FRIDAY'S SCORES
Northwestern 3,
Tennessee Tech 1 ( 25-15, 25-20, 21-25, 25-8)
Western Carolina 3,
@Tennessee Tech 1 ( 25-16, 25-18, 25-27, 26-24)
@UT Martin 3, Alabama A&M 0 ( 25-9, 25-18, 25-23)
@UT Martin 3, Western Illinois 0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-21)
Loyola 3,
Morehead State 1 (24-26, 25-15, 25-19, 26-24)
@Michigan 3,
Morehead State 0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-17)
Oakland 3,
Southern Indiana 0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-20)
@Kent State 3,
Southern Indiana 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-22)
@Valparaiso 3,
SIUE 1(20-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23)
Little Rock 3, Jackson State 1 (25-14, 25-21, 23-25, 25-14)
Samford 3,
Little Rock 0 (25-12, 25-12, 23-25, 25-21)
Green Bay 3,
Southeast Missouri 0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-15)
Southeast Missouri 3, Oral Roberts 2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-12, 12-25, 15-9)
New Mexico State 3,
Lindenwood 0 (25-18, 27-25, 26-24)
@Davidson 3,
Lindenwood 0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-22)
Tennessee State 3, Prairie View A&M 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-16)
@Tarleton 3,
Tennessee State 0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-15)
@Chicago State 3,
Eastern Illinois 2 ( 14025, 25-20, 27-25, 20-25, 17-15)
VALPARAISO 3, SIUE 1
VALPARAISO, Ind. - SIUE volleyball dropped the opener of the Popcorn Classic to host Valparaiso on Friday, falling 3-1. The Beacon attack helped jolt Valparaiso to victory, as the team hit .229 on the day compared to .142 for SIUE. The Cougars were led by Savannah Christian and Julia Treichel on the offensive end, as the two recorded a team-high 12 kills apiece. Treichel also paced the defense totaling 11 digs in the match, while Nicole Kijowski and Caroline Waite accounted for 10 digs each.
Valparaiso held the lead at the beginning of the set until the Cougars tied it up at eight points apiece following a kill by Sydney Hummert. With the first set tied at 9 points, Savannah Christian and Monica LaFleur recorded back-to-back block assists, giving SIUE the 11-9 advantage. The Cougars carried the lead for the remainder of the set and pulled away to take an early 1-0 lead over the Beacons.
The Beacons carried an early lead over SIUE in the second set before the Cougars tied it up at seven points following a kill from Sydney Hummert. Hummert's kill was followed by 11-6 run from the Beacons to take an 18-13 advantage. The Cougars could not rally back as Valparaiso took the second set, 25-21.
Caroline Waite's three service aces at the beginning of the third set helped give the Cougars an early 8-0 advantage. After a timeout, Valpo went on a 9-1 run of their own to tie the set. With a score of 19-17 in the Cougars' favor, Valpo used an 8-2 run to win the third set and gain a 2-1 advantage in the match.
The Cougars opened the fourth set with a 4-1 lead following a kill by Savannah Christian. The Beacons rallied back with a 10-2 run, giving Valpo a 10-6 advantage over SIUE. Despite closing the gap and cutting the margin to 13-10, Valparaiso used a 7-3 run to take a 20-13 lead. SIUE fought back and closed the gap with an 8-3 run of their own to put the set within two points at 23-21. Valparaiso went on to take victory in the match with a score of 25-23 in the fourth and final set.
LITTLE ROCK 3, JACKSON STATE 0; SAMFORD 3, LITTLE ROCK 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Livia Kimura and Mihaly Carmona served up four services aces each and Makaila Harris put down 11 kills in a .308 hitting performance as Little Rock claimed a 3-1 win over Jackson State to win the first match of the Blazer Invitational at Bartow Arena in Birmingham Friday morning.
For Kimura and Carmona, the quartet of aces by each are career highs and it is the third such time in her career that Kimura has served up four aces in a match. Harris, a true freshman, registered 11 kills and her .308 hitting percentage was surpassed only by Zanobia Willis, who hit .400 in the match. Set scores were 25-14, 25-21, 23-25 and 25-14.
In all, Little Rock (2-2) served up 12 aces in the match with Sophia Reynolds and Jalynn Robinson claiming a pair of aces each. Reynolds also posted a career-high 25 assists
Jackson State (1-4) was limited to just a .105 hitting percentage as Little Rock recorded 10 total blocks, led by a career-high eight blocks from Nedima Kamberovic. The Trojans hit .204 in the match as Jeila Fullerton posted 10 kills and Willis added eight.
After a dominating first set, Little Rock was unable to pull away from the Tigers in the second frame until late in the set when Harris put down three kills over the final four points to clinch the set.
The Trojans let a 22-20 lead in the third set slip away but responded forcefully in the fourth set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead and didn't look back. That final set included five aces by the Maroon and Silver, including three from Kimura and two by Carmony. It also featured a 9-2 run by Little Rock that was capped off by three consecutive Harris kills.
Jackson State was led by Alexis Williams and Jordan Jones, each of which at 13 kills. Alana Washington added 15 digs for the Tigers.
Jeila Fullerton led the Trojans with 11 kills but Little Rock allowed 14 service aces and hit into seven blocks in a 3-1 loss to Samford at the Blazer Invitational Friday afternoon at Bartow Arena in Birmingham.
Little Rock (2-3) only hit .074 in the match and allowed 14 Samford points on the serve, including four Bulldog aces in the last 10 points of the match. The Bulldogs (1-3), hit .260 in the match and were led by Gracie Lynn Butler's 14 kills. Set scores were 25-12, 25-15, 23-25 and 25-21.
Samford controlled the first two sets as Little Rock struggled offensively, hitting -.032 in the opening frame and improving that mark to only .087 in the second set.
But the Trojans found a way to win a tight third set, opening the frame with a Sophia Reynolds ace and using three aces and three blocks in the set to edge out the win, despite hitting .000. That frame featured 11 ties and four lead changes.
The fourth set was just as close, with 10 ties and five lead changes. One lead change came as Little Rock, trailing 15-13 before a three-point run – capped off by a Fullerton ace – gave the Trojans a 16-15 lead. Samford responded to take a 19-17 lead to force a Little Rock timeout. But the break didn't help as the Bulldogs served up three straight aces out of the set as part of a 7-1 run to pull ahead, 24-18.
Little Rock rallied off three straight points to cut the lead to 24-21 before the Bulldogs clinched the set and match.
The Trojans will face host UAB in the final match of the Blazer Invitational on Saturday. First serve is set for 5 p.m. and live video of the match will be available on CUSA.tv.
GREEN BAY 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, ORAL ROBERTS 2
NORMAL, Ill. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (3-2) split its opening day of the 2022 Redbird Classic Friday at Redbird Arena. After falling in three sets (19-25, 23-25, 15-25) to Green Bay (2-2), SEMO rallied for a five-set victory (25-20, 22-25, 25-12, 12-25, 15-9) over Oral Roberts (2-3) to conclude the first day of the Classic.
SEMO 0, Green Bay 3 (19-25, 23-25, 15-25)
The Redhawks opened the two-day Redbird Classic with a 19-25, 23-25, 15-25 loss to Green Bay (2-2) Friday afternoon at Redbird Arena.
Colby Greene led the offense with 10 kills on a .241 clip to go along with a pair of blocks. Zoey Beasley and Addy McAleer each added eight kills.
McAleer, a junior from Leawood, Kansas, added seven digs and three assists in her first start of the season.
Trailing 12-9 in the opening set, SEMO utilized a 4-0 run to pull ahead 13-12. Beasley hit consecutive kills following a block assist by Greene and Mackenzie Meehan during the span.
The Phoenix then retook the lead with a 3-0 rally, 21-16. Green Bay closed out the frame, scoring four of the next seven points for the early 1-0 edge.
Beasley knocked six kills during the first set Friday on a .308 hitting percentage.
The Redhawks knotted the second set at 17-17 after a 4-0 rally that featured a pair of kills from McAleer.
Blocks from Greene and Meehan, followed by Meehan and Beasley kept the set all square at 19-19 and 21-21.
Greene added a pair of kills to tie it once again at 22-22 and 23-23 before consecutive rally stoppers by Tiffany Paalman and Calli Gentry secured the set for the Phoenix.
Green Bay jumped out to a 13-4 advantage in the third set that SEMO cut to 15-10 after an ace by Izzy Lukens.
The Phoenix then regrew their margin to 20-13 and won the match with a 25-15 third stanza.
Lukens dished out 14 assists with five digs and an ace. Jenny Shook added 10 assists and seven digs in her second career collegiate match.
Libero Tara Beilsmith grabbed a match high 21 digs with four assists.
Kalia Morris, a freshman defensive specialist from Kansas City, Missouri, made her Redhawks debut Friday against Green Bay, finishing with two digs.
Meehan paced the SEMO defense with a career-matching seven blocks (fourth time at SEMO, two solo, five assists).
Blocks finished tied at 8-8.
Paalman led GB with nine kills on a .500 clip while Alexandra Zakutney and Cora Behnke each had eight. Gentry dished out 30 assists with 17 digs as the Phoenix hit .264 as a team.
Kayla Lass added 17 digs.
SEMO finished with a team hitting percentage of .071.
SEMO 3, Oral Roberts 2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-12, 12-25, 15-9)
With the match knotted at 2-2, SEMO overcame the Golden Eagles with a 15-9 decisive fifth set.
The Redhawks opened the frame with a 5-2 lead that grew to 7-3 after consecutive kills by McAleer.
ORU used a 3-0 run to pull within one, 7-6, before a strong 6-0 rally from SEMO pushed the advantage to 13-6. McAleer opened the sequence with a block before adding a service ace.
The Golden Eagles would come as close as 14-9 before the Redhawks clinched the match.
Beasley knocked a pair of kills down the stretch to secure the victory for SEMO (15-9).
The Redhawks out hit ORU in the final set, .231 to .000.
SEMO commenced the match with a 12-6 lead after a 6-0 run. A kill from Smith coupled with a pair of Golden Eagles errors made the score 17-9.
McAleer then pounded a kill before a Smith service ace to make it a 10-point lead (21-11),
McAleer finished with six kills, nine digs and two blocks in her second-straight start of the 2022 campaign. Smith added five rally stoppers, two blocks and two digs.
ORU responded with five-straight points to cut the deficit to 22-19.
Greene then claimed the opening set with a kill, 25-20. She had six kills (.667) during the set as SEMO hit at a rate of .351.
Oral Roberts then evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 second period before the two teams traded 25-12 third and fourth stanzas, respectively.
The Golden Eagles increased their edge to 21-19 after a 7-1 run.
Greene registered a rally stopper to cut the deficit to 22-21 before ORU evened the match with a 25-22 second set.
The Redhawks hit a match-high .529 in the third set en route to a commanding 25-12 decision.
SEMO jumped out to a 15-5 lead that it extended to 22-8. The Redhawks scored the first seven points of the frame.
Beasley notched six kills on a .625 rate in set #3. She finished the match with 13 kills on a .286 to go with five digs.
Greene paced the Redhawks attack with 16 kills on a .467 clip.
Beilsmith led the defense with 19 digs to complement five assists and an ace.
She now ranks second all-time in the SEMO record books (25-point rally scoring era, 2008-present) for career digs with 1,572, which surpassed Berkley Idel (1,534 digs from 2010-13).
Lukens passed out 26 assists with five digs. Shook added nine along with five digs and an ace.
Meehan tallied five blocks followed by Torrey's three.
Morris posted three digs in her second-straight career appearance as a Redhawk.
Taylor Beasley made her SEMO debut, appearing in a set.
Trinity Freeman led ORU with 19 kills while Kaia Dunford had 10. Kyla Randall led the Eagles defensive corps with 16 digs and Bryanne Soares had a match-high 37 assists.
SEMO next closes the Classic Saturday against host Illinois State. The match is set for 2:30 p.m., CT at Redbird Arena and will be televised on ESPN+.
UT MARTIN 3, ALABAMA A&M 0; UT MARTIN 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball program made short work of its opposition today on the opening day of the Skyhawk Invitational, sweeping the likes of Alabama A&M (25-9, 25-18, 25-23) this morning before a 25-20, 25-12, 25-21 triumph over Western Illinois tonight.
UT Martin improved to 4-2 on the season after an impeccable offensive performance today as the Skyhawks hit a combined .309 with 14.67 kills per set on the day. Not to be outdone, UT Martin’s defense limited the opposition to a .118 hitting percentage – averaging 17.0 digs and 2.0 blocks per set.
Karen Scanlon led the way for the Skyhawks with 23 kills (3.83 per set) on a red-hot .422 hitting percentage. She was also one of three UT Martin players to tally four service aces on the day, joining Haeleigh Paulino and Dylan Mott.
True freshman Kayla Bryant piled up 16 kills (2.67 per set) on a .351 attack percentage while Paulino (6.33 assists per set) and Hannah Haislip (4.50 assists per set) kept the Skyhawk offense running smoothly.
Mott made plays all over the court today, accumulating a remarkable 36 digs (6.0 per set). Angel Baylark added seven blocks (1.17 per set) to help guide UT Martin defensively.
The Skyhawks wrap up their two-day tournament tomorrow against Arkansas State, who also went 2-0 today. UT Martin will collide against the Red Wolves at 1:30 p.m., following the 11 a.m. matchup between Western Illinois and Alabama A&M.
Alabama A&M
The Skyhawks began their day with a commanding first-set win and never looked back, tallying their sixth consecutive victory over the Bulldogs.
The first set featured a 15-0 UT Martin run, setting the tone for the match. A pair of Kambree Lucas kills bookended five straight Skyhawk points but the score was soon knotted at 6-all. That’s when UT Martin went off for its surge of 15 unanswered points as Scanlon managed two kills and two block assists during the run. Scanlon tacked on two more kills out of the final three Skyhawk points as UT Martin hit .367 (15 kills, four errors) in 30 attempts during the set. Mott was responsible for nearly half (nine) of the Skyhawks’ 20 digs in the opening set.
UT Martin used another late push to claim the second set, scoring nine of the final 12 points. Five different Skyhawks (Baylark, Scanlon, Paulino, Mia Saenz, Lucas) accounted for UT Martin’s first five kills of the second stanza. Bryant got in on the action with a pair of kills midway through the set as the Skyhawks maintained a tight 16-15 advantage. Kills from Saenz, Scanlon and Lucas on consecutive possessions immediately followed, keying the aforementioned 9-3 run. Haislip assisted on seven of UT Martin’s 12 kills as the Skyhawks hit .286 in the second set.
The third stanza started with a 10-3 UT Martin run as the true freshman duo of Bryant and Saenz each pitched in two kills apiece. A Ryan Rednour service ace and Olivia O’Keefe kill nudged the Skyhawk advantage out to 15-7 but the Bulldogs continued to battle, eventually pulling within two points at 18-16. After UT Martin stretched its lead back out to 22-18, Alabama A&M evened the score at 23-all but kills from Bryant and Scanlon ended any threat and provided the Skyhawks with their first sweep of the young 2022 campaign. Scanlon and Mott guided UT Martin with five kills and seven digs, respectively.
Western Illinois
Scanlon’s second double-double of the season (12 kills on a .458 hitting percentage, 13 digs) and a sizzling offensive performance was the story in the nightcap as the Skyhawks rolled to their second sweep in a six-hour span.
UT Martin was nearly flawless on the offensive end in the opening set, committing just one miscue in 32 swings as part of a .469 attack percentage. A kill from Addy Vaughn sealed an 11-4 Skyhawk run and forced the Leathernecks to call a timeout. Paulino provided a pair of kills during a four-point stretch that extended UT Martin’s lead out to 18-10 before a powerful Wallick kill nudged the Skyhawk advantage to set point at 24-15. Western Illinois scored the next five points but a Baylark kill put the finishing touches on the set and gave UT Martin the 1-0 edge. Bryant came away with a team-best four kills while Mott scooped up a team-high six digs in the first stanza.
The Skyhawks sided out at an unfathomable 84 percent rate in the second set, converting on 11 of those 13 opportunities. UT Martin scored seven of the first nine points before Scanlon quickly got going, reeling off three kills in the span of four points early on. A Saenz service ace pushed the Skyhawk lead out to 14-5 and a pair of Wallick kills soon opened up a double-digit lead (21-9) for UT Martin going away. The offense remained a key ingredient of the Skyhawk success as UT Martin hit .405 (17 kills against only two errors) in 37 tries. Scanlon was a monster in the second set with team-highs of six kills and five digs.
A service ace from Paulino gave the Skyhawks a 4-0 lead in the final stanza but the Leathernecks dialed up seven of the next nine points. There were 11 tie scores and eight lead changes in the third set alone but UT Martin ended strong with an 8-3 run, creating some separation courtesy of a stingy defense that was the headlining factor. Mott paced the Skyhawks with six digs while Haislip and Scanlon also added four scoops apiece. Western Illinois hit .000 in 40 attempts and was stymied by Baylark’s three blocks in the final stanza.
TENNESSEE STATE 3, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 0; TARLETON 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
STEPHENVILLE, Texas - The Tennessee State volleyball team picked up their first win of the season on Friday afternoon, as they played two games on day one of the Pam Littleton Classic. The Tigers took down Prairie View A&M 3-0 in their first match of the day, and fell to host school Tarleton State 3-0 this evening. TSU will play one more match tomorrow afternoon against South Eastern Louisiana to close out the classic.
TSU 3, PVAMU 0
The Tennessee State volleyball team got the job done in straight sets (25-19, 25-15, 25-16) to knock off the Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers Friday at Wisdom Volleyball Gym for their first win of the year.
The non-conference win improved Tennessee State's overall record to 1-2 on the season.
Johanna Alcantara finished with nine kills on the day to lead the TSU offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .35. got 10 digs from Carla Boudal to lead them defensively.
Hadley Pride had a match-high two aces in the win.
Alcantara had a team-high nine kills for Tennessee State.
Tennessee State got a match-high 10 digs from Boudal.
Tennessee State attackers were helped by a match-high 12 assists from Sofia Garcia-Guerrios.
Tarleton State 3, TSU 0
The Tiger volleyball team could not beat an opposing Texans offense in their second match on Friday, as they fell Tarleton State in three sets (21-25, 19-25, 15-25).
The non-conference loss moved Tennessee State to 1-3 on the season.
The Tiger offense was paced by Alcantara, who finished with 10 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .259, and by Alondrah Santana-Rodriguez, who had 10 while hitting .316. Defensively, had two players reach double figures in digs as Gina Rivera-Ortiz had 12 and Sofia Garcia-Guerrios had 10.
Boudal had a team-high one ace in the loss.
Alcantara had a team-high 10 kills for Tennessee State.
Tennessee State got a team-high 12 digs from Gina Rivera-Ortiz.
Tennessee State attackers were helped by a team-high 14 assists from Sofia Garcia-Guerrios.
The Tigers are set to close out the Pam Littleton Classic tomorrow afternoon against Southeastern Louisiana University. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m.
LOYOLA 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1; MICHIGAN 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Morehead State volleyball team opened with a first-set win in extra points against Loyola (Chicago) Friday but ultimately dropped the next three in falling 26-24, 15-25, 19-25, 24-26 to the Ramblers at the Michigan Invitational at Cliff Keen Arena. MSU is now 2-1 in 2022.
Abby Hulsman registered a season-high 18 kills, her 32nd double-digit kill match of her career.
M.E. Hargan and Maycie Welborn totaled 11 kills apiece.
Morehead State got a match-high 45 assists from Bridget Bessler to up her career total to 3,100.
The Eagles had just four attack errors in the first set but then were charged with 22 errors in the final three sets. MSU hit .201 for the match.
Andrea Grimes led the defense with 11 digs.
McKenzee Wagener had five blocks to give her 196 for her career, but the Eagles were blocked 13 times by the Ramblers.
The Morehead State volleyball team lost to the Michigan Wolverines in straight sets (25-10, 25-12, 25-17) Friday on the road at Cliff Keen Arena.
The non-conference loss moved Morehead State to 2-2 on the season, while Michigan stayed perfect at 5-0.
Peighton Isley had a team-high two aces in the loss.
Maycie Welborn had a team-high six kills for Morehead State.
Morehead State got a team-high eight digs from Andrea Grimes.
Morehead State was held to a -.029 hitting percentage, the first match hitting in the negative since Sept. 2, 2016 versus Indiana State.
OAKLAND 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 0; KENT STATE 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 0
KENT, Ohio - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (0-5, 0-0 OVC) completed its first day of the Kent State Invitational Friday night, suffering a 3-0 (23-25, 14-25, 20-25) loss to Oakland University (2-2, 0-0 HL) before stumbling against Kent State University (3-1, 0-0 MAC), 3-0 (18-25, 15-25, 22-25).
USI vs. Oakland
The opening set saw a lot of positives for the Eagles despite falling 25-23 to the Golden Grizzlies. USI threw down a set-high 14 kills and one ace. Sophomore outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) led the team with five kills and a .250 hitting percentage.
Oakland kept the momentum and gained a 2-0 lead after a 25-14 prominent set two victory over USI. The Grizzlies played an error-free set, tallying 13 kills off 20 attempts with no attack errors. However, the Eagles were able to secure eight kills and two aces in the frame. Junior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) recorded four kills and one ace in the second set.
USI drew an early 7-5 lead before watching Oakland take it away, falling 25-20 in the final frame. Sophomore middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) knocked down one of her four kills to give the Eagles a two-point advantage before the Grizzlies stormed back to steal the lead and never look back. USI put up its best numbers in the third frame, nabbing 13 kills with a team-low three attack errors.
The Eagles were led offensively by Bednar, who tallied a match-high 10 kills and marked her second double-figure match of the 2022 campaign. Anderson was one kill away from securing her first double-double of the season, finishing with nine kills and 14 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) also provided significant numbers for USI, recording six kills and 11 digs. Leading the passing game was junior outside/right side hitter/setter Katherine Koch (Belleville, Illinois) who had 23 assists. Downing led the group on the front lines with three blocks.
As a team, the Eagles finished the match with 35 kills and a .187 attacking percentage along with 33 assists, three blocks, and 46 digs. USI also tallied a season-high five service aces. The Grizzlies completed the match with 40 kills and a .293 hitting percentage while tallying 40 assists, six blocks, and 53 digs. Oakland also recorded seven service aces, most given up by the Eagles this season.
USI vs. Kent State
Three 4-0 runs put together by Kent State leads to a 25-18 opening frame loss for USI. The Eagles started off the set with a 2-1 lead before the Golden Flashes struck, going on three 4-0 runs to hoist itself to victory. USI struggled on the offensive end, collecting just eight kills and a .025 hitting percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Abby Weber finished the set with three kills and four digs.
Continued offensive struggles burdened the Eagles in set two, leading to a 25-15 loss. USI took the opening point off a sophomore outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar kill before Kent State went on a 13-3 surge to put itself in control, 13-4. The Eagles managed to get key points from a pair of Flashes' errors and an ace from junior outside/right side hitter/setter Katherine Koch, but it was not enough as Kent State finished the set on a 5-1 run. USI had a negative .174 attacking percentage in the second set with three kills and seven attacking errors. The Flashes took advantage of the Eagles' offensive woes, nabbing 13 kills and a .267.
The third and final frame began with a 3-0 Kent State stint and ended with a 25-22 Flashes' victory as the Eagles lose its twelfth straight set this season. Weber was able to get three early kills for USI to tie it at four apiece before Kent State stormed back with another 3-0 run to retake the lead. The Eagles fired back with back-to-back kills from freshman middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) and Weber to pull within a couple. With the help of a trio of Flashes' errors and a Bednar ace, USI regained the lead, 12-11. After two impactful 5-0 surges, Kent State controlled the lead before the Eagles' made a final threat, going on a 4-0 run before the Flashes' sealed it.
Weber was two kills shy of a double-double, finishing the match with eight kills and 15 digs to lead USI. Koch, Weber, and junior libero/defensive specialist Audrey Crowder (Avon, Indiana) each served one ace while Downing threw down a team-high five blocks. Koch was the leading passer for the Eagles', dishing out 15 assists.
As a team, USI ended the match with a season-low 21 kills and .030 hitting percentage. The Eagles finished with only 20, but nabbed four aces, 53 digs, and eight blocks.
The Eagles continue its stretch in the Kent State Invitational against Cornell University. USI faces the Big Red tomorrow at 3 p.m. to finish the tournament. An All-Tournament team will be announced after the final match.
NEW MEXICO STATE 3, LINDENWOOD 0; DAVIDSON 3, LINDENWOOD 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Recap coming soon.
NORTHWESTERN 3, TENNESSEE TECH 1, WESTERN CAROLINA 3, TENNESSEE TECH 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.
CHICAGO STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
CHICAGO, Ill. - Recap coming soon.