Friday, November 21, 2014
Panthers Punch Ticket On Jones Game-Winner
ATLANTA – A total team effort launched Georgia State into its first conference tournament since 2011 on Friday night with the team’s come-from-behind five-set win over Troy at the GSU Sports Arena. The Panthers rallied to win 20-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-22, and 16-14 to earn a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Championship next week in San Marcos, Texas.
“We had several players step up. It took everyone on the team tonight to get this win,” head coach Sally Polhamus said. “Brianna Jones, what a match. She came in and found a way to get kills and make a huge impact on our team off the bench. Molly Shonk coming up with 24 digs in what is a new role for her was big. Morgan Patterson and Andrea’ Ezell both came off the bench and made a difference as well. Just a full team effort.”
The rally started in Set 4 with the Panthers trailing two sets to one. The Trojans were on top 17-11 and appeared to be in control of the contest. Georgia State called a timeout and took the next point to pull within five. Sophomore Molly Shonk stepped back to serve. Two aces, six kills and two Trojan timeouts later and the Panthers held a 21-17 lead. The 10-point run wouldn’t be the end of the magic for the Panthers, however.
After GSU evened the match at two sets, Troy jumped out to a comfortable lead in Set 5. Nothing seemed to be going the Panthers’ way and it felt like the Trojans had finally put away Georgia State. Polhamus had already used both timeouts when Georgia State put three quick points on the board. Troy called its first timeout to talk things over. The Trojans responded with a 2-1 run to go up 14-10.
With their backs against the wall, Georgia State used back-to-back kills by juniors Deidra Bohannon and Kitan Ajanaku to pull within two at 12-14. Troy called its second timeout, but it would be in vein as three-straight Trojan errors gave GSU a 15-14 advantage. This set up the game-winner for Georgia State as junior Natalia Nieto found fellow junior Brianna Jones who slammed home the final point to send the Panthers into the SBC Championship.
Bohannon spoke after the match about what was going on during the big runs in Sets 4 and 5. “We looked at each other and we told Molly to keep serving. We weren’t going to let anything touch the floor. It was scary, but we looked at each other and said ‘we can do this’,” Bohannon said.
NOTING THE PANTHERS…
·Georgia State improves to 10-18 (8-11 SBC), doubling its conference-win total from a season ago.
·Jones finished with eight kills, a new career-high for the transfer. She also hit a team-high .538 on 13 attempts.
·Bohannon led Georgia State with 26 kills and 23 digs to earn her 13th double-double on the year. She is tied with Nieto, who had a double-double tonight as well (49 assists, 14 digs) for first on the team with 13 double-doubles.
·Shonk led the Panthers on defense with her 24 digs, a new career-best. Ajanaku and senior Andrea’ Ezell each had three blocks as the Panthers posted seven total team blocks.
·Polhamus on making the conference tournament… “It’s exciting. It speaks about how hard the players work and how much they’ve learned. We talked to them before Set 4 about getting better during that set. They did; they got better. That’s how a team working to improve needs to be.”
·For everyone on the team except for the two seniors, Andrea Book and Andrea’ Ezell, this will be the first time in a conference tournament. Bohannon said the team has talked about leaving a legacy at Georgia State. “It feels really good,” Bohannon said with a big smile.
The seeding for the SBC Championship will be determined tomorrow. South Alabama faces Troy and Georgia State will host Appalachian State at the GSU Sports Arena at 6 p.m. With a GSU win or a loss by both GSU and USA, the Panthers clinch the seventh seed.
The Panthers will recognize the two seniors, Andrea Book and Andrea’ Ezell, prior to the match on Saturday against Appalachian State. The first 100 fans on Saturday will receive a GSU scarf as well.
Dowdall Sets Record as Troy Volleyball Nearly Snaps Streak
ATLANTA – The Troy volleyball team nearly ended its losing streak, but Georgia State fought back late in a 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-22, 16-14) win over the Trojans at the GSU Sports Arena on Friday night.
Troy’s Ali Dowdall did make history in the match as she posted 24 digs, bringing her season total to 578 digs, breaking the Troy single-season record. Dowdall was part of a defensive effort that held Georgia State to a .157 attack percentage while the Trojans hit .207 themselves.
Troy (9-22, 1-18) looked poised to snap its now 18-match losing streak. The Trojans held a 2-1 lead after winning the third set, and were up 17-11 in the fourth set. However, Georgia State (10-18, 8-11) scored 10 straight to take a 21-17 lead on its way to a 25-22 win to force a fifth set.
In that final set, Troy led 12-6 and was just three points away from clinching the match. Georgia State, fighting for a spot in next week’s Sun Belt Championships, then scored three straight to force a Trojan timeout.
The Panthers went on to score 10 of the last 12 points as they erased the Troy lead and won the final set, 16-14.
Symone Shaw led the Troy offense with 19 kills and a .286 attack percentage. Blair Winston, who recently went over the 1,000 kill mark for her career, was also in double digits with 16 kills. Freshman setter Reina Terry tied a season-high with 49 assists.
Defensively, Dowdall led a group of four Trojans who had 10-plus digs. Winston, Shaw and Terry all had double-doubles with 13, 12 and 11 digs, respectively. Katie Feemster posted a team-high five blocks as Troy recorded 10.0 as a team.
Georgia State was led by Deidra Bohannon’s 26 kills and 23 digs. Molly Shonk tied Dowdall for match-high honors with 24 digs.
The Trojans return to the court on Saturday when they travel to South Alabama for a 6 p.m. match at Jaguar Gym in the Trojans’ season finale.
For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube by searching for Troy Ahtletics.
----
Daniel Records 13th Double-Double as Jags Move One Step Closer to SBC Tourney Berth
MOBILE, Ala. – Sophomore outside hitter Michelle Daniel recorded her team-leading 13th double-double of the season Friday night and helped the University of South Alabama volleyball team move one step closer to earning a berth in this year's Sun Belt Conference Championships as the Jags captured a 3-1 25-18, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18) victory over Louisiana-Monroe Friday night at Jag Gym.
"It wasn't a very pretty match on either side tonight, but sometimes you have to win ugly," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "It's good to do that sometimes. I thought our girls stayed composed and grinded throughout the match. Hopefully tomorrow we can come out with a little bit better execution and play better. It's nice to pick up a win at this point of the season.
Coupled with Georgia Southern's 3-1 loss to Texas-Arlington on Friday, South Alabama now holds a one-match lead over the Eagles for the eighth and final spot in the league tournament. USA will clinch the spot with either a win on Saturday or a Georgia Southern loss to Texas State.
"To me the most important thing is whether or not we are playing our best volleyball at the end of the season and that's what I would like to see in our match tomorrow," said Hendrichovsky. "If we can play our best volleyball and take care of business and let that get us into the tournament, then that's awesome. We can only control what we can control. Winning helps us get into the tournament, but ultimately, I want us to play our best volleyball tomorrow."
The Jaguars (12-17, 7-12 SBC) will now close out the 2014 regular season on Saturday versus in-state foe Troy. First serve versus the Trojans is set for 6 p.m. at Jag Gym. Live stats and web streaming for the match versus the Trojans will be available at www.USAJaguars.com and can be accessed on the Jaguar volleyball schedule page.
Prior to Saturday's finale versus Troy, USA will recognize its two seniors – Jenna Hassell and Amber Wyatt – for their contributions to the program. Earlier this month, Hassell became the program's all-time career digs leader as she has 1,562 entering play this weekend. She also ranks second in career digs per set average at 3.57. Wyatt had her final year cut short even before it began due to a reoccurring shoulder injury. As a junior, Wyatt posted her best numbers in a Jag uniform as she ranked third in the Sun Belt in blocks and ended the year with 106 total blocks and 1.15 bps, both ranking in the top 10 of their respective categories.
Jessica Lewis also ended the night in double figures with 11 kills, while Mallory Moore added nine kills and Nikki Gittens had eight. Gittens also registered a match high six block assists and Lewis set a new career best with five block assists. As a team, South Alabama had 18 block assists in the win. Hassell had a team-high 14 digs and two aces.
Louisiana-Monroe (9-23, 3-16 SBC) was led by Hope Pawlik's 17 kills. Hadley Swartz also finished the match in double figures with 10 kills of her own. Marcela Araya chipped in with 22 digs.
SET ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, LOUISIANA-MONROE 18
With the set tied 5-5 early on, South Alabama was the first team string together points, pushing across four of the next five to take a 9-6 lead. Lewis had two of her four kills in the frame during the Jaguar run and Emma Anderson capped off the scoring with an ace.
USA later extended its advantage out to seven (18-11) after four-straight Warhawk attack errors, two coming courtesy of blocks by Lewis and Gittens.
With South Alabama still leading by seven (21-14), ULM made a late run and cut the deficit to four multiple times, the last coming at 22-18, but that would be as close as the Jags would led the visitors get. USA closed out the frame by picking up the final three points and picked up the 25-18 win when Hassell dropped in an ace of her own.
South Alabama was strong offensively in the first set, posting a .417 hitting percentage (13-3-24).
SET TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, LOUISIANA-MONROE 22
ULM held a 10-6 lead in the second set after a kill from Pawlik, but South Alabama began to fight its way back. USA began the scoring with three-straight points to trim the deficit to 10-9 on an ace by Anderson – her second of the night. The Jags later took their first lead of the frame at 14-12 following kills by Daniel and Moore.
With USA still leading by three (19-16) after another kill by Moore, Louisiana-Monroe pushed across five unanswered points to retake the lead, 21-19, after an ace by Taylor Zaeske.
Trailing by two, two points later, South Alabama would regain the momentum and close out the second set by picking up the final four points. After a ULM attack error, Hassell recorded her second service ace of the match to tie the contest up at 22-22. The Warhawks then committed a ball-handling error to put USA back out in front. Gittens slammed home a kill to put South Alabama at set point and then clinched the set when she teamed up with true freshman Kolby Meeks to turn back an attack by Swartz.
SET THREE: LOUISIANA-MONROE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 21
The third set was close throughout with neither team able to hold more than a two or three point lead for a majority of the set.
South Alabama led 20-19 following a kill by Daniel, but ULM came right back and picked up the ensuing point on a kill by Swartz to tie the frame back up and begin a string of three consecutive Warhawk points.
USA again pulled to within one (22-21) when Lewis posted her third kill of the frame coming out of a Jag time out, but on the next point, South Alabama registered its seventh serving error of the match. ULM then went on to capture the next two points and take the set 25-21.
The Jaguars struggled on the offensive side of the net in the third set as they committed nine attack errors and hit .030.
SET FOUR: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, LOUISIANA-MONROE 18
In the fourth set, South Alabama broke an 8-all time with a run of five unanswered points. Lewis began the scoring with a kill and Moore later gave USA the 13-8 advantage when the sophomore posted back-to-back kills.
South Alabama held the lead from that point on, but ULM made a late charge at the Jags, narrowing the deficit to as few as two (18-16) after an attack error by USA.
However, the Jaguars would close strong and push across seven of the final nine points of the match en route to the 25-18 victory. Gittens was solid down the stretch for South Alabama as she had a block assist and a pair of kills, including the match-clincher.
NOTES: South Alabama improved to 10-6 in the all-time series with the win and has now won nine of the last 10 meetings between the two clubs. The Jags are also 7-0 all-time in Mobile versus the Warhawks. With the win coupled with a 3-1 loss by Georgia Southern to Texas-Arlington, South Alabama moved one step closer to earning a berth in this year's Sun Belt Conference Championships. USA will clinch a berth in the conference tournament with either a win over Troy or a Georgia Southern loss on Saturday. With her 13 kills and 12 digs, Mechell Daniel now has 13 double-doubles this season.
17 Kills by Pawlik Not Enough to Push Warhawks Past Jaguars
MOBILE, Ala. – Double-digit kills by attackers Hope Pawlik and Hadley Swartz was not enough to push the ULM volleyball team past South Alabama as the Warhawks dropped a 3-1 (18-25, 22-25, 25-21, 18-25) decision Friday night at the Jag Gym in Mobile, Ala.
Pawlik led the Warhawks (9-23, 3-16 Sun Belt) offense, picking up 17 kills in addition to eight digs, one block and one service ace.
Fellow sophomore Hadley Swartz was the other player in double-digits for ULM. The York, Pa. native collected her fourth double-double of the season with 10 kills, 14 digs and two blocks.
Marcela Araya continues to dominate on the defensive end. The senior ranked eighth in the NCAA in digs per set totaled 22 digs to go with three assists and an ace.
Bayleigh Hoffman assisted on 35 of the team’s 42 kills, adding six digs and two kills in the process.
Kaitlyn Shearer tallied five kills and led the team with three blocks, while Jennifer McClendon accumulated four kills and two blocks.
Despite playing tight in the first two sets forcing 10 tie scores and three lead changes, South Alabama (12-17, 7-12 Sun Belt) was able to take a two set lead into intermission.
ULM refused to go away easy, firing out of the gate in the fourth stanza. In a back-and-forth third set, both teams combined for 12 ties and five lead changes.
Tied at 20-20, ULM went on to score five of the next six points to capture their first set of the evening, 25-21 over the Jaguars. Alannah Cullum was key down the stretch with a huge kill and block for two of those five points.
However, South Alabama clinched its seventh Sun Belt victory after taking the fourth set.
The Warhawks will close out their season with a noon showdown on the road at UL-Lafayette on Sunday.
-----
A-State Volleyball Defeats ULL 3-1 for 20th Win
JONESBORO, Ark. (11/21/14) – The Arkansas State volleyball squad reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2011 season and won its ninth straight match with a 3-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-17, 25-17) victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Friday night at the Convocation Center.
The Red Wolves (20-8, 15-4) and Ragin’ Cajuns (19-12, 8-11) split the first two sets, but A-State took control in the third set after a Markie Schaedig service ace put the score at 10-5. ULL called timeout, but it didn’t slow down the Red Wolves as they jumped out to a 16-8 advantage after a Kelsey Reis block that forced Louisiana-Lafayette to use its last timeout of the set. ULL closed the gap to seven at 24-17, but a service error gave A-State the 25-17 set win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set began in almost the same fashion as the third with the Red Wolves racing out to a 10-3 lead before ULL used a timeout. The Ragin’ Cajuns closed the gap to three at 11-8, but a 7-4 A-State run put the score at 18-12 and forced Louisiana-Lafayette to use its final timeout. ULL got as close as five points on two occasions, but A-State secured match point at 24-16 after an ULL error. The Ragin’ Cajuns earned the next point, but a block by Reis and Mallory Warrington clinched the 25-17 set victory and 3-1 decision in favor of the Red Wolves.
“It feels great to get to 20 wins and it’s a huge accomplishment for this team,” A-State volleyball coach David Rehr said. “Our 15 wins in conference are a big deal as well. ULL always plays us tough and the first two sets showed that. I was proud of the way we responded after the second set by coming out and taking control of sets three and four early.”
The A-State offense was paced by four different players tallying double-digit kills with Sarah Kemp’s 14 leading the way. Reis, Jessica Uke, and Drew Jones all had 10 kills each, while Reis hit a team-high .529 for the match. Warrington handed out 44 assists and was second on the team in digs with nine. Schaedig finished with 26 digs and tied the season’s team high with four service aces. Marie Less chipped with a career-high eight digs and Reis led the squad with five total blocks.
Both teams were knotted up at 10-10 early in the first set, but ULL took a 16-14 edge on a kill from Stacey Reilly. A-State responded with a 4-0 run to give the Red Wolves an 18-16 advantage they wouldn’t relinquish. Arkansas State finished the set on a 7-5 run, capped by a Kemp kill to take game one by a score of 25-21.
However, the second set was much different as the Ragin’ Cajuns broke an early 3-3 tie with an 8-3 run that set the score at 11-6. A-State got as close as 13-10 on a Jones kill, but ULL finished the set on a 12-5 run to earn a 25-15 set victory that tied the match at 1-1.
Arkansas State closes the 2014 regular season Saturday night against UALR, who has already clinched the SBC regular-season championship. First serve from the Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m. and the team will honor its lone senior, Kemp, before the match begins.
The Red Wolves are one game ahead of Texas State for second place and can clinch the second seed in the conference tournament, set for Nov. 27-29 at Strahan Coliseum in San Marcos, Texas, with a win or Texas State loss Saturday. If A-State loses and Texas State wins, the Red Wolves will be the third seed.
Fans can keep up with Saturday’s action against UALR by viewing live stats at AStateStats.com and by following @AStateGameday on Twitter. For the latest on the A-State volleyball team follow the squad on Twitter (@stAteVolleyball).
Cajuns Fall in Four Sets to A-State in Road Finale
JONESBORO, Ark. – Sara Mossakowski recorded a team-high 12 kills to lead three players in double figures, but the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns hit a combined average of .079 in the final two sets and dropped a 21-25, 25-15, 17-25, 17-25 decision to Arkansas State in Sun Belt Conference volleyball match on Friday at the Convocation Center.
Andrea Hole posted a double-double with 36 assists and 12 digs for Louisiana (19-12, 8-11 Sun Belt), which was looking to secure its first 20-win season since 1990. The Ragin’ Cajuns will close out the regular season on Sunday when they play host to ULM in a noon contest at Earl K. Long Gym. Prior to the match, Louisiana’s senior class of Hole, Kaylee Nemeth, Caitlyn Auxilien and Kelly Wiesmann will be honored in a post-match ceremony.
A-State (20-8, 15-4 Sun Belt) claimed the opening set behind a .152 hitting percentage compared to the Ragin’ Cajuns .111. Louisiana then evened the match at one set each after posting a blistering .387 percentage (13-1-31).
But the Red Wolves would battle back in the third set, outhitting Louisiana .275-.079 before hitting .306 in the final set to secure the victory to move into sole possession of second-place behind leader UALR.
Sarah Kemp led A-State with 14 kills with Jessice Uke, Kelsey Reis and Drew Jones adding 10 each. Mallory Warrington dished out 44 assists to pace the Red Wolves with Markie Schaedig adding 26 digs and four service aces.
Freshman Stacey Reilly added 11 kills for the Ragin’ Cajuns while Nemeth added 10. Auxilien led Louisiana with 21 digs, Keely Hayes added 11 and Mossakowski 10.
----
Mavericks end regular season with four-set win
STATESBORO, Ga. - Looking to head into the Sun Belt Conference Tournament next week with back to back wins under its belt, UT Arlington picked up a crucial four-set (25-19, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20) win over Georgia Southern on Friday night.
"We really started to block some balls tonight and that really seemed to take them out of their offensive system," UT Arlington coach Diane Seymour said. "We also did a great job at the service line with seven aces and that made it so they couldn't get Kym Coley involved enough."
The win puts the Mavericks at 24-8 this season with a 14-6 mark in conference play while the Eagles fall to 7-22 overall with a 6-13 record in the Sun Belt.
Hannah Baptiste led the charge offensively as she registered a team-high 11 kills to go along with seven digs.
"I just tried to go out there and swing and not worry about making errors," Baptiste said. "Picking up a win tonight was really important to get a streak going and we just wanted to play for our seniors in their last regular season match."
Also chipping in offensively was a trio of Maverick players in Ashley Bennett, Qiana Canete and Stacey Koch who each registered nine kills in the match. Koch and Bennett also made their presence known at the net as they recorded five and four blocks respectively. Canete made her mark defensively as the freshman OH recorded eight digs and two blocks in the match.
With the Mavericks out blocking the Eagles 14-5 in the match, Briana Sharratt led the way as the sophomore MB notched 10 blocks to go along with five kills in the match.
Amanda Welsh and Cassidy Wheeler divided up the setting duties as the duo combined to record 40 assists in the match.
Caitlyn Cooney led the team in digs as she registered 17 digs in the match.
"We just need to keep this same energy that we've had these past couple of matches," Baptiste added. "We just have to keep playing our game and doing what we need to on our side of the court."
Next up on the UT Arlington schedule is the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to be held in San Marcos, Texas on Nov. 27-29. The Mavericks are still in the running for the second, third and fourth seeds in the tournament.
UT Arlington Tops Eagles 3-1
STATESBORO, Ga. – Hannah Baptiste recorded 11 kills and seven blocks and UT Arlington had 14 blocks as a team to earn a 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20) Sun Belt Conference volleyball victory over Georgia Southern Friday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Jamie DeRatt collected 15 kills and nine digs, while Cathrine Murray added 15 kills and 10 digs to lead Georgia Southern (7-22, 6-13). Megan Chevalier finished with 10 kills, and Kat Minnerly posted 41 assists and 13 digs. Avery Stephens had a match-high 21 digs.
Ashley Bennett, Qiana Canete and Stacey Koch each had nine kills for UT Arlington (24-8, 14-6). Amanda Welsh and Cassidy Wheeler ran the balanced offense and collected 20 assists apiece. Caitlyn Cooney posted a team-high 17 digs.
After dropping the first set 25-19, the Eagles fought back from an early 8-1 deficit to take the second set 25-21 and
tie the match. A 12-4 run, keyed by three kills each from Murray and DeRatt, gave Georgia Southern a 16-14 lead.
DeRatt and Chevalier put down kills as the Eagles broke an 18-18 tie with three straight points, and after the Mavericks trimmed the margin to 21-20, kills by Chevalier and Kym Coley helped the Eagles finish the set with a 4-1 spurt.
The Maverick defense picked up after the break, and UT Arlington had seven team blocks and held the Eagles to -.091 hitting to take the third set 25-14. A 4-0 Maverick run in the fourth set broke a 9-9 tie and gave UT Arlington a working margin it never relinquished. The Eagles got to within two points at 21-19, but Briana Sharratt put down a kill to ignite a 4-1 Maverick run to finish the match.
“The consistency is just not there,” said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. “They fought hard, but consistency is what is hurting us.”
The Eagles finish out the regular season with a 1 p.m. contest against Texas State Saturday in Hanner Fieldhouse. It’s Senior Day, and Georgia Southern will honor seniors DeRatt and Coley prior to the match.
South Alabama defeated UL Monroe 3-1 tonight and has moved ahead of Georgia Southern for the eighth and final spot in next week’s Sun Belt Tournament. The Eagles need a victory over the Bobcats and a South Alabama loss against Troy tomorrow in order to get in.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.