Mavs Sweep Middle Tennessee, Fall to Belmont
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Freshman setter Kailyn Gilbreath contributed 25 assists to help spur UTA volleyball to a three-set sweep over Middle Tennessee State University (25-14, 25-23, 25-23) in the Bruiser Showcase on Friday afternoon at the Curb Event Center on the campus of Belmont University.
UTA (4-1) bounced back after a grueling five-set loss at Belmont in the morning of the doubleheader on Friday to open the Bruiser Showcase. UTA cruised to the first-set win before fighting off MTSU with 25-23 wins in the final two games. UTA finished with a .244 hitting percentage, with 36 kills.
LEADING THE MAVS
Gilbreath led the Mavs with a match-high 25 assists, adding two kills and seven digs. UTA got nine kills from junior Zhanelle Geathers, eight kills from sophomore Kylie Jedlicka and seven kills each from senior Qiana Canete and sophomore Madison McConnell. Freshman Tessa Harfield registered three kills, with Canete adding seven digs. Sophomore libero Madelyn St. Germain finished with a team-high nine digs.
NEXT
UTA wraps up its stay in the Belmont Bruiser Showcase on Saturday with a 11 a.m. CT matchup with Idaho State, with live coverage available on UTAMavs.com.
SET ONE
UTA opened the scoring with a kill from Kylie Jedlicka, off the assist from Kailyn Gilbreath, before MTSU notched the next two points for a 2-1 lead. Zhanelle Geathers evened it up with her first kill and the Mavs went on a 4-0 run to take a 5-2 lead. After MTSU closed to within two at 5-3, Geathers started a 5-3 run that lifted the Mavs to an 11-6 lead and forced a MTSU timeout. Qiana Canete and Madison McConnell came out of the timeout with kills for a 13-6 lead. UTA extended its lead to 18-9 after the final MTSU timeout of the set after a kill from Geathers. UTA continued to roll through the first set, finishing a 25-14 win.
SET TWO
The Mavs dropped the first point but stormed back to take a 7-2 lead, getting kills from Geathers, Tessa Harfield and Kylie Jedlicka before a timeout from the Blue Raiders. UTA extended its lead to 14-6, highlighted by a Canete kill. After Gilbreath's kill to go up 18-10, MTSU scored the next three points, prompting the first timeout called by Coach J.T. Wenger in the match. Harfield gave the Mavs a 20-13 lead with her third kill. Jedlicka's fourth kill lifted UTA to a 22-15 advantage. The Blue Raiders then mounted a furious 8-3 run to force a UTA timeout with UTA leading 24-23. Canete finished off the set with a kill out of the timeout for the second-set win.
SET THREE
The Mavs jumped out to a 2-0 lead as McConnell's sixth kill spurred a start. The teams traded blows that saw the Mavs trail by two at 13-11 following a Vonnie Covington kill. UTA stormed back with a kill from Geathers to even the match and saw set-tying points from Jedlicka and Canete as the game went to 20-20. After UTA took a 22-20 lead following a MTSU error and a timeout, the Blue Raiders evened it back up at 22-22 to prompt a UTA timeout. Canete's kill gave the Mavs a 23-22 lead and McConnell earned UTA set point with her kill for a 24-23 lead. Geathers teamed up with Jedlicka to finish home the set, 25-23.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After falling in the first two sets, UTA volleyball rallied to win the next two but couldn't get on track in the fifth as host Belmont posted a five-set win in the opener of the Bruiser Showcase (23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 6-15), on Friday morning at the Curb Event Center.
UTA (3-1) suffered its first loss of the year as Belmont (4-1) opened the match by winning the first two sets. UTA fought back to force five sets, winning the third and fourth but the Bruins used an early rally in the final stanza to build an advantage.
LEADING THE MAVS
The Mavs were led in their second straight five-set match by junior Zhanelle Geathers, who had 19 kills and six digs. Senior Qiana Canete, who joined Geathers on the preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team, had a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs. Freshman Cameryn Zahradnik notched a career-high eight kills and hit .294 with eight digs, with freshman setter Kailyn Gilbreath adding a team-best 41 assists and five kills. Madison McConnell, who entered the match leading the league in hitting percentage, had five kills. Kylie Jedlicka finished with two kills, with sophomore Madelyn St. Germain leading the team with 16 digs.
NEXT
UTA's second doubleheader of the season will continue on Friday afternoon vs. Middle Tennessee State at 3 p.m. CT at the Curb Even Center. Fans can follow live stats available on UTAMavs.com.
Coastal Volleyball Sweeps Indiana State
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Coastal Carolina volleyball team opened the Iowa Hawkeye Classic Friday morning with a three-set sweep (25-16, 25-16, 26-24) of Indiana State. Coastal (2-1) returns to the court later Friday night to take on Iowa at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET), and faces the host institution once more on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET). Live stats are available for both matches via GoCCUSports.com, and a live stream is available with a subscription to the Big Ten Network.
The Chants hit an impressive .358 as a team in the victory, with three players hitting above .400 individually.
Leah Levert landed 10 of her 11 swings for a .909 hitting percentage. The senior middle blocker also tied freshman Kaylah House as the match leaders with four blocks each.
Alongside Levert in the middle was junior Dora Lulic, who hit .500 while putting down eight kills.
Outside hitter Leah Hardeman tallied her third straight double-double to begin the season, recording 14 kills and 10 digs while hitting .462.
Sara Boothe and Kate Federico each dished out over 20 assists, with latter leading all players with three service aces. Coastal's Sydney Alvis recorded a match-high 17 digs.
Levert led Coastal's nine-point win in the first set, landing five kills on five swings while adding three digs and a block. A 7-1 Coastal run early in the game pushed the Chants in front 14-8, and forced Indiana State to use its first timeout. Coming out of the break, Caostal took five of the next six points to build an insurmountable 19-9 lead. Levert factored into three of Coastal's final six points to close out the set.
Levert, Hardeman and Lulic combined for 11 kills in the second frame as the Chants continued to hit over .400 as a team. Indiana State managed to even the score five times early, but Coastal never found itself trailing in the set. Indiana State called a timeout while trailing 18-14, and was limited to just two points for the remainder of the set as Coastal claimed a 2-0 match lead.
Coastal's hitting dipped below .400 for the first time all match in the third set. Hardeman led the Chants with six kills in the frame, followed by Kyla Manning recording five of her six kills for the match. A 23-18 Coastal lead was erased when Indiana State used a 6-1 run to even the set. Hardeman and Manning then supplied back-to-back kills to close the match.
App State Volleyball Stumbles in 3-1 Loss to Towson
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University volleyball dropped a four-set defeat, 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 23-25, 18-25), to Towson on the opening night of the Appalachian Invitational on Friday night.
The Mountaineers (2-3) were led by freshman Kara Spicer who finished with a team-high 17 kills. Amanda Krahl ran the offense and finished with 38 assists on the night.
Defensively, four Mountaineers finished with double-digit digs. Olivia Loeffler collected a team-high 19 digs, while both Krahl and Sydney Hinds had 12 digs and Emma Reilly totaled 11.
The opening set included 12 ties and seven lead changes and neither team went on a run longer than three points. With the score 24-22, the Mountaineers pulled away with the set on a kill by Cassidy Stephenson and a Towson (4-0) attack error.
Down 14-11 midway through the second set, the Mountaineers rallied and used a 6-0 tun to take a 17-14 lead. Towson would tie the set up at 18-18 but Lexi Kohut answered with a kill to regain the lead. Towson and App State would trade points for the remainder of the set until the Tigers went on a 3-0 run to seal the set 25-23.
Towson would ride its momentum from the second set and take an 8-3 lead in the third. Appalachian would claw its way back, however, and use back-to-back kills by Spicer and a Tiger service error to take an 18-17 advantage.
Following a challenge by head coach Matt Ginipro that was overturned in favor of App State, the Mountaineers went on a 7-2 run to go up 22-18. Towson responded with its own 7-1 run to take the third set 25-23.
Despite being down 11-6 early in the fourth set, Appalachian used a 5-1 to get within one point, 13-12. The Mountaineers played the Tigers even for the rest of the set, but dropped the set and match, 25-18.
The Mountaineers play two matches tomorrow in the Appalachian Invitational with a matchup against East Tennessee State at 12:30 p.m. and a night contest against Virginia at 7 p.m.
Georgia Southern Opens Bash in the Boro with Sweep of North Florida
STATESBORO – Cathrine Murray and Anna Wenger each posted 14 kills, and Georgia Southern hit .283 as a team in a 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 27-25) volleyball sweep over North Florida Friday night in the Bash in the Boro in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Murray added a match-high 13 digs for the Eagles (2-2), and Wenger assisted on four blocks. Lauren Reichard finished with eight kills and six blocks, and April Luther posted 41 assists and seven digs.
Taryn Griffey led North Florida (3-2) eight kills to go along with three blocks, and Carinne Turner added seven kills and nine digs.
The story
Georgia Southern fought off a set point to take the first frame 27-25 and a 1-0 lead in the match. With GS trailing 25-24, Landon Jones got a kill, and Wenger finished the set with two straight kills.
The Eagles dominated the second frame, hitting .438 while holding UNF to .125, and won the set 25-15 en route to a 2-0 cushion in the match.
UNF overcame a 20-16 deficit in the third and took a 24-23 lead after an ace by Ashley Laborde, which was followed by an Eagle hitting error. GS fought off two set points before Jones came through with another kill, and Murray finished the match with a kill.
Quotable from head coach Dustin Wood
"The focus was better this week than last week, and they put a good week of work in the gym making the improvements on the things we struggled with last weekend. Everybody stayed within themselves. They weren't focused on the scoreboard or anything like that; they were focused on the process and what we're asking them to do."
"Our lowest individual hitting percentage was .243, and everybody was good. I'd rather have a lot of good options. We could disperse the ball how we wanted tonight, and it was fun to watch."
"I think our whole group needed a match like this to show them what they are capable of. It was nothing flashy, but we worked hard and grinded it out and found ways to win in tight sets and finish sets and matches, which will help their confidence. I'm proud of the way they handled themselves in tight situations in the first and third sets and how they controlled the match in the second set."
Next up
The Eagles host Bethune-Cookman (10 a.m.) and Charlotte (7 p.m.) Saturday in the Bash in the Boro in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Wisnoskie's Big Night Helps Cajuns Earn Friday Split
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team split a pair of matches on the opening day of the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic at Earl K. Long Gym.
Led by four players with double digit kills, Houston Baptist (3-0) was able to outpace the Ragin' Cajuns in a 3-1 (26-24, 25-22, 27-29, 25-20) decision. Powered by 22 kills from freshman Hali Wisnoskie (Fr., OH, Columbus,Texas), Louisiana (2-3) bounced back in the nightcap with a four-set win over Nicholls (25-22, 25-27, 25-20, 25-21).
HBU hit .208 and held a 63-50 edge in kills in a match in which both teams battled throughout and the largest set margin being five. Louisiana used a 17-3 edge in blocks against Nicholls to get by in a match where the hosts held a narrow 57-56 edge in kills.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Stacey Reilly (Sr., OH, Houston, Texas) recorded a double-double in both outings, posting a team-high 13 kills with 15 digs against HBU and 10 kills to go along with 18 digs vs. Nicholls.
Wisnoskie became the first Cajun to reach 20 kills this season with her outburst against the Colonels. She committed only three attack errors and hit .333 over 57 swings.
Dree'Ana Abram (So., MB, Marshall, Texas) continued her strong start in the front row with five blocks (0 BS, 5 BA) in the HBU match and seven blocks (3 BS, 4 BA) in the Nicholls contest.
Nia Antoine (Jr., MB, Lafayette, La.) totaled 20 kills over 44 swings on the day, setter Jessica Bartczyszyn (Sr., S, Cary, Ill.) dished out 40-plus assists both matches and Sydney Davis (Jr., LB, Baton Rouge, La.) scooped a season-high 25 digs against Nicholls.
UP NEXT
The Ragin' Cajuns conclude play in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Volleyball Classic on Saturday with matches against Mississippi Valley at 10 a.m. and Jacksonville State at 4 p.m. at Earl K. Long Gym
A complete schedule of matches, and links for live stats and live video, can be found at RaginCajuns.com/SawyerCamilloClassic.
HOW IT HAPPENED
HOUSTON BAPTIST: Louisiana piled up its match-best total of 18 kills in taking an extended third set 29-27 to stretch the match to a fourth frame. The Ragin' Cajuns committed eight attack errors, hit sub-zero in the fourth set and were unable to completely recover from an early deficit. The Huskies opened a 9-4 lead and later extended the advantage to 21-12. Louisiana rallied and found itself down 23-20 after an ace by Bartczyszyn, but HBU secured the point on the next two rallies to end the match.
NICHOLLS: The Ragin' Cajuns and Colonels battled through 12 ties and seven lead changes in the first frame. Louisiana took an early lead in the match after kills from Antoine and Wisnoskie gave the hosts the lead for good at 21-20. The Colonels were able to overcome six Ragin' Cajuns blocks in the second set and rallied for a 27-25 win which evened the contest. Wisnoskie took over for Louisiana over the next two sets, tallying 13 to lead the charge. Louisiana broke a 3-all tie in the fourth set with an Antoine kill and led the rest of the way. Back-to-back kills from Wisnoskie started a 5-0 Cajuns run that opened a 13-6 lead which provided enough cushion when the Colonels rallied late to trim their deficit to 22-21.
QUICK HITS
- Dree'Ana Abram has posted at least three blocks in all five matches this season. The 12 blocks on Friday upped her season total to 25 and allowed her to surpass the 13 she collected her entire freshman season.
- As a team, Louisiana has thrown up at least six blocks each match. Team totals for Friday included nine vs. HBU and 17 vs. Nicholls.
- Five different Ragin' Cajuns have already tallied 30 kills, led by 47 from senior Stacey Reilly. Joining her with 30-plus are Hali Wisnoskie (39), Nia Antoine (38), Chloe Cordell (34) and Dree'Ana Abram (30).
- Freshman Avery Breaux continues to impress on the back row after posting double digit digs in both matches. Breaux scooped a season-high 17 vs. HBU and 10 vs. Nicholls. She's reached double digits in three of four appearances.
- Senior setter Jessica Bartczyszyn is on the verge of reach 2,000 career assists. Her 87 on Friday upped her career total to 1,965 which is the fourth-most recorded in the rallying scoring era by a Ragin' Cajun.
- It's been a week of huge leaps for freshman Hali Wisnoskie. Seeing her first extended playing time of her young collegiate career, she's tallied 35 kills and is hitting .202 through three matches this week.
Northwestern State Defeats Troy Volleyball
TROY, Alabama- The Troy volleyball team made its 2017 home debut as it hosted the Troy Invitational Friday night at the Trojan Arena. Troy (0-5) fell to Northwestern State (2-4) 3-0 in the final match of the night.
Set one stayed even as neither team could get a run they needed to take charge of the game early. Late in the set, down four, the Trojans went on a five point run to take a 20-19 lead, but couldn't shut out the Demons as Northwestern edged back to take a 1-0 lead with a 25-22 win in set one.
The Trojans came out dominant in the second set, but the Demons fought back as they scored seven unanswered points as errors tripped up Troy. Northwestern State took the second set 25-18 to put the pressure on the Trojans.
An early nine point run from the Demons sealed Northwestern State's 25-16 third set win as they took home a 3-0 win in the opening day of the Troy Invitational.
Senior Lauren Long had a dominant night at the net as she led the team with 10 kills and 10.5 points for the Trojans, followed by sophomore Belle Waldrop with seven kills and freshman Cheyenne Hays with six. Reina Terry added 18 assists for the Trojans.
For the Demons, Reagan Rogers tallied 12 kills with an impressive .522 hitting percentage on the night. She also had seven digs and posted a team-high 13.5 points to lead the Demons to the victory.
UP NEXT
Troy will wrap up the final day of the Troy Invitational as they face Winthrop on Saturday at 10 a.m. and round out the tournament against Jackson State at 4:30 p.m. before taking on in-state rival UAB on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Admission to Troy volleyball matches is free.
Trojans Overcome Deficit to Defeat Skyhawks
CONWAY, Ark. – With a one-set deficit, Little Rock volleyball rallied back to win three straight sets and defeated UT Martin 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-23) on Friday afternoon at Farris Center on the campus of Central Arkansas.
Veronica Marin led the Trojans (2-3) with 13 kills, a career-high nine blocks (two solo and seven assisted) and a match-high .393 hitting percentage. Mya Robinson came up one dig shy of a double-double as she put down 12 kills with nine digs and five block assists. Taylor Lindberg set the tempo for Little Rock's offense with 39 assists. Sydnee Martin led the Trojans with 15 digs.
Megan Fair led the Skyhawks (2-4) with a match-high 21 kills and 14 digs. Kenzie Hinshaw tallied 49 assists and Brooke Gyori scooped up 24 digs.
With the Trojans and Skyhawks tied at 15 in the fourth set, Little Rock stretched its lead to four at 20-16 after a block my Marin and Robinson. However, UT Martin didn't go down without a fight as it cut the deficit to one at 22-21 with three kills and two Little Rock attack errors. The Trojans took set point at 24-21 on a block by Lindberg and Daisha Gillard, but the Skyhawks fought back to bring the set within a point again at 24-23 on two more Little Rock attack errors. Little Rock finally sealed the set and match win with a wide attack by UT Martin. Little Rock outblocked UT Martin by a 7-0 margin in the final set.
Little Rock carried the momentum it gained in the second frame to the third set as the Trojans came away with a five-point win. After a brief tie at 7-7, Little Rock went on to lead the rest of the set with the frame's only lead change. Robinson and Gillard led the set with five kills each as Lindberg tallied 13 assists. Avram was successful with the serve as she racked up a set-high three aces.
After a rough first set, things began to turn around for Little Rock in the second frame. Up by three at 16-13, the Trojans increased their lead to nine with two kills, three Skyhawk errors and an ace by Marin. UT Martin was able to cut the deficit to five at 24-19, but a kill by Lindberg put the set away for Little Rock and evened the match at 1-1
Little Rock got off to a rocky start as UT Martin erased an eight-point deficit with a 12-2 run to take the first set. At 21-13, the Trojans were four points from taking the set until the Skyhawks put down seven kills in combination with five Little Rock errors. Marin put down six kills for the Trojans and hit a set-high .857 on seven attempts. Defensively, she had two total blocks while Martin dug up six digs.
The Trojans finished the match with a season-high 13 blocks while the Skyhawks put up just two.
Gillard finished the match with eight kills and three block assists. Marina Avram had seven kills with a match-high four aces, six digs and three block assists. Jovana Cernjanski had seven digs while Belissa Guidotti and Nedima Kamberovic each put down their first kills as Trojans.
Little Rock will look to finish off the UCA Invitational on a high note tomorrow at 10 a.m., against Memphis.
Chants Fall Short at Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Coastal Carolina volleyball team fell in three sets (25-20, 25-23, 25-18) at Iowa Friday night in its second match of the Hawkeye Classic. The Chants previously defeated Indiana State in a three-set match Friday morning to even their weekend record to 1-1.
The loss also evens Coastal's season record to 2-2, with a second match against Iowa -- and the Chants' final match of the Hawkeye Classic -- upcoming on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET).
Iowa hit .282 to Coastal's .138, while also holding advantages in kills, digs and blocks.
Iowa's Taylor Louis led all players hitting .519 while putting down 16 kills, the only Hawkeye to reach double figures in the category.
The Chants likewise had just one player with double-digit kills as Leah Hardeman finished with 16. Kate Federico added a double-double with 12 assists and a team-leading 13 digs.
Coastal led just once in the opening set as Hardeman landed a kill and a pair of aces to put the Chants in front, 3-1, in the early going. Iowa quickly regained the lead and pulled ahead by as many nine points in the set, leading 20-11. A 6-2 Coastal run trimmed the Chants' deficit to five points, but they would pull no closer as Iowa closed the set with a five point advantage.
Iowa led 16-9 in the second before Coastal responded with seven straight points to even the set. The rally started with a Hawkeye service error, and Kaylah House led the charge with a trio of kills. The set was tied four more times before Coastal gained a 22-20 advantage on an Iowa error and kill from Dora Lulic. Two consecutive kills and a block shifted the lead back to Iowa, and the Hawkeyes closed the set with kills from Louis and Jess Janota.
A 12-5 Iowa run proved to be the difference-maker in the third and final set. The frame was deadlocked at nine points apiece before the Hawkeyes used the run to power ahead, 21-14, and force Coastal into a timeout. Coming out of the break, Coastal fought back to pull within five points, but could not overcome Iowa's sizeable lead.
JAG VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO ALABAMA TO OPEN JAGUAR INVITATIONAL
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team fell to Alabama in four sets (12-25, 27-29, 25-20, 21-25) Friday in the Jaguar Invitational at Jag Gym.
Alabama (3-1) took the first two sets, including a 29-27 win in set two, before USA (0-3) won the third set 25-20. The Crimson Tide clinched the match with a 25-21 win in set four. South Alabama will return to action with two matches on Saturday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. when it takes on McNeese State. The Jaguars will then face Southern Mississippi at 6:30 p.m. to close the tournament.
GAME FACTS
- Alabama recorded 13 total team blocks in the match, while the Jaguars finished with four total team blocks.
- Alabama posted a .314 team hitting percentage in the first set, and USA finished with a .000 hitting percentage following six kills and six errors.
- The Jags overcame a six-point deficit at 22-16 late in the second set, but rallied for five straight points to cut the Crimson Tide lead to 22-21. South Alabama earned set point at 25-24 following a kill by freshman Morgan Stalcup, but Alabama clinched the set 29-27 on consecutive kills by Christine Jarman and Leah Lawrence.
NOTES
- Ashlyn Roberts recorded her first double-double of the season, finishing with 20 assists and 13 digs.
- Iva Durdanovic led the Jaguar attack with 17 kills and a .278 hitting percentage along with four digs.
- Kristina Alabastro finished with 14 kills, eight digs and one service ace.
- Abby Baker finished with a team-high 23 digs while also adding seven assists. Kellyn Reeves recorded 15 assists and four digs.
- USA finished with season highs in kills (48) and digs (67).
- South Alabama fell to 4-24 all-time against the Crimson Tide. Alabama has won the last nine matches dating back to 1990.
QUOTES
Head Coach Amy Hendrichovsky
- On the match:
"I thought we came out with some nerves in that first set, and weren't able to execute on our side of the ball early then we fell into a big gap. We were behind again in the second set, but I was proud of our effort to catch up and put pressure on them (Alabama). I was proud of the fact that we were able to get pressure on them. We could have easily been happy competing in the third set, but we came out and wanted it. The girls really wanted this match, it just came down to execution at the end of sets."
- On improvement in tonight's match from last weekend:
"I thought we competed for a longer period of time tonight. Last weekend we played exceptional in moments, but we took points off. I don't think we took points off tonight – that wasn't the issue, it was just the focus to execute. They (Alabama) are a big team; they are very good defensively – they are a good team. If we can compete and continue to get better and learn from tonight, then we'll be very good too."
- On Alabama:
"We have a tough schedule down the road. We lost last weekend due to Hurricane Harvey; we have a tough schedule down the road and our girls know that. The reason I did that this year was I knew this team was going to be very good, and I didn't want to have any regrets that I didn't get them where they needed to be for (Sun Belt) conference (play). Playing against these caliber of teams will get us to where we need to be for conference."
UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action with a pair of matches on Saturday. The Jags will face McNeese State at 12:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Jag Gym, followed by a 6:30 p.m. contest against Southern Miss.
@AStateVB Falls in Home Opener to Virginia Tech
JONESBORO, Ark. (9/1/17) – The Arkansas State volleyball team won the first set against Virginia Tech, but dropped three consecutive sets to lose its home opener by a score of 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 20-25, 20-25) Friday night at the Convocation Center.
Carlisa May led the Red Wolves (2-3) with 22 kills for her third 20+ kill match of the season, a new career-high, and added nine digs defensively. Drew Jones tallied 15 kills and had 10 digs for team-high third double-double of the season. Ellie Watkins dished out 44 assists, Kenzie Fields registered 15 digs, and Jessica Uke posted five blocks to lead in those respective categories.
A-State held the Hokies (4-1) to a .174 hitting percentage, but the home team could only muster a .103 attacking percentage of their own. Virginia Tech was led by Kaity Smith’s 16 kills and she registered a double-double by tying Carol Raffety for the team high in digs with 14.
Arkansas State jumped out to an 11-7 advantage on a block by Watkins and Uke to force a timeout by the Hokies. A-State maintained its lead by opening a 19-14 edge before eventually winning the first set 25-18. The home squad began the second set strongly and held a 16-12 advantage after a kill by Jones before an 8-2 run put Virginia Tech in front 20-18. The Red Wolves regained the edge 21-20 on three straight kills by May, but a 5-2 run by the Hokies won the set 25-23.
The two teams battled to an 18-18 tie in set three after a kill by May, but Virginia Tech used a 7-2 run to earn a 25-20 set victory and earn a 2-1 lead in the match. The fourth set began with both teams tied 9-9, but an 11-5 run opened a 20-14 advantage for the Hokies. A-State battled to within 22-19 on a kill by Uke, but couldn’t get any closer as a kill by Smith clinched the game 25-20 and gave Virginia Tech a 3-1 victory.
“The first set was fine, and we played well for a good portion of the second set,” A-State head coach David Rehr said. “However, we didn’t finish that set and then didn’t do well for most of the rest of the match. You have to give credit to Virginia Tech, but we have to get better.”
Arkansas State returns to action Saturday in the final day of the A-State Invitational. A-State will play SMU at 11 a.m., before taking on Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m. SMU and Virginia Tech will play the 4 p.m. match in between A-State’s matches. In other action today, Ole Miss defeated Virginia Tech 3-2, while SMU topped Ole Miss 3-1.
Texas State suffers setback to Western Michigan in Ohio
CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Texas State volleyball team lost 3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-19, 25-17) to Western Michigan on the first day of the Xavier Tournament Friday afternoon at the Cintas Center.
The Bobcats dropped 1-2 on the season, while the Broncos improved to 2-2 in the first meeting between the two schools.
Sophomore Megan Porter led the maroon and gold with 12 kills. Senior Erin Hoppe passed around 31 assists, while freshman Brooke Johnson contributed 11 dimes. Sophomore Mattie Adams had 15 digs, while fellow classmates Micah Dinwiddie and Amy Pflughaupt added 13. Pflugahupt was competing in her first match for Texas State.
The first big momentum swing of the match went toward the maroon and gold after TXST fended off three set points to snatch the opener 26-24. With the score initially tied at 12-12, Western Michigan rattled off a solid stretch that saw the side pull ahead 19-13. Texas State crawled back to within three but still faced a trio of game points with WMU on top 24-21. Two service aces from Porter and two emphatic kills from junior Halee Brewer helped spark the rally as the Bobcats won the final five points.
The Broncos returned the favor by flipping a 20-17 deficit into a 25-22 second-set triumph to tie proceedings 1-1.
Western Michigan never trailed in the third, going on to claim the game 25-19. WMU initially went ahead 12-6 and later found itself on top 20-14. Texas State was unable to get closer than four points the rest of the way.
The Bobcats played to a 6-6 draw in the fourth frame, but the Broncos proved to be too much in the final stretches. They jumped ahead 14-7 and won the final set 25-18.
Rachel Bontrager had a match-best 17 kills and added 11 digs for a double-double. Sydney Lemay (12) and Olivia Kofie (11) also finished with double-digit kills. Mary Murphy tallied 47 assists, and Kathleen Reilly (20) and Quianna Ware (12) added double-figure digs.
Western Michigan led in kills (56-47), attack percentage (.219-.100), assists (51-46), and blocks (16-4). Texas State led the way in aces (5-3) and digs (68-67).
Texas State will conclude the tournament with a pair of matches Sept. 2. The Bobcats will serve as the home team in a match against Cincinnati at 9 a.m. (CDT) before facing host Xavier at 6 p.m. (CDT).