s first seven points, including three points off UND errors. Austin Peay would bend as UND closed within four points at 10-6 but the Lady Govs did not break as they scored the set’s final four points to secure the match with a 15-6 win.
Hull posted her 25 kills on 65 attempts, finishing the match with a .246 attack percentage. Junior setter Cami Fields enjoyed her finest outing this season with 56 assists and a pair of kills. Plybon (14 kills), Henderson (11) and Ebright (10) also reached double-digit kills territory.
Austin Peay’s offense posted 71 kills and a .280 attack percentage in the victory. The Lady Govs defense posted just 68 digs but recorded eight blocks, including four by Plybon.
Lexi Robinson led North Dakota with 20 kills. Lisa Parlich added 16 kills and a team-best .433 attack percentage. Anna Pioske came off the bench and chipped in 16 kills.
A nip-and-tuck first set ended with junior outside hitter Jada Stotts suffering an injury and Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team could not recover, dropping the MT Invitational opener in three sets (21-25, 6-25, 16-25), Friday morning.
There was plenty of offense in the first set with Austin Peay recording 16 kills against Virginia Tech’s 19 kills. Virginia Tech took a 19-17 lead to force an Austin Peay timeout. The Lady Govs responded with a 4-2 run to tie the set at 21-21.
The Hokies scored the last four points and won the set 25-21. However, the set’s last point was the most damaging to the Lady Govs. Stotts landed at the base of the post while attempting an attack and fell to the floor. She would leave with assistance and returned to the bench, but not to the match.
Without its leading offensive threat, Austin Peay was staggered in the second set. The Lady Govs recorded just four kills in the frame while the Hokies rattled off 18 kills against one error en route to the 25-6 victory.
Austin Peay came out of the break with renewed energy and jumped out to a 6-4 lead as three different hitters posted a kill. Virginia Tech fended off that early burst and used 7-4 run to take an 11-8 lead. The Hokies pushed their advantage to 19-11 en route to the 25-16 win.
Sammie Ebright and Calyn Hull each had eight kills to pace the APSU offense. Stotts had seven kills prior to her injury. After recording 16 kills and only five errors in the first set alone, Austin Peay was held to 16 kills and committed 11 errors in the final two sets combined.
Kathryn Caine led Virginia Tech with 11 kills and a .769 attack percentage. Samantha Gostling chipped in 10 kills. Virginia Tech finished with 50 kills and a .484 attack percentage.
Austin Peay continues its stay at the MT Invitational with a 10 a.m., Saturday contest against UAB.
KANSAS STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, SIENA COLLEGE 0
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Southeast Missouri (3-2) volleyball team split a pair of matches Friday; dropping a match against Big 12 foe and tournament host Kansas State, 3-0, and earning a sweep over Siena College, 3-0, in the nightcap.
Kansas State 3, Southeast Missouri 0
Kansas State (4-0) rolled to a sweep over the Redhawks in Southeast's opening match of the K-State Invitational.
The Redhawks dropped the first set despite a late surge to bring the score within one. Down 19-24, Southeast used a 4-0 run to pull the score within one point but K-State killed the ball at the right time to avoid sending the set into extra points and taking set one, 25-23.
The Redhawks came out of the gate strong in the second set but quickly fell behind when K-State used a 9-1 run to take the lead and never looked back as they took the set 25-17.
Southeast fell behind in the third set, being down by 12 at one point. K-State rolled to a 25-15 victory in the third set to take the match and earn the sweep over Southeast.
Emily Coon and Yarber each tallied eight kills for Southeast in the contest. Andrea Baylin killed the ball a total of seven times. Julie Shives assisted on 19 kills while Berkley Idel dug the ball 11 times.
Kaitlynn Pelger was a powerhouse for K-State recording 10 kills, five service aces, and 10 digs.
Southeast Missouri 3, Siena College 0
After being swept by Big 12 rival Kansas State earlier in the day, the Redhawks turned it around and got the brooms out themselves in their second match of the day, this time against Siena College (1-4).
The Redhawks battled the Saints in the first set, forcing extra points, and coming out on top 27-25 to take the opening set.
Southeast rolled to wins in the following sets, winning each by a tally of 25-13, to earn their first sweep of the season.
Yarber led Southeast in kills with 11 and posted a .267 hitting percentage. Taylor Masterson killed the ball six times while posting a strong .545 attack percentage.
As a team, Siena tallied 24 attack errors to their 31 kills.
The Redhawks take on regional rival Southern Illinois Saturday at 10 a.m. to close-out tournament play.
SAINT LOUIS 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Visiting Saint Louis connected on 38 kills, while the Morehead State volleyball team committed 23 attack errors, and the Billikens topped the Eagles 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-15) Friday night in the Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational at Wetherby Gym.
Danielle Rygelski smacked a match-high 15 kills and hit .367 for the visitors, who improved to 2-2. The Eagles fell to 2-3 and saw their 14-match regular-season home winning streak halted.
The Billikens served up eight aces and hit .233. Mallory Dillon added 11 kills. SLU held advantages in kills (38-26), digs (50-45) and blocks (5-4). MSU was limited to just .027 hitting.
SLU manafactured a 7-2 run midway through the first frame to set the tempo. Billiken libero Anna Church, who finished with a match-best 17 digs, served five points in the pivotal momentum swing.
Morehead State fell behind 7-1 in the second set but rallied via a 7-0 spurt. Kills by sophomore outside hitter Courtney Smith, junior right-side hitter Alex Fitzmorris and sophomore middle blocker Hannah Sigala propelled the scoring flurry. Later in the set, Smith landed an ace to tie it at 18, but the visitors outscored the Eagles 7-2 down the stretch.
The Eagles never led in the fnal set. SLU used a 12-4 run to distance itself after leading 8-6. The Billikens sported a balanced offense that produced 12 kills in the first stanza and 13 in the second and third.
Morehead State was led by Smith with six winners. Senior libero Leslie Schellhaas tallied a team-high 13 digs.
MSU continues play in the tournament Saturday with matches against IUPUI at 1:30 p.m. ET and Montana State at 7 p.m.
LIPSCOMB 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0; JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, SOUTH ALABAMA 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team opened the first day of the Lipscomb Invitational on Friday with a 3-0 loss to the host Bisons before battling to a 3-1 victory over South Alabama.
The Gamecocks (2-4) dropped the first match of the day 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-15) to Lipscomb (2-2). Sophomore Emily Rutherford then tied her career-high with 22 kills and 16 digs and junior Nicole Merget added 15 kills and five blocks to power JSU to a 3-1 (28-26, 25-27, 25-23, 25-20) victory over the Jaguars (2-3).
In the first match, Rutherford led the Gamecocks with eight kills while Merget added five. Junior Alina Agamy put up 17 assists while senior Kelly Cole led the team with 10 digs.
The Bisons were led by Jewell Dobson with 16 kills while Lauren Ford added 11 kills. Cailtlin Dotson led the team with 39 assists and Bri McCombs posted 20 digs.
The two teams found themselves in a 10-10 tie early in the first set. Lipscomb then got three-straight kills from Molly Sptiznagle, Jewel Dobson and Lauren Ford to build a 13-10 lead. The Gamecocks would manage to cut the lead to 19-17 following kills from Merget and sophomore Taylor Long, but the Bisons would manage to pull away for the 25-20 victory.
The Bisons used a 9-1 run in the second set to build a 15-5 lead. Lipscomb managed to hit .452 for the set while limiting the Gamecocks to a .086 hitting percentage in the 25-12 victory. Lipscomb started the third set on a 4-0 run. The Gamecocks eventually cut the lead to 15-12 before Lipscomb used an 8-0 run to put the game out of reach for the 25-15 match clinching victory.
In the first set against South Alabama, the Gamecocks found themselves with a 24-21 lead after a block by junior Victoria Cross and Long. South Alabama then used two Gamecock errors and a kill by Mechell Daniel to tie the match at 24-24.
The two teams then swapped service errors before each recording a kill to tie the match again at 26-26. Another attack error by USA gave the Gamecocks a 27-26 lead. JSU was then able to put the match away after sophomore Samantha Bohne recorded a service ace for the 28-26 opening-set victory.
Neither team was able to pull away in the second set. With the match tied 19-19, JSU used a kill from Cross and a block by Merget and Agamy to begin pulling away. The Gamecocks looked poised to claim the set after Rutherford's kill gave JSU a 24-22 lead, but the Jaguars rallied following a JSU service error and tied the match at 24-24 following an ace by Deanna Canfield.
Bohne then recorded a kill to give the Gamecocks a 25-24 lead and another chance to claim the second set. But the Jaguars rallied again, using three-straight kills to claim the 27-25 victory.
In the third set, USA jumped out to an early 9-3 lead. Merget then posted two service aces during a 5-0 run to put the Gamecocks back in it at 9-8. With the match tied at 23-23, Rutherford's kill gave JSU a 24-23 lead and the Gamecocks were able to claim the set following an attack error by the Jaguars.
The two teams found themselves tied seven times in the fourth set. With the match tied at 19-19, Merget was able to post four kills during a 6-1 run to give JSU the 25-20 match-clinching victory.
Agamy finished the match with 46 assists and 13 digs. Defensively, seniors Kelly Cole and Abbey Heredia posted 26 and 13 digs, respectively. Freshman Kacy Clinkenbeard tied her season high with nine kills.
Canfield and Daniel paced the Jaguars with 14 and 12 kills each. Canfield also led USA with 20 digs to post a double-double while Emily Hundt also posted a double-double with 14 assists and 11 digs.
The Gamecocks will close out the tournament with a match against Samford on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 1
DES MOINES, Iowa - Eastern Illinois volleyball opened Drake Invitational action with a four-set victory over South Dakota State on Friday (Sep. 6).
After dropping a tight first frame, 25-23, the Panthers rallied to take the next three sets via scores of 25-18, 25-22, and 25-21 to move to 2-3 overall on the early season.
Four different Panthers secured double-digit kill numbers, led by sophomore outside hitter Chelsea Lee's 21 put-a-ways and .475 attack, both career highs.
Classmate Abby Saalfrank added 13 kills on the right side, while seniors Reynae Hutchinson and Stephanie Arnold chipped in 11 and 10 put-downs, respectively, via the outside and middle attack.
With the addition of 10 digs, Hutchinson secured her 26th career kill-dig duo-duo.
Hutchinson and Arnold also secured three blocks apiece, while fellow senior Amy Martin led the net defense with four roofs.
Sophomore setter Marah Bradbury secured her 10th career assist-dig double-double, dishing out a season-high 52 assists while also tabbing a new career-best 17 digs. She joined Hutchinson and Arnold with three blocks, while also tying Martin for team-best ace numbers off two nonreturnable serves.
Junior Dakota Springer, who earned her first career starting libero duties in sets two-thru-four, upped 17 Jackrabbit attacks to eclipse her previous all-time dig mark.
EIU out-paced SDSU in kills (62-to-49), attack (.298-to-.194), assists (56-to-41), aces (six-to-four), digs (63-to-47), and total points (76.0-to-61.0), while both squads tallied eight team blocks apiece.
Wagner Larson and Tiara Gibson led the way for the Jackrabbits (0-4) off 12 and 10 kills, respectively, and three blocks apiece. Meanwhile, Lizzie Palmer led the SDSU backrow defense with 16 digs.
Team-wise, the match featured 23 ties and 14 lead changes as the Panthers and Jackrabbits met for the first time on the volleyball court.
The Panthers return to invitational action on Saturday, first taking on the host Bulldog squad at 1 p.m., before immediately battling instate foe DePaul at 5 p.m. to complete the weekend slate.
AKRON 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0; MILWAUKEE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 1
AKRON, Ohio - The Tennessee Tech volleyball team was in action twice Friday at the Akron Invitational as it lost to host Akron in straight sets and and dropped a tight match with Milwaukee in four.
Host Akron stifles Golden Eagles offense
In Tennessee Tech's first match of the Akron Invitational, the Golden Eagles offense was stifled as Akron held Tech to a hitting percentage of .111 in the match, losing 3-0.
Tech opened set one playing the Zips point for point, staying tight to a 10-11 score, but following a few offensive miscues from Tech and an offensive run by Akron, the Zips lead 21-16. Tech was unable to obtain enough offensive momentum to get back, dropping the set 25-16.
Set two opened the same way as the first. Tech took the early lead on Akron, leading 5-3. But Akron fought back, tying the set at 9-9, and then went on to take the lead to the end. Back to back kills by senior outside hitter Natalie Penrod brought the Golden Eagles within two, 16-18, but it was not enough as Akron won the set 25-18.
Following suit of the match, Tech traded points again in the opening of set three. Back-to-back Tech kills from junior Ellen Conti and sophomore Cody Dodd put the Golden Eagles up 6-4. Unfortunately, that was the only lead the Golden Eagles would hold in set three. An eight-point run by the Zips gave them the momentum, and they finished out the set. Akron took the match with a 25-16 win in set three.
The Golden Eagles were led by Dodd and senior Elise Robertson who each had eight kills. Dodd also added a team-high 3 services aces, while junior Courtney Smith added a team- best 11 digs.
Golden Eagles lose close match to Milwaukee
The Golden Eagle volleyball squad lost a very close match to Milwaukee Friday night. Despite out-hitting the panthers 59 kills and a hitting percentage of .241 to 48 kills and a .230 percentage, Tech lost 3-1.
In the first set, Milwaukee opened up on a 5-1 run, but Tech was able to bring it within one with Milwaukee still up 10-9. With a balanced offense, kills by senior Elise Robertson, junior Ellen Conti and sophomore Cody Dodd, the Golden Eagles helped to tie the match at 20. The Panthers racked up kills at just the right time to take the set 25-21.
The Golden Eagles traded points with the Panthers, all the way to a 9-9 tie. The Golden Eagles came out firing and went on a 10-2 run, taking the lead 17-10. Freshman setter Sharon Anderson distributed the offense evenly, overwhelming the Milwaukee defense with an offense that hit .467 with 16 kills in the set. Dodd also helped Tech maintain the lead with 4 service aces in set two alone. Tech went on to win the set 25-18.
Sets three and four did not fall in Tech's favor. Set three was a tight battle, but the Golden Eagles never held the momentum during the set. Tech dropped set three, 25-20. Tech found themselves in a rut to start set four. Down 11-2, Tech started to fight back, getting as close as 18-20. Tech was never able to quite complete the comeback, dropping the set 25-22.
Anderson set a career-high with 49 assists for the Golden Eagles, adding two kills and two digs. Senior Natalie Penrod and Conti recorded their first double-doubles of the season. Penrod finished the match with 15 kills, a hitting percentage of .353, and 10 digs. Conti finished with 10 kills and 14 digs. Robertson added 13 kills and 3 blocks, while Dodd added 10 kills, four blocks and a career-high six services aces. Junior Courtney Smith added 26 digs to lead the offense.
Tech wraps up the Akron Invitational Saturday with a match against Niagara at 10:30 a.m. CDT.
UTAH VALLEY 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
TUCSON, Ariz. - A mere four points meant the difference between a win and a loss for Eastern Kentucky in a 3-1 setback to Utah Valley on the first day of the Arizona Desert Classic.
The loss was the first for the Colonels (4-1) this season. EKU started the season 4-0 for the first time since 1995. Utah Valley (2-3) won by scores of 25-21, 28-26, 21-25 and 33-31.
Senior Ashley Edmond led Eastern with 18 kills. Alexis Plagens added 14 kills. Dena Ott posted a match-best 23 digs. Macky Treanor led Utah Valley with 21 kills to go along with a .288 attack percentage and 12 digs.
EKU trailed 24-21 late in the fourth set but battled back to tie the score. The Colonels went in front 28-27 on a kill by Marissa Tashenberg and led 31-30 after a kill by Rachel Vick. However, Eastern’s bid to force a fifth set fell short after Utah Valley scored the next two points on an EKU error and an ace by Brookelyn Hall to end the match.
SIUE 3, SOUTHERN UTAH 0; SIUE 3, OMAHA 0
OMAHA, Neb. - SIUE volleyball made a big splash on day one of the Omaha Classic with victories over Southern Utah and tournament host Omaha.
SIUE, 2-3, defeated Southern Utah early in the day for its first win of the season 22-25, 25-12, 25-13, 25-22. In the feature match of the evening, the Cougars dispatched the Mavericks 26-24, 25-21, 25-13.
Hilary Trevino was the big hitter of the day for the Cougars. The outside hitter recorded back-to-back double-digit kills for the first time in her career with 15 against Southern Utah and 12 against Omaha.
Mallory Mangun posted double-doubles in both matches. The freshman setter finished with a career-best 42 assists in the Southern Utah win.
Johnson added that the defensive trio of Chelsea Colclasure, Haley Norris, and Kasey Schumacher were steady on the back row. "They worked well together in their two rotations," Johnson noted.
Cori Harris also finished with a double-double against Southern Utah. Her 11 kills and 15 digs made her effective on offense and defense.
SIUE has one more match left in the Omaha Classic. The Cougars take on Bradley in a 1 p.m. match Saturday.
BOISE STATE 3, BELMONT 0; NORTHWESTERN 3, BELMONT 1
EVANSTON, Ill. – Belmont volleyball (1-5) dropped a pair of matches to Boise State and Northwestern Friday at the Wildcat Classic.
Senior libero Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) recorded nine digs in Friday's nightcap and became Belmont's all-time digs leader with 1,392. Lundstrom breaks the record of 1,387 digs that was set by Megan Clements in 2010.
Boise State 3, Belmont 0
A service ace from Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) got Belmont on the board first in the opening set, but four straight points for Boise State gave the Broncos the lead, 6-3. A kill from Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) and a Boise State error allowed Belmont to come within one point, however, the Broncos continued to extend their lead and take set one, 25-14.
Belmont jumped out a 3-1 lead in set two, but again the Broncos scored five straight points to take a three-point lead, 6-3. The Bruins battled back and came within one, 7-6, behind kills from Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) and Gable. Boise State went on another short run, but back-to-back kills from Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) silenced their run and put BU within one, 10-9.
Boise State went on an 8-4 run to close the set, 25-16 and take a 2-0 advantage at the break.
Despite a hard fought third set from the Bruins, Boise State won the set 25-22. With the score tied at 9, Belmont scored three straight to take a 12-11 lead. The Broncos responded by tying the set at 12 and scoring four unanswered points to regain the lead.
The Bruins overcame a four-point deficit and closed Boise State's lead to 21-20 due to another ace from Miranda and a kill from Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.). Boise State closed the set on a 4-2 run, taking the match in three.
Vestal led BU with 10 kills while Gable added eight. Miranda tallied 28 assists.
Northwestern 3, Belmont 1
The Bruins went on a 5-2 run over the Wildcats to take an 8-6 lead in the first set. Northwestern scored four unanswered points to take a 10-8 lead, and they continued to extend that lead. The Wildcats closed the set on a 7-2 run, taking a 25-14 win.
Belmont bounced back in the second set and winning the set, 32-30, as both teams battled back-and-forth. Kills from McCoy and Vestal gave BU a 11-10 lead. Northwestern responded, but a 5-2 run by the Bruins put the squad up by three.
With the set tied at 24, a kill from Alex Martin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) gave Belmont a 25-24 lead. The Wildcats responded and both teams exchanged points until BU closed the set behind a kill from Vestal and a block by Miranda and Martin.
In the third set, Northwestern scored six unanswered points to take an 11-4 lead. The Bruins put together short runs and came within four. The Wildcats scored seven straight points to close the set, 25-14, and take a 2-1 advantage.
Northwestern jumped out to an early lead, 9-3, in the fourth set. Belmont rallied late as a kill from Youngdahl sparked a 6-2 run for BU, putting the squad within four, 20-16. However, it wasn't enough as the Wildcats put the set away, 25-17, on a 3-0 run.
Vestal led Belmont with 17 kills, while McCoy added 10. Miranda dished out 42 assists.
Belmont will face Columbia tomorrow morning in the Wildcat Classic at 10:00am.
MURRAY STATE 3, UNC GREENSBORO 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Murray State opened the Spartan-Aggie Invitational with a heart-pounding five-set (25-15, 11-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-13) win over tournament hosts UNC Greensboro.
The Racers jumped out to a commanding lead to kick-off the first set, scoring eight of the first nine points. From that point on the Racers were in command of the set, extending the lead to as many as 13 (23-10) before ultimately winning 25-15.
Murray State carried the momentum into the early portion of set number two, scoring the first three points of the set. However it was all UNC Greensboro from there as they put down 18 kills to even the match handedly with a 25-11 win.
The Racers got down early in set numbers three and although the never trailed by more than five points, the Spartans were able to hold them down long enough to win the set 25-19 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Like the first set, MSU jumped out to a large lead at the outset, at one point scoring four straight points to take an early 6-2 lead. Kamille Jones, Taylor Olden and Alyssa Lelm each notched a kill on the run, the first of seven in the set for Lelm.
The Spartans fought back and tied the game on four separate occasions, the latest at 13-13. The Racers proceeded to rattle off three consecutive points with two kills from Lelm and one from Emily Schmahl. UNC Greensboro refused to quit though, closing the deficit to one at 23-22 before kills by Olden and Lelm closed the door on the Spartan comeback bid and evened the match at 2-2.
After jumping out to an 11-5 lead, it looked like the Racers had the fifth and final set in the bag. But once again the Spartans refused to quit, managing to score eight of the next 10 points to even the score at 13-all. Karrian Chambers landed three of her match-high 21 kills during the 8-2 run.
UNC Greensboro seemingly had all the momentum at this point, but couldn't overtake the Racers, committing a pair of attack errors to end the set and the match, 15-13.
Coming off her All-Tournament selection last weekend, Lelm led the Racers with a career-best 16 kills. She now has three consecutive games with double-digit kills. Scottie Ingram recorded the first double-double of her career, knocking down 11 kills and adding 23 digs. Both of those figures are career-bests. She also led the Racers with four kills in the deciding fifth set.
Sam Bedard was once again very involved handing out a career-high 48 assists. She also added two kills and 14 digs for her third double-double of the season.
The Racer defense was paced by Katlyn Hudson. The senior libero dug out 28 balls while also landing a game-high-tying three service aces.
The Racers look to continue their success with the remainder of the Spartan-Aggie Invitational tomorrow morning and afternoon. The Racers will open in the morning with Alabama State at 10 a.m., before battling North Carolina A&T at 3 p.m.
UT MARTIN 3, CHARLOTTE 0; UT MARTIN 3, UNC ASHEVILLE 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team continued its winning ways today, defeating Charlotte 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 27-25) this morning and turning away UNC Asheville 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-18) this afternoon in the Country Inn and Suites Invitational.
By picking up a pair of victories, the Skyhawks improved to 5-1 on the season. That ties the best six-match start to a season in the program’s Division-I history, equaling the 5-1 start in 2009 also under head coach Darrin McClure.
Against Charlotte, the UT Martin offense was led by Emily Keaton (.391 attack percentage) and Julia Devinney (.316), who each had a team-best 10 kills. Allie Whimpey added nine kills while Amanda Crask hit .438 with eight kills and 32 assists. Defensively, Chelsea Bowles recorded 16 digs while Devinney’s six blocks paced the Skyhawks at the net.
In the matinee, Keaton once again proved to be the difference offensively, slamming down a season-high 18 kills against only four errors in 40 attempts (.350). Devinney reached double-figures in the kill column (11) for the third time in the last four matches. Whimpey and Shelby Hoskins also added nine kills apiece for UT Martin. Bowles continued her hot start to the season with 27 digs, while Colleen Larson (20) and Lynsey Hazelwood (14) both set new career-highs in digs.
In the first set against Charlotte, the Skyhawks fell down 8-5 before a 10-2 run gave UT Martin the lead for the first time at 15-10. Devinney was a crucial part of the run, tallying two kills and a block during that span. An ace by Bowles pushed the Skyhawk lead out to 19-13 but Charlotte came back with five unanswered points to pull within one. The Skyhawks would hold on to take the early advantage thanks to a kill by Whimpey that concluded the set.
Devinney (four kills), Crask (12 assists) and Bowles (nine digs) led UT Martin in the first set.
Crask helped UT Martin jump out to a 6-2 lead in the second set, securing a pair of kills and a service ace during the Skyhawks’ early run. UT Martin held on to its lead until a 6-1 Charlotte run resulted in a 14-12 Skyhawk deficit. However, three straight UT Martin points – capped off by an assisted block by Michelle McLaughlin and Julia Devinney – tilted the score back in the advantage of the Skyhawks. Charlotte was able to take a two-point lead on three occasions before UT Martin ended the set on a 6-2 run, capped off by back-to-back kills by Keaton.
Keaton, Devinney and Whimpey each had four kills to account for three-fourths of UT Martin’s 16 kills in the second set.
After Charlotte jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the third set, the Skyhawks used a 5-0 run to double-up the score at 6-3. UT Martin held onto its lead until a 3-0 spurt by Charlotte saw the Skyhawks trail 12-11. However, UT Martin was responsible for six of the next seven points to go on top by a 17-13 margin. Charlotte then went on an 8-2 run to reclaim the lead at 21-19 and would lead 24-22 before UT Martin reeled off three straight points. After a Charlotte kill, Devinney and Keaton closed out the sweep with back-to-back kills.
UT Martin hit .289 in the third and final set (17 kills, six errors in 38 attempts), led by Hazelwood’s five kills and Crask’s 12 assists.
In the second match of the day, UNC Asheville led 6-3 in the first set and never looked back. A solo block by Crask got the Skyhawks within one at 8-7 and UT Martin would get within one point on two more occasions the rest of the way. UT Martin closed its gap to three points at 15-12 but UNC Asheville closed out to win the first set.
Despite the loss, Keaton tallied five kills against zero errors on seven swings (.714) in the first set.
Just as it had in the first set, UNC Asheville raced out to a 4-2 lead before the Skyhawks pieced together a 6-1 run, which included kills from four different players. UT Martin would push its lead out to 12-8 thanks to a Crask kill and would soon open up a five-point advantage thanks to a Whimpey kill that made the score 19-14. The Skyhawks extended their lead out to seven points on two occasions before earning the clinching point with an assisted block by Keaton and Hoskins.
Keaton was a perfect five-for-five with zero errors in the second set, helping UT Martin hit a robust .375 (16 kills, four errors, 32 assists).
The third set went back-and-forth early and with the score tied at 10-all, the Skyhawks unreeled a 4-0 lead thanks to back-to-back-to-back kills by Crask, Keaton and Hoskins. However, UNC Asheville recovered to put five straight points on the scoreboard to retake the lead. Neither side could push their lead out to more than two points until UT Martin scored four consecutive points to go on top 23-20. A Keaton kill provided the final point in the third set and gave the Skyhawks a 2-1 lead.
Hoskins had five kills against zero errors in nine attempts (.556) in the third set, while Crask (12 assists), Bowles (eight digs) and Larson (eight digs) also heavily contributed to the Skyhawk success in the third set.
UT Martin sped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth set but UNC Asheville would shortly take a 5-4 lead. The Skyhawks then went on a 6-1 run – led by two service aces and a kill by Keaton – to go ahead 10-6 but UNC Asheville soon evened the contest at 10-10. UT Martin then boasted a long run, accounting for 13 of the next 17 points to surge on top by a 23-14 margin. UNC Asheville would close in within six points until Devinney gave the Skyhawks the win with a match-ending kill.
Keaton had five kills against zero errors while Bowles scooped up nine digs in leading UT Martin to victory.
The final day of the Country Inn and Suites Invitational takes place on Saturday, Sept. 7. The Skyhawks will battle a couple of intrastate rivals in Chattanooga (10 a.m.) and Tennessee (2 p.m.) while looking to claim their second straight tournament victory to open the season.