Ohio Valley Conference

CHARLSTON, S.C. - The Leatherneck Volleyball team remained unbeaten on day two of the Buc Dome Invitational defeating Sacred Heart in straight sets. With the win, WIU is now over .500 and has 6 non-conference wins this season, which is the most since 2013. The Leathernecks finished with a 3-0 record on the weekend and have now won four in a row, all of which have been straight set sweeps. 

Keyana Cruse had a match-high 16 kills to lead the Leathernecks offensively while Julianna Schmidt had a great day defensively finishing with a match-high 8 blocks, including 3 solo blocks, all coming on three straight plays in the first set. As a team, WIU had 13 blocks in the match. 

In set one, WIU would start the set trailing 3-0. A block by Brittany Wulf and Julianna Schmidt would cut the Sacred Heart lead to 3-2 and would spark a 12-2 Leatherneck run to take the set lead at 13-5. During the run, Keyana Cruse would have back-to-back kills and Schmidt would have three straight blocks to fuel the run. WIU followed a 12-2 run with a 6-0 run later in the set to separate themselves from the Pioneers. Cruse would have 3 kills during the 6-0 run, finishing the set with 5 kills. The Leathernecks would take the first set by a score of 25-15.

In set two, Sacred Heart jumped out to a 10-3 lead to start the set. A Brittany Wulf kill would help the Leathernecks go on a 5-1 run to cut the Pioneer lead to 11-8. The two sides would trade the next 5 points giving Sacred Heart the 14-10 set lead. Kennedy Adair would get a kill to make the set 14-11 and that would lead to a 9-2 WIU run to give them the set lead at 19-16. Sacred Heart's early run to start the set would prove to be big as the Pioneers would stay with the Leathernecks eventually tying the set at 24-24. Back-to-back kills by Elizabeth Ziegler and Brittany Wulf would give the Leathernecks the second set win by a score of 27-25. 

Similar to set two, Sacred Heart started out with an 8-3 lead. The Leathernecks would go point for point with the Pioneers for the next four points making it a 10-5 lead in favor of Sacred Heart.  Grace Kremer would have a block and kill, cutting the deficit to 2 at 10-8. Later in the set, the Pioneers and Leathernecks would trade points back-and-forth with Sacred Heart clinging to a 16-12 lead. A kill by Kennedy Adair started an 11-2 run by WIU taking control of the set by a score of 23-18. During the run, Keyana Cruse would have 4 kills and Grace Ulatowski would bring the Leathernecks to within one with a kill of her own. Cruse would have another kill after the run to get it to match point and the Leathernecks would take care of business winning the third set by a score of 25-19.

TENNESSEE TECH 3, GEORGETOWN 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. - In true, bounce-back spirit, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team got back to its winning ways Saturday morning, completing the most successful non-conference slate in program history with a 3-1 victory over Georgetown to close out the Greensboro Invitational.

After falling to Marshall for their first loss of the 2024 campaign on Friday, the Golden Eagles (11-1) shook off the minor bump in the road to deliver another clutch win at Fleming Gymnasium. A bludgeoning attack from the purple and gold helped overcome 14.0 blocks by the Hoyas in the match, with Tech accumulating 64 kills to just 46 for Georgetown.

It was a battle early in the opening set of the day, as neither side took larger than a two-point lead until Tech snapped a 17-17 tie with an 8-2 run for a 25-19 victory. The Cookeville crew came out swinging, piling up 17 terminations with four of its five errors occurring on blocks.

Georgetown responded with a right cross, jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the second set and eventually rolling to a 25-14 win. The Hoyas forced the Golden Eagles into 10 attack errors, rejecting 5.0 attempts from the purple and gold.

Set three saw Tech take control with a 3-2 lead and then hold off a late rally attempt from Georgetown, topping the Hoyas, 25-22, behind 17 more kills and just four errors. The Golden Eagles staved off another comeback bid by the Hoyas in set four as well.

Trailing the Cookeville crew 22-19, Georgetown crept out front with set point at 24-23, prompting Tech's second timeout of the set. The Golden Eagle regrouped and responded with two kills and an attack error from the Hoyas to triumph 26-24 for the win.

The purple and gold amassed a whopping 21 terminations in the fourth set, smashing .381 as a unit.

Having a field day were the Tech outside hitter, combining for 53 of the team's 64 kills. Leading the way with the best performance of her young career to date was rookie Alayna Pierce, who crushed a season-high 20 kills while hitting an impressive .310. She also contributed seven digs, an ace, and one block assist.

Senior outside Madolyn Isringhausen also accounted for 20 terminations, chipping in seven digs and another ace of her own. Over the weekend, the Edwardsville, Ill. native pushed past Katrina Hendrix (1982-85) and tied Bilyana Triko (1986-89) in program history with 136 career service aces. She also cracked the top-10 in career points, skipping up to eighth past Cody Dodd (2012-15), Taylor Dorsey (2018-22), and Anne Morrow (2002-05).

Fellow senior Bella Powell chalked up 10 more kills of her own while hitting .304 from the right side. Freshman middle blocker Mallory Jenkins was efficient with her opportunities throughout the day, racking up 10 kills on a .368 attack and leading the team with three block assists.

Doling out a season-high 53 assists in the match, junior setter Jordan Karlen just missed a double-double with nine digs. Defensive specialist Aleeya Jones provided 12 digs to the effort.

Exploding for a special performance on the defensive side of things, senior McKenna Young compiled the second-largest total of digs in her career with 29. It marked the most by the Murfreesboro native in a four-set match and the highest total since her career-high mark of 34 in a five-set win at Murray State during her freshman campaign in the spring of 2020-21.

ARKANSAS STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.  - The Eastern Illinois volleyball team (4-6, 0-0 OVC) fell 3-0 to Arkansas State (10-2, 0-0 ASun) on Saturday morning during day two of the Alyssa Cavanaugh WKU Tournament. The Panthers conclude the tournament with a record of 1-2.

Eastern Illinois dropped set one 25-17 as the contest began with momentum in favor of Arkansas State. The Red Wolves posted a 7-1 run, stretching their lead at the beginning of the frame. EIU clawed their way back, closing the score to 9-11, before another 7-1 run allowed for ASU to secure the set. Kaitlyn Flynn recorded four kills in the frame.

Both teams began set two with a strong performance as neither team lead by more than two points until an ASU timeout prompted a 9-3 run to claim set two 25-16 for the Red Wolves. Junior Lilli Amettis finished the set with three kills.

Eastern Illinois showed life in set three, as both teams battled for the entire frame. The Panthers tied the score at 15-15, recorded eight more ties before ASU was able to sneak away with two points to end the final set 26-24.

Flynn and Amettis both lead the offensive efforts for EIU with nine kills. Destiny Walker, Tori Mohesky, and Karli Mann also chipped in with four kills each of their own.

LINDENWOOD 3, MONTANA 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  - Lindenwood women's volleyball (6-6, 0-0 OVC) took home the victory over Montana (5-6, 0-0 Big Sky) to win the Kangaroo Klassic hosted by Kansas City this weekend. The Lions end their non-conference schedule with a 6-6 record before starting Ohio Valley Conference play next weekend.

Ashley Geluck had 14 kills in the middle of the Lindenwood offense leading the team in that category. Autumn Bax also had 11 kills against Montana for her third straight match with at least 10+ kills. Bax was named to the All-Tournament Team after leading the team this weekend with 36 total kills.

Tournament MVP Rebecca Janke was efficient against the Grizzles with nine kills while hitting .562%. Janke had 31 kills in Kansas City this weekend and hit .360% to lead the team. She also contributed seven blocks.

Lindenwood hit .209% on Saturday with the help of Otten and VanBuskirk. Otten led the way with 30 assists and 11 digs while VanBuskirk added 14 assists and a team-high three service aces. Jessie Seidel added 18 digs for the team lead. She had 57 over the weekend for an average of over five digs per set.

Montana was slow to start the match which Lindenwood took advantage of. The Grizzles had a .000 hitting percentage with seven attack errors while LU had 13 kills including five from Geluck. Otten assisted 10 times in the first.

Lindenwood spread the wealth in the second set with six players earning a kill. Overall, the Lions had 13 kills while hitting .222 in the second set. Janke (four kills) and Bax (three kills) helped LU take a 2-0 lead while Seidel added five digs to lead the defense.

After a 22-25 set three loss, Lindenwood closed out the match with a set four win by a score of 25-17. Nyah Wilson had four of her six kills in the final set pacing the Lions to their sixth non-conference win of the season.

OLE MISS 3, TENNESSEE STATE 1
HOUSTON 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
HOUSTON  - The Tennessee State volleyball team dropped a pair of games on the final day of the Cougar Challenge to Ole Miss and Houston on Saturday.

The Tigers were led by a double-double from Celestial Miller, who registered 11 kills and 11 digs on the day. Jayla Holcombe also added 11 kills to help the attack. On the defensive end, Hadley Pride chipped in for with 14 digs to go with three blocks from Storm White.

The Tigers grabbed control on the first point and never trailed to win the first set 25-22. Tennessee State led by as many as seven points at 17-10 before closing out the set, collecting 17 kills in the process. Tennessee State also supplemented their offense with four aces in the opening set.

Tennessee State dropped set two 25-16 to tie the match 1-1. The Tigers dropped the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before dropping the set.

A third-set loss put Tennessee State behind two sets to one. The Tigers dropped a tough set 25-17. Tennessee State trailed by as many as eight points as Ole Miss grabbed the advantage for good at 11-10 in a set that was tied up five times before the Rebels took over the lead.

Tennessee State lost the fourth set and the match, falling 25-17. The Tigers trailed by as many as eight points as Ole Miss grabbed the advantage for good at 7-6 and Tennessee State wasn't able to recover in a set that was knotted up five times before the Rebels took over.

SIUE 3, MISSOURI STATE 2
CARBONDALE, Ill. - SIUE volleyball  (5-6) defeated Missouri State (6-7) in four sets, going 2-0. The Bears took the first two sets (25-20, 25-13), but the Cougars rallied to win the final three sets (25-18, 25-16, 15-8), extending their three-game win streak.
 
As a team, the Cougars recorded 63 kills at a .267 percentage, six service aces, 16 blocks, 57 assists and 70 digs. In comparison, the Bears had 54 kills, 10 service aces, five blocks, 20 assists and 67 digs.
 
The Cougars wrapped up nonconference play this weekend. Outside hitters Sydney Hummert and Ainsley Ranstead delivered notable performances against Missouri State. Hummert recorded her second double-double of the weekend, with 10 kills hitting at .128, and 14 digs. While Ranstead recorded her second double-double of the season, with 16 kills hitting at a .500 clip and 10 digs.

NORTH ALABAMA 3, LITTLE ROCK 2
CONWAY, Ark.  - Little Rock and North Alabama capped off the UCA Invitational on Sunday with a marathon match lasting two hours and 44 minutes, and featuring 42 ties and 19 lead changes before the Lions escaped with a five-set victory at the Price Center.
 
Little Rock (5-8) saw three players set new single-game career highs and another tied a career-best mark while three of the five sets were decided by just two points apiece. In the end, North Alabama (5-8) scored just one point better than the Trojans over five sets (112-111) and won by scores of 25-20, 19-25, 27-25, 26-28, and 15-13.
 
Andrea Roman posted a career-best 32 digs to go with six assists, A'lanae Margaritha blocked a career-high seven shots to go with five kills and two aces, and Vivian Lucumi set a new single-game mark with seven kills while also blocking two shots. Sophia Garrido tied her career-high with four blocks.
 
Jeila Fullerton fell one dig short of another 20-20 double-double, finishing with 21 kills, 19 digs and two aces while hitting .315 percent for the match. Kaylee Smith led the team with 25 assists, Dariana Valencia added 21 assists with nine digs, Bella Cherry totaled 11 kills and two blocks, and Kaila Harris had 10 kills and three blocks.

CINCINNATI 3, MOREHEAD STATE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Just like it did Thursday, the Morehead State volleyball team won the first set against Cincinnati Saturday at Johnson Arena, but the Bearcats rallied past MSU for a 3-1 victory.

MSU slipped to 4-7 overall, while UC moved to 9-2.

The Eagles raced past UC 25-20 in the first frame. UC won the subsequent sets 25-20, 25-15, 25-20.

Junior M.E. Hargan had a solid match for her team with a season-high 17 kills off a .239 attack efficiency. Graduate Irene Wogenstahl landed 10 kills with just one error for a .290 hitting total. Defensively, libero Peighton Isley had a team-best 18 digs, while sophomore Courtney Fitzgerald had a season-best 15. 

But the Eagles had a hard time stopping UC's Sydney Nolan, who smacked down 19 kills with only one error, on her final swing.

Wogenstahl also led all players on her team with six blocks.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southeast Missouri volleyball (3-8) dropped Saturday afternoon's match to Southern Illinois (8-4) by a final score of 3-2. 

SEMO, who won the first and third sets, fell 25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, and 8-15 in the fifth set. 
 
Three Redhawks in Lucy Arndt, Marin Johnson, and Abby Johnson all finished with double-digit kills led by Arndt and Abby Johnson who recorded 16 kills each. Marin Johnson finished with 12 kills. 
 
Megan Holder dished out a career-best 34 assists as the Redhawks hit .191 as a team in the five-set loss. 
 
The Redhawks got out of the gate fast with the first four points of the match going the way of SEMO thanks to a pair of kills from Lucy Arndt and an Abby Johnson kill to make it 4-0 in the opening frame. 
 
The Redhawks forced two early SIU timeouts after leading 4-0 and 8-1 early in the set. Their biggest lead in the opening set was following an ace from Arndt to make it 20-11. SIU got as close as 23-18, but the Redhawks closed out the first set with an Arndt kill and a SIU error. 
 
SEMO hit .265 in the opening set, including six kills from Arndt. Conversely, SIU hit just .081 in the first, including eight attack errors. 
 
To start the second set, the Redhawks jumped out to another 8-1 lead after kills from Marin and Abby Johnson, a pair of blocks by Alaina Lester and Ramiri Gardner, and an ace from Nina Schuberth gave SEMO a seven-point advantage.
 
SEMO led by as many as nine (11-2) in the frame, but the Salukis wouldn't go away. The Salukis would use a 9-3 run to get back into the game and trailed 13-10 after a block from Eva Krakowski. 
 
The Redhawks would tie it at 17 apiece late in the frame but could never regain the lead as SIU closed on an 8-4 run to take the second set, 25-21. 
 
SIU outhit SEMO in the second set by a .275 to .143 advantage to tie the match at a set each. 
 
The Redhawks jumped back out to a 7-1 lead to start the third set, starting the set with their third consecutive 4-0 lead as well beginning with a Megan Holder ace and back-to-back kills from Abby Johnson and Lester. 
 
SIU would trim the six-point deficit to just three points after a block by Eva Krakowski made it 9-6 SEMO. 
 
Following a timeout from SEMO with the Redhawks winning 18-17, SEMO would close the set on a 7-2 run thanks to back-to-back aces from Ramiri Gardner and was capped off by Lucy Arndt's 15th kill. The Redhawks won the third set, 25-19 and led the match 2-1 after three. 
 
 SEMO got out to their fourth 7-1 lead of the match to start the fourth set as back-to-back Abby Johnson kills forced SIU into an early timeout in set four. 
 
SIU would not go away quietly, winning the fourth set 25-23, including closing the fourth set on a 3-0 scoring run to force a decisive fifth set. 
 
The Salukis used a .364 hitting-percentage to SEMO's .136 to take the fifth set, 15-8, and the match 3-2.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, IU INDY 0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (5-7) swept the Indiana University Indianapolis Jaguars (5-7) in three sets (25-21, 25-21, 17-25) on Saturday afternoon at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles win the USI Invitational going 2-0, along with finishing the week 3-0 ahead of Ohio Valley Conference play next weekend.
 
The beginning of the match had the back-and-forth rallies that suggested this game would go four or five sets. Junior Bianca Anderson continued her suffocating attack with a kill to make it 15-13 Eagles. Senior Jasmine Green capped off the 4-1 late run with a kill to earn the set one victory. The Jaguars struggled against the Eagles defense with a set-low .143 attacking percentage. The Eagles snapped a eight-game first set losing streak.
 
Junior Keira Moore fueled a 4-0 run breaking the sets back-and-forth stretches with a service ace and a precise assist to sophomore Ashby Willis. Sophomore Leah Coleman took her turn with consecutive kills making it a 21-15 lead. Green concluded another match with a titanic kill. USI tallied a set-high 15 kills in the second frame improving to 7-5 in second sets on the year.
 
The Eagles completely frustrated the Eagles force multiple service, setting, and attacking errors that became the difference. Senior Paris Downing notched her seventh kill on a .538 attacking percentage and senior Abby Weber placed a perfect service ace to help cap the match. Senior Carly Sobieralski dished her 20th assist to give her 12 straight 20+ assist games.
 
The statistical differences did not show any glaring differences, despite the three-set finish. However, time and time again USI seemed to grab the clutch points, denying the Jaguars of amounting any significant runs.
 
Coleman solely led the Eagles eight kills for the first time this in her career. Sobieralski reached her 20-assist mark with a limited three sets to work with. Willis played an impressive all-around match with a team-leading nine digs. Willis and Green both lead the Eagles with two blocks.
 
As a team, USI totaled 36 kills, 31 assists, 35 digs, five blocks, five aces, and a .286 hitting percentage. UE finished with 30 kills, 30 assists, 32 digs, four aces, two blocks and a .174 attacking percentage.