SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 3, Indiana State 1 (25-15, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22)
Northern Kentucky 3,
@Morehead State 2 (26-28, 26-24, 25-23, 21-25, 15-10)
Jackson State 3,
Southeast Missouri 2 (25-23, 25-17, 19-25, 21-25, 15-12)
Southeast Missouri 3, McNeese State 2 (29-27, 19-25, 22-25, 25-21, 19-17)
Eastern Illinois 3, Arkansas State 0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-22)
Eastern Illinois 3, Alabama A&M 0 (25-15, 28-26, 25-13)
Southern Indiana 3, Arkansas Pine-Bluff 0 (25-18, 25-8, 25-11)
Southern Indiana 3, Jacksonville State 0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-22)
@Utah 3,
Tennessee State 0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-16)
San Francisco 3,
Tennessee State 2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10)
Tennessee Tech 3, Alcorn State 0 (25-11, 25-16,25-15)
Indiana 3,
Lindenwood 0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-11)
Milwaukee 3,
Western Illinois 2 (22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-27, 15-10)
Little Rock 3, Lamar 2 (25-13, 24-26, 23-25, 27-25, 15-12)
Kansas State 3,
UT Martin 0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-13)
@SIUE 3, Idaho 0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-23)
TENNESSEE TECH 3, ALCORN STATE 0
OXFORD, Miss. - It was a dominant performance by the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles delivered a 3-0 sweep over Alcorn State to open play at the Ole Miss Invite at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center in Oxford, Miss.
The purple and gold held a steady advantage on the attack across the entire match, more than doubling Alcorn's output over the three sets of action. Tech piled up 40 kills to the tune of a .346 attack and racked up 10 service aces. On the other side, the Golden Eagles held the Lady Braves to just 19 terminations, a .131 hitting percentage, and zero aces.
Leading the offensive effort for the purple and gold were outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen and right side Ava Schubert, each compiling eight kills in the match. The veteran Isringhausen hit a robust .400, compiling five digs while competing in just two of the three sets. The rookie Schubert smashed .429 on the day, chipping in four digs and a team-high two blocks.
Setter Jordan Karlen distributed the attack well throughout the day, racking up 29 assists and three digs. The reigning Ohio Valley Conference Setter and Freshman of the Year directed eight different teammates to at least three kills in the match and accounted for four of her own.
Libero McKenna Young led the team with six digs and three service aces while outside hitter Bella Powell chipped in three kills and three service aces of her own. Both Brooke Amann and Katie DiRaimondo delivered four terminations.
The Golden Eagles cruised in the opening set, jumping out to a 14-2 advantage and never looking back. Tech ended the set on an 11-9 run for a 25-11 win. The purple and gold rode the momentum into set two, snapping a 2-2 tie and leading the remainder of the way. Alcorn put up a fight as the set went on, but Tech proved too much for the Lady Braves, earning a 25-16 decision for a 2-0 lead.
In set three, Alcorn picked up its first lead of the entire match at 2-1, but the Golden Eagles flipped the script and pulled away down the stretch. The Lady Braves kept things to within three points before Tech turned in a 9-3 run to truly put things away. A service ace from Aleeya Jones provided the decisive point in the 25-15 win.
Tech will turn its focus to a pair of Saturday matches to close out the Ole Miss Invite, starting with a 10:00 a.m. CT match-up with South Dakota State. A 4:00 p.m. affair against the host Rebels will round out play in Oxford.
INDIANA 3, LINDENWOOD 0
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The Lindenwood women's volleyball team (4-4, 0-0 OVC) lost their opening match at the Stacheville Challenge in Clarksville, Tenn. to Big Ten opponent Indiana (4-3, 0-0 Big Ten) by a final score of 3-0. Lindenwood's offense was held to a .096 hitting percentage in three sets.
The Lions gave the Hoosiers a tough test during set one as they were neck and neck for most of the set. Down 14-8, the Lions were able to go on a 5-0 run to cut the lead to one and force IU to call a timeout.
Lindenwood would get as close as 16-18 before Indiana took control of the set to win 25-21. Rebecca Janke led the Lions with five kills in the first set and a .571 hitting percentage. Jade Roth also had two kills and two blocks in the set.
Indiana came back and took the second set by a score of 17-25. The Hoosier defense held the Lions to a .036 hitting percentage while only collecting seven kills in the second. IU opened up the second with an 8-1 run.
The third set saw Indiana finish the Lions off in three sets with a final score of 25-11. Indiana, for the second set in a row, jumped out to a 8-1 lead which the Lions could not come back from. Lindenwood grabbed five kills in the third while IU added 19.
The Lions were led by Janke with seven kills while Roth added six kills and two blocks. Abby VanBuskirk had 11 assists and seven digs at the setter position while libero Jessie Seidel posted eight digs. Nyah Wilson and Anna Kraemer both added three kills each.
LU will opened back up the Stacheville Challenge tomorrow afternoon at 12:00 p.m. when they face Missouri Valley opponent Valparaiso. Livestats will be available at lindenwoodlions.com.
MILWAUKEE 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 2
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - he Western Illinois volleyball team fell in their opening match of the Cougar Classic. The Leatherneck took the first and fourth set before falling in five sets to the Milwaukee Panthers. WIU falls to 0-6 overall on the season.
SET 1
The first set was back and forth till the end. After a 3-3 start, Kennedy Bauer and Keyana Cruse teamed up for back-to-back kills, giving WIU an early 5-3 lead. The Panthers would tie the match at 6-6 before a Maggie Craker kill started a 4-1 run by the Leathernecks. Keyana Cruse jumped back in the kill column with back-to-back kills to force a UWM timeout. Late in the first set, Milwaukee used a 6-1 run to pull in front 21-20. Western Illinois responded with a 4-0 run. Kennedy Bauer started it and had Cruse follow with two more kills. The run was finished off by a block by Julianna Schmidt and Maggie Craker. Cruse ended her nine-kill set with the winner, helping WIU take the set 25-22.
SET 2
Western Illinois started on the front foot in set two. Three Milwaukee attack errors and two Maggie Craker service aces gave WIU an early 5-0 lead. The Leathernecks grew their lead with back-to-back kills by Elizabeth Ziegler and Grace Kramer. Up 10-3, WIU would see Milwaukee go on an 11-0 run to pull in front 14-10. Western Illinois would be unable to cut the deficit closer than two the rest of the set, as the Panthers took set two 25-18.
SET 3
The Leathernecks jumped out in front 2-0 in set three after a block by Elizabeth Ziegler and Grace Kremer and a Brittany Wulf kill. Milwaukee responded with a 5-0 run to pull in front 5-2. Down 7-4, WIU used a service error, a kill, an ace, and a block to pull back in front 8-7. In a match full of runs, Milwaukee used another 4-1 run to jump back in front 11-9. WIU would tie the set at 11 before a 7-3 run would help Milwaukee pull in ahead. The Panthers would take set three 25-18.
SET 4
As the Leathernecks did in previous sets, a quick start would see them in front early. Multiple kills by Keyana Cruse sandwiched around a Brittany Wulf kill gave WIU an early 3-0 lead. Cruse would get it done from the service line with a service ace pushing Western Illinois lead to four. Milwaukee always had a response as they tied the match at four and six before the Leathernecks found separation. Wulf's three kills and a service ace sparked a 7-1 run for the Leathernecks, giving them a 13-7 lead. WIU would use Cruse and Wulf's offensive power more in the fourth set as their multiple kills helped the Leathernecks to a 21-16 advantage. Milwaukee would use a late 6-1 run to pull in front 24-23. A Panther attack error would tie the match at 24. Down 25-24, WIU used a Brittany Wulf kill and block by Elizabeth Ziegler and another Wulf kill to take set four 27-25.
SET 5
Both teams started the deceive fifth set, trading the first four points. Tied at 4-4, Milwaukee used a quick 3-0 run to separate themselves from WIU. The Leathernecks would use multiple attack errors from Milwaukee to cut the deficit to one, causing the Panthers to call a timeout. The Panthers would not look back out of the timeout as they took the final set 15-10.
Keyana Cruse and Brittany Wulf led the WIU offensive attack on Friday afternoon. Cruse would end day one with 24 kills. Wulf was right behind with 18 kills of her own. Maggie Craker tied a career-high in assists with 45, and Karli Wenzel had 25 digs to lead the team. Western Illinois, as a team, had six total blocks and hit .194 as a team.
The Leathernecks are back in action on Saturday (Sept. 9) against Idaho at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. in their OVC opener against SIUE.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, ARKANSAS STATE 0; EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, ALABAMA A&M 0
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Eastern Illinois opened up the Southern Illinois Saluki Bash with a convincing 3-0 win over Arkansas State. The victory was EIU's fourth 3-0 win of the season and brought their record to a still perfect 7-0. The final set scores were as follows: 25-15, 25-20, and 25-22.
The first set was neck-and-neck at the halfway point with things knotted up at 12 apiece, but eight unanswered points from EIU broke the stalemate wide open as the Panthers ran away from the Red Wolves to take a 1-0 advantage. Eastern's 13-3 run featured kills by four different players, including three off the attack of Natalie Mitchem who finished the set with six kills on a .625 hitting percentage. Julia Stanev recorded two blocks in the set.
EIU kept things rolling in the second set, as Mitchem added eight more kills to her total to help lift the Panthers to a 2-0 lead. The Panthers trailed for much of the third set, including being down by as many as five points, but were able to scrap their way back to take the lead late and then held off the Red Wolves to close out the match.
The Panthers' offense was led by Natalie Mitchem, who recorded 18 kills on a .333 hitting percentage. She was followed by Kaitlyn Flynn and Giovana Larregui López with seven kills apiece. Kate Dean contributed six kills and finished with a match-high .500 hitting percentage.
Catalina Rochaix continued to set the bar as a passer, collecting a match-high 33 assists and helping the Panthers to a team hitting percentage of .309.
Christina Martinez Mundo led the match with 18 digs, while Julia Stanev outpaced all players with five blocks.
Eastern Illinois led Arkansas State in kills, hitting percentage, assists, and digs.
Game 2 vs. Alabama A&M
In their second match of the day, Eastern Illinois secured yet another 3-0 victory. In a contest that featured an almost entirely different Panther lineup than in their first match, there was no drop-off. Each set finished as follows: 25-15, 28-26, and 25-13.
The Panthers controlled the opening set from the start, as they pounced out to an 8-1 lead over the Bulldogs and never looked back, retaining at least a seven-point cushion for the remainder of the set. Setter Sylvia Hasz did a great job distributing the ball, finishing the set with 10 assists, and helping five different Panthers record at least one kill, led by sophomore Tori Mohesky with 10. Hasz also had a kill of her own.
The second set was a much more dramatic affair. After jumping out to a 9-5 lead, the Panthers relinquished their advantage after a 5-0 Bulldog run. EIU was forced to deny two Alabama A&M set point opportunities before finally reclaiming the lead and finishing things off in extra play. The set was headlined by outside hitter Ella Collins with nine kills.
Eastern would not let up in the third, jumping out to another 8-1 lead and staying locked in the entire way as they finished up their second consecutive Friday double header in which they did not concede a single set.
Ella Collins led the way for the Panthers' offense, matching teammate Natilie Michem's game one performance with 18 kills while recording a .483 hitting percentage. Tori Mohesky and Emily Wilcox were also key contributors, finishing with 10 and seven kills, respectively. Sylvia Hasz led the match with 40 assists for a dazzling 13.33 assists per set.
EIU also recorded nine service aces, with Christina Martinez Mundo leading the match with three.
Martinez Mundo was again the leader on defense, recording a match-high 22 digs for 7.33 digs per set. Mohesky and Hasz also added seven digs each, while Emily Wilcox collected two blocks.
Eastern Illinois will return to action tomorrow as they will look to remain unbeaten against host Southern Illinois in what will be their final tournament match of non-conference play. Action is set to begin at 1:30 p.m
LITTLE ROCK 3, LAMAR 2
RUSTON, La. - The Little Rock volleyball team finished a clean sweep of its two-day schedule at the Louisiana Tech Invitational on Friday, taking down Lamar University in a tough five-set match for their third consecutive win. Little Rock (3-5) took the opening set but dropped the next two and responded with wins in the fourth and fifth sets to capture a non-conference win by scores of 25-13, 24-26, 23-25, 27-25, 15-12.
Dariana Valencia led the team with 31 assists, setting a new career high along the way. Bella Cherry hit 0.206 percent and finished with a career-best 21 kills and Daedrianna Cail reached a new career mark with 16 kills on 0.382 attacking percentage. Rylee McClintock also set a new career mark with 32 digs and Kaylee Smith registered a double-double with 21 assists and 11 digs. The Trojans also set new single-match marks for the season with 96 digs, 61 kills, 58 assists and 14 service aces.
The Trojans showed their resiliency during the match, putting together several scoring runs at key moments. Trailing 10-9 in the opening set, the Trojans went on an 11-1 run to go ahead 20-11 and finish off the set. Down 19-15 in the third, they six of the next seven to take a 21-20 lead before eventually falling. Facing defeat in the fourth and trailing 23-20, the Trojans ended the set on a 7-2 run to force a decisive fifth set. Leading by just a point in the fifth, Little Rock closed out the win with a 4-2 run.
After an 0-5 start to the season, the Trojans now carry a three-game win streak into next week's Beale Street Challenge in Memphis, Tenn., where Little Rock will face some stiff competition with matches against Southern Miss, Arizona State, and host Memphis. The trip to Memphis marks the end of the non-conference schedule as the Trojans open their Ohio Valley Conference schedule Sept. 22-23 at Southern Indiana.
KANSAS STATE 3, UT MARTIN 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team fell in three sets this evening to Kansas State (14-25, 12-25, 13-25), completing its participation in the Lippy Invitational in the process.
Mia Saenz had a team-high five kills while Kristin Phillips (.500 hitting percentage) and Olivia Saunders each followed closely behind with four kills apiece. Haeleigh Paulino handed out a team-high 11 assists for the Skyhawks (2-6).
On the defensive side, Kayla Bryant came away with a team-high nine digs and was followed by Dylan Mott (eight scoops) and Josie Hess (six digs). Saunders rejected a team-best three blocks (two solo) but the Wildcats improved to 5-1 on the season after hitting .323 for the match.
Following the match, Saunders was named to the Lippy Invitational all-tournament squad. The 6-2 graduate middle blocker achieved team-highs in kills (14), hitting percentage (.313) and blocks (eight) over the two matches in the event. It marks the second all-tournament nod of the fall for the Mississauga, Ontario, Canada native, who also received those honors at the season-opening Tennessee Classic on Aug. 25-26.
UT Martin wraps up its nonconference schedule next week when it makes a short trip to Carbondale, Ill. for the Saluki Invitational. The Skyhawks will take on tournament host Southern Illinois at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14 before facing Oakland at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15.
SIUE 3, IDAHO 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE volleyball played its first contest of the season inside First Community Arena in front of 487 fans on Friday night, sweeping Idaho in three sets on day one of the Cougar Classic. The set scores were: 25-22, 25-19, and 25-23.
The Cougars finished the contest with a .252 clip, their highest attack percentage this season, while holding the Vandals to .165. SIUE concluded the match with season-high marks in kills (41), assists (38), and digs (47) during three set contests.
SIUE improved to 2-5 on the season while Idaho falls to 1-7. SIUE improves to 15-12 all-time in home openers.
SIUE, the Ohio Valley Conference leader in total blocks, wrapped the contest with 11. Chelsey Abel led the Cougars at the net with five while Priscilla Jones, Savannah Christian, Bree Schreimann, and Hummert tallied three each.
Hummert led the Cougars' attack with 10 kills on 28 attacks, good for a .250 clip. She also led SIUE with five service aces, a career high mark for the junior.
Priscilla Jones added nine kills on 13 attacks for a .615 attack percentage.
On defense, freshman Abi Banitt posted 13 digs to lead the Cougars. Julia Treichel and Alyse Drifka contributed eight digs apiece.
The setting duo of Alyse Drifka (19) and Corinna Jones (13) combined for 32 assists.
SIUE is back in action tomorrow, beginning with Milwaukee at 1:00 p.m. The Cougars will take on Western Illinois at 6:00 p.m., making the first conference matchup in the OVC this season. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
UTAH 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0; SAN FRANCISCO 3, TENNESSEE STATE 2
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - he Tennessee State volleyball team could not overcome a potent Utah Utes attack as they suffered a road loss in straight sets (20-25, 19-25, 16-25). The loss moved the Tiger record to 0-5 in the young season. TSU played it close in the first two sets, even managing a 14-10 lead in the first set. The Utes then went on a 7-1 run to take a 17-15 lead that they never gave up. In the second set, Utah's 9-1 run late in the set gave them a 22-14 lead that TSU could not come back from. Set three's 9-1 run by the Utes made the score 13-7, which virtually put the match away.
Senior Jayla Holcombe finished with nine kills on the day to lead the Tiger attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .389. Junior Hennesys Lalane dished out 18 assists to support the TSU attack. On defense, the Tigers got a game-high 14 digs from Celianiz Cabranes, while Holcombe and Kennedy Davis tied for three block assists apiece.
SET 1 | The Tigers found themselves in an early hole, dropping the first set 25-20. Utah grabbed the advantage for good at 16-15 in a set that was tied up seven times before the Utes took over in the second half of the stanza. The Tigers struggled with four service errors in the set.
SET 2 | Tennessee State dropped the second set 25-19, digging a 2-0 hole in the match. The Tigers fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before dropping the set. Three more service errors hurt TSU.
SET 3 | Tennessee State couldn't prolong the match and lost in set number three, falling 25-16 to finish the match. Tennessee State trailed by as many as nine points as Utah grabbed the advantage for good at 7-6 in a set that was knotted up two times before the Utes took over the lead.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 0; SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Recap coming soon.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, INDIANA STATE 1; NORTHERN KENTUCKY 3, MOREHEAD STATE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State volleyball team beat the Indiana State Sycamores in four sets (25-15, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22) Friday at home at Johnson Arena in the opening match of the Comfort Inn-Vitational.
The non-conference win boosted the Eagles' overall record to 5-2 on the season.
The Eagles attack was paced by Hollan Everett, who finished with 17 kills on the day, and by Maycie Welborn, who had 14 while hitting .333. Defensively, MSU had four players reach double figures in digs, highlighted by Peighton Isley's 20, 16 from Brenna Bommer, and 11 more from M.E. Hargan. From the front row, Amelia Nott contributed six blocks.
Bommer's 16 digs and 41 assists were both season highs, as the junior setter posted her first double-double of 2023. M.E. Hargan finished one kill shy of a double-double of her own (9 kills, 11 digs).
Morehead State had four players in double figures in digs.» Sydney Sennett had a team-high two aces in the win.
Hollan Everett had a match-high 17 kills for Morehead State.
Morehead State got a match-high 20 digs from Peighton Isley.
SET 1 | The Eagles jumped out to an early lead, handily winning the first set 25-15. Morehead State never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 12-11 in a set that showcased two lead changes before the Eagles took over the lead. got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked five Indiana State attacks in the stanza.
SET 2 | Morehead State then lost the second set 25-20, tying the match at a set apiece. Indiana State grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 in a set that was tied up three times before the Sycamores took over the lead.
SET 3 | Morehead State bounced back following the second-set loss to grab set three and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Eagles took the lead for good at 15-14 in a set that showcased four lead changes before Morehead State took over in the second half of the stanza. They then carried that lead to a 25-23 set win.
SET 4 | Morehead State kept the momentum going, earning the match win with a 25-22 fourth-set victory after falling behind 20-16. The Eagles survived a back-and-forth set to win in a stanza that featured four lead changes and was tied seven times. Neither team was able to grab a lead larger than four points along the way. Morehead State also supplemented their offense with three aces in the set.
JACKSON STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, MCNEESE STATE 2
LAKE CHARLES, La. - Recap coming soon.