FRIDAY'S SCORES
@North Florida 3,
Belmont 0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-18)
Charleston Southern 3,
Belmont 1
@Milwaukee 3,
Southeast Missouri 0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-22)
Western Michigan 3,
Southeast Missouri 0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-18)
Mrahsall 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-22)
Eastern Kentucky 3, Seton Hall 0 (35-33, 25-17, 25-11)
Murray State 3, Sacramento State 1 (25-8, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21)
UTSA 3,
SIUE 1 (25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)
@Missouri 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-21, 25-10, 25-14)
Boise State 3,
Austin Peay 1 (25-22, 25-18, 24-26 ,25-23)
Tennessee State 3, New Orleans 1 (25-11, 25-19, 18-25, 25-23)
Tennessee State 3, Southern 0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-21)
Middle Tennessee 3,
Eastern Illinois 1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-21)
@Chattanooga 3,
Tennessee Tech 1 (25-23, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19)
Morehead State 3, Syracuse 2, (15-25, 27-25, 25-22, 13-25, 15-12)
@Jacksonville State 3, Sam Houston State 1 (25-17, 25-20, 19-25, 26-24)
@Jacksonville State 3, Stetson 1 (25-11, 19-25, 25-21, 25-18)
NORTH FLORIDA 3, BELMONT 0; CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 3, BELMONT 1
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Despite strong rallying efforts in both contests of the opening day of the River City Rumble, Belmont Volleyball was held off in both outings. The Bruins (1-9) fell to co-host North Florida (3-5), 3-0, before seeing a late rally fall shy against first-time opponent Charleston Southern (4-5), 3-1.
The first set saw the former conference foes square up for a back and forth battle early as the teams split a two-point differential until a 4-0 run by North Florida put the home team ahead, 16-11. The Bruins called for a break in the action but it did little to slow the Ospreys. UNF continued to surge down the stretch, exploding behind another flurry of points that secured the 25-16 win.
Junior Akia Warrior (Fort Worth, Texas) helped the Bruins get on the board with back-to-back service aces at the top of the second frame. The teams slipped into another back and forth battle with the score knotted 15 times before Belmont pulled ahead by two, 20-18, after kills by Warrior, sophomore Taylor Floyd (Louisville, Ky.) and junior MacKenzie Harless (Brownsburg, Ind.). A stunned Osprey bench called for a huddle session. After the quick break, UNF used three consecutive service aces to take the lead, forcing BU to call for its own break in the action to regroup, trailing 23-21. Belmont attempted to surge behind a pair of kills by junior Halee Van Poppel (Argyle, Texas) and sophomore Mary Catherine Ball (Hendersonville, N.C.). but North Florida collected the final points to hold on for the 25-23 win.
Belmont came out hot to start the third set but the Ospreys fired back and grabbed a slim 8-6 lead, pushing the Bruins to call for a timeout. North Florida used a 4-0 flurry to expand its lead and BU called for its final timeout of the frame, trailing by six, 16-10. BU used a 3-0 run to push back against the Ospreys and trim the point differential to just four points, 21-17. UNF burned a timeout in hopes of slowing down the Bruins. It proved to be just enough of a pause as a kill by junior Mackenzie LePage (Franklin, Tenn.) handed Belmont its last point as the Ospreys went on to take the set, 25-18.
For the match, Van Poppel led the Bruins with a match-high 10 kills. Warrior posted a match-high 31 assists while sophomore Peyton Kelley (Normal, Ill.) finished with 12 digs. Freshman Kailee Bass (Aurora, Ill.) picked up her third solo block of the season.
Belmont came out streaking for its second match of the day, opening with a 5-0 run before the Buccaneers called an early timeout. The Bruins added one more point before Charleston Southern was able to add its first of the contest. CSU battled back to knot the score 12-12 and wrestled the lead away from the Bruins during the midpoint of the set. Belmont hustled to close a scoring gap to just one point, 17-16, but Charleston Southern found a way to cross the 20-point threshold. BU hoped another timeout would be of assistance but the Buccaneers kept pushing and went on to take the set, 25-20.
The Buccaneers stayed motivated through the start of the second stanza, taking a 5-2 lead before Belmont called a timeout. CSU continued to pile on the points despite a series of short offensive spurts by the Bruins. The Buccaneers blew their lead up to double digits for the first time in the contest, going up 18-7, forcing Belmont to call for a huddle session. The Bruins began methodically chipping away at the lead that had grown to as many as 11 points. With the help of kills from Floyd, Van Poppel, Ball and an explosive solo block for senior Huntir Bass (Mobile, Ala.), Belmont clawed back into the set and trimmed the point differential down to just two points, 24-22, with the help of a service ace by freshman Lauren Walsh (Torrance, Calif.). Unfortunately, the Buccaneers were able to record the gamewinner and took the set, 25-22.
The patience of the previous frame carried over into set three for BU. Three kills in a row by Ball put Belmont on a 5-1 run that saw the team take a 9-5 lead. Slowly, CSU whittled down the Bruin lead and went on to tie the score, 13-13. The score would go on to be stalemated twice more before the Buccaneers pushed ahead on a 3-0 run, 18-15. BU battled back to knot the score at 19, following kills by Floyd and Van Poppel. Belmont continued to push in the waning points and went on to tie to score two more times before it hovered on the verge of set point, 24-23. Ball put the ball away deep on the right side to secure the set victory.
Charleston Southern came out determined to fight back against the surging Bruins in the fourth set. After ties in the opening points, the Buccaneers pushed to take a 10-5 lead. BU burned through both of its huddle sessions, looking for an answer. CSU blew its lead up to as many as seven points, 17-10, before BU began effectively chipping away. Belmont inched as close as three points, 23-20, thanks to back-to-back balls that went out of bounds by the Buccaneers. However, Charleston Southern was able to find the last two points to hold out for the 25-20 win.
For the contest, Van Poppel logged a match-high 19 kills. Warrior finished with 39 assists while Kelley recorded 14 digs. Kailee and Huntir Bass each notched a solo block while Kailee Bass tallied a match-high five block assists.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday for the final day of the River City Rumble. The Bruins face off against co-host Jacksonville beginning at 1 p.m. CT
MILWAUKEE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0; WESTERN MICHIGAN 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (4-5) dropped a pair of matches to open the Panther Invitational Friday at the Klotsche Center.
Southeast fell to tournament host and head coach Julie Yankus' alma mater Milwaukee (6-1), 19-25, 17-25, 22-25, before losing a decision to Western Michigan (8-0) of the Mid-American Conference, 23-25, 18-25, 18-25.
SEMO started its match against Milwaukee with a match best .241 hitting clip in the first set with 12 kills.
A kill from Talia Gouard cut the early Panther lead to 11-8. Milwaukee then grew its advantage to 23-14 on a 4-0 run that included two Ari Miller rally stoppers.
Colby Greene then added a pair of kills before Maggie Adams earned a solo block to make the score, 24-19. Jenna Miller then knocked a kill to give Milwaukee the first set.
In the middle frame, Southeast began with an 11-10 edge before a 5-0 rally by the Panthers distanced them from the Redhawks, 16-12.
Laney Malloy slammed a kill before Milwaukee went on another run, this time five straight points.
The Panthers closed out the second set, 25-17, to grab a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Milwaukee jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the third set before SEMO stormed back after block assists from Greene with both Adams and Ochs.
Adams then notched a kill to pull the Redhawks ahead by a point, 5-4.
The Panthers doubled their lead with a 5-0 rally before SEMO cut the deficit to 16-12 after a block assist from Mikayla Kuhlmann and Adams along with a service ace from Ally Dion.
Adams and Ochs then brought the score to 23-19 with a block assist before a kill from Kleja Cerniauskaite closed out the match, 25-22.
Greene paced the Redhawks offense with seven kills. Malloy added six with nine digs and Gouard had four kills.
SEMO out blocked the Panthers, 8-2. Adams totaled five and Malloy and Gouard each had two.
Ochs dished out 22 assists and Tara Beilsmith posted 17 digs.
In the late afternoon, early evening match, Southeast met undefeated Western Michigan of the MAC. The Broncos took the first three points of the opening set before taking an 8-4 lead.
WMU grew its advantage to 19-15 on a Maggie King rally stopper before extending that margin to 21-17 which prompted a Southeast timeout.
Out of the break, SEMO rallied six straight points to pull ahead 23-21. Greene knocked a kill to start the rally followed by a block from Adams. Malloy then had a kill and Dion delivered an ace.
The Broncos then responded with four straight points to grab the opening set, 25-23.
WMU continued that momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead and extending that advantage to 11-5. A kill from Meredith Phillips put the margin at 20-13.
Rally stoppers from both Adams and Malloy cut the deficit to 20-16. Malloy added another as SEMO came as close as 22-18.
Willow Martin then hit a kill, Charley Andrews chipped in an ace and Maggie King sealed away the second set win with a kill.
Western Michigan stayed perfect in 2019 after a 25-18 third set. The Broncos began the frame with a 11-7 lead that became a 16-10 advantage after an ace from Kathleen Reilly.
A kill from Malloy coupled with a pair of Broncos errors brought the score to 16-13.
WMU then extended the distance with a 4-0 run, 22-15.
Kuhlmann crushed a kill as the Redhawks fought to 24-17 before King hit a rally stopper to seal the win for the Broncos.
Malloy paced the offense with nine kills and added 12 digs. Ochs had 20 assists with nine digs.
Beilsmith led the defense with 23 digs.
Southeast closes out the Panther Invitational Saturday against Butler at 12 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.
MARSHALL 3, UT MARTIN 0
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team ran into an offensive buzzsaw today as the Skyhawks fell to Marshall by a 3-0 margin (13-25, 12-25, 22-25) on the first day of the Billiken Invitational.
Facing the Thundering Herd for the second time already this season, UT Martin (3-5) could not tame a Marshall attack that combined to hit .490 in the first two sets (26 kills, one error in 51 swings). Overall, the Thundering Herd hit .352 for the match while the Skyhawks committed 31 attack errors for an .033 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Addison Conley led the way for UT Martin with eight kills on a .200 attack percentage. Kenzie Hinshaw distributed 29 assists and seven digs while Jamie Rys amassed 15 of the Skyhawks’ 41 digs in the contest.
UT Martin received kills from Jessica Reynolds, Hannah Phillips and Justine Walker as part of a 4-4 tie to begin the opening set. Marshall followed with six unanswered points but the Skyhawks closed to within four points after another Phillips kill made the score 15-11. The Thundering Herd answered with yet another 6-0 run to go ahead by double-digits and UT Martin would not get any closer than nine points for the duration of the set.
Phillips started the second set with three kills in the Skyhawks’ first four points. She added another kill midway through the set and following a Marshall service error, UT Martin trailed by a slim 12-11 margin. However, the Thundering Herd unreeled nine straight points as part of a 13-1 run to close out the set and take a 2-0 match lead in the process.
Early kills by Reynolds and Karen Scanlon provided the Skyhawks with a 4-2 lead to start off the third stanza. Conley heated up for three kills in the span of four points to keep UT Martin ahead by a 9-7 margin but Marshall went on a 5-0 run to claim its first lead of the set. Conley’s fourth kill of the set capped off a 7-3 Skyhawk run and tilted the score back in favor of UT Martin at 16-15. Gintare Mackeviciute pitched in a pair of kills to keep the Skyhawk advantage at one point as late as 20-19 but the Thundering Herd wrapped up the set with six of the final eight points. After a Mackeviciute kill shaved UT Martin’s deficit to 23-22, Marshall was able to score back-to-back points to end the match.
The Skyhawks will look to rebound tomorrow as they take on Troy at 10 a.m. before squaring off against tournament host Saint Louis at 7 p.m.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, SETON HALL 0
AKRON, OHIO. – The Eastern Kentucky University volleyball team swept Seton Hall University on the opening day of the Akron Invitational on Friday.
The Colonels won in straight sets 35-33, 25-17 and 25-11.
Abby Noll posted a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Fellow freshman Adria Hartley posted eight kills and seven digs. Katelynn Caserma-Kloeble chipped in seven kills and eight digs.
In set one, Seton Hall jumped out to an early 8-6 lead after an attack error by Eastern. The Pirates then used a 5-1 run to extend its lead to 13-7 halfway through the first set. Eastern responded with a run of its own. The Colonels scored five of the next six points to cut the Seton Hall lead to 14-12. SHU held steady to its lead at 21-17 after an EKU service error. Down 23-21, Eastern ran off three straight points to take a 24-23 lead after a kill by Hartley. Seton Hall would even the match at 24-24 after a kill by Haylee Gasser, which would set up for an exciting ending. The two teams would trade points back-and-forth to tie the set at 33-33. Eastern would win the last two points of the match after back-to-back errors by the Pirates to take the first set 35-33.
Seton Hall got off to another quick start in set two, taking a 3-1 lead after an ace by Elizabeth Sottung. Eastern answered back by scoring seven of the next nine points to take an 8-5 lead and not look back. Eastern extended its lead to 13-6 after a kill by Noll. EKU scored the last three points of the set, anchored by a pair of kills by Clairissa Hankinson to take set two, 25-17.
In set three, Eastern used an 11-1 run to take a 15-5 lead over Seton Hall and cruise in the third set. After the Pirates cut into the Colonel lead 16-8, EKU scored six of the next seven points to take a commanding 22-9 lead after a kill by Caserma-Kloeble. Eastern scored the last three points of the match to take the set 25-11.
Eden Dolezal who posted six kills and six digs led the Pirates.
Eastern returns to the court tomorrow for a pair of contests against Akron and Saint Francis. First serve is at 12:30 p.m.
MURRAY STATE 3, SACRAMENTO STATE 1
CHICAGO, Ill. - The Murray State volleyball team kicked off the UIC Invitational, Friday afternoon, defeating Sacramento State in four sets. The Racers improve to 3-4 with the win while the Hornets fall to 3-5.
Rachel Giustino led MSU with 17 kills while also chipping in 14 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Ashley McBee dished out 42 assists while Becca Fernandez had 25 digs. Emily Matson also had a strong match with five service aces.
The Racers got off to a fast start, winning the first set for the first time this season. The set went back-and-forth until Murray State went on a 9-0 run to take a 24-17 lead. After the Hornets ended the run, Rachel Holthaus clinched the set with a kill.
Murray State carried their momentum into the second set as they jumped out to a 7-1 lead, which included four straight service aces from Matson. However, the Hornets slowly climbed back into the set, eventually taking a 23-22 lead. Giustino followed with a kill, but Sacramento State won the next two points to take the set.
The third set was similar to the second, but in reverse as the Racers fell behind early before mounting a comeback. Down 14-11, the Racers went on an 8-2 run to take a 19-16 lead, which they were able to hold, winning the set, 25-21.
In the fourth set, it remained close until the Racers went on a 6-1 run to take a 20-14 lead. After the Hornets save a couple of match points a little later in the set, Giustino clinched the set and match with a kill.
The Racers will continue the UIC Invitational tomorrow when they take on the host Flames at noon before closing out the weekend with Bradley at 4 p.m. The match against UIC will be streamed on ESPN+.
MISSOURI 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0; BOISE STATE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 1
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Junior Chloe Stitt finished the opening day of the Mizzou Invitational with 22 kills but Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team fell to No. 21 Missouri in three sets (21-25, 10-25, 14-25) and Boise State in four sets (22-25, 18-25, 26-24, 23-25), Friday, at the Hearnes Center.
In the day’s first match, Austin Peay (1-7) faced off against host Missouri, ranked No. 21 in the AVCA Coaches Poll entering the weekend. The Governors fought back from an early six-point deficit and got within a point at 17-16 in the first set but could not close the gap completely as Missouri went on to win the opening frame and then the next two sets in wire-to-wire fashion.
Stitt led the Govs with eight kills against the Tigers while junior Brooke Moore finished with six kills. Austin Peay was limited to 25 kills in the match while Missouri scored 49 kills – 17 by Kylie Deberg.
The Govs enjoyed a more back-and-forth affair with Boise State in the day’s second match. Boise State (4-2) needed to score the final three points in the first set to fend off the Govs and then had to score four of the final seven in the fourth set to clinch the match. The Governors were able to clinch the third set thanks to an impressive 11-2 run midway through the set with Stitt providing three consecutive kills to start the rally.
Moore led the Govs with 15 kills against the Broncos while Stitt posted another 14 kills. The Governors offense finished with 46 kills while the defense notched 54 digs. Moore (10), senior Ginny Gerig (10) and junior Caroline Waite (11) each posting double-digit dig totals.
Austin Peay continues play in the Mizzou Invitational with an 11 a.m., Saturday contest against Kansas City.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Eastern Illinois lost its first match of the Evansville Dunn Hospitality Tournament to Middle Tennessee on Friday afternoon.
The Blue Raiders won 3-1 (20-25 25-16, 25-22, 25-21).
With this loss EIU falls to 0-7 on the season. The Panthers return to action tomorrow at 10 a.m. against Purdue Fort Wayne and 6 p.m. against Evansville.
In the first set, the Panthers jumped out with a 3-0 run with Laurel Bailey serving. The Blue Raiders rallied to keep it close until 16-16 when the Panthers went on a 6-0 run. Middle Tennessee never recovered from the EIU run as the Panthers won the opening set.
In the second set it was all Middle Tennessee, as MTSU got out to a fast start with a 5-0 run. EIU never could get into rhythm as they dropped the second set 25-16.
In the third set EIU hopped out to a 3-0 lead before Middle Tennessee quickly rallied back and tied it up 4-4. EIU dominated the early portion of the math as they used a 4-0 run to build a 12-7 lead. The Blue Raiders had a couple runs of their own to tie it up 21-21. They would score four of the final five points in the set to win.
In the final set, both teams traded punches early until Middle Tennessee gained control late with a 3-0 run that gave them some breathing room over the Panthers. The Blue Raiders went on to win the fourth set by four points.
The Panthers were led by Maggie Runge with 11 kills. Bailey Chandler had 34 assists. Hannah Sieg led the play at the net with three blocks.
MTSU was led by Kayla Henley with 16 kills. Taylor Hammill had 49 assists. Mikaela Weidmann let the team defensively with four blocks.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, SYRACUSE 2
LAWRENCE, Kan. - For the first time since 2013, Morehead State volleyball knocked off an opponent from a Power-Five conference. The Eagles (6-2) outlasted Syracuse (0-3) over five sets, taking the match by scores of 15-25, 27-25, 25-22, 13-25, and 15-12.
Syracuse entered the match having dropped two matches against two ranked foes—No. 17 Baylor and No. 11 Marquette. The Orange concluded last season with an RPI of 36 after finishing 19-9 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
For the second time this season, junior outside hitter Olivia Lohmeier recorded 25 kills, equaling her career-high kill total from the season's opening match against Winthrop. She registered her match-high 25 kills while hitting .262 from the outside, committing just eight errors on 65 swings.
Joining Lohmeier in double-figures was sophomore middle blocker Mia Swearingen who also tied a career-high, slamming home 11 kills. Junior outside hitter Lauren Rokey added eight kills, redshirt junior right-side hitter Liz Allen tallied six kills, and sophomore middle blocker Hannah Keating registered five kills to finish the scoring for Morehead State.
Making her first career start and orchestrating the offense, freshman setter Bridget Bessler passed out 45 of the team's 51 assists. She also added 11 digs to tally her first career double-double.
Defensively, Morehead State raked up 49 total digs, paced by a pair of sophomores. Defensive Specialist Olivia Montelisciani and libero Allison Whitten tallied 12 digs apiece with Whitten eclipsing 10 plus digs for the 28th consecutive match.
At the net, Swearingen turned away a team-best five shots, leading the Eagles to six blocks in the match. Recording a solo block Friday night, she has recorded at least one solo deterrence in six of the eight matches on the season.
In service, Morehead State landed seven more aces against Syracuse, giving the Eagles 59 on the season while having pocketed at least five winners in each of the last four matches. Whitten and redshirt senior defensive specialist Danielle McCarson produced two aces apiece while Lohmeier, Montelisciani, and redshirt sophomore defensive specialist Taylor Hodges each tallied one.
With her ace tonight, Montelisciani has recorded at least one aces in seven of the team's eight matches this season. She leads the Eagles and the Ohio Valley Conference with 17 aces on the season.
Morehead State returns to action, wrapping the Kansas Volleyball Invitational, tomorrow afternoon. The Eagles face Pac-12 foe Arizona with first serve set for 1 p.m. ET.
TENNESSEE STATE 3, NEW ORLEANS 1; TENNESSEE STATE 3, SOUTHERN 0
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tigers competed against New Orleans and Southern today, Sept. 13. TSU won against New Orleans 3-1 (25-11, 25-19, 18-25, 25-13). Tennessee State also beat Southern 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-21).
Tennessee State 3, University of New Orleans 1
Julia Pierson (14) and Aria Holmes (13) led the Tigers with kills. Pierson had her second season double-double with 14 kills and 18 digs. Sofia Garcia-Guerrios assisted 26 times in the New Orleans match, she also had four kills. Gina Rivera-Ortiz had 24 digs.
SET ONE
A six-point lead for TSU put the Tigers ahead of the competion. The Privateers tried to come back into the set but a kill from Pierson squashed that attempt. Khalia Jordan and Pierson with two more kills pulled Blg Blue to a eight-point lead. Kariely Santana-Delgado added to the strong offense with her first kill of the match. Aniya Williams with her first kill of the set gave TSU a 12-point lead over UNO. Two kills from Santana-Delgado and a setting error on New Orleans won the first set for TSU, 25-11.
SET TWO
The Privateers came out ready for the second set, but a kill from Bullock and a service error on UNO pulled the Tigers ahead. An Ace for Jordan and a kill for Pierson continued TSU's run. Pierson with two kills in a row, dominated the net. The Tiger's offense found it's way into the Privateers defense, Jordan came with another kill which gave TSU an 11-point lead. New Orleans found it's strength with a four-point run, only to be stopped by a kill from Pierson. A service error on UNO gave set two to TSU, 25-19.
SET THREE
Pierson with a kill, a block assist from Bullock and Aniya Williams and an attack error on New Orleans gave Tennessee State the lead. An attack error on Jordan put UNO in the lead. A service error on the Privateer's tied the game, but UNO took back the set. Pierson and Holmes with kills tried to keep TSU in the set. An ace for Pierson tied up the set but a kill from Brianna Vega took back the lead for UNO. An error on TSU and a kill from UNO kept the Privateers ahead. Vega with her 11th kill of the match won the set for New Orleans, 25-18.
SET FOUR
Holmes with her seventh kill of the match pulled the Tigers ahead. Three kills from Holmes and another for Pierson put TSU up by five. Williams kept the Tiger's lead strong with a kill but UNO fired back with it's own. Pierson and Holmes added to the five-point lead with two more kills. With her second ace of the match Jordan brought the Tigers to an eight-point lead. A block assist from Williams and Pierson won the final set, 25-13.
Tennessee State 3, Southern 0
Jordan led the team with 10 digs and two aces. Pierson and Bullock tied with nine kills apiece. Teuila Lolotai led the team with 20 assists. Rivera-Ortiz led the match with 15 digs. Holmes led the match with six total blocks (three solo, three assists).
SET ONE
A good volley between the teams started off the set, but SOU pulled ahead on a four-point run. Jordan kept the Tiger's in the set with a kill. Southern's strong defense kept TSU behind. Pierson with her second kill got Tennessee State one-point closer to Southern, an attack error on the Jaguars tied the set. Santana-Delgado with a kill pulled TSU ahead for the first time. Bullock gave the Tigers a three-point lead with her second kill. Two kills in a row and two attack errors on SOU gave the Tigers the first set, 25-19
SET TWO
Kills from Pierson and Jordan, a block assist from Holmes and Jordan put the Tigers ahead by three. Jordan with her sixth kill of the match kept TSU in the lead. The Jaguars tried to stay in the set with a kill from Jada Carter, but with a kill from Holmes Tennessee State stayed ahead. With her third kill of the match, Williams and the Tiger offense worked hard to dominate the board. Williams with another kill gave TSU match point. With a kill for Bullock, the Tigers won the set 26-24.
SET THREE
Williams, Pierson and Bullock all with kills gave the Tigers a huge point advantage. Jordan with a kill and two errors on SOU gave TSU a six-point lead. The Jaguars are let back into the set with three errors off of Tennessee State, but a kill from Santana-Delgado silenced the Jaguar's advance. Kills from Pierson and Bullock kept TSU ahead despite SOU's attempts against the Tiger's defense. Jordan with her tenth kill of the match won the final set for the Tigers, 25-21.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, SAM HOUSTON STATE 1; JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, STETSON 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - It was a good opening day for the Jacksonville State volleyball team that picked up a pair of wins on Saturday in the first day of the 2019 Gamecock Classic hosted at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The Gamecocks (4-4) evened their early-season record with duplicate 3-1 wins over Sam Houston State and Stetson.
Overall, sophomore Lena Kindermann, who entered the weekend as the leading hitter in the Ohio Valley Conference, posted a staggering 35 kills between the two contests. Senior Kaylie Frear had consecutive double-digit kill matches, and junior Kaylie Milton led the way with a team-best 18 kills in Friday's finale as JSU displayed a balanced attack all day.
The driving force behind many of those successful swings was the 91 assists provided by junior Lexie Libs over the eight sets of action.
The opener against Sam Houston State marked the first meeting between the two schools. JSU jumped out to a 25-17 set one victory behind a .560 combined hitting clip. The Gmecocks cooled off for a .200 mark in the second set, but earned another set win by limiting SHSU to hitting just .054 for the frame. The Jax State defense was led at the net by Frear's four blocks, and a pair of rejections from freshman Taylor Prible. Behind the block, Erin Carmichael and Dani Steele recorded double-digit digs with 15 and 12, respectively. Redshirt-junior Sadie Anderson was just one shy with nine digs in a near double-double outing with nine kills as well.
SHSU avoided the sweep with a 25-19 win in the third set, and hung tight in the fourth before JSU was able to close the door in the fourth, holding on to a 26-24 decision to hand the Bearkats a 3-1 defeat.
In the night cap against Stetson, JSU came out on swinging early en route to a runaway 25-11 set victory as Kindermann and Milton began their big nights with four kills each in the first stanza. The second saw the Hatters respond with a .400 team attack mark and even the match at 1-1 after a 25-19 set win. JSU's offense heated up again down the stretch as four Gamecocks finished in double figures with Milton (18), Kindermann (17), Anderson (13) and Frear (12) kept Stetson off-balanced most of the evening.
Carmichael matched her young career-high with another 19-dig match, followed by Libs with 14 as part of the Floyds Knobs, Ind., native's big night which included a season-high 50 assists. Kennedy Powell and Kindermann patrolled the net defensively with three blocks each in the 3-1 victory.
After a 2-0 day on Saturday, the Gamecocks face a marquee matchup on Saturday night as they host the Bulldogs of Mississippi State at 7 p.m. to conclude the Gamecock Classic.
CHATTANOOGA 3, TENNESSSEE TECH 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - After water outages caused the postponement of the Golden Eagles tournament opener, Tech volleyball took on Chattanooga Classic host Chattanooga in a 3-1 contest that was claimed by the Mocs on Friday.
The Golden Eagles were led by junior Ali Verzani hitting an incredible .378 and tied for a match-high 16 kills. Verzani was also excellent in the match from the service line, tallying four aces in the contest. Sophomore Taylor Dorsey joined Verzani with double-digit kills, recording 11 against the Mocs, while also producing a dominating presence at the net, collecting a match-high four total blocks. Sophomore Ashley Hand dished out 36 assists and Carly Skrabak held down the back row with a team-high 13 digs for the Golden Eagles.
The Mocs opened the frame on a 4-1 run, but a 4-1 run from Tech would even things up at five. The Golden Eagles would then take lead halfway through but a late 11-4 run from the Mocs would seal the opening set for Chattanooga, 25-23.
Chattanooga took control early in the second as they would eventually lead 10-5. The Golden Eagles would go on a 6-2 run to bring the contest back within one, 12-11, but the Mocs would retake control and eventually hold on for the 25-22 victory and the two-set advantage.
Tech would not go down easy, as they battled back in the third set to go up early, 6-3. The Golden Eagles would eventually extend their lead to five, 14-9, and would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the set as Tech would eventually close out the set 25-19, and extend the match, 2-1.
The fourth set was equally matched early as it remained tied for much of the early going. However, the Mocs would eventually take control following a 7-0 run for the Mocs, and despite a resilient Golden Eagle squad, would eventually take the 25-19 set and claim the four-set victory, 3-1.
Tech will return to action tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. as the Golden Eagles face the North Alabama Lions, before closing out the Chattanooga Classic tomorrow evening at 3:30 p.m. against the Manhattan Jaspers.