September 27, 2014

A-State Volleyball Sweeps South Alabama 3-0

MOBILE, Ala. (9/27/14) – The Arkansas State volleyball team improved to 8-2 over its last 10 matches with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-16) win over South Alabama Saturday at Jag Gym in Mobile, Ala.

The Red Wolves (8-5, 3-1 SBC) raced out to a 9-3 lead in the first set after a Jessica Uke kill and forced South Alabama (7-7, 2-2 SBC) to use its first timeout of the set. After the timeout, South Alabama was able to get as close as four points on six different occasions with the last coming at 23-19, but a South Alabama attack error and Uke kill clinched a 25-19 first set victory for Arkansas State.

A-State kept its strong play up into the second set and jumped out to 15-8 lead on a Kelsey Reis kill after the set was close at 7-6 early. The Red Wolves extended their lead to as many as 11 points at 24-13 after another Reis kill, but the Jaguars went on a 3-0 run to make the score 24-16 and force an A-State timeout. After the timeout, USA recorded the next point to make it a 4-0 run, but the Red Wolves got a block from Reis and Mallory Warrington to earn a 25-17 win in the second set.

After earning a 2-0 edge in the match, Arkansas State kept the pressure on by earning a 10-5 advantage early in the third set and stretched its lead out to 15-8 on a kill by Uke. South Alabama fought back to get within three points at 18-15, but A-State went on a 3-0 run to stretch its lead back out to 21-15. After USA earned the next point, A-State won the next four to take a 25-16 third set decision and win the match 3-0 over the Jaguars.

“We pretty much beat them in every facet of the game tonight,” A-State volleyball coach David Rehr said. “They’re a good team, but we jumped on them fairly early in each set and we didn’t give them a chance to recover. I’m much happier with the way we came out and started this match tonight as compared to the match against Troy, but these were two big road wins we needed before coming home next weekend.”

Sarah Kemp led the Red Wolves with 12 kills, while Reis was second on the team with nine. Warrington dished out 33 assists and recorded two service aces to lead the team in both categories. Defensively, Markie Schaedig led the Red Wolves with 17 digs, while Drew Jones added 15 of her own. Uke was A-State’s leading blocker with six, including one block solo, while Warrington, Reis, and Kemp each added three blocks of their own.

Arkansas State returns to action Friday, Oct. 3 against ULM at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro. First serve is set for 7 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).

Lewis Records Ninth Double-Figure Kill Match; ASU Wins in Straight Sets Though

MOBILE, Ala. – Jessica Lewis recorded her ninth double-figure kill match of the season Saturday night, but it wasn't enough as the University of South Alabama volleyball team fell in straight to Arkansas State (19-25, 17-25, 16-25) at Jag Gym.

The Jags (7-7, 2-2 SBC)) will head out on the road for three-straight matches. South Alabama will open up the road swing at Appalachian State on Fri., Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. (CT) at the Holmes Center in Boone, N.C., and then take on Georgia State on Sat., Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. (CT) at the GSU Sports Arena.

Lewis led South Alabama with 11 kills in the match, while Nikki Gittens chipped in with eight kills and recorded a .462 hitting percentage. Abby Baker led USA in the back court with 15 digs in the loss.

In her first start in a Jaguar uniform, Sarah Richardson registered five kills and hit .308 to go along with two block assists.

ASU (8-5, 3-1 SBC) was paced by Sarah Kemp's 12 kills. Kelsey Reis added nine kills of her own and hit .389 in the match, while Jessica Uke finished with seven kills and hit .500.

Uke also posted a match-high six total blocks (one solo and five assists), while Kemp, Reis and Arkansas State setter Mallory Warrington each had three block assists.

The Red Wolves held a distinct advantage in that category as they finished with 17 total blocks, while USA had just four block assists.

ASU had two players end the match in double figures in digs led by Markie Schaedig's 17. Drew Jones also added 15 digs of her own.

FIRST SET: ARKANSAS STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 19
Arkansas State got off to a quick start in the opening set, capturing the first five points of the match. Jones began the scoring with a kill and Reis later put the Red Wolves up 5-0 with a kill of her own.

ASU later extended its advantage out to 7-3 after a pair of blocks and a kill from Uke.

The Jaguars kept battling and trimmed the deficit to 19-16 following a kill by Gittens and an ASU attack error, but that was as close as South Alabama would get as Reis recorded her fifth and sixth kills of the set and Red Wolf setter surprised the Jaguar defense as she dumped in a kill of her own.

SECOND SET: ARKANSAS STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 17
Holding a one-point advantage (6-5) early on in the second set, the Red Wolves broke the set open with a 10-2 run. Kari Castanon-Hill ignited a run of four-straight points for Arkansas State. Kemp added two more kills for ASU and Reis then put the visitors up 17-8 with an ace.

The Red Wolves stretched their lead out to as much as 11 on a couple of occasions before taking the 25-17 second-set victory.

ASU recorded 10 kills and committed just two attack errors for a .320 hitting percentage, while USA committed 10 attack errors and hit .033 in the frame.

THIRD SET: ARKANSAS STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 16
South Alabama held a 3-2 lead early on in the final set, but the Red Wolves answered back and retook the lead for good with an 8-2 run over the next 10 points. Kemp and Uke ignited the scoring with a kill each. Schaedig later capped off the ASU run and put the Red Wolves out in front 10-5 with one of ASU's six aces on the night.

Arkansas State later extended its lead out to seven (15-8) following back-to-back kills from Uke.

From there, the Red Wolves held control the rest of the way and later completed the three-set sweep with a 25-16 third-set win.

NOTES: With the win, Arkansas State improves to 25-4 in the all-time series and dating back to the 2006 season, ASU has won eight of the last 10 in the series. South Alabama is 3-11 in the series in matches played in Mobile. With her 11 kills, Jessica Lewis has now recorded double-figures in kills nine times this season. Mechell Daniel was held to a career-low three kills for the second-straight match versus the Red Wolves. Coming into the week, her previous low was four against Lipscomb last season. Sophomore middle blocker Sarah Richardson made her first start of the season for the Jaguars versus ASU.

Ragin’ Cajuns Power Past Eagles

LAFAYETTE, La. – Just 24 hours after knocking off league-leader Appalachian State, the Ragin’ Cajuns used a big second-set rally to help sweep past Georgia Southern, 3-0 (29-27, 26-24, 25-16) on Saturday at Earl K. Long Gym.

Louisiana (12-3, 2-3 SBC) outlasted the Eagles (1-13, 1-4 SBC) in the first set, but found itself down 20-12 in the second set before a loud kill from Kae Kae Lockhart sparked a 13-3 run to end the set and propel the Cajuns into the final frame.

Sara Mossakowski led the Cajuns once again with 14 kills, hitting .300 for the match with eight digs and having a hand in three of UL’s 11 blocks. She was the only Ragin’ Cajun to reach double figures in kills, but was one of seven players to register a score. Kaylee Nemeth was next in line with seven kills and three blocks, and Kelly Wiesmann provided a huge spark off the bench with five kills on nine swings without an error.

Andrea Hole had six kills on eight tries, adding nine digs and 34 assists in leading UL to a .216 attack percentage for the night. Stacey Reilly had five kills and 10 digs, and Chanelle Gardner led all players with six blocks – three of the solo variety.

Caitlyn Auxilien led all players with 16 digs, helping the Cajuns own a 49-42 edge in digs on the night.

Meanwhile, the Eagles hit just .097 for the night, despite coming off their first win of the season on Friday night at ULM. They were led by Jamie DeRatt’s 12 kills and Kat Minnerly’s 31 assists.

Mossakowski had four of her scores in the first set, one that was close throughout. UL followed Maddie White’s serve to a 7-0 run early in the set to turn an 8-5 deficit into a 12-8 advantage. Georgia Southern responded to take a 22-19 lead late in the set, but a score from Wiesmann was the first of four straight for the Cajuns who worked its way to a set point on an error from Georgia Southern’s Megan Chevalier. From there, the Eagles fought off a pair of set-point tries before reaching one of their own at 27-26; however, a service error knotted things up at 27 apiece and the Cajuns turned to Reilly and Nemeth on consecutive possessions for the sets final two scores.

Georgia Southern wasted no time in the second set establishing a big lead, going on an 11-3 run to go up 20-12 after a service ace from Catherine Murray. The Cajuns then turned to their bench, subbing in Lockhart who made an immediate impact with a resounding kill at the net that provided the spark UL needed. The Cajuns followed that score by scoring eight of the next 10 points, and eventually knotted it up at 23-23 on a rejection by Mossakowski and Gardner. The Eagles answered with a score on the next possession to get a set-point try, but Wiesmann answered with the second of her three kills in the set and two plays later delivered another to finish off the Cajuns biggest rally of the season.

The third set was all UL from the start, with the Cajuns hitting .407 in the frame and holding Georgia Southern to just .032 hitting. Mossakowski and Gardner handled the bulk of the scoring in the set as Mossakowski delivered half of her 14 kills in the third set, and Gardner tallied three solo blocks – two in the set’s first eight points.

Louisiana will next host Georgia State on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. before hitting the road for a Saturday match at Texas State.

UL Lafayette Sweeps Georgia Southern Volleyball 3-0

LAFAYETTE, La. – Sara Mossakowski posted 14 kills, eight digs and three blocks, and UL Lafayette erased late deficits in the first two sets to earn a 3-0 (29-27, 26-24, 25-16) Sun Belt Conference volleyball victory over Georgia Southern Saturday night in Earl Long Gym.

Jamie DeRatt posted 12 kills and six digs for Georgia Southern (1-13, 1-4), and Kym Coley tallied 11 kills and four blocks. Kat Minnerly had 31 assists and a team-high 15 digs to go along with two blocks.

Andrea Hole finished with six kills, 34 assists and nine digs for UL Lafayette (12-3, 2-3), while Kaylee Nemeth posted seven kills and three blocks.

The Eagles led 22-19 in the first set, but UL Lafayette rallied for a 4-1 run to tie the score 23-23 on a kill by Kelly Wiesmann. Georgia Southern fought off three set points and took a 27-26 lead on a Ragin’ Cajun hitting error, but a serving error by the Eagles tied the score. Stacey Reilly and Nemeth put down consecutive kills to win the set and give UL Lafayette a 1-0 lead in the match.

Georgia Southern led 22-14 in the second set, when the Ragin’ Cajuns made a run behind the serving of Hole. The setter served for six points, trimming the margin to 22-21. Megan Chevalier put down a kill for the Eagles, but UL Lafayette scored the next two points to tie the score 23-23. Another kill by Chevalier made it set point for the Eagles, but Wiesmann got two kills and the Eagles had a hitting error as the Ragin’ Cajuns took a 2-0 lead in the match.

“I’m very disappointed in the result,” said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. “We had set point in the first set and were up in the second set and mentally, we couldn’t finish. We played so well at times, and we need to find a way to maintain that level and prevent the lows. We are looking for more consistency from our young players who are getting valuable playing experience.”

Leading 9-6 in the third set, UL Lafayette used a 6-2 run behind three kills from Mossakowski to open an insurmountable 16-8 advantage. Coley put a ball down and combined with Minnerly for a block as the Eagles scored the next two points, but that was as close as they would get.

Georgia Southern returns home to face Troy Friday, Oct. 3, at 6 p.m. at Statesboro High School. The Eagles also play host to UALR Sunday, Oct. 5, at noon at Statesboro High.

Resilient Bobcats Survive in Troy, 3-2

TROY, Ala. – Texas State fought back from down 2-1 against Troy Saturday night to earn an emotional win at the end, 3-2 (25-19, 18-25, 19-25, 25-20, 15-12), and improve to 5-0 in the Sun Belt Conference and 10-7 overall.

Freshman Jordan Kohl led all players in the match with 18 kills, exploding with six kills in the fourth set to propel Texas State to a win in the frame to stay alive in the match. In addition to her kills, she was a defensive force, tallying six blocks.

In fact, Texas State had the team’s best blocking match yet, finishing with 13 blocks led by Amanda Watkins with seven block assists. Lauren Kirch added five and Shelby Vas Matt and Keeley Davis tallied three each.

Kirch and Davis were also big for the Bobcats on the offensive side. Davis struck for 12 kills while Kirch put down 10. Kirch, the freshman, came up with timely kills and blocks throughout the match.

Both Bobcat setters finished with double-doubles. Ali Gonzales gave out 29 assists with 10 digs while Jordan Moore had 26 assists and 16 digs. Sierra Smith led the team with 25 digs on the night while Kelsey Weynand added 19.

Both teams battled back and forth throughout the beginning of the first set until Texas State led 11-10. Kills from Watkins and Kohl coupled with errors from Troy put the Bobcats up 15-10. After a Trojan point, Texas State was awarded a point due to a red card to Troy to make it 16-11 in favor of the Bobcats. From that point, Texas State pushed forward, building a 22-15 lead. Two kills from Kohl and a Troy error later the Bobcats had a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-19 win in the opening frame.

Watkins was a factor for Texas State in the first set. She led all players early with five first-set kills on a .667 hitting percentage and added three block assists. After her, Kirch and Kohl each had four kills to help the Bobcats finish the first set hitting .342 to just .077 for Troy.

Troy was able to bounce back in the second set though, and the big reasons why were blocks and hitting percentage. After hitting .342 in the opening frame, Texas State finished the second set with a .000 percentage with 10 kills and 10 errors on 40 attempts. Troy, meanwhile, improved from .077 in the first set to .250 in the second with just three errors.

The Bobcats outblocked Troy in the first set, 4-3, but Troy put down five blocks in the second frame to just one for Texas State. Troy’s Blair Winston and Marija Zelenovic only hit a combined four kills in the first set, but the duo put down eight in the second to push Troy to the 25-18 win.

Troy owned the third set to go up 2-1 in the match with a 25-19 win. The Trojans hit .222 with 15 kills and five errors to best the Bobcats, who finished with 13 kills and eight errors (.093). Texas State was able to win the blocking battle in the third set though, 4-2.

Texas State looked much better in the fourth frame. At one point, Kohl put the Bobcats on a 4-0 run all by herself with four consecutive kills from the freshman. She carried the Bobcats through the fourth frame, finishing with six kills in the set without an error. The Bobcats also used two aces, both from Weynand, and three blocks to stay alive to see the fifth set.

The Bobcats started strong in the fifth and final frame, jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead and quickly built that to an 8-3 lead at the switch. The Trojans, however, answered with three consecutive points to force a timeout from Texas State with an 8-6 lead. Troy used an ace off the net and a Bobcat error to get back into it.

Troy scored first out of the timeout, but Kohl answered with a kill. It didn’t serve to slow up the Trojans though, as they eventually took a 10-9 lead on a block. After that, both teams continued to go back and forth until Texas State went on a 4-0 run. Kirch struck two kills while Kohl put down one. Kirch and Vas Matt also teamed up for a block to put Texas State up 15-11. The Trojans were able to stall the inevitable for one point, but Vas Matt went shallow across the court for the final kill to clinch it for the Bobcats.

The Texas State defense only allowed two kills to Troy in the final frame. The Trojans coupled that with two errors to hit .000 in the set. Meanwhile, Texas State scored 13 of their 15 points in the fifth set on kills.

Texas State will get a week off before the team’s next match. The Bobcats will host UL Lafayette at 1 p.m. Saturday at Strahan Coliseum.

Troy Volleyball Falls to Texas State in Five Sets

TROY, Alabama – The Troy volleyball team dropped its fourth straight five-set match on Saturday, falling to Texas State, 3-2 (25-19, 18-25, 19-25, 25-20, 15-12), at Trojan Arena.

Troy (9-8, 1-4) has now played six, five-set matches on the season, including four straight and two in as many days. Troy won the first two sets on Friday night at home before Arkansas State won three straight to take the match.

The Trojans came back in the fifth set against Texas State (10-7, 5-0) after being down early. The Bobcats led 8-3 before the Trojans scored seven of eight to take a 10-9 lead. However, with Troy up 11-10, Texas State scored four straight to take control before winning, 15-12.

“Texas State was outstanding,” Troy head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. “I’m really proud of our effort, especially coming off of the match from last night. I didn’t know how we would recover, especially mentally, but we answered the bell. We pushed a really good team and we had some really bright spots.”

The Bobcats hit .259 in the fifth set with 13 kills while the Trojans had just two kills and hit .000. On the match, Troy hit .131 and Texas State posted a .152 attack percentage. The Bobcats had 65 kills to Troy’s 46 kills.

Blair Winston led the Trojans with 16 kills while Kiah Cheatham had 10 and just two errors.

The Trojans set a rally-scoring era, school record (2001-present) with 16.0 total team blocks. Darby Griff led the way with eight blocks while Cheatham had five.

Ali Dowdall posted a match-high 26 digs, her fifth straight match with 20-plus digs. Madeleine Bouillion recorded 14 digs while Marija Zelenovic had 16 digs.

Texas State, one of two teams still unbeaten in Sun Belt play, was led by Jordan Kohl’s 18 kills. The Bobcats had 13.0 total blocks themselves, led by Amanda Watkins with seven.

The Trojans return to the court next weekend when they travel to take on Georgia Southern on Friday and Appalachian State on Sunday. Troy has already defeated Georgia Southern and lost to Appalachian State this season.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.