October 17, 2014
Panthers Use Balanced Attack to Beat Bobcats
ATLANTA – Georgia State’s volleyball team won a big home match on Friday night against the second-place team in the Sun Belt, Texas State. The Panthers (5-14, 3-7) won the match 3-1 over the Bobcats (13-9, 8-2).
Junior Natalia Nieto dished out 45 assists and had a double-double with 10 digs, her sixth of the year. Junior Deidra Bohannon had a double-double of her own with 14 kills and 13 digs. Juniors Eliza Zachary added a team-high 17 kills on .371 hitting with two blocks and fellow junior Kitan Ajanaku hit .538 with nine kills and two blocks.
“What a great spread of our offense. Multiple players stepped up tonight. Great defense by our team as well. Every day, we’re getting better and it’s fun to see the product on the court,” head coach Sally Polhamus said.
·Georgia State won 25-13, 16-25, 25-23, 25-22.
·Natalia Nieto led all players with 45 assists. The performance moved her into 7th all-time on Georgia State’s career assists list. She needs just six assists to move into 6th.
·Five Panthers recorded five or more kills. Eliza Zachary and Deidra Bohannon had 17 and 14 kills respectively to give the Panthers an edge on offense. Kitan Ajanaku posted nine kills on a team-high .538 hitting. Andrea Book had 6 kills on .417 hitting and added a block. Kristina Stinson finished the match with five kills and two blocks.
·Gabby Serafin’s 18 digs led the team on defense. It was the second-highest total for the junior this season. She recorded 26 in last Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Georgia Southern.
·Georgia State outhit the Bobcats .250-.173. Texas State had more team blocks with seven compared to GSU’s five.
Panthers Put Down Bobcats, 3-1
ATLANTA – Texas State fell to Sun Belt Conference opponent Georgia State, 3-1 (25-13, 16-25, 25-23, 25-22), Friday night. The loss drops the Bobcats to 13-9 overall and 8-2 in the SBC while the Panthers improved to 5-14 and 3-7 in conference play.
The Panthers started the match with an impressive showing in the first frame. Texas State, meanwhile, countered in the second set with a dominating performance, hitting .400 with just three errors while serving up four aces with three blocks. The Bobcats continued to play well into the third set, but Georgia State was able to steal momentum and come from behind to win the set and snag a 2-1 lead in the match. The Panthers kept momentum in the fourth set, leading the whole way, to clinch the match.
Alexandra Simms led the Bobcats in kills with 13 while middle blocker Lauren Kirch added 10 kills, three aces and three blocks. Amanda Watkins hit .400 and finished with nine kills to just one error while adding four blocks for the Bobcats. Meanwhile, Keeley Davis added seven kills and led the team in digs with 14. Brenna Lyles, playing the fourth set at libero, finished with nine digs. Jordan Moore gave out 32 assists.
Texas State’s .400 hitting percentage in the second set was a huge jump from the team’s .000 percentage in the first. The Bobcats then came out strong in the third set, but late errors cost the team as it finished with 16 kills and seven errors on 40 attempts to hit .225. In the fourth, the Bobcats struck 12 kills with six errors on 42 attempts for a .143 percentage to finish the match at .173. Georgia State, meanwhile, finished hitting .250 with 52 kills, eight more than Texas State on one less attempt with two less errors.
Georgia State surprised the Bobcats with an offensive onslaught in the opening frame. The Panthers hit 15 kills on 29 attempts with just one error for a .483 hitting percentage while the Bobcats only had five kills with five errors on 31 attempts (.000). Georgia State added three blocks in the first set to surge past Texas State, 25-13, and claim a 1-0 lead in the match.
Texas State changed the rotation and bounced back in a big way for the second set. With four new starters, the Bobcats hit .400 as a team and added four aces and three blocks. Lauren Kirch served up three consecutive aces while Brenna Lyles added one for Texas State.
After just five kills in the first set, Texas State hit 11 kills with just three errors on 20 attempts for the team’s .400 hitting percentage after finishing the first set at .000. Meanwhile, the Texas State defense picked up to force seven Georgia State attack errors to force the Panthers to hit just .080 in the frame. Georgia State gave the Bobcats three more points on service errors and one on a double contact to help Texas State tie the match, 1-1, with the 25-16 Bobcat win in the second set.
The Bobcats started hot in the third set after the impressive second-set performance. Late errors in the third set, however, derailed Texas State as the crowd helped Georgia State build momentum into a 25-23 third-set victory and a 2-1 lead in the match. Texas State built a 9-3 lead to start the match, but the Panthers clawed their way back into it.
Georgia State kept the pressure on throughout the fourth set, leading the entire way until finishing off the Bobcats with a 25-22 win in the fourth frame.
Texas State returns home next for a Sunday match against Arkansas State. It will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams, and the Bobcats will look to bounce back at 12 p.m. Sunday at Strahan Coliseum.
On defense, Georgia State had 57 digs, 18 of them coming from junior libero Gabby Serafin. The Panthers outhit the Bobcats .250-.173, including a .483 hitting percentage in Set 1.
“We focused on defense a lot this week,” Serafin said. “This was a team win and it gives us a lot of confidence moving forward. We gave it our all tonight and the whole team played well.”
The exciting four-set match was full of ups and downs. Georgia State’s ability to get good looks on offense set the pace for the game as the Bobcats struggled to put point runs together.
“Especially when we’re passing well, we have all of our attackers available. Natalia [Nieto] set a great match. She found the right hitters and they terminated. Texas State is a gritty, defensive team. This was a hard-fought match and a fun match.”
Georgia State began the match on fire and built up a 10-point lead over the Bobcats at 18-8. Texas State used both of its timeouts, but could not slow down the Panther attack. Five Panthers recorded a kill in the first set with junior Eliza Zachary leading the way with five. GSU took a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-13 win.
Texas State rallied in Set 2 and evened the match at 1 with a 25-16 victory. Georgia State battled and tied the match at 12 after trailing early on. Zachary led the Panthers after two sets with a .538 hitting percentage and eight kills.
The Bobcats came out of intermission with the same intensity and jumped out to a 7-3 lead. Polhamus called her second timeout of the set when her team fell behind 13-7. GSU battled all the way back and took a 19-18 lead behind some stellar play from Bohannon, leading to a Texas State timeout. The Panthers held on to the lead and took the set 25-23 to go up 2-1 in the match.
After being knotted up at four to start Set 4, the Panthers rattled off four straight to take an 8-4 lead. The Bobcats stayed close, but the balanced Panther attack proved to be too much for the Bobcats. After narrowly leading 21-20, GSU closed out the match on a 4-2 run to win the set 25-22 and the match 3-1.
Georgia State has the rest of the weekend off and will stay at home for an Oct. 24 meeting with UL Lafayette. That match is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Thrilling five-set match goes to UTA
ARLINGTON, Texas - Career nights for UT Arlington's Briana Sharratt and Amanda Welsh were just what the Mavericks needed in a thrilling five-set victory over Arkansas State in front of 783 fans at College Park Center on Friday night.
The win improves the Mavericks record to 17-5 this season and 7-3 in the Sun Belt while also extending their home winning streak to nine games. The Red Wolves fall to 11-7 overall and 6-3 in conference with the five-set loss.
Sharratt's impact in the match came at the net as she registered a career high 19 kills to go along with a hitting percentage of .581. The sophomore MB also picked up three blocks and two digs in the win.
Welsh's impact was more subtle, but still effective as she notched 31 assists partnered with a career-high 24 digs. The senior setter also recorded two service aces which makes her two aces shy of her 100th career ace, a mark that has only been hit by 14 Maverick players.
As a team the Mavericks hit .281 compared to .171 for the Red Wolves while also out digging Arkansas State 112-98.
The Mavericks will travel to Troy, Ala. next as they take on Troy with the match set to begin at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19.
A-State Volleyball Falls to UT Arlington in Five Sets
ARLINGTON, Texas (10/17/14) – The Arkansas State volleyball team dropped a 3-2 (25-20, 16-25, 25-16, 20-25, 12-15) Sun Belt Conference decision to UT Arlington Friday night at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
A-State (11-7, 6-3) and UT Arlington (17-5, 7-3) battled fairly evenly throughout most of the first set with the score tied 12-12 before the Red Wolves used a 3-0 run to take a 15-12 lead after a Shelby Holmes and Kelsey Reis block. A-State stretched its lead out to 21-17 on a Sarah Kemp service ace, but the Mavericks fought back to within two points at 22-20. However, Arkansas State ended the first set on a 3-0 run to earn a 25-20 first set victory and 1-0 match lead.
UTA never trailed in the second set and were able to tie the match at 1-1 after a 25-16 set victory. The third set was just the opposite as A-State raced out to a 10-5 lead on a Jessica Uke kill that forced UT Arlington to call a timeout. Things didn’t get much better for the Mavericks after the timeout as A-State held three different leads of eight points with the last coming at 24-16. The Red Wolves clinched a 25-16 third game victory after another Uke kill and took a 2-1 edge in the match.
The Mavericks took control of the fourth set early with a 14-8 lead, but A-State used a 5-0 run, capped by a Kemp kill, to cut the deficit to one at 14-13. However, UTA used a 5-0 run of its own to regain control at 19-14 and went on to win the fourth game 25-20 to force a fifth set.
In the deciding set, A-State and UT Arlington traded points until the Red Wolves earned a 6-5 lead on a Uke and Kemp block. UTA responded with a 5-1 run to take a 10-7 lead and led the Red Wolves 14-11 before A-State called a timeout. After the timeout, Kemp got the Red Wolves within two points at 14-12 with a kill, but UTA registered the final point of the set and match on a Taylor Gross kill for a 15-12 set win and 3-2 match victory.
“We played good defense throughout the match, but were up and down on offense,” A-State volleyball coach David Rehr said. “You could tell how up and down we were by the scores of each set. We let a winnable match slip out of our hands tonight.”
Kemp and Reis led the Red Wolves with 17 kills each, while Uke tallied 12 kills on a team-high .375 hitting percentage. Setter Mallory Warrington recorded her team-leading 13th double-double after handing out 49 assists and recording 18 digs. Defensively, Markie Schaedig recorded a career-high and A-State season-high 40 digs, while Hannah Robey (14), Kemp (13), and Jessica Heuertz (10) all registered double-digit digs. Kemp, Uke, and Reis all tied in the team lead for blocks with three each and Heuertz recorded two of A-State’s five service aces.
Arkansas State returns to action against SBC foe Texas State Oct. 19 at noon. Fans can keep up with the entire match’s action by following @AStateGameday on Twitter. For the latest on the A-State volleyball team follow the squad on Twitter (@stAteVolleyball).
UALR Claims 11th Straight in 3-1 Win Over Troy
TROY, Ala. – UALR extended its winning streak to 11 matches and improved to 10-0 in the Sun Belt following a tight, 3-1 win over Troy on Friday night (25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 31-29).
Junior Sonja Milanovic led UALR by getting her eighth double-double of the season with 18 kills and 17 digs.
In the tightest battle of the night, UALR took Troy into extra points in the fourth set. After starting the set on 7-1 run, it looked like UALR would take the set easily, but Troy had a lot to say about that as they went on 9-2 run to take the lead. UALR tied the set at 12, and from there, it was back and forth until the last points. At UALR’s first match point, an attack error tied the set at 24. UALR then got another match point at 26-25, but a kill by Troy continued the match. Finally, on UALR’s third match point at 30-29, an attack error by Troy sealed the contest. Blocks ultimately saved UALR as it owned a 6-1 margin in the final set.
While not as close as the fourth set, the third frame was the turning point in the match for UALR. UALR trailed 4-7 early in the set, but five straight points gave them a 9-7 lead. Troy tied the match once more at 9-9 before UALR started pulling away and eventually closed the set with a six point lead. Attack errors by Troy were mostly to blame for the third set loss, committing 10 to UALR’s three. Troy also hit a match-low .064 while UALR hit .265.
UALR’s only bad set of the night came in the second frame. Down 14-21, UALR would go on a 9-2 run to bring the set within one point. Troy finished off the set after a timeout by getting set point on a UALR attack error and finally taking the set with a kill. UALR hit a match-low .114 with eight attack errors, while Troy hit .282 with only four attack errors.
UALR started the match up 11-9 before two kills tied the match at 11. The two squads would battle back and forth until tying the set at 15. UALR would take the opportunity by going on a 5-0 run to lead 20-15. Troy tried battling back, but could only get within two at 20-18 before UALR eventually took the set with a five-point lead. UALR hit its best set of the night with .404.
Senior Edina Begic racked up 15 kills, along with a season-high of five total blocks. Begic also set a new career-high for solo blocks in a match with three.
Senior Capri Rino scooped up her highest dig total of the season with 26, one shy of her career-high against Rice last season. Rino’s 26 digs is the third-highest dig total in a four-set match for UALR in the rally-scoring era.
Sophomore Edina Selimovic recorded four service aces, her highest total against a conference opponent this season. She also tied her season-high in kills with nine. Selimovic set a new career-high with a .286 attack percentage.
Redshirt sophomore Carolee Dillard racked up a team-high seven total blocks, her highest total against a conference opponent and second-highest overall total this season.
Sophomore Megan Mathis tied her second-highest assist total of the season with 49 and tied her highest block total with five.
UALR set new team-highs for the season with 73 digs and 15 team blocks.
UALR will go for its 12th straight win when it returns to action against South Alabama in Mobile, Ala., on Sunday (Oct. 19) at noon.
Troy Volleyball Pushes Sun Belt Leader to the Brink
TROY, Alabama – The Troy volleyball team seemed poised to play yet another five-set match, but Sun Belt leader UALR made the big points in the fourth set to win, 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 31-29), on Friday night at Trojan Arena.
Troy (9-14, 1-10) had four set points in the fourth set, but UALR (16-4, 10-0) scored three straight points to pick up its 11th straight win. Troy hit .169 on the night, but had 19 of its 29 errors in the final two sets.
Symone Shaw led Troy with 14 kills and hit .290 on the night. Marija Zelenovic (13), Blair Winston (12) and Kiah Cheatham (10) all posted double-digit kills, as well. Tineille Waggoner posted 47 assists before being injured late in the fourth set.
Ali Dowdall posted a match-high 29 digs while Zelenovic had a double-double with 11 digs. Troy posted 7.0 total team blocks while UALR had 15.0, led by seven from Carolee Dillard who combined with Megan Mathis for a block that clinched the match.
Mathis posted 49 assists for UALR while Sonja Milanovic had a match-high 18 kills. Troy held Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year Edina Begic to a .111 attack percentage with 15 kills and nine attack errors. UALR hit .208 on the night, but after hitting .406 in the first set.
Both sides played well in the first set, but UALR scored six straight to take a 20-15 lead and control of a set they won 25-20. Troy went on a similar run and turned a 12-10 lead into a 16-11 lead in the second set on its way to a 25-22 win.
UALR ran away late with an otherwise tight third set on its way to a 25-19 win, setting up the back-and-forth fourth set. The final set was tied 19 times and featured 13 lead changes. Troy fought off two match points and had four set points for themselves, but a service error and two attack errors gave UALR the final three points and the 31-29 win.
The Trojans return to the court on Sunday when they host UT Arlington at 12 p.m. at Trojan Arena. The Mavericks defeated the Trojans earlier this season in five sets, and all four meetings between the two schools have gone to five sets.
For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.
Appalachian State Evens Season Series With Cajuns
BOONE, N.C. – The Ragin’ Cajuns got out to an early 1-0 lead, but Appalachian State rallied to claim the next three sets and hand Louisiana a 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20) loss on Friday at the Holmes Center.
The Cajuns (15-7, 5-6 SBC) had five players register at least 10 kills for the first time this season, but it was not enough to overcome the Mountaineer (16-4, 6-4 SBC) attack, led by Emily Corrigan’s match-high 21 kills.
The loss evens the season series between the teams after the Cajuns handed Appalachian State its first loss of the season in September in Lafayette.
Stacey Reilly led the Cajuns with a dozen kills and 16 digs for her fifth double-double of the year. Andrea Hole went over 50 assists for the third time this year with 52, also adding five kills on eight swings and three blocks.
Sara Mossakowski and Kaylee Nemeth had 11 kills apiece, while Chanelle Gardner had 10 kills and Abby Filce had 10 kills and a team-high five blocks.
Caitlyn Auxilien finished with 20 digs, the fourth time this season she’s reached the 20-dig plateau.
The Cajuns raced out to a 1-0 lead in Set 1, hitting .342 while getting five kills from Reilly and three apiece from Nemeth and Gardner. UL used a 9-2 run early in the set to gain a comfortable lead, one which got to as much as 11 on an ace from Katey Kyle. Five straight Mountaineer points cut the lead to 23-18, but the Cajuns sandwiched scores from Reilly and Mossakowski around an ASU score for the set’s final points.
Appalachian State rallied in the second set to tie things up at a set apiece and hit .216 in the final three frames after hitting just .171 in the opening frame. UL tied up a closely-played set at 21-21 on a block from Filce and Reilly, but one point later aJaqui Spurgeon kill sparked a 4-0 spurt to close out the set and tie the match going into the break.
Gardner had five kills in the third set, but Corrigan answered with eight of her own for the Mountaineers. A Cajun error gave Appalachian State the lead at the 11-10 mark, but UL stayed within striking distance once again, even taking the lead at 18-17 on a Gardner score. However, one point later the Mountaineers started a quick 5-2 run to go up and never surrendered the advantage with Corrigan accounting for three of the final four points of the set.
In the fourth set the Cajuns turned to Filce for five of her 10 kills in the match and outkilled the Mountaineers 15-9 in the set, but misfired 11 times to just five for Appalachian State to make the difference in the clinching set.
Louisiana will next travel to Statesboro, Ga., for a Sunday matinee match against Georgia Southern on Sunday. First serve is set for 11:00 a.m.
Mountaineers Take Down Ragin' Cajuns in Four Sets
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University took down UL Lafayette on Friday night, going into four sets with scores of 19-25, 25-21, 25-22 and 25-20.
The Mountaineers (16-4, 6-4 Sun Belt) beat the Ragin Cajuns (15-7, 5-6 SBC) after falling to them in four sets in their previous match up on Sept. 26.
The first set began with UL Lafayette scoring four-straight points to take a 9-4 lead. The Mountaineesr found a few points but the Ragin Cajuns continued to dominate, fnding three-straight kills to lead 16-7.
The Apps would find six-straight points toward the end of the set to to come within five points, but UL Lafayette would close out the set, taking the first 25-19.
The second set would feature five tied scores at the beginning until Appalachian would pull ahead. The Mountaineers scored four-straight points with two kills from Lauren Gray to lead 10-6.
The Ragin Cajuns came back from a timeout with determination, finding two service aces to help them tie the set at 12. The second-half of the set included five tied scores. With the score tied at 21 the Mountaineers took charge, scoring the last four points to take the second set 25-21 and tie the match 1-1.
UL Lafayette took a quick 7-3 lead in the third set, but Appalachian would find a way to tie the set 10-10. From there the Apps took control, finding kills from Emily Corrigan to take a 15-12 lead. The Ragin Cajuns were not done yet, going on a 6-2 run to take an 18-17 lead.
The Mountaineers found two kills from Gray to pull ahead 21-18 and finished out the third with a 25-22 victory to lead the match 2-1.
The Mountaineers dominated the beginning of the fourth set by taking a 5-1 lead, but the Ragin Cajuns suddenly found six kills to help them pull ahead 10-9. The Apps would come back from a timeout and with new energy, finding kills from Corrigan, Jacqui Spurgeon and Cassidy Stephenson to help them to a 17-13 lead.
From there Appalachian seemed to have control of the set, until UL Lafayette scored four-straight points to trail 23-20. The Apps would not be fazed, scoring the next two points to take the set 25-20 and win the match 3-1.
Corrigan led the team with 21 kills, followed by Gray and Spurgeon's 11 each.
Paige Brown recorded 43 assists on the night, while Meghan Mahoney found 18 digs. Kati Stammen had 13 digs in the win. Gray and Caroline Wainright each had five blocks to help the Apps to the 3-1 victory.
The Ragin Cajuns were led by Stacey Reilly's 12 kills and Andrea Hole's 52 assists.
The Mountaineers hit .200 on the match with UL Lafayette hitting .201. The Apps had ten blocks to ULL's eight.
Appalachian is back in action Sunday when they take on UL Monroe at 2 p.m. in the Holmes Center.
Georgia Southern Tops ULM 3-0 for Second Straight Sun Belt Win
STATESBORO, Ga. – Jamie DeRatt posted 12 kills and 11 digs, while Avery Stephens added career highs of 24 digs and seven assists to lead Georgia Southern to its second straight Sun Belt Conference victory, a 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 28-26) sweep of UL Monroe Friday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Megan Chevalier finished with nine kills, and Kym Coley notched eight for the Eagles (4-15, 4-6). Kat Minnerly tallied her ninth double-double of the campaign with 31 assists and 11 digs.
Hope Pawlik and Hadley Swartz each had 11 kills to lead ULM (7-16, 1-9), while Bayleigh Hoffman contributed 26 assists and 11 digs.
The Eagles hit .223 with just 15 errors while digging up 65 balls and holding the Warhawks to an .098 hitting percentage.
Georgia Southern led for the entire first set en route to a 1-0 advantage in the match but trailed 20-16 in the second frame. Chevalier had two kills, while Leah Joseph and DeRatt added one each to spark a 7-1 run, putting the Eagles ahead 23-21. ULM got two straight points to tie the score but Hoffman served it into the net for set point. Stephens followed that with an ace to give Georgia Southern a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Eagles jumped out to an 8-1 cushion in the third set, but ULM came all the way back and tied the score 23-23. A block by Pawlik and Kimberlie Alvarado made it set point for the Warhawks, but DeRatt came back with a kill for Georgia Southern. With the score tied 26-26, Cathrine Murray put down consecutive kills for Georgia Southern to end the match.
"We executed when it mattered the most, and that's why we came out with a win," said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. "We just need to eliminate the four-point runs that are going against us and clean some things up."
The Eagles are back in action in Hanner Fieldhouse Sunday when they host UL Lafayette in a Sun Belt Conference match. First serve is set for noon.
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ULM Topped at Georgia Southern, 3-0
STATESBORO, Ga. – 11 kills each by sophomores Hadley Swartz and Hope Pawlik could not lift the ULM volleyball team to its first conference road victory as Georgia Southern defeated the Warhawks, 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 28-26) Friday evening at the Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, Ga.
Despite only playing two sets, Swartz was able to rack up her ninth double-digit kill performance of the season, hitting .267 with five digs in the process. Pawlik eclipsed 10 digs for the ninth time, recording a .250 efficiency mark with four digs and a service ace.
After a slow start in set one, ULM (6-16, 1-9 Sun Belt) dropped a back-and-forth second set, 25-23 to the Eagles (4-15, 4-6 Sun Belt), which included seven tie scores and three lead changes.
Back from the intermission down two sets, the Warhawks rallied past 25 points to force a couple of extra rallies. However, Georgia Southern was able to take advantage late to capture the final set, 28-26 for the triumph.
Freshman Bayleigh Hoffman earned her seventh double-double after posting 26 assists and 11 digs.
Senior Marcela totaled at leads 20 digs for the 11th time this season. In addition, Baylee Willingham racked up 10 digs in three sets.
The Warhawks return to the courts Sunday on the road at Appalachian State. First serve is set for 3 p.m. at the Holmer Center.