Saturday, September 3
JAG VOLLEYBALL DEFEATS FAMU TO WIN JAGUAR INVITATIONAL
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team defeated Florida A&M 3-1 Saturday at Jag Gym to win the Jaguar Invitational.
South Alabama (5-1) finished with a season-high 59 kills in the four-set win, led by Sarah Richardson who recorded a game- and career-high 13 kills and posted a .440 hitting percentage along with one block solo, six block assists and two digs. Richardson was named the most valuable player of the tournament after recording 23 kills and a .413 hitting percentage. Nikki Gittens was named to the all-tournament team, along with Katie Hogan (FIU), Elyssa Purcell (Southeastern Louisiana), Maria Yvett Garcia (Florida A&M) and Nicole Abreu (Florida A&M).
Iva Durdanovic finished with 11 kills, and Mechell Daniel added 10 kills and hit .421 in four sets. Kristina Alabastro recorded nine kills in 17 total attempts and a .412 hitting percentage along with four block assists. USA finished with 12 total blocks, and recorded 30 blocks in its three tournament wins.
The Jags opened the match with a 25-22 win in set one. South Alabama built a five-point lead at 16-11, but FAMU scored the next four points to cut its deficit to one. The Jags held a 17-16 lead before consecutive kills by Richardson pushed their lead to three. The Rattlers scored four consecutive points on a Jaguar set point to trim its deficit to two at 24-22, but a kill by Kelley Hartman followed to clinch set one.
South Alabama jumped out to a 12-2 lead in set two, highlighted by a pair of kills by Richardson and two service aces from Durdanovic. The Jags held a 16-6 lead later in the set before reeling off six consecutive points to stretch their lead to 22-6. USA scored three of the final four points of the set on kills by Durdanovic and Avery Cooper along with a FAMU attack error.
FAMU scored two consecutive points to take set three 28-26. USA held a 19-13 lead, but the Rattlers responded with five straight points to cut the Jag lead to one at 19-18. FAMU trailed USA by three, 23-20, but scored four consecutive points to take a 24-23 lead. USA equalized the score on a FAMU match point on a kill by Durdanovic to tie the score 25-25. The Rattlers closed out the set on a kill by Dei'ja Martin and an attack error by Durdanovic.
USA built a 21-17 lead in set four, then scored three straight points – highlighted by kills from Richardson and Alabastro – to force a match point at 24-17. FAMU responded with four consecutive points to cut the USA lead to 24-21, but a kill by Daniel clinched the set and match.
"We came out and played really well in set one and two," USA head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "I think both teams were definitely fatigued with it being the third match in two days, but I thought we pushed through it. We let it get away from us in the third set, but they (FAMU) have some weapons of their own on that team who caught fire and we also had some unlucky moments. Overall we were able to maintain the composure to go in to set four, and it was a tight set. I am glad that Florida A&M pushed us and our team got to battle and fight through that."
South Alabama will return to action Tue., Sept., 6, when it hosts Southern Mississippi at 6 p.m. at Jag Gym.
Trojans Close Out Little Rock Invitational With Sweep
LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock volleyball concluded its first-ever home tournament with a 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-13) sweep of UT Martin at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday evening.
Marina Avram was the Trojans' best weapon on the day as she racked up 14 kills and hit .400. Miona Milovanovic hit .400 and picked up nine kills, and Veronica Marin had nine kills and a match-high .643 hitting percentage.
Edina Selimovic finished with eight kills, and Carolee Dillard had seven. Taylor Lindberg racked up 36 assists to top the Trojans.
Marin was named to the All-Tournament Team thanks to her 41 accumulated kills over the four matches Little Rock played.
Little Rock stormed out of the gates offensively, hitting .500 in the first set. Dillard posted four kills in the frame, but four other Trojans had three kills each while the team committed only one attacking error the entire set.
Toward the end of the second set, the Trojans held a 22-19 lead but coughed it up as the Skyhawks scored four straight points to take a 23-22 lead. But Little Rock recovered and scored four of the final five points, taking the set 26-24. The Skyhawks committed errors on two straight points after the set was tied at 24-24 to hand the frame to the Trojans.
The third set was by far the Trojans' most decisive of the match. Little Rock stormed out to a 6-1 lead and would eventually grow that lead to as many as 12 points. Fittingly, Avram got the final two kills of the match to send Little Rock to victory. The Trojans hit a match-high .586 in the final frame.
Little Rock's .457 hitting percentage for the match was the seventh-best in the rally-scoring era for the program.
The Trojans are off to Tallahassee next weekend as they are set to participate in the Home2 Suites by Hilton-Tallahassee Seminole Tournament at Florida State. Little Rock will take on the host Seminoles as well as Florida A&M and Baylor. The team's first match is Thursday against Florida A&M at 5 p.m.
Little Rock Invitational All-Tournament Team
Kimmy Gardiner – Oklahoma – MVP
Audrey Alford – Oklahoma
Madison Ward – Oklahoma
Evie Grace Singleton – Mississippi State
Emily Hill – Mississippi State
Veronica Marin – Little Rock
Macy Reigelsperger – UT Martin
Lauren Corby – UAPB
Little Rock Invitational Final Standings
Oklahoma – 4-0
Mississippi State – 2-1
Little Rock – 2-2
UT Martin – 1-3
UAPB – 0-4
@stAteVolleyball Earns Split on Final Day of Marcia E. Hamilton Classic
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (9/3/16) – The Arkansas State volleyball squad rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Cal Poly 3-2 (17-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-20, 15-11) before falling to No. 19 Western Kentucky 3-1 (18-25, 27-25, 18-25, 21-25) as the team split two matches on the final day of the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic being hosted by Saint Louis University at Chaifetz Pavilion in St. Louis, Mo.
A-State (4-2) never led in set one versus Cal Poly (4-2), but did manage to get within 16-14 after an attack error. However, the Mustangs closed the set on a 9-3 run for the 25-17 win. The second set was more competitive throughout, but A-State never claimed a lead after scoring the first point. The Red Wolves got within 24-23 after a ball-handling error, but a kill secured the 25-23 set for the Mustangs.
However, Arkansas State raced out to a 10-4 advantage in set three after a Kenzie Fields kill, but Cal Poly moved ahead 19-18 later in the game. The Red Wolves responded with a 7-3 run, capped by a Kelsey Reis kill, to win 25-22 and forced a fourth set.
A-State jumped out to a 10-5 edge in set four after a block by Brentlee Weaver and Anna Murphy. The Mustangs never really threatened too much more in the set, but did get within three of the Red Wolves at 23-20. A-State wasted little time clinching the set with back-to-back kills by Fields and Carlisa May for a 25-20 victory that forced a decisive game five.
The Red Wolves wasted little time by jumping out to a 4-1 edge the team wouldn’t relinquish. Cal Poly didn’t go down without a fight as the Mustangs battled to within one point at 10-9, but a 5-2 run, finished with a block by Reis and Mallory Warrington gave the Red Wolves a 15-11 win and 3-2 come-from-behind victory in the match.
“I’m so proud of the team for stepping up and being able to beat Cal Poly,” A-State head volleyball coach David Rehr said. “It can be easy for a team, especially one like ours that had so much success last season to get down when they face some adversity, but we kept battling and were able to beat a really good team.”
Fields and May led the team with 18 kills apiece, while Reis (14) and Murphy (13) also tallied double-digit scores. Warrington picked up her third double-double of the season with 58 assists and 16 digs, while also leading the team with three blocks. Fields picked up her first double-double of her career with 11 digs, while Markie Schaedig led the team with 28 and Jessica Heuertz added 13.
In the match versus WKU (6-1) the Red Wolves fell behind 15-6 in set one and never threatened as the Lady Toppers won it 25-18. The second set was much tighter with A-State finding themselves at set point ahead 24-23 after a kill by May. WKU flipped things with two straight points for set point at 25-24, but Arkansas State scored three straight, including two kills by May, to win the set 27-25.
Both teams battled to a 6-6 score to being set three, but WKU took over from that point and ended up winning the game 25-18 for a 2-1 advantage in the match. The Red Wolves responded with a much closer effort in set four and held a 20-19 edge late in the set on a Weaver kill. However, the Lady Toppers closed the game on a 6-1 run to claim a 25-21 set win and 3-1 match victory.
“We lost to a ranked team that executed better than we did tonight,” added Rehr. “Playing a tough non-conference schedule is preparing our team for the future. We didn’t get the result we wanted in this match, but I feel like we will be a better team for having played them.
May led the team with 17 kills, while Weaver (13) and Fields (13) were also in double digits. Warrington dished out 54 assists and had nine digs to fall one shy of a double-double. Schaedig led the team with 20 digs, while Lindsay Cline added 10 of her own. WKU had 12 blocks on the night to just two for the Red Wolves.
Warrington was named to the all-tournament team for the event. The Lake St. Louis, Mo., native dished out 161 assists (12.38 per set) during the event and also had 28 digs, three kills, three aces, and three blocks over the course of the weekend.
Arkansas State returns to action Sept. 6 in a road non-conference tilt at Ole Miss. First serve from Oxford, Miss., is set for 7 p.m.
Mountaineers Swept by Ohio in Tournament Finale
BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University volleyball ended the Black and Gold Invitational going 0-3 over the weekend after being swept in straight sets by Ohio (14-25, 20-25, 23-25) on Saturday evening.
The Mountaineers (2-4) struggled from the get-go but received great play from Mikel Coleman and all-tournament member Alana Shoff.
Coleman led the team with 10 kills, while Shoff finished with seven kills and four blocks.
Amanda Krahl drove the Mountaineer offense with 34 assists, while Kati Stammen controlled the defense with 13 digs.
In the opening set, the Bobcats (2-5) got out to a quick 10-4 lead which ballooned to as many as 10 at 20-10. Ohio was able to fend off App State for a 25-14 set one win.
Appalachian State came out strong in the second set and held a 6-3 advantage following a Cassidy Stephenson kill, but Ohio stormed back and worked its way to a 19-13 lead. The Bobcats were able to carry out the set with a win and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Following an App State timeout and the Mountaineers trailing 17-13, App State began to claw back in the third set. A kill from Coleman brought the Apps to within just one at 23-22. Down 24-23, a service error would seal the match for Ohio.
Appalachian State will return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 6 when it travels to Western Carolina for a showdown with its former Southern Conference foe. Match time is set for 6 p.m.
Mountaineers Outlasted by Wofford in Five Sets
BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University dropped its second-straight match of the Black and Gold Invitational in a five-set thriller against Wofford 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 14-16) on Saturday.
The Mountaineers (2-3) were led by Emma Longley who finished with a double-double. Longley tallied a match-high 27 kills and collected 14 digs in the effort.
Two other Mountaineers finished with double-digit kills. Melissa McMath totaled 13 kills, while true freshman Mikel Coleman finished a career-high 10 kills.
Defensively, Olivia Loeffler led the way with a career-high 25 digs, while Kati Stammen and Kennedy Wilson collected 10 digs each.
Junior setter Ashlyn Brown tallied a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs. Amanda Krahl contributed 16 assists.
Appalachian fell behind in the first set and were down by as many as four at 20-16 - forcing a Mountaineer timeout. The Apps would claw to within two on three different occasions but two costly errors sealed the set for Wofford.
In the second set, Appalachian State let a three-point advantage dwindle down to one at 21-20 before a 4-0 run keyed by a Longley kill tied the match at 1-1.
The Mountaineers found themselves down four points at 21-17 in a crucial third set before an 8-2 run gave the Apps a set victory and 2-1 lead in the match. The run was started by a Terrier service error and included kills from Longley, McMath and a combination of Terrier errors.
Early in the fourth set, App State held a slim advantage, but a 6-1 run by Wofford put the Terriers up 17-13 and they would hold on despite Appalachian pulling to within one point and tie the match with a 25-21 set win, setting up a decisive fifth set.
Wofford dominated the early portion of the fifth set and led 10-3 - seemingly ready to put the match away. App State crawled back with kills from both Longley and McMath, while a kill from Coleman coupled with a Terrier errors brought the Apps to within one at 13-12.
With the match tied at 14-14, back-to-back Terrier kills clinched the set and match for Wofford.
Appalachian State will play once more in the Black and Gold Invitational this evening with a 7 p.m. showdown with the Ohio Bobcats.
PANTHERS FALL TO TOURNAMENT HOST BELMONT, 3-0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Georgia State fell in three close sets, 3-0, to tournament host Belmont on Saturday afternoon. Crystal Lee and Kristina Stinson registered solid performances for GSU, but the Panthers fell victim to the Bruins' 14 service aces.
Georgia State got off to a slow start in the opening set, but battled back to tie it at 24 before a service error and Alexa Nichols kill gave the Bruins the win 26-24. Crystal Lee and Kristina Stinson led the attack again for the Panthers, combining for nine kills in the first frame. Sarah Renner added 13 assists and Anna Rantala contributed a handful of digs to keep the team within arm’s reach.
The Panthers came out of the gate in the second with a much better start, taking a 7-5 lead on a Belmont attacking error. Emily Richards’ third consecutive ace gave the Bruins an early 9-7 advantage. Belmont’s aces in the match played a decisive role in the outcome. The aces came in abundance, especially in the second set, and helped Belmont build a 19-12 lead it did not surrender.
Georgia State cut the lead to 22-18 on an attacking error, but it was Jessica Vestal’s kill that turned the tide and gave Belmont a 2-0 set lead at the break. Lee’s eight digs and Stinson’s seven kills highlighted the match for the Panthers through two sets.
The Bruins and Panthers went back and forth early on in the last set and reached its largest lead of the set at 10-7 on Emily Price’s ace. Brie Lewis’ kill put Belmont up 15-9 and forced Sally Polhamus to call time. The Bruins’ 14th ace of the match gave the host team a 17-9 lead. From there, the Panthers were unable to mount a comeback and fell in three sets with 25-15.
Among the positives included Lee’s nine digs and Stinson’s nine kills, which stood out for Georgia State on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Georgia State will look to regroup and play well next week in the Georgia Challenge against stout competition on the campus of Georgia Tech.
Cajuns Volleyball Splits Final Day of Sawyer Camillo Classic
LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball split its final two matches of the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Volleyball Classic on Saturday at Earl K. Long Gym, sweeping Alabama A&M in straight sets before falling to Nicholls State in four sets.
Louisiana (1-6) attacked a .304 clip, a season-best total, in sweeping Alabama A&M by scores of 25-15, 25-11, 26-24 for the season's first victory. Chloe Cordell led the Ragin' Cajuns with 11 kills, Stacey Reilly added a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs and Chanelle Gardner threw down eight kills on just 12 swings.
The Ragin' Cajuns hit .500 and .565 in the first and second set, respectively, in storming out to a 2-0 advantage on AAMU (1-5). The squad rattled off the final five points of the third set, erasing a 24-21 deficit, to prevent the Bulldogs from extending the match.
The Ragin' Cajuns led in every major statistical category vs. Nicholls State, but unforced errors prevented the team from capturing a 2-0 day. Louisiana committed 23 attack errors, while the Colonels (3-4) had just 14. Nicholls State had three or fewer errors the final three sets and rallied for the 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-22) victory.
Reilly paced the Ragin' Cajuns offense against Nicholls State, tallying a double-double for the fourth straight match (17 kills, 13 digs). The junior outside hitter from Houston has reached double figures in kills all seven matches this season.
The Colonels led from start-to-finish in the third set to break a 1-1 tie in the match. The visitors tallied 17 kills, led by five from Stephanie Tobison, and hit .341 in the third-set triumph.
Louisiana laid claim to an 8-4 advantage in the fourth frame following back-to-back kills by Jessica Bartczyszyn and Hanna Rovira. The Ragin' Cajuns remained ahead until the Colonels forged a tie at 17-all.
The Ragin' Cajuns later responded to a 21-20 deficit with a kills from Reilly and Cordell to reclaim the lead at 22-21. However, a kill by Sydney Lerille ignited a set-closing 4-0 run that led Nicholls State to the match-clinching point.
Saturday's matchup marked the first meeting with Alabama A&M at Earl K. Long Gym. Nicholls State snapped a four-match losing streak to the Ragin' Cajuns in tournaments held at the facility.
Louisiana is now 1-3 on its current five-match homestand which concludes on Tuesday, Sept. 6 against McNeese State (1-6). First serve with the Cowgirls is slated for 6:30 p.m.
Trojans Fall in Final Day of Trojan Invitational
TROY, Alabama – The Troy volleyball team fell to New Mexico State, 3-0, in Trojan Arena on Saturday morning in the final day of the Trojan Invitational.
Logan Page had a great match for Troy (3-4) with eight kills. She was one away from a career-high nine kills, which she set Friday night against Valparaiso. The Trojans lost the first set 25-15, but fought back and made a game out of the second set 25-23 and fell short in the third set 25-18.
TURNING POINT
The Trojans scratched back in the second set and got as close as one point, and it came late in the set at 24-23. However, New Mexico State picked up a kill that gave them a 2-0 lead and the Trojans couldn't corral a comeback in the third set.
STAT OF THE GAME
The Trojans lead both teams with seven total blocks, after New Mexico State (4-2) only had five. Leah Causey, Sara Landis and Logan Page each had three block assists. Newcomer Belle Waldrop was the lone Trojan with a solo block.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sara Landis came through with seven kills and a .538 hitting percentage. The senior made no errors and had 12 attack attempts in the match.
UP NEXT
The Trojans travel to Montgomery, Ala., on Friday afternoon to compete in the Alabama State Tournament. Troy opens tournament play with the Alabama State at 6 p.m., on Friday.
Texas State Falls to Tulsa to Conclude Creeds & Crests Classic
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team closed out the Creeds & Crests Classic in Strahan Coliseum Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 loss (25-15, 23-25, 14-25, 17-25) to Tulsa. The Bobcats concluded their home tournament with a second place finish.
Texas State is now 3-4 on the season while the Golden Hurricanes improve to 5-1 overall.
Set one saw the Bobcats dominate with 15 kills while holding Tulsa to just six kills and a -.033 attack percentage. Lauren Kirch pace the team in the set with seven kills and no attack errors.
The second set began with the Golden Hurricanes jumping out to a 10-3 advantage. A 10-4 run by Texas State cut the deficit to one and as capped off by a service ace from Ali Hubicsak. The Bobcats stayed within a point or two of the visitors the rest of the way but Tulsa eventually took the set 25-23.
Sets three and four were controlled by the Golden Hurricanes. They recorded 32 kills over the two stanzas while holding the Bobcats to eight apiece in each set.
Kirch led Texas State with 13 kills with only one error for a .462 attack percentage. Jaliyah Bolden added eight kills and seven blocks. Tacking on seven kills was Jordan Kohl.
Erin Hoppe was credited with 39 of the team's 44 assists on the day. She also had 10 digs to record a double-double. Pacing the squad with 11 digs was freshman Mattie Adams.
Hoppe finished with four blocks and Kohl added three rejections. Shelby Vas Matt posted two blocks on the day as well.
Make the Creeds & Crests Classic All-Tournament team for the Bobcats were Adams and Kirch.
Texas State closes out its homestand in Strahan Coliseum Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. against Sam Houston State.