FRIDAY'S SCORES
Towson 3,
@Tennessee Tech 0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-23)
USC Upstate 3,
UT Martin 1 (25-23, 25-16, 31-33, 25-13)
North Dakota 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-9, 25-15, 25-15)
Ole Miss 3,
Jacksonville State 1 (24-26, 25-15, 25-20, 25-19)
Ohio State 3, Eastern Illinois 0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-16)
Tennessee State 3, Grambling 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17)
UTEP 3,
Southeast Missouri 2 (13-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 15-9)
Morehead State 3, Akron 2 (23-25, 15-25, 25-21, 28-26, 16-14)
Indiana 3,
Eastern Kentucky 0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-18)
Jacksonville State 3, Mississippi Valley State 0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-15)
East Tennessee State 3,
Morehead State 1 (25-20, 25-16, 21-25, 27-25)
Murray State 3, Davidson 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-11)
Oakland 3,
Eastern Illinois 2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-15, 25-17, 15-13)
Memphis 3,
Austin Peay 1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21)
Southeast Missouri 3, @Bradley 2 (25-19, 21-25, 18-25, 29-27, 25-12)
Tennessee Tech 3, Western Carolina 1 (25-17, 18-25, 27-25, 25-21)
@New Orleans 3,
Tennessee State 1 (25-22, 25-19, 19-25, 25-13)
USC UPSTATE 3, UT MARTIN 1; NORTH DAKOTA 3, UT MARTIN 0
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad battled today but fell 3-1 to USC Upstate (23-25, 16-25, 33-31, 13-25) and 3-0 to North Dakota (9-25, 15-25, 15-25) in its first two matches of the Billiken Invitational.
Lael Ceriani and Ellie Cain guided the Skyhawk offense today. Ceriani accounted for a team-best 24 kills (3.43 per set) on a .352 attack percentage while the steady Cain accounted for 71 assists (10.14 per set). Defensively, Chelsea Bowles continued her strong play with 47 digs (6.71 per set) to lead UT Martin (3-12).
The Skyhawks round out the Billiken Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 19 when they take on host Saint Louis (12 p.m.) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5 p.m.).
USC Upstate
Ceriani (career-best 19 kills), Cain (double-double of 47 assists and 10 digs) and Bowles (31 digs) paced UT Martin but ultimately the Skyhawks could not pull out the victory over the Spartans, who improved to 10-2 on the season.
Alisha Erves had two early kills as UT Martin began the first set on a 3-1 run. USC Upstate took its first lead at 8-7 and would eventually take a three-point lead after a 6-2 run. Facing an 18-14 deficit coming out of a timeout, the Skyhawks went on a 5-1 run to even the score at 19-all after a kill by Amanda Crask. Crask would soon add two more kills and after back-to-back kills by Ceriani, the score was tied at 23-23 before USC Upstate reeled off two straight points to claim the first set.
UT Martin hit .277 with 18 kills in the opening set, led by Ceriani (seven kills) and Crask (five kills). Cain handed out 16 assists while Bowles registered nine digs.
Crask carried over her success into the opening stages of the second set, slamming down a pair of kills to account for two of the Skyhawks’ first four points. However, the Spartans pieced together a pair of long runs to go on top by a 16-4 margin before UT Martin generated seven unanswered point – the last three of which came via Bowles service aces. Two straight kills by Ceriani pulled the Skyhawks within five points at 19-14 but USC Upstate wrapped up the set on a 6-2 run.
Ceriani had five kills against zero errors in the second set while Colleen Larson headed UT Martin defensively with nine digs.
The marathon third set featured 16 ties and four lead changes. Rachel Noffsinger began the set with back-to-back kills to help the Skyhawks take a 4-0 lead. The Spartans then used a 5-1 run to tie the set at 7-all before five straight UT Martin points tilted the score back in UT Martin’s favor. USC Upstate bounced back with a 7-1 run to take the lead but neither side could pull away. The Skyhawks fought off elimination five times thanks in large part to the play of Noffsinger, who generated three kills after the score was tied at 27-27. Noffsinger’s final kill of the set ignited a 3-0 Skyhawk run that ended when Crask and Erves teamed for an assisted block to clinch the set for UT Martin.
Noffsinger hit .545 (seven kills and just one error) in 11 attempts in the third set while Cain (15 assists) and Bowles (nine digs) also rode remarkable performances to force a fourth set.
The Skyhawks could not shake off a slow start in the fourth set, as USC Upstate went on an 8-1 run to begin the action. Kills by Madison Wessling, Ceriani and Cain helped UT Martin slice its deficit to 12-5 but the Spartans would soon expand their lead to 22-8. The Skyhawks then accounted for five of the next seven points before USC Upstate finalized the match with a kill.
Ceriani’s four kills and Bowles’ six digs ranked as team-highs for UT Martin in the final set.
North Dakota
Kiah Cheatham returned after missing four matches because of an injury to lead the Skyhawks with seven kills against zero errors in only two sets but North Dakota (9-4) only committed four attack errors on its way to posting its eighth consecutive victory.
North Dakota scored the first five points on its way to claiming an 8-1 lead in the first set. The Skyhawks slowly started chipping away as Crask came away with three kills out of UT Martin’s first six points. With the Skyhawks trailing by a 15-7 margin, North Dakota scored seven unanswered points as part of a 10-2 run to conclude the set.
Cheatham then started the second set and made an immediate impact, dishing out three kills during a span where UT Martin captured a 5-4 lead. North Dakota followed with an 8-2 run but Ceriani later accounted for two straight kills to make the score 14-9. North Dakota then went on a 7-2 run before kills by Wessling and Cheatham temporarily halted the momentum. North Dakota answered right back with four of the final six points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Cheatham had five kills while Cain added 11 assists and Bowles pitched in with six digs in the second set for UT Martin.
A kill by Erves got the Skyhawks on the scoreboard in the third set but North Dakota jumped out to a 7-1 lead. Moments later, UT Martin would close the gap to 11-8 courtesy of a 4-1 run but North Dakota eventually widened its lead to 22-12. Mandy Glon then provided a kill, followed by a Jamie Scherb service ace and a Ceriani kill to make the score 21-15 but North Dakota closed out the match with four unanswered points.
Bowles secured seven digs to lead the Skyhawk defense in the third set.
INDIANA 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0
GREELEY, Colo. – Eastern Kentucky lost to Indiana, 3-0, on the first day of the Northern Colorado Classic. The Hoosiers won by scores of 25-15, 25-14 and 25-18.
Rachel Vick and Celina Sanks each had seven kills to lead the Colonels. Chloe Rojas added a match-best 14 digs.
Three Hoosiers also had seven kills each. As a team, Indiana (8-2) had 35 kills and just 11 errors for a .300 attack percentage. Eastern finished with 30 errors and only 29 kills.
OHIO STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0; OAKLAND 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
ROCHESTER, Mich. – After starting the day dropping straight sets to #13 ranked Ohio State (13-25,20-25,16-25), the Eastern Illinois University volleyball team looked bounced back, but came up empty-handed in a five set loss to Oakland (25-23,25-18,15-25,17-25,13-15) to begin play in the Oakland Invitational.
OSU 3, EIU 0
Facing a team from the Big Ten, which is considered to be one of the top conferences nationally for volleyball in NCAA Division I (currently with eight teams in latest top-25 RPI rankings), the Panthers knew that they had a tough task ahead of them.
In the first set, the Panthers struggled to get anything going offensively, and the Buckeyes took advantage with a 9-0 run and sealed up the first set 25-13.
Again, the Buckeyes rallied early on in the set jumping out to a commanding 13-6 lead from back-to-back kills by OSU’s Katie Mitchell. The Panthers closed the gap to as little as four following a Josie Winner kill, but the Buckeyes held off a late Panther charge to take the second set by a 25-20 advantage.
EIU was able to give themselves an early lead on two separate occasions to begin the third set with winners from Maria Brown and Chelsea Lee. OSU began to gain their rhythm towards the middle of the set after a Panther error put the game at 18-9 in favor of the Buckeyes. The door looked to be slightly open for a Panther comeback, but OSU’s Taylor Sandbothe ended the game with a kill at 25-16, giving the Buckeyes a 3-0 match victory.
Brown notched her first double-double of the season, finishing the game with 13 kills and 15 digs.
Coach Wolinski was noted in the postgame saying, “Ohio State is very strong. We had to overcome some injuries and illness (to our team) during that match. Maria Brown played a great game with 13 kills and 15 digs, and Stephanie Wallace was solid in the back row for us.”
Oakland 3, EIU 2
The challenge would not get any easier for the Panthers after playing nationally ranked Ohio State in their tournament opener, the Panthers were set to face tournament host Oakland to conclude their first day at the Oakland Invitational.
It is never an easy task facing a team on their home court, and the Panthers knew they would have to take the momentum early on to take out the crowd factor. Both teams would trade leads all throughout the first set, until the game was tied at 23-23. Back-to-back kills from Winner and Brown gave the Panthers the set 25-23.
Much like the first set, no team would be able to gain an early advantage over the other during the early stages of the second set. A pair of kills from Lee was the spark that EIU needed, as Allie Hueston finished off the set with a kill of her 25-18, EIU.
Things were going in the right direction for the Panthers at the beginning of the third set, but the Golden Grizzlies would take the momentum back as they would go on a pair of three point and four point runs, and took the third set 15-25.
After Taylor Smith tied the fourth set up at 6-6, Oakland began to take over the rest of the set. Again, Oakland would go on short little runs, but EIU had no answer of their own as the Golden Grizzlies earned the fourth set by a 17-25 decision.
Both teams battled back and forth for the all deciding fifth set. Hueston was able to tie the game up at 13-
13, but a kill by Oakland’s Jessica Dodd and a Panther error sealed up the fifth set (15-13) and the match, 3-2, in favor of the Golden Grizzlies.
Smith finished with her second career triple-double with totals of 13 kills, 20 assists, and 11 digs. Marah Bradbury nabbed her first double-double of the season, tallying 21 assists and 15 digs.
The Panthers are back in action tomorrow (Sept. 19) at the Oakland Invitational, where they will square off against Dartmouth at 11:00 a.m., and conclude with a match against Western Michigan at 3:30 p.m.
MURRAY STATE 3, DAVIDSON 0
ROCK HILLS, S.C. - The Murray State volleyball team opened its final nonconference tournament of the season with a straight-sets sweep over Davidson to open the Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C. Set scores went 25-19, 25-19 and 25-11.
The Racers (8-1) controlled much of the match and really took control in the third set, finishing the match on a 17-1 run, after trailing in the third set 10-8. MSU hit .448 overall in the deciding third set and hit .237 as a team. The Wildcats (4-7) hit .095 as a team in the contest.
Sam Bedard had a solid game from her setter position, averaging nearly 13 assists per set, finishing with 38 for the match. Bedard also recorded her sixth double-double of the season as she added 10 digs and had a team-high three service aces.
Kristen Besselsen and Taylor Olden led the Racers with 12 kills each in the win, while Alyssa Lelm added seven and hit .545. Audrey Lewis provided a spark off the bench offensively for MSU, as she registered five kills on just seven swings in the third set.
Olden led the team with 14 digs in the victory and Ellie Lorenz had 11 from her libero spot. Scottie Ingram added 10 digs of her own. As a team, MSU held an 8-1 advantage in service aces, while the Wildcats held a 7-3 edge in total blocks.
The Racers close the invite with a pair of matches Saturday. MSU will face host-Winthrop at 11:30 a.m. Murray time and will finish the tournament against West Virginia at 3:30 p.m., central time.
OLE MISS 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1; JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team finished its opening day at UAB's Tournament with a 3-0 sweep of Mississippi Valley State, following a loss earlier in the day to Ole Miss.
The Gamecocks (6-8) became only the third team this season to take the opening set from SEC foe, Ole Miss (12-1), but the Rebels rallied to come back and win the first match of the day. JSU bounced back Friday afternoon defeating Mississippi Valley State (1-10) in straight sets.
In the opening match of the day, the Gamecocks pressured a strong Ole Miss team before eventually falling, 3-1.
JSU rallied from a 23-20 deficit in the opening set to take six of the final seven points for a 26-24 come-from-behind win. The Rebels evened the match winning the second set, 25-15, after opening a quick 6-0 lead.
The Gamecocks battled throughout the match with close setbacks in the final two sets, 25-20, and 25-19. Senior Emily Rutherford and sophomore Allyson Zuhlke, both finished with 16 kills to lead offensively. Sophomore Charis Ludtke also was finished in double figures, with 10.
JSU turned its attention to the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State for the second game of the day. Three Gamecocks hit above .400, led by freshman Kim Krutsinger's .625 mark as Jax State powered past its Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent.
Following a 6-6 tie in the opening set, a 5-0 run, highlighted by a couple of kills from freshman Mackenzie Rombach, gave the Gamecocks a comfortable lead. Rutherford collected six of her team-high 15 kills in the opening frame as the Gamecocks hit .517 and powered past MVSU, 25-18.
It was another big streak, this time 8-1, in the second set that pushed Jax State out front, 20-11. The Gamecock defense, which featured five players with six or more digs, stifled MVSU's hitting to just a .059 attack percentage. JSU took a 2-0 match advantage with a 25-14 set victory.
In the final set of the day for the Gamecocks, Rombach recorded half of her career-best 14 kills leading JSU to 25-15 win. A one-point game early quickly turned in favor of the Gamecocks in similar fashion thanks to a 7-0 run which helped complete the sweep.
The Gamecocks resume play in the UAB "Fight Like Hal" Memorial Tournament Saturday. JSU plays UMass Lowell at 12:00 p.m., and will wrap-up the weekend taking on tournament-host, UAB, at 4:00.
MEMPHIS 3, AUSTIN PEAY 1
MEMPHIS – One near-perfect set wasn’t enough as Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team lost in four sets (14-25, 25-21, 21-25, 16-25) to host Memphis, Friday, in the opening day of the Tiger Invitational at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Austin Peay (4-8) has struggled with its consistency throughout the season’s first three weeks and inconsistency reigned against Memphis. The Lady Govs will look back at a near perfect second set and wondering how they can repeat that performance.
Down 1-0 in the match, the Lady Govs pieced together a 15-kill second set with an impressive .414 attack percentage. Despite the offensive outburst, Austin Peay trailed 18-17 and needed back-to-back kills from
senior Aubrey Marsellis and freshman Cecily Gable to take the lead for good, 21-19. Sophomore Ashley Slay would end the set with two kills in the final three points for the 25-21 victory.
However, that was the only dent Austin Peay could put on the scoresheet. Memphis (9-3) won the other three sets in wire-to-wire fashion. The Tigers posted double-digit kills in all four sets.
Slay led Austin Peay with 12 kills, five blocks and a .267 attack percentage. She was the only hitter to reach double-digit kills, Austin Peay finishing with 40 kills while being held to a .119 attack percentage.
McKenzie Hayes led Memphis and all hitters with 18 kills and a .444 attack percentage. Catlin Lilly added 15 kills and a .278 attack percentage.
Austin Peay returns to action with a noon, Saturday contest against Mississippi State.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, AKRON 2; EAST TENNESSEE STATE 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State volleyball team rallied from two sets down to beat Akron and then fell to East Tennessee State, 3-1, in their first two games of the Comfort Inn-Vitational at Wetherby Gym. They came from behind to beat Akron 23-25, 16-25, 25-21, 28-26, 16-14, and lost to ETSU 25-20, 25-16, 21-25, 27-25.
In the first match, the Eagles quickly fell behind 2-0 after losing the second set quite convincingly, 25-16. But, they would bounce back to win the third and then avoid an Akron match point in the fourth and go on to win that set, 28-26, and force a pivotal fifth. They would rally for the first four points in the fifth set before Akron answered with six of their own to regain the lead at 6-4. Neither team would build a bigger lead than two points in the fifth and a kill by Merideth Jewell put the Eagles up 15-14 before an attack error by Akron's Amanda Bedell would give MSU a 16-14 set win and a 3-2 match win.
Freshman Jordan Jones, who was inserted into the lineup at the start of the second set, struggled early, but really settled in and gave the Eagles a spark. She finished the game with a team-high 28 assists, and also added nine kills, while hitting an impressive .538.
Fellow freshman Merideth Jewell continued her strong play with a team-high 21 kills, while hitting .207. Junior Sydney Schuler added nine kills of her own and hit .250.
In the second match, MSU once again fell behind 2-0 and tried to make another rally. They won the third set 25-21, but fell in the fourth, 27-25.
The Eagles out-killed the Bucs 59-49, hit .282 to their .250, and had more digs, 64-50.
Senior Hannah Sigala led the way for MSU with 14 kills on just 19 attempts, which was good for .579. Her 14 kills were just one off of her season-high of 15 against Lehigh. Jewell added 15 kills and Schuler added 12, while Jones had another strong match with 45 assists and eight kills.
Morehead State closes out the Comfort Inn-Vitational tomorrow against Samford at 1:30 p.m
TENNESSEE STATE 3, GRAMBLING 0; NEW ORLEANS 3, TENNESSEE STATE 1
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tennessee State Tiger volleyball team (5-6) continued their winning streak with a 3-0 win against Grambling State (2-8) on Friday before falling to New Orleans (7-5) in the nightcap.
Game 1: Grambling State
Tiger errors gave Grambling State an early lead in the first match, but kills from junior Chloe Watson and freshman Ayanna Chase allowed TSU to wilt away at a 4-point deficit. A strong offensive performance would give the Tigers their first lead of the set (13-12) and a 6-2 run would extend TSU’s lead, making the score 19-14. Another kill from Chase and service aces from Watson, junior Puamana Danielson and senior Madison Halterman would give the Tigers their first win of the set and a final score of 25-18 for the first set.
Tennessee State led Grambling 18-14 in the second before a seven-point run on the service of junior Taylor Patterson would put the Tigers ahead 24-15. One final kill by senior Haley Hampton would end the set, 25-15.
The Tigers hit a match high of .375 in the third set, dominating the GSU offense who recorded a .182 hitting percentage. A strong offensive performance from TSU would allow the Tigers to take the third set 25-17 and the match 3-0.
Their win against Grambling marks the Tiger’s third sweep in the last week. The Tigers are now 5-5 on the season and will take on tournament host, New Orleans tonight for their final game in Louisiana.
Game 2: New Orleans
The Tigers faced tournament host, New Orleans University in their final game of the invitational.
Errors would get the best of the Tigers during the first set. As
Despite outhitting the Privateers in the first set, the Tigers dropped a close first set to the Privateers 25-22. The Tigers tried at a comeback with a 3-point run at the end of the game, but a Privateer kill from Takierra Boughton would end the set, giving New Orleans their first win of the match.
The Tigers found themselves down by six in the second set. A 4-1 run caused by Privateer errors closed the gap in the score, 10-14. New Orleans continued to extend their lead to 23 before the Tigers called their second timeout of the game. With the score 23-17, TSU attempted to chip away at the six point deficit, but fell short dropping the set 25-19.
The third set was a game of tug-a-war for the Tigers. Every time TSU would take a lead, the Privateers would tie up the score. Defense would help lead the Tigers to victory in the third set, keeping the Privateers to a .053 hitting percentage. With the score tied at 19, the Tigers used a six-point run ,highlighted by a service ace from Haley Hampton and kills from Ayanna Chase, freshman Zahria Graham and Chloe Watson, to take set three 25-19. The win would prove to be the only win for the Tigers.
The Tigers suffered an 11-point deficit in the final set of the match and would never recover. New Orleans powered past Tennessee State with a .652 hitting percentage, and keeping the Tigers to hitting percentage of .000 with only six kills.
For the two games, junior Chloe Watson led the team with a total of 23 kills, eight digs, four blocks and three services aces. Haley Hampton recorded a total of 17 kills, eight blocks, two service aces and one dig. Defensively, Madison Halterman led the team with 16 digs through seven sets.
The Tigers are now 5-6 on the season and are back in action on Tuesday against East Tennessee State before opening up conference play against Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky next weekend.
TOWSON 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0; TENNESSEE TECH 3, WESTERN CAROLINA 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The excitement in the Eblen Center at the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Hampton Inn was at an all-time high as fans gathered to cheer on the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (2-10, 0-0 OVC) who competed in two matches on day one of the tournament. The Golden Eagles opened tournament play against Towson (12-1) and then closed out match play against Western Carolina (6-8). Tech put up a fight against the Tigers, but were topped 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, and 25-23). The Golden Eagles then faced off against Western Carolina and proved superior after downing the Catamounts 3-1, taking winning set scores of 25-17, 18-25, 27-25, and 25-21.
Starting off the day against the Tigers, the Golden Eagles opened the first set with a tie of 5-5. The two teams remained in a tight battle, with Tech taking a slight edge at 13-12 off of a kill by Alyssa Povey. The two team remained neck-and-neck until Towson created a four-point lead, 22-18, and then continued to hold a strong defense and closed the first set 25-21.
The Tigers took an early lead in the second set opening with a 7-4 lead over the Golden Eagles. Senior, Cody Dodd brought Tech within one, 7-8, after serving three aces in a row. A kill by Shealene Little tied the match up at 11-11, and allowed the Golden Eagles to create a two-point lead at 16-14 off of a kill by Shaneice James. Towson and Tech continued to battle in the latter portion of the set, holding ties of 16-16, 17-17, and 18-18. The Tigers pulled ahead 21-19, and continued to capitalize on their lead finishing the second set 25-20.
The Golden Eagles began the third set with a 10-8 lead over the Tigers until Towson went on a 7-1 run to take the lead 15-11. The game remained close and a service ace by Kennedy Wade allowed Tech to pull ahead by one at 18-17. Towson responded to the Golden Eagles lead to take their own lead 20-19, after a Tiger kill from Haley Pa'akaula. Tech tied the game at 20-20 off of a kill by Dodd, and then created a two-point lead at 22-20. A Towson timeout helped the Tigers regroup and they came out on the attack and closed out the third set and the match 25-23.
The Golden Eagles were led by Dodd who acquired 12 kills and a .323 hitting percentage in the match. Shealene Little gathered nine kills and eight digs, while teammate Sharon Anderson totaled 13 digs and 13 assists. The Tigers were led by Jocelyn Kuilan who posted 15 kills and a .542 hitting percentage.
Against Western Carolina, Tech opened with a slight edge at 6-5, and then went on a 7-3 run to pull ahead 13-8. The Golden Eagles continued to extend their lead to 16-9 off of a kill by Little, to then pull head by 5 at 21-16 from a kill by Kellie Williams. Tech continued to control the pace of the match and minimized errors to end the first set with a kill by Williams 25-17.
It was a rocky second set for the Golden Eagles. Tech came out strong at the beginning, taking a seven-point lead over Western Carolina, 14-7. However, the Catamounts showed why they are such a tough competitor and went on a commanding 13-1 streak to take their first lead in the match (15-10) since being up 5-4 in the first set. From there, Western Carolina continued to capitalize on the Tech deficit and took a second set victory 25-18.
The Golden Eagles and Catamounts battled going into the third set. Opening with ties of 44-4 and 11-11, neither team was going to back down. Tech took a two-point lead at 15-13, however, Western Carolina quickly responded and tied the match at 16-16 with a kill by Katie O'Connor. The set remained tight from there, with Tech taking a two-point lead again off of a kill by Williams. Western Carolina persisted and tied the match back at 22-22, and continued to keep a close battle with Tech. It wasn't until Little had back-to-back kills that the Golden Eagles sealed the third set 27-25.
It was truly an exciting fourth set. Tech took the early four-point lead, 7-3, but Western Carolina was determined to put up a fight and tied the game at 8-8. From there, the two teams remained within one point of each other until the Golden Eagles went on a five-point run and pulled ahead 16-11 due to three service aces from Dodd and a kill by Little. The Catamounts responded and went on their own run to tie the game again at 17-17. Tech fought hard and a kill by Williams took the 20-17 lead. Western Carolina pulled within one point, 21-20, however the Golden Eagles held strong and closed the set and the match with a kill by Dodd, 25-15.
Anderson led Tech with 55 assists, tying her career-high that she posted on 9/27 in a match against SIUE, and 14 digs. Dodd also posted a double-double earning an impressive 25 kills, 10 digs and .404 attacking percentage. Teammate, Little also contributed to a Tech victory grabbing her first career double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs. The Catamounts were led by Savannah Kohlhagen who totaled 12 kills and 10 digs in the match.
Other matches taking place during the day featured Idaho versus Western Carolina, followed by Idaho versus Towson. Western Carolina topped Idaho 3-1, with winning set scores of 25-17, 29-25, 28-26, and 25-21. While Towson edged Idaho 3-2, with winning set scores for the Tigers of 23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-22, and 15-10.
The Golden Eagles continue play tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. when they face off against Idaho at the Eblen Center. Afterwards, an 11 a.m. match against Western Carolina and Towson will conclude tournament play.
UTEP 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, BRADLEY 2
PEORIA, Ill. - Recap coming soon.