SATURDAY'S SCORES
Toledo 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-20)
Murray State 3, Wintrhop 1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 25-21)
@Cincinnati 3,
SIUE 0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-18)
@Saint Louis 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-22, 28-26, 25-15)
Samford 3,
@Morehead State 0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-21)
Dartmouth 3,
Eastern Illinois 1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22)
Mississippi State 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-16)
Jacksonville State 3, UMass Lowell 0 (25-14, 25-21, 28-26)
Northern Colorado 3,
Eastern Kentucky 1 (25-22, 27-29, 27-25, 25-12)
Murray State 3, West Virginia 1 (25-18, 25-15, 21-25, 25-20)
Western Michigan 3,
Eastern Illinois 2 (25-16, 25-20, 24-26, 25-27, 15-9)
UAB 3,
Jacksonville State 1 (25-8, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17)
Austin Peay 3, Southern Miss 2 (23-25, 25-20, 16-25, 30-28, 15-9)
Utah State 3,
Eastern Kentucky 1 (28-26, 25-23, 14-25, 25-23)
DePaul 3,
Southeast Missouri 2 (25-18, 18-25, 26-28, 25-17, 15-10)
UT Martin 3, Arkansas Pine Bluff 0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-15)
IDAHO 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The second day of the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Hampton Inn didn't fare as well as day one did for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (2-11, 0-0 OVC). The Golden Eagles concluded their tournament play with a match against Idaho. The Vandals proved victorious over Tech winning 3-0, taking winning set scores of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-20.
Idaho opened the first set with a 6-3 lead over the Tech, and then extended to a five-point lead at 15-10. From there, the Vandals continued to capitalize and pulled ahead 23-13. The Golden Eagles went on a 5-1 run to bring the score to 24-19, however Idaho closed out the first set 25-19
Things started off well for the Golden Eagles at the start of the second set. Dodd and Kellie Williams opened the match with a pair of kills to give Tech the 2-0 lead. The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 9-7 off of a kill by James. Tech persisted and created a four-point lead off of a kill by Dodd, 17-13, however, Idaho went on a 12-0 run and took a second set victory 25-17.
It was a close third set, with the two teams opening with a tie of 7-7. The Vandals took a slight advantage at 10-9, and then went on a 6-1 run to extend their lead to 16-10. The Golden Eagles pulled within three at 18-15, and continued to battle to come within two, 22-20, off of a kill by Dodd. Idaho remained strong and
Dodd led the Golden Eagles with 11 kills, 11 digs, a .233 hitting percentage and 3 blocks. Sharon Anderson captured 25 assists and 10 digs, while teammate Williams had seven kills in the match. Idaho was led by Becca Mau who gathered 10 kills.
Towson was the winner of the Golden Eagle Invitational, going 3-0 on the weekend. Jocelyn Kuilan of the Tigers was named MVP of the tournament. Also named to the all-tournament team was: Julymar Otero (Towson), Jessica Lewis (Towson), Cody Dodd (Tech), Sharon Anderson (Tech), Torrin Crawford (Idaho), Becca Mau (Idaho) and Jo-Leigh Vervelde (Western Carolina).
Next up, Tech travels to Charleston, Ill. On Sept. 25 to begin conference play against Eastern Illinois in a 7 p.m. contest.
MURRAY STATE 3, WINTROP 1; MURRAY STATE 3, WEST VIRGINIA 1
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Murray State volleyball team closed its final non-conference tournament of the season by winning both matches on the final day at the Winthrop Invite in Rock Hill, S.C. The Racers opened the day with a four-set victory over Winthrop. Set scores went 25-19, 19-25, 25-23 and 25-21. In the second match of the day, the Racers (10-1) also won in four, this time over West Virginia (25-18, 25-15, 21-25 and 25-20).
Versus the Eagles (5-9), four Racers had double-digit kills, led by Scottie Ingram’s 16 and .297 attack percentage. Taylor Olden added 15, while Alyssa Lelm and Kristen Besselsen had 14 and 11 kills, respectively in the win.
Ingram also recorded her fourth double-double of the season as she added a season-high 18 digs against Winthrop. Ellie Lorenz led the squad with 20 digs from her libero position, Besselsen and Sam Bedard had 11 and 10, respectively. Bedard’s 55 assists in the contest is a new season-high for her.
MSU hit .218 as a team in the match, while Winthrop hit .179 overall. The Eagles held a big advantage at the net, out-blocking the Racers 14-3 and also recording twice as many service aces (6-3).
Against the Mountaineers, Ingram led the way again, tying a season-high with 21 kills and hitting .372. Lelm added 11 and Besselsen had 10 kills in the victory. Lelm recorded a .550 attack percentage, and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for her efforts over the weekend.
The Racers out-hit WVU (5-7) .252 to .194 in the contest and also had an 8-2 edge in service aces. The Mountaineers also committed nine serving errors on the night. Both teams had a total of six blocks each.
Joining Lelm on the all-tournament team were Besselsen and Ingram.
The Racers open OVC play next weekend as they travel to face SEMO Friday night at 6:30 and will face UT Martin at 6 p.m. Saturday.
CINCINNATI 3, SIUE 0
CINCINNATI, Ohio - SIUE volleyball finished off the nonconference season Saturday with a loss at Cincinnati.
The Cougars, 2-8, open the Ohio Valley Conference regular season this weekend at the Vadalabene Center. SIUE faces Jacksonville State Friday in a 7 p.m. matchup.
Next Saturday, SIUE will look to "Fill the Bowl" in a 2 p.m. match against Tennessee Tech. There is free admission to the match with a donation of three (3) non-perishable food items. Fill the Bowl is sponsored by the Main Street Community Center. Ticket information is available at 855-SIUE-TIX.
SIUE dropped its final nonconference road match 25-12, 25-19, 25-18 to the Bearcats.
Taylor Joens led the Cougars off the bench with six kills. Katie Shashack finished with the most digs in the match among both teams with 18.
Cincinnati, 8-3, was powered by Jordan Thompson, who topped all players with 24 kills.
SAINT LOUIS 3, UT MARTIN 0; UT MARTIN 3, ARKASNAS-PINE BLUFF 0
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team picked up its first sweep of the season this afternoon with a convincing 3-0 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (25-20, 25-13, 25-15) to cap off its participation in the Billiken Invitational. Earlier in the day, the Skyhawks fell 3-0 to host Saint Louis (22-25, 26-28, 15-25).
Ellie Cain compiled 67 assists (11.17 per set) on the day while Alisha Erves’ 18 kills ranked as a team-high. Erves also led UT Martin with seven blocks (1.17 per set) while Chelsea Bowles’ 25 digs (4.17 per set) also highlighted the Skyhawk defense.
After playing their first 17 matches on the road over the span of four weeks, the Skyhawks (4-13) will play in front of the home crowd for the first time next weekend. UT Martin opens Ohio Valley Conference play with matchups against Austin Peay (Sept. 25) and Murray State (Sept. 26) at Skyhawk Fieldhouse.
Saint Louis
The Skyhawks kept it close during the first two sets but ultimately could not slow down a Saint Louis (9-5) offense that hit .356 for the match.
UT Martin trailed by a 4-1 margin to begin the first set but Lael Ceriani led a 9-3 Skyhawk surge. The sophomore out of San Diego, Calif. accounted for kills on three straight possessions to help UT Martin claim a 10-7 lead. The Billikens answered back with six unanswered points but the Skyhawks rebounded with three of the next four points to slice its deficit to 14-13. Saint Louis followed with three of the next four points and although UT Martin would close its gap to two points on six different occasions (including 24-22), Saint Louis closed out the set with a kill.
Amanda Crask (four kills) and Cain (11 assists) guided along the offense while Jamie Scherb’s five digs led the Skyhawk defense in the first set.
The Skyhawks nearly claimed the second set, which included 12 ties and seven lead changes. Erves put down a pair of kills early on to help UT Martin gain an early edge before a 4-0 Billiken run gave Saint Louis a 7-6 lead. After the Billikens took an 11-9 lead, the Skyhawks unreeled an 8-1 run that resulted in a 17-12 lead for UT Martin. However, Saint Louis came right back with a 7-1 run of its own to take a 19-18 advantage before the Skyhawks tacked on three straight points to go back ahead by a 21-19 margin. UT Martin staved off set point three times – twice thanks to kills by Madison Wessling – but Saint Louis broke a 26-26 tie with back-to-back points for the win.
Wessling and Erves shared the team lead with four kills apiece while Cain recorded 12 assists and Bowles scooped up seven digs in the second set for the Skyhawks.
Four ties began the third set before the Billikens broke a 5-5 deadlock with a 7-1 run to take a six-point lead. A pair of Erves kills and a Ceriani kill willed UT Martin back within five points at 17-12. Ceriani would add two more late kills but Saint Louis ended the set on an 8-3 run.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Cheatham (.500 attack percentage) and Erves (season-best six blocks) each led the way with 10 kills against the Lady Lions.
The Skyhawks were responsible for a pair of lengthy runs in the first set. After the score was tied at 2-2, UT Martin went on a 7-1 run to lead by six points. The key to the run was service aces, as Larson (two) and Cheatham (one) teamed up for effective serves. Arkansas-Pine Bluff then went on an extended run to take a three-point lead at 18-15 but six unanswered Skyhawk points led to a 21-18 advantage. The Lady Lions would get within one point but UT Martin ended the set strong with four straight points – two via Erves kills.
Erves (five kills) and Cain (10 assists) set the tone for the Skyhawks in the first set.
UT Martin jumped out to a big lead in the second set, taking a 14-3 advantage. Crask and Ceriani each had three kills during the surge to help the Skyhawks get off to a hot start. Moments later, Wessling added a pair of kills and UT Martin pushed its lead out to 21-9, forcing Arkansas-Pine Bluff to call a timeout. The Skyhawks then closed out the set on a 4-1 run, as Cheatham accounted for a pair of kills to help UT Martin take a 2-0 advantage.
The Skyhawk offense was on fire in the second set, hitting .455 with 17 kills (against just two errors) in 33 attempts. Erves and Cheatham both had five kills while Cain kept the offense running smoothly with 14 assists.
After Arkansas-Pine Bluff took a brief 3-2 lead to start the third set, UT Martin went on another roll – scoring 11 of the next 12 points to go on top by a 13-4 margin. Cheatham followed with kills for back-to-back Skyhawk points but the Lady Lions would get back within seven points (18-11). UT Martin answered right back with a 5-0 run to put the match away, as a kill by Ceriani wrapped up the Skyhawk sweep.
UT Martin hit .357 with 13 kills (only three errors) in 28 attempts in the final set. Cheatham, Erves and Wessling combined for a majority of the Skyhawk offense, as each player registered four kills. Cain had 11 assists and Bowles also had six digs to lead UT Martin to the victory.
SAMFORD 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
MORHEAD, Ky. - After splitting their first two matches in the Comfort Inn-Vitational on Friday, the Morehead State volleyball team fell 3-0 to Samford in the finale. They lost 25-16, 25-17, 25-21.
After playing nine competive sets yesterday, head coach Jaime Gordon acknowledged that his team may have been a bit fatigued on Saturday afternoon, but he feels the key is putting it all together in one match.
Junior Courtney Smith did a little bit of everything for the Eagles as she lined up as both an outside hitter and a libero. She finished the match with three kills, two aces, and three digs.
Freshman Merideth Jewell led the Eagles with 11 kills and senior Hannah Sigala and junior Sydney Schuler each had four.
Now 13 games into the season, Morehead State has one more non-conference game, at Wright State on Tuesday, before entering OVC play.
Despite their early season struggles, Gordon believes that his team can do big things.
The Eagles go to Wright State on Tuesday and then open conference play at home against Tennessee State on Friday and Belmont on Saturday.
DARTMOUTH 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1; WESTERN MICHIGAN 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Eastern Illinois University volleyball team looked to bounce back after a pair of losses to begin the Oakland Invitational, but were unsuccessful as they were again defeated twice in day two of the invitational dropping games to Dartmouth (1-3) and Western Michigan (2-3).
Dartmouth 3, EIU 1
In a closely played match all throughout each set, the Dartmouth Big Green had a bit more luck on their side as they were able to defeat the Panthers 3-1 in a four set affair to begin the second day at the Oakland Invitational.
In the first set, both teams kept the game close all throughout as neither team edged the other by more than two points. Chelsea Lee squared the set at 22-22 with a kill, but the Big Green used a pair of kills of their own and finished the set off with a service ace winning 25-23.
It looked as if the Panthers began to hit their stride during the middle part of the second set, as a string of five straight points finished by an Allie Hueston put-down, gave the Panthers a 15-10 lead. That was all the comfort the Panthers needed as they would hold onto that lead as Taylor Smith sealed up the second set, 25-20, victory with a kill.
Lee put the Panthers ahead 18-17 in the third set, but three straight EIU errors shifted the momentum back to the Big Green. Dartmouth took full advantages of the unforced errors, as a late rally to finish of the set gave the Big Green a 25-21 decision.
Dartmouth struck early in the fourth set, but the Panthers would work their way back into the fourth set
following a Stephanie Wallace service error leaving EIU trailing by just a point. The Big Green used four kills of their own to clinch the game 25-22, and give themselves a 3-1 match victory.
Lee lead the Panther attack with 12 kills as Abby Saalfrank pitched in 11.
Western Michigan 3, EIU 2
Heading into their last matchup before starting OVC play next weekend, the Panthers lost a hard fought five set match to the Western Michigan Broncos to close out the Oakland Invitational.
Things started out as a struggle for the Panthers in the first set, as the Broncos earned an early 10-5 lead, and would not let up after that. Kayla Nesbitt brought the Panthers to within four, but the Broncos would rally to take the first set 25-16.
The Panthers worked to a 15-9 lead in the second set following a Hueston kill, but after the Broncos tied the game up at 18-18, the Panthers had no answer. The Broncos went on to win the second set 25-20.
The two squads would alternate leads throughout the third set, but this time it was the Panthers would rally late to earn the set. Josie Winner tied the game up at 24-24, and two Bronco errors gave EIU the third set 26-24.
EIU kept things rolling into the fourth set as Nesbitt added another kill to her total to notch the game at 10-5 in favor of the Panthers. The Broncos would rally to take the lead 21-17, but Taylor Smith helped finish off the Panther comeback to earn the fourth set 27-25.
Western Michigan took full control of the fifth set, as the Panthers were unable to get into any rhythm winning by a score of 15-9.
Five Panthers – Brown (15), Nesbitt (11), Saalfrank (11), Hueston (10), Smith (10) – all finished with double-digit kills. Smith notched another triple-double to her career as she finished with 10 kills, 27 assists, and 10 digs. Brown added 12 digs to go along with her 15 kills to earn herself a double-double.
The Panthers begin OVC play next weekend, as they take on Tennessee Tech (Sept. 25) and Jacksonville State (Sept. 26) both at home in Lantz Arena.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0; AUSTIN PEAY 3, SOUTHERN MISS 2
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Austin Peay (4-10) got off to a good start, leading most of the first set. The Lady Govs built a four-point advantage, 15-11, but Mississippi State put together a match-changing nine point run. That was the start of a set-ending 14-2 run that included four service aces.
Mississippi State (9-3) controlled the run of play in both second and third sets. Austin Peay would keep close in each set but big Bulldog runs would change the momentum. In the second set, MSU used six straight points to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 10-5 lead. In the third set, Austin Peay battled to a 5-5 tie, but a 10-3 MSU run broke the set open, 15-8.
Ashley Slay led an anemic Austin Peay offense with eight kills and a .200 attack percentage. The Lady Govs were held to 20 kills and committed 18 attack errors for a .023 attack percentage.
Mississippi State had 42 kills in the match but its 12 service aces were damaging as well. Chelsea Duhs led all hitters with 11 kills and a .474 attack percentage off the bench. Evie Grace Singleton had 10 kills and five service aces.
Austin Peay concludes its stay in Memphis with a 5 p.m. contest against Southern Miss.
Austin Peay trailed 2-1 in the match and faced a seven-point, 19-12 deficit in what could have been the decisive fourth set. However, the Lady Govs scored nine of the next 11 points to tie the set, 21-21. Three of those points came courtesy the Austin Peay block, with sophomore Ashley Slay assisting each time.
Austin Peay got to set point first at 24-23 after freshman Cecily Gable's kill. Southern Miss battled back to win the next two points and had match point at 25-24. The Lady Govs would fend off that match point and three more. Austin Peay finally gained control and won the match with three straight points, Slay assisting on another block to tie the set and then adding a kill to give APSU set point.
The Lady Govs won an anticlimactic fifth set in wire-to-wire fashion, scoring seven kills with no errors for a .500 attack percentage.
Southern Miss (12-4) won sets one and three, each time gaining control of each set in its latter stages. In the first, the Golden Eagles had to wrest away a 16-15 APSU lead with three straight points and held on for the win. The third set saw Austin Peay leading 16-14 but USM won the final 11 points to claim a 2-1 set lead they would not hold on to.
Slay finished with a career-high 19 kills while posting a .283 attack percentage. In addition, the tied her career high with eight blocks for the second time this season. Redshirt junior Sammie Ebright returned to the starting lineup and made a splash with a 13-kill, 18-dig performance.
Stephany Purdue led Southern miss with a 20-kill, 16-dig performance. Three other Golden Eagles had 10 kills each.
Austin Peay now prepares to open Ohio Valley Conference action with a week off before a 7 p.m., Friday contest at UT Martin.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, UMASS LOWELL 0; UAB 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team began the final day of the UAB "Fight Like Hal" Memorial Tournament sweeping UMass Lowell, before falling to the tournament-host, UAB, later in the day.
The Gamecocks (7-9) had a strong offensive outing against UML (2-12) in Saturday's early contest.
In the first set, sophomore Allyson Zuhlke had three kills during a 6-0 run propelling the Gamecocks ahead, 8-4. JSU hit .379 compared to the River Hawks' .100 in the opening set en route to a 25-14 win. Zuhlke recorded six of her team-high 14 kills in the first set.
UMass Lowell led 21-16 in the second set, threatening to tie the match, before senior Emily Rutherford's kill sparked a run that saw the Gamecocks take the final nine points to storm from behind taking the set, 25-21.
UML jumped out to a 4-0 lead to begin the third set, but the score was quickly knotted up, 8-8. From there, JSU climbed out to a 16-11 advantage, but the River Hawks came back at the end tying the set at 24. Jax State eventually managed to put back-to-back points together to win, 28-26.
Rutherford finished with another double-double, her fifth this season, with 11 kills and a team-high 15 digs. The offensive attack was consistent all game set up by sophomore Jennifer Hart's 41 assists. Freshmen Kim Krutsinger and Mackenzie Rombach each finished with eight kills hitting .545 and .462, respectively.
Later in the day, the Gamecocks finally squared off against tournament-host, UAB. The home court advantage certainly played in favor of the Blazers (9-9) as they knocked off JSU in four sets (8-25, 19-25, 25-21, 17-25).
JSU's struggles began early as the first set got away from the Gamecocks, ending 25-8. The Red and White hung with the Green and Gold better in the second, but couldn't quite catch the Blazers once UAB broke a 12-12 tie.
Not prepared to go down easily, JSU scrapped its way to a 25-21 set victory in the third, avoiding the sweep. The comeback effort fell short as UAB closed out the match with a 25-17 fourth set.
Rutherford was the lone player with double-digit kills with 14. Hart's 31 assists gave her 72 for the final day of the tournament. The sophomore setter from Davidson, N.C., was named to the All-Tournament team.
Jax State looks now toward Ohio Valley Conference action as the Gamecocks open the conference slate next weekend in Illinois. JSU plays at SIU Edwardsville Friday night, before making the trip over to Eastern Illinois for a Saturday afternoon match.
NORTHERN COLORADO 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1; UTAH STATE 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
GREELEY, Colo. - Eastern Kentucky University’s volleyball team suffered a pair of 3-1 losses on the final day of the Northern Colorado Classic.
Northern Colorado (4-7) won by scores of 25-22, 27-29, 27-25 and 25-12. The Colonels lost by scores of 28-26, 25-23, 14-25 and 25-23 to Utah State (4-9).
Johanna Boyer had a team-best 10 kills and 25 assists for the Colonels against Northern Colorado. She made just two errors in 17 attempts for a .471 attack percentage. Chloe Rojas led all players with 19 digs.
Eastern had two more blocks and six fewer service errors, but Northern Colorado had 12 more digs and 24 more kills than the Colonels.
Three players had 10 or more kills for NCU led by Alex Kloehn with 16. She made three errors in 22 attempts for a .591 attack percentage.
Three Colonels had 10 or more kills against Utah State. Rachel Vick led the way with 16 kills while Celina Sanks added 13 and Boyer finished with 10. Boyer also had 33 assists and three blocks. Rojas contributed 20 digs.
Eastern Kentucky had 53 kills, two more than Utah State, and served up 10 aces. However, the Colonels had eight more attack errors and four fewer blocks.
Kaylie Kamalu posted a match-best 20 kills for Utah State.
EKU (1-13) finishes its trip to Colorado with a match against Colorado State on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
DEPAUL 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
PEORIA, Ill. - Southeast Missouri (4-9) fell to DePaul (10-1) in five sets (18-25, 25-18, 28-26, 17-25, 10-15) in its final match at the Bradley Invitational.
Southeast and DePaul engaged in an early point-for-point battle. Finding themselves up 12-11, the Blue Demons began to gather momentum. Caitlyn Coffey and Brittany Maxwell led the charge for DePaul, earning six and five kills, respectively. They went on to claim game one over Southeast, 25-18.
After another back-and-forth start to set two, Southeast would respond in similar fashion. Tied at 10, the Redhawks generated a 7-1 rally, distancing themselves from the Blue Demons. Southeast maintained its pace, finishing the set on a kill by Marie Less, 25-18. Madalyn Werths and Nzingha Clarke both tallied four kills and hit for .571 during the frame.
Momentum continued into the third set for Southeast, claiming an early lead. The Blue Demons battled back however, overtaking the Redhawks 14-13. After several DePaul errors, Southeast began regaining a slight edge before another tie at 24. Madeline Grimm and Clarke each earned late kills, finishing the Blue Demons 28-26 to earn a 2-1 match lead.
With its back against the wall, DePaul took early control in the fourth frame. Southeast was unable to gain momentum as the Blue Demons took the game 25-17, evening the match at two. Maxwell registered another six kills for DePaul, sporting a .500 attack percentage in the frame.
Down 4-2, the Blue Demons surged forward with nine straight points in the final set. DePaul eventually defeated Southeast 15-10, claiming the match 3-2. Randi Leath powered the Blue Demons' finish, tallying six kills on six attempts.
Werths matched her career mark in kills of 15, which was set against Mississippi State on Sept. 5 last season. Katarina Rotta and Keegan Fornoff led the Redhawks to a team total of 50 assists, generating 21 and 20 respectively. Jade Mortimer finished the match with 26 of Southeast's 79 digs.
Clarke followed Werths with 10 kills and a .391 hitting clip. Her performances during the weekend earned Clarke All-Tournament Team honors for the third time this year.
Southeast returns home and will open Ohio Valley Conference play next Friday, Sept. 25 against Murray State at 6:30 p.m. The match will mark this year's Houck "Filled" House event. The first 500 students in attendance will receive an exclusive Redhawks tank top. Southeast will host Austin Peay the following night, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m.