SATURDAY'S SCORES
Tennessee Tech 3, Troy 0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-19)
Virginia Tech 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-14)
Murray State 3, @Georgia Southern 1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 25-14)
Eastern Illinois 3, USC Upstate 0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-20)
Eastern Michigan 3,
Belmont 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-19)
Oregon State 3,
SIUE 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-22)
@Indiana State 3,
Austin Peay 2 (21-25, 28-26, 22-25, 25-22, 15-8)
Western Kentucky 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-14)
Arkansas State 3,
@Southeast Missouri 2 (20-25, 25-16, 25-23, 24-26, 15-13)
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, USC UPSTATE 0
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Eastern Illinois wins their second tournament of the year by going 3-0 in the Southern Illinois Saluki Tournament. EIU defeated USC Upstate in straight sets (25-18, 25-19, 25-20). This improves their overall record to 7-1.
EIU had 12 kills in the first set led by Ella Collins with four. Eastern posted a .241 hitting percentage in the first set with the assists of Summerlyn Smith who collected 10 of them. The Panthers also recorded five service aces and one block.
Kills were a big part of the Panther offense in the second with 15 of them coming in that set alone. Danielle Allen had collected seven total kills in their first two sets. EIU had a hitting percentage of .429 going 15 for 28 on attacks. The Panthers held USC Upstate to just a .194 hitting percentage in the second.
Eastern swept the Spartans in the last set winning 25-20. Seventeen kills were recorded in that set by the Panthers compared to 10 for USC Upstate. EIU posted a .314 hitting percentage going 17 for 35 on attacks. The Panthers recorded four service aces in the third.
Collins finished the match with 16 kills with Allen and Emily Wilcox each recording nine kills. Smith ended the match with 36 assists and eight digs. Lorrainne Perez also collected 16 digs.
USC Upstate was led by Renae Watson with seven kills, Emma McElveen with 12 assists and Julia Gladhill with four service aces. The Spartans drop to 2-6.
EIU will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 17 at Indiana State at 5 p.m. The Panthers will return home on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. against Indiana State for their second meeting.
OREGON STATE 3, SIUE 0
FT. COLLINS, Colo. - Despite a tremendous defensive effort that saw the Cougars hold their opponents to a season-low hitting percentage, SIUE volleyball could not find their rhythm on the attack and dropped a narrow three-set decision to Pac-12 Conference power Oregon State on Saturday afternoon.
The opening set saw the Cougars force the Beavers into seven attack errors and a hitting percentage of just .132, coming within two points of claiming their first set win over a Power Five opponent since August 29, 2014. The Cougars recorded 10 kills in the set, a number they would equal in the second set. Oregon State, however, would catch the momentum in the second set, and won the second set thanks to a number of helpful Beaver service aces. The third set saw the Cougars storm ahead and maintain a lead for much of the set, but their efforts would be bested by the Beavers and the Cougars would fall just three point shy of claiming a set victory.
Sydney Hummert led the Cougar attack, notching a team-high seven kills in the contest. Annie Ellis and Savannah Christian would not be far behind though, registering five and four kills, respectively. Ellis would also lead the Red & White with four block assists, continuing her incredible run of form in blocking opposing attacks. Another highlight of the day came in Julia Treichel, who recorded three of SIUE's four service aces while also leading the Cougars with double-digit digs. Alyse Drifka dished out a team-high 13 assists against the Beavers, followed closely by freshman Grace Beekman's 10.
The Cougars will spend the final weekend of non-conference play in the friendly confines of First Community Arena, playing an official match at home for the first time this season when they welcome Valparaiso and Western Illinois to Edwardsville. First serve against Valparaiso is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, and the Cougars will close out non-conference play against Western Illinois at 2 p.m. Saturday
EASTERN MICHIGAN 3, BELMONT 0
CHICAGO, Ill. - Belmont University volleyball dropped their final match of the UIC Invitational on Saturday, falling in straight sets, 3-0, to Eastern Michigan at the Flames Athletic Center.
Eastern Michigan won 25-20, 25-18, 25-19 to earn their fourth win of the season. Belmont fell to 2-4 with the loss.
Taylor Floyd led the way with nine kills for the Bruins, Mary Catherine Ball tallied a season-high seven kills, and Kailee Bass finished with six kills, including five in the first set.
One night after dominating Chicago State at the net with 22.0 total blocks, the Bruins couldn't get much going against a tough Cougar offense, getting out-blocked 17.0 to 9.0.
In the first set, Belmont mounted a furious comeback after trailing 19-11 to cut the score to just 23-20 in favor of Eastern Michigan. A big reason for the hot Belmont stretch was the play of Bass, who at one point picked up three straight kills. The senior middle blocker ended with five total kills in the set, a season-high for the Aurora, Ill., native.
That first-set deficit was just a little too much for the Bruins to overcome, however, as the rally fizzled out to a 25-20 Eagles set win.
The second frame saw Belmont get as close as 16-13, but Eastern Michigan closed out the set strong, a theme from throughout the afternoon. The Eagles hit .352 for the match, including a terrific .438 in the second set alone.
In the final set, Eastern Michigan held the Bruins at bay despite timely points picked up by Ally Peterson and Sydney Willis. Belmont continued to scratch and claw to stay in the mix, but Eastern Michigan held on for the sweep.
Belmont has a much-anticipated Battle of the Boulevard date with Lipscomb on Tuesday, Sept. 14. The match, at Allen Arena on Lipscomb's campus, will be streamed on ESPN+. The Bruins lead the all-time series with the Bisons, 26-18.
MURRAY STATE 3, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 1
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Murray State Racers volleyball team (5-3, 0-0 OVC) took down tournament host Georgia Southern (4-3, 0-0 Sun Belt) in four sets, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 25-14 to go undefeated in the Eagle Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia.
Senior libero Becca Fernandez broke Murray State's All-Time Digs record, collecting 19 digs in the match to surpass Kayleah Sauer ('08-'11) with 2,166 career digs.
The NCAA Kills Per Set leader, freshman Brooke Lynn Watts, was unstoppable as she put down 34 kills on a blistering .387 hitting percentage to break the Racers' Single Match (4-set) Kills Record.
Freshman setter Bailey DeMier paced the Racer offense to a .263 hitting percentage with 53 assists and added four kills and two service aces.
Kolby McClelland was the other Racer with double-figure kills (10) as she also put up two block assists, one block solo and one service ace. Jayla Holcombe came off the bench to deliver seven kills on a .455 hitting percentage.
Senior outside hitter Emily Matson set a new career-high with 13 digs.
The first two sets were close as the Racers won set one 25-23 before the Eagles took set two by the same score from Murray State to even things at one apiece.
The third and fourth sets were all Murray State as they changed the momentum early in the third set thanks to a successful challenge on a touch call. The Racers went on a 6-1 run and never looked back, closing the third set, 25-19 and the fourth set and match, 25-14.
Murray State heads to Evansville, Indiana next weekend for the University of Evansville's Dunn Hospitality Invitational. The Racers take on Cleveland State, Liberty and Evansville from Sept. 17-18.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, TROY 0; VIRGINIA TECH 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - It was a doubleheader split for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Saturday, as the Golden Eagles wrapped up the Chattanooga Classic with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-19) victory over Troy and a 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-14) loss at the hands of Virginia Tech at Maclellan Gym.
Kicking off the morning, the Golden Eagles continued a strong stretch of play with their third consecutive sweep, besting the Trojans 3-0 behind a .269 hitting percentage, 10 service aces, 38 kills, and an impressive 12 total blocks.
Tight for much of the first set, the purple and gold pulled away late, breaking an 18-18 tie with a 7-2 run for the early win. Troy looked to pull even in the second game of the morning session, owning a 19-17 advantage with a win in sight. Tech quickly ended that hope, running off eight straight points to end the set with a 25-19 victory and 2-0 lead in the match.
The Golden Eagles controlled a large portion of the third and final set against the Trojans, breaking an early 6-6 tie and never relinquishing control again. Tech went on to a sweet, 25-19 victory to collect its third straight sweep for the first time since throwing together five straight in October of 2008.
Junior Taylor Dorsey continued her strong showing in Chattanooga with 10 kills on a .500 attack percentage in the win. She also notched three block assists and an ace. The middle blocker moved into sixth place on Tech's career block assists list in the match, passing Cookeville native Cody Dodd.
Outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen also contributed 10 kills, hitting .233 with a pair of aces and five total blocks. Setter Ashley Hand distributed 31 assists while libero McKenna Young accounted for a match-high 13 digs, as well as two aces. Freshman Payton Lombardi turned in a match-best four service aces in addition to five digs.
In the second match of the day, Virginia Tech took control early and used a robust defense to execute a 3-0 win over the Golden Eagles, holding Tech to an .031 attack percentage. The Hokies posted 11.0 total blocks in the victory.
Isringhausen led the attack for the purple and gold, compiling eight kills with a pair of service aces and three digs. Dorsey chipped in seven more kills and a pair of block assists, moving into 10th place in program history for total blocks.
Hand dished out 22 more helpers in the second game, accumulating the 2,000th assist of her collegiate career. She became just the 11th Golden Eagles in program history to accomplish the feat.
Tech will conclude tournament and non-conference action with a trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the Bama Bash Invitational. The event starts with a 2:00 p.m. CT tilt on Friday, Sept. 17 against Western Carolina. The Golden Eagles conclude things with a Saturday, Sept. 18 match at 1:00 p.m. against Houston and a 6:00 p.m. affair with host Alabama.
INDIANA STATE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 2
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Austin Peay State University's volleyball team dropped a five-set match (25-21, 26-28, 25-22, 22-25, 8-15) to host Indiana State to conclude its weekend at the Sycamore Invitational. The Governors were led by junior right-side hitter Mikayla Powell who had a season-high 18 kills in the loss.
The Govs took an early lead with a 25-21 victory in the first set, but a back-and-forth second frame led to overtime and fell in favor of the Sycamores, as they tied the match with a 28-26 win.
Indiana State forced a fifth set after a 25-22 victory in the match's penultimate frame, but a fifth set plagued by a .150 hitting percentage and four errors led to the Govs' defeat against the host school.
Brooke Moore and Tegan Seyring each recorded 15-kill performances for the Govs. Moore also notched her fifth double-double of the season with 12 digs.
Setters Kelsey Mead and Caroline Waite each recorded 30-plus assists in the outing, with Mead leading the way with 32 and 16 digs and Waite tallying 31 assists and 12 digs.
Austin Peay concludes its four-week, season-opening road trip in the Bluegrass State at Western Kentucky for the WKU Volleyball Invitational. The Govs open the invitational with matches against St. John's and Western Kentucky at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively, on Friday, Sept. 17. The Govs wrap up the tournament with a 3:30 p.m., Saturday match against Ohio.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 3, UT MARTIN 0
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team ran into one of the hottest teams in the country today as the Skyhawks fell by a 3-0 margin (13-25, 14-25, 14-25) at No. 15 Western Kentucky on the final day of the Holiday Inn-University Plaza Invitational.
Following the match, UT Martin senior Addison Conley was named to the six-member all-tournament team. The London, Ohio native compiled a team-high 29 kills (2.64 per set) and 20 digs through three matches this weekend.
Conley came away with a team-best nine kills today while Haeleigh Paulino distributed 20 assists to manage the Skyhawk offensive attack. Baillie Kearns topped UT Martin in digs (10) for the fifth time in nine matches this season and Olivia Saunders turned away a team-high three blocks.
The first set started with back-to-back kills from Conley while her third kill in the Skyhawks’ first four points helped UT Martin even the score at 5-all. Paulino, Saunders and Zoe Merriweather contributed kills soon thereafter to help keep the Skyhawks within striking distance but the Hilltoppers wrapped up the set on a 13-4 run to take the opening stanza. Conley’s three kills in six swings led UT Martin to start out the match.
Conley was on a tear to begin the second set as well, collecting three straight kills to power the Skyhawks to a 4-3 advantage. Kills by four different UT Martin players (Olivia Lucia, Karen Scanlon, Audrey Haworth, Saunders) kept the lead in the Skyhawks favor at 9-8 but Western Kentucky responded with eight unanswered points. Another kill by Lucia put an end to UT Martin’s offensive drought but it wasn’t enough as the Hilltoppers accounted for nine of the final 13 points. Paulino assisted on all 11 of the Skyhawk kills in the middle stanza.
Western Kentucky (8-1) raced out to an 8-2 lead to start the third set but UT Martin rallied for a 6-3 run. Saunders and Paulino joined forces for a block assist to cap off the Skyhawk surge, which closed the gap to 11-8. Conley soon slammed down yet another kill as UT Martin battled to extend the match. However, the Hilltoppers wrapped up the match on an 11-4 run. Conley (three kills) and Paulino (four digs) guided the Skyhawks offensively and defensively, respectively, in the final set.
Next weekend, UT Martin closes out nonconference play when it takes part in the Tiger Brawl in Memphis, Tenn. The Skyhawks will take on Arkansas State (9 a.m.) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 17 before clashing against tournament host Memphis at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18.
ARKANSAS STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (6-3) concluded its 2021 SEMO Invitational with a five-set loss (20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 26-24, 15-13) to Arkansas State (6-3) Saturday evening at Houck Field House.
Laney Malloy paced the Redhawks offense with 20 kills and 16 digs on a .241 hitting clip. Colby Greene added 15 kills on a .317 rate and Zoey Beasley finished with 11 and eight digs.
Claire Ochs dished out 52 assists to complement 20 digs and eight kills while Tara Beilsmith grabbed 26 digs with seven assists and two aces.
Beilsmith and Malloy were both named to the 2021 SEMO Invitational all-tournament team at the conclusion of the match. Malloy led SEMO with 61 kills and 47 digs at the tournament. Beilsmith concluded the Invitational with 90 digs while Ochs handed out 139 assists with 48 digs.
SEMO and Arkansas State exchanged set wins until the Red Wolves secured the decisive fifth set 15-13.
After pulling off an epic comeback in the fourth frame to force a fifth, SEMO jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the final set.
Beasley and Malloy each had kills to bookend a Red Wolves attack error. The duo both had four kills during the set.
Arkansas State then evened the set at 3-3 with three straight points. The Red Wolves pulled ahead 8-5 on a 5-1 rally.
After a Redhawks timeout, Colby Greene and Malloy (2) pounded kills to come within one, 9-8.
Arkansas State then regrew its advantage to 12-8 after back-to-back kills by Paulina Sobolewska and Macey Putt combined with a Red Wolves block assist.
SEMO continued to fight and clawed back within one on two more occasions. Rally stoppers from Claire Ochs and Beasley to go along with an Arkansas State attack error made the score, 12-11.
Beasley and Malloy both added kills to fight off match point twice (14-13) before Josie Stanford connected on the match-securing kill.
Arkansas State took an early 1-0 lead in the match after a 25-20 opening frame. The Red Wolves hit the media break with a slight 15-14 edge.
Arkansas State extended that advantage to 22-17 after a 5-0 run. Macey Putt hit two of the Red Wolves' final three kills down the stretch as SEMO came as close as 24-20 after a kill by Beasley.
The Red Wolves hit at a match-best pace of .368 in the first set. Malloy tallied six kills in the initial set Saturday.
SEMO evened the match at 1-1 after the second frame. An 8-3 rally by the Redhawks made the cushion, 21-13.
Beasley then posted a kill before a block assist by the Iowans, Elissa Moylan and Greene to extend the margin to 23-14.
Greene and Malloy both added kills as SEMO grabbed the frame, 25-16.
In the third set, Arkansas State took a 15-9 lead after a 4-0 run. Back-to-back kills by Greene cut the deficit to 17-14. Greene had three kills during a 3-1 rally by SEMO.
Consecutive kills by Brianna Hollingshed distanced Arkansas State from SEMO, 20-15.
SEMO responded with a 4-0 run to pull within a point, 23-22. Beasley then added another kill to ward off set point before Putt concluded the frame with a kill, 25-23.
The Redhawks forced a decisive fifth set after an epic comeback fourth frame. Greene knocked seven kills during the stanza.
Arkansas State took an early 14-6 lead that SEMO cut to 16-13 after a 3-0 rally.
Gouard knocked a kill before three straight rally stoppers from Kayla Closset as SEMO pulled within one, 19-18.
Closset finished the match with four kills and eight digs.
Consecutive Red Wolves blocks along with a Putt kill regrew the lead to 22-18.
SEMO then went on a 5-0 run to take a 23-22 advantage.
Arkansas State then had match point at 24-23 before SEMO closed the set with a 3-0 run.
The Red Wolves had an attack error before a kill from Malloy. Moylan forced a fifth frame with a block assist to complete the fourth set comeback at 26-24.
SEMO totaled 100 digs in the match with four Redhawks in double-figures. Ally Dion chipped in 11 while Megan Harris had five.
Talia Gouard added seven kills.
Putt led Arkansas State with 18 kills while Kendahl Davenport had 13 and six blocks. Julianna Cramer finished with 26 assists and Lauren Musante had 23. Tatum Ticknor registered 25 digs.
SEMO stays in Cape Girardeau for its second-straight tournament Sept. 17-18. Southeast Missouri hosts Tulsa, Southern Illinois and Central Arkansas in the Redhawks Invitational, to close out its nonconference slate