September 26, 2014
Cajuns Upend Previously Unbeaten Mountaineers
LAFAYETTE, La. – The Ragin' Cajuns rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take the final two sets of the match and hand league newcomer Appalachian State its first loss of the season, 3-2 (25-18, 17-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-9), on Friday at Earl K. Long Gym.
Louisiana (11-3, 1-3 SBC) and Appalachian State (13-1, 3-1 SBC) had entered league play last week as the only two unbeaten teams in non-conference play, but had very different starts to conference competition; however, the Ragin' Cajuns put a definitive punctuation mark on its three-match skid, hitting .287 for the match, led by Kaylee Nemeth's 15 scores.
The Mountaineers, who were the fourth team out of the most recent AVCA Top 25 after their hot start, got 17 kills from Lauren Gray and hit a solid .228 for the match. But the Louisiana defense ramped up in the final two sets, holding ASU to just .121 hitting in the fourth and fifth sets.
Chanelle Gardner turned in one of her best matches of the season, hitting .419 with 14 kills and four blocks for the match, including five kills in the final set alone. Andrea Hole had season highs with 59 assists and 19 digs, while adding five well-timed kills from her setter position.
Abby Filce had 14 kills and a pair of blocks, while Sara Mossakowski finished with 12 kills and three digs for the match.
Louisiana finished with six more digs than the Mountaineers, putting four players in double figures, led by Caitlyn Auxilien's match-high 20. Stacey Reilly had 12 and six blocks, and Keely Hayes finished with 11 digs.
The Ragin' Cajuns got six kills from Mossakowski and snapped out of a tie midway through the first set behind Auxilien's serve to jump out to an early 1-0 lead with a solid 25-18 victory in Set 1.
But the Mountaineers responded, hitting .242 in the second set and getting half of their 14 kills from the duo of Gray and Emily Corrigan. Louisiana had pulled even at 9-9 on a kill from Stacey Reilly, but a Cajun service error sparked five quick ASU points. They would stretch the lead to as much as seven points, holding UL to its worst hitting set of the match in squaring the match at a set apiece.
Filce put home six kills in the third set, but the Ragin' Cajuns found themselves too deep of a hole to dig out of, falling behind 20-13 before beginning to rally. UL scored six of the next seven points to claw back to within two points at 21-19, and although ASU managed to hold off the Cajuns 25-22, that rally proved to be a spark heading into the fourth set.
Louisiana was tied with ASU 14-14 in Set 4 before kills from Reilly, Nemeth and Filce highlighted a 4-1 spurt that finally put some distance between the Cajuns and the Mountaineers. The final of Filce's four kills in the set pushed the lead to 20-16, and kills from Hole and Mossakowski set up a set-point try, one that was cashed in upon on the first opportunity when UL forced Corrigan into a set-clinching misfire.
The fifth set was all Cajuns almost from the start. UL never trailed in Set 5 and only found itself tied at the 1-1 point. Four of the first six Cajun points of the set came from kills from Gardner, and it was a solo block from Gardner that pushed the UL lead to 10-6. ASU got three late kills from Gray, including back-to-back scores to fight off the first two match-point tries by the Cajuns. But the third time was the charm as Hole found Nemeth on the right side for the match's final point.
Louisiana will get a short turnaround before hitting the court again. The Ragin' Cajuns will square off with another league newcomer – Georgia Southern – on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Earl K. Long Gym.
Mountaineers Fall to Ragin Cajuns in Five Sets
LAFAYETTE, La. - Appalachian State University volleyball were handed their first loss of the 2014 season on Friday night, falling to UL Lafayette in a five set battle.
The Mountaineers (13-1, 3-1 Sun Belt) were defeated by UL Lafayette (11-3, 1-3 Sun Belt) on Friday, ending one of the longest winning streaks Appalachian athletics has ever had.
The Mountaineers and the Ragin Cajuns started the first set by tying the score at five before UL Lafayette would begin to pull ahead, finding two kills to lead 8-5.
The second set began as close as the first but this time the Mountaineers would be the ones to find the lead, getting a kill from Lauren Gray to lead 15-10. The Ragin Cajuns would strike again but App found five-straight points and took the second set 25-17 to tie the match, 1-1.
Appalachian took a quick 7-3 lead in the third and they would continue score, leading the Ragin Cajuns 11-5.
Several ULL errors would give Appalachian a 17-9 lead but the Ragin Cajuns would find their way back, coming within three points as App led 20-17. The comback would not be enough for the Ragin Cajuns as Appalachian took the third 25-22.
The fourth set featured 13 tied scores in the beginning as neither team could find a difinitive lead until ULL pulledahead with three kills to lead 17-14.
The Mountaineers attempted to catch up but a couple of attack errors left them down 21-17. The Ragin Cajuns took the third set 25-17 to tie the match 2-2.
The Ragin Cajuns took an early 4-1 lead in the fourth. ULL continued to find points off Appalachian errors to lead 13-6. The Apps were not able to catch up as the Ragin Cajuns took the fifth set 15-9 and won the match 3-2.
Gray led the Mountaineers with 16 kills, while Emily Corrigan followed with 14 of her own. Jess Keller recorded 12 kills while Sloan Evans added nine.
Paige Brown had 48 assists in the loss and tallied 11 digs. Meghan Mahoney recorded 17 digs in the match.
The Ragin Cajuns were led by Chanelle Gardner and Abby Filce as they each notched 13 kills. Andrea Hole had 47 assists for ULL.
The Apps hit .200 on the match while the Ragin Cajuns hit .255 on the night.
The Mountaineers return home on Sunday to play UALR at 12 p.m.
UALR Sweeps Georgia State to Remain Unbeaten in Sun Belt
ATLANTA, Ga. – UALR got off to a quick start against Georgia State on Friday night and never looked back, winning the match easily in three sets (25-14, 25-16, 25-17) to improve its record to 9-4 overall and 3-0 in Sun Belt play.
The Trojans put on a dominant performance in the first set by leading from the wire. UALR ended the set by putting up nine straight points, with four of the nine coming off of Georgia State attack errors. The Trojans’ largest lead of the night would come as they ended the set with an 11-point advantage. Senior Edina Begic led the set with five kills.
The second set was more of the same as the Trojans got off to a 9-2 start with Begic contributing two service aces during the run. UALR scored five straight to take the second set with a nine-point lead. Junior Sonja Milanovic led the Trojans with five kills during the set. As a team, UALR had no errors during the frame and hit a fantastic .556.
UALR would finally see some competition from the Panthers in the third set when Georgia State tied the set at 8-8. The tie wouldn’t last long, as the Trojans would score five straight points. The Trojans increased the lead to nine before the Panthers narrowed the UALR advantage to five at 20-15. Georgia State would try its best to get back in the match, but it was to no avail as UALR would end up taking the set to sweep the contest. Helping UALR take the set was Georgia State’s nine errors and a .048 hitting percentage.
Begic and Milanovic would end the contest with near double-doubles as Begic totaled 13 kills and eight digs, while Milanovic came up one kill short of a double-double. She ended the night with nine kills and a team season high of 17 digs.
Megan Mathis would once again chalk up at least 30 assists for the seventh time this season.
Carolee Dillard added seven kills of her own with two solo and two assisted blocks. Dillard now has 63 total blocks for the year.
Also adding seven kills was senior Adisa Hodzic.
The Trojans combined to hit .320 on 100 takes while holding the Panthers to .139 with 18 errors on 108 attempts.
UALR returns to action against Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Georgia State Can't Top UALR, Loses 3-0
ATLANTA – Georgia State’s volleyball team struggled to slow down UALR’s high-powered offense on Friday as the Panthers (3-10, 1-3 SBC) were swept 3-0 by the Trojans (9-4, 3-0 SBC) at the GSU Sports Arena.
Junior Deidra Bohannon led GSU with 15 kills and nine digs. Fellow juniors Eliza Zachary and Kitan Ajanaku also had strong performances recording nine and seven kills, respectively.
“We really worked on being aggressive this week,” head coach Sally Polhamus said. “UALR has some powerful hitters. We had some great digs, we just have to make more of them. We definitely got better tonight.”
QUOTING THE PANTHERS…
“The energy was different today. The home crowd was amazing. We fed off of their energy and they really fueled us to compete even harder. We saw a step forward in our performance tonight. Obviously, we aren’t happy with a loss and we want to get better, but as long as we keep making steps, we’ll be fine.” – Deidra Bohannon
“So proud of our team with how they’re working and getting more aggressive on every play. UALR is a strong team and we executed our game plan against them. That’s all we can ask for.” – Sally Polhamus
The Trojans were led by Edina Begic who had 13 kills on .225 hitting. UALR won the first set 25-14 after jumping out to a 9-3 lead. The Panthers came roaring back with a wild volley to pull within two at 16-14. That would be as close as they would get, however.
In the second set, Georgia State fell behind 10-3, but once again made a rally and closed the deficit to three with an Ajanaku kill to make it 18-15, UALR. The Trojans called a timeout to regroup and finished off the Panthers, 25-16, to send the match to intermission up 2-0.
The Panthers came out of intermission with a raised intensity and it showed on the court. With the home crowd behind them, GSU pulled within two when Zachary killed it to bring the score to 16-14, Trojans. Like the first two sets, UALR bounced back and shut the door to finish off the sweep, 25-17.
Georgia Southern Picks Up First Sun Belt Win
MONROE, La. – Jamie DeRatt posted 14 kills and 15 digs, while Kym Coley added nine kills and eight blocks to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-1 (17-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-21) Sun Belt Conference volleyball victory over UL Monroe at Fant-Ewing Coliseum Friday night.
It was Georgia Southern’s first Sun Belt Conference victory after the Eagles joined the league this season. Kat Minnerly tallied 40 assists, 10 digs and a career-high seven blocks for the Eagles, while Cathrine Murray added nine kills, 10 digs and a block. Leah Joseph finished with eight kills and seven blocks.
Georgia Southern posted a season-high 15 blocks as a team and held UL Monroe to .053 hitting in the final two sets.
Holding a 2-1 lead in the match, Georgia Southern (1-12, 1-3) overcame an 18-13 deficit in the fourth set. The Eagles went on a 7-2 run to tie the score 20-20 as Coley notched two kills and was in on two blocks. The Eagles scored the final four points of the set to break a 21-21 tie. DeRatt posted two kills, and Joseph had a kill and combined with Megan Chevalier for a block.
“I’m really proud of the team tonight; it was a great group effort,” said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. “We executed our blocking scheme to near perfection and blocked really well tonight. We started slow, but we executed at a high level after the first set.”
Hadley Swartz notched 17 kills and 12 digs to lead UL Monroe (6-11, 0-4), and Kimberlie Alvarado collected 11 kills and four blocks.
After hitting .088 in the first set and falling behind 1-0 in the match, the Eagles broke a 10-10 tie with an 8-0 run in the second frame behind three kills by DeRatt.
Avery Stephens served for five straight points in the third set to help the Eagles open a 9-3 advantage. The margin grew to as many as eight points before the Warhawks made a late run to trim the advantage to 23-18. DeRatt notched a kill, and Minnerly finished the set with an ace to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead in the match.
Georgia Southern finishes its Louisiana swing at UL Lafayette Saturday night. The match is set for an 8 p.m. (Eastern) start.
Double-Double by Swartz Not Enough as Eagles Defeat Warhawks
MONROE, La. -- Despite double-digit kill performances by Hadley Swartz and Kimberlie Alvarado, the ULM volleyball team was unable to get past Georgia Southern as the Eagles knocked off the Warhawks, 3-1 (17-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-21), Friday night at the Fant Ewing Coliseum.
"I can't speak for the girls but for me it's frustrating when you know what you need to do to win and for some reason you choose to do something different. We continue to think we are 6'4" or taller. We continue to act like this is a sport that is won and lost by individuals. Until we learn to believe in each other, believe in our team, believe in the coaching, we will continue to struggle. Ultimately, we need to grow up. We are at a point in the season where we shouldn't be making the mental errors we are making.”
Swartz’s first double-double of the season came in a superb effort as the sophomore racked up a match-high 17 kills to go with 12 digs and two aces.
Alvarado registered career numbers all across the board, finishing with 11 kills on 28 swings (.286) and four blocks. Freshman Bayleigh Hoffman assisted on 34 of the team’s 44 kills, adding four digs and two kills in the process.
Right out of the gate, ULM came out on fire going up 15-6 after the second Georgia Southern timeout. The Warhawks would clinch a 25-17 first set victory following a back-to-back block assists by Alannah Cullum and Alvarado.
Sophomore Hope Pawlik chipped in with seven kills and five digs, while Jennifer McClendon tallied three kills. Senior Marcela Araya accumulated a match-high 15 digs for her 16th double-digit dig match of the year.
The Eagles would bounce back in sets two and three to take a 2-1 advantage in the fourth set. ULM would eventually fall in a tight fourth stanza that was originally tied at 21-21.
“We have to change our attitudes quickly or we will be in too deep of a hole to meet our goals,” Hiltz added. “I thought we made the turn last Sunday but apparently we are not there yet."
The Warhawks return to action on the road Sunday at UT Arlington (12-3, 2-1 Sun Belt). First serve is set for 12 p.m.
A-State Volleyball Wins Five-Set Thriller Over Troy
TROY, Ala. (9/26/14) – The Arkansas State volleyball squad lost the first two sets, but came back to earn a 3-2 (22-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23, 18-16) victory in thrilling fashion over Troy Friday night at Trojan Arena.
With the match tied 2-2, Troy (9-7, 1-3 SBC) overpowered the Red Wolves (7-5, 2-1 SBC) to take an early 6-2 lead in the fifth set. A-State fought back to get within one point at 6-5 on a Sarah Kemp kill and then the teams began trading points. There were 10 ties in the fifth set after that point, but Troy earned match point at 14-13, but a Kemp kill tied it at 14-14. The Trojans had match point again at 15-14, but an attack error tied the set at 15-15. The set was tied 16-16 and a Drew Jones kill gave A-State a 17-16 lead, before another Trojan attack error gave the Red Wolves an 18-16 set win and 3-2 match victory.
“We played really bad the first two sets, but the intermission helped us,” A-State volleyball coach David Rehr said. “We were able to regroup and played really well in the third set and then gutted out the last two sets against a good team. Our young team is starting to grow up.”
Trailing 2-0, the Red Wolves came out strong in the third set and led 10-7 after a Castanon-Hill kill and took a 12-8 lead on a Sarah Kemp kill that forced Troy to use a timeout. Troy responded to tie the set at 13-13, but a 4-0 Arkansas State run gave the Red Wolves a 17-13 lead with Troy using its last timeout of the set. A-State extended its lead to 22-15, but Troy was able to fight back within three points at 24-21. A Jones kill ended the threat and A-State took the third set by a count of 25-21.
Having fought back to make the match 2-1, A-State was the first to 10 after a kill by Kelsey Reis to take a 10-8 lead, but Troy responded to tie the set at 15-15. The Red Wolves took the next two points on consecutive Castanon-Hill kills for a 17-15 lead and Troy used a timeout. After the timeout, Troy fought back to tie the set at 17-17, but A-State took the lead on another Reis kill and never gave up the lead again. Troy was within one point at 24-23, but a Jessica Uke block gave A-State the 25-23 set victory and forced a fifth set.
“The most important part of the match was after intermission when we came out for the third game,” A-State sophomore setter Mallory Warrington said. “We had to win that to get to a fourth and fifth obviously, so I think that we came out with a lot of energy that was very important and it got us through the fifth game.”
A-State jumped out on Troy early in the first set by a score of 11-8 after an attack error by the Trojans, but a 3-0 Troy run tied the set at 11-11. Both teams battled to an 18-18 tie before a 2-0 A-State run, capped by a Castanon-Hill block, gave the Red Wolves a 20-18 edge to force a Troy timeout. However, the Trojans ended the set on a 7-2 run to earn a 25-22 victory in the first set for a 1-0 advantage in the match.
Arkansas State got out to a good start in the second set by taking a 4-1 lead on a kill by Markie Schaedig after a great dig. The success by the Red Wolves was short-lived however and Troy went on an 11-2 run to take a 12-6 lead and force an A-State timeout. The Red Wolves battled back to within five points on a few occasions but never got any closer as Troy won the second set by a count of 25-16 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Red Wolves had four players register double-digit kills with Kemp (15) leading the way with Kelsey Reis (14), Jones (13), and Castanon-Hill (10) following suit. Mallory Warrington handed out 44 assists and recorded 21 digs to register her team-leading 10th double-double. Defensively, Schaedig led the team with 26 digs and Hannah Robey had a career-high 24 digs. Uke led the team with four blocks and Reis also tallied four service aces.
Arkansas State returns to action Saturday, Sept. 27 in another conference road clash against South Alabama. First serve from Mobile is set for 6 p.m. and 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).
Troy Drops Third Straight in Five Sets
TROY, Alabama – The Troy volleyball team dropped its third straight match, all in five sets, as it fell to Arkansas State, 3-2 (22-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23, 18-16), at Trojan Arena on Friday night. The Trojans won the first two sets, but the Red Wolves fought back to take three tight sets and the match.
Troy (9-7, 1-3) will have to make a quick turn around as Texas State, the defending Sun Belt champion, visits Trojan Arena on Saturday night. On Friday night, Troy out hit Arkansas State (7-5, 2-1) with 77 kills and a .241 attack percentage to the Red Wolves' 63 kills and .188 percentage.
Ali Dowdall set a Troy single-match record with 41 digs and became the first player in Trojan history with 40 or more digs in a match. She was one of five Trojans with double digit digs, including Kelley Curran who had a career-high 21 digs.
The extended fifth set was tied 10 times and featured five lead changes. Troy had two match points at 14-13 and 15-14, but the Red Wolves took control on two Troy attack errors before winning the set, 18-16.
Kiah Cheatham led Troy offensively with 20 kills and just three errors on 35 attempts for a .486 attack percentage. She was one of five with double-digit kills as Symone Shaw (18), Marija Zelenovic (16), Blair Winston (11) and Darby Griff (10) all topped the 10-kill mark.
Zelenovic had a double-double with 15 digs while Tineille Waggoner also had a double-double with 55 assists and 13 digs. Madeleine Bouillion was the other Trojan with double-digit digs as posted 12.
Arkansas State was led by Sarah Kemp's 15 kills, including four in the fifth set. Mallory Warrington had 44 assists and 21 digs while Markie Schaedig led the way with 26 digs for the Red Wolves.
The Trojans return to the court on Saturday when they host Texas State at Trojan Arena at 7 p.m. The Bobcats (9-7, 4-0) defeated South Alabama at home on Thursday and are one of two unbeaten teams in Sun Belt play thus far.