FRIDAY'S SCORES
UNC Greensboro 3,
Eastern Kentucky 2 (25-18, 25-18, 19-25, 17-25, 15-12)
North Florida 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-10)
South Alabama 3,
Belmont 1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-15)
Marist 3,
Morehead State 1 (25-21, 17-25, 25-18, 25-18)
Jacksonville State 3, Alcorn State 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-14)
North Florida 3,
Eastern Kentucky 2 (23-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-21, 15-10)
Austin Peay 3, Savannah State 0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-10)
Western Kentucky 3
, UT Martin 0 (25-9, 25-7, 25-13)
Eastern Illinois 3, Evansville 0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-17)
Morehead State 3, Fairleigh Dickinson 2 (25-20,20-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-8)
Belmont 3, UTEP 1 (24-26, 25-21, 25-23, 25-19)
Arkansas 3,
@SIUE 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-20)
Southeast Missouri 3, @Gardner Webb 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-20)
Wofford 3,
@Jacksonville State 0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-17)
@Washington 3,
Murray State 0 (25-18, 25-8, 25-11)
AUSTIN PEAY 3, SAVANNAH STATE 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team notched its season’s first victory with a three-set (25-11, 25-14, 25-10) victory against Savannah State, Friday afternoon in the opening match of the Blazer Invitational at Bartow Arena.
Austin Peay (1-5) controlled the momentum for most of the match. The Lady Govs won the first and third sets in wire-to-wire fashion. Austin Peay needed 11 kills and a .391 attack percentage to win the opening set.
Savannah State (0-6) challenged early in the second set, building a three-point lead twice. Austin Peay would gain control with a five-point run to take a 10-8 lead it would not relinquish. The Lady Govs would carry that momentum into a third set it again controlled in wire-to-wire fashion.
Ten Austin Peay players recorded a kill in the match and the full complement of 13 players saw action. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Slay’s six kills led the Lady Govs effort for a second-straight match.
Freshman setter Kristen Stucker made her first start and provided 23 assists on 28 APSU kills.
Christian Lyle had five kills to lead Savannah State’s offense, which was held to 18 kills and a minus-.037 attack percentage.
Austin Peay continues play at the Blazer Invitational when it meets Florida International in an 11 a.m., Saturday contest.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, EVANSVILLE 0
CHICAGO, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois University volleyball team looked to avenge a midweek loss at home against Indiana State on Tuesday night (Sept. 1), and did so accordingly in their first match of the DePaul Invitational Friday night (Sept. 4). The Panthers defeated the Purple Aces of Evansville in straight sets, winning 25-13,25-14,25-17.
In the first set, the two teams displayed the similar style of play that Coach Wolinski talked about earlier in the week, as both sides traded leads making the game 7-7 after an Abby Knight kill. The Panthers began to find their rhythm and began to take over the first set with a Kill from Kayla Nesbitt notching the score 20-12 in favor of the Panthers. A put-down by Abby Saalfrank before a service ace from Anne Hughes sealed up the first set victory.
Evansville took the first three points in the second set, before EIU was able to tie the game up at 4-4 with the help of a Chelsea Lee kill. The Purple Aces again went on a little run, only to see the Panthers tie the set up once again at 10-10 due to another Nesbitt kill which appeared to be the turning point in the set as EIU went on a 15-4 rally to take set two.
In the third set, the Panthers would continue their dominance as they raced out to a quick 5-0 lead before an Evansville timeout. The timeout did not seem to take the early momentum away, as EIU then saw themselves with a commanding 15-5 mark following a kill from Nesbitt. Evansville tried to work their way back into the set, as they cut the Panther lead down to four, but a service ace from Marah Bradbury sealed game three and the match for the Panthers.
Allie Hueston and Lee lead the Panther attack with nine put-downs apiece. Bradbury paced the attack with 29 helpers, while Stephanie Wallace pitched in 14 digs for the EIU defense.
The Panthers are back in action tomorrow (Sept. 5) at the DePaul Invitational as they play Toledo in the morning session starting at 10:00 a.m., while finishing up the invite against host-DePaul in the 7:00 p.m. night-cap.
NORTH FLORIDA 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Another day at the Tennessee Volleyball Invitational provided the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (0-5, 0-0 OVC) with an opportunity for growth as they competed against North Florida (3-1) on Friday. The Ospreys triumphed over the young Golden Eagles, with winning set scores of 25-17, 25-21, and 25-10.
Cody Dodd opened match play against North Florida with a kill assisted by Susan Jeziorowski. From there, Tech went on a 5-1 run to pull ahead 6-1. The Ospreys made up their deficit and pulled within one point of the Golden Eagles at 7-6, and from there the two teams continued to battle keeping the score within three points of one another. North Florida tied the match at 10-10 and then took their first lead of the game after going on a 5-1 streak to lead 15-11. The Ospreys held a strong offense and extended their lead to 19-13, before cruising to a first set triumph over the Golden Eagles 25-17.
North Florida took the early lead in the second set, opening with a score of 9-4 over Tech. The Golden Eagles fought to pull back within three points of the Ospreys at 11-8, however, North Florida continued to capitalize and extended their lead to 20-13. Tech persisted and pulled within three points, 19-22, off of three straight kills from Shaneice James, Kellie Williams, and Dodd, however, North Florida held on and took the second set 25-21.
The Ospreys came out strong in the third set opening with a 9-1 lead over the Golden Eagles. North Florida stayed tough offensively and pulled away from Tech, 16-6, and remained dominant to end the third set and the match 25-10.
Jeziorowski led the Golden Eagles with 28 assists and six digs, while teammate Dodd tallied 12 kills and four blocks. The Ospreys were led by Katarina Raicevic who totaled 14 kills and 3 blocks.
Tech will close out tournament play on Saturday when they take on the UNC-Greensboro Spartans in an 11:30 a.m. contest at the Tennessee Volleyball Invitational.
MARIST 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1; MOREHEAD STATE 3, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 2
EASTON, Pa. - The Morehead State volleyball team fell in four sets to Marist and then beat Fairleigh Dickinson in five to open the Crosstown Challenge. They fell 25-21 (MC), 25-17 (MSU), 25-18 (MC), 25-18 (MC) to Marist and then defeated FDU 25-20 (MSU), 25-20 (FDU), 25-20 (FDU), 25-18 (MSU), 15-8 (MSU).
After falling in the first game of the day to Marist, MSU fell behind 2-1 to FDU in the night cap. But, they would pull away late in the fourth set, 25-18, to force a fifth, and then jump out to a quick 7-3 lead in the pivotal fifth set. The Knights then bounced back with four straight points to even the set at seven. Head coach Jaime Gordon called a timeout and his team responded by outscoring FDU 8-1 to close out the set and the match, 15-8. They won the last five points of the match, three of which came off of kills by senior Hannah Sigala.
Sigala finished the match with nine kills, hitting .304.
Freshmen Merideth Jewell continued her impressive play by finishing with 19 kills on 47 total attacks. Junior Sydney Schuler recorded 12 kills and sophomore Alli Evans had 10. Overall, the Eagles had 57 kills, hitting .209, to the Knights 41, who hit just .098.
In the opener against Marist, after losing the first set, they quickly fell behind 3-0 to start the second. They then outscored Marist 25-14 the rest of the way, en route to winning 25-17. 18 of their 25 points were scored off of kills, eight of which came from Jewell. Jewell, who was named OVC Newcomer of the Week after her first three collegiate games, finished the match with a career-high 26 kills. She now has 91 kills in just five games.
Junior Bailey Nichol also had a strong game for the Eagles, as she recorded 45 assists, eight digs, and five kills, while hitting .500.
Overall, MSU finished with 58 kills, hitting .214, while Marist had 44 and hit .303.
On Saturday, the Eagles close out the Crosstown Challenge by facing Lafayette at 10 a.m. and Lehigh at 3:30 p.m., both in their home gyms.
UNC GREENSBORO 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2; NORTH FLORIDA 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Kentucky battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match but fell 3-2 to UNC Greensboro at the DISH Tennessee Volleyball Classic on Friday. In the second match of the day, the Colonels (0-6) lost 3-2 to North Florida.
In the first match, the Colonels scored 18 points in each of the first two sets and fell behind 2-0 before attempting to rally. EKU picked up 25-19 and 25-17 wins in the third and fourth sets to force a decisive fifth. UNC Greensboro scored seven of the first eight points to take control early, but Eastern didn’t quit. Four straight points, including a kills by Ally Peters and Rachel Vick, tied the score 12-12. However, UNCG scored the next three points to win the match.
Danielle Hicks and Celina Sanks each had 12 kills for EKU. Johanna Boyer finished with 35 assists and Chloe Rojas added a team-best 18 digs. Julia Westerbur contributed a match-best 15 kills for UNC Greensboro (3-1).
Against North Florida (4-1), it was Eastern Kentucky that led 1-0 and 2-1 but couldn’t hold of the Osprey comeback bid. The Colonels won the first set 25-23 and went in front 2-1 after a 25-20 victory in the third set. UNF evened the match with a 25-21 win in the fourth and then won it 15-10 in the fifth.
After Eastern tied the score 6-6 in the fifth set, North Florida scored seven of the next eight to go on top 13-7.
Hicks had a team-high 14 kills for the Colonels. Vick had 11 kills and just one error for a .476 attack percentage. Tessa Alyman led all players with 24 kills for North Florida.
SOUTH ALABAMA 3, BELMONT 1; BELMONT 3, UTEP 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Despite hitting .310 after two sets the Bruins fall to South Alabama in four, 25-23, 21-25, 16-25 and 15-25.
Sophomore Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) lead the offense with 12 kills and one error on 24 attacks hitting a career best .458. Sophomore Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) also added 12 kills to the match. Redshirt Freshman Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.) led the defense with seven blocking assists.
Set one was a point for point battle to the bitter end between Belmont and South Alabama. Neither team lead by more then two points until the very end when Belmont took the lead to three at 24-21. The Jaguars pull within one making the score 24-23, Head Coach Tony Howell takes a time out and Belmont would return to the court to finish the set with a block by Redshirt Junior Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) and Senior Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.). Sophomores Person and Lewis hit .444 and .714 respectively on the first set with the team hitting for an average of .314, with 15 kills and four errors on 35 attempts.
South Alabama came back pushing in the second set taking a 5-1 lead before Lewis ended the streak with a kill. With Sophomore Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) the Bruins brought the set within one. South Alabama once again takes a four-point lead. The Jaguars would continue to hold this lead closing out the set 25-21 and tying the match up at ones.
Jaguars take an early lead once again in the third set, while the Bruins were plagued by unforced errors. Despite an aggressive offense hitting .310 so far this match, the Bruins trail 14-5. South Alabama continued to hold the lead taking home set three 25-16. The Bruins fought hard to tie up the match at two but an early lead by South Alabama proved fatal once again as Belmont fell in the fourth set 25-15.
Belmont notches first win of the season in front of a crowd of 470 spectators with a 3-1 victory over the University of Texas El Paso. After dropping a heartbreaking first set 26-24 the Bruins came back winning the next three 25-21, 25-23, and 25-19. Belmont is now 1-4 on the season.
Sophomore Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) recorded a career-high 22 kills, hitting for an average of .236 in the match, while Sophomore Emily Richards (Penfield, N.Y.) also set a career-high record with 18 digs on the match. Sophomore Emma Price (Fort Mill, SC) recorded eight kills and 49 assists to conclude the match. Senior Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) led the teams attacking percentage on the night hitting for an average of .267.
It was an all around defensive effort with five players recording 12 or more digs. Sophomore Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) led the effort with 20 kills. The team as a whole recorded 89 digs and nine blocks defensively on the match.
Belmont started the match off strong taking an early 10-6 lead. In the first 10 points the Bruins have recorded two service aces, two blocks and five kills. UTEP strings together seven in a row to take a 13-11 lead. Belmont comes within two after a kill and ace by Sophomore Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.). With four kills by Person, and a block by Person and Redshirt Freshman Alexa Nichols (Walton, KY.) Belmont ties it up at 23. With a solid block and kill by UTEP the Miners take the set 26-24.
The Bruins and Miners battled point for point until UTEP takes the lead 12-8. All eight of Belmont's points so far this set have been off of kills. With Lewis at the service line the Bruins rope together a block by Freshman Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) and a kill by Senior Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) to tie it up at 15. Two huge kills by Person gave Belmont the lead 20-18. Belmont closes out set two 25-21 with four kills by three separate players, Mullins, Nichols and Youngdahl. Belmont hit for an average of .348 in the second set.
Bruins took the early lead 7-5 when UTEP put together a 7-0 run to go up 12-7 streak was ended by a well placed tip by Person. A 3-0 run with Person at the service line brings the Bruins within one at 15-14. A kill by Mullins and an ace by Ivancich gave the Bruins the lead. Belmont takes set three 25-23 after two kills by Person.
With momentum on their side and some scrappy defense by Richards the Bruins take an early 10-7 lead. Belmont pushes the lead to 15-10 with Ivancich at the service line and a few attacking errors by UTEP. After two big kills in the last six points by Youngdahl Belmont pulls ahead to 23-17 with her at the service line. With a career high 22nd kill and an ace by Price the Bruins take the match and first victory of the season with a score of 25-19.
ARKANSAS 3, SIUE 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE volleyball opened the 2015 home season with Southeastern Conference opponent Arkansas at the Vadalabene Center Friday, and Head Coach Leah Johnson found positives all around.
Arkansas, 4-1, defeated the Cougars 25-20, 25-18, 25-20. The Razorbacks also defeated Louisiana Tech earlier in the day in three sets. Northern Kentucky won the other match played at the Cougar Classic Friday, defeating Louisiana Tech in four sets.
The Cougars, 1-3, were lifted by sophomore outside hitter Ashley Witt, who came off the bench for a team-leading eight kills.
Arkansas managed 42 kills but ended the match with exactly the same number of attack errors (19) as the Cougars.
The Razorbacks were led by 12 kills from Pilar Victoria while Chanell Clark-Bibbs added nine.
The Cougars have two matches Saturday beginning with Louisiana Tech at noon and Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, ALCORN STATE 0; WOFFORD 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team finished the first day of the Gamecock Invitational with a 1-1 mark aftet topping Alcorn State and dropping the nightcap to Wofford.
In the opener against ASU, the Gamecocks (3-1) used a .375 hitting percentage for the match to power to a three-set sweep (25-13, 25-13, 25-14) of the Braves.
Senior Emily Rutherford led the way with 15 kills followed by freshman Mackenzie Rombach with nine. Sophomore Allyson Zuhlke boasted a .625 hitting percentage with six kills on eight attempts.
A 6-1 run midway through the first set gave JSU a 13-6 lead. A trio of kills from Rutherford assisted Jax State in taking the final five points of the set to win 25-13. The second frame was decided by an identical score, but Alcorn made it much closer to start the third. Back-and-forth early, JSU pulled away from an 8-8 tie thanks to a 5-0 run.
The final set was the best offensively for the Gamecocks who hit a match-high .400 combined to go on and win 25-14.
In Friday's finale against the Terriers (3-3), JSU dropped straight sets to a team that's won its last three games.
The opening set got away from JSU falling behind 14-6 quickly. Wofford won 25-16 to take a set advantage in the match. In the second, Wofford led 16-12 before JSU rallied to tie the match late. The Gamecocks pulled within one, 24-23, before a service error gave the game to Wofford.
The Terriers went on to complete the sweep with a 25-17 win in the third set.
Rutherford and Zuhlke topped the Gamecock offense finishing the day with 21 kills each, respectively. Sophomore setter Jennifer Hart dish a combined 54 assists throughout the two matches, while sophomore libero Hannah Kirk grabbed 28 total digs.
The Gamecock Invitational continues Saturday morning at the Cherokee Center and Arena at 9 a.m. with Alcorn State facing Wofford. The Gamecocks will play Alabama A&M at 11:30 a.m. before meeting Louisiana-Monroe in the tournament's final match at 7 p.m.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, GARDNER WEBB 0
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Southeast Missouri won its first match of the season with a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-21, 25-15) of Gardner-Webb Friday during the opening day of the AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic.
Set one saw Southeast jump out to an early lead, eventually forcing Gardner-Webb to use both of its timeouts at a score of 15-10. The Bulldogs took advantage of the stoppage and battled back to tie the game at 19. The Redhawks then took control, closing the set 25-21. Madeline Grimm led the first set with four kills and a .667 hitting clip. Krissa Gearring and Nzingha Clarke followed with three kills each.
Both teams battled back and forth for most of the second set. The Redhawks, however, took control and headed into a timeout ahead, 19-13. The Bulldogs narrowed the margin to 19-17, but the Redhawks finishes strong, winning 25-19 to take a 2-0 match lead. Marie Less led the scoring, tallying five kills in the frame.
Southeast polished off its sweep with a commanding 25-15 win in the third set. Gearring gathered seven kills to pave the way.
Gearring led the Redhawks with 12 kills and a hitting clip of .235 on the night. Clarke finished the match with nine kills and a .500 attack percentage. Grimm and Less also tallied eight kills, with Grimm boasting a .583 hitting clip.
Afterwards, coach Julie Yankus commented on the vicotry. "We faced alot of adversity this week and to get our first win feels great. We had a very balanced attack which helped us control the pace of the match."
The Redhawks conclude the tournament with two matches Saturday. Southeast faces South Carolina-Upstate at 9 a.m., CT, and The Citadel at 3:30 p.m.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 3, UT MARTIN 0
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team battled but ultimately fell by a 3-0 margin (9-25, 7-25, 13-25) to No. 20 Western Kentucky at the Saluki Invitational this afternoon.
Ellie Cain tallied 19 assists today while Madison Wessling notched a team-best six kills. Colleen Larson was responsible for a team-high eight digs while Chelsea Bowles and Amanda Crask followed with seven digs.
UT Martin (2-5) led early in the first set before the Lady Toppers went on a 9-1 run to go on top by an 11-3 margin. Wessling put down a pair of kills halfway through the set before Western Kentucky claimed a 19-6 lead. Kiah Cheatham accounted for the last three kills for the Skyhawks in the first set before the Lady Toppers closed out the set.
Cheatham’s three kills led UT Martin in the first set while Bowles and Larson each accumulated four digs.
Alisha Erves (two kills) and Jamie Scherb (service ace) tallied the first three points of the second set for the Skyhawks but Western Kentucky would take control of the set on its way to taking a 2-0 lead.
Kills by Alanna Watt, Cheatham and Erves helped UT Martin take a 4-1 lead in the third set. Western Kentucky followed with a 12-1 run but three straight Skyhawk points pulled UT Martin back within five points at 13-8. The Lady Toppers scored four consecutive points but Wessling pinpointed a pair of kills to keep the Skyhawks within striking distance. However, four straight Lady Topper kills led to the set victory for Western Kentucky.
Cain handed out eight assists while Crask recorded five digs for UT Martin in the third and final set.
The Skyhawks conclude Day 2 of the Saluki Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 5. UT Martin will take on Dayton at 10 a.m. before battling host Southern Illinois at 7 p.m.
WASHINGTON 3, MURRAY STATE 0
SEATTLE, Wash. - The Murray State volleyball team suffered its first defeat of the season as the Racers fell at No. 7 Washington Friday evening in Seattle, 3-0. Set scores went 25-18, 25-8 and 25-11.
Kristen Besselsen led the Racers (3-1) with 11 kills in the loss, while Alyssa Lelm added four. Sam Bedard picked up her second double-double of the season as she registered 20 assists and a team-best 10 digs in the match. Besselsen added nine, while Scottie Ingram had eight digs.
The big difference in the match was the size of the seventh-ranked Huskies as UW (5-0) out-blocked the Racers 8-2. Washington also hit .411 as a team while stifling MSU to just a .062 clip.
The Racers finish up their weekend in the northwest with a match against Buffalo Saturday at 4 p.m. Murray time. The Bulls were defeated in three sets earlier Friday by Washington.