SATURDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 3, Oakland 2 (25-22, 17-25, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11)
@Purdue Fort Wayne 3,
Lindenwood 0 (25-23, 25-16, 29-27)
Oral Roberts 3,
Tennessee Tech 1 (25-14, 25-19, 17-25, 25-18)
UT Martin 3, @Eastern Kentucky 1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-14)
Arkansas State 3,
Little Rock 2 (25-18, 17-25, 15-25, 25-23, 15-9)
@Southeast Missouri 3, Jackson State 1 (25-18, 25-16, 23-25, 25-22)
Morehead State 3, Stonehill 0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-15)
Murray State 3,
@Southern Indiana 1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-12)
Stanford 3,
@Tennessee State 0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-18)
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, OAKLAND 2
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Eastern Illinois (2-1, 0-0 OVC) closed out the Butler Top Dawg Tournament with a five set with against Oakland (0-2, 0-0 HORIZON) by a final score of 3-2. Panthers won the final two sets of the match to improve to 2-1 on the season. Set scores are as followed: 25-22, 17-25, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11.
Ella Collins stepped up Saturday morning after producing 16 kills and three total blocks. Collins collected double digit kills in all three matches at the tournament while also maintaining a .211 hitting percentage in the final match.
Giovana Larregui Lopez continued her hot start to her EIU career with her third consecutive double-double. Lopez collected 17 kills and 20 digs against the Golden Grizzles including the match point to give EIU their second win of the season.
The Panthers offense had 57 kills in the match despite being held to a .088 hitting percentage in part to Oakland's 14 total blocks. Kate Dean was almost perfect at the net going four for five in kill shots while picking up three total blocks. Ireland Hieb was also active at the net earning six kills and four total blocks.
EIU was able to get six service aces in today's match including two from Lopez. The Panthers led the Ohio Valley Conference last season in service aces pet set.
The defense stepped up down the stretch as EIU collected 74 digs compared to the 65 by the Grizzles. Christina Martinez Mundo was active as she led EIU in digs with 27 while also helping set up her fellow Panthers at the net with six assists from the libero spot.
Catalina Rochaix and Summerlyn Smith both provided a spark at the setter position with each earning 19 and 14 assists respectively. Lilli Amettis and Elisavet Papageorgiou both had four kills in the final match in Indianapolis.
Oakland was led by Patti Cesarini who had 20 kills on a .365 hitting percentage while also picking up 14 digs. Libby Gentile and Jessica Riedl both had nine kills for the Golden Grizzles.
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 3, LINDENWOOD 0
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Lindenwood women's volleyball team fell to the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastadons in three sets on Saturday afternoon in Purdue Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The Lions dropped set one in a tough 23-25 defeat, and set two was lost 16-25, but set three was a fight that ultimately ended up in a 27-29 overtime defeat.
Despite the loss, the Lions were still able to put up some solid numbers against the Mastadons, including a team-leading effort from Taylor Gentemann, who had 11 kills and 21 receptions, which were the best numbers in each category for the Lions. Madelyn Dement was right behind her with 10 kills and 13 digs, which was the highest number of total digs on the day.
Nyah Wilson put forth a strong offensive and defensive performance as well, registering nine kills, 19 receptions and 11 total digs. Mia Kunnert made her collegiate debut for the Lions, recording 10 receptions and eight digs throughout the match.
Up next, the Lions will take on New Mexico State in the opening round of the Wildcat Classic hosted by Davidson in North Carolina. The start time is set for 1:00pm on Friday, September 2.
ORAL ROBERTS 3, TENNESSEE TECH 1
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A strong attack on the other side of the net proved the difference in the final match of the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Saturday, as the Golden Eagles fell to Oral Roberts in a 3-1 decision at Hammons Student Center in Springfield, Mo.
ORU turned in 52 kills on a .276 hitting percentage while holding the purple and gold to 41 kills and a.130 attack percentage. Tech's foe also turned in eight blocks to the team's four, accounting for the overall 3-1 win.
In the opening set, Oral Roberts pulled away early with a 14-1 run and fended off any comeback bid by the Tech squad. ORU hit .370 with 13 kills while limiting the Cookeville crew to just six terminations to take the opener 25-14.
The two sides battled in the second set, with neither side taking more than a two-point lead until late. The ORU side broke a 16-16 tie with four straight points, finally pulling away for a 25-19 win. Another .300-plus hitting percentage and 15 kills paved the way.
The purple and gold flipped the script in the third set, running off a 25-17 win while posting 10 kills and a trio of service aces. Oral Roberts saw its efficiency plummet, hitting -.031 with eight kills and nine attack errors.
Both teams produced their top marks in kills in the fourth set, with the Golden Eagles tallying 14 overall. Tech's efficiency proved to be the difference, as the purple and gold also made nine attack errors for a .128 attack percentage. On the flip side, ORU tallied 16 kills with just a single mistake on the attack, pulling out a 25-18 win.
Senior middle blocker Taylor Dorsey was Tech's leader on both offense and defense, tallying team-highs of 13 kills and three total blocks. Fellow middle Skylar Boom hit .467 with eight kills while right side Morgan Gish also powered in eight terminations.
Sophomore setter Jazmine Yamilkoski posted her first career double-double with 25 assists and 10 digs, both career-high marks. Outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen produced a whopping four service aces to go along with six kills and eight digs.
The purple and gold will return to Cookeville for their annual home tournament, the Golden Eagle Invitational, from Sept. 2-3 in the Hooper Eblen Center. Tech plays host to Northwestern on Friday, at 10:30 a.m. CT and then Western Carolina at 7:30 p.m. that evening. The tournament wraps up with a 2:00 p.m. tilt between the Golden Eagles and Evansville.
UT MARTIN 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
RICHMOND, Ky. - The opening weekend of the 2022 volleyball season concluded with an exclamation point for the University of Tennessee at Martin as the Skyhawks claimed the Colonel Classic championship following a four-set triumph (22-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-14) over Eastern Kentucky.
UT Martin (2-1) won for the fourth time in its last five tries against its former Ohio Valley Conference foe, defeating a Colonel squad who swept both IUPUI and Radford yesterday. The Skyhawks used a potent defensive attack to secure today’s victory, stuffing 16 blocks at the net while limiting Eastern Kentucky to a paltry .076 attack percentage.
Leading the way for UT Martin defensively was Angel Baylark (12 blocks) and Dylan Mott (match-high 21 digs). Baylark’s 12 swats are tied for the third-most in school history, trailing only Jemima Idemudia (16 against Murray State on Sept. 29, 2017) and Traci Tisch (15 against Oral Roberts on Oct. 18, 1993).
Kambree Lucas additionally helped guide the Skyhawks on both ends today, providing career-highs of 16 blocks (on a .429 hitting percentage) and seven blocks. She was joined in double figures in the kill column by Logan Wallick (13) and Karen Scanlon (10) while Haeleigh Paulino narrowly missed a double-double with a match-high 27 assists and nine digs.
Following the match, three UT Martin honorees were named to the Colonel Classic all-tournament team. Scanlon brought home Most Valuable Player accolades after generating team-highs in kills (39, 2.79 per set) and service aces (seven) while pitching in 29 digs (2.07 per set). Also earning a spot on the seven-member squad was Mott (team-best 68 digs, 4.86 digs per set average, five service aces) and Paulino (78 assists, 28 digs, five service aces).
The opening set included 12 ties and three lead changes. The Colonels took a 6-3 advantage but a block assist from Addy Vaughn and Mia Saenz evened the score at 6-all. Another assisted block – this time from Scanlon and Baylark – gave the Skyhawks a 14-13 edge but Eastern Kentucky soon opened up a 22-19 lead. Coming out of a timeout, UT Martin received kills from Wallick, Baylark and Lucas to pounce within a single point (23-22) but the Colonels responded with back-to-back points to take the first set. Wallick hit .571 and landed four kills in the opening set to top the Skyhawks.
The momentum shifted midway through the second set as UT Martin withstood a hot start by Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels scored five straight points as part of an 8-2 start to the stanza. The Skyhawks trailed 14-7 before unspooling a remarkable 12 unanswered points. Lucas had a hand in five of those points (three blocks, two kills) as UT Martin flipped its deficit into a 19-14 lead. Eastern Kentucky would not get any closer than three points for the remainder of the set as Saenz delivered a pair of late kills to seal the comeback. As a team, the Skyhawks hit .212 and boasted 10 blocks in the second set, keyed by Lucas’ team-best four kills and four rejections.
Lucas continued her productive day with a pair of kills early in the third set, helping UT Martin find its rhythm. Wallick slammed down a pair of kills during an 8-3 Skyhawk run that nudged UT Martin’s advantage out to 14-11 but the Colonels later scored eight of 10 points during one stretch to take a 22-19 lead. However, the Skyhawks were unfazed – wrapping up the set on a 6-0 run that included two more kills out of Wallick. Paulino dished out five assists and scooped up a team-best five digs to help UT Martin take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set was a defensive masterpiece for the Skyhawks as Eastern Kentucky hit -.061 (eight kills, 10 errors) in 33 swings. UT Martin went on top by an 8-4 margin after Baylark accounted for her third block assist in the early portion of the stanza. The Colonels closed their gap to two points at 13-11 but the Skyhawks were responsible for 12 of the final 15 points. Baylark managed three blocks (two assisted, one solo) during that surge while Scanlon and Lucas finished things off with two kills apiece over the final four points. Lucas had five kills while Mott recorded 10 digs in the fourth set alone.
UT Martin will now embark on a four-match homestand next week, starting with a Tuesday, Aug. 30 matchup against Southern Illinois at 6 p.m. Over the weekend, the program will host the Skyhawk Invitational with matches against Alabama A&M (Sept. 2), Western Illinois (Sept. 2) and Arkansas State (Sept. 3).
ARKANSAS STATE 3, LITTLE ROCK 2
JONESBORO, Ark. - Three Trojans posted double-doubles and a second straight rivalry match went to five sets but Little Rock was edged by Arkansas State, 3-2, in the final match of the A-State Invitational in front of 518 fans at FNB Arena in Jonesboro Saturday afternoon.
Nedima Kamberovic led Little Rock’s offense for the third consecutive match, putting down 12 kills while Laure Jansen matched the 12 kills and added 11 digs for her fourth career double-doubles. Set scores were 25-18, 17-25, 15-25, 25-23 and 15-9.
Sophia Reynolds tallied 23 assists and 10 digs while Jalynn Robinson was credited with 16 assists and 10 digs as both setters posted their first career double-doubles in a Little Rock uniform.
Little Rock (1-2) hit just .116 in the match but served up nine aces in the match compared Arkansas State’s two and had a 9-7 advantage in blocks. However, Arkansas State (2-1) used a .409 hitting percentage in the final set to clinch the match victory between the former Sun Belt Conference rivals.
Livia Kimura tied a career-high with four aces in the match, three of which came in a trio of consecutive points in a third set that the Trojans ended on an 8-2 run. That came after the Maroon and Silver clinched the second set on a 13-3 run, a streak that included aces from Robinson and Mihaly Carmona.
But the pivotal fifth set saw ASU race out to a 10-4 lead as the Trojans committed two hitting errors and two service errors in the frame. Hitting just .111 in the set, Little Rock was unable to mount a comeback to turn the match in their favor.
Little Rock will head to Birmingham, Alabama next weekend for the Blazer Invitational hosted by UAB. The Trojans will face Jackson State and Samford on Friday, Sept. 2 before playing host UAB on Saturday, Sept. 3.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, JACKSON STATE 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (2-1) registered a 3-1 (25-18, 25-16, 23-25, 25-22) victory over Jackson State (1-2) to conclude the 2022 SEMO Invitational Saturday afternoon at Houck Field House.
Colby Greene and Tara Beilsmith were both named to the 2022 SEMO Invitational All-Tournament Team as the Redhawks finished second at their home tournament.
North Dakota State claimed the 2022 SEMO Invitational Championship with a perfect 3-0 record after a Saturday morning sweep of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-3).
Ali Hinze was named the Invitational MVP. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Syra Tanchin and Kelley Johnson.
Greene paced the SEMO offense Saturday with 18 kills on a .486 clip with three blocks and three aces in her first start of the 2022 campaign.
The graduate student rightside hitter from North Liberty, Iowa, finished the two-day SEMO Invitational with 40 kills on a .372 hitting percentage, adding 14 digs and seven blocks, for her third career all-tournament laurel.
Kayla Closset added a career best 15 kills (.297), 10 digs and three aces for her second-straight double-double. Zoey Beasley posted 12 kills at a rate of .379 with a team best six blocks.
Tied at 9-9, SEMO went on a 5-0 run to pull ahead 14-9 in the opening set Saturday afternoon.
Closset then added a pair of kills followed by a Tigers error and Izzy Lukens service ace to make the advantage 22-16.
SEMO then took the opening set with kills by Greene and Beasley followed by a JSU attack error, 25-18.
In the second frame, SEMO utilized a 5-1 run punctuated by a Jenny Shook service ace for a 14-9 edge.
Shook, a freshman setter from Plainfield, Illinois, made her Redhawks debut Saturday, compiling 16 assists and eight digs to go with her ace.
SEMO then widened the gap to 20-12 after a 5-0 rally.
Lexie Smith slammed a kill followed by an ace by Rachel Eddy to increase the Redhawks lead to 2-0 after a 25-16 stanza.
Eddy, a junior transfer from Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), made her SEMO debut in the Invitational finale.
In the third set, SEMO rallied off six straight points for an early 6-2 edge.
The Redhawks then went up 19-17 after a 6-0 run with kills from Closset, Beasley (2) and Greene (3).
JSU then pulled ahead with three-straight kills from Alexis Williams to switch the lead to 21-20 in favor of the Tigers.
SEMO responded, tying the set at 21-21 and 22-22, after a block assist by Mackenzie Meehan and Beasley followed by a Closset rally stopper.
Jackson State then scored three of the next four points to force a fourth set, 25-23.
The Redhawks hit a match high .379 in the set, finishing Saturday with a season-best mark of .297.
SEMO then jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the fourth set before JSU evened things at 12-12.
The Redhawks then went on a 6-1 run for a 18-13 edge.
Beasley added a kill followed by a Tigers error to make the score 20-14.
Jackson State would come as close as 24-22 after a kill by Nevaeh Bray before Greene's match-clinching kill, 25-22.
Avery Torrey posted a personal best six kills Saturday.
Lukens dished out a career high 29 assists with four digs in her third-straight career start. She posted 20 or more assists in each SEMO Invitational match this weekend.
Beilsmith, a senior libero from Weldon Spring, Missouri, scooped up 27 digs and five assists on her 22nd birthday. She finished the weekend with 68 digs and 27 assists for her fourth career all-tournament honor.
SEMO out blocked Jackson State, 11-3, as Meehan had six, and Smith totaled five with three kills and three digs in her third career start.
Williams led JSU with 14 kills and 16 digs. Damassy Thompson registered 28 assists as the Tigers hit .179.
The Redhawks next hit the road for three-straight weeks to wrap up non-conference play. SEMO will continue its 2022 season at the Illinois State Redbird Classic Sept. 2-3, facing Green Bay, Oral Roberts, and Illinois State over the two days in Normal, Illinois.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, STONEHILL 0
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The Morehead State volleyball team got the job done in three sets (25-21, 25-16, 25-15) to take down the Stonehill (Mass.) Skyhawks Saturday at the Justice Center. The match wrapped up a successful 2-0 start to the season.
SET 1 | The Eagles opened up an early one set to none lead, winning the first set 25-21. Morehead State never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 10-9 in a set that showcased three lead changes before the Eagles took over the lead. The Eagles' opening set win came in a stanza where they hit .300.
SET 2 | After their win in the first set, Morehead State put itself on the cusp of a sweep with a 25-16 victory in set number two. The Eagles led from the first point on in the set to earn the victory. Morehead State opened up as much as a 10-point lead at 23-13 before finishing off the set. The Morehead State offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza.
SET 3 | Morehead State closed the match in a 3-0 sweep after taking the third set. The Eagles took a 1-0 lead and never looked back in the set to secure a 25-15 victory. Morehead State opened up as much as a 10-point lead at 24-14 before closing out the set, totaling 16 kills while only committing one attack error in the process.
The Eagles return home for practice this week before embarking on a road trip to play matches at the Michigan Invitational next weekend.
MURRAY STATE 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Despite winning the first set, University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (0-2, 0-0 OVC) slowly watched Murray State University (2-0, 0-0 MVC) take away three-straight sets to defeat the Screaming Eagles, 1-3 (25-22, 18-25, 17-25, 12-25). The Eagles are still searching for its first win in the NCAA Division I era.
USI started off the match with a dynamic 25-22 first set win over Murray State. The Eagles controlled a 15-11 lead until momentum was lost due to a media timeout that allowed the Racers to recover lost ground and went on a 11-4 surge to make it 22-19. After a quick timeout by head coach Randi Raff, USI stole the show by going on a 6-0 set-winning run. Junior outside/right side hitter/setter Katherine Koch (Belleville, Illinois) and sophomore outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) recorded two kills each in the final run for the Eagles.
Murray State turned its woes around in set two and defeated USI, 25-18. The Racers went on an early 5-0 run before ending the set on a 4-0 surge. The Eagles could not stop the high-flying Racers, who had 17 kills and a .268 attacking percentage in the second frame. Weber and sophomore outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) each had two of USI's five kills.
Set three ended with a struggling 17-25 loss for the Eagles. Murray State came out swinging with 17 kills and an impressive .394 hitting percentage while USI could muster just nine kills and a .156. The Racers had four 3-0 runs and a 4-0 surge to take a 2-1 set advantage.
The fourth frame resulted in a 12-25 loss for USI as the Eagles could not recover from an early 11-4 gap. Murray State continued its dominant efforts by going on a 9-2 run late in the set to capitalize its second win of the season.
Weber led the attack for USI with eight kills while Anderson and Bednar finished with seven each. Koch dished out 21 assists while freshman libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) led the group with 19 digs. Freshman middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) tallied four blocks while Koch and sophomore middle blocker Lauren O'Neill (Covington, Indiana) had three apiece.
As a team, the Eagles struggled on the attack, finishing with a .066 attacking percentage and just 34 kills. The Racers threw down 57 kills and held a solid .282 hitting percentage. USI also ended with eight blocks, 59 digs, and three aces.
The Eagles take a short trip to downtown Evansville, Indiana for a cross-town battle with the University of Evansville Tuesday August 30 for a 6 p.m. start time. This will be the first time USI and UE have faced in a regular season match since 1992.
STANFORD 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.