SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 3, Providence 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-14)
@Troy 3,
Murray State 0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-23)
Oakland 3,
Belmont 2 (22-25, 24-26, 25-12, 25-17, 15-10)
North Dakota State 3,
Eastern Illinois 2 (21-25, 25-13, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12)
Eastern Kentucky 3, Dartmouth 0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-22)
Eastern Kentucky 3, North Carolina A&T 0 (25-17, 25, 21, 25-19)
@Southeast Missouri 3, Evansville 0 (25-17, 27-25, 25-19)
@Memphis 3,
UT Martin 1 (25-17, 25-27, 25-18, 25-22)
Austin Peay 3, @Texas Tech 1 (25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 25-22)
@Samford 3,
Jacksonville State 0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-19)
Jacksonville State 3, North Alabama 0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-20)
SIUE 3, Alabama A&M 0 (25-18, 25-19, 26-24)
Northwestern State 3,
Tennessee State 0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23)
Western Kentucky 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-23)
MOREHEAD STATE 3, PROVIDENCE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Wrapping up play at the 2019 Eagle Challenge, Morehead State volleyball ended the tournament the way it began it—with a sweep. The Eagles (5-1) downed foe Providence (3-3) in straight sets, taking the matches by scores of 25-19, 25-19, and 25-14.
The sweep gave Morehead State three such results on the weekend as the team capped off a perfect Eagle Challenge while also marking the second straight season as champions of the event. The weekend's three sweeps also gives the Eagles a string of three straight sweeps for the second consecutive season with three consecutive sweeps after not accomplishing the feat since sweeping four straight in 2013.
Tournament MVP, junior outside hitter Olivia Lohmeier once again collected double-digit kills, recording 12 terminations as she was the lone attacker with 10 or more kills in the match. She finished the weekend with 44 total kills, leading the Eagles on the weekend. Fellow junior outside hitter Lauren Rokey fell one kill shy of double-figures, tallying nine kills on the day while registering 30 on the weekend.
Freshman setter Bridget Bessler led Morehead State with 17 assists on the day while piloting the team's offense during the final two sets, helping the Morehead State to .220 hitting percentage in the sets. In a lone set, redshirt junior Chandler Clark dished out 15 helpers, leading the team to a .238 hitting percentage in the first set. Overall, the Eagles hit .227, recording 41 kills.
Captaining the defense was sophomore libero Allison Whitten who scooped up a team-high 13 balls. She earned a place on the All-Tournament Team as she dug up 44 balls on the weekend. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Hodges and redshirt senior Danielle McCarson paced the defensive specialists, joining Whitten in double-figures, registering 10 digs apiece.
Morehead State's final All-Tournament Team member, sophomore middle blocker Mia Swearingen led the Morehead State block, deterring four shots (one solo and three assists) against Providence. She also paced the Eagles on the weekend, recording 15 total blocks, including four solos, during the three-match event. Swearingen also added 25 kills during the tournament, including seven on Saturday.
The Eagles head on the road next weekend, travelling to Lawrence, Kan. to compete at the Kansas Volleyball Invitational. The event will feature some stiff competition as Morehead State faces the host Jayhawks of the Big 12, Syracuse of the ACC, and Arizona from the Pac-12. The tournament will mark the first time in program history the Eagles have faced three Power-Five Conference foes since the term was adopted, colloquially, in 2006.
TROY 3, MURRAY STATE 0
TROY, Ala. - After sweeping day one of the Troy Invitational on Friday, the Murray State volleyball was looking for the tournament title Saturday when they faced off against the host Trojans, but came up short, falling in straight sets, 25-13, 25-22, 25-23
Rachel Giustino capped off her strong weekend by notching 19 kills and eight digs. Ashley McBee dished out 25 assists while Becca Fernandez collected 18 digs. Giustino and Rachel Kinney also tallied two blocks each. Fernandez and Rachel Holthaus were named All-Tournament Team.
The Racers improved in every set as their hitting percentage increased throughout the match as Troy's decreased, but it was too much of a hill to climb.
After the Trojans took the first set without much resistance, MSU bounced back to keep it close throughout the second set as the score was tied as late as 19-19. However, Troy closed out the set with a 6-3 run to go up two sets to none.
In the third set, the Racers jumped out to a 13-8 lead, but Troy kept inching closer the rest of the set eventually tying the set at 22 before winning three of the last four points to clinch the victory.
Murray State will be back in action next weekend at the UIC Invitational in Chicago. They will open Friday afternoon against Sacramento State before taking on UIC and Bradley on Saturday.
OAKLAND 3, BELMONT 2
PEORIA, Ill. -- For the first time this season, Belmont University Volleyball was forced into a fifth set to decide a match on Saturday. The Bruins (1-6) were edged, 3-2, by Oakland (4-2) in their final match of the CEFCU Invitational, hosted by Bradley.
The contest opened with an intense back and forth battle with neither team letting the opponent get more than two points ahead of the other. Suddenly, the Bruins used a 5-0 run to pull ahead, 16-13, forcing the Golden Grizzlies to call timeout. Belmont remained ahead until Oakland used a quick flurry to knot the score and take a one-point lead, 19-18. BU, who called for a huddle session, was able to settle down and refocus. After three ties, sophomore Taylor Floyd (Louisville, Ky.) knocked down a hard kill and was followed by freshman Lauren Walsh (Torrance, Calif.), who drilled a service ace to lift Belmont to set point. OU called for a timeout but it did not stop the inevitable as the Bruins clenched the 25-22 win after a Golden Grizzlies error.
Belmont carried their hot momentum over into the second stanza, rolling off three straight points to open, including a service ace by sophomore Carly Mason (Forsyth, Ill.). The match fell back into another back and forth battle with the score being knotted 15 times before a team relented and called for a timeout. After the OU called break, Belmont surged and used kills from junior Halee Van Poppel (Argyle, Texas) and Walsh to inch closer to set point. Oakland attempted to match BU stride for stride down the stretch before needing to call a timeout with set point in reach for Belmont. The Bruins picked up the final three points for the 26-24 win, thanks to Walsh, Van Poppel and junior MacKenzie Harless (Brownsburg, Ind.).
Set three saw the Bruins fall behind early, 5-1 but quickly rallied behind three consecutive kills from Harless, Walsh and Van Poppel. The Golden Grizzlies pushed again but this time Belmont called for a timeout to settle down after falling behind, 15-6. After the break, OU continued to roll and cruised to the 25-12 win.
BU came out swinging to rebound in the fourth set but soon Oakland was able to knot the score and used a 4-0 run to pull ahead, 9-6. The Bruins called for a brief break in the action but the Golden Grizzlies kept pushing and blew their lead up to eight points, 18-10. Belmont began to chip away at the OU lead behind kills from Van Poppel, Floyd and Walsh. A flurry saw Belmont close the gap to 22-15 but OU was able to hold on for the 25-17 win.
The Golden Grizzlies forced a fifth set and the teams were close early, both seeking to take control of the final frame. OU doubled up on Belmont, pulling ahead, 6-3. BU responded by calling for a timeout. Oakland pressed again, rolling off three consecutive points to take an 8-3 lead at the switch. The Golden Grizzlies quickly added a handful of points to pull ahead, this time 12-6. Belmont burned its final timeout of the frame. Spurred by a powerful kill by sophomore Mary Catherine Ball, the Bruins rolled off three points to close to within four, 13-9. A frustrated OU bench called timeout as BU kept clawing. Unfortunately, time was not on Belmont's side as Oakland was able to take the final set, 15-10.
For the contest, Walsh led the Bruins in kills with a total of 13 and picked up her second double-double of the season with 14 digs. Van Poppel recorded 10 kills in the effort. Junior Akia Warrior (Fort Worth, Texas) and Mason tallied 23 and 22 assists, respectively. Sophomore Peyton Kelley (Normal, Ill.) posted a match-high 17 digs. Freshman Kailee Bass (Aurora, Ill.) logged a solo block and finished with five block assists.
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday evening in the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host long-time rival Lipscomb for the annual Battle of the Boulevard. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Eastern Illinois volleyball wrapped up its second in-season tournament of the year on Saturday afternoon losing in five sets to North Dakota State.
The Bison won the fifth set 15-12 to take the match 21-25, 25-13, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12.
With the loss EIU falls to 0-6 on the season. The Panthers return to action next week at the Evansville Dunn Hospitality Tournament.
In the first set, the Panthers jumped out of the gate fast with a 7-0 run with Katie Sommer serving. Sommer had three straight service aces in the set. North Dakota State rallied to tie it up at 10-10. With the set tied at 18-18, EIU used a 5-0 run as they went on for the 25-21 set one win. Ireland Hieb had two kills in the run.
In the second set it was NDSU that used a couple quick runs to their advantage. The Bison built a 13-6 lead and cruised to the 25-13 set win. NDSU continued their second set momentum into the early stages of set three jumping out to a 5-1 lead. After back-and-forth action that tied the set at 17-17, Emily Halverson had a pair of kills as NDSU used a 5-0 run to create some separation and win the set.
EIU was able to even that match at two sets each as they had a critical 5-0 run late in the set. In the fifth and final set, NDSU went on a 3-0 run and the Panthers came back with their own 5-0 run to take the lead at 7-4. NDSU then went on a 5-0 run to take the lead and win the last set.
The Panthers were led by Sommer with 12 kills and five aces. Bailey Chandler had 36 assists. Hannah Sieg led the play at the net with five blocks.
NDSU was led by Alexis Bachmeier with 13 kills and Ally Murphy with 12 kills. Halverson led the team in blocks with four.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, DARTMOUTH 0; EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, NORTH CAROLINA A&T 0
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Eastern Kentucky University volleyball team swept a pair of contests against Dartmouth College and North Carolina A&T on Saturday at the UNC Asheville Invitational.
The Colonels won the first match 25-22, 26-24 and 25-22, before winning the second match 25-17, 25-21 and 25-19
Against Dartmouth, sophomore Jovana Bulatovic posted seven kills and a match-high 19 digs. Senior Katelyn Caserma-Kloeble went for seven kills, three solo blocks and four block assists. Kaylin Johnson went for eight kills, five digs and four blocks.
Set one, was a game of runs. Eastern started the set on a 5-0 run after an attack error by Dartmouth to take an early lead. Dartmouth wasted no time answering right back with a 6-0 run of its own to take a 6-5 lead after the kill by Elise Petit. EKU answered right back with four of the next five points punctuated by a kill from Jovana Bulatovic to take a 9-7 lead. With the Colonels leading 11-9, the Big Green scored four straight points after an EKU error to take a 13-11 lead. The two teams traded points for much of the set after that before Eastern scored the last three points after a Bulatovic kill to win the opening set 25-22.
Eastern got off to a quick start in set two, jumping out to a 6-2 lead after an ace by Bulatovic. Dartmouth scored seven straight points to take a 9-6 lead after an EKU attack error. After falling behind in set two 20-14, Eastern made its run. The Colonels scored six of the next seven points after a kill by freshman Abby Noll to cut into the lead 21-20. Dartmouth responded with two points to take a 23-20 lead, but Eastern scored the next four to take a 24-23 lead. After Dartmouth tied the game at 24-24, Eastern ended the set by scoring the last two points to take it 26-24.
In set three, Dartmouth used an early spark to take a 6-3 lead after a kill by Petit. Eastern answered back with a 4-0 run of its own to take a 7-6 lead early in the set. After a kill by Grace Wiczek, Dartmouth took a commanding 18-11 lead in the set. Once again, Eastern did not go down without a fight. The Colonels scored six straight points after back-to-back kills by Rachel Woody to cut the Dartmouth lead to 18-17. With Dartmouth leading 21-19 late in the set, Eastern scored four straight points after an attack error to give them the 23-21 lead. EKU ended the match after back-to-back kills from Noll to complete the sweep 25-22.
Petit lead the Big Green offense with 10 kills and five digs. Wiczek chipped in eight kills of her own.
In match two against North Carolina A&T, the Colonels brought out the brooms for the second time on the day winning in straight sets 25-17, 25-21 and 25-19.
Johnson posted a match-best 12 kills and four blocks. Bulatovic posted nine kills and nine digs. Claire Hankinson chipped in five blocks of her own.
The Aggies got off to a good start, jumping out to a 4-1 lead after a couple EKU errors. That is when EKU flexed its muscles, scoring the next seven points of the match after a kill by Johnson to take an 8-4 lead and never looked back. North Carolina A&T got it within three points at 15-12, but Eastern scored four of the next five points after a kill by Caserma-Kloeble to take a 19-13 lead. Eastern finished off the first set after a kill by Noll to win 25-17.
Set two was a lot of back and forth to start, after a kill by Noll made it 7-7 early. After a kill and attack error by Eastern, the Aggies pushed its lead to the biggest of the set 15-12. Eastern got it going after that, scoring five of the next six points to take the 17-16 lead. Following a kill by Courteney Pitt that tied the game at 19-19. EKU scored four of the next five points to pull away and take a 23-20 lead. A kill by Johnson and an attack error by the Aggies ended the second set and put the Colonels up 2-0 on the match.
Set three started off much like set one and the Aggies jumped out to an early 6-3 lead after an EKU error. A kill by Tasmyn Fahey put the Aggies up 10-8, but Eastern ran six of the next seven points to take a 14-11 lead and never give it up again. A&T cut the lead to one after a kill by Andrea Laboy-Rivera, but EKU went on a 4-1 run to take an 18-14 lead and not look back. Johnson punctuated the match with her match-high 12th kill to complete the sweep.
Pitt lead the offense for the Aggies posted a team-best nine kills.
Eastern returns to the court Tuesday against rival Western Kentucky in Bowling Green. First serve is at 7 p.m.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, EVANSVILLE 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (4-2) captured the 2019 Redhawks Invitational Championship with its third-straight 3-0 sweep Saturday afternoon at Houck Field House.
After opening the tournament Friday with sweep wins over Jackson State (3-4) and Western Illinois (3-3), Southeast completed the trifecta with a 25-17, 27-25, 25-19, victory over Evansville (1-2) Saturday.
Claire Ochs was named the 2019 Redhawks Invitational MVP after she tallied 29 assists in the match with the Purple Aces. Ochs finished the weekend with 87 assists, 21 digs, 11 kills and eight blocks.
Colby Greene and Laney Malloy were named to the all-tournament team.
Greene along with Annie Wehrheim (.321) paced the Redhawks Saturday with 10 kills. Greene completed the tournament with 27 kills on a .355 hitting clip and added eight blocks.
Malloy led the Redhawks over the three matches with 32 total kills while hitting .329 including nine with four service aces on Saturday. She also had 17 digs at the Invitational.
Southeast jumped out to a 9-3 advantage in the opening set, which brought on an Evansville timeout.
Back-to-back kills from Maggie Adams and Greene extended the margin to 18-9.
The Purple Aces came as close as 22-17 before two Malloy kills and a setting error closed out the set for SEMO, 25-17.
Malloy had four rally stoppers in the opening set as Southeast hit at a .290 rate.
The second set was a tighter affair as Evansville and the Redhawks were knotted 12 times during the frame.
A 5-0 run gave the Redhawks some breathing room and brought on a Purple Aces timeout with SEMO leading 17-12.
Adams and Greene combined for two block assists in the rally.
Out of the break, Evansville responded with six straight points to pull ahead, 18-17.
The Purple Aces then tied the set at 23-23, 24-24 and 25-25.
Greene slammed a kill before teaming up with Krista Berns for a block assist to claim the set, 27-25.
Greene and Wehrheim both tallied half (five) of their 10 kills in the middle frame. Berns and Greene (career high) also led the Redhawks defensively with six total blocks each in the match.
Southeast then began the final set with a fast start. Malloy registered three service aces during a 5-0 run to bring the Redhawks lead to 12-5.
A Malloy kill along with block assists from Talia Gouard and Greene with an Ochs ace made the advantage, 18-7.
Two kills from Alondra Vazquez and a rally stopper from Kate Tsironis cut the edge to 22-18 and prompted a SEMO timeout.
Ochs then was a part of block assists with Berns and then Gouard after the stoppage as the sophomore from Chesterfield, Missouri, matched a personal high five blocks.
Wehrheim followed that up with a kill to seal the Championship with a 25-19 third set.
Tara Beilsmith paced the defense with 22 digs and finished the weekend with 54. Ally Dion added 12 Saturday with two service aces. Malloy had 10 digs.
Southeast out blocked Evansville, 12-3.
The Redhawks next head to Carbondale, Illinois, on Tuesday for a mid-week matchup against regional rival Southern Illinois (3-3) at 6 p.m. at Davies Gym.
SEMO then competes in its third tournament of the season at the Panthers Invitational in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sept. 13-14. The Redhawks open the tournament on Sept. 13 at 12:30 p.m. against Milwaukee which is the alma mater of head coach Julie Yankus before facing Western Michigan at 5 p.m. Southeast closes out the Invitational against Butler at noon on Sept. 14.
MEMPHIS 3, UT MARTIN 1
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team put up a fight today in the Tiger Brawl finale but ultimately was handed a 3-1 setback (17-25, 27-25, 18-25, 22-25) to host Memphis.
Following the tournament, junior setter Kenzie Hinshaw and senior outside hitter Hannah Phillips were each named to the Tiger Brawl all-tournament team. Hinshaw recorded 85 assists (7.08 per set) to go along with 29 digs (2.42 per set), 10 kills on a .333 attack percentage, seven blocks and a pair of service aces in the three-match event. Phillips tallied a team-best 31 kills (2.58 per set) on a .296 hitting percentage, 27 digs (2.25 per set), 10 blocks, two service aces and three assists over the weekend.
During today’s match, Phillips came away with a team-best 13 kills while hitting .243 on 37 swings. Hinshaw was responsible for 31 assists while Jamie Rys (career-best 23 digs) paced four Skyhawks in double-digit digs. Justine Walker also had a hand in 12 assisted blocks, helping UT Martin (3-4) collect 17 blocks as a team.
Memphis (6-0) began the first set on an 8-3 run before the Skyhawks trimmed their deficit to 11-8. Moments later, the Tigers used an 8-1 surge to go on top by double-digits (21-10) but UT Martin was able to make it interesting late. A Gintare Mackeviciute kill spurned a 5-0 Skyhawk run and following back-to-back block assists, UT Martin battled all the way back to 23-17 before Memphis scored two straight points to close out the first stanza.
The Skyhawks showed tons of grit in the second set, staving off set point on two different occasions to even the match at 1-all. Walker was responsible for each of UT Martin’s first four points in the set, dialing up three kills and a block assist in that span. Neither side would open up more than a two-point advantage four unanswered points out of Memphis created a 14-11 Skyhawk deficit. The Tigers eventually stretched their lead out to 22-18 but UT Martin evened the match at 24-all after a Jessica Reynolds kill. Memphis led 25-24 but Phillips (kill), Logan Wallick (kill) and Mackeviciute/Hinshaw (assisted block) completed the Skyhawk comeback.
Phillips started the third set with two straight kills and chipped in a block assist to provide UT Martin with an early 3-0 advantage. However, the Tigers reeled off six unanswered points as part of a 9-1 run. The Skyhawks battled all the way back to even the score at 9-all and the score remained tied (12-12) until a 6-0 Memphis surge. UT Martin would not get any closer than five points for the remainder of the set.
The Skyhawks received a pair of early kills out of Wallick in the fourth stanza but yet another extended run by the Tigers (6-0) led to a 10-4 UT Martin deficit. The Skyhawks soon opened up a 16-14 advantage behind a lengthy 11-3 run. The duo of Reynolds and Hinshaw each came away with a pair of kills during UT Martin’s surge. Memphis later scored four straight points to go on top 24-19 but the Skyhawks responded quickly with a 3-0 run of their own, forcing Memphis to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Tigers came away with an assisted block to conclude the match.
UT Martin resumes its nonconference tournament schedule next weekend when it takes part in the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic hosted by Saint Louis University. The Skyhawks are pitted against Marshall on Friday, Sept. 13 and against both Troy and Saint Louis on Saturday, Sept. 14.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, TEXAS TECH 1
EVANSTON, Ill. – Junior Chloe Stitt scored 14 kills to lead Austin Peay State University's volleyball team to a four-set (25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 25-22) victory against Big 12 Conference foe Texas Tech, Saturday, in the final day of the NU Under Armour Challenge at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Junior Brooke Moore added 11 kills, 14 digs and three service aces in the victory and was named to the all-tournament team after posting double-digit kill totals in the tourney's three matches. Sophomore Karli Graham recorded nine blocks and six kills – leading a Governors effort that recorded 15 blocks against the Red Raiders.
Senior Ginny Gerig closed her stay in Illinois with a season-best 25-dig performance. The performance moved her to eight in program history with 1,529 career digs – 19 shy of Jenny Wenning's 1,548 career digs (1996-99). Freshman Tegan Seyring had career highs in kills (9) and blocks (3) against the Red Raiders. Junior Caroline Waite notched a career-high 17 assists in the win while freshman Kelsey Mead chipped in 15 assists.
Austin Peay returns home to begin preparation for next weekend's trip to Columbia, Missouri and the Mizzou Invitational. The four-match, three-day stay will pit the Governors against host Missouri, Northern Iowa, Kansas City and Boise State.
SIUE 3, ALABAMA A&M 0
CARBONDALE, Ill.— The Cougars sweep Alabama A&M 25-18, 25-19, 26-24, to win the Saluki Bash.
Several members of the team contributed to the victory including Savannah Christian who led the team in kills with 12 and hit an impressive .450, Annie Ellis contributed 9 kills, hit .583 and led the team in blocks with three and Hope Everett and Rachel McDonald had 7 kills each on the afternoon.
Gabby Wimes led the team in aces with three, Jordyn Klein assisted on the defensive side with 14 digs, Mallory Nicholson had 17 assists on the afternoon and Addie Sieber had 15 to add to the Cougars sweep.
The Cougars end the weekend 3-0 and Saluki Bash Tournament Champions. The team also had three players represented on the All-Tournament Team.
Christian was named the Tournament MVP after totaling 34 kills on the weekend and a hitting percentage of .400. She also added nine blocks to her totals on the weekend.
Ellis and Nicholson were both named to the All-Tournament Team as well. Ellis ended the tournament with 22 kills, 13 blocks and hit .372 in three matches. Nicholson tallied 61 assists on the weekend and also 26 digs. She also recorded a double-double of 18 assists and 10 digs against Southeastern Louisiana.
The Cougars improve their record to 5-1 on the season. The team will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to play in the Tulsa Invitational next weekend. They will take on University of Texas at San Antonio in the first game on Friday at 10 a.m.
NORTHWESTERN STATE 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
MOBILE, Ala. - Tennessee State split day one of the Jaguar Invitational, losing against South Alabama 3-2 and beating Mississippi Valley State 3-0. The last match for the Tigers was against the Demons of Northwestern State, who proved to be a challenge. TSU lost 3-0 to the Demons (25-22, 25-20, 25-23).
Julia Pierson lead the team with ten kills and had Aniya Williams closely behind with nine. Gina Rivera-Ortiz led the match with 14 digs. Teuila Lolotai assisted the Tigers 14 times this match.
SET ONE
Kills from Julia Pierson, Aria Holmes, Khalia Jordan and Sofia Garcia-Guerrios and a block for Kendall Bullock gave the Tigers an early lead. Northwestern State tried to find a way in with a kill from Darria Williams. The Tigers offense stayed strong with a kill from Holmes and Jordan. The Demons started to find a spot on the board with a kill from Alexis Warren and two errors on TSU. A tied game due to an error on Kiara Hill, but a kill from Aniya Williams took the lead back for the Tigers. But, with an error on Jordan the set goes to NSU, 25-22.
SET TWO
NSU came out strong offensively with five kills. The Tigers tried to find its way back into the match with a kill from Kendall Bullock. But a kill from NSU's Williams gave Northwestern State a six-point lead. Ending a six-point lead, Holmes notched another kill for her record. Defensivly the Tigers came strong with a block assist from Pierson and Williams. Northwestern State proved to be a challenge in this set, not letting up the lead. Pierson with two kills in a row gave the Tiger's momentum to get back into the set. Desptie Big Blue's efforts, a kill from NSU's Hannah Brister won the set 25-20.
SET THREE
Northwesten State's offense came out swinging, racking up four kills. Bullock and Pierson kept the Tigers on the board with a kill for each. Jordan with her fifth kill of the match kept TSU fighting while NSU pulled out another kill. Williams and Pierson recorded more kills that kept Tennessee State in the game. Errors on Northwestern State kept TSU in the set, but Northwestern State kept it's six-point lead. Pierson with her tenth kill of the match motivated the Tigers to dig deep. But with a kill from Alexis Warren, Northwestern won the final set 25-23.
Tennessee State Tigers will host Evansville for Big Blue's High School night with a Meet and Greet after. Come out and support in Kean Hall at 6 p.m. on Sept. 10.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Tech volleyball closed out competition in Louisville, Ky. on Saturday, falling in straight sets against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at the Fleur de Lis Tournament.
Junior Ali Verzani led the Golden Eagles offense with a team-high seven kills, while senior Rachel Thomas hit for .267 and tallied six kills. Freshman Morgan Gish also tallied six kills in the contest. Defensively, Aynsley Stier tallied a team-leading three blocks in the contest. Ashley Hand tallied 14 assists for Tech.
The Hilltoppers opened the contest with the early lead six-point lead, 9-3. Tech would respond with a 3-0 run to cut the deficit in half, 9-6, but that was as close as the opening set got as the Hilltoppers would slowly break away and take the opening set, 25-12.
Tech came out gunning in the second to take a 3-1 lead. The Golden Eagles battled with the Hilltoppers through eight ties until the WKU took a 12-11 advantage. The Hilltoppers would not relinquish the lead the remainder of the set as they would close things out to take the two-set advantage, 25-19.
Western Kentucky opened the third set with a 7-1 run to lead early. The Hilltoppers maintained an advantage until Tech produced a 3-0 run following a two-point deficit, 20-18, to take their first lead of the set, 21-20. The Golden Eagles battled with the Hilltoppers to a pair of ties at 22 and 23 before WKU would eventually tally a pair of kills to take the match, 25-23.
The Golden Eagles will head to Chattanooga, Tenn. next weekend as they participate in the Chattanooga Classic as they take on Manhattan, Chattanooga, and North Alabama.