SATURDAY'S SCORES
Texas State 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-17)
@Indiana 3,
Southern Indiana 0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-18)
IUPUI 3,
SIUE 2 (17-25, 25-22, 20-25, 28-26, 15-13)
Cleveland State 3,
Tennessee State 0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-22)
Louisiana Tech 3,
Little Rock 0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-21)
@Appalachian State 3,
Tennessee Tech 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-22)
Eastern Illinois 3, Akron 1 (27-25, 25-8, 22-25, 25-12)
@Morehead State 3, USC Upsate 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-19)
@UIC 3,
Lindenwood 0 (25-15, 25-21, 27-25)
Murray State 3,
@Western Illinois 1 (17-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-19)
Southern Illinois 3,
@Southeast Missouri 1 (25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 25-23)
@Tennessee 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-15, 25-8, 25-9)
INDIANA 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 0
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (1-2) had a tough outing against power-five school, Indiana University, at Wilkinson Hall on Saturday morning as the Screaming Eagles were defeated, 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-18).
Big runs from the Hoosiers cost USI the opening frame, 25-16. The Eagles scored their first points off big kills from senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) and senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio). With IU up 6-5, the Hoosiers tallied eight of the next 10 points to extend their lead to 13-7. Despite responding with a pair of points, USI watched IU score five straight points to go down by 10 points. Junior outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) stopped the run with a kill that rolled into a 6-2 surge for the Eagles after a few offensive miscues by the Hoosiers. Even after a last-second effort, USI could not overcome the large deficit. IU's offense started off hot, earning 13 kills with only five errors In comparison to USI's nine kills and eight errors.
An early deficit lifted the Hoosiers over the Eagles in a 25-14 second game. IU started off the frame with a 4-0 stint off three kills before adding another 4-0 surge to make it a 10-3 game. After an attacking error and an Anderson kill, the Eagles cut the margin to five until a short burst from IU extended the lead back to 16-6. Trailing 20-9, USI found a rhythm and scored three straight off a pair of kills from Weber. However, the Hoosiers capitalized on the early advantage and scored five of the last seven points to take a 2-0 match lead. USI struggled to get their offense working, throwing down a match-low eight kills with seven errors.
A powerful offensive attack from IU left USI in the dust, handing the Eagles a 25-18 third-set loss. The Hoosiers went up 7-0 to begin the frame with five points coming from kills. The Eagles bounced back and scored four straight thanks to a trio of kills and an ace. Despite the strong effort, IU punched back with an 8-2 sequence that made it 15-6. With the help of some offensive mistakes from the Hoosiers and a kill from sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois), the Eagles were within 16-10. USI stayed close after an ace from sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) and a kill from junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana), but it was not enough to stop IU from closing out the match. USI had their best offensive set after posting 10 kills, however, the Hoosiers responded with a better offensive approach, nabbing 17 kills with just three errors and a 0.452 hitting percentage.
Leah Anderson produced a team-leading 14 kills while junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) led the charge with 20 assists. In the first three games, Leah Anderson has tallied 10 or more kills while Sobieralski has totaled 20 or more assists in the same number of matches. Weber led the squad with nine digs and one ace while Bednar and Downing each had a pair of blocks.
As a team, the Eagles had 27 kills, 27 assists, and 42 digs with two blocks and two aces. The Hoosiers finished the match with 44 kills, 42 assists, and 46 digs with 11 blocks and two aces.
The Eagles head back to Evansville, Indiana to match up with cross-town rival, the University of Evansville, on Tuesday Night at Meeks Family Fieldhouse. USI and UE faced in the regular season for the first time last season where the Purple Aces got the upper hand over the Eagles, 3-0.
IUPUI 3, SIUE 2
PEORIA, Ill. - SIUE volleyball played its final game of the Bradley CEFCU Invitational on Friday morning against IUPUI at Renaissance Coliseum. The Cougars and Jaguars traded the first four sets, but IUPUI took the lead midway through the final frame to best SIUE for a 3-2 victory with set scores of 25-17, 22-25, 25-20, 26-28, and 13-15.
After opening weekend, SIUE is 1-2 overall. IUPUI improves to 2-0.
Juniors Julia Treichel and Priscilla Jones led the Cougars with nine kills each. Treichel led the Cougars with three service aces. Jones finished the contest with a .286 clip.
Priscilla Jones led SIUE with five blocks while Sydney Hummert added four. The juniors are tied and lead the Cougars with nine blocks each through the first three games of the season.
Abi Banitt's 12 digs led the Cougars' defense. The freshman leads SIUE with 31 total digs following opening weekend.
Cydney Anderson contributed eight kills while Ainsley Ranstead finished with seven. Ranstead ended the morning with a .333 hitting percentage on 21 attacks.
Alyse Drifka led the setting efforts, dishing out 19 assists. Corinna Jones contributed 11.
SIUE will travel to Chicago, Illinois next weekend for the UIC Invitational. The Cougars will play UIC (12:00 p.m.) and Western Michigan (5:00 p.m.) on Friday, Sep. 1 before closing out the weekend with UAB (3:00 p.m.) on Saturday, Sep. 2.
CLEVELAND STATE 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
MACOMB, Ill. - The Tennessee State Tiger volleyball team lost to the Cleveland State Vikings 3-0 (16-25, 11-25, 22-25) Saturday in their final game in the Leatherneck Classic at Western Hall on the campus of Western Illinois, The loss gives TSU an 0-2 record to start the season.
Senior Kennedy Davis finished with eight kills on the day to lead the Tigers' offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .444. Freshman Alanys Otero just missed registering a double-double, tallying 23 assists and nine digs. Freshman Celianiz Cabranes had 12 digs to lead them defensively.
SET 1 | The Tigers fell behind early, losing a challenging first set 25-16. TSU trailed by as many as nine points as Cleveland State never gave up the lead in a set that the Vikings never trailed.
SET 2 | A 25-11 set-two loss put Tennessee State in a 2-0 hole in the match. The Tigers dropped the first point and never clawed back into the lead before dropping the set.
SET 3 | In the closest set of the match, Cleveland State finished off the sweep with a third-set win. The Tigers fell in a back-and-forth battle, losing 25-22 in a set that featured six lead changes and was tied nine times. TSU had a late lead at 20-18 before falling. Davis was huge in the set, slamming four of her eight kills. Neither team had a lead of more than three points along the way.
The Tigers will participate in the LUV Tournament at Lipscomb University this Friday and Saturday.
LOUISIANA TECH 3, LITTLE ROCK 0
JONESBORO, Ark. - Little Rock Volleyball finished the final day of the A State Invitational with a 3-0 (15-25, 18-25, 21-25) loss to Louisiana Tech on Saturday. Bella Cherry led the Trojans in kills with ten, while Dariana Valencia recorded a double-double with 16 assists and 14 digs, both team highs.
Both teams exchanged points to start the first set with the Trojans seeing kills from Cherry and Daedrianna Cail. Louisiana Tech then rattled off fourteen straight points before the next Little Rock point on a Lady Techster error to bring the score to 14-3. After a couple of rallies, Jaycee Kennedy scored two straight kills followed by an ace by Cherry to give the Trojans a 3-0 run. A Louisiana Tech kill sparked another run, and the Trojans never recovered losing the set 25-15.
After a point by La Tech started set two, the Trojans capitalized on two Lady Techster errors and a kill by Cherry to take the 3-1 lead. Louisiana Tech fought back tying the score five times before taking the lead on a Little Rock service error. La Tech never relinquished the lead rattling off as many as three straight points and winning the set on a kill 25-18.
Louisiana Tech started the third set with three straight points including two off Little Rock errors. Cherry scored the Trojans first points off a kill. The Trojans battled back tying the score twice, before an attack error by Little Rock sparked a six point run for the Lady Techsters. Little Rock battled back in the final points but lost the set 25-21.
APPALACHIAN STATE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
BOONE, N.C. - Despite valiant comeback bids in each of the final two sets, the Tennessee Tech volleyball dream fell in its final match of the Mountaineer Classic on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 3-0 decision against tournament host App State at the Holmes Convocation Center.
The Golden Eagles fought tooth-and-nail early in the opening set, squaring things at 10-10. The Mountaineers slowly inched ahead, eventually pulling away completely for a 25-18 win to take the early 1-0 lead.
In set two, the purple and gold struggled to string together runs early on, falling behind 20-10 more than halfway through the game. Tech dug deep and fired off a 5-1 run to force a home time out before App State pulled to within set point at 24-18.
One more push saw the Cookeville crew deliver a 4-0 run, closing to a two-point deficit before the Mountaineers secured the set win for a 2-0 lead in the match. Tech turned in 13 kills and three blocks, but the ASU attack was slightly better, boasting 14 germinations, five less attack errors, and five rejections for the win.
Trying to stave off elimination for the day, the Golden Eagles opened the third set on a roll, owning the lead as late as 14-13. After the Mountaineers reached match point with a 24-19 lead, Tech had one more rally left in the tank, running off three straight points to pull within two.
For the second straight set, App State found the deciding point just when needed, holding off the purple and gold for a 25-22 win. The Tech offense was a strength in the third set, delivering 17 kills on .324 efficiency, but the Mountaineers simply played cleaner with only two attack errors and 13 kills.
For the match, it was graduate middle blocker Skylar Boom paving the way for the Tech attack, securing 10 kills while hitting .381. She tied with Madolyn Isringhausen for the team lead of three blocks and was named to the All-Tournament Team following the match. Isringhausen dropped nine kills for the effort.
Sophomore setter Jordan Karlen averaged 11.00 assists per set, totaling 33 with six kills and nine digs to flirt with a triple-double. Freshman right side Ava Schubert kept the strong start to her collegiate career moving along, registering eight kills, two more aces, and five digs. Making her collegiate debut in the third set of the match was rookie libero Jillian Shaneyfelt, tallying her first career dig.
The purple and gold will return to Cookeville for their annual home tournament, the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn of Cookeville, from Sept. 1-2 in the Hooper Eblen Center. Tech plays host to in-state rival ETSU on Friday, at 10:30 a.m. CT and then Kennesaw State at 7:30 p.m. that evening. The tournament wraps up with a 2:00 p.m. tilt between the Golden Eagles and Cincinnati.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, AKRON 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois Volleyball team closed out the 2023 EIU Panther Classic with a 3-1 win over Akron on Saturday afternoon. The victory improved the Panthers' record to 3-0 after the first weekend of regular season play. The final set scores were as follows: 27-25, 25-8, 22-25, and 25-12.
EIU won the first set after a challenge by Head Coach Sara Thomas overturned an Akron set point, allowing the Panthers to rally back to take a 1-0 lead. In the second set, Eastern put up the most dominating single-set performance of the tournament. Early on in the set, the duo of Natalie Mitchem and Julia Stanev recorded three consecutive blocks to help the Panthers to a 6-0 lead. Later on, EIU ripped off a 9-0 run that included three service aces by Sylvia Hasz.
Akron was able to hold off EIU in set three, but in the fourth set the Panthers proved to be too much to handle, powering their way to another convincing set win to take the match.
Senior outside hitter Giovana Larregui López showed why she was last year's OVC Player of the Year, recording a team-leading 18 kills to go along with 11 digs for her first double-double of the season. She also added two service aces and a block assist to her day.
Natalie Mitchem posted another impressive performance as she recorded 17 kills on a .406 hitting percentage and four block assists on the afternoon, while setter Catlina Rochaix collected 50+ assists for the second consecutive match. Sophomore Kate Dean also had a strong showing, compiling 10 kills on a .556 hitting percentage. Libero Christina Martinez Mundo anchored the Panthers defense with a game-high 24 digs, and Julia Stanev led the team in blocks with three total.
Natalie Mitchem was named tournament MVP, with Catlina Rochaix and Giovna Larregui López also being named to the All-Tournament team.
Next up for EIU is the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invite in Indianapolis next weekend. The Panthers' first opponent will be Oral Roberts at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, September 1st. Eastern will also square off with UC Riverside at 2 p.m. Friday and IUPUI at 12 p.m. the following Saturday.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, USC UPSTATE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State volleyball team cruised to a three-set sweep (25-23, 25-17, 25-19) over the South Carolina Upstate Spartans Saturday at Johnson Arena thanks to an efficient day across the board.
The out-of-conference win improved the Eagles' overall record to 3-0 on the season, earning them the 2023 Eagle Challenge title. The 3-0 start makes HC Kyrsten Becker-McBride the second coach in Morehead State volleyball history to start their career 3-0 (Dr. Jaime Gordon, 2003), and the first to start their career with three straight sweeps.
The Eagles attack was paced by M.E. Hargan, who finished with 12 kills on the day while accumulat
ing a hitting percentage of .345, and by Hollan Everett, who had 10 while hitting .529. Defensively, MSU got 21 digs from Peighton Isley to lead the team.
Morehead State were efficient in their attack, finishing the day with a .287 hitting percentage.
After the conclusion of the tournament, M.E. Hargan, Peighton Isley, and Amelia Nott were named to the All-Tournament Team, with Hargan being named Eagle Challenge MVP after posting 31 kills (3.44 K/S), 29 digs, four aces, and one assist.
Courtney Fitzgerald had a team-high two aces in the win.
Morehead State served up five aces on the way to a first-set victory.
M.E. Hargan had a match-high 12 kills for Morehead State, finishing one dig shy of a double-double.
Peighton Isley's 21 digs were a match-high.
Morehead State attackers were helped by a match-high 32 assists from Brenna Bommer, who finished two digs shy of a double-double for the second straight match.
SET 1 | Impressive serving helped the Eagles earn a set-one victory 25-23 as Morehead State totaled five aces in the set. After the lead changed hands three times, the Eagles took control for good at 24-23 and rode that advantage to victory.
SET 2 | After their win in the first set, Morehead State put themselves on the cusp of a sweep with a 25-17 victory in set number two. The Eagles never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 8-7 in a set that showcased three lead changes before Morehead State took control the rest of the way.
SET 3 | Morehead State then ended the match with a victory in set number three. The Eagles took the set 25-19 helped by a solid showing on the attacking end. Morehead State put together a .324 attack percentage with 16 kills in the set win. The Eagles rallied from down six at 7-1 to grab the win. Morehead State's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four South Carolina Upstate attacks in the stanza.
Morehead State hits the road for the first time this season next weekend, taking on Marshall, Akron, and Coppin State in the Marshall Invitational.
UIC 3, LINDENWOOD 0
CHICAGO, Ill. - Lindenwood women's volleyball (2-1, 0-0 OVC) dropped their first match of the season after UIC (3-0, 0-0 MVC) defeated them in three sets. The Lions went 2-1 over the weekend to open up the season. The set scores were: 15-25, 21-25, 25-27.
During their third match in two days, the Lions offense was held to just a .165 hitting percentage including a .091 in set one and a .038 in set two. Addy McAleer led the team in kills with 10 marking her third straight match with double digit kills. She also recorded two service aces in the loss.
Setter Allie Otten had 18 assists for the Lions while also picking up seven digs on defense. Jessie Seidel earned another 15 digs as the libero for the Lions and also chipped in seven assists.
Nyah Wilson and Ashley Geluck had nine kills each with Geluck posting a team best .438 hitting percentage (min. seven attacks). As a team, the Lions had 36 kills to UIC's 42 while UIC hit .283 in three sets.
UIC was led by Ayat Amin with 11 kills and a .562 hitting percentage on 16 attacks. Zahria Woodard led all players with eight total blocks including seven block assists. Woodard would also add six kills.
The first set was taken over by UIC early on as they held a 12-3 advantage midway through the set. Lindenwood was able to cut the deficit to six after a kill be Geluck to change the score to 10-16, but it was not enough for the Lions. The Flames hit .367 in the opening set with 14 kills.
UIC grabbed a 24-15 lead in the second set to put Lindenwood in a hole late. The Lions would fight back in the second and ended the match scoring six of the last seven points including two block assists from Rebecca Janke and Anna Karemer, but UIC took the second set 25-21.
UIC and Lindenwood would go back and forth in the final set resulting in 15 ties between the two. Lindenwood was down by three points multiple times in the set but rallied back to force overtime in the third. After a service error by UIC tied the match at 25-25, the Flames ended the match with two kills by Amin and Cleo Lorenzo.
Lindenwood will return to the court next weekend starting on Friday, Sept. 1 when they host three teams at the Lindenwood Invitational. The Lions will play Austin Peay and Louisiana Monroe on Friday and play Indiana State on Saturday. All Lindenwood matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
MURRAY STATE 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois volleyball fell to the Murray State Racers in their final game of the Leatherneck Classic on Saturday afternoon. The Leathernecks fall to 0-2 on the season after the four-set defeat.
SET 1
WIU came out on an early 3-0 run after Keyana Cruse and Elizabeth Ziegler had back-to-back kills. Murray State would cut WIU's lead down to one, 5-4, before the Leathernecks would open their lead back to four at 8-4. After Murray State cut WIU's lead to 13-10, Cruse would start a 7-1 run. Within the run, WIU would see kills from Brittany Wulf and Grace Kremer and back-to-back service aces by Kremer to top it off. Western Illinois would hold off a late storm by Murray State offense to take set one 25-17.
SET 2
Murray State started and finished in control in the second set. Cruse would end an opening 10-1 run for the Racers. WIU would cut the deficit to eight with kills by Ziegler at the 15-7 and 16-8 mark. Murray State would keep the pressure through the rest of the set, taking set two 25-16.
SET 3
Both teams would start set three, trading the first five points. After a Murray State 4-1 run pushed their lead out to 9-6, WIU would come back to tie it at 10-10. Brittany Wulf would have a kill, and then back-to-back attack errors evened the score. Murray State would have another run in them as a quick 2-0 spurt put them back in front. WIU would keep the deficit at two before they would strike with a 3-0 run for themselves. Elizabeth Ziegler started the run with a kill. An attack error by MSU followed that before Kaitlyn Wickersheim would have a service ace, putting WIU in front 17-16 and forcing a Murray State timeout. In a set full of runs, Murray State would respond with a 3-0 run after tying the set at 19, pushing themselves in front 22-19. The Racers would hold off the Leathernecks, taking the third set 25-20
SET 4
Set four started like the third one. Both teams would trade points, having ties at 3-3 and 4-4. Down 8-5, WIU used a kill by Brittany Wulf and two attack errors, tying the match at eight a piece. A 7-1 run by Murray State would be the difference maker as they would hold a 15-9 lead midway through set four. WIU would see themselves cut the lead to two after a kill by Keyana Cruse, making it 16-14. The Leathernecks would not be able to creep any closer as Murray State pulled away for the 25-19 set win.
Two Leathernecks saw themselves with double-digit kills. Keyana Cruse led the way with 16, and Elizabeth Ziegler had 10. Brittany Wulf was one away from a double-double with nine kills and ten digs. Karli Wenzel led the digs category for WIU with 17. Western Illinois had nine team blocks. Grace Kremer would lead the team with six block assists.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (2-1) fell Saturday afternoon to Southern Illinois (2-0) by a final score of 3-1 to conclude the 2023 SEMO Invitational.
The Redhawks dropped the first two sets (25-18, 25-17) before rallying in the third to win the set 25-19. In the third, SEMO hit a game-high .429 with 13 kills in the set which was tied for the most in the match.
Marisa Guisti and Kaelyn O'Brien led the Redhawks attack with 13 kills apiece hitting at a .429 and a .520 clip, respectively.
Tara Beilsmith finished with a team-high 30 digs on the defensive side of the net for the Redhawks. Lucy Arndt was second on the team with 17 digs. She finished with 10 kills on 43 total attacks (.163).
SEMO held the advantage at the net with 10 blocks as a team to just five for SIU. Kaelyn O'Brien finished with five block assists. Mackenzie Meehan and Marisa Guisti finished with four a piece.
The match that lasted two hours and four minutes saw 15 lead changes and 31 times the score was tied as the two teams battled back and forth through the four-set match.
Setter Izzy Lukens capped off an impressive weekend after 66 assists through two games, the senior finished the final match with 23 assists to push her total to 89 through three games.
Sophomore Jenny Shook made a big impact off the bench dishing out 15 assists.
SIU was led by Nataly Garcia who finished the afternoon with 18 kills on 39 total attacks. Garcia finished with a .308 hitting percentage.
The Redhawks will be back in action on Friday, September 1 at the Chicago State Tournament in Chicago, Ill. SEMO will play at 10 a.m. against Jacksonville State.
TEXAS STATE 3, UT MARTIN 0; TENNESSEE 3, UT MARTIN 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.