Appalachian State 3, College of Charleston 1

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball came out on fire and grabbed a commanding 3-1 victory over SoCon South division foe College of Charleston Saturday afternoon. It was the Apps first win over the Cougars since October 27, 2007 when the Mountaineers won by the same margin. With the victory, the Black and Gold snap a two-match losing streak and improve to 10-15 overall and 6-5 in league play, while C of C drops to 12-11 on the season and 8-3 in the SoCon. In addition to notching the impressive win, ASU also raised 3500 dollars for the fight against breast cancer in their Dig Pink event.

Appalachian came out strong in first set action and never looked back, as the Mountaineers cruised to a 25-17 first set victory. ASU's narrowest margin of lead was at 10-8, but kills by Caroline Sedon, Lauren Swecker and Maggie Seeds, helped ASU take a commanding 16-10 advantage, on a 6-0 run. The Apps stout play continued, as points by Kelsey Kuehner and Becca Norris helped ASU keep its lead at the 20-15 mark.

A block assist by Sedon and Seeds and a two final kills by Swecker enabled the Black and Gold to cruise to the first set win.

The second set was not as kind to the Mountaineers who struggled to find any rhythm early on, finding themselves in a 12-4 hole. Whitney Russell paced the Cougar attack, as she accounted for three of C of C's early points and teammates Emily Sawin and Elyse Chubb chipped in offensively as well.

An 11-3 Appalachian streak, knotted the set at 15 all, with points by Swecker, Kuehner and Sedon helping ASU to stay alive, but it was all College of Charleston from there on out.

A block assist by Elyse Chubb and Ginny Phillips and two more points by Phillips put the Cougars up 20-16. The Cougars would not relinquish their advantage, taking a 25-18 second set win, to tie the match at one apiece.

Third set action was tied at the final time at the five all mark as ASU led the rest of the way. Appalachian grabbed a 18-13 lead, with points coming from all over from the Mountaineer squad, as Kasey Sauls, Swecker and Seeds all paced ASU offensively.

Three kills by Norris in the waning points of the set helped the Apps regain their momentum and capture the thrilling 25-20 third set victory to take a 2-1 set advantage.

The Mountaineers carried their momentum into the fourth set, as two solo blocks by Seeds and kills by Kuehner and Norris gave the Apps a 14-4 lead. C of C tried to muster a comeback, cutting their deficit to just six points at the 15-9 mark. However, ASU would not let down, as Seeds, Norris and Sedon all continued with their solid play to put ASU up 20-12 and give Appalachian the eventual resounding 25-17 fourth set and 3-1 match win.

Offensively, sophomore Maggie Seeds tied a career and match-high with 16 kills, while Lauren Swecker posted a season-best 13 kills. Seeds also tallied a career-best two block solos on the afternoon.

Appalachian continues with its 2009 campaign, as the Apps hit the road for a three match road swing, beginning November 4 at Western Carolina.

The Citadel 3, Western Carolina 0

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Citadel Volleyball team extended their winning streak to three games, following a road sweep of Southern Conference foe Western Carolina, 25-21, 25-23 and 28-26. Tatum Jestila came through for the Bulldogs with another outstanding performance, 18 kills and 17 digs, to capture consecutive conference victories for the first time in program history.

"What a great win," said head coach Carolyn Geiger. "We gutted it out through several close sets. We knew coming into this match that Western Carolina has strong hitters. So the object was to serve them tough to take them out of their rhythm. Our defense really picked up the last couple of matches and that we are now playing with an obvious confidence. I am proud of our girls and we will turn our focus to the College of Charleston."

Junior Alyssa Holum had a solid performance for the Bulldogs, finishing with 38 assists and 16 digs. Along with Rachael Farrell's 10 digs, the team held a 63-48 advantage in digs. Middle blocker Jessica Maas tacked on eight kills and two assisted blocks. Jestila reached two milestones with her performance, 10 double-doubles and 15 double digit kill matches. The Bulldogs improve to 7-20 overall and 2-8 in SoCon play.

The Catamounts winless slide moves to 15 consecutive matches, dating back to a Sept. 18 loss to UNC Wilmington. Carrie Minogue topped the team with nine kills, while Katie Hennessey had 29 assists and 14 defensive digs. Western Carolina tallied 38 kills and a .155 hitting percentage in the match. It marks the third time, in as many games, that Citadel opposition have not reached a .200 hitting percentage, beginning with UNC Greensboro hitting .152, followed by Savannah State at (-.198).

The Bulldogs return to McAlister Field House on Wednesday, Nov. 4 to meet cross-town rival College of Charleston. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The Citadel will then face a series of weekend matches against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Nov. 7 and Davidson on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Game statistics and a game recap will be available immediately following the match. For more information on Bulldog Volleyball or The Citadel Athletics, visit the website.

Elon 3, Samford 0

ELON, N.C. - The Elon Phoenix volleyball squad posted a .353 hitting percentage, committing just eight errors in the match, to down the Samford Bulldogs 3-0 (25-23, 25-8, 28-26) in Southern Conference action on Saturday afternoon in Alumni Gym.
 
With the win, Elon improves to 20-5 on the season and 7-4 in league action. The 20 wins are the most for an Elon team since moving to Division I in 1999. Samford falls to 14-12 overall and 8-4 in the SoCon.
 
"This is a really big win for our team. We played well against Charleston last weekend, and we did a good job of bringing that energy and effort into this weekend," said head coach Mary Tendler. "I think the team showed a lot of maturity today by limiting our mistakes and I am extremely proud of how we played."
 
Mandy Wilson and Caroline Lemke led the Phoenix offense, tallying eight kills a piece. Wilson posted eight kills on 16 attempts with no errors while Lemke tallied just two errors in her 15 attempts. Lemke posted one solo block along with three block assists. Traci Stewart recorded seven kills and just one error while Sarah Schermerhorn and Lauren Copenhagen each notched six kills. Schermerhorn added two service aces and two block assists while Copenhagen tallied nine digs and Stewart posted four block assists. Ali Deatsch recorded a match-high 12 digs while Emily Regan recorded 30 assists.
 
Allie Bettinger posted a match-best nine kills along with six digs for the Bulldogs. Elizabeth Neisler tallied seven kills and two block assists while Rachel Gadberry and Hillary Fountain each recorded five kills. Fountain, Sarah Gardner and Alexis Bauer each posted nine digs for the Samford defense.
 
Samford took an early two-point lead at 5-3 in the first set and maintained that lead for most of the set. Elon stayed within three points of the Bulldogs before Samford pushed the lead to five, 21-16, on a kill from Bettinger. Elon scored the next five points, behind the serve of Lizzie West, to knot the game at 21-21 on a kill by Copenhagen. After ties at 22 and 23, Elon scored the final two points on back-to-back Copenhagen kills to take set one, 25-23. Elon posted just one error in the first set for a .552 hitting percentage.
 
Elon jumped to an early 7-1 lead in set two, forcing Samford to use a timeout. The Bulldogs earned the first point out of the timeout on a kill from Fountain, but Elon used the serve of West to score the next seven points and push the lead to 12 at 14-2. During the run, Lemke and Stewart posted two assisted blocks and Lemke recorded a solo block. Ahead 20-8, Elon scored the next five points behind the serve of Regan to finish the set 25-8. The Phoenix defense held Samford to a -.136 hitting percentage in the second set.
 
In the third set, Elon took an early 7-5 lead, but Samford scored consecutive points to knot the game at 7-7. The teams tied seven more times, the last coming at 17-17, before Samford took a 22-18 lead on a block by Neisler and Sheridan Stangohr. The Phoenix scored five of the next six points to tie the game again at 23-23. The teams went back and forth, knotting the score three more times. Tied 26-26, Elon scored the final two points on a kill by Copenhagen and a block by Schermerhorn and Stewart to earn set three, 28-26.
 
Elon returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 1 in a 1 p.m. match with Chattanooga in Alumni Gym. Samford will travel to UNC Greensboro for a 1 p.m. face off with the Spartans.

Furman 3, Davidson 2

DAVIDSON, N.C. - For a second straight match, the Furman Paladins needed five sets to keep their perfect Southern Conference record intact, defeating the Davidson Wildcats, 3-2 (25-19, 20-25, 24-26, 25-16, 15-10) Saturday evening at Belk Arena.

A day after surviving a five-set scare from Georgia Southern, Furman (20-3, 12-0) rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the fourth set convincingly, 25-16, before taking the match with a 15-10 decision in the final set.

Davidson (7-21, 4-8) dropped the opening set, 25-19, but looked in control in the second and third frames to put the Paladins on the ropes.

The Wildcats placed three hitters in double figures, led by 18 kills from Sarabeth Peele to go along with 14 digs. Jorden Benedict finished with 14 kills and a team-best five blocks, and Christine Perzinski chipped in 13 kills and 12 digs. Setter Anna Bradbury tallied 50 assists, and libero Molly Crenshaw contributed 26 digs. Jennifer Chamblee was also in double-digits with 12 digs.

Four Paladins hitters touched double figures, paced by 16 from Kelly Kirby, who double-doubled with 11 digs. Chandler Ambrester added 14 kills, and Caroline Adams and Natalie Braun each finished with 10. Southern Conference leader Kelsey Salava added 56 assists to her tally, and Stephanie Smith led the Furman defense with 24 digs.

The Paladins took control of the opening frame with an 11-6 run, though Davidson would close to 14-11 on back-to-back kills from Benedict and Lupfer. Furman extended its lead to 18-12 and forced the Wildcats into a timeout and would take the first set by a 25-19 margin.

Controlling play throughout the second set, Davidson turned an early 7-3 lead into a late 23-16 edge and survived a Furman rally in the 25-20 win. The Paladins put together a 4-0 run to close to 23-20, but Lupfer and Perzinksi went back-to-back to even the match at a set apiece.

Furman led for most of the third set, as the Wildcats survived a set point, 24-22, on a Benedict putaway and went on to take a 2-1 lead in the match with the 26-24 win. Furman led 18-14 when Davidson begin its comeback bid, winning three straight to close within a score and force a Paladin timeout. Furman, though, used a 3-1 run to reclaim a 21-18 advantage, but Davidson evened the score at 22 with a 4-1 run of its own. Knotted at 22, Furman's Braun and Katherine Hall gave Furman a 24-22 edge, before Benedict took over. After regaining possession, she put away two straight sets from Bradbury to put Davidson ahead 25-24, and Ariel Ley aced her third serve to lift the 'Cats to the 26-24 win.

Furman used an 11-2 run at the end of the game to bust open the third set. The Wildcats had battled back from a 13-9 deficit to within a point, 14-13, on another Benedict kill before Furman would make its run and even the match with the 25-16 win.

In the fifth and abbreviated set, Davidson would take a 3-2 lead on a kill from Peele, but a 3-0 run including kills from Adams and Ambrester would give Furman all the lead it needed. Trailing 7-4, Davidson got a pair of scores on a Perzinski kill and a Paladin error, but Furman would open up a 12-8 lead and win the match with back to back kills from Adams and Kirby in the 15-10 decision.

Davidson will make its final road trip of the season, traveling to Charleston, S.C., for a pair of SoCon matches at the College of Charleston and The Citadel. The Wildcats face the Cougars at 2 p.m. Saturday and the Bulldogs the following afternoon at 2 p.m.

UNC Greensboro 3, Chattanooga 0

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Caley Redden had 16 kills and Luciana Shafer added 12 kills as UNC Greensboro swept Chattanooga, 3-0, on Saturday night in Fleming Gymnasium. With the win, the Spartans moved into a tie for second place with Elon in the North Division, just half a game behind Samford.

The Spartans improved 15-11 on the season and 7-4 in the Southern Conference, while the Mocs fell to 12-13 this year and 3-9 in league play.

"Today was a real good win, but we don't have any time to enjoy it," said head coach Patrick Nicholas. "We have to return to the court tomorrow against a real tough opponent in Samford and it is a match we really need to win if we want to have a chance to make the conference tournament. Everything is still up for grabs and it is really important for us to finish the season strong."

Redden's also added 12 digs to record her team-high 10th double-double of the season and Shafer's 12 kills tied her season-high. Ari Lysacek had 39 assists in the match, while Kayleigh Knerr and Catherine Hanners had 15 and 13 digs, respectively.

The Spartans trailed 4-1 to open the first set, but rallied to take a 6-5 lead. In fact, UNCG would never trail the rest of the set, although they never led by more than four points. After back-to-back points by the Mocs tied the set at 21, the Spartans called a timeout and Redden delivered consecutive kills as UNCG won the final four points to win the set, 25-21.

UNCG carried its momentum into the second set as they took an early 8-1 lead. The Mocs used a 5-0 run midway through the set to pull within 14-13, but the Spartans stood strong and never relinquished the lead. Redden and Shafer each had six kills in the set and an Emily Lindborg kill gave UNCG the set, 25-23, and a 2-0 lead heading into the break.

The Spartans continued their offensive attack as Redden delivered seven kills in the set and helped her team take an 8-3 lead. UNCG maintained its lead throughout set and cruised to win the set, 25-18, on a kill by Redden.

The Spartans return to the floor on Sunday as they host Samford at 2 p.m. in Fleming Gymnasium for a chance to take the lead in the North Division.

Georgia Southern 3, Wofford 0

STATESBORO, Ga. - Erasing a slow start in the opening set, the Georgia Southern volleyball team governed the final two sets to overpower Wofford Saturday, 3-0 (28-26, 25-22, 25-16), in Hanner Fieldhouse. The Eagles struck an impressive .356 from the floor on behalf of sophomore Bethany Sanford's match-high 14 kills. With the Southern Conference win, Georgia Southern took its overall record to 18-9 and league mark to 8-4. Wofford fell to 17-11, 4-8.

"It was nice to see the way the team rebounded from last night's performance. I know we were a little down after that, but it was good to see the team respond well on the court tonight," said head coach Chad Callihan. "There are some things I think we can still do better, but overall it was a good match."

The Eagles got off to a sluggish start, but backed by Sanford, who led the team in kills in two of the three sets, Georgia Southern maintained control of the Terriers. Wofford opened the match holding the lead until a Sanford kill, followed by a Terrier error, knotted the opening set at 11-all. The Terriers retained possession of the lead until consecutive kills from Sanford and Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) gave the Eagles their first edge of the night, 18-17. Tied at 21-apiece, the Terriers found set-point off a 3-0 run, but a 3-0 run of their own put the Eagles back within striking distance at 24-all. The conference foes traded set-points until Arden Anderson tied the set at 26-26. Sanford put Georgia Southern on top as Small fired her fourth kill of the set to secure the win, 28-26.

Jumping out to a quick lead in the second set, Georgia Southern held a 6-2 advantage before a pair of Danielle Graham (Cincinnati, Ohio) kills improved the lead, 8-2. A Shanna Hughes kill pushed the Terriers to within one point at 17-16, but Georgia Southern retaliated and took a commanding 2-0 lead into the intermission with a 25-22 second set victory.

It was behind strong serving from freshman Ashleigh Wienbarg (Monroe, Ga.) that the Eagles closed out the final third set. Encompassing 10 ties and four lead changes, the teams found themselves in a standstill at 15-all before Claybaugh earned the side out for the Eagles, putting Wienbarg at the helm of the court. Behind the freshman's serving, the Eagles put together an 8-1 run, setting the stage for the Eagles at 23-16. Claybaugh fired her fourth kill of the set to give Georgia Southern match point as Graham closed out the conference victory for the Eagles, 25-16, with her 11^th kill of the match.

Sanford finished with 14 kills and seven digs, while Graham and Small added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. The Eagles' defense was paced behind senior libero Cristin Haines' (Palos Heights, Ill.) 18 defensive saves. Freshman setter Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) recorded 38 assists to go along with 10 digs.

Hughes added seven digs to 10 kills to lead the Terriers. With 27 assists, setter Joanna Suddath led the offense, while Sarah Palmer posted nine digs.

The Eagles have a week to prepare before hitting the road for a pair on conference matches this weekend. "I think our defense can be stronger than it has been the past couple of matches, so this week we will spend a lot of time working on our blocks and defense to see if we can get that to where we want it to be," said Callihan.

Georgia Southern returns to the court traveling to College of Charleston on Friday, November 6. Match time in Charleston is slated for 7 p.m.