SATURDAY'S SCORES
Oakland 3,
Western Illinois 1 (23-25, 25-21, 29-27, 25-15)
Eastern Michigan 3,
Western Illinois 2 (11-25, 25-14, 25-20, 22-25, 15-13)
Southern Indiana 3, New Orleans 1 (25-15, 25-13, 24-26, 26-24)
Kansas City 3,
UT Martin 1 (25-18, 25-23, 22-25, 26-24)
Eastern Illinois 3, @IUPUI 1 (27-29, 25-18, 25-9, 25-15)
Cincinnati 3,
@Tennessee Tech 0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-20)
@Chicago State 3,
Southeast Missouri 0 (26-24, 25-17, 30-28)
@Lindenwood 3, Indiana State 1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23)
UAB 3,
SIUE 2 (25-15, 15-25, 24-26, 25-23, 15-7)
@Lipscomb 3,
Tennessee State 0 (25-10, 25-19, 25-14)
SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, NEW ORLEANS 1
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (2-5) put up a season-high 57 kills in a 3-1 (25-15, 25-13, 26-24, 26-24) victory over the University of New Orleans (1-5) to cap off the Bellarmine Invitational at Knights Hall on Saturday afternoon. The Screaming Eagles avenged their two losses from yesterday's matches and have already doubled their win total from last season.
USI came out of the gate strong by defeating the Privateers, 25-15, in the opening frame. The Eagles had a quick 5-3 lead after some UNO mistakes and one of many kills from senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois). USI would then go on a 6-0 surge with the help of a trio of service aces from senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and a kill from sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois). The Privateers cut the deficit to five until back-to-back kills from Leah Anderson put the power back in the Eagles' hands, 17-9. USI ended the set by scoring seven of the final 10 points to clinch a first-set win. The Eagles had a solid offensive attack to open the game, earning 12 kills with a match-low two errors and a 0.303 attacking percentage.
A strong attack and stellar defense put the Eagles in the driver's seat and lifted them to a 25-13 win in the second set. Knotted up at eight apiece, USI put on a 9-0 run that nearly doubled UNO, 17-9. In that stint, the Eagles had three kills and three aces. The Privateers were able to stop the bleeding until USI put up three straight points off three kills from Leah Anderson, Bednar, and freshman outside hitter Leah Coleman (Hoover, Alabama) who played in her first collegiate career match. Back-to-back Leah Anderson kills and a game-ending kill from junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) sealed the Privateers' fate and put the Eagles up, 2-0. USI nabbed 16 kills and a match-high 0.344 hitting percentage. The Eagles' defense allowed just two kills from UNO and a negative 0.048 attacking percentage.
Despite putting up an impressive 19 kills, USI faltered in the third frame, 26-24. The Privateers found a rhythm in the middle of the set and put on a 6-0 run that made it 13-9 in favor of UNO. The Eagles were able to retaliate with four kills, two coming from Coleman, to cut the deficit to one. It was back-and-forth action until USI tied it at 21 thanks to junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) who tallied a kill and an ace to regain momentum. The Eagles reclaimed the lead, 24-23, until the Privateers ended the set on a 3-0 run to win the set. UNO was nearly flawless on offense, nabbing 14 kills with just two errors.
Despite trailing by as many as nine points, USI made a late push and took home a come-from-behind set win, 26-24. The Eagles held a 4-3 advantage until the Privateers stormed back and scored 10 of the following 12 points with a pair of 5-0 runs to take a 13-6 lead. USI would then trail 17-8 after some attacking errors that put the Eagles in their largest deficit of the day. At 22-16, USI took advantage of four offensive miscues to go along with a pair of Downing kills to cut the debt, 23-22. Even after a quick kill from UNO and being just one point away from the loss, the Eagles scored the last four points from three kills and an ace from Bednar.
Leah Anderson put on a show in the final match of the tournament, securing a season-high 18 kills and 20 digs to go along with three aces. Sobieralski added a career-high 47 assists and a solid 12 digs to give her another double-double. Bednar led the team with four aces and four blocks to pair with a season-high 15 kills and 12 digs. Coleman had an impressive collegiate opener, recording seven kills and 15 digs, while sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) totaled 16 digs to round out the double-digit digs category.
As a team, the Eagles put up 57 kills, 55 assists, and nine aces to pair with 81 digs and six blocks. Four of the five main categories were season highs for USI. The Privateers ended the match with 36 kills, 33 assists, and seven aces to go with 67 digs and eight blocks.
The Eagles are at home for the first time in 2023 for the USI Invitational, a four-team tournament hosted at Screaming Eagles Arena from September 8 to 9. USI will face the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1 p.m.) and Jacksonville State University (7 p.m.) on Friday before taking on Bradley University (3 p.m.) on Saturday.
KANSAS CITY 3, UT MARTIN 1
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A slow start cost the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team as the Skyhawks fell by a 3-1 margin (18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 24-26) against Kansas City on the final day of the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational.
UT Martin slammed down a season-high 63 kills on a .203 attack percentage this afternoon but was outlasted by a Roos squad that improved their record to 6-0.
A pair of Skyhawks accumulated double-doubles today. Haeleigh Paulino tallied a career-best and team-high 22 digs to go along with 26 assists while Jenna Vallée supplied 13 kills and 19 digs in her UT Martin debut.
Kayla Bryant was the offensive star for the Skyhawks today, piling up a career-best 21 kills on a team-high .315 hitting percentage. The sophomore outside hitter out of Louisville, Ky. additionally tacked on a match-best three service aces.
Olivia Saunders also reached double figures in the kill column while narrowly trailing Bryant for the team lead in hitting percentage (.314). Addy Vaughn came away with a team-best 27 assists for UT Martin (2-4).
Defensively, Dylan Mott set a season-high with 21 digs for the second consecutive day. Saunders and Vaughn shared the team lead with two blocks apiece.
At the end of the event, Mott was named to the all-tournament team. The junior libero from Hendersonville, Tenn. came away with 42 digs in nine sets (4.67 per set) over two matches in the tournament.
The Skyhawks resume their nonconference slate next week when they head to Nashville, Tenn. for the Lippy Invitational. UT Martin will square off against in-state rival Lipscomb at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7 before colliding against Kansas State on Friday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, IUPUI 1
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Eastern Illinois volleyball team wrapped up their second weekend of non-conference play with a still unbeaten record, defeating the Jaguars of IUPUI 3-1 on Saturday afternoon in the final match of the Hampton Inn Invite. The set scores were as follows: 27-29, 25-18, 25-9, and 25-15.
EIU's only dropped set of the weekend came in a tightly contested opening set in which the Jaguars were able to hold off the Panthers in extra play. IUPUI rode their momentum to a 13-7 lead in the second set before the Panthers roared back, outscoring the Jaguars 18-5 to even things up.
Eastern would not look back, as they kept things rolling with a dominant set three win before controlling the fourth set to lock up their sixth win of the season.
The Panthers offense was led by Natalie Mitchem with 15 kills on a very efficient .469 hitting percentage. She was followed by Kate Dean with nine kills, and Giovana Larregui López with eight kills. As a team, EIU recorded a solid .295 hitting percentage.
Catalina Rochaix recorded a double-double on the day, as she facilitated the EIU attack with a match-leading 31 assists while also holding things down on defense with a team-high 10 digs. Rochaix's performance helped her surpass 1,000 career assists, as she brought her total to 1,005 just a little over a year into her collegiate career.
Other defensive leaders for the Panthers included Giovana Larregui López (nine digs), Christina Martinez Mundo (eight digs) and Kaitlyn Flynn (seven digs).
Giovana Larregui López was named tournament MVP. On the weekend, Larregui López led EIU with 33 kills on a .353 hitting percentage. She also recorded 14 service aces and 24 digs over the three matches.
Joining Larregui López as All-Tournament selections were Christina Martinez Mundo and Kate Dean.
Martinez Mundo paced the EIU defense with 46 digs for an average of 4.60 digs per set. She also contributed 11 assists and a pair of service aces on offense.
Dean finished the weekend with 20 kills, and her .372 hitting percentage was the highest on the team among players with over 10 attempts. She also added six blocks.
Other tournament leaders for the Panthers included Natalie Mitchem (32 kills, .344 PCT.), Catalina Rochaix (97 assists, 9.7 APS), and Julia Stanev (eight blocks).
Next up for the Panthers is the Sothern Illinois Saluki Bash in Carbondale. They will face off with Arkansas State at 12 p.m. on Friday, September 8th, followed by a match against Alabama A&M scheduled for 4 p.m. They will take on Southern Illinois at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday to close out the weekend. EIU will then return to Charleston to host Missouri on September 14th and 15th.
CINCINNATI 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech volleyball team ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Cincinnati Saturday afternoon, as the purple and gold fell to the red-hot Bearcats 3-0 in the final match of the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn of Cookeville.
Champions of the event following a 3-0 weekend, Cincinnati looked unstoppable for two sets, riding a dynamic attack and strong defense for a 2-0 lead. The visitors from Cincy hit .357 with 15 kills to win the opening set 25-13, holding Tech to just six terminations and an .040 attack.
That stingy play was essentially on repeat in set two, as the Bearcats tallied 14 attack points on a .394 efficiency while limiting the Golden Eagles to seven kills and .027 hitting percentage for a 25-13 win. Tech remained resilient, finding and grinding through a grueling third set, playing point-for-point with the Big 12 foe.
The Golden Eagle never trailed by more than two points in the opening half of the final game, holding the lead as late as 16-15. The Bearcats finally pulled away down the stretch, ending the match on a 4-0 run for the 25-20 victory.
The purple and gold racked up 13 kills and 18 digs in the set, but another 16 kills for Cincy proved to be just too much for the Golden Eagles to overcome.
Outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen led Tech's effort with nine kills on the day, chipping in five digs as well. Middle blocker Skylar Boom added seven terminations to the effort while libero Aleeya Jones piled up eight digs.
Sophomore setter Jordan Karlen flirted with a double-double behind 23 assists and eight digs. The reigning OVC Setter and Freshman of the Year, she earned a spot on the Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team, the first of her career.
Rookie Jillian Shaneyfelt contributed a season-high seven digs in two sets of plays while Brooke Amann picked up two kills and six digs in her first action of the weekend.
Tech will return to action next weekend with a trip to Oxford, Miss., competing in the Ole Miss Invite. The Golden Eagles kick off the action on Friday, Sept. 8 with a 4:00 p.m. CT tilt with Alcorn State. Play continues on Saturday for the purple and gold, with a double dip of South Dakota State at 10:00 a.m. and the host Rebels at 4:00 p.m.
CHICAGO STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
CHICAGO, Ill. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (3-2) fell in their last match at the Windy City Classic to host Chicago State (4-1), by a final score of 3-0.
SEMO dropped all three sets (24-26, 17-25, 28-30). The first set saw the Redhawks hit a game high .239 with 15 kills. The Redhawks had the upper hand in the third set with a 17-10-point lead but ultimately lost the lead.
The game lasted one hour and 41 minutes and included seven lead changes and 15 times the score was tied as the teams went into extra points twice. The Cougars edged out the Redhawks in kills with a total of 45 compared to 40.
Talia Gouard led the Redhawks with a season high 12 kills on 26 total attacks (.423). Gouard also added two block assists.
Tara Beilsmith paced the Redhawks with 20 total digs. Lucy Arndt was second on the team in digs with 13. Arndt also recorded nine kills, hitting at a .261 clip which was second on the team.
Jenny Shook made the start again leading the team in assists with a career high 31, recording a game high 12 in set one. The sophomore also added nine digs and three kills.
SEMO had five total blocks compared to Chicago State's nine. Marisa Guisti and Kayla Closset lead the Redhawks at the net with three block assists a piece.
Patrycja Lagida recorded the most kills for CSU with 15. Freshman setter Wiktoria Zagumny led the cougars with 39 kills while also adding ten digs.
SEMO will head to Lake Charles La. to play in the McNeese State tournament next weekend Sept. 8 and 9 at the Legacy Center. The Redhawks will play Jackson State and McNeese State on Friday and Sam Houston on Saturday, first serve is set for 10:30 a.m on Friday.
OAKLAND 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1; EASTERN MICHIGAN 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 2
VALPARAISO, Ind. - Western Illinois volleyball fell in their final two matches of the Popcorn Classic. The Leathernecks dropped their match in four sets to Oakland University and five sets to Eastern Michigan. The Leathernecks fall to 0-5 on the season.
WIU vs Oakland
Western Illinois came out with energy in their morning match-up against Oakland University. After both teams traded the first two points, Elizabeth Ziegler would get a kill to spark an early Leatherneck run. Maggie Craker would get a kill, pushing WIU in front 9-3, forcing Oakland to use one of their timeouts. Western would keep holding off the Golden Grizzlies, seeing their lead cut down to the game being tied at 20 and 23. With the score tied at 23, WIU would get a kill by Julianna Schmidt and a service ace by Brittany Wulf to take set one. Set two would see Oakland control it from wire to wire. WIU would cut the deficit to one multiple times at 15-14 and 20-19 but would fall in the end 25-21.
Western Illinois succeeded early in the third set as Oakland University had an attack error that helped spark a 6-1 run. On the run, Kennedy Bauer would have two kills, including one to force a timeout by Oakland. The Leathernecks would keep the pressure on as their lead would increase to 17-11 after a service ace by Kaitlyn Wickersheim. Oakland would battle back, tying the set at 24 before fighting off three Leatherneck set points to take the third set 29-27. The fourth set started back as both teams traded points, having the score tied at three. Oakland started pulling away midway through the fourth set with a 6-1 run to pull in front 15-8. The Leathernecks would fight back with a 4-1 run to pull themselves within four, but that would be the closest they would get as they fell 25-15.
Kennedy Bauer led the team with 14 kills with an attacking percentage of .345. Bauer also contributed 14 digs and had her first double-double of the season. Elizabeth Ziegler was second on the team in game one with eight kills. Karli Wenzel led the team with 23 digs, and Maggie Craker had 34 assists.
WIU vs Eastern Michigan
The Leathernecks came out rolling in set number one. With the score sitting at 7-5, the Leathernecks would use three straight mistakes by Eastern Michigan, then a kill by Grace Kremer and Keyana Cruse, and a block by the two to increase their lead to 13-5. Elizabeth Ziegler would have her first kill of the match to extend WIU's run to a 7-0 run. The Leathernecks kept on the pressure, increasing their lead to 10 at 21-11. WIU would cap off the first set with a 4-0 run, taking set 1 25-11. Set two was the complete reverse of the second set as Eastern Michigan held control to take a 25-15 set victory.
Eastern Michigan did not slow down in the third set. After both teams traded the first six points, a 14-6 run would put EMU in front 20-12. Western Illinois responded with a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 22-17 before EMU took set three 25-20. Set four started back and forth. With both teams tied at five, WIU would create a 4-0 run, pushing themselves in front 9-5. Eastern Michigan had a response as they cut WIU lead to one. Ahead 13-11, WIU would use a 6-0 run to pull ahead and take control of the fourth set. The Leathernecks would take set four 25-22.
Eastern jumped out to an early 5-2 lead. Keyana Cruse would have a response as she would lead a 5-1 charge for WIU to give them a 7-6 lead. EMU responded with a 4-0 run to pull out in front 10-7. Teams would trade points the rest of the set as EMU took set five 15-13.
Keyana Cruse led the offensive charge for WIU. The junior had a team-leading 21 kills and 13 digs to complete the double-double. Kennedy Bauer had her second match with a double-digit kill with 11. Karli Wenzel led the team in digs with 18, and Maggie Craker had 42 assists.
LINDENWOOD 3, INDIANA STATE 1
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood women's volleyball (4-2, 0-0 OVC) earned a hard fought four set victory over Missouri Valley opponent Indiana State (2-4, 0-0 MVC) on Saturday to close out the 2023 Lindenwood Invitational. Lions won 3-1 with set scores of: 18-25, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-23.
"Indiana State showed up to play today," said head coach Will Condon. "They were aggressive and connecting really well offensively. I thought we stepped up to the challenge and found ways to win points and sets. It was good for us to be challenged by a team playing well and still find a way to get the win."
Condon's team dropped the first set after only hitting a .025 with eight errors and nine kills. Lions and Sycamores went back and fourth up until it was 14-14 before ISU pulled away late to take the first set.
Addy McAleer had three of her team and season high 17 kills in the first while Ozge Tan and Jade Roth chipped in two each. Kaitlyn Hamilton on the outside for Indiana State had a set high five kills in the first.
The Lions stormed back in set two to even the match at 1-1 with a close 25-23 set victory. Lindenwood was able to go up 21-17 late and retained their lead to secure the point. McAleer had five kills in the set with Nyah Wilson and Rebecca Janke picking up four each. Libero Jessie Seidel had five digs and four assists in the set to help the Lions.
LU was able to pull away in the third set to hold a 2-1 advantage at Hyland Arena. The Lions had 13 kills in the set and two service aces from Wilson and McAleer. The defense stepped up and held ISU to a .116 hitting percentage, their lowest of the match.
Allie Otten (seven) and Abby VanBuskirk (four) combined for 11 assists in the third to help Lion hitters. Seidel added another seven digs in the set on defense while blockers put up three total blocks to help LU.
Lindenwood opened up the fourth and final set on fire with a 8-0 run that included three kills by Anna Kraemer and two service aces from Seidel. LU was able to hold on despite a comeback from the Sycamores that cut the lead late to 17-17. Lions pulled away late to earn their fourth win of the season.
McAleer ended the match with 17 kills and 12 digs which helped her earn All-Tournament team. Nyah Wilson also was selected to the team with eight kills and 19 digs in the win. Otten posted 26 assists for the Lions while Janke had 10 kills and three total blocks.
The Lions will be back in action for their first midweek matchup of the season as they take on Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill. on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
UAB 3, SIUE 2
CHICAGO, Ill. - SIUE volleyball played its third and final game of the UIC Invitational on Saturday afternoon against UAB inside Credit Union 1 Arena. The Cougars took the second and third sets but came up short as the Blazers topped SIUE in five sets with scores of 15-25, 25-15, 26-24, 23-25, and 7-15.
The Cougars concluded the match with a .145 attack percentage while racking up a season-high nine service aces. SIUE also set a season-high marks in digs and kills with 72 and 50.
Outside hitter Julia Treichel was honored on the UIC All-Tournament Team. She finished the weekend with 28 kills, 28 digs, and four service aces.
SIUE falls to 1-5 on the season while UAB improves to 2-4.
Julia Treichel led the Cougars' attack, finishing the match with 13 kills for a .333 clip. The Junior added 13 digs, good for her second consecutive double-double. She leads SIUE with 49 kills this season, averaging 2.04 per set.
Treichel also led the Cougars at the service line with four aces.
Sophomore Bree Schreimann added 12 kills, good for a career-high mark.
Corinna Jones co-led SIUE with 13 digs. She also led the setting efforts, tallying 19 assists for a double-double.
Alyse Drifka also contributed a double-double with 17 assists and 11 digs.
At the net, Paige Montgomery led SIUE with a career-high five blocks.
SIUE will play its first games of the season inside First Community Arena during the Cougar Classic on Sep. 8 and 9. The Cougars will take on Idaho Friday before closing the weekend with Milwaukee and Western Illinois.
LIPSCOMB 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Tennessee State fell at Lipscomb in three sets (25-10, 25-19, 25-14). With the loss the Tigers fall to 0-4 on the season.
Aleksandra Rojecka led TSU with seven kills to go with a pair of blocks. Hennesys Lalane had 11 assists and three digs. Celianiz Cabranes registered a team-high 11 digs in the match.
Tennessee State will travel to the Utah Tournament on Friday.