Ohio Valley Conference

WILMINGTON, N.C. - History was made on the coastal plain of North Carolina on Saturday, as the Lindenwood women's volleyball team (3-0, 0-0 OVC) defeated Virginia Tech (2-1, 0-0 ACC) by a score of 3-2 for the program's first ever win over a Power 4 opponent. The Lions had to overcome a 0-2 deficit to clinch the historic victory.

After dropping the opening two sets by a combined 15 points, the Lions led for nearly the entire third frame after taking an early 4-3 lead. The Lions outblocked the Hokies 4.0 to 2.0 in the frame after having four less blocks than VT through sets one and two.

Lindenwood used the momentum they captured in the third set to propel themselves to another win in a 33-31 marathon in set four. The Lions denied four Hokie set point opportunities to extend the match, with Ashley Geluck recording eight kills and a pair of block assists in the frame.

The fifth set was all Lions, with LU pouncing out to an early 5-1 lead that they never relinquished to complete the reverse sweep and finish the opening weekend 3-0.

Lindenwood had four players in double digit kills, led by Jade Roth with 14. She was followed by Autumn Bax (13), Ashley Geluck (12), and Shannon Monahan (10).

Roth and Geluck tied for the team lead in points (16.0), with Roth adding three blocks (1BS – 2BA) to her day while Geluck posted a team high five rejections (1BS – 4BA).

Meanwhile, Meghan Donoughue recorded her second double-double of the weekend with 41 assists and 11 digs. She also had four kills and two blocks.

Alayna Rudebeck posted 12 digs to lead the Lions, with Dana Grib also posting double digit digs (10).

EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, BUCKNELL 2
ATHENS, Ohio - The Panthers' volleyball team won their first game of the Ohio Bobcat Tournament today, August 30th, against Bucknell University in a match that went five sets. EIU moves to 1-0, while Bucknell drops to 0-3. 

EIU fell early, dropping set one after the Bison went on a strong 6-0 scoring run to break open the tight race. However, the Panthers would charge back, taking the second set 25-18 with multiple long scoring runs of their own to even the match. The third set, unlike the first two, brought even play throughout. The momentum would shift back and forth until Bucknell would take a 2-1 set lead on the back of 13 kills, 12 assists, and 15 digs. The Panthers made a late comeback but ultimately fell short. With their backs against the wall, Eastern Illinois flew out of the gates in set four with a quick 5-0 lead. EIU would use their strong defensive play with 15 blocks and 62 digs to hold onto the lead, forcing a fifth set. With the game on the line, it was all Eastern Illinois jumping to a quick 9-4 lead. After a Bucknell timeout, the Panthers kept their foot on the gas and would go on to win the final set 15-7 with Catalina Rochaix, Destiny Walker, and Ariadna Pereles dominating the box score to ensure the game one victory.

Walker finished the match with a game-high 21 kills, while Emma Schroeder followed closely behind with 16 and a hitting percentage of .609. 

Rochaix dominated the assist category with a game-high 53 assists. Only two other Panthers recorded an assist each. 

The stats leaders didn't stop there, with Pereles leading with 17 digs and Anaya Rawlinson with 8 blocks.

LITTLE ROCK 3, PROVIDENCE 2
COMMERCE, Texas - Little Rock battled through five highly-contested sets against Big East foe Providence on Saturday before finally securing a 3-2 win to take two of three matches at the Lion Invitational.
 
Four players set or tied single-game marks while another reached a career milestone for the Trojans (2-1), who bounced back from a flat performance in their opener on Friday to take the final two matches of the weekend. Little Rock won by scores of 25-23, 15-25, 25-16, 24-26, and 16-14.
  
Bella Cherry hammered down a career-best 23 kills to lead a Trojan attack that hit .271 for the contest, including a whopping .375 in the second frame and .421 in the final set. Cherry's previous best was 21, set during her freshman season. A'lanae Margaritha tied her career-high of 17 kills – set less than 24 hours before in a 3-1 victory over host East Texas A&M – and posted a .485 attack percentage. Freshman transfer Avery Fearnley reached a career-high with 11 kills, and Crismeyli Rodriguez also finished the game with 11. 
 
Dariana Valencia set 35 assists – a new single-game best – Kaylee Smith had 18, and Andrea Roman added six. The Trojans finished with 71 kills – the 11th-highest team total in the rally scoring era. 
 
Defensively, Roman recorded a game-high 27 digs, putting her over the 1,000-dig mark for her career (1,005). Roman currently ranks 8th on the program's career list. Valencia (15), Smith (14), and Cherry (11) all reached double figures. Margaritha led the team with five blocks, and Fearnley posted four of her own.

SETON HALL 3, UT MARTIN 0
NASHVILLE -The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team began its 2025 season today, falling by a 3-0 margin (25-14, 25-21, 25-22) to Big East Conference member Seton Hall in a neutral-site matchup on the campus of Belmont University.

The Skyhawks received a match-high 11 kills out of Kylie Surratt while Kayla Bryant followed closely behind with 10 kills (on a .333 hitting percentage) to go along with a pair of service aces. Redshirt freshman Ella McFarland was one of three players to make their UT Martin debuts today as the setter handed out a match-high 20 assists.

Defensively, the Skyhawks were led by Abby Freund (match-high 12 digs) and true freshman Carly Mueller (team-best four blocks).

Kristin Phillips started the 2025 campaign with a kill for the first point of the contest. A Maddy Gladson kill pulled UT Martin within two points (7-5) in the opening set before a 9-3 Pirate run. Surratt came away with four kills in the Skyhawks' final five points of the stanza but ultimately it wasn't enough. Surratt had five of UT Martin's 11 kills in the first set as McFarland distributed nine assists.

The second set featured seven tie scores and a pair of lead changes. Bryant had three early kills as the Skyhawks posted an 11-7 advantage before Seton Hall scored eight of the next 11 points to reclaim the lead. Moments later, Mueller and McFarland joined forces for a big block assist to even the score at 20-all. However, the Pirates wrapped up the set on a 6-1 run. Bryant (five kills on a .444 attack percentage), McFarland (10 assists) and Freund (six digs) guided UT Martin in the middle set.

The Skyhawks got off to a blazing start in the third stanza, scoring 14 of the first 15 points. Bryant was responsible for the first three points of the set (kill, back-to-back service aces) as Surratt later added three kills during a 10-0 UT Martin run. Another Surratt kill increased the Skyhawk advantage to 16-5 but Seton Hall chipped away until taking its first lead of the set at 23-22, ending the match with four unanswered points. Surratt's four kills led UT Martin offensively while Ava Peters collected six assists.

UT ARLINGTON 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 2
BRADLEY 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 0
PEORIA, Ill. - Western Illinois Volleyball battled through two matches on Saturday (Aug. 30) at the Renaissance Coliseum, falling in a five-set loss to UT Arlington in the morning before dropping their afternoon match to Bradley in three sets. The Leathernecks move to 0-3 on their season.
 
The Leathernecks opened their day against UT Arlington in a five-set thriller.

The Mavericks took charge in the first set, pulling ahead with a strong run and holding off WIU 25-17.  In the second set, the Leathernecks responded with Keyana Cruse and Kennedy Adair as WIU jumped out to a 9-5 lead. Adair would end a 8-1 Bradley run as WIU trailed 13-11 halfway through the second set. A 6-2 run from the Mavericks gained the separation they needed as UTA took the second set 25-15.

WIU offense jumped out to an early lead in the third set. Kills from Kiyah Franklin, Hillary Estes, and Elizabeth Ziegler saw the Leathernecks in front 8-3. UTA responded the Leathernecks 8-3 run with 9-4 run as WIU held a slim 15-14 lead. WIU found their senior middle Grace Kremer late in set three as the Leathernecks took set three 25-23.

The Leathernecks used the momentum from set three into set four. Kills from Cruse and Adair gave WIU and early 6-2 lead. A block by Kremer and Ziegler pushed WIU lead out farther at 7-3. Cruse took over in the middle portion of set four with a pair of kill. Adair and Franklin finished off the set as WIU won set four 25-23.

In the decisive fifth set WIU would trail 4-2 before Cruse closed the gap with another kill at 5-3. Adair brought us within a point at 7-6 but a 5-2 run by the Mavericks pushed UTA in front. Adiar found another kill but UTA took the final set 15-11.

In their second match of the day, Western Illinois finished the CEFCU invitation against the host Bradley.

WIU got off to a quick start in the first set, leading 5-2 after kills from Hillary Estes and Kennedy Adair. Back-to-back kills by Braves pushed their lead to 8-6. The Leathernecks went back to Estes for another kill as WIU clawed their way to a 14-13 lead. Bradley fought off kills from Kiyah Franklin, Keyana Cruse and Elizabeth Ziegler as the Braves took set one 25-20.

The second set stayed close with 10 ties throughout the set. Grace Kremer heated up early with a pair of kills as the Leathernecks trailed 10-9. Kennedy Adair and Franklin teamed up for back-to-back kills as WIU tied the set at 13. Bradley pulled away midway through but Cruse tied the set at 20 and 21 with a pair of kills. The Braves used a 4-2 run to take set two 25-23.

WIU jumped out early in the third set. A pair of kills from Franklin and Ziegler saw WIU take an early 7-4 lead. A 6-3 run by the Braves tied the third set at 12. Another kill by Cruse saw WIU jump back in front 14-13. WIU stayed close but a 6-1 run by Bradley pushed their lead out to 23-17. The Leathernecks stayed poised using a couple of Bradley attack errors to push the deficit within three 24-21 but a final kill by Bradley finished the set 25-2.

MEMPHIS 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
MEMPHIS - The Tennessee State volleyball team wrapped up the Rumble at the Roane by taking on Memphis on Saturday afternoon. TSU dropped Memphis 3-0 (15-25, 14-25, 18-25), falling to 0-3 in non-conference play.

Carsyn Stansberry finished with six kills on the day to lead the Tigers offense. Sydni Poston led defensively with 11 digs.

Tennessee State came out with strong energy, keeping the opening frame close before Memphis pulled away late. The Tigers battled through two early ties and stayed within striking distance before Memphis secured the set 25-15.

TSU continued to push in the second set, staying even through the early points as the teams traded momentum three times. Despite Memphis gaining separation down the stretch, the Tigers showed fight on both sides of the net before dropping the set 25-14.

The Tigers refused to back down in the final set, forcing three ties and keeping the score tight before Memphis edged ahead for good. TSU strung together several key points and battled until the end, ultimately falling 25-18 as Memphis closed out the match.

TENNESSEE TECH 3, AUSTIN PEAY 2
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - With the match square at two sets apiece against in-state foe and former conference rival Austin Peay, Bella Powell took charge in the deciding series as she collected five kills to lead the Tennessee Tech volleyball team to a 3-2 victory over the Governors in the Stacheville Challenge finale.

Tech improves to 2-1 on the season and will return to action next weekend in Birmingham at the UAB Blazer Invitational against North Alabama, USC Upstate and host UAB.

With her output in the final set, Powell ended the match with 17 kills and five assisted blocks to account for 20.5 points in the match. Alayna Pierce improved on her numbers against Murray State as she collected 20 kills.

Tuva Falk had six assisted blocks as the Golden Eagles finished with 10 total.

Jordan Karlen continued her strong play at setter, dishing out 49 assists – just barely missing a 10-assist average per set.

Reaghan Larkin led APSU (0-3) with nine kills, while Lauren Wallace had eight and Taly Cloyd and Dani Kopacz each ended the day with seven. Sarah Butler had 16 assists and Gianna Tagoa'I 15.

The Golden Eagles took a 23-22 lead on a Tagoa'I service error, then Wallace tied the set with a kill and APSU forced two Tech attack errors to take the first set 25-23. In the second set, it was a balanced attack as Audrey Berkebile, Jordyn Milhouse, Powell and Falk each had three kills with Pierce collecting four to get to double digits after her six kills in the opening set.

After a 6-6 tie, Tech surged out to two six-point leads and maintained even as the Governors charged back within one at 22-21. Nya Brown's service error put Tech back up by two, then APSU was unsuccessful on a challenge on Pierce's kill to force set point. Berkebile closed the set out with a kill to make it 25-21Tech to even the match at one.

Attack errors and blocks hampered Tech's effort in the third set as the Golden Eagles fell in set three. Tech had 10 kills but 12 errors, while the Govs won the set with only six kills to their credit and six blocks. That said, Tech was within reach with the set tied at 20, but three attack errors, a service ace and a kill for the Govs wrapped up the series.

The Golden Eagles came back with a vengeance in set four, knotting things back up once more with a 25-16 win. APSU cut the deficit down to three at 17-14 but Tech outscored the Govs 8-2 down the stretch to force the deciding set.

The momentum continued to build for the Golden Eagles as Pierce got Tech off to a 4-1 start and Powell rolled up two quick kills to get a 10-5 lead. APSU inched back within one, but Sarah Noto put the final nails in the coffin as she converted feeds from Karlen and MK Roberts into the deciding points of the set for the victory.

BELLARMINE 3, SIUE 1
LOUISVILLE - Volleyball rounded off the Bellarmine tournament with a four set match against the Knights. Bellarmine won sets one, two and four (25-21,25-15, 27-25) and the Cougars won set three (25-21). 

The Cougars are now 0-3 on the season while the Knights are 2-1. 

As a team the cougars posted 50 kills, five service aces and blocks, along with 44 assists and 61 digs. Compared to Bellarmine's 55 kills, nine service aces, seven blocks, 51 assists and 57 digs. 

The Cougars saw stand out performances from Kyndia Smith and Sophie Robinson who had 11 kills each. Paige Bernstein led the team with 19 assists and Ally Hughes had 16 digs.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana volleyball grabs their first win of the 2025 season in a confident sweep against Northern Kentucky University, 3-0, to conclude the USI Invitational in the opening weekend at Liberty Arena. USI starts the year, 1-2, while NKU also is 1-2 to begin the fall.
 
NKU was a former rival of USI from their time in the Great Lakes Valley Conference when the Screaming Eagles were still competing in Division II. The schools last met in 2011, when the Norse swept the Eagles in the first round of the GLVC tournament.
 
The Screaming Eagles came out strong in the first set after shaking off a tough first day of the tournament. Senior Bianca Anderson led the court connecting on seven kills, hitting a .600 percent.
 
The second set started by going back and forth, before the Eagles took a firm seven-point lead after being the first to 15. Sophomore Kerigan Fehr pushed the USI momentum with three consecutive aces forcing a Norse timeout. Junior McKenzie Murphy finished out the set with a stuff block.
 
Setter Aysa Thomas led a spread-out offense dishing four assists to Anderson and junior Ashby Willis each, she dominated the service line with two aces too.
 
As a team the Screaming Eagles recorded their best hitting percentage of the weekend against NKU at .168, tallying 37 kills. Thomas finished with 28 assists, and Anderson led the court with a total of 13 kills.

NORTH ALABAMA 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Southeast Missouri (1-2) fell in four sets to North Alabama (2-0), by a final score of 3-1 at the Newell-Grissom Building on Saturday afternoon.

The first set opened with the Redhawks gaining an early advantage with Alaina Lester's kill from a set by Megan Holder, but North Alabama quickly responded to take a 3-1 lead. The Redhawks then showed resilience with a series of plays, including an Avery Torrey kill and a block by Torrey, which brought the score to a tie at 4-4. The Redhawks managed to close a four-point gap late in the set, tying the score at 24-24 with consecutive kills from Lucy Arndt, both assisted by Alandry Below. Despite this late rally, North Alabama secured the set with a 26-24 victory following a kill by Dylann Garner.

In the second set, SEMO's resilience was evident as they edged out a 25-23 victory over North Alabama. The set opened with a close exchange of points until Marin Johnson's kill brought the Redhawks to within one at 6-5. Torrey contributed significantly with multiple kills, including one that tied the score at 16-16. Below and Arndt were also pivotal, sparking a comeback to draw level at 18-18. Katy St. John secured the final point with a decisive kill, sealing the set win for the Redhawks.

The third set started with a strong showing from SEMO, as they quickly took a 5-0 lead, highlighted by Nina Schuberth's service ace at the start and Arndt's kill from Holder's set. Despite the early advantage, North Alabama managed to close the gap, tying the score at 10-10 with consistent offensive pressure. The teams exchanged points, as Kara Oxenknecht and Johnson each contributed key kills to keep the score tight. Ultimately, North Alabama edged out SEMO in a close set, 25-22, with the final point coming off a setting error. 

The fourth set began with a quick exchange of points before North Alabama established a 4-1 lead, highlighted by a kill from Reese Ricketts. The Redhawks narrowed the gap to 4-3 with a service ace from Below. UNA regained control, extending their lead to 15-11, with Garner and Kendall Barnes contributing multiple kills. Despite a late push by SEMO, with key plays from Arndt and St. John, North Alabama maintained their advantage and secured the set 25-18, concluding the match. Johnson and Holder were notable contributors for SEMO, each recording a kill.

AUBURN 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
LOUISVILLE - The Morehead State volleyball team battled Auburn through the early stages of all three sets but couldn't contain a blistering Tiger attack Saturday at the Cardinal Classic at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena in Louisville.

Auburn (1-1) finished with 51 kills and just eight errors for a .443 attack percentage. The Tigers were led by Lauren Dreves with 18 terminations on a .567 attack percentage. Morehead State (1-1) was led by senior M.E. Hargan with 16 kills on 36 attacks for a .222 hitting percentage. The Eagles finished with 38 kills and a .193 hitting percentage.

The Eagles held a small lead through the early stages of the first set. Auburn answered with a four-point run to go ahead 14-11. Morehead State rallied to take a 20-19 lead on an Everett block solo, before Auburn answered to take the first set 25-21.

The second frame was again tightly contested through the early stages of the second set. Auburn then steadily drew away and took the set 25-18.

The final frame mirrored the first two sets; after a closely contested early stage, Auburn then reeled off a pair of three-point runs to lengthen the lead and finally close out the match with a 25- set win.