Furman 3, College of Charleston 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Junior setter Cole Dawley (Charleston, S.C.) was one dig away from her second triple-double of the year with 54 assists, 10 kills and nine digs as the College of Charleston (16-12, 12-4) dropped a narrow 3-2 decision to Furman (24-3, 15-0) in a Southern Conference volleyball match on Saturday, November 14. The Paladins claimed the match by scores of 25-23, 26-24, 26-28, 22-25 and 16-14.
Down 0-2 to the defending Southern Conference Tournament Champions, the College of Charleston rallied to win the third set by a 28-26 score and then, after leading by at least three points for most of the set, forced a decisive fifth set with a hard fought 25-22 win in Game 4.
In that final set, the teams deadlocked at 3-3 before a block by junior right side hitter Ginny Phillips (Raleigh, N.C.) and senior middle blocker Jennifer Darty (Orlando, Fla.), combined with a Paladin attack error, gave the Cougars a 5-3 lead. A 3-1 run by Furman then knotted the score at 6-6, igniting a stretch where the teams exchanged the next four points to make it 8-8 before a kill by sophomore middle blocker Alexis Shaffer gave the Paladins a 9-8 advantage.
CofC rallied to tie the set at 11-11 before taking a 12-11 advantage on a kill by Phillips. The teams then exchanged the next four points to make it 14-13, CofC. Consecutive kills by freshman outside hitter Chandler Ambrester and junior outside hitter Katherine Hall made it 15-14 and a Cougars' error gave Furman a 16-14 win in the set and a 3-2 victory
Both teams came out ready to play early on as as they battled through eight ties and seven lead changes in Game 1 before deadlocking at 10-10. An ace, a key block and consecutive kills then vaulted CofC out to a 14-10 advantage. It would be short lived as the Paladins responded with five straight points for a 15-14 lead and maintained at least that advantage until the Cougars rallied to tie the score at 23-23. A kill and a block from Katherine Hall then put the set away for Furman at 25-23.
The second set was much like the first as the teams tied at 6-6 and then fought through 11 ties and four more lead changes before knotting the score at 21-21. Three straight kills from the Paladins gave them match point at 24-21 but the College of Charleston would not go away. Back-to-back kills from sophomore middle blocker Sarah Havel (Carmel, Ind.) and Ginny Phillips then sparked a 3-0 run to tie the set at 24-24 before Furman notched consecutive scores for a 26-24 victory and 2-0 match lead.
A back-and-forth affair accounted for the entire third set as neither team would give an inch and were not separated by more than a handful of points at any juncture. Trailing late, the College of Charleston rallied to tie the frame before taking a 28-26 decision to keep their hopes of an upset alive.
With a chance to force a decisive fifth set, the Cougars raced out to leads of 9-5 and 17-12 in the fourth set. However, trailing 20-14, the Paladins scored four of the next five points to close to within 21-18. The clubs traded the next four points to reach 23-20 before back-to-back kills from Shaffer and Armbrester made it 23-22. It would not be enough, however, as a kill by Darty and a Furman error sent the match to a deciding fifth frame.
Alexis Shaffer and Chandler Armbrester each drilled 20 kills and combined for 14 blocks to lead the way for Furman. Shaffer posted a match-best nine while Armbrester finished with five. Senior setter Kelsey Salava dished out 67 assists to fuel the offense while freshman middle blocker Caroline Adams and freshman outside hitter Natalie Braun finished with 13 kills a piece. Adams added seven blocks and Braun produced a team-high 21 digs in addition to their offensive contributions.
Katherine Hall rounded out the five Paladins in double-figure kills as she had 11 while sophomore setter Carolyn Nicoletti and junior libero Brooke Ellison finished with 11 and 10 digs, respectively.
Cole Dawley posted another tremendous performance to lead the College of Charleston as she finished with 54 assists, 10 kills, nine digs and hit a team-best .588 from the setter position. Sarah Havel tied her career-high with 19 kills and added seven digs while sophomore outside hitter Katie Robinson (Gainesville, Fla.) broke her career-high with 20 digs. She added also added eight kills.
Ginny Phillips notched a double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs to go along with four blocks while sophomore middle blocker Elyse Chubb (Peachtree City, Ga.) had 10 kills and six blocks. Jennifer Darty chipped in with 10 kills while junior libero Paige Johnson (Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) finished with a match-high 25 digs.
The Cougars close out the regular season at 16-12 overall and 12-4 in the South Division of the Southern Conference. They finish in second place behind Furman, snapping their run of eight straight regular season championships.
The College of Charleston advances to the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament in Greenville, S.C. on the campus of Furman University. The Cougars have clinched the No. 2 seed out of the South Division and will face North Division Champion Samford in the first round of the tournament on Saturday, November 20.
NOTES
The College of Charleston had won eight consecutive Southern Conference titles, division or overall, dating back to the 2001 season ... that stretch included five Southern Conference Tournament titles.
UNC Greensboro 3, Western Carolina 1
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Luciana Shafer delivered a match-high 18 kills and Caley Redden had her 15th double-double on the year as UNC Greensboro rolled over Western Carolina, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon in the Ramsey Center.
The Spartans finished the year 17-14 overall and 9-7 in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina is now 3-26 on the year and 0-15 in the league with one match remaining.
"First off, Western Carolina played real tough and fought until the very end," said head coach Patrick Nicholas. "It was a good match for us to win and I was happy we were able to send our seniors off with a win. It's sad to say goodbye to them, but as I told the team, these seniors have laid down a pretty good foundation for this program's success. Overall this season, I was real proud of our team and the way they played with a lot of heart and toughness. It's a shame that only four teams make the conference tournament this season because there is so much parody in the league this season."
Shafer hit .310 for the match as she recorded 18 kills and Redden had 11 kills and a team-high 28 digs to record her double-double. Ari Lysacek also had a double-double as she finished with 34 assists and 10 digs. Catherine Hanners had 24 digs in the match to finish her career with a school-record 2,315 digs.
The Spartans got the match started off on a good note as they used an 8-0 run early in the first set to take a 12-3 lead. UNCG continued to cruise through the set as a Shafer kill and a block by Lysacek gave the Spartans the first set, 25-14.
The second set didn't go as well for the Spartans as the Catamounts rattled off five straight points to take a 9-4 lead. The Spartans managed to pull within 20-18 late in the set on a kill by Alissa Beaudway, but Western Carolina won five of the last six points to take the set, 25-19.
UNCG rebounded coming out of the break to take the third set. UNCG fell behind 7-3 to begin the set, but rallied to take an 11-9 lead on a kill by Emily Lindborg. The two teams traded points to most of the set although the Spartans trailed 20-18 late in the set. The Spartans won the next two points on kills by Shafer and Redden to tie the set at 20. After the Catamounts took a 22-21 lead, UNCG scored the final four points of the set to win it, 25-22.
Holding on to a 2-1 team lead, UNCG once again had a sluggish start to begin a set. The Catamounts had an early 5-0 run to take a 9-3 lead on a kill by Amanda Kerr. Trailing 15-9, the Spartans went on a 10-4 run, capped off by a Kayren Finney kill, to tie the score at 19. The two teams found themselves tied at 23, but Lindborg delivered back-to-back kills to give UNCG the final set, 25-23.
Davidson 3, Chattanooga 1
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Behind a season-and career-best 16 kills from Jorden Benedict and another 16 from Sarabeth Peele, the Davidson women's volleyball team scored a 3-1 season-ending win against visiting Chattanooga in a Southern Conference match on Saturday afternoon at Belk Arena.
The Wildcats captured the first two sets, 25-23, 25-18, before UTC earned a win in the third set, 25-22, and then the 'Cats closed out the win with another 25-23 win.
Davidson finished the year on a strong note, recording wins in five of its last eight matches to end its 2009 campaign at 9-23 overall and 6-10 in league action. Chattanooga fell to 12-17, 4-12 in the SoCon.
Benedict was in the zone on Saturday, punching down 16 of her 29 kills for a
.414 hitting percentage to lead the Wildcats. Peele finished 16-of-47, while Madison Benedict closed out the players in double digits with 10 kills on 23 swings for a .286 hitting percentage.
Setting up the Wildcats offense was Anna Bradbury with 33 assists, while Hayley Lawson finished with 12.
Molly Crenshaw and Christine Perzinski provided some solid defense, closing with 20 and 10 digs, respectively, for the Wildcats.
Chattanooga's lone player in double digits in kills was Laura Brock with 12 swings that landed for points, while she added eight digs. Paula Passmore matched Crenshaw with match-high honors, getting 20 digs and Meagan Ernd had 10. Cassie Conner had a match-best 34 assists.
Jorden was the hitting hero in the first set, putting down five of her nine swings, including three of them in a critical point of the match when Davidson came back from a 16-14 deficit. The score would go back-and-forth until Davidson got a UTC service error followed by a service ace from Perzinski for a 22-20 lead, forcing a Chattanooga timeout. Two Lady Moc attack errors and a kill from Hayley Lawson out of the time out carried the 'Cats to the 25-23 win.
Set two featured six lead changes and 14 ties as it was a battle through the first half of the set. Davidson though, took control when it got an attack error by UTC's Ernd and then a kill from Madison. The Wildcats would hold a two-point lead until the Mocs had three straight errors to give the Wildcats a 23-18 lead. A service ace from Bradbury, one of three in the match, and a put-away from Erin Lupfer gave Davidson a 25-18 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
After the break, Chattanooga jumped out to a 10-7 lead with two service aces from Brock and an attack error by the 'Cats. Then after Davidson came back to knot things up at 12-all, the Mocs went on a 6-2 run for an 18-14 advantage. They would maintain at least a two-point lead until Davidson again stormed back to get back-to-back kills from Peele and Jorden to tie the score again at 22-22. But, UTC countered with back-to-back kills from Brock, who had five in the set, and a Wildcat attacking error to score a
25-22 win in set three.
Just like the first three sets, the final one again went back-and-forth with neither team able to pull away. Finally, tied at 18-apiece, Jorden gave the 'Cats the lead for good with a kill over the middle for a 19-18 advantage. A kill from her sister and two hitting errors by the Mocs pushed the lead out to 22-18 for Davidson. UTC made one last charge, closing within one, 23-22, on a kill from Ernd, but the combo of Jorden Benedict and Peele sealed the win with a kill each for the 25-23 victory.
Davidson closed out the match hitting .216 in the final set for a match-best percentage of .189 (52-25-148). The 'Cats had seven service aces and earned five team blocks. Chattanooga finished swinging at a .149 clip and had seven team blocks.
Appalachian State 3, Elon 2
BOONE, N.C. - Senior Maja Jechorek scored four of ASU's final points in fifth set action and led Appalachian State University volleyball to a thrilling 3-2 victory over SoCon North Division foe Elon Saturday evening at the Holmes Center. With the win, ASU clinches the number two spot in the North Division and qualifies for the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament, making its first appearance at the SoCon tournament since 2007. Appalachian also improves to 14-16 on the season and 10-6 in league play, while Elon falls to 23-7 overall and 9-6 in conference action.
Sophomore Maggie Seeds came out unstoppable in fifth set play, scoring five of ASU's first seven points with senior Becca Norris chipping in as well to help the Mountianeers notch a 10-8 lead. Jechorek did not want her senior season to end, as she tallied three kills and a solo block, helping the Apps clinch the win.
In first set action, the set was tied for the final time at the six all mark before Appalachian dominated the Phoenix. Four kills by Jechorek and an added one by Lauren Swecker pushed ASU's advantage to 12-9.
Elon would come within as close as two points off an Emily Regan kill, but the Phoenix would be no match for the impressive Appalachian offense, as freshman Meghann Forshey, Norris, Kelly Rhein and Jechorek all enabled the Black and Gold to take the 23-17 lead.
A final Kelly Rhein kill and a Megan McMahon setting error gave the Mountaineers the 25-19 first set victory.
Rhein finished the night tied for a match-high 17 kills, just two off her career-high, along with posting eight digs and two block assists.
In a tale of two teams, the second set would not finish in ASU's favor, as Elon came out on fire early on. The Phoenix jumped out to a 17-9 lead thanks in part to strong play by Jessica Barrow, Caroline Lemke and three straight Appalachian hitting errrors.
The set did not get any better for the Black and Gold as hitting errors proved to be the achilles heel, as three in the waning points of play gave Elon a 25-15 second set victory, tying the match at one all.
Opposite the second set, four errors by Elon proved to be costly in third set action as the Apps took a 7-2 advantage. Elon however would answer, posting a 5-1 streak to comeback and tie the set at eight all.
The set would be tied on three more occassions but a Lizzie West serving error gave the Mountaineers a spark as they would never relinquish their lead the rest of the set.
Kills by Maggie Seeds and Norris and two straight Elon errors pushed the Apps lead to five points at the 20-15 mark. Despite the Phoenix trying to rally, an Elon hitting error and a block assist by Seeds and Caroline Sedon earned ASU the 25-19 third set win.
The fourth set saw 18 ties and eight lead changes in a hotly contested battle.
It appeared ASU was starting to pull away from Elon going up 13-11 off another Seeds and Sedon block assist and Elon hitting error, but the Phoenix would not go away quietly.
Appalachian would continue its strong play, grabbing a two point lead at 22-20 off a Jechorek kill and another Elon hitting error, but a Lemke kill and Appalachian hitting error knotted the set once more.
ASU was at set and match point up 24-23, but a Black and Gold serving error let Elon creep back into the set and tie it at 24 all. A Sarah Schermerhorn and Regan block assist earned Elon the 28-27 advantage and a final Schermerhorn kill gave the Phoenix a fourth set win at 29-27.
With three seniors on its roster, Appalachian did not want its season to end, and strong fifth set play gave the Apps the heart-stopping 3-2 win.
Four Mountaineers finished the contest with double-figure kills with Jechorek and Rhein leading the way, each tallying 17. Sophomore Maggie Seeds and senior Becca Norris came up huge for ASU offensively as well, as Seeds had 13 kills hitting a stout .400 and Norris recorded 11, tying a career-high.
Kasey Sauls had yet another solid performance, posting 52 assists, while senior Cassie Engelgau anchored Appalachian's defense, tallying a season-high 32 digs to go along with eight assists.
Appalachian capped off its 2009 regular season on a strong note, as the Apps went 9-3 in the Holmes Center, including a 7-1 SoCon mark, with their lone conference loss in the High Country coming to Furman in a 3-2 defeat. The 7-1 mark is quite impressive considering ASU went 1-8 against its SoCon opponents a season-ago and it is the best mark against league foes since 2004 when the Black and Gold also posted a 7-1 record.
The Apps, winners of three straight matches, including five of their last six, look to carry their momentum into the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament, as they take on number one seed and host Furman, Saturday November 21 at Noon. Furman won the 2008 SoCon tournament championship and went undefeated during 2009 in regular-season conference play, going 14-0 on the season.
Georgia Southern 3, Samford 0
STATESBORO, Ga. - On Senior Night in Hanner Fieldhouse, the Georgia Southern Volleyball Team uprooted the Samford Bulldogs, the top-ranked team in the Southern Conference North Division, 3-0 (Nov. 14). Lone senior Cristin Haines was recognized before the match as she helped lead the Eagles to an astounding 21-10 season and 11-5 Southern Conference record. The 20-win season is the first for Georgia Southern since 2005. Samford dropped to 17-13, 11-5.
In the opening frame, Georgia Southern started strong with a 4-0 lead, widening it to 10-5 behind a Sarah Gildersleeve kill (Naples, Fla.). The Eagles opened up an eight-point lead following a kill from Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) and a nine-point margin with a Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) attack. Sarah Gardner served up an error, giving set point to Georgia Southern at 24-16. The Eagles won the set, 25-16, with a Kirby Monson (Houston, Tex.) kill, hitting a team combined.226 from the floor. Georgia Southern limited Samford to a -.036 clip in the opening frame.
Trailing 6-3 to start the second stanza, Georgia Southern rallied back to knot the score at eight and took the lead with a Lauren Claybaugh (Danville, Calif.) service ace. After holding the lead for one point, Samford relinquished control as Sanford and Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) initiated a 5-0 Georgia Southern run as the Eagles led 15-10. Sheriden Stangohr ended the Bulldog scoring drought, but the Eagles responded with another 5-0 run for a dominating 20-11 lead. Georgia Southern closed out the second set, 25-17, with a service error from Allie Bettinger.
Again Samford took an early 5-2 lead in the final set, but Georgia Southern answered back knotting the score at 7-apiece. The Eagles took the final lead of the match following an 8-all stint and held an 18-13 advantage following a Sanford kill. Gildersleeve gave the Eagles first match point, but the Bulldogs fought off two match points before Small finalized the conference win for Georgia Southern with a 25-19 third set win.
Georgia Southern hit .367 in the third set led by three Eagles hitting over .650. For the match, Sanford led all scorers with nine kills and Van Dyke paced the offense with 27 helpers. A season total 1,228 assists from the freshman setter ranks her third on the all-time record list for assists in a season and her 10.5 average puts her third on the respective list.
Closing out her collegiate career as an Eagle, lone senior Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) tallied 15 digs in her final match and totaled 477 on the year alongside a 4.11 digs per set average. In just her first season as an Eagle, Haines cracked the program record book and following her senior campaign, Haines owns back-to-back record setting seasons. She owns third and fourth place on the digs list with 518 in 2008 and 477 in 2009, respectively.
"She is the heart of our team. As far as what we were able to do execution-wise, she came in and was a program changer," said head coach Chad Callihan on senior Haines. "She has the smallest feet on the team, but she is leaving the biggest shoes to fill. I'm really going to miss her. On and off the court, she has been the epitome of what a student-athlete should be."
With the condensed Southern Conference Tournament format, enabled as a cost-saving measure, the Georgia Southern volleyball team's season came to a close with the win over Samford on Homecoming.
"This was a great way for us to close out our season tonight," said Callihan. "Two seasons ago, they had 10 wins and 21 losses, and in two years, we've been able to flip that to 21-10. I know we are proud of that, but we know there is still a long way to go," Callihan stated. "We feel we are laying a nice foundation to build on in the future."
Wofford 3, The Citadel 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Terrier volleyball team ended the season on a high note with a 3-1 win over The Citadel in Southern Conference action Saturday night. Before the match, Wofford honored seniors Joanna Suddath, Sarah Palmer and Shanna Hughes for their contributions to the Terrier volleyball program.
The Terriers held the momentum in the first set, opening with an 11-3 run. Despite a four point run by The Citadel to bring the score to 13-8, the Bulldogs were never able to control the Terriers, allowing Wofford to win set one by a score of 25-14. Wofford held The Citadel to a .071 attack percentage in the first set, recording a .389 mark comparatively.
The second set was a much closer affair as the two teams battled through four ties in the opening 20 points to arrive at a 10-10 deadlock. A kill from The Citadel's Kaona Mercer gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the match at 11-10, but a miscue tied the score again at 11-11.
The Bulldogs took another lead at 12-11 off a kill from Jessica Maxwell, and were able to extend their lead to 15-13 before the Terriers responded to tie the score at 16 and take the lead on a Citadel error. Wofford would not trail again as the Terriers went on to win the second set 25-20.
The Terriers opened the third set with two straight points, but could not keep control of the lead, allowing The Citadel to take a 9-6 lead, which the Bulldogs stretched to a 16-10 lead, their largest of the match, with strong defensive play. Wofford brought the score within two at 14-16 and again at 15-17, but was not able to overcome the deficit, and the Bulldogs claimed the third set by a score of 25-20.
The Citadel carried the momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a 12-6 lead, off three straight kills, two from Alyssa Holum. Wofford again brought the score within two at 14-16 before the Bulldogs earned another side out, and a Citadel attack error put the Terriers within one and forced a Citadel time out.
After the break, Wofford rallied to take the 17-16 lead, but could not stop the Bulldog offense led by Kaona Mercer's kill to tie the score at 17. A strong offensive push from The Citadel gave the Bulldogs a 23-19 error, and the match looked to be headed into a fifth set, but two straight kills from junior Stacy Byrd gave the Terriers the spark they needed. After fighting off two set points, another two kills from Byrd helped the Terriers tie the score at 24 and take match point at 25-24 before a Bulldog miscue gave the Terriers the 26-24 win.
Junior Tatum Jestila led the Bulldogs with 14 kills and recorded a double-double, adding 15 digs to the effort. Junior Blaine McAllister and freshman Kaona Mercer each added 12 kills in the loss, with McAllister notching 13 digs as well. Libero Kathryn Johnston led the team with 27 digs.
The Terriers were led by junior Stacy Byrd's 19 kills. The right side hitter managed a double-double with 12 digs in the win. Junior Catelyn Amende added 11 kills and a team-high .391 attack percentage while also pacing the team with five total blocks. Senior Shanna Hughes recorded her ninth double-double of the year with 10 kills and 21 digs. Senior Joanna Suddath fell only one kill and one dig shy of a triple double, recording 38 assists along with nine kills and nine digs while senior libero Sarah Palmer paced the defense with 28 defensive saves.
With the win, the Terriers finish the season with an 18-14 overall record and a 5-11 Southern Conference mark while The Citadel falls to 8-25 overall and 2-12 in league play. The 18 wins mark the most wins in a season in the Division I era for the Terriers.
Photo Credit: Appalachian State
