September 13, 2014

Mavs claim 1000th victory in sweep

ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington made program history on Saturday, claiming the school's 1,000th win in a 3-0 sweep over Houston Baptist on the final day of the Hilton Maverick Invitational.

"Getting our 1,000th program win is a big tribute to the former and current coaches and players," said UT Arlington coach Diane Seymour. "It's great to be a part of the 1,000th win."
The win moves the Mavericks to 10-2 this season while the Huskies fall to 4-6 on the year.

Taylor Gross capped off an excellent weekend in the final match as she put up 11 kills and also recorded seven blocks, earning All-Tournament honors. Qiana Canete joined Gross on the All-Tournament team as she wrapped up Saturday's match with her seventh double-double of the season, recording 13 kills and ten digs. Briana Sharratt was the final member of the Mavs roster to claim All-Tournament honors as she finished the final game with seven kills and seven blocks.

As a team the Mavericks hit .265 while the Huskies hit just .117 on the night. UTA also out blocked HBU 12.5-9.

After trailing 2-0, the Mavs gained control of the first set by going on a 9-1 run that put UTA up 9-3. With Houston Baptist having cut the lead down to five points later in the set, the Mavericks responded with a 7-2 run that was capped off with a block by Gross and Sharratt. UTA closed out the opening set by scoring five of the last seven points which was finished with a Canete kill.

Gross spurred the Mavericks offensively in the first frame with six kills and a hitting percentage of .556. Canete also did her part as she notched four kills and a hitting percentage of .444. UTA hit .441 while holding the Huskies to a hitting percentage of .162.

UTA stormed out of the gate in the second set, recording eight of the first ten points. After the Huskies cut the lead down to two points at 9-7, the Mavs answered back with a 4-1 run which was finished with a block by Sharratt, Koch and Hannah Baptiste. With the score set at 15-11 in favor of UTA, HBU came back to take the lead at 16-15. The Mavericks then finished off the Huskies as they scored back-to-back points to take the second frame 25-23.

Canete paced UTA in the second set with six kills and five digs. Baptiste also helped contribute in the set as she recorded four kills with a hitting percentage of .375. The Mavericks notched a hitting percentage of .227 while holding the Huskies to just .104.

With the third set tied at seven, UTA took control with a 10-3 run which was finished with a kill by Briana Sharratt that put the Mavs up 17-10. The Huskies then came back with a run of their own as they tied up the match at 24. The Mavericks closed out the final set and the match with back to back points from a Canete kill and a Caitlyn Cooney ace.
Sharratt and Baptiste guided the Mavs through the final frame as they each recorded four kills.

"We were very sharp today," added Seymour. "Right now what we want to see from our team is how quickly we can turn the energy back on after a lull and we did a good job of doing that today."

The Mavericks will return to action this Tuesday as they open up Sun Belt Conference play on the road against Texas State on September 16 with the match slated to begin at 6:30.

2014 Hilton Maverick Invitational All-Tournament Team
Kali Fluke, TSU
Megan McStravick, HBU
Olivia Mesner, FGCU
Whitney Masters, FGCU
Qiana Canete, UTA
Taylor Gross, UTA
Briana Sharratt, UTA

Mountaineers Take Down Highlanders in Three

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball improved to 10-0 this season after defeating Radford on Saturday in three sets with scores of 25-17, 25-15 and 25-15.

The Mountaineers (10-0, 1-0 Sun Belt) continue their undefeated season, sweeping the Highlanders (7-3) in the second round of the Black and Gold Challenge.

The first set proved to be a battle as it featured several long rallies as the Mountaineers and Highlanders tied the score at five. The Apps slowly began to pull ahead, finding three-straight kills from Jess Keller, Emily Corrigan and Sloan Evans to take an 8-5 lead.

The set continued to be close as the Highlanders never trailed by more than four points until three-straight kills from Corrigan helped put the Mountaineers up 23-16. Two more kills from Corrigan led the Mountaineers to a 25-17 victory in the first set.

The second set began with several tied scores before Appalachian finally took control, scoring five-straight points to lead 10-5. The Mountaineers lengthened their commanding lead by making the score 18-9, thanks to kills from Lauren Gray, Corrigan and Keller.

The Mountaineer's offense proved to be too much for the Highlanders in the second as the Apps took the set 25-15 to lead 2-0.

Appalachian started the third set in similar fashion, taking a quick lead, but the Highlanders would tie up the score at 10, but the Apps began to dominate, taking a 20-13 lead.

The Mountaineers did not let up, scoring five of the next seven point to take the third, 25-15 and win the match 3-0.

Corrigan led the Mountaineers with 15 kills and a .351 hitting percentage while Gray followed with eight kills and hitting percentage of .400.

Paige Brown once again led the Apps in assists, recording 37. The Mountaineers had an outstanding defensive game as Meghan Mahoney led the way with 16 digs, followed by Brown with 13 and Olivia Loeffler with 12.

Radford was led by Maddie Palmer's nine kills and Rachel Wiechecki's 15 digs.

The Mountaineers hit .310 on the match, holding Radford to a .128 hitting percentage. The Mountaineers recorded 6.5 team blocks to Radford's two.

App State Remains Undefeated with Win Over Terps

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball remains undefeated after sweeping Maryland in three sets on Saturday night with scores of 25-18, 25-23 and 25-18.

The Mountaineers (11-0, 1-0 Sun Belt) won the Black and Gold Challenge after defeating the Terrapins (7-2) at the Holmes Center.

The first set began with ten tied scores as each team battled to take the lead. With the score tied at 12, Appalachian made their move, scoring four-straight points to take a 16-12 lead.

The Terps continued to trail by no more than four points until the Apps took complete control, scoring seven of the last eight points to take the first set 25-18.

The Mountaineers jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the second set before Maryland would immediately find two kills to help them tie the set at seven. Appalachian found two kills from Jess Keller to put them back in the lead with a score of 11-8.

The Terps would not go away, never falling behind by more than three points as the Apps struggled to maintain the lead. The Mountaineers managed to take a 20-16 lead after kills from Lauren Gray and Sloan Evans, but Maryland would not give up.

With Appalachian in the lead 24-20 the Terps scored three-straight points to trail by only one but the Apps would pull out the second set win after a Maryland attack error to take the second 25-23.

The third set began like the others with several tied scores, but this time Maryland would be the team to pull ahead, finding points to take a 11-9 lead.

With the Maryland leading 14-12 the Mountaineers would find their rhythme, scoring seven-straight points to take a 19-14 lead.

The Mountaineers would prove to be too much for the Terps as they only scored four points for the rest of the set, letting Appalachian take the third 25-18 and win the match 3-0.

Emily Corrigan once again led Appalachian in kills, notching 21 on the night, while only committing five errors for a .390 hitting percentage. Gray followed with 11 kills of her own.

Paige Brown recorded 41 assists while Meghan Mahoney added 14 digs.

The Terps were led by Ashleigh Crutcher's 12 kills and Amy Dion's 13 digs.

The Mountaineers hit .260 on the night while holding Maryland to just a .075 hitting percentage. Appalachian totalled 9.5 blocks while the Terps had four.

Corrigan was named the MVP of the Black and Gold Challenge, while Brown and Keller were also named to the all-tournament team.

Georgia State's Eliza Zachary and Maryland's Hailey Murray were also named to the team.

The Mountaineers continue Sun Belt play when they travel to Georgia Southern on Fri. Sept. 19 for a 7 p.m. match.

Ragin ‘Cajuns Sweep Way To 10-0 Mark

HOUSTON, Texas – Andrea Hole was named tournament MVP for the third straight week and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns ran their record to 10-0 for just the second time in program history with sweeps of Oral Roberts and Houston on the second day of the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup.

The Ragin’ Cajuns were just 2-20 against the tournament field entering the weekend before reeling off three straight sweeps for just the third time since 2002.

Hole was not the only all-tournament selection for the Cajuns as Chanelle Gardner was named to the all-tournament team for the third straight week, as well Sara Mossakowski.

UL Lafayette 3, Oral Roberts 0

The Ragin’ Cajuns continued to roll, steaming past Oral Roberts, 3-0 (27-25, 25-18, 25-19) in the second match of the Flo Hyman Classic.

Louisiana (9-0), who was previously winless in three matches against the Golden Eagles (5-6), hit .330 for the match and owned the net with a 7-0 edge in blocks.

Despite not putting a player in double-figure kills, the Cajuns still out-killed ORU 40-34 and were led by Chanelle Gardner and Kaylee Nemeth’s eight kills apiece. Andrea Hole had four kills and four blocks, but picked up another double-double with 29 assists and 11 digs.

Caitlyn Auxilien led all players with a dozen digs, while Gardner added four blocks to her eight-kill total.

In all, seven Cajuns had at least four kills in the match and the team served up nine aces in the three-set affair.

The Cajuns used a late 5-1 run to steal the first set from the Golden Eagles. Louisiana fought off a pair of set points late in the frame, getting kills from Filce and Reilly to put off the first, and a kill from Gardner to ward off the second before Reilly delivered the final point of the set.

Set 2 was never in question with UL leading by as much as nine points at the 19-10 mark on its way to hitting .500 for the set. ORU cut it back to 19-14, but the Cajuns responded with four straight points out of a timeout to put the set away before closing it out on a kill by Nemeth.

In the third set, the Cajuns established a 16-11 lead with a 7-1 run midway through the stanza and cashing in on its first set-point try when Hole found Gardner for a kill.

UL Lafayette 3, Houston 0

Sara Mossakowski, Chanelle Gardner and Stacey Reilly picked up 10 kills apiece and hit .312, going over .300 for the third straight match, with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-22) sweep over the host Houston Cougars.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (10-0) dominated all statistical categories, including kills, blocks aces and digs, while holding the Cougars (6-3) to just .167 hitting for the match.

Mossakowski picked up another double-double, going for 10 kills and 10 digs, hitting .381 with just two errors on 21 swings. Reilly did the same with 10 kills and 11 digs of her own, while Gardner had 10 kills and three blocks.

Hole, who entered the weekend ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference in assists, dished out 43 assists for the match, along with eight digs and three service aces.

Caitlyn Auxilien added a match-high 14 digs, and freshman Keely Hayes just missed double figures with nine digs.

The Cougars were led by Cortney Warren with 15 kills and Keandra McCardell with 29 assists.

The Ragin’ Cajuns hit .351 in the opening set, scored four straight points to snap a 15-15 tie in the initial set. Houston managed a late rally to cut the lead to 23-22 before a service error and a kill from Mossakowski closed things out.

Louisiana jumped out to a quick 8-1 lead in the second frame before a 12-4 Cougar run put Houston in front 13-12. A 9-2 run for the Cajuns followed, setting them up to close the set out with a kill from Abby Filce and a block by Filce and Mossakowski.

UL had its best set of the match in the clinching frame, hitting .500 with 18 kills. The teams traded points until the 15-14 mark when UL ran off five straight scores, getting kills from Nemeth and Reilly in that span. Kills from Gardner and Reilly stretched the lead to 21-17, before a kill from Mossakowski finally closed out the match.

A-State Volleyball Sweeps Southern Utah and SIUE

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (9/13/14) – The Arkansas State volleyball team didn’t lose a set in the SIUE Invitational after defeating Southern Utah 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-20) Saturday afternoon before taking down the SIUE Cougars 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-19) in the nightcap at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Ill.

Southern Utah (6-3) controlled the beginning of the first set by jumping out to an 11-8 advantage before A-State (5-4) fought back to tie the set at 15-15. SUU took a lead at 20-19, but Kariana Castanon-Hill recorded a kill to tie things up at 20-20. A-State wouldn’t look back after that and went on a 5-0 run, featuring two kills by Drew Jones, to earn a 25-20 set win and 1-0 match lead over the Thunderbirds.

With a 1-0 lead in the match, A-State raced out to a 10-7 edge in the second set after a Mallory Warrington kill to force Southern Utah to use a timeout. After the timeout, SUU used a 3-0 run to tie the set up at 10-10, but A-State stretched its lead back out to four points at 22-18 after another Warrington kill. SUU couldn’t get closer than four points the rest of the set and a service error from the Thunderbirds gave the Red Wolves another 25-20 set victory for a 2-0 advantage in the match.

Arkansas State jumped out to an early 10-7 lead in the third set, but the Thunderbirds fought back to tie the set at 13-13 with a 6-3 run. Southern Utah eventually took the lead on a kill at 17-16, but A-State battled back to take a 19-18 edge on a Sarah Kemp kill. Southern Utah got as close as 21-20, but a 4-0 run by the Red Wolves, capped by two kills from Jones gave Arkansas State its third 25-20 set victory and a 3-0 sweep over SUU.

Kemp led the Red Wolves with 15 kills against the Thunderbirds on a .405 hitting percentage and also had 11 digs to record her fourth double-double of the season. Warrington registered her seventh double-double of the season with 29 assists and 11 digs, while also adding seven kills on a .700 attacking percentage. Defensively, Markie Schaedig led the team with 21 digs, while Kelsey Reis tallied three blocks.

“We’re finally coming together and getting to where we need to be,” A-State volleyball coach David Rehr said. “It was certainly nice to come out and get three sweeps this weekend. That being said we realize that conference play starts Friday and none of this really matters now.”

In the nightcap, A-State was relentless in the first set against SIU-Edwardsville (5-5) by jumping out to a 4-0 lead on the Cougars. The Red Wolves stretch their lead out to 12-6 and forced SIUE to use its first timeout of the set, but things didn’t get much better for the Cougars. Arkansas State managed to extend its lead to 10 points at 23-13 before SIUE tried to claw its way back into the set with a 3-0 run. However, A-State quelled the threat of a Cougars’ comeback with consecutive kills from Kemp to earn the victory in the first set by a count of 25-16 and take a 1-0 match lead.

SIUE started the second set strong with a 4-0 run to begin the game, but the Red Wolves responded to tie the set at 10-10. The Cougars and Red Wolves traded points until A-State took a slight two-point edge at 22-20 on a Jones kill. SIUE won the next point on a kill, but a service error, block by Castanon-Hill and Reis, and attack error gave A-State the final three points of the set and clinched the 25-21 second set victory for a 2-0 match lead.

The Red Wolves continued their hot play in the third set by jumping out to a 6-2 lead after a Jones and Reis block. SIUE cut the A-State lead to two at 11-9, but a 3-0 run stretched Arkansas State’s advantage to five points at 14-9. The Cougars cut the A-State lead down to three points at 20-17, the Red Wolves responded with a 5-2 run, capped by a Castanon-Hill kill, to earn the third set victory 25-19 and match win 3-0.

Once again, Kemp paced the Red Wolves with 14 kills on a .344 hitting percentage, while Castanon-Hill tallied nine kills on a .471 hitting percentage. Warrington handed out 32 assists in the match and registered seven digs. Defensively, Schaedig led A-State with 12 digs and Reis recorded seven blocks.

Arkansas State finishes the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 5-4 record and plays its first home and conference game of the season Friday, Sept. 19 against Texas State. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and fans can keep up with all the action by following @AStateGameday on Twitter for up to the minute information. Live stats for the match will be provided at AStateStats.com. For the latest on the A-State volleyball follow the team on Twitter (@stAteVolleyball).

South Alabama Splits Final Two Matches of Maroon Classic

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team split its final two matches of the Maroon Classic on Saturday, defeating Nicholls State 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-16) in the first match of the day, but falling 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-17) to Memphis at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Despite the loss in the final match, South Alabama still was able to post a 3-1 showing at the Maroon Classic.

"Coming into the non-conference portion of our schedule, I wanted us to find our identity and develop some chemistry, while improving each weekend," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "I think we mastered those three areas and built come confidence as we head into the start of conference play.

"Our focus heading into this past weekend was on our team defense. In our three wins, we were able to hold our opponents to a low hitting percentage and we point-scored at a percentage that we had targeted coming into those matches."

For their play over the weekend, Emily Hundt and Nikki Gittens were named to the Maroon Classic all-tournament squad.

With the non-conference portion of their schedule complete, the Jags (5-5) will now open up Sun Belt Conference play on Wednesday night when USA travels to take on Louisiana-Lafayette. First serve versus the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 6 p.m. at Earl K. Long Gym.

MATCH ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 3, NICHOLLS STATE 0
South Alabama began the day by picking up its fifth-straight win with a straight-set defeat of Nicholls State.

Mallory Moore led USA offensively as she was one of two Jags to finish the match in double figures with 13 kills. Moore was extremely efficient as she led the club with a .545 hitting percentage, committing just one attack error in her 22 attempts. Redshirt sophomore Nikki Gittens was also solid as she had 11 kills and hit .471 in the match. Gittens and Moore also finished with five and four block assists, respectively.

Mechell Daniel just missed her third-straight double-double as the sophomore had nine kills and tied with Abby Baker for top team honors with 13 digs. Deanna Canfield also chipped in with 10 digs of her own as the Jaguars had 64 for the match.

NSU (3-5) was led by Kaci Eaton's 14 kills and Kali Schwartz's 11 kills.

SET ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, NICHOLLS STATE 17
Nicholls State led early on in the opening set, but Daniel tied up the contest at 4-4 with a solo block and then gave USA the lead with a kill on the next point.

Still holding a one-point lead four points later, the Jaguars stretched their lead out to four (10-6) after kills from Moore and Symone Stephenson and an ace from Daniel.

NSU trimmed the deficit to 14-12 on a bad set by the Jags, but Emily Hundt dumped the ball over for a kill to ignite a 7-0 run for South Alabama and broke the frame open. Daniel capped off the run and put USA up 21-12 with her third kill of the first set.

From there, Nicholls never really threatened as Moore sealed the 25-17 win with her third kill of the day.

SET TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 26, NICHOLLS STATE 24
USA led early on in the second set, but with the Jaguars holding an 11-10 advantage, Schwartz provided a spark for the Colonels as she ignited a 7-1 ruin with a kill and a pair of aces. Eaton later capped off the run and put NSU up 17-12 with her third and fourth kills of the frame.

Still trailing by four (19-15), Moore led a charge back for the Jags as she recorded three of the first four points for South Alabama during a 5-1 run. Gittens tied the frame up at 20-20 with her fifth kill of the set.

USA later held set-point at 24-21 after a pair of kills from Lewis, but Nicholls fought off three-straight set points and tied the set back up at 24-24 following two Jag attack errors.

Coming out of a time out though, South Alabama picked up the final two points of the set and took the 26-24 win after Gittens and Emma Anderson combined for a block.

SET THREE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, NICHOLLS STATE 16
In the third and final set, South Alabama broke trailed 7-6, but took the lead for good as it rattled off seven unanswered points to go up 13-7. Moore continued to lead the offense during the pivotal run as she registered three kills and a block assists during that stretch.

NSU wasn't able to get any closer than four the rest of the way as USA eventually took the set and the match, 25-16.

Daniel and Moore each had five kills during the final frame to lead the way for the Jags in the third set.

MATCH TWO: MEMPHIS 3, SOUTH ALABAMA 0
In the nightcap, Memphis hit .287 and snapped the Jaguars' five-match win streak with a straight-set victory.

USA struggled offensively in the match, committing 20 errors and hitting just .116. Jessica Lewis led the club in the loss with 13 kills and a .353 hitting percentage and also recorded 12 digs for her first double-double of the season. Sophomore libero Abby Baker led all players with 22 digs.

Memphis improved to 6-4 with the win and won all four of its matches at the Maroon Classic. The Tigers placed three players in double figures offensively led by Kate Gibson and Catlin Lilly, who each finished the match with 13 kills apiece. Gibson also chipped in with 12 digs and hit .333, while Lilly posted a .357 percentage.

Veronica Zimmerman also carded a double-double for UM with 33 assists and 13 digs.

SET ONE: MEMPHIS 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 16
The Tigers were efficient in the opening set, committing just two attack errors in their 41 attempts for a .244 percentage, while USA had nine of its 20 attack errors in the first set.

Memphis grabbed the lead from the opening point on a kill by Gibson and never relinquished it. South Alabama was able to kept the deficit around three for the first half of the set, but leading 13-10, the Tigers pulled away with a run of five straight points to stretch their lead out to 18-10.

UM held the momentum from there and went on to take the early lead in the match with the 25-16 first-set victory.

SET TWO: MEMPHIS 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 16
Once again, the Tigers were very efficient in the second set, posting 16 kills and just three attack errors for a match-best .317 hitting percentage. Gibson (6) and Lilly (5) led the way offensively for UM in the frame, combining for 11 kills.

Tied 4-4, Memphis grabbed the momentum with a quick four-point run and took an 8-4 lead on a Oluchi Agomuo put away.

Lewis tried to help the Jags hang around as she recorded seven of her kills in the set and hit .400, but USA could not draw any closer than three the rest of the way as the Tigers eventually went on to pick up the set with another 25-16 victory.

SET THREE: MEMPHIS 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 17
Memphis hit over .300 for the second-straight set as the Tigers hit .303 (14-4-33) in the third set. Lilly had another strong outing in the set as she had six kills on 10 attacks and just one error.

The Tigers took the lead for good early on in the third and final set as they broke a 3-3 tie and pushed their lead out to 9-5 on an ace from Zimmerman. UM continued to hold control the rest of the way and later clinched the match after a pair of Gibson kills.

NOTES: With the win versus Nicholls State, South Alabama improved to 18-14 in the all-time series versus the Colonels and have now won each of the last three meetings. The win versus the Colonels was also the fifth-straight on the season for the Jags – the most consecutive wins by USA since the 2009 season (9/12-9/19). The 13 kills by Mallory Moore against NSU were a season-high for the sophomore. Her .545 hitting percentage also tied for 16th-best in program history in a match during the Rally Era. The win by Memphis was the ninth-straight in the series for the Tigers. With her 13 kills and 12 digs, Jessica Lewis recorded her first double-double of the season versus Memphis.

Warhawks Split to Finish Cowgirl Classic, 3-1

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- After blanking Tennessee Tech (2-8) to earn their third straight shutout victory Saturday morning, the ULM Volleyball team (5-8) dropped its first match of the Cowgirl Classic to McNeese State (9-3) in the backend of a doubleheader to finish 3-1 in its final tournament of the season.

ULM 3, Tennessee Tech 0 - Game 11

Sophomores Hadley Swartz and Taylor Zaeske led an attack that catapulted the Warhawks to their third consecutive victory when they knocked off Tennessee Tech in straight sets, 25-23, 25-22, 25-16, Saturday morning.

Zaeske and Swartz both registered 10 kills apiece to lead all scorers for the match. Zaeske eclipsed double-digit kills for the second-straight match and third time all-season.

Tied 23-23 late in the first set, Swartz hit a pair of powerful balls set up by Bayleigh Hoffman to give ULM a first set triumph. After clinching a 25-22 second stanza, the Warhawks dominated the third set 25-16 to put the match away early.

Seniors Alannah Cullum and Marcela Araya were phenomenal to lead the defense. Cullum recorded a season-high seven of the team’s 15 total blocks, while Araya went over 20 digs for the fifth time this year.

Hoffman assisted on 27 of the team’s 34 kills to go with six digs in another all-around solid performance.

McNeese State 3, ULM 0 - Game 12

ULM was unable to stay undefeated at the Cowgirls Classic as McNeese State defeated the Warhawks in straight sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-16).

Swartz amassed a match-high seven kills on 17 swings to lead the offense yet again. Fellow sophomore Hope Pawlik chipped in with six kills and two digs during the effort.

After falling late in the first set to go down, 1-0, the Warhawks clawed their way close in a back-and-forth second stanza. Despite forcing six ties and three lead changes, ULM was unable to pull through in the final two sets.

Araya chipped in with 15 digs to lead the team, her 11th time going over the double-digit dig mark. Hoffman collected 22 assists, while Zaeske added five kills.

The Warhawks wrap up the tournament portion of their schedule boasting a 5-8 record as Grambling St. travels to the Fant Ewing Coliseum, Monday (7:00 p.m.) for ULM’s home debut. Admission is free to the public.

Be sure to follow the team socially on Twitter, Instagram (@ULM_VB) and Facebook to stay up to date with the latest news, scores and highlights from the Warhawks throughout the season.

Bobcats Fall in Four to Runnin’ Bulldogs

LUBBOCK, Texas – On the final day of the Texas Tech Invitational, Texas State fell to Gardner-Webb, 3-1 (26-24, 26-24, 19-25, 25-21) to fall to 5-7 on the season.

Texas State struggled hitting against Gardner-Webb, tallying 42 errors in the match. The Bobcats struck 67 kills, 28 more kills than the Runnin’ Bulldogs, but Texas State’s errors proved to be the difference in the match.

The Bobcats assisted on 64 of 67 kills with Ali Gonzales doling most of the assists our, finishing with 43. Lauren Kirch hit 16 kills to lead the team with just four errors on 34 total attempts for a team-high .353 hitting percentage. Kelsey Weynand struck 15 kils with 15 digs while Shelby Vas Matt had 14 kills with 18 digs for another double-double. Her efforts throughout the weekend earned her an All-Tournament nod, her second of the season.

Gonzales added 14 digs while libero Sierra Smith finished with a match-high 23 digs. She also served two aces and even notched a kill from the back row. Vas Matt finished with three aces to make it six for the Bobcats in the match. Weynand added one.

Another difference in the match was Gardner-Webb’s blocking. The Runnin’ Bulldogs finished with 16 blocks compared to just three for Texas State. Kaelyn Dyson of GWU finished with nine block assists while two others tallied five each including Tyler Cockrell adding a solo block to her tally.

The Bobcats will host UT Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to begin Sun Belt Conference play.

Georgia Southern Falls to Two Ranked Teams at Carolina Classic

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Georgia Southern freshman Cathrine Murray tallied 20 kills in two matches, but the Eagles fell to a pair of ranked teams, losing 3-0 to No. 17 North Carolina and 3-1 to No. 16 Kentucky in the Carolina Classic in Carmichael Arena Saturday.

Murray posted seven kills, eight digs and two blocks against the Tar Heels and 13 kills, six digs and three blocks against the Wildcats. Senior Kym Coley registered 18 kills and seven blocks on the day, while classmate Jamie DeRatt posted 16 kills and 12 digs for the Eagles (0-9).

The matches today were the fifth and sixth the Eagles have played against Power 5 conference opponents this season.

“Everything clicked for our program tonight, and I thought we battled and played at a top-25 level – we just had some unlucky breaks that didn’t go our way,” said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. “We have a lot of momentum going into Sun Belt play and will use our tough non-conference schedule to help with matches in the Sun Belt.”

No. 16 Kentucky 3, Georgia Southern 1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-18)
DeRatt had 10 kills, eight digs and a block, and Coley contributed 11 kills and four blocks. Leah Joseph added five kills and four blocks. The Eagles hit .191 in the match and tried to serve aggressively which led to 10 errors.

The Eagles trailed just once early in the first set and with the score tied 22-22, Murray put down a kill, Ashley Jones served an ace and DeRatt polished off the set with a kill, giving Georgia Southern a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set went back and forth until Kentucky broke a 12-12 tie with consecutive kills by Shelby Workman. Georgia Southern kept the margin at two points on a Murray kill that made the score 18-16, but the Wildcats pushed ahead with a 6-2 run.

Down 2-1 in the match, the Eagles trailed by 10 points early in the fourth set but used an 8-3 run to trim the margin to 18-13. Coley had two kills and a block during the stretch, but it was as close as Georgia Southern would get.

No. 17 North Carolina 3, Georgia Southern 0 (25-22, 25-9, 25-14)
Coley and Murray logged seven kills each and DeRatt added six. North Carolina collected 11.5 team blocks, forced Georgia Southern into 25 hitting errors and held the Eagles to .012 hitting.

The Tar Heels scored the first six points of the match, but the Eagles battled back and made the margin 10-9 on a DeRatt kill. Trailing 24-19, Georgia Southern fought off three set points with kills by Murray and DeRatt and a block by Joseph and Megan Chevalier, but Taylor Treacy finished the set with a kill for North Carolina.

The Tar Heels used that momentum to win the second set 25-9. A 7-2 Tar Heel run in the third set pushed a 13-10 lead into a 20-12 cushion.

Georgia Southern plays its first Sun Belt Conference match Wednesday at Troy. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Eastern.

Panther Volleyball Swept by Maryland, Radford

BOONE, N.C. – Georgia State’s volleyball team fell to 2-8 on the season Saturday at the Black and Gold Challenge in Boone, N.C. The Panthers were swept 3-0 by Maryland and Radford to close out the event.

Maryland was Georgia State’s first opponent of the day. In the first meeting all-time between the two teams, Maryland took down the Panthers in three sets, 25-19, 25-20, and 25-19. Juniors Eliza Zachary and Deidra Bohannon were bright spots for the Panthers, combining for 20 kills on .325 hitting and a block each. Junior Gabby Serafin added 11 digs and junior Natalia Nieto set 28 assists for GSU.

The second match of the day put Radford against the Panthers. Despite having six total team blocks, Georgia State struggled to slow down Radford’s attack. The Lady Highlanders won 25-20, 26-24 and 25-20 to improve to 8-3 on the year. Zachary once again had a strong showing for GSU, totaling 12 kills on .391 hitting with two blocks. Bohannon also had 12 blocks to go along with four digs. Nieto’s 32 assists led the team and junior Kitan Ajanaku had her best match of the weekend with a seven kill performance and four blocks.

Georgia State stays on the road this weekend to face conference opponents UL Monroe on Friday and South Alabama on Sunday. The next home match for the Panthers is Sept. 26 against UALR at 6 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena.

Troy Drops Two Four-Set Matches

AUBURN, Alabama – The Troy volleyball team dropped a pair of four-set matches on Saturday at the Active Ankle Challenge inside Auburn Arena. Against both South Florida and Winthrop, the Trojans won the first set, but couldn't hold on in what were Troy's final two non-conference matches of the season.

The Trojans played the first match of the day at the tournament, falling to South Florida 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-17). Troy again won the first set against Winthrop, but fell to the Eagles 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-19).

Troy (8-4) went 0-3 at this weekend's Active Ankle Challenge after Auburn snapped the Trojans' five-match winning streak on Friday night.

Saturday's matches were the final non-conference matches of the season for Troy. Sun Belt play starts on Wednesday when league newcomer Georgia Southern visits Trojan Arena.

WINTHROP 3, TROY 1

For the second straight match, the Trojans took the first set, but Winthrop recovered for a 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-19) win over the Trojans.

Troy hit .382 in the the first set, but finished at .231 thanks to sub .175 attack percentages in the third and fourth sets. Winthrop (5-6) hit .351 in the second set to tie things up before carrying the momentum into the third and fourth sets.

The Trojans were led by Symone Shaw's 14 kills while Blair Winston was also in double figures with 12 kills. Tineille Waggoner posted 40 assists for the Trojans.

Ali Dowdall posted 19 digs to lead the Trojans while Avalon Nero posted a season-high 11 digs.

Rachel Lenz posted a match-high 17 kills for Winthrop while Maria Volstad had a match-high 21 digs to lead the Eagles who fell to Auburn in five sets just before taking on the Trojans.

SOUTH FLORIDA 3, TROY 1

The Trojans took the first set, but South Florida rallied for a 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-17) win over the Trojans in Saturday mornings first match at the Active Ankle Challenge.

Troy hit .344 in the first set with 14 kills and just three errors, and seemed poised to rebound from a sweep at the hands of tournament host Auburn on Friday night. However, South Florida (3-5) hit over .350 in the third and fourth sets to take a win.

The Trojans had four players with double-digit kills as Winston (12), Shaw (11), Kiah Cheatham (10) and Darby Griff (10) combined for all 43 of Troy's kills in the match.

After the .344 opening set, Troy finished with a .175 attack percentage while the Bulls finished with at .282. Dowdall led the Trojans with 17 digs while Kelley Curran and Waggoner each posted 10. Waggoner had a double-double as she also posted 33 assists for the Trojans.

Dakota Hampton posted a match-high 15 kills and a .316 attack percentage to lead South Florida. The Bulls were coming off of a five-set loss to Winthrop on Friday.

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