Elon 3, Hampton 0

Elon 3, Howard 0

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Elon volleyball team snapped a two-match losing streak in a revenge match against Hampton today, Sept. 15, with a 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-21, 25-19) in day two of the Colonial Challenge. The Phoenix overcame a five-set loss earlier in the season to improve to 6-8 on the season, while the Pirates drop to 7-8.

Freshman Megan Gravley finished with 11 kills and sophomore Kris Harris recorded nine. Freshman Catherine Head tallied seven kills off 13 attempts with no errors to .538 in the match. Sophomore Chanelle Smith led all players with 16 digs.

Elon opened the first set on a 3-1 run off kills by C. Smith, Harris and an ace by Ali Deatsch. After the Pirates tied the score at four-all, the set remained close with neither team taking more than a two-point advantage. With the set knotted at 16, a kill and ace by Gravley helped the Phoenix scored three straight and take a 19-16 lead. After a kill by C. Smith and an ace by Maggie Reichard helped the maroon and gold open a five-point advantage over the Pirates, 23-18, Elon moved on to win the set, 25-21.

A block by Gravley and Harris started the second set as Elon took a 5-0 lead. After the Pirates pulled within three, 6-3, kills by Head and Gravley put the Phoenix back up by five. The Pirates used a 4-0 run to tie the set at 10-all and then take the lead, 12-10. Hampton maintained the advantage until the Phoenix took five of the next six points off kills by Gravley and Head, an ace by Ana Nicksic and a block by Head and C. Smith to put Elon up by two, 20-18. Kills by D. Smith, Harris and C. Smith helped seal set win for the maroon and gold, 25-21.

The third set stayed extremely tight with 13 ties by the time the score reached 15-all. The Pirates held the advantage by one, 16-15, before a 5-1 run by the Phoenix off kills by C. Smith and Gravley put the maroon and gold up by three, 20-17. Elon closed the set by scoring four of the final five points off kills by Head, Gravley and Allison Johnson to earn the set, 25-19, and the sweep.

The Elon volleyball team (7-8) snapped a two-match losing streak by sweeping Hampton (7-8) and Howard (0-11) today, Sept. 15, in the final day of the Colonial Challenge. The Phoenix overcame a five-set loss earlier in the season to beat the Pirates, 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-19), and then defeat the Bison, 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-18).

Elon opened the first set against Hampton on a 3-1 run off kills by Chanelle Smith, Kris Harris and an ace by Ali Deatsch. After the Pirates tied the score at four-all, the set remained close with neither team taking more than a two-point advantage. With the set knotted at 16, a kill and ace by Megan Gravley helped the Phoenix scored three straight and take a 19-16 lead. After a kill by C. Smith and an ace by Maggie Reichard helped the maroon and gold open a five-point advantage over the Pirates, 23-18, Elon moved on to win the set, 25-21.

A block by Gravley and Harris started the second set as Elon took a 5-0 lead. After the Pirates pulled within three, 6-3, kills by Catherine Head and Gravley put the Phoenix back up by five. The Pirates used a 4-0 run to tie the set at 10-all and then take the lead, 12-10. Hampton maintained the advantage until the Phoenix took five of the next six points off kills by Gravley and Head, an ace by Ana Nicksic and a block by Head and C. Smith to put Elon up by two, 20-18. Kills by D. Smith, Harris and C. Smith helped seal set win for the maroon and gold, 25-21.

The third set stayed extremely tight with 13 ties by the time the score reached 15-all. The Pirates held the advantage by one, 16-15, before a 5-1 run by the Phoenix off kills by C. Smith and Gravley put the maroon and gold up by three, 20-17. Elon closed the set by scoring four of the final five points off kills by Head, Gravley and Allison Johnson to earn the set, 25-19, and the sweep.

Gravley finished with 11 kills and Harris recorded nine. Head tallied seven kills off 13 attempts with no errors to .538 in the match. C. Smith led all players with 16 digs.

Two aces by Head and a kill by C. Smith helped the Phoenix take a five-point lead, 8-3, against Howard in the first set. The Bison cut the maroon and gold advantage to one, 16-15, before a 4-0 run off a kill by Harris, a kill and ace by C. Smith and a block by Nicksic and Harris put Elon back up by five, 20-15. The Phoenix would go on to win by the same advantage, 25-20.

After a kill by Danielle Smith put Elon up 5-3 in the second set, the Phoenix went on a 5-1 run to open up a six-point advantage, 10-4, over the Bison. Up by five, 13-8, the maroon and gold went on to score four straight with the help of kills by Celia Rose Eddy and D. Smith to take a 17-8 lead. The Phoenix would continue to build its lead and closed the set with a kill by Eddy to win by 11, 25-14.

The Bison opened the third set with an 8-5 lead over the maroon and gold, but the Phoenix followed that with four unanswered with the help of a kill by Gravley and an ace by C. Smith to take the lead by one, 9-8. The score stayed tight for several points until Elon pulled ahead by three off a kill by C. Smith, 15-12, forcing a Howard timeout. After the timeout, Elon finished the set, and the match, on a 10-6 run to win by a final of 25-18.

C. Smith finished the match with seven kills, seven digs and two aces. Gravley and Deatsch led all players with nine kills and 11 digs, respectively. Harris and Nicksic both recorded three blocks as the Phoenix out blocked the Bison 5-4.

Elon begins Southern Conference play on Thursday, Sept. 20, when the Phoenix takes on division-rival UNCG in a 7 p.m. match in Alumni Gym.

Georgia Southern 3, Savannah State 0

Georgia Southern 3, Jacksonville 1

STATESBORO, Ga. – Moriah Bellissimo matched a career high with 19 kills and added 15 digs to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-20, 25-21) volleyball victory over Jacksonville in the final match of the SpringHill Suites Eagle Invitational Saturday night at Hanner Fieldhouse.

The win over the Dolphins was Georgia Southern’s second of the day as GSU topped Savannah State 3-0 (25-9, 25-15, 25-12) earlier in the afternoon.

The Eagles (9-5) finished the weekend 3-1 to earn second place in the tournament. Wisconsin finished first with a perfect 4-0 mark, after rallying in the fifth set to defeat GSU, 3-2.

Bellissimo and Eagle defensive specialist Alexandra Beecher, who posted a match-high 23 digs against Jacksonville, earned all-tournament honors.

Meredith Paskert collected 17 kills and eight digs in the victory over Jacksonville, and Enjoli Johnson added 12 kills. Kate Van Dyke tallied b56 assists and 18 digs, and Jamie DeRatt contributed seven kills and 11 digs.

Sammie Strausbaugh led the Dolphins (2-11) with 12 kills and 17 digs, while Gabriela Roman posted 11 kills and nine digs. Kylie Jacob recorded 10 kills.

Leading the match 2-1, the Eagles pulled away late in the fourth set. With the score tied 21-21, GSU scored the last four points of the frame. Bellissimo put the ball down on consecutive points, and Johnson ended a long rally with a kill. Paskert finished the match with a kill after another rally.

Kym Coley led the Eagles with 10 kills and hit .714 in the match against Savannah State (0-16), while Kayla Henderson and Nicole Jeschelnik each posted six kills.

Coley added five blocks and Crysten Curry posted three as the Eagles had nine blocks as a team. Beecher collected 10 digs, five assists and six service aces.

The tourney provided the last non-conference matches of the season for the Eagles. Georgia Southern opens Southern Conference play at Wofford Friday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m., before taking on Furman on the road Saturday, Sept. 22, at 4 p.m.

College of Charleston 3, Presbyterian 1

Michigan State 3, College of Charleston 1

CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston dispatched with Presbyterian College, 3-1 (25-18, 25-17, 23-25, 25-15), in Saturday afternoon volleyball action at the Holiday Inn Charleston/Mt. Pleasant Tournament.

College of Charleston (6-4) won its second straight match and improved to 5-2 at home as the Cougars put themselves in the Tournament title match with Michigan State. Presbyterian fell to 2-12 on the season.

Sloane White led the way for College of Charleston with 15 kills and an attack percentage of .414. Darcy Dorton improved her efficiency as she hit .407 and made 14 kills.

Freshman Melissa Morello’s momentum from Friday carried over to Saturday as she tallied her second straight double-double with 12 kills and a career-high 16 digs.

Emily Shelton (31), Taeler Davis (10) and Andi Zbojniewicz (10) all joined Morello in tallying double digits in kills for the match.

Presbyterian was paced by Allison Brown and Presley Mabrey who each tallied 13 kills. Andrea Barman added 10 kills, although the Blue Hose only managed an attack percentage of .184 for the match, hitting under .200 in all three sets that they lost.

PC held an early lead in the first set, but the Cougars rallied from a 10-6 deficit with a 10-1 run to make it 16-11, a lead that CofC never relinquished. Shelton made 10 digs in the set and the Cougars used 12 Presbyterian errors to take a 25-18 set victory.

The Cougars did not spot PC any points in the second set, building a 13-8 lead and extending it to 18-12 on a service ace from Morello. Three kills from White late in the set but CofC in the driver’s seat and the Cougars took a 2-0 lead with a 25-17 set victory.

Presbyterian built some momentum in the third set with CofC’s Dorton and Neideffer sitting out. The Blue Hose made a 15-10 lead on a kill from Mabrey and were the first to 20 at 20-17 after an attack error from CofC’s Grace Rebarchak. However, CofC rallied and tied the set at 22 after consecutive kills from White. Brown gave PC set point at 24-23, and the Cougars were called for an error on the final play to allow Presbyterian to win 25-23.

College of Charleston had no trouble reestablishing control of the match in the fourth set, jumping out to an 8-1 lead with kills from White and Dorton. The Blue Hose pulled to within four at 13-9, but the Cougars went on another long run to lead 19-11 when Catey Warren landed a kill. College of Charleston hit .469 in the final set with 20 team digs, leading to a 25-15 match-clinching set win.

The Michigan State Spartans continued their unbeaten start to the season by defeating the College of Charleston, 3-1 (24-26, 25-17, 25-9, 25-25) and winning the Holiday Inn Charleston/Mt. Pleasant Tournament on Saturday night at TD Arena.

While receiving votes in the most recent AVCA Top 25 poll, the Spartans (12-0) had only lost one set heading into tonight’s match. College of Charleston (6-5) had dispatched Georgetown and Presbyterian prior to running into the physical Spartan attack.

After losing the first set, Michigan State broke a 15-15 tie in the second set with a 10-2 run and only allowed nine points in the third set.

The Spartans hit .358 as a team and held the Cougars to just .075 hitting. Lauren Wicinski was named Tournament MVP after she paced the squad with a match-high 23 kills and five blocks. The Spartans’ Kori Moster (18 digs) and Alexis Mathews (10 kills, seven blocks) were named to the All-Tournament team.

College of Charleston’s Melissa Morello earned All-Tournament honors after finishing the weekend with 35 kills and 32 digs. She landed 12 kills on Saturday night against MSU. Junior Taeler Davis was also tabbed to the All-Tournament team as she made 34 assists on Saturday night and finished with 138 for the weekend.

Darcy Dorton notched her ninth double-digit kill match of the season, leading the team with 14 kills. Sloane White made seven kills on the match, and Emily Shelton finished with 21 digs.

The Cougars jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first set by taking advantage of several MSU errors. The Spartans eventually tied the set at 18 and took their first lead at 20-19 on a block from Mathews and Amy Dentlinger. A CofC timeout spurred a 3-0 run with two Dorton kills and a Davis ace, but MSU tied the game back up at 23. Another Cougar timeout righted the ship as two kills from White and a final kill from Morello gave the Cougars the first set, 26-24.

The teams battled to a 15-15 tie in the second set when the Spartans seized control of the momentum and went on a 10-2 run to win the set, 25-17.

That momentum continued to the third set as MSU opened up a 10-5 lead and then raced to a 20-8 advantage. Michigan State hit .435 in the set while the Cougars made seven attack errors and only five kills. A service error from Kelly Kolich gave MSU a 25-9 set victory.

College of Charleston could retain the emotional edge in the fourth set as Michigan State used four CofC attack errors to build an 8-2 lead in the outset of the game. The Spartans didn’t allow any room for a comeback as they made 16 kills with just one error and CofC was not able to string any rallies together, eventually losing 25-15 in the fourth set.

College of Charleston will stay in the Lowcountry for a road match at Charleston Southern on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Samford 3, Gardner-Webb 0

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford concluded its weekend facing Gardner-Webb, as the home team earned a convincing 3-0 sweep in the battle of the Bulldogs to cap a second consecutive three-win weekend.

Samford (8-6) limited a third straight opponent to a negative hitting percentage, as Gardner-Webb (4-11) hit -.072 to Samford’s .363.  Lauren Hutchinson led the team with a .412 clip behind two kills on 17 swings with only two errors.  Michaela Reesor led the Bulldogs in kills again, earning 10 in the match.  She has earned double-digit kills in all but three matches so far this season.  Alexis Bauer led the defense with 18 digs while Casey Garvey paced the offense with 28 assists.

For their efforts over the entire weekend, three Bulldogs were named to the Bulldog Invitational All-Tournament Team.  Hutchinson was named the tournament MVP as she hit .462 with 28 kills and led the team with eight blocks.  Reesor was also named to the All-Tournament team as she led Samford with 33 kills as was second on the team with 31 digs.  Bauer rounds out Samford’s representatives on the team as she totaled 48 digs, averaging 5.33 per set.

The teams traded points in the very beginning of the first set, but Samford began to pull away as the Bulldogs built a 9-4 lead forcing Gardner-Webb to take a timeout.  Out of the break, Samford added five more unanswered points to build a ten-point lead, up 14-4, as the Runnin’ Bulldogs were forced to take another timeout.  The visitors would only score four more points for the remainder of the set, as Samford cruised to a 25-8 victory.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs again faced an early five-point deficit in set two, as they took a timeout trailing Samford 12-7.  This time, however, the visitors would hang in with the home team as Samford hit the 20-point mark with the same five-point differential, up 20-15.  After a quick timeout, Samford closed out the set with a 5-1 run to win it 25-16 and move up 2-0 in the match.

Samford would not allow Gardner-Webb to make set three a close one, as the Bulldogs built an early 9-2 lead.  Up by seven later, 14-7, Samford would rattle off seven unanswered points to gain a substantial 14-point lead, up 21-7.  Samford would win the set on back-to-back attack errors by the visitors as the home Bulldogs defeated the visitors 25-9 to give Samford its third sweep of the weekend.

Samford opens SoCon play at home next weekend as they welcome Western Carolina and Appalachian State.  The Bulldogs take on the Catamounts on Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. and the Mountaineers on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.

The Citadel 3, Charleston Southern 0

Charleston, S.C. – The lethal combination of Amanda Rudnik and Rachael Farrell allowed The Citadel volleyball team to close out the East Bay Deli Invitational in winning fashion as the Bulldogs swept host Charleston Southern by scores of 25-19, 25-12 and 25-20.

Rudnik completed the second match of the day with a double-double, 10 kills and 13 digs, while hitting .269. Meanwhile, Farrell tacked on nine kills and 11 digs and teammate Emily Dalton added 11 digs for the Dogs. The Citadel (2-12) finished with 42 kills in their first sweep of the season, making for a .293 attack percentage. Mikaela Tracy, who dished out 112 assists and was responsible for 41 digs in the two-day event, grabbed all-tournament honors. Joining her in that honor was teammate Lauren Hurt, who finished with 26 kills and 16 total blocks (seven solo).

Charleston Southern (5-9) was unable to find any rhythm on the offensive end as the Bulldogs limited the Bucs to a .094 attack percentage. Siraya Windsor led the way with nine kills, while Kayla Klinger and Katrina Houston added six kills each. Ashley Higgenbothem (15 digs) and Sydney Tracy (seven digs) provided the defensive spark.

The service game of Mikaela Tracy and Rudnik combined for five of the Dogs first eight points in the opening set. Leading 8-6, The Citadel turned to Lauren Hurt who came through with a pair of kills to push the Dogs in front by five. CSU closed to within two points, 12-10, but a series of kills by Ise d'Angelo, Tracy, Maxwell and Rudnik maintained the five-point margin. Leading 21-16 in the latter stages of the set, a Farrell service ace combined with a d'Angelo kill put the Cadets in command, 23-16. Five points later, Farrell completed the victory, 25-19, with a kill on a pass from Tracy.

Tracy continued her solid play in the opening frame of the second set, accounting for seven points, as The Citadel moved in front 16-7. The Bulldogs continued to pile on the offensive numbers with kills by Farrell, Hunt and d'Angelo to assume a 21-12 lead. It was there that Erin Bucherl stepped in to complete the 25-12 win with four points in serve, giving the Dogs a two set lead.

Tracy again allowed the Bulldogs snagged an early lead in the third set, 8-7. She sparked an 8-2 run and along with kills by d'Angelo and Maxwell The Citadel assumed a 17-9 lead. Despite a series of points from CSU, three kills by Rudnik and one each by d'Angelo and Farrell put the Dogs in command 22-17. The Citadel took advantage of kills down the stretch by Hurt and Farrell to complete the 25-20 sweep.

Wofford 3, The Citadel 2

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Led by three players with double-doubles, the Wofford volleyball team held on for a 3-2 (25-17, 25-16, 22-25, 22-25, 15-13) win over The Citadel in a nonconference match Saturday afternoon at the East Bay Deli Invitational.

Amanda Liguori had 15 kills and tied a career-high with 23 digs as she earned her fifth double-double of the season.  Bekah Dorsey handed out 35 assists and picked up 16 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.  Dorsey and Liguori lead the team with five double-doubles.  Tara Gough collected her second career double-double with a career-high 24 assists and ten digs.

Wofford took the lead early in the first set as they pulled ahead 15-7.  The Citadel cut into the lead, 17-13, but the Terriers would go on to win the opening set 25-17.

In the second set, Wofford broke a tie at seven with an 8-2 run to pull away 14-9.  The Terriers again would run away with the set as they took a 2-0 lead with a 25-16 win.

However, the third set was all The Citadel early, as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 16-5 lead.  Wofford was able to trim the lead after being down 21-11, down to 23-21, but could complete the comeback as they fell 25-22.

In the fourth set, the set remained close as the two teams were tied at 13.  The Bulldogs pulled ahead, 17-14, only to see the Terriers tie the set back at 19.  Wofford again couldn’t put away The Citadel as the Bulldogs forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-22 win.

The Citadel took the early lead in the fifth set, 8-4, but Wofford mounted an 8-3 run to tie the set at 12.  Wofford took the match and the set, 15-13, with a 3-1 run over the final four points.

Wofford had four players with double-digit kills.  Wendy Burnett set a new career-high with 16 kills. She also had a .481 hitting percentage.  Rachel Woodlee and Liguori each had 15 kills, while Arden Anderson added 13 kills.

Defensively, Burnett had a team-high five blocks to give her a new career-high 18.5 points.  Reagan Styles collected a match-high 25 digs.

The Citadel was led by Rachael Farrell, who had 16 kills and 12 digs to earn a double-double.  Mikaela Tracy handed out 36 assists, and Amanda Rudnik picked up a team-high 21 digs.

Wofford (7-3) will face Stetson in its final match of the East Bay Deli Invitational with the match scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Wofford 3, Stetson 0

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team extended its winning streak to five matches with its first sweep of the season, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-16) against Stetson in the final match of the East Bay Deli Invitational Saturday evening.

Wofford (8-3) has now won eight of its last night matches.

In the first set, Wofford took the early lead 9-6 and pushed the lead out to 15-9.  Stetson cut the lead to 18-16, but the Terriers held on for the 25-21.

Stetson broke a tie at eight in the second set with a 7-2 run to take a 15-11 lead.  Wofford battled back to force a tie at 16.  The Terriers continued the run as they went ahead 20-18, only to see the Hatters tie the set at 20.  Wofford ended the set with a 5-2 run to earn the 25-22 win.

Neither team could pull ahead early in the third set until Wofford broke a tie at 14 with a 11-4 run to earn its first sweet of the season as they took the fifth set 25-18.

Wofford held a .265 hitting percentage while limiting Stetson to just .197.

Amanda Liguori led Wofford with nine kills, while Taylor Baird and Rachel Woodlee added seven kills each.  Bekah Dorsey handed out 22 assists, while Liguori and Styles each collected ten digs.  Arden Anderson had three total blocks, one solo and two block assists.

Stetson was led by Kelli Carneal, who had 12 kills and a .455 hitting percentage.  She also had 11 assists to earn a double-double.  Cailyn Prewitt added 11 kills and 11 digs.

Styles earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Anderson and Bekah Dorsey made the all-tournament team.

Wofford will return to action in the team’s Southern Conference and home opener against Georgia Southern on September 21 at 6 p.m. in the Benjamin Johnson Arena.

Davidson 3, North Carolina Central 0

Green Bay 3, Davidson 2

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Caroline Brown finished just shy of a double-double with 11 kills and nine digs as the Davidson volleyball team downed the Eagles of N.C. Central in straight sets, 3-0, on the second day of the Wildcat Classic at Belk Arena. 

The Wildcats won their sets by the scores of 25-13, 25-14 and 25-17.

Ariel Ley also came close to a double-double with 32 assists and nine digs. Molly Crenshaw was the defensive leader of the day with 11 digs and added in two assists as well. Hannah Rau hit .417 with five kills, three block assists and a block solo, while Taylor Pisel led the 'Cats with an attacking percentage of .421 and recorded ten kills on the day. Megan Chamberlin served up a pair of aces.

Christine Anthony led the Eagles with eight kills and eight digs, while Dayana Arrufat had seven kills and seven digs. Alice Genna recorded 17 assists in the match, while Kalin Russell posted three block assists and two blocks solo.

Ley served up four consecutive points as the ‘Cats jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set one. The Eagles came back to tie the set on a kill by Ashley McCarthy, but Pisel responded with a kill of her own as Davidson jumped ahead 5-4. A pair of kills by Brown put the lead at 12-8 before the ‘Cats rolled off four straight points to take a six point advantage at 16-10. N.C. Central scored three more points before the ‘Cats scored six straight, five of which were served by Rau, to take the 25-13 set lead on a kill by Sewell.

Davidson again took an early lead at 10-5 in the second set and increased their advantage to 16-7 on a kill by Rau. Brown recorded a kill and a service ace on consecutive plays before the ‘Cats scored three straight to come within three of the win at 22-10. N.C. Central picked up four points to make it 24-14, but another kill courtesy of Sewell ended the set at 25-14 to give the ‘Cats the 2-0 lead in the match.

The Wildcats started set three off with a 9-1 scoring run, but the Eagles would come back to cut the deficit to five at 13-8. Chamberlin sandwiched an NCCU attack error with a pair of aces to give the Wildcats the ten point lead. The Eagles scored three straight, but the ‘Cats had the set put away. For the third straight set, it was Sewell with the kill for the 25-17 win as the ‘Cats took the match 3-0.

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Davidson erased a two-set deficit, but could not complete the comeback as it dropped a 3-2 match to Green Bay in the final game of the 2012 Wildcat Classic Saturday evening at Belk Arena. After falling 25-11 and 32-30 in the first two sets, the ‘Cats came back with wins of 25-14 and 25-22 before falling in the tiebreaker, 15-11.

Green Bay took first at the tournament, going 3-0 on the weekend with the Wildcats as the only team to take a set from the Phoenix all weekend. High Point finished second with a 2-1 record, while the host Wildcats claimed third at 1-2. N.C. Central went 0-3 at the tournament.

Tindall Sewell, who led the team in hitting at .288, was the 'Cats representative on the all-tournament team. Sewell finished with an attacking percentage of .375 in the final match, recording 13 kills, four block assists and a block solo. Caroline Brown led the 'Cats with 18 kills and 16 digs for a double-double along with a service ace. Ariel Ley had 51 assists and nine digs, as well as five kills and two block assists. Morgan Shannon boasted 17 digs on the night, but Molly Crenshaw was the team leader with 33. Taylor Pisel was also a factor in the scoring with 11 kills and four block assists, and Hannah Rau added in three block assists and seven kills.

Monica Anderson’s 22 kills led Green Bay, though three other Phoenix also finished with double digit kills. Leah Van Zeeland had 10 kills and 16 digs along with a pair of service aces, while Carmen Leitermann had 18 kills. Lyndsay Zabkowicz recorded 18 kills and Leah Poel, the tournament MVP, had a match-high 59 assists.

The Wildcats came out sluggish in the first set, as Green Bay scored 10 unanswered points to take a 13-1 lead. Kills by Sewell and Earnhardt put the score at 18-7 in favor of the Phoenix, but the Wildcats could not come back from the slow start. Green Bay took the set 25-11 on a kill by Anderson to lead 1-0

Set number two proved to be a battle for both teams as the squads traded scores through the first ten points. A kill by Leitermann gave the Phoenix a 15-12 lead, but the Wildcats kept themselves in the set with a block by Sewell and Brown.  Back-to-back kills from Brown tied things up at 23-23, and a block from Sewell gave the ‘Cats the lead. Kills by Anderson twice tied things up for the Phoenix before the Wildcats took a 30-29 lead on a GB error. However, a trio of kills by Green Bay would close out the set at 32-30 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Davidson dominated the third set, shooting out to a 10-5 advantage. Ley served four consecutive points, including an ace, as the ‘Cats stretched their lead to 13-5. Three straight points by the Phoenix cut their deficit to five, but the ‘Cats continued on with kills from Ley and Sewell for a 19-12 lead. A kill by Rau ended the set at 24-14 as the ‘Cats made it a 2-1 match.

The fourth set was a closer battle for the ‘Cats, who rattled off five straight points to take a 13-8 advantage. A service ace by Rau kept them ahead 15-9, and they would stretch the lead to seven on a kill by Brown. Three straight by the Phoenix cut their deficit to three at 20-17, and they would then score another trio of points to make it a 22-21 match. However the ‘Cats were able to protect their lead, as a kill from Sewell ended the set at 25-22 with the match tied at two games apiece.

The squads traded points throughout the fifth set with neither team taking a clear lead through the first 11 points. The Phoenix then rallied for four straight scores to earn the 15-11 win and the 3-2 overall victory.

Davidson, who falls to 4-6 on the season, will hit the road to open conference play next weekend. The ‘Cats head to Greenville, S.C., Friday to face Furman in an 8 p.m. matchup before taking on Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday.

Toledo 3, App State 0
Wake Forest 3, App State 0

The Mountaineers (3-10) fell to the Rockets (6-6) by scores of 25-20, 25-20 and 25-18 in what was each squad’s second of three matches this weekend.

Appalachian led for much of the first set before Toledo was able to take command by virtue of a late 7-1 run that gave the Rockets a 15-13 lead they would never relinquish.

In the second set, the Apps again led for a vast majority of the time until the Rockets reeled off yet another late run of the 8-1 variety to pick up a second-set win.

The third and final set was all Toledo as it led the entire time en route to its first of two sweeps of the day. The Rockets also downed Campbell, 3-0, later in the day.

Lindsey Sauls led App State with 11 kills while Courtney Rhein finished with a match-high 22 digs. The sister duo of Paige and Lauren Brown combined for 30 assists in the contest.

Dakota Harkins and Jordan Kielty led the Rockets with 14 and 13 kills, respectively, while Adria Pryor notched a match-high 77 assists.

The Apps hit an impressive .279 on the attack but Toledo’s offense put up a gaudy .333 hitting percentage as it committed just 11 errors in 96 attempts.

In Saturday’s second contest, the Mountaineers again fell in three sets as Wake Forest (6-5) was able to avenge last year’s loss in Boone by scores of 25-20, 25-22 and 25-20.

Wake Forest jumped out to an early lead in the first set and, despite several runs by the Mountaineers, was able to hang on for a first-set victory.

The second set of the evening featured perhaps the most competitive set of the day as fans saw three lead changes and 17 ties. Neither squad held a lead of more than two points until the Demon Deacons used a 3-1 run in the late stages to go ahead 2-0.

In the third set, Wake Forest dominated by racing out to a 12-3 lead. Appalachian was able to make it close with several late runs, but ultimately could not seal the deal and fell for the second-straight match.

Jacqui Spurgeon paced the Mountaineers with 10 kills in the match while P. Brown notched 21 assists and Rhein added 15 digs.

Andrea Beck (17) and Anna Carley (14) led the Demon Deacons in kills while Danae Rosendall notched a match-high 39 assists.

Wake Forest hit .278 on the attack while limiting the Mountaineers to a .149 attack percentage.

The Mountaineers will face North Carolina A&T at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the 2012 home-opener from the Holmes Center. The match can be seen live on GoASU TV as Molly Cotten will call the action.

MATCH NOTES: The Mountaineers dropped to 176-167 all-time in regular-season tournaments... Rhein increased her career-dig total to 1,533... she needs 296 more digs to become App State’s career digs leader... Spurgeon has tallied double-digit kill totals in four matches this season.

Youngstown State 3, UNCG 1

Morehead State 3, UNCG 2

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG volleyball team nearly pulled off another remarkable comeback, down 2-0 in the finale of the Spartan Spiketacular Saturday night, but Morehead State edged the Spartans 3-2 in the match and 15-13 in the fifth set to capture the tournament title inside Fleming Gymnasium. UNCG fell to Youngstown State in four sets earlier in the day.

Junior Karrian Chambers put together a solid offensive effort against the Eagles, putting down 17 kills on 37 attempts with just two errors to hit .405. She also racked up 14 digs to produce her first double-double of the year. Redshirt junior Olivia Humphries joined Chambers in double figures with 12 kills. Freshman Katherine Santiago was named the tournament’s Top Libero for the second time this year as she posted a match-high 23 digs and compiled a 4.14 per set average for the weekend.

The Spartans out-hit Morehead State .168-.130, but the Eagles rebounded with a 12 kills and no errors in the fifth set to aid their cause. The visitors also produced 58 kills and six aces while UNCG won the defensive battle (digs) by a 74-66 count. The battle at the net belonged to Morehead State, which totaled 11.0 blocks to the Spartans’ 8.0.

UNCG started the match off slowly, falling behind 4-0. After the Eagles’ lead grew to 12-5 on a Courtney Smith kill, the Spartans put together a 7-2 run to pull within 14-12, but Morehead State fended off the rally and clinched the first frame by a 25-19 count.

It was a much better start for the Spartans in the second interval, as three MSU attack errors helped UNCG build a 6-3 cushion. The Eagles answered with a 9-2 run which gave them a four-point lead, but a kill by Kellie Orewiler capped a Spartan rally which made the score 12-11. UNCG could not capitalize on the momentum, however, as Morehead State outscored the Spartans 13-6 the rest of the frame.

As it has often this season, UNCG roared out of the locker room and quickly took an 8-4 advantage – prompting a timeout from the Eagle bench. The Spartans never let MSU into the interval as Humphries made the score 17-9 with kill and kept the Eagles at bay. UNCG would go on to win the set by a 25-16 score.

The teams traded the first two points of the fourth frame as sophomore Emily McMurtrey was called for a ball-handling error but responded with a kill on the next rally. A Laura McDermott attacking error gave the home team a 10-7 lead and the teams began to side out from that point. With the score at 19-16 in favor of the Spartans, a McMurtrey kill and a MSU offensive miscue pushed the lead to five. Humphries would finish the set off with a kill, giving UNCG a 25-20 win.

Things looked promising at the beginning of the deciding set, as the Spartans scored three of the first four points, but the Eagles responded with a 9-4 run via some accurate hitting to take a 10-7 lead. A Hannah Sigala kill put Morehead State on the verge of victory as they led 13-9, but Chambers kept UNCG in the match with three consecutive kills to make it a one-point affair. The teams traded kills as the score reached 14-13 before Ann Gruenschlaeger put down a kill on the right side to ensure a win for Morehead State.

Sophomore Kelsey Sidney matched her career high with 10 kills and hit .381 against the Penguins in the early match while junior Karrian Chambers chipped in a team-high 11. Defensively, freshman Katherine Santiago racked up 16 digs as the only Spartan to reach double figures.

UNCG was only able to muster a .148 hitting mark while Youngstown State was very efficient offensively with a .318 showing. The Penguins were stronger at the net, posting 11.0 total blocks as compared to 5.5 for the home side. YSU also held the upper hand in digs (71-53) and kills (56-46).

The beginning of the match was tightly contested as the teams settled into a 10-10 deadlock after 20 points. Youngstown State took control from there, however, scoring seven of the next nine points to go ahead 17-12 when Jackie Carlisle put down a kill. The Spartans could not recover despite calling a timeout, dropping the first frame 25-18.

UNCG fell behind 4-1 in the second interval and the Penguin advantage would only grow, as a Julia Westerbur attack error put the Spartans in a 14-8 hole. YSU cruised from there, taking the second set by a 25-16 count.

As it did last night, UNCG came out on fire in the third frame and led 8-4 when freshman Lauren Betlach tallied an ace. The advantage ballooned to 15-7 as the 7-3 run was capped off by a Kellie Orewiler ace. The Penguins pulled to within six at 21-15 on a Shannon Watson kill, but it was too late as the Spartans stayed alive with a 25-17 set-three victory.

With the fourth interval knotted at seven, YSU went on a devastating 10-4 run which put it ahead 17-11. UNCG called timeout in an attempt to regroup, but the Spartans could not recover and lost the final frame 25-17.

UNCG opens Southern Conference play Thursday, Sept. 20 when the Spartans travel to Elon. First serve at Alumni Gym is slated for 7 p.m.

Mercer 3, Western Carolina 1

Winthrop 3, Western Carolina 0

Sophomore outside hitter Caitlin Piechota picked up consecutive matches with double-digit kills Saturday in the final day of the Winthrop Classic as the Catamounts were defeated by Mercer and Winthrop. Junior captain Morgan Cochran picked up a career-high 33 digs in the defeat against Mercer.

In the first match of the day for the Catamounts, WCU jumped on the board early to pick up the first set 25-17. Mercer led early in the set, jumping out to a 14-11 lead over the Catamounts. WCU answered with a 5-0 run behind the serve of Cochran to take a 16-14 lead, forcing a Mercer timeout. Mercer returned with a point to cut the lead to one, before a kill by Abbey Scroggins from the set of Cally Pfeiffer began another long run for the Catamounts. With Paige McConlogue serving, WCU scored six unanswered to lead 23-15. Kills from Nicole Ford and Caitlin Piechota gave WCU the 25-17, first set win.

WCU fell behind early in the second, trailing 4-1, and continually tried to claw back. The Catamounts came within one at 9-10 and 10-11, but a three point run by Mercer would give the Bears a comfortable three point cushion that Mercer would maintain until a four point swing late in the set gave WCU a 23-22 lead. Mercer came back with two straight points to retake the lead, 24-23, forcing the Catamount timeout. WCU picked up a kill from Caitlin Piechota out of the timeout to tie the match at 24. Mercer would rally, though, to score two straight with kills by Molly Locke to take the second, 26-24.

Set three mirrored set two with Mercer needing the extra point to win the set by the same score of 26-24. In the final set, Mercer would take the match with a 25-18 win of the fourth set.

Sophomore Paige McConlogue tallied 25 digs in the match as freshman Nicole Ford knocked down nine kills, hitting .350.

Though the Catamounts were swept in the second match of the day against the host Winthrop Eagles, the Catamounts again played their opponent close, losing set one by three points and set two by just two.

Set one started with the Eagles widening a lead to three, 11-8, before a three point run by the Catamounts tied the set. In that run, Leah Butler and Caitlin Piechota tallied kills with Cally Pfeiffer picking up an ace. The match would stay within a point until an Eagle ball handling error gave WCU a 16-14 lead. Western Carolina would lead by as many as four, 19-15, before the Eagles came storming back, taking the set 25-22.

In set two, the Eagles were the ones who lost a six point lead, up 23-17. With their backs against the wall, WCU began to claw back, tying the match at 24. In the comeback, the Eagles made three errors, with Jordan Timmermann picking up two kills. A kill by Winthrop’s Amy Zimmer forced a WCU timeout. WCU again answered out of the timeout with a kill from freshman Nicole Ford, one of her four for the match. Kristin Cruse picked up a kill for the Eagles, but WCU answered back with a huge block by freshmen Tina Nazario and Nicole Ford. Winthrop ended the set with two kills, winning 28-26.

The third set began closely, with both teams tied at nine. Winthrop would then set out to gain and widen its lead, taking the final set, 25-19.

With the losses, Western falls to 3-12 on the season with its final preseason tournament of the season behind them. The Catamounts return to the friendly confines of the Ramsey Center for a 6 p.m. matchup against Gardner-Webb before beginning conference play on the road against Samford and Chattanooga.

Indiana 3, Chattanooga 1

Valparaiso 3, Chattanooga 0

The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team (6-9, 0-0) dropped both of its matches Saturday evening to wrap up the Adidas Hoosier Classic in Bloomington, Ind., falling 3-1 to Indiana and 3-0 to Valparaiso.

Despite going winless over the weekend, Mocs' junior setter Bridget Camacho was named to the All-Tournament team for her performance over the weekend. Camacho tallied 108 assists over three matches while also showing versatility on defense with 28 digs.

The Mocs dropped their first match of the day to the hosting Hoosiers. IU got the best of Chattanooga with a 3-1 victory despite a third-set victory from UTC.

Chattanooga fell 25-13 in the first game. Indiana registered a .387 hitting percentage while Chattanooga only managed a .083 hitting percentage. UTC was allowed to score back-to-back points just three times in the set before the Hoosiers' Jordan Haverly ended the set with an ace.

Indiana took a convincing 25-9 win in the second set, holding the Mocs to yet another .083 hitting percentage in the game. IU was flawless during the frame with zero errors while Chattanooga committed five against the Big 10 opponent.

The Mocs showed life in the third set, taking a 25-18 frame from the Hoosiers. Chattanooga recorded a match-best 12 kills while IU committed a match-high nine errors.  Indiana's hitting percentage dipped into the negatives during the set, -.065, while Chattanooga hit a match-best .286.

Despite the late showing from UTC, Indiana took the final set 25-14 and claimed the match 3-1.

Freshman Briana Reid was the Mocs' kills leader with eight against the Hoosiers. Senior Christina Teter finished second with seven and junior Jennifer Kuroski recorded six in her first match of the season. Camacho collected 28 assists.

Looking to bounce back and pick up at least one win before returning to Chattanooga, the Mocs took on Valparaiso later that evening. UTC didn't find what it was looking for against the Crusaders, dropping the final match of the tournament 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-12).

Reid again finished atop the stat sheet in kills with nine. Freshman Sarah Batterton finished the match in second with seven. Senior Paula Passmore led the team in digs with 17, but Camacho found herself just five digs behind Passmore along with a team-best 25 assists.

The Mocs return home Friday to host Appalachian State at 6 p.m., to open up Southern Conference play. SoCon opening weekend continues at Maclellan Gym Saturday evening as UTC takes on Western Carolina at 3 p.m. Admission is free and each match will feature post-match autographs from the players and coaches.