FRIDAY'S SCORES
Coastal Carolina 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-9, 25-22, 25-19)
New Mexico 3,
Belmont 0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-18)
@Morehead State 3, Canisus 0 (25-22, 25-16, 28-26)
SIUE 3, Akron 2 (15-25, 25-22, 25-12, 22-25, 17-25)
UT Martin 3, The Citadel (25-20, 28-26, 18-25, 25-15)
Ohio 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-23)
Murray State 3, Fresno State 0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-21)
Eastern Illinois 3, UIC 1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-18, 25-16)
Jacksonville State 3, Savannah State 0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-8)
Drake 3, SIUE 2 (25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-20, 15-10)
Marshall 3,
@Morehead State 0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-19)
Arkansas State 3,
Southeast Missouri 0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-16)
Northwestern State 3,
Tennessee State 1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-18)
Evansville 3,
@Tennessee Tech 2 (25-19, 21-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-13)
@Ball State 3,
Belmont 2 (25-18, 25-14, 23-25, 21-25, 15-11)
Saint Louis 3,
@Southeast Missouri 1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-22)
Troy 3,
Eastern Kentucky 1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-17, 25-14)
COASTAL CAROLINA 3, UT MARITN 0; UT MARTIN 3, CITADEL 1
ATLANTA, Ga. - Jaclynn Yocum posted her first win as University of Tennessee at Martin head volleyball coach this afternoon when the Skyhawks compiled a 3-1 win over The Citadel during Day 1 of the 2015 GT Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Midtown Invitational.
The Skyhawks split a pair of matches today, defeating The Citadel by a 25-20, 28-26, 18-25, 25-15 margin. Earlier in the day, UT Martin battled but fell to Coastal Carolina by a 3-0 margin (9-25, 22-25, 19-25).
Madison Wessling’s 18 kills led the way for the Skyhawks today while Lael Ceriani (17 kills) and Ellie Cain (49 assists) also played a large role in UT Martin’s offensive attack. Defensively, Colleen Larson scooped up 25 digs while Alisha Erves turned away six blocks for the Skyhawks.
The Skyhawks conclude their participation in the tournament on Saturday, Aug. 29 when they take on host Georgia Tech at 11 a.m. CST and Siena at 4 p.m. CST.
Coastal Carolina
Wessling’s near double-double (nine kills, 11 digs) paced UT Martin but defending Big South Conference tournament champion Coastal Carolina proved to be too much for the Skyhawks in the season opener.
After the Chanticleers opened with a kill in the first set, a kill by Ceriani evened the score and gave UT Martin its first point of the season. Coastal Carolina then scored four straight points as part of an 8-2 run. Kills by Rachel Noffsinger, Ceriani and Wessling brought UT Martin back within six points (13-7) before the Chanticleers reeled off eight unanswered points on its way to the first set victory.
Ceriani’s three kills led the Skyhawks while Crask registered six digs and five assists in the first set.
UT Martin started off the second set with a vengeance, racing out to a 3-0 lead. Four ties then followed before the Skyhawks reeled off four straight points – two of which came via Wessling kills – to go ahead by an 11-7 margin. An Erves kill kept UT Martin’s advantage at four points before a brief 4-0 run by the Chanticleers evened up the set at 15-all. A kill by Kiah Cheatham then ignited a 3-1 spurt by the Skyhawks before another 4-0 run by Coastal Carolina tilted the score in the Chanticleer’s favor at 20-18. An Amanda Crask kill and a Chanticleer attack error pulled UT Martin back within one point at 23-22 before Coastal Carolina ended the set with two straight points.
Wessling generated team-highs in both kills (three) and digs (five) in the second set while Cain handed out a team-best seven assists. The Skyhawks tightened up their defense in the second set, limiting Coastal Carolina to a .023 attack percentage (12 kills, 11 errors) in 43 attempts.
Erves began the third set with a kill but the Chanticleers accounted for eight of the next 10 points to take an 8-3 lead early on. Cain then provided back-to-back kills in the middle of a 5-1 Skyhawk run which sliced UT Martin’s deficit to a single point at 9-8. After Coastal Carolina was responsible for four unanswered points, two straight kills by Wessling got the Skyhawks back within three points (13-10). UT Martin stayed within striking distance until the Chanticleers used three straight points to open up a 23-16 lead. The Skyhawks kept fighting, answering back with three unanswered point of their own to make the score 23-19 but Coastal Carolina earned the final two points of the set.
Wessling (four kills), Cain (six assists) and Crask (four digs) stood out for UT Martin in the third and final set, as the Skyhawks combined to hit .211 with 11 kills against only three errors.
The Citadel
Ceriani nearly doubled her career-high with 13 kills while Larson equaled her career-high with 20 digs and Cain posted a double-double of 36 assists and 13 digs to help UT Martin dispatch The Citadel in convincing fashion in the afternoon matchup.
The Skyhawks fell behind by margins of 2-0 and 4-2 in the first set but clawed ahead thanks in part to a pair of Larson service aces during a crucial 6-0 run for UT Martin. The Bulldogs answered right back with five straight points to take a 9-8 advantage but that would be the last lead The Citadel would account for in the first set. Five of the next seven points went the Skyhawks’ way while Wessling tallied three kills in the span of five points to allow UT Martin to build up a 15-11 lead. The Citadel would eventually even the score at 19-19 before the Skyhawks closed out the set on a 6-1 run, as a Jamie Scherb service ace iced the victory.
Leading the charge offensively was Wessling and Cain, who had four kills and seven assists, respectively. Larson piled up six digs in the first set alone to keep the Bulldog offense at bay, as The Citadel hit .000 (nine kills, nine errors) in 40 attempts.
The second set featured 15 ties and six lead changes before the Skyhawks outlasted The Citadel. Cheatham pounded back-to-back kills to set the tone early before a 9-3 run resulted in a 15-14 UT Martin advantage. Erves pitched in with two straight blocks and added a kill to account for three straight Skyhawk points during the run. After a kill by Sarah Shaw gave UT Martin its first lead of the set at 15-14, neither side could extend their lead past two points the rest of the way. UT Martin led 24-22 before the Bulldogs rallied and had set point on two different occasions. Down by a 26-25 margin, the Skyhawks pieced together a comeback of their own, as a Ceriani kill combined with an attack error and bad set by The Citadel gave UT Martin the win.
The Skyhawk offense excelled in the second set, hitting .238 with 12 kills and only two errors in 42 attempts. Ceriani (five kills) and Cain (10 assists) headed the offense while Larson (six digs) and Erves (three blocks) guided UT Martin defensively.
The Citadel came out swinging in the third set, taking leads of 7-1, 9-2 and 12-3 before the Skyhawks coordinated four straight points to make the score 12-7. The Bulldogs immediately answered with five straight points but UT Martin would later follow with a 6-2 run that forced The Citadel to regroup with a timeout. The Skyhawks whittled their deficit down to five points at 22-17 before the Bulldogs scored three of the last four points.
Once again, it was Ceriani (five kills) and Cain (10 assists) who paced UT Martin offensively in the third set.
A late charge by the Skyhawks in the fourth set resulted in the first victory in the young career of Yocum. Two kills by Erves, sandwiched around a Wessling service ace, propelled UT Martin to a 3-0 lead. The Skyhawks kept the lead until The Citadel tied the set at 8-all with the Bulldogs eventually taking a lead at 12-11. However, The Citadel’s success was short-lived, as it was all Skyhawks from that point on. UT Martin wrapped up the set on a 14-3 run, led by Cheatham’s two kills, two service aces and a block during that stretch.
Cain kept the offense flowing smoothly with 10 assists as the Skyhawks hit .235 (only two errors in 34 attempts) as a team. UT Martin’s defense also stepped up in the fourth set, tallying 20 digs with Cain and Larson each chipping in five apiece.
NEW MEXICO 3, BELMONT 0; BALL STATE 3, BELMONT 2
MUNCIE, Ind. - Despite a tough battle in the 2nd and 3rd sets Belmont Volleyball drops the first contest of the Ball State Invitational in three sets to the University of New Mexico. Scores of the game were 11-25, 22-25 and 18-25.
Sophomore Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) tallied 10 kills in the match while Senior Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) added two aces and two blocks to the match.
The Bruins started off slow going down 10-1. Unable to put together a rally of points in the first set the team ultimately fell 25-11. This didn't get the Bruins down as they came back fighting in the second set.
Set two was a battle back and forth from both sides with New Mexico ultimately breaking free, after being tied at 11-11 the Lobos went on a 4-0 run to go up 15-11. With a score of 20-15 the Bruins put together a fight to tie the game back up at 20-20. This 5-0 run was highlighted by two aces from Youngdahl, two block involving Redshirt Sophomore Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) and a kill by Sophomore Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.). With the momentum on their side the Bruins took their first lead of the match with a kill by Person to put them at 22-21. The Lobos returned fire by coming back and winning the second set 25-22.
Set three was a back-and-forth battle up until the game was tied at 17s. The only time the Bruins held the lead was at the beginning of the set and ultimately the battle was lost with a final score of 25-18.
Belmont's comeback effort against the Cardinals falls just shy of a win. After dropping the first two sets the Bruins came back fighting taking the match to five. Ultimately the Bruins dropped the fifth set 11-15 losing the final match of the day 2-3. Final scores were 18-25, 14-25, 25-23, 25-21 and 11-15.
Redshirt Junior Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) tallied eight kills on 21 attempts with only two errors for an average of .286, while Sophomore Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) rallied for 13 kills, tying her career high, on 31 attempts with only 4 errors for an average of .290. Sophomore Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) led the Bruins with 29 digs in the contest.
The match against Ball State gave the freshman a chance to play in their first collegiate match. Freshman Tori Simmons (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) received 12 serves and notched five digs in two sets. Freshman Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) recorded three kills in two sets of her collegiate debut. Also freshman Courtlyn Ison (Ooltewah, Tenn.) recorded two kills on five attempts, an average of .200, after two sets.
The Bruins fall in the first set against the Ball State Cardinals 25-18. After falling to 10-6, the Bruins pulled within one after a 3-0 run highlighted by Senior Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) at the service line. From that point on the Bruins were unable to close the gap and gain the lead. Senior Regan Kennamer (Huntsville, Ala.) tallied up four kills on five attempts to lead the offense in the first set.
Belmont's slow start continues into the second set. Ball state pulled ahead 8-4 and never looked back. Freshman Mullins tallied three kills in the second set, Cardinals closed out the set at 25-14.
The Bruins come out of the locker room with a whole new attitude in the third set. After a battle for the lead Belmont comes out on top 25-23. After once again falling in the beginning of the set the Bruins take the lead at 12-11 and never looked back. In the last 6 points the Bruins saw an ace by Sophomore Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) and two kills and an ace from Sophomore Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) to close out the set. Lewis had four kills on five attempts and one error hitting .600 in the third set.
Belmont's momentum continued into the fourth set as the Bruins take a 10-2 lead to start the game. The first ten points was highlighted by three service aces from Sophomore Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) and an ace by Ivancich. After pulling away to a 21-8 lead the Cardinals lace together a 10-0 run to bring the game within three. The Bruins weren't fazed by this run as they take set four 25-21 tying up the match at two sets a piece. Belmont put up six aces in the set.
After coming back from a 0-2 deficit the Cardinals final put the end to an intense match winning the 5th set 15-11. It was a point-for-point battle up until 10-10 when Ball State took charged and finished out the set.
Belmont hit a match high .207 in set five as well as tallying up 10 aces throughout the match.
Next up the Bruins have the University of Albany tomorrow morning, August 29, at 4:00et/3:00ct
MOREHEAD STATE 3, CANISUS 0; MARSHALL 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. -The Morehead State volleyball team opened its season with a three-set sweep of Canisius and then fell to Marshall 3-0 in the night cap. The Eagles won the opener 25-22, 25-16, 28-26 and lost to Marshall 25-16, 25-15, 25-19.
MSU entered last season winners of four straight OVC Championships, but finished 3-28. Head coach Jaime Gordon spoke about the importance of starting the season off with a victory.
Throughout the preseason, Gordon spoke predominantly about his team's mixture of youth and experience. That proved true on Friday afternoon as freshman outside hitter Merideth Jewell and senior middle blocker Hannah Sigala combined for 27 kills and committed just five errors. Sigala hit a team-best .562 and the team hit .298 overall.
In the match against Marshall, the Eagles scored the first three points in the first set, but battled from behind the rest of the night. Trailing two sets to none and 19-13 in the third set, the Eagles rallied with five straight points, but they would manage just one more point the rest of the way as the Thundering Herd closed out the set, and the game, 25-19.
After hitting .298 in the opener, MSU managed to hit just .074 against Marshall. Marshall finished the game hitting .227 and were led by junior outside hitter Cassie Weaver and sophomore outside hitter Taylor Pelton, who had 12 and seven kills respectively.
The Eagles were once again led by Sigala, who finished the match with 10 kills on 15 attacks.
Morehead State was forced to play the majority of the game without junior libero Hope Rilemma, after she suffered an injury in the first set. But, Gordon was happy with the way that freshman Alyssa Cecil stepped up.
Jewell and Cecil weren't the only freshmen to contribute as setter Jordan Jones also played quality minutes.
Morehead State closes out the Eagle Challenge tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m. against Indiana State (1-1).
OHIO 3, AUSITN PEAY 0
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team got off to a slow start, but fought throughout in a three-set season-opening loss (27-17, 25-16, 25-23) to Ohio, Friday afternoon at Holloway Gymnasium.
As far as starts go, Austin Peay (0-1) couldn’t have asked for better when senior setter Aubrey Marsellis served up an ace on the opening point. However, Ohio responded with the next six points to force an Austin Peay timeout trailing 6-1.
The Lady Govs timeout couldn’t stem the Bobcats momentum and trailed 15-4 before piecing together its own four-point burst. Austin Peay would later added a pair of three-point runs, but ultimately fell 25-17 in the opening set.
Ohio (1-0) threatened to run away in the second set, opening up an 8-3 lead. Austin Peay would fight back to take an 11-10 lead thanks to back-to-back points from Ashley Slay, one on a service ace and then a kill. Ohio kept the APSU lead from growing larger and responded with its own 6-1 run to build a 16-12 lead.
Austin Peay would get back within a point, 16-15, as senior outside hitter Sammie Ebright posted a kill and then added a block assist on back-to-back points. Yet that was as close as they would get as Ohio used a 7-0 run to break the set open en route to the 25-16 victory.
The third set was a near duplicate of the second, Ohio raced out to a 6-2 lead only to watch as Austin Peay battled back to take a 16-15 lead thanks to freshman outside hitter Kaylee Taft’s kill. Ohio stopped the run with four straight points to force an Austin Peay timeout at 19-16.
That timeout did the job as Ebright and Taft teamed up for a block on the next point to start a 3-0 APSU run to tie the set, 19-19. However, Austin Peay could not retake the lead as Ohio scored the match’s next three points. A last Lady Govs run closed the gap back to one point, 24-23, and forced an Ohio timeout, but Bobcats outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek posted a kill on the ensuing rally to end the match.
Austin Peay finished with just 30 kills in the three-set affair, posting a .032 attack percentage. Slay led the effort with seven kills while Ebright, senior outside hitter Samantha Strother and freshman outside hitter Cecily Gable each had six kills.
Ohio scored 39 kills in the victory but was held to a .190 attack percentage. Kosiorek led the Bobcats offense with 14 kills and a .191 attack percentage.
Austin Peay continues play at the Mortar Board Premier with a 10 a.m. (CDT), Saturday contest against host Purdue.
MURRAY STATE 3, FRESNO STATE 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Murray State volleyball team opened up the 2015 season in convincing fashion, sweeping Fresno State Friday 26-24, 25-19 and 25-21 at the Western Carolina Catamount Volleyball Classic.
After letting an early 11-4 lead slip away in the first set, the Racers (1-0) found themselves looking at match point, trailing 24-22, before they rattled off four consecutive points to win the first set. Sets two and three were smoother sailing, as MSU trailed just once in each set.
Kristen Besselsen led the Racers with 13 kills and a .346 hitting percentage in the win, and also had a team-high three aces. Taylor Olden added 11 kills and hit .300 and Scottie Ingram recorded her first double-double of the season as she added 10 kills and had 10 digs. Sam Bedard recorded 39 assists in the match to go along with five digs and three kills, while Ellie Lorenz recorded a match-high 22 digs from her libero position.
As a team, the Racers hit .256 while the Bulldogs (0-1) hit just .183. MSU also had four service aces to FSU’s two and a 61 percent sideout percentage to Fresno’s 51 percent clip. The win is just the second all-time for the Racers over a Mountain West Conference opponent and is the eighth season-opening victory in program history.
Saturday the Racers will play a pair of matches at the classic, beginning at 12:30 p.m., central time as MSU will face host-Western Carolina. Murray State will close the tournament with a 3:30 match against Georgia State.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, UIC 1
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Eastern Illinois University volleyball team has high expectations coming into the 2015 season, and looked to use their game against UIC Friday night at the IPFW Invitation to see where they were as a team to begin the season. The Panthers took the season opener in four sets by a score of 25-23,19-25,25-18,25-16.
In a close scoring first set, the Panthers were able to earn the set by a score of 25-23. EIU took an early 7-3 advantage before UIC came back with a rally of their own to take the lead 8-7. A kill by the Panthers Chelsea Lee tied the game back up at 8-8, but UIC went on another run to make the game 15-11. The Panthers made the score 15-12 after a kill from Kayla Nesbitt, and seemed to take the momentum away from the Flames for the rest of the set. A 10-4 Panther advantage saw the set at 22-19. A pair of kills from UIC's Kasey Harris brought the Flames back to within one point. From there the two teams traded points until another kill from Lee finished the set at 25-23 in favor of the Panthers.
The Panthers looked to keep the momentum in their favor to begin the second set as they took the first two points, but UIC quickly knotted the game back up at two. From there, UIC only trailed the Panthers one time during the remainder of the set as they went on to win 25-19. After seeing themselves down 14-8, the Panthers a pair of kills from Nesbitt and three service aces from Allie Hueston to tie the set up at 14. The Flames attack found some holes in the Panther defense, and used an 11-5 advantage to take set two.
Just like in set two, the Panthers looked to set the tone early as they earned the first three points of the set to take a 3-0 lead behind kills from Josie Winner, Lee, and Nesbitt. The Flames managed to work their way back into the set when a Panther service error made the score 5-6, still in favor of the Panthers. The Panthers then scored seven of the next eight points in the set after a pair of kills from Abby Saalfrank and service aces from Marah Bradbury and Anne Hughes. The Panthers went on to put the set out of reach after that point and went on to take the set by a score of 25-18.
The fourth set saw a lot of wire-to-wire action where neither team led by more than three points, until the Panthers went on a 9-2 run after the set was tied at 13-13. During that run, Hueston set a career high for service aces in a game (5). The Flames looked to rally late in the set, but an attack error sealed the set and the match for the Panthers who won 25-16.
Lee earned her second career double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs. Nesbitt earned double digit kills in the match as well with 11. Bradbury set up the Panther attack with 42 assists. While Stephanie Wallace paced the Panther defense with 21 digs.
The Panthers are back in action tomorrow at the IPFW Invitational as they take on Central Michigan at 9:30 a.m. and host IPFW in the night-cap at 6:00 p.m.
SIUE 3, AKRON 2; DRAKE 3, SIUE 2
MACOMB, Ill. – Taylor Joens recorded a career-best 14 kills Friday as SIUE volleyball won its season opener over Akron at the 2015 Hampton Inn Leatherneck Invitational.
SIUE defeated the Zips for the first time in program history with a 15-25, 25-22, 25-12, 22-25, 17-15 triumph. The Cougars dropped their second match of the day, a five-set nail-biter against Drake. The final score was 22-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-20, 15-10.
SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson said Joens showed poise and intelligence as she played in all six rotations for the Cougars.
The Cougars play their final match of the tournament Saturday in a 1 p.m. contest against DePaul.
Joens recorded her two top career performances in kills with 14 against Akron and 12 against Drake. The Cougar sophomore tied Kristen Torre for the team lead in kills in the Akron victory.
Torre, a preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, turned in a 19-kill performance in the five-set match against Drake.
As a team, the Cougars finished with a .230 hitting percentage in the victory over Akron. SIUE started slow with just nine kills in the opening set against the Zips but steadily improved throughout the match.
SIUE hit .441 in the third set with 17 kills and completed the match by making just one error in the fifth set. The Cougars took advantage of seven Akron attack errors in the fifth set.
The Cougar defense averaged 16 digs per set for the day, led by sophomore libero Katie Shashack.
Shashack was the team leader in digs with 17 followed by 15 from Joens, 14 from Ashley Witt and 11 each from Mallory Mangun and Alicia Streetar.
The Cougars repeated the feat of five players with double-digit digs, dialing up 85 total for the match. Shashack powered the defense with 23 against Drake.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, SAVANNAH STATE 0
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team picked up its first win of the season on opening night with a 3-0 sweep of Savannah State inside the KSU Convocation Center to begin the Kennesaw State Invitational.
The first point of the season went to the Gamecocks by way of a kill from sophomore Allyson Zuhlke. The Gamecocks found a rhythm early taking a 10-3 lead before SSU called a timeout. JSU maintained its lead before a late 4-0 run with senior Samantha Bohne serving doubled up the Tigers, 24-12. JSU went on to win 25-14. Jax State's defense was key throughout the night, but especially in the opening set as they held the Tigers to a .038 hitting percentage.
The second set began tighter than the first. Tied at eight, a 5-1 run for JSU gave the Gamecocks an advantage they could hold on to for the remainder of the set. The lead expanded to nine, 20-11, before Jax State won 25-15 to take a 2-0 match lead. Senior Emily Rutherford collected three more kills in the second to lead the team with six after the first two stanzas.
After pulling away late in the first two frames, JSU surged out to a 15-3 advantage in what would become the final set. Freshman Mackenzie Rombach collected a team-best four kills to lead the way in the final frame. JSU hit .526 in the final set to power to a 25-8 win to secure the first victory of the season.
Five true freshmen made their collegiate debuts Friday night for the Gamecocks. Rombach along with Kim Krutsinger were among the first six on the floor to start the match. Rombach finished with three blocks, six kills and a .556 attack percentage. Freshman Ashley Clingan came in during the second set followed by Mandee Eberle and Kira Hahn-Ventrell who entered in the third. Eberle picked up a pair of kills while Clingan had a service ace down the stretch.
Rutherford led all Gamecocks with eight kills followed by Charis Ludtke and Rombach with six each. Hannah Kirk grabbed 11 digs starting the season as the team's libero. Jennifer Hart picked up where she left off a year ago with another strong setting night dishing out 23 of JSU's 28 total assists.
JSU returns to action early Saturday taking on Alabama State at 10 a.m. The Gamecocks wrap up their time in Kennesaw facing the host Owls of Kennesaw State that night
EVANSVILLE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was a long, hard fight for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (0-1, 0-0 OVC) on Friday as 442 fans gathered to watch the opening season matches between the Golden Eagles and the Purple Aces. Tech was edged out by the University of Evansville (1-0), 3-2, during their season opener at the Wright State Invitational. Winning set scores for the Purple Aces were 25-19, 21-25, 25-20, 23-25, and 15-13.
The Golden Eagles got off to a slow start in the first set, as the Purple Aces jumped out to an early 10-3 lead. A kill by Cody Dodd brought Tech within six points of Evansville, 15-9, however, the Purple Aces continued to hold strong and further extend their lead to 20-11. Back-to-back kills from Kellie Williams and Dodd brought the score within six points again at 20-14. After an Evansville timeout, Tech got on a run and pulled within three points of the Purple Aces at 20-17. However, Evansville maintained a strong defense and closed out the first set 25-19.
It was a whole new game for the Golden Eagles in the second set. Tech opened play with a kill by Williams and controlled the match to create leads of 8-2 and 10-5. However, the Purple Aces would not give up without a fight. Evansville closed the gap, pulling within one point of Tech at 10-9, which forced the Golden Eagles to take a timeout and regroup.
After the break, Tech came out strong with a kill by Williams and extended its lead to 13-9. The Purple Aces kept a close match, not allowing the Golden Eagles to take more than a three-point lead before tying the score at 16-16. Back-to-back kills from Evansville's Gabriela Roman and Rocio Fortuny switched control over to the Purple Aces and allowed Evansville to take its first lead in the set at 18-17. A Golden Eagle timeout permitted the team to regain focus and pull ahead 21-18, before the Purple Aces had to call their own timeout to try and regain control. Tech was not jostled by the break and remained tough offensively to win the second set 25-21.
Evansville maintained control over Tech in the third set, taking leads of 7-2 14-11, and 16-13. The Golden Eagles persisted to battle with the Purple Aces and tied the set at 18-18, however, a strong Evansville offense and the minimization of errors gave the Purple Aces the edge and the third set, 25-20.
Ties of 2-2, 7-7, and 11-11 began the fourth set between Tech and Evansville. Neither team pulled more than four points ahead of the other throughout the entire set. However, the Purple Aces kept a slight edge over the Golden Eagles and created leads of 15-13 and 20-16. Kills by Williams brought Tech back within one at 20-21 and then tied the match at 22-22. Here the Golden Eagles changed up the momentum of the match and kills by Williams and Sharon Anderson helped Tech edge out Evansville 25-23.
The fifth set started just the same as the fourth. A close match, and ties of 2-2 and 5-5 created high suspense for Tech and Evansville fans. The Purple Aces created slight leads of 8-5 and 10-6, however, the Golden Eagles rallied back and a kill by Williams cut the deficit down to one-point at 10-9. A kill from Evansville's Miranda Genesis brought the score to 12-10, however Williams responded with a kill of her own to close the gap to 11-12. However, the Purple Aces held strong and won the set and the match 15-13.
The Golden Eagles were led by Williams who had 20 kills and a .273 attacking percentage. Senior, Dodd, opened her first match of the season with a double-double. Dodd acquired 14 kills and 22 digs in the match, while teammate Anderson contributed with 45 assists, 14 digs, and five kills. Genesis Miranda led the Purple Aces with 12 kills and 15 digs.
The Golden Eagles continue match play at the Wright State Invitational on Saturday. Tech will face Wright State in an 11:00 a.m. contest, followed by a 2:30 p.m. match-up against Niagara.
NORTHWESTERN STATE 3, TENNESSEE STATE 1
OXFORD, Miss.- The Tennessee State volleyball team put up a hard fought battle against Northwestern State in the first game in the Magnolia Invitational, but dropped the season opener 3-1.
The Tigers (0-1) battled against the Lady Demons (1-0) in neutral territory. TSU started off strong to win the first set of the match 25-19, but would go on to drop the next three sets 25-17, 25-17 and 25-18.
Transfer junior Chloe Watson had an impressive debut in her first match as a Tiger, leading the team with 10 kills and racking up a total of 15 points through four sets.
Several other players put up good numbers throughout the match. Junior Arijana Anderson finished with nine kills and 10.5 points, while senior Haley Hampton recorded a total of eight kills.
Freshmen Ayanna Chase and Zahria Graham both got their first collegiate start against the Lady Demons and recorded six kills apiece.
The Tigers are back in action tomorrow as they take on tournament host, Ole Miss at 12:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network. TSU will then face Oral Roberts at 4:30 p.m. to finish the tournament.
ARKANSAS STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0; SAINT LOUIS 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -Southeast Missouri opened its 2015 campaign versus Arkansas State in the first ever Drury Hotels Redhawks Invitational. The Redhawks would end up falling to the Red Wolves, 3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-16).
The Redhawks would battle throughout the first set, never allowing the Red Wolves to jump ahead by more than four points until the end but Arkansas State would prevail 25-20. Madalyn Werths and Krissa Gearring would both tally five kills with Gearring mounting an attack percentage of .833. Nzingha Clarke would contribute with two blocks in the frame.
Up 6-4, Arkansas State would make a seven-point run to open a wide lead on the Redhawks. They would follow with another six point run later in the set, eventually closing the set 25-10. Werths and Gearring would each contribute four kills in the second set.
The Redhawks would remain close for the first half of the third set, keeping the Red Wolves in check 10-12. Arkansas State would take control, however, taking 13 of the next 19 points and closing the set 25-16.
Gearring would end up leading the Redhawks in kills with 12 and a .391 hitting clip. Werths would follow closely with 11 kills. Katarina Rotta led the team in assists, tallying 28.
Darby Graff led the Red Wolves with 13 kills and a .571 hitting clip. Mallory Warrington would tally 33 assists as well as six kills. Drew Jones would also pick up two service aces with her 12 kills.
TROY 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Eastern Kentucky fell to Troy, 3-1, in its volleyball season opener on Friday at the Chattanooga Classic presented by Hampton Inn & Suites.
Due to technical difficulties at the site, stats from today's match were not available. The Colonels conclude play at the Chattanooga Classic with two matches on Saturday. EKU faces Valpo at 10 a.m. and Chattanooga at 7 p.m.