JAGS SWEEP CLEMSON IN STRAIGHT SETS
AUBURN, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team swept Clemson in straight sets (25-10, 25-19, 25-18) Saturday at the War Eagle Invitational at Auburn Arena.
South Alabama (4-4) finished with 10 total team blocks and averaged 16 digs per set in the win, while Clemson hit -.071 in the match. Kelley Hartman and Abby Baker were named to the all-tournament team. USA finished 1-1 at the War Eagle Invitational with the win.
The Jaguars are scheduled to return to action next weekend when they compete in the FIU Invitational in Miami Sept. 15-16.
GAME FACTS
- USA used a 6-0 scoring run in the opening set, highlighted by kills from Kelley Hartman and Lauren Hartman, to take a 10-3 lead.
- South Alabama held a 17-10 lead in the first set before clinching the set 25-10 with an 8-0 scoring run, highlighted by a pair of service aces from Arissa Chappell and kills by Iva Durdanovic and Hannah Harris.
- The Jags used a 5-0 run midway through the second set open a 13-6 lead, and a 7-0 run later in the set gave USA a 21-13 lead. South Alabama earned set point on a kill from Morgan Stalcup, and clinched the set 25-19 on a kill by Harris.
- USA earned set point in the third set on a Tiger attack error, but Clemson responded to the Jags' 4-0 run with its own 4-0 scoring run to close the gap to 24-18. But a kill by Iva Durdanovic on an assist from Kellyn Reeves clinched the match for the Jags.
- The match marked the Jaguars' first on a neutral site this season.
NOTES
- USA evened the all-time series with Clemson at 2-2 with the win, which marked the Jaguars second straight against the Tigers.
- Kelley Hartman finished with six total blocks, including a career-high four solo blocks along with two block assists.
- Durdanovic, Kelley Hartman and Harris led the Jaguars with seven kills apiece.
- Chappell recorded a season-high four service aces in addition to her 11 digs, which tied Abby Baker for the team lead in the match. Reeves led USA with 14 assists.
- South Alabama has won four of its last five matches, and has swept in straight sets in its last two victories.
- Clemson posted a -.071 hitting percentage in the match, aided by a -.223 attack percentage in the opening set.
QUOTES
Head Coach Amy Hendrichovsky
- On the win:
"We've been talking to the team about playing consistently for three sets, and I thought we did a good job of that. They (Clemson) tried to push, and we maintained and battled back and pushed back. The team did a good job of executing our systems, our defensive system especially today. We served very well today and put a lot of pressure on them, and ultimately we were able to do that for three straight sets."
- On improvements in today's match from yesterday:
"Our serving and passing picked up today and allowed us to play better. We had some people who really came out and performed when we needed them to today: Iva (Durdanovic) and Kelley (Hartman) offensively – Hannah Harris has been very consistent for us offensively. Abby (Baker) and Arissa (Chappell) really anchored our passing and serving as well. Ultimately I was really happy with the team's response."
- On finishing the tournament with a win:
"It was good. We have higher expectations to our match last night and we didn't meet them, so we were slightly disappointed from that. But overall as a team and staff, we know what we need to do next week to be better next weekend. I'm very proud of today's win, and I think we can use this moving forward as a learning experience."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
PANTHERS SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER
CHATTANOOGA, TN- Georgia State volleyabll split a pair of matches on Saturday in Chattanooga. The Panthers fell in the morning to SIU-Edwardsville in the morning, before rallying back to beat Chattanooga in five sets to close out the tournament.
In the first match of the day SIU-Edwardsville prevailed in three sets (25-11, 25-21, 25-20) over GSU. The second and third sets were extremely competitive and saw five lead changes and fourteen ties. Leading the way for Georgia State was Crystal Lee with 10 kills and Kinkaid Padgett with 15 digs.
In the nightcap Georgia State battled hard in the first set before falling 22-25. Chattanooga would cruise to a 12-25 win in the second, but the Panthers would rally back to take set three 25-21. Georgia State would continue to roll winning the fourth set 25-17. The Panthers would come back to win a marathon fifth set 21-19 to clinch the match.
Jha’Meisheia Griffin (16), Katie Creger (12), and Crystal Lee (12) racked up double digit kills for the Panthers in the win. Sarah Renner had a season high 47 assists, while Anna Rantala, Crystal Lee, and Celeste Friesen all had double digit digs in the win.
“I am so proud of how we competed the entire match”, said coach Sally Polhamus. “It was such a great win, every one was ready to play and make a huge difference.” Coach went on to say she was, “impressed with the composure” of freshman Dzemila Hadzic, who added seven kills and hit .583 on the night.
Georgia State is home next weekend at the GSU Sports Arena for their first regular season action of 2017. The Panthers will host Davidson, South Carolina State, and Wofford Saturday and Sunday as part of the GSU Invitational. All matches involving Georgia State will be available to watch live on georgiastatesports.com
Texas State hands Houston Baptist first loss of 2017
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team handed Houston Baptist its first loss of the season Saturday evening in the final match of the 2017 Creeds & Crests Classic inside Strahan Coliseum.
The Bobcats (7-3) defeated the Huskies by a 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-22) margin to drop the visitors to 7-1 on the year.
The victory allowed TXST to finish second at its home tournament and send HBU down into third place. SMU claimed top honors after posting a 3-0 record. This marked the second straight runner-up effort for the maroon and gold after placing second at last week's Xavier Tournament.
Texas State swept both opponents Saturday after dispatching UMass Lowell by an efficient 3-0 score in the morning session.
In the triumph over the Huskies, the Bobcats were led by 10 kills each from senior Jaliyah Bolden and junior Madison Daigle. The duo also combined for seven blocks. True freshman Brooke Johnson tallied her second double-double of the year with 17 assists and 17 digs. Senior Erin Hoppe added 14 assists, while sophomores Megan Porter (16), Amy Pflughaupt (11) and Micah Dinwiddie (11) all ascended to double-figure digs.
After a pair of dominant weekends at the office, Daigle and Porter were both named to the All-Tournament Team.
The first set featured zero lead changes and was rarely in doubt. Texas State quickly gained an 11-3 advantage thanks in large part to Daigle's serving prowess. HBU crawled back to within one at 11-10 and later drew even at 16-16, but the maroon and gold turned on the afterburners in the game's final stretch to find the win. TXST went on to score nine of the last 11 points.
Texas State was again able to remain one step ahead of Houston Baptist early in the second, but the visitors showed why they were previously unbeaten by staying close and earning their first lead of the night at 18-17. HBU controlled the rest of the frame and found a set point at 24-23, but TXST ended on a 4-2 run to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Neither side led by more than three points in the third period. The Huskies showed renewed vigor as they tried to stay in the match, but the Bobcats were able to stay toe-to-toe with the visitors. HBU led 21-19 at one point, but TXST claimed six of the last seven points to secure the victory.
For the second time in the day, the Bobcats kept an opponent from reaching double-digit kills. Madison O'Brien paced HBU with 24 assists and 14 digs, while Bailey Banks (16) and Hailey Erickson (14) also reached the double-digit dig plateau.
TXST posted top marks in kills (43-35), hitting percentage (.163-.119), assists (40-32), aces (5-1), and digs (65-59). Houston Baptist had more blocks (11-7).
Texas State is now set to begin final preparations for Sun Belt Conference action with a road trip to Nacogdoches, Texas, on tap for the last week of non-conference play. TXST will face Stephen F. Austin at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12 inside Johnson Coliseum.
2017 CREEDS & CRESTS CLASSIC FINAL RESULTS
1. SMU (3-0)
2. Texas State (3-1)
3. Houston Baptist (2-1)
4. UTSA (0-3)
5. UMass Lowell (0-3)
TOURNAMENT MVP
Lauren Mills (SMU)
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Brittany Adams (SMU)
Montana Watts (SMU)
Madison Daigle (TXST)
Megan Porter (TXST)
Blair Gillard (HBU)
Bailey Banks (HBU)
ULM Posts Third-Straight Sweep; Defeats N.C. A&T, 3-0
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Senior Kalena Caruthers and red-shirt sophomore Catherine Griffith combined for 15 kills to lead the University of Louisiana Monroe volleyball team to its third-straight sweep, defeating North Carolina A&T, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-17), Saturday morning (Sept. 9) in the Jefferson's & State Farm Invitational. The Warhawks (3-8) opened tournament play Friday with straight-set victories over Mississippi Valley and Alcorn State.
Caruthers recorded a team-best eight kills while hitting .316 (8-2-19) for the match. Two other Warhawks hit better than .360 for the match, including seniors Taylor Wood .375 (4-1-8) and Jennifer McClendon .364 (5-1-11). Junior Tara Jenkins led the team in assists (17) and service aces (3), while senior Kacey LeBlanc and sophomore Mikaela Worley combined for 18 digs (9 each).
Alyssa Pitt hit .368 (9-2-19) for the Aggies while recording a match-best nine kills.
With the opening set tied at 19-19, ULM went on a 6-1 run and won the frame, 25-20, on a kill by Griffith.
With the second set tied at 8-8, Jenkins helped spark an 8-0 run with two service aces, as the Warhawks moved out to a 16-8 lead and cruised to a 25-17 win.
ULM used another 8-0 spurt to seize control in the third set. LeBlanc produced two service aces and Griffith added another kill as the Warhawks built a 14-5 lead en route to a 25-17 victory.
ULM had a 10-2 advantage in service aces.
"It's a sign of a good team when you can still manage to win a match even when not playing at your best," ULM head coach Patrick Hiltz said. "This morning was ugly for both sides (both teams hit below .200 for the match). In the end, we were able to do enough things correctly to score more points than the other team.
"Kalena (Caruthers) was our go-to this morning. One of the nice things about our lineup is the fact that we have several players that can be our go-to player for any given game. Last night, it was Mikaela's (Worley) turn, and this morning, Kalena responded to the challenge."
ULM concludes Day 2 of tournament action with a match against host Jacksonville State at 4:30 p.m.
"Tonight, we will need more than one person to be productive," Hiltz said. "Jacksonville State has a good team. They're big and physical, and it will be a great test for us to finish the weekend."
Appalachian State Splits Matches in NDSU Invitational
LinksBOONE, N.C - Appalachian State University volleyball split two five-set matches on Saturday at the North Dakota State Invitational in Fargo, N.D. The Mountaineers defeated George Washington (19-25, 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 15-10) in the first match at 3:30 p.m. before falling to the host NDSU (25-16, 25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 14-16) at 8 p.m.
GEORGE WASHINGTON MATCH
Lexi Kohut, Kara Spicer and Melissa McMath led the Mountaineer offense against the Colonials and combined for 53 of App State's 63 kills.
Ashlyn Brown recorded a career-high 57 assists along with 15 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Olivia Loeffler accumulated 23 digs and was followed by Emma Reilly who finished with a career-high 20 digs.
The Mountaineers dropped the first set to the Colonials before claiming set two and three to take a 2-1 advantage. George Washington commanded the fourth set, never allowing App State to get a lead forcing a deciding fifth set.
In the final set, with the score knotted at 3-3, the Mountaineers went on a 5-0 run to go up 8-3. That would end up being the final margin as App State came away with the victory, 15-10.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE MATCH
The Mountaineers took the first set over the Bison by a nine-point margin before dropping the next two sets. Late in the fourth set, up 18-17, App State went on a 6-2 run to force a set point. A kill by Courtney Sullivan sealed the fourth-set victory and sent the teams to a decisive fifth set.
Neither team got a lead higher than two points in the fifth set as they traded points for much of the set. Sullivan and Brown teamed up for a block to tie the set at 14-14, but the Bison would gain the final two points to claim the set and the match.
McMath led App State with 17 kills while Kohut tallied 12 kills. Brown snagged her tenth double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs.
Defensively, Sullivan set a career high with six blocks while five different Mountaineers collected double-digit digs.
UP NEXT
Appalachian will play its final tournament next weekend in the Charleston Invitational with its first match coming against the host College of Charleston on Friday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.
Trojans End SFA Invitational with Three-Set Loss
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – In the final match of the Holiday Inn Express SFA Invitational, Little Rock volleyball fell 3-0 (17-25, 14-25, 21-25) to Stephen F. Austin on Saturday night at Shelton Gym.
Freshman Mya Robinson led Little Rock (3-6) with eight kills and hit a team-high .375. Sydnee Martin led Little Rock with 13 digs. Veronica Marin led the Trojans with three block assists while Daisha Gillard tallied six kills.
SFA (11-1) had three players with double-digit kills as Haley Coleman and Danae Daron each put down 14 kills and Corin Evans put down 10.
Little Rock got off to a hot start with a 5-1 lead in the first set, but the momentum shifted midway through the frame. Tied at 12, Stephen F. Austin rattled off eight consecutive points to take a 20-12 lead. The Trojans brought the deficit down to six at 21-15, but the Ladyjacks finished off the set on a 4-2 run. Robinson led the Trojans with four kills while Martin scooped up a set-high seven digs.
Besides a brief tie at 4-4, the second frame was entirely in SFA's hands. The Ladyjacks took an 11-point lead at 24-13 with a five-point run — their longest of the set. After an Avram kill brought the deficit back down to 10, a kill by SFA's Coleman secured the set.
The third set was the tightest of the night as both squads remained within five points of each other for the duration of the frame. Little Rock led early in the set, but SFA took over the lead for good after tying the frame at 10.
Taylor Lindberg had 23 assists, six digs, two kills and two block assists. Maritza Mesa dug up 10 digs with four kills and an ace. Marina Avram had five kills, three digs and one block assist.
For her play during the tournament, Marin was named to the invitational's All-Tournament Team.
Little Rock will return to action beginning on Friday for the Billiken Invitational in St. Louis. There, the Trojans will face Louisiana Tech, Saint Louis and DePaul.
@AStateVB Sweeps Southern
CONWAY, Ark. (9/9/17) – The Arkansas State volleyball team swept Southern University 3-0 (25-7, 25-17, 25-15) and held the Lady Jaguars to a .062 hitting percentage in the team’s final match of the UCA Classic Saturday at the Farris Center.
The .062 hitting percentage was the lowest of the season by an A-State (5-5) opponent, while the Red Wolves hit .333 in the match. Peyton Uhlenhake led the offensive effort with 11 kills, while Drew Jones had six. Kenzie Fields dished out 28 assists, while Anna Murphy, Madison Brown, and Madison Turner all had three blocks. Tatum Ticknor tallied 10 digs for A-State, while Nicole Knight recorded a career-high three service aces.
“This was a good match for us and I’m happy to be back to .500,” A-State head volleyball coach David Rehr. “I was proud of how we played in the first set and it was nice to get everyone in the match and let them work their way through sets two and three.”
A-State swarmed Southern (0-6) in the first set by racing out to an 18-6 advantage to force a timeout. The Red Wolves continued the pressure by only allowing one point the rest of the set as a kill by Timber Terrell clinched a 25-7 set win.
Southern raced out to a 3-0 lead in set two, but the Red Wolves came back to take a 9-6 edge on an ace by Diane Phillips. The Lady Jaguars battled to within 19-15 late in the set, but A-State was able to claim the set 25-17 on a kill by Uhlenhake. The two teams battled to a 13-13 tie in set three before an 8-0 A-State run made the score 21-13. The Red Wolves went on to claim the set 25-15 on a service ace by Knight to earn the sweep.
Fields earned All-Tournament accolades after filling in for both of A-State’s injured setters. She handed out 100 assists, totaled 28 digs, had 10 kills, and registered four blocks.
Arkansas State returns to action Sept. 15-16 at the Rice Invitational II. A-State opens play Friday morning at 10 a.m. against Georgetown before battling host Rice at 6 p.m.
Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State University Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.
Portland Sweeps Mavs In Lobo Classic Finale
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Portland used a furious rally to win the second set and carried the momentum to a three-set sweep (23-25, 28-30, 13-25) over UTA volleyball to conclude the University of New Mexico's Lobo Classic, on Saturday afternoon at UNM's Johnson Center.
UTA (5-4) suffered the setback in three sets to Portland (6-2), a team that sports losses only to New Mexico and Oregon State. Portland finished second in the Lobo Classic, as UNM finished 3-0 in the tournament to win the event. UP totaled a .299 hitting percentage in the win over UTA, holding the Mavs to a .196 attacking percentage.
LEADING THE MAVS
Junior Zhanelle Geathers led the Maverick attack with 11 kills, adding five digs and two assists. Senior Qiana Canete, who joined Geathers on the preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team, totaled eight kills and eight digs. Sophomore Madison McConnell had a .462 attack percentage on seven kills, with freshman Kailyn Gilbreath pacing the team with 26 assists, adding five kills and nine digs. Freshman Tessa Harfield had four kills and freshman Cameryn Zahradnik finished with a career-best 11 digs. Libbie Vickers led the team with 12 digs.
NEXT
The Mavs will return from a two-week road swing to host the Maverick Classic at College Park Center, starting on Thursday vs. UC Davis at 6 p.m. CT, with complete coverage available on UTAMavs.com.
Troy Sweeps South Carolina State 3-0
MOREHEAD, Kentucky – Following a heartbreaking performance on Friday, Troy volleyball came out strong in the final day of the Comfort Inn-Vitational with a 3-0 victory over South Carolina State on Saturday at the Wetherby Gym in Morehead, Ky.
Troy (4-7) maintained control of the match in its entirety, outscoring the Bulldogs in every major category. The Trojans held South Carolina State to just 24 kills and an attack percentage of .138, while Troy posted 51 kills with an attack percentage of .336.
South Carolina State (0-6) held on to a tight lead through most of the first set until the Trojans were able to make a run when it mattered most. With the set tied at 19-19, The Trojans broke away with a four-point run to force the Bulldogs to take a timeout. Troy was able to finish the set 25-21 to take an early 1-0 lead.
The Bulldog offense struggled to keep up with the Trojans in the third set as Troy posted a .455 hitting percentage and held South Carolina State to a .074 percentage. A six-point run at the end gave the Trojans the dominating 25-14 win over the Bulldogs.
South Carolina State bounced back in the third set taking five-of-six straight points, but the Trojans were ready to close out the match. Troy went on a five-point run to tie the set and eventually take a lead that the Bulldogs could never regain. Back-to-back kills from freshman Cheyenne Hayes ended the match for the Trojans as they picked up their fourth win of the season.
NOTEWORTHY
Six different players recorded a service ace to give Troy nine on the day. Bethany Cullity led the serving performance with three, followed by Kiara Barrett with two.
Senior Avalon Nero, who led the team in aces last season, made her third appearance of the year and tallied one ace for the Trojans.
Senior Lauren Long currently sits at the top of the Troy leader board with 109 kills (2.60 kills/set)
Savannah Moore continues to be a powerhouse at the net posting 95 kills and 36.0 total blocks for team-high 122.5 point.
Hayes continues to lead the squad with 21 service aces.
Long's 11 kills in three sets is a new team-high for the Trojans followed by Page with 10.
UP NEXT
Troy will continue tournament play at the Crimson and White Tournament hosted by the University of Alabama on Sept. 15-16 before beginning conference play in Texas against UT Arlington and Texas State on Sept. 22 and 23.
Chants Power Past American in Three
Greensboro, N.C. - Leah Hardeman put down 14 kills while hitting .444 to lead the Coastal Carolina volleyball team past American University in three sets (25-22, 25-18, 25-18) Saturday afternoon in a match played at UNC Greensboro.
The Chants (3-3) are competing in the tournament at UNCG this weekend after the Coastal Carolina Classic was cancelled earlier in the week with the threat of Hurricane Irma looming. Coastal finishes the weekend in Greensboro on Sunday with a 4:30 pm match versus Florida Atlantic.
Hardeman began the match with five kills in each of the first two sets, and followed with four kills on nine swings in the third set to help complete the sweep. The senior outside hitter also added five kills and an ace.
Dora Lulic and Larissa Dos Santos were strong defensively in the middle as the two recorded five blocks each. Lulic was also active offensively with seven kills and a .400 hitting percentage.
In addition to leading the Chants with 20 assists, setter Sara Boothe set a career high with five service aces.
Defensive specialist Sydney Alvis led the match with 15 digs.
Coastal found itself trailing early in the first set before going on a 10-2 run to take an 18-12 lead. American nearly managed to erase that lead as it hit .242 to Coastal's .212 in the set, but the Chants held on with the help of a pair of Eagle service errors.
The Chants' hitting jumped to .370 in the second set as Coastal staked an early lead and continued to pull away. After the offensive display in the middle frame, it was Coastal's defense that led the way for the remainder of the match. The Chants totaled four team blocks in the third set, with three from Lulic and a pair from Dos Santos. Coastal also recorded a match-high of 15 digs in the set, including six by Alvis and five by Hardeman.