FRIDAY'S SCORES
Cal 3,
SIUE 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-17)
Eastern Kentucky 3, Northeastern 2 (24-26, 25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 15-11)
UT Martin 3, South Carolina State 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-9)
Southeast Missouri 3, Memphis 1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 25-16)
Troy 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-20, 25-17, 29-27)
Central Florida 3,
Eastern Kentucky 0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-20)
Tennessee 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (25-15, 25-24, 25-17)
Georgia State 3,
Jacksonville State 1 (25-21, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23)
Alabama 3,
Southeast Missouri 1 (19-25, 25-11, 25-11, 25-14)
Clemson 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-10, 25-13, 25-16)
@Samford 3,
Jacksonville State 0 (25-22, 25-7, 25-22)
UT Martin 3, @Alabama State 2 (22-25, 21-25, 25-16, 27-25, 15-8)
Northern Colorado 3,
Eastern Illinois 2 (21-25, 24-26, 25-17, 25-19, 25-10)
Murray State 3, Southern 0 (25-8, 26-24, 25-13)
Murray State 3, South Carolina State 0 (25-7, 25-11, 25-21)
Radford 3,
@Morehead State 2 (23-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-9)
Kennesaw State 3,
@Belmont 1 (25-22, 13-25, 36-34, 27-25)
@Arkansas 3,
Tennessee State 0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-19)
Rutgers 3,
SIUE 2 (25-18, 18-25, 25-23, 21-15, 15-11)
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, NORTHEASTERN 0; CENTRAL FLORIDA 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0
ORLANDO, Fla. – Eastern Kentucky opened its 2014 season by splitting a pair of matches on the first day of the Radisson UCF Invitational in Orlando, Florida. The Colonels (1-1) beat Northeastern University (0-1) 3-2 before falling to host Central Florida (1-0) by a score of 3-0.
EKU beat Northeastern by scores of 24-26, 25-19, 25-22, 22-25 and 15-11. UCF won by scores of 25-14, 25-15 and 25-20.
The Colonels opened their season by beating Northeastern 3-2. Sophomore Johanna Boyer led all players with 20 kills. Alexis Plagens finished with 14 kills and Abbey Cvelbar had 12. Rachel Vick and freshman Celina Sanks recorded 10 kills each.
Boyer made just five errors in 52 attempts for a .288 attack percentage. Cvelbar had a .435 attack percentage and a match-high 49 assists. Dena Ott contributed 22 digs and freshman Ciera Koons led the team with five total blocks.
In the first set, Northeastern jumped out to an 11-4 lead and was in front 17-9 before the Colonels went on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to two. Eastern tied the score five times, but was never able to grab the lead. Alexa Armstrong’s kill gave Northeastern a 26-24 first set win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
After never leading in the first set, EKU never trailed in the second. The Colonels led 16-8 after an ace by Sanks and a NU error. Boyer’s kill finished off the set, 25-19, and tied the match 1-1. In the third set, Northeastern led by five, 14-9, before a 6-1 Eastern run tied the score 15-15. The set would be tied six more times. A kill by NU’s Jamie Bredahl knotted the score for the last time, 22-22. Eastern Kentucky scored the final three points, including a kill from Plagens, to win the set 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Northeastern won the fourth set 25-22 to force a decisive fifth set. NU scored the first point in the fifth, but the Colonels scored the next four to take control. Cvelbar’s kill made it 11-8 in favor of EKU. A kill by Plagens gave her team a late 4-point advantage, 14-10. A bad set by Bredahl ended the set and the match.
Caterina Rosander led Northeastern with 17 kills and a .556 attack percentage.
Eastern Kentucky committed one fewer error despite recording 11 more attacks than Northeastern. The Colonels were out-blocked 11-6, but served up five more aces (7-2).
Vick led EKU with 11 kills against Central Florida. She made only two errors in 21 attacks for a .429 hitting percentage. However, as a team Eastern posted a .167 attack percentage, compared to .374 for UCF. Jale Hervey had a match-best 17 kills for the Knights.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, MEMPHIS 1; ALABAMA 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri (1-1) volleyball team opened the 2014 campaign Friday at day one of the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic hosted by Saint Louis University. The Redhawks split at day one of the tournament as they defeated Memphis (1-1), 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 25-16) but fell to Alabama (2-0) by the same score (25-19, 11-25, 11-25, 14-25).
Sophomore Madalyn Werths was sharp throughout the match as she tallied a career-high 10 kills. Senior Meredith Stranges tied a Chaifetz Arena record for service aces with five in the match.
The Redhawks took set one in dominating fashion as they took the set, 25-20. Southeast never trailed in the set. Werths came out of the gate hot as she tallied five of her 10 kills in the opening stanza while hitting .364.
Memphis took a well-fought set two by a score of 25-21. Southeast jumped out to a 4-0 lead but Memphis put up five-straight to take their first lead in the match. The set was very back-and-forth as both teams found themselves all square at 20-20. Memphis was able to pull head to close out the set and tie up the match at one set apiece. Andrea Baylin tallied four kills in the set and hit a match-best .214. Memphis hit .310 as a team in the second set.
The third set proved to be closer and tighter than the second. While the score was close, it was 11 Memphis attack errors that allowed Southeast to keep up with the Tiger offense. The Redhawks prevailed in the set as they won 25-23 to regain the lead in the match.
The Redhawks shut down the Tigers in the fourth set thanks in part to seven Southeast service aces. Stranges tallied all five of her aces in the fourth set. The Redhawks won the match with a 25-16 set four victory.
Baylin was Southeast's top terminator with 12 kills. Baylin also tallied a career-best 23 digs. Werth's 10 kills accompanied a .212 hitting clip. Katarina Rotta had a career-high 31 assists to begin her sophomore campaign.
As a team, the Redhawks had 11.0 team blocks. Individually, freshman Nzingha Clarke had six blocks (one solo, five assisted). Preseason All-OVC selection Taylor Masterson had five blocks of her own with five kills. Freshman outside hitter Krissa Gearring also made an impact on the floor with four blocks, eight kills, and 12 digs.
The Redhawks took set one against Alabama quite handedly as they won 25-19. Gearring and Werths both registered three kills in the set. Both teams combined for seven service errors. Southeast hit a respectable .226 while Alabama hit a low .027, registering 10 kills and nine attack errors. The set was tied at 16 all but Southeast was able to pull ahead and wrap the set to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
After a poor offensive performance in set one, Alabama began firing the offense on all cylinders the rest of the match.
It was all Alabama in set two as the Tide washed away the Redhawks, 25-11. Masterson added four to her kill count in the set. The team hitting clips flipped in set two as Alabama hit .455 and Southeast hit .065. The match was all square after two sets.
It was a similar tale in set three as Alabama dominated, 25-11, and took a 2-1 lead in the match. Southeast was able to fire the offense better but couldn't stop an Alabama offense that hit .571 with 18 kills.
The Crimson Tide secured the match with a 25-14 set four win. The Redhawks hit in the red as a team with a -.154 hitting clip in the set.
Baylin and Masterson each terminated eight balls in the match. Masterson finished with a .400 hitting percentage against her former team.
Alabama put up a whopping 13.5 team blocks against the Redhawks in the match.
In all, five Redhawks made their NCAA debuts Friday. Gearring, Clarke, Carlie Cuffle, Allie Henkelman, and Jessica McElderry all saw time on the floor. Gearring and Clarke started both matches.
The Redhawks return to action Saturday at noon when they face host Saint Louis. Southeast will take on Northern Iowa at 5 p.m. in the final match of the tournament.
TROY 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0; CLEMSON 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0
CLEMSON, S.C. - Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team dropped its season-opening match to Troy in three sets (25-20, 25-17, 29-27), Friday afternoon, at the Big Orange Bash.
Austin Peay (0-1) could not get out of the starting blocks against Troy, falling in wire-to-wire fashion in the first set. The Lady Govs were able to gain an early 2-2 tie in the second set, but a 9-4 Trojans run broke the set open.
The Lady Govs showed some life in the third set, forcing 15 ties and five lead changes. Troy got to set point first, 24-22, but Austin Peay got points of junior Aubrey Marsellis’ kill, then a block by Marsellis and senior Hillary Plybon to force a 24-24 tie. Marsellis notched a third straight point with her kill giving APSU its first set point of the match, 25-24.
Troy (1-0) rallied with back-to-back point to get back to match point at 26-25. Austin Peay would fend off that point and another at 27-26, but could not regain the lead. The service game proved the difference in the match as an Austin Peay service error gave Troy match point at 28-27 and they capitalized with Madeleine Bouillion’s service ace to close the match.
Senior Liz Landon led Austin Peay with 12 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Senior Jada Stotts added 11 kills at a .222 attack percentage while chipping in 18 digs. Marsellis had eight kills without an error (.615 attack percentage) and had 16 assists. Senior Cami Fields had a team-best 22 assists.
Austin Peay could not tame the Troy offense, which posted 45 kills and a .427 attack percentage in the three-set match. Preseason All-Sun Belt selection Marija Zelenovic led the Trojans with 16 kills and a .481 attack percentage.
Austin Peay State University's volleyball team had few answers for a hot hitting Clemson squad, falling in three sets (25-10, 25-13, 25-16), in its second match of the Big Orange Bash, Friday.
Austin Peay (0-2) could not get on track offensively, recording just 21 kills while committing 25 errors in the match. Senior Jada Stotts led the Lady Govs with eight kills. Senior Hillary Plybon finished with six kills and a team-best .188 attack percentage.
The Clemson (2-0) defense played a part in the Austin Peay offensive woes, posting 10 blocks in the match. Beta Dumancic led the Tigers with six blocks and was one of six players to record a block. Offensively, Kristin Faust had 14 of Clemson's 38 kills. The Tigers posted a .372 attack percentage for the match.
Austin Peay concludes its stay in South Carolina with a 2 p.m. (CT), Saturday contest against USC Upstate.
TENNESSEE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
BOONE, N.C. - The Tennessee Tech volleyball team opened the 2014 season at the Appalachian State Invitational today with a match against the University of Tennessee. The Golden Eagles dropped the set 3-0, 25-15, 25-14, 25-17.
A slow start cursed forshadowed the match for the Golden Eagles as they were never quite able to get an offense going. Through the three game match, the Golden Eagles put away just 12 kills compared to 41 kills from the Lady Vols.
Junior Cody Dodd had a team-high five kills, and added five digs. Senior libero Courtney Smith dug up a team-best 10 digs.
The Lady Vols were led by Jamie Lea who put down 17 kills and added nine digs and three blocks. Setter Lexi Dempsey dished up 32 assits for the orange and white.
Tech will be back in action tomorrow with a morning game versus tournament host Appalachian State at 11:30 CT and then will close out the weekend with a match versus Cleveland State at 3 p.m.
NORTHERN COLORADO 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
MUNCIE, Ind. - Eastern Illinois volleyball began play at the season-opening Ball State Active Ankle Challenge on Friday (Aug. 29) afternoon as the Panthers dropped a five set marathon to Northern Colorado (21-25, 24-26, 25-17, 25-19, 15-10), despite enjoying a two set to zero lead.
Junior outside hitter Chelsea Lee paced all Panthers with 17 kills, while classmate Abby Saalfrank nabbed her second career kill-dig duo-duo with 14 put-downs and 16 ups via the right side attack.
Fellow junior Marah Bradbury notched her 23rd career assist-dig double-double as she dished out 42 assists and secured 14 digs. She came closs to a triple double as also hit .562 in the loss behind nine kills and zero miscues.
Stephanie Wallace led the backcourt defense as the junior registered 17 digs and Lee finished with three blocks.
The entire contest featured multi-point runs by both squads as the Panthers held on for wins in the opening two frames before the Bears countered with fast starts in the next two sets to tie it up at two-sets a piece a force a deciding frame.
Neither team served very well as both combined for 21 errors and four aces apiece.
UNC out-hit the Panthers, .253 to .153 as three Bear attackers finished with double-digit kills, led by Andrea Spastat's 15 put-downs and .387 attack.
Panthers return to action on Saturday facing the host Cardinals at 10 a.m. before ending the tourney play against instate rival Western Illinois at 4:30 p.m.
MURRAY STATE 3, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 0; MURRAY STATE 3, SOUTHERN 0
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Murray State volleyball opened their season by winning a pair of matches against Southern University and South Carolina State. The Racers won the battle with South Carolina State 3-0, (25-7, 25-11, 25-21), after picking up their first win of the season 3-0 over Southern University (25-8, 26-24, 25-13)
MSU finished the first day with a win against South Carolina State.The Racers took a quick 2-0 lead beating the bulldogs 25-7, then 25-11.
In the first set, the Racers never gave up the lead. After going down 5-4 in the second set, MSU came back and led for the rest of the match.
The third set was a close match as both teams battled for the win. Murray State had a 10-4 advantage before the bulldogs cut the gap to 13-9. The bulldogs took the lead 20-21 before the Racers took the next five points to win, 25-21.
Sam Bedard led the Racers with 25 assists. Kristen Besselsen helped the Racers with 12 kills, followed by Emily Schmahl with 10.
Ellie Lorenz added eight digs with Scottie Ingram adding six.
MSU started their day taking on Southern University. This is the first Racer season opener win since 2006, and the first time to win 3-0 in the season opener since 2000.
The Racers were able to take the first match only letting the Jaguars score eight points. It seemed as though the Racers were going to make these quick matches.
Starting the second match, was a close back and forth game. The Racers led the 13-15 before the Jaguars went up 22-19. The Racers finally took the set 26-24. During the third set, MSU never gave up the lead and took the game 25-13.
Sam Bedard led the Racers with 30 assists. Taylor Olden and Emily Schmahl both added eight kills apiece. Ellie Lorenz led the team with 18 digs.
The Racers will return to the court Saturday against tournament host Alabama State at 12:30.
RADFORD 3, MOREHEAD STATE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State volleyball team jumped out to a two-set advantage on Friday evening, but Radford stormed back to win the final three sets and match. The Highlanders improve to 1-1 on the season, while the Eagles slip to 0-1. The match was part of the three-team Eagle Challenge at Wetherby Gym.
Morehead State recorded identical 25-23 victories in the first two sets, but Radford responded with back-to-back 25-19 wins in sets three and four. The Highlanders then built a 12-5 upper hand in the final stanza and never looked back in a 15-9 match-sealing victory.
Radford is the defending Big South Conference champion, while Morehead State has won each of the past four Ohio Valley Conference regular-season crowns.
Junior outside hitter Cheyanne James collected a team-best 14 kills for RU, while senior outside hitter Rachel Wiechecki managed a team-high 13 digs and senior setter Jena Braden posted 38 helpers.
Junior middle blocker Hannah Sigala paced MSU with a match-high 16 kills and seven blocks, while senior middle blocker Laura McDermott added 12 smackdowns and seven rejections. Sophomore defensive specialist Stacy Silver posted a match-best 16 digs for the Eagles, while senior setter Colbey Cameron notched 30 assists.
Morehead State turned in 27 kills and just 12 errors over the first two sets, but tallied just 29 winners and 21 miscues the rest of the way. The Eagles recorded six solo blocks and 22 block assists.
Radford hit .179 in the fourth set and .667 in the final stanza. The Highlanders registered 20 block assists, while also drilling 11 aces. The back-and-forth match featured 38 ties and 17 lead changes.
Radford dropped a 3-1 decision to Atlantic Sun Conference opponent Northern Kentucky earlier in the day.
Morehead State closes out the Eagle Challenge with two more matches on Saturday. MSU entertains NKU at Noon ET before having a re-match with Radford at 5 p.m. Both contests will be webcast live on OVCDigitalNetwork.com, with Volunteer Assistant Coach Marcie West and former Morehead State standout Aryn Bohannon calling all the action.
ARKANSAS 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The Tennessee State University volleyball team fought hard at Arkansas on Friday but dropped the season-opener 0-3.
The Tigers (0-1) battled against the Razorbacks (1-0) in a hostile environment at Barnhill Arena. Senior Naomi Wells led the team with a double-double in kills (10) and digs (10).
TSU took the first set straight to the wire. Senior Ileanushka Maldonado came up with a few astonishing digs to keep points alive. She finished with 11 on the night, seven of those in the first set. Freshman Carla Grayson showed her potential as the middle blocker, racking up three blocks on the set. Fellow freshman Samantha Beltran added to the first set magic with five assists and four digs.
The Tigers went into the intermission with heart as Beltran (7) and sophomore Taylor Patterson (8) combined for 15 assists in the half. Patterson also added points through her serving with a pair of aces. Junior Haley Hampton had four kills to add on to the effort.
Hampton’s four kills turned into seven as she attempted to lead the Tigers to a set victory in the third, but Arkansas completed the match victory. Beltran finished off her collegiate debut with 14 total assists to lead TSU while sophomore Arijana Anderson joined in the scoring with five kills of her own. Maldonado (11) paired with Wells as the two Tigers with double-digit digs. Patterson and junior Madison Halterman helped out on defense with five and six digs, respectively.
The Tigers will look to get into the win column tomorrow with two chances. Michigan beckons at 1:00 p.m. and Stephen F. Austin waits in the wings at 4:30 p.m. Both games will have free audio broadcasts that will be made available through TSUTigers.com.
GEORGIA STATE 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0; SAMFORD 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team opened the Terry Gamble Era with a pair of setbacks to Georgia State and Samford on the opening day of the UAB/Samford Volleyball Challenge.
Friday marked the debut of Gamble, who came to Jax State after a stint at McNeese State. JSU opened the season with a 3-1 loss to Georgia State (25-21, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23) in the first match of the day before falling 3-0 to co-host Samford (25-22, 25-7, 25-22) in the night cap.
In the GSU contest, the Panthers claimed the first two sets before JSU extended the match with a win in the third set. GSU clinched the match with a tight, 25-23, set-win. Junior Emily Rutherford recorded a double-double in the season debut with 11 kills and 13 digs. Freshman Allyson Zuhlke turned in solid outing in her collegiate debut with a team-high 13 kils. The Tomball, Texas-native also had four block assists in the match. Senior Nicole Merget also reached double figures in kills with 11 in the match. Freshman Jennifer Hart made her first career start at setter and dished out 36 assists in her outing.
Both teams struggled in the attack as JSU finished the four-set affair with a .150 hitting percentage, while GSU was a tad bit better at .176 percent. The Panthers were led by Diedra Bohannon's 22 kills and 12 digs. She was the lone Panther to post 10 or more kills in the win.
In the match against in-state rival Samford, the two programs battled in the first set before SU edged JSU for the first set. The Bulldogs cruised in the second set before closing out in the third set.
Junior Emily Rutherford paced the Gamecocks' offense with 10 kills. The Georgetown, Texas-product had a hitting mark of .400 in the match to go along with her four digs. JSU was led by junior Samantha Bohne in digs with 10.
The Bulldogs had a pair reach double figures in kills, led by Michaela Reesor's match-high 18 kills. Erin Bognar added 10 kills, while Selina Schirmer and Chelsi Carter finished with 12 digs each.
The Gamecocks return to the court on Saturday with another pair of matches in Birmingham. JSU opens the day against Michigan State at 12 p.m. before closing out the first weekend of competition at 4:30 p.m. against Southeastern Louisiana.
UT MARTIN 3, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 0; UT MARTIN 3, ALABAMA STATE 2
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team picked up a pair of victories in its season-opening day, defeating South Carolina State by a 3-0 margin (25-11, 25-15, 25-9) before posting a 3-2 comeback win (22-25, 21-25, 25-16, 27-25, 15-8) over host Alabama State this afternoon.
Allie Whimpey led the Skyhawks with 23 kills today, averaging 2.88 kills per set. Madison Bergren was also a star for the UT Martin offense, slamming down 14 kills (against only one error) in 22 attempts for a .591 attack percentage to go along with 81 assists.
Defensively, Colleen Larson scooped up 24 digs while Keaton added 19 digs. Alisha Erves tallied seven blocks to pace the Skyhawks at the net.
The Skyhawks close out their participation in the ISTAP Collegiate Cup tournament on Saturday, Aug. 30 when they take on Southern at 3 p.m.
Keaton paced UT Martin will 11 kills while Julia Devinney piled up 10 kills against zero errors in 14 attempts (.714 attack percentage) to lead a Skyhawk offense that hit .427 against the Lady Bulldogs.
The first set was tight early before UT Martin went on a 14-2 run to take a 19-6 advantage. Larson had back-to-back service aces early in the run while Keaton recorded five kills during the run. Devinney then came on strong to end the set, tallying back-to-back kills to conclude the set and give the Skyhawks the early advantage.
UT Martin hit .556 in the first set, committing only one team error in 27 attempts. Keaton (seven kills) and Bergren (14 assists) stood out for the Skyhawks offensively.
The second set was knotted early once again but UT Martin reeled off five straight points, capped off with two Keaton kills. South Carolina State crept within four points at 13-9 before the Skyhawks unreeled a 10-3 run to essentially put the game away. A kill by Whimpey clinched the set for UT Martin.
The Skyhawk defense excelled in the second set, limiting the Lady Bulldogs to a .000 hitting percentage (seven errors against seven kills) in 28 swings.
Another pair of lengthy runs in the third set led UT Martin to the sweep. South Carolina State jumped out to a 3-1 lead but a 9-2 run provided an 11-6 lead for the Skyhawks. The Lady Bulldogs got within three points (11-8) until UT Martin scored 13 unanswered points. Michelle McLaughlin tallied four kills in the run while five different Skyhawks had at least one kill during the 13-0 run.
Defense was UT Martin’s calling card once again in the third set, as the Skyhawks held South Carolina State to a .000 hitting percentage (four kills against four errors in 24 attempts). Offensively, UT Martin hit .464 in the set – committing just three attack errors against 16 kills.
Whimpey guided the Skyhawks to a come-from-behind triumph, slamming down 17 kills to go along with 10 digs. The 17 kills were just one shy of her career high, set during her freshman season in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament against Jacksonville State.
Madison Wessling (12 kills) and Bergren (11 kills, 46 assists) also reached double-figures in the kill column while Keaton registered 12 digs.
Three early kills by Wessling gave UT Martin an early advantage but Alabama State would eventually take a 12-9 lead. The Skyhawks then scored four unanswered – with a pair of Erves service aces in that span – to take a 13-12 lead and force the Hornets to take a timeout. Alabama State came back and led 20-16 but UT Martin trimmed its deficit to one point (22-21) thanks to an assisted block by Erves and Wessling. However, Alabama State would score three of the last four points to end the set.
Whimpey (five kills) and Wessling (four kills) led the Skyhawks offensively in the first set.
Alabama State led 6-3 in the second set before four unanswered points by UT Martin tilted the score in the Skyhawks’ favor at 7-6. Wessling provided three straight kills during the 4-0 run. UT Martin led until a 5-0 Alabama State run but the Skyhawks responded with four straight points of their own to go on top by an 18-17 margin. UT Martin led 20-19 before the Hornets ended the set on a 6-1 advantage.
Wessling had seven kills while Whimpey provided five kills for UT Martin in the second set.
The Skyhawks found themselves trailing 4-1 in the third set but respond with a 10-3 run to go on top by an 11-7 margin. UT Martin extended its lead to seven points (20-13) before Erves provided a pair of late kills and an assisted block to help the Skyhawks seal the victory.
Once again, UT Martin’s defense stood out in the set, forcing nine Alabama State errors and an .032 hitting percentage.
Whimpey came up with a pair of early kills to get the Skyhawks going in the fourth set. Alabama State led 10-6 but UT Martin went on a 13-6 run to go on top by a 19-16 margin. The Hornets tacked on six unanswered points to reclaim the advantage but the Skyhawks closed out the set on an 8-3 spurt, fighting off match point twice. A service ace by McLaughlin clinched the win and forced the fifth set.
Bergren was the hero of the fourth set, tallying five kills in six swings (.833 attack percentage) with 10 assists.
The fifth set was tied at 5-all until the Skyhawks went on a 6-1 run to go ahead by an 11-6 margin. Two straight kills by Lael Ceriani put UT Martin in position for the win while an assisted block by Erves and Whimpey concluded the Skyhawk comeback.
The UT Martin offense did not commit a single error in 15 chances in the fifth set, hitting .400 with six kills. Meanwhile, Alabama State hit .000 with six errors in 22 swings.
KENNESAW STATE 3, BELMONT 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont volleyball put up a terrific fight in their opening match of the 2014 Belmont Invitational Friday evening but Kennesaw State (1-0) proved to be too much down the stretch as the young Bruins squad dropped a closely contested 3-1 decision (25-22, 13-25, 36-34. 27-25) to the Owls.
The first set was a close battle throughout as the largest lead came when Kennesaw State went up 20-17 off a Belmont attack error.
The Bruins rallied back to tie the match at 20 off three consecutive kills as redshirt freshman Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) assisted on a slam from junior Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) before nabbing a pair of her own.
BU continued to battle the rest of the way as the Bruins countered every move the Owls made for the next couple of possessions but KSU finished off the set by scoring three consecutive points in order to take the opening set, 25-22.
Price paced the Bruins, posting a .600 hitting percentage on the set with four kills on five attempts while also adding four assists.
Belmont responded in the second set as the Bruins controlled the action from start to finish.
BU jumped out to a quick 16-6 advantage midway through and never looked back, coasting for the easy 24-13 victory in order to tie the match, 1-1.
Senior Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) asserted herself throughout the set as the outside hitter posted a .400 hitting percentage while accumulating five kills. Price continued to do an excellent job at setting up the hitters as she racked up eight assists on the set.
The Bruins couldn't seem to seize the momentum, however, as the third set proved to be a closely contested, marathon contest as both teams simply refused to give in.
Belmont had plenty of chances down the stretch, but the Bruins couldn't capitalize on several possible set points once the score was knotted at 25.
KSU seized the opportunity and pulled out a 36-34 victory off a kill by Megan McGuiness and a Belmont attack error.
The Bruins responded in the fourth stanza and refused to go down without a fight as the set stayed extremely close from start to finish.
Belmont had a chance to extend the match into a fifth and deciding set when a BU set point was created after a strong kill by freshman Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) put the Bruins up 25-24.
A Belmont service error on the next possession gave KSU new life and the Owls once again took advantage.
A kill by KSU's Toure Hopkins proved to be the deciding point as the Owls captured the close set, 27-25, and also the match, 3-1.
On the match, Belmont held a decisive hitting percentage advantage over KSU as the Bruins hit .125 compared to KSU's .054.
Price led the charge with a .429 hitting percentage off seven kills while adding 36 assists and 11 digs.
Gable posted a double-double with 14 kills and 17 digs while hitting .343 on the match and adding five service aces.
The freshman duo of Person and Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) had solid first matches of their respective Belmont careers as Person had a good defensive outing with 13 digs while adding five kills and Lewis provided several powerful kills for the Bruins, finishing with eight on the night.
KSU's Kelly Marcinek led the Owls with a double-double of 13 kills and 20 digs while Michelle Witt recorded a match-best 39 assists on the evening.
The Bruins are set for a quick turnaround as Belmont (0-1) resumes action tomorrow morning with a match against Youngstown State starting a 9:30 a.m. CT.
The Bruins will close out the invitational against Evansville (0-1) tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. CT. Live stats and video from the OVC Digital Network will be available for both matches.
CAL 3, SIUE 0; RUTGERS 3, SIUE 2
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - It took just one day and two matches into the 2014 volleyball season, and Chelsea Colclasure now holds SIUE's career record for digs.
Colclasure recorded 20 digs Friday to pass Allison Buss (2002-05) for the record. Colclasure now has 1,853 digs, passing Buss who finished her collegiate career with 1,850.
SIUE opened the Falcon Classic Friday with matches against California and Rutgers. The Cougars fell to Cal 25-18, 25-17, 25-17 before nearly knocking off Big Ten Conference newcomer Rutgers 25-18, 18-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-11.
Junior Kristen Torre led the Cougar offense with 21 kills and a .357 hitting percentage on day one. Freshman Carley Ramich added 12 kills and a .304 hitting percentage.
The Cougars were back and forth with the Scarlet Knights in the second match of the day with the two teams winning every other set.
SIUE was bolstered in the match by Taylor Held's serving. The Cougar sophomore set a career high with seven service aces against Rutgers. There were 13 service aces overall against Rutgers and the most since the Cougars recorded 17 against Air Force during the 2008 season.
Colclasure led SIUE on the back line with her 20 digs.
The front line defense outplayed both California and Rutgers combined. SIUE out blocked its competition 14-13 led by seven blocks from Ramich and five by Torre.
SIUE has two more matches left at the Falcon Classic. On Saturday, the Cougars face Winthrop in an 11 a.m. CT match and host Air Force in an 8 p.m. CT contest.