Saturday, November 8, 2014
Bobcats Suffer Sweep by UALR
SAN MARCOS – Texas State suffered just the fourth conference loss of the season Saturday night, falling to Sun Belt Conference leader UALR. The Trojans, undefeated in conference play, beat the Bobcats, 3-0 (25-10, 25-21, 25-21), to drop Texas State’s record to 17-11 overall and 12-4 in the SBC.
Kelsey Weynand led the Bobcats in kills with six while Alexandra Simms finished with five. Lauren Kirch, Amanda Watkins, Caylin Mahoney and Shelby Vas Matt added four kills each.
Mahoney continued to run the Texas State offense as she has the past two matches. She gave out 20 assists and finished with eight digs and a block in addition to her four kills. Sierra Smith led the team in digs with 10 while Brenna Lyles added nine more. Weynand finished with seven digs.
At the net, Watkins paced the Bobcats with four blocks. She was in on all but one of the team’s five blocks on the night.
Unfortunately, UALR’s offense was too tough for Texas State Saturday night. The Trojans came out in the first set and hit .423 with just two errors on 26 attempts, finishing with 13 kills in the opening frame. The Bobcats adjusted to force five errors from UALR in both the second and the third sets, bringing the team’s hitting percentage down to .219 in the second set and .229 in the third.
Sonja Milanovic paced UALR with 16 kills while Edina Begic finished with 12 kills and 11 digs. Megan Mathis gave out 32 assists. Mathis and Edina Selimovic were each in on six blocks apiece.
Texas State will look to bounce back Friday when the Bobcats host Georgia State at 6:30 p.m. After that, Texas State will welcome Troy on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. for the last home matches of the regular season. The Bobcats, however, will return home to host the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament on Thanksgiving weekend.
A-State Volleyball Defeats Appalachian State 3-1
BOONE, N.C. (11/8/14) – The Arkansas State volleyball team won its sixth straight match Saturday night by defeating Appalachian State 3-1 (17-25, 25-21, 25-11, 26-24) at the Holmes Center in Boone, N.C.
The Red Wolves (17-8, 12-4) came out strong in the third set after splitting the first two sets with the Mountaineers (19-7, 9-7) by jumping out to a 7-1 lead early. A kill from Sarah Kemp put A-State on top 15-5 later on in the set, but Appalachian State cut its deficit to 19-11 on a kill by Jess Keller. However, the Mountaineers wouldn’t get any closer as the Red Wolves closed the set on a 6-0 run, capped by a Mallory Warrington and Kelsey Reis kill, to win the set 25-11.
The Mountaineers opened the fourth set strong by gaining a 10-7 advantage on a service ace, but A-State quickly responded to tie the set at 13-13 on a Kariana Castanon-Hill kill. The Red Wolves took the lead at 18-17 on an Appalachian State attack error, but the Mountaineers took the lead back at 21-20 on another service ace. A-State responded with three straight kills for a 23-21 edge, but Appalachian State rallied to tie it at 24-24. The Red Wolves won the next two points on a service error and attack error to take the set 26-24 and the match 3-1.
“This was a great road win for us,” A-State volleyball coach David Rehr said. “This was our toughest trip by far and they have a great volleyball environment here. They’re a very solid team and we didn’t play our best at times, but I’m glad we were able to get the win.”
Drew Jones led the Red Wolves with 13 kills on a .355 hitting percentage, while Castanon-Hill tallied 10 kills on a team-high .400 hitting percentage. Warrington dished out 44 assists and added 15 digs to earn her team-leading 19th double-double and Kemp had three service aces to lead the squad. Defensively, Markie Schaedig led the team with 31 digs and Jessica Uke had five blocks with three being block solos.
Appalachian State began the contest by racing out to a 12-9 lead in the first set before outscoring the Red Wolves 13-8 the rest of the way for a 25-17 set win. Both teams battled to a 12-12 tie in the second set before an 8-2 A-State run put the Red Wolves on top 20-14. Appalachian State got as close as three points at 24-21, but a service error gave A-State a 25-21 second game victory.
The Red Wolves return to action Friday, Nov. 14 when they travel to Monroe, La., to take on ULM. First serve from the ULM Activity Center is set for 6:00 p.m., and fans can keep up with the entire match’s action by viewing live stats at AStateRedWolves.com and by following @AStateGameday on Twitter. For the latest on the A-State volleyball team follow the squad on Twitter (@stAteVolleyball).
Mountaineers Edged Out by Red Wolves in Four Sets
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball fell to Arkansas State on Saturday night in four sets with scores of 25-17, 21-25, 11-25 and 24-26.
The Mountaineers (19-7, 9-7 Sun Belt) won the first set but then dropped the next three to the Red Wolves (17-8, 12-4) for their seventh conference loss.
Arkansas State took the early lead in the first set, recording five kills for an 8-5 lead. The Apps would begin to chip away at the score, going on a 7-1 run to pull ahead 12-9.
The Mountaineers would keep their lead, tallying kills from Jess Keller, Caroline Wainright and Hailey Kerr at the end of the set to take the first 25-17.
The Red Wolves took an early lead again in the second set with a score of 6-4 but Appalachian would score five of the next six points to take a 9-7 lead. The Apps would not keep a comfortable lead as the Red Wolves scored six-straight points to lead the Mountaineers 20-14.
Arkansas State would be too much for the Mountaineers as they dropped the second set with a score of 25-21.
The Red Wolves came out in the third set and dominated, immediately taking a 13-3 lead. Appalachian would not catch up as the Red Wolves scored the last six points of the third, winning 25-11 to lead the match 2-1.
The fourth set was much closer, featuring 12 tied scores. The Apps took a 3-0 lead, but Arkansas State would then pull ahead 6-5. From there the Apps would tie the score at seven with a kill from Keller and then score the next three points to lead 10-7.
Arkansas State tied the score at 17 and then went on a 3-0 run to take a 20-17 lead, but App State would respond with a run of their own, scoring four-straight points to pull ahead 21-20.
The run would not be enough as Arkansas State scored six of the last nine points to take the fourth set 26-24 and win the match 3-1.
Keller led the Mountaineers with 18 kills, while Paige Brown recorded 45 assists and Meghan Mahoney notched 18 digs.
The Red Wolves were led by Drew Jones' 13 kills and Markie Shaedig's match-high 31 digs.
The Apps hits .161 on the match while Arkansas State hit .277. The Red Wolves tallied eight blocks to Appalachian three.
The Mountaineers return to action when they travel to South Alabama on Nov. 14.
BOHANNON LEADS THE WAY IN 3-1 WIN
ATLANTA – Georgia State’s volleyball team defeated ULM 3-1 on Saturday night at the GSU Sports Arena. Junior Deidra Bohannon had 23 kills on a .370 hit percentage to lead the Panthers. GSU won 25-17, 25-20, 25-27, and 25-23 to improve to 9-16 (7-9 SBC) on the season.
Bohannon added a career-high 21 digs to post her 10th double-double of the year. Bohannon credited her setter and middles for the strong performance. Natalia Nieto finished with 47 assists while middles Eliza Zachary and Kitan Ajanaku each recorded double-digit kills and hit .406 and .364, respectively.
“Natalia [Nieto] and the middles opened up a lot of things for me on offense. There were a lot of seams open and a lot of that was due to them playing really well tonight,” Bohannon said.
NOTING THE PANTHERS…
·Freshman Sydney Mauer entered the weekend ranked in the top 50 in the country in aces per set and added her 33rd on the season, a team-high. It was Bohannon that led the team on Saturday, however, as the junior served a career-high four aces.
·The Panthers outhit the Warhawks .273-.181 thanks to Zachary’s .406, Bohannon’s .370, Ajanaku’s .364 and senior Andrea Book’s .294 hitting percentages on a combined 55 kills.
·Nieto’s 47 assists gives her 2,472 for her career. The junior is currently fourth on GSU’s career-assists list and needs 189 to catch third-place Oksana Greydinger (1998-99).
“Our leaders stepped up tonight,” head coach Sally Polhamus said. “This was a big win for us against a tough team that doesn’t go down easily. We still need a total team effort and that’s what we are going to work on next week before we hit the road.”
ULM opened the match with a 3-0 run that was ended by Zachary’s first kill of the contest. Georgia State tied the set at 12 and used a 5-0 run to go up 16-12. The Panthers, led by Bohannon and Zachary, put together a 5-2 run to close out the frame and win 25-17. Bohannon and Zachary both finished the first set with a .667 hit percentage and six and four kills, respectively. The Panthers as a team outhit the Warhawks .560-.148.
The Panthers lead 8-4 in Set 2 before ULM put together a string of points to take a 10-9 lead. The two teams went back and forth until the Panthers were able to pull ahead 20-17, leading to a ULM timeout. ULM kept it close, but back-to-back aces by Bohannon kept GSU in front and a kill by senior Andrea Book sealed the 25-20 win.
Trying to avoid the sweep, ULM picked up the pace in Set 3 and was in front for much of the set. Georgia State was down three when Polhamus called a timeout. Out of the break, the Panthers rallied to take a 20-19 lead with an ace by Bohannon. GSU had match point at 24-21, but ULM scored three-straight to tie it at 24 and would go on to win the set 27-25.Georgia State rebounded from the loss in Set 3 with an impressive fourth set. The Panthers never trailed, although ULM kept it interesting. Georgia State had its biggest lead at 17-11 when ULM took a timeout. The Warhawks responded with a 5-1 run to close the deficit to two, then tied the set at 23. Zachary shut the door with her 16th kill to win the set 25-23 and the match 3-1.
Georgia State hits the road for a pair of matches in the state of Texas. The Panthers face Texas State in San Marcos at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 14 and UT Arlington in Arlington at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16.
ULM Topped at Georgia State, 3-1
ATLANTA, Ga. – A day after completing its first conference sweep since 2011, the ULM volleyball team was unable to make it two in a row as the Warhawks dropped a 3-1 (25-17, 25-20, 25-27, 25-23) decision to Georgia State Saturday night at the GSU Sports Arena.
“We played a little tired tonight,” head coach Patrick Hiltz said. “Back-to-back matches on top of getting into town at 2:30 a.m. doesn’t help. Got to give credit to Georgia State though, they played hard all night. They served us tough and they’re hitting kept us guessing and off-balance all match.”
The ULM (8-21, 2-14) offense featured two players in double-digits. Hadley Swartz led the attack with 13 kills on an efficient .324 hitting percentage. The sophomore just missed a double-double as Swartz tallied nine digs and two assists.
Taylor Zaeske registered 11 kills on .292 hitting to go along with seven digs from the outside. Kaitlyn Shearer collected eight kills on 20 swings and four digs.
Araya totaled 19 digs to lead the team and move her total to 544 digs on the year, only six digs shy of breaking her previous record for most digs (549) in a single season.
Bayleigh Hoffman assisted on 34 of the team’s 49 kills. The freshman setter also racked up five digs and an ace. Alannah Cullum garnered four kills, two aces, two digs and a block.
Hope Pawlik recorded six kills and five digs, while Jennifer McClendon amassed five kills and a block.
The Panthers (9-16, 7-9 Sun Belt) got off to a quick 2-0 start after taking the first two sets of the match.
The Warhawks did not go down with a fight as the team rallied from a match point, 24-21, deficit late in the third set. ULM forced a fourth set after scoring six of the next seven points to take the stanza, 27-25.
“I’m extremely pleased with the amount of heart and fight that we showed tonight,” Hiltz added. “We battled and showed a lot fire and energy. The fact that we never quit in the third set, never gave up and found a way to win tells me a lot about the character this group of players has.”
The fourth set involved a back-and-forth battle late into the set, however the Panthers were able to clinch the triumph over ULM with a 25-23 fourth stanza win.
The Warhawks return home for a 6 p.m. showdown against Arkansas State Friday at the Fant Ewing Coliseum.
“Unfortunately, now we have to watch the scoreboard and hope for some help to stay alive for the conference tournament,” Hiltz said. “Hopefully we still have an opportunity come next weekend at home.
Ragin’ Cajuns Sweep Troy
TROY, Ala. – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns picked up their second win in as many nights on Saturday, sweeping their way past Troy, 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-11) at Trojan Arena.
The win completes the season sweep of the Trojans (9-20, 1-16 SBC) for the Cajuns (18-11, 7-10 SBC) who will enter next week firmly in position to claim a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Louisiana did not put a player in double figures in kills, but turned in a balanced offensive effort, led by Chanelle Garner’s nine kills and three blocks. Kaylee Nemeth was next in line with eight kills, while Kae Kae Lockhart added seven kills and three blocks.
Andrea Hole dished out 33 assists with 12 digs, directing UL to .202 hitting for the match. Caitlyn Auxilien added 12 digs, and Stacey Reilly had 10 digs to go with her four kills.
The Ragin’ Cajuns used a 6-2 run to open up the first set, breaking a 9-9 tie to go up 15-11 after a kill from Abby Filce. A score from Stacey Reilly pushed the lead to as much as five at 23-18 before kills from Gardner and Sara Mossakowski closed it out with kills of their own.
One set later the Cajuns had to play comeback, finding themselves down 15-14 midway through the set. But a kill from Lockhart tied things back up and sparked a 6-1 run that pushed the lead to as much as three. Still, the Trojans managed to tie things back up at 21-21 before Gardner put UL back in front. Mossakowski gave the Cajuns a set-point try, but the Trojans fought off the first two before Hole finished it off with her fourth kill of the match.
Louisiana hit .250 and rolled to a 25-11 win in the final set, using an 8-0 run to blow things open early on. The Cajuns 11 of 15 points during a stretch midway through the set, including 5-1 in the final six points.
The Cajuns have just one match on the slate in their upcoming week, hosting UT Arlington on Nov. 14 at Earl K. Long Gym.
Troy Volleyball Drops Final Home Match
TROY, Alabama – The Troy volleyball team dropped its final home match of the season, falling to UL Lafayette, 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-11), at Trojan Arena on Saturday night.
Troy (9-20, 1-16) actually outhit the Ragin’ Cajuns in each of the first two sets, but UL Lafayette (18-11, 7-10) used timely runs to take a 2-0 lead. The Cajuns then rolled in the third set to win their second straight and hand Troy its 16th straight loss.
With Troy up 21-18 in the second set, the Ragin’ Cajuns scored six straight points to take a 24-21 lead before closing the set 25-23. UL Lafayette hit a match-low .152 in the second set, but held Troy to a -.091 attack percentage in the final set.
Blair Winston posted 10 kills to lead the Trojans and hit .250. The Trojans hit .144 in the match as a team. Reina Terry had 30 assists in her third straight start. Ali Dowdall and Kelley Curran led the Trojans defensively with 14 and 13 digs, respectively.
Troy had 5.0 total team blocks while the Cajuns had 7.0 total team blocks. The Cajuns posted 10 service aces, including eight in the third set when they ran away from the Trojans early.
Chanelle Gardner had a team-high nine kills for the Cajuns who ended up hitting .202 as a team. Andrea Hole recorded 33 assists while three Cajuns had 10-plus digs.
The Trojans return to the court next Saturday when they travel to take on Texas State at 6:30 p.m. at Strahan Coliseum.
For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.