Volleyball Voices

College Volleyball Game Results Tonight, Volleyball Quotes Week 14:

Baylor Women's Volleyball Takes Down Missouri, 3-1

Sanders leads three Bears in double figures with 13 kills

 

COLUMBIA, Mo. – After dropping the first set, Baylor dominated Missouri in the next three sets to take home a 3-1 Big 12 road victory in its season finale (16-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-19) at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.

 

“I am really proud of the way they battled back tonight,” head coach Jim Barnes said. “The character of this team really showed tonight. It all comes down to how you handle adversity, and we did a great job of handling it.”

 

The win snapped a three-match losing streak, and completed Baylor’s regular season at 22-9 overall and 11-9 in the Big 12, leaving its postseason fate in the hands of the NCAA selection committee. The Bears will finish in at least fifth place in the Big 12, and possibly a tie for fourth, depending on the Oklahoma/Iowa State match on Saturday. Oklahoma will finish in fourth outright with a win.

 

Baylor was led by its senior trio of Katie Sanders, Anna Breyfogle and Taylor Barnes, along with middle blockers Torri Campbell and Elizabeth Graham. Sanders notched her 15^th double-double of the season with team-highs of 13 kills and 16 digs. Breyfogle had 10 kills, a season-high six digs, and five block assists, while Barnes racked up 45 assists, six digs, and five kills. Campbell and Graham added 10 and nine kills to strengthen the Bear attack.

 

“I am really proud of our three seniors,” Barnes said. “They really stepped up big for us tonight. They are the ones that we have built this program around.”

 

On the Missouri side, the Tigers only offensive weapon was outside hitter Paola Ampudia, who had a match-high 19 kills. Ampudia took 58 attempts, while Baylor adjusted, forcing her into eight errors in the last three sets. Caitlin Vann had a match-high 17 digs for Missouri.

 

In the first set, Missouri controlled play from the opening serve, racing out to a 10-3 lead. Baylor got a kill from Breyfogle and Qian Zhang to cut the lead to 20-15, but Missouri closed out with a 6-1 run.

 

“We played about as bad as we could play in that first set, but the girls kept encouraging each other and they executed the game plan,” Barnes said. “We planned to go to our middles in transition, just to set that quick hit in the middle and cut it cross-court.”

 

The Bears flipped the script in the second set. It was Baylor that grabbed hold of the set with 10-5 lead after opening with back-to-back kills from Graham, the same from Campbell, and then two in a row by Breyfogle. Sanders pushed the lead to 17-7 with a kill, and Graham added another to make it 22-10. The Tigers made a half-hearted attempt at a comeback, closing to within eight, but Barnes made a second-touch kill to close out the set.

 

The Bears rode that momentum into the third set, taking a 6-3 lead with two kills by Sanders and one by Zhang. Missouri battled back to tie it at 11-11, but Baylor answered with three kills from Campbell to make it 16-14. Breyfogle then pasted a kill and teamed up with Graham for a block assist to make it 21-15, before finishing off the set with another kill to give the Bears a 2-1 lead.

 

The third set was more of the same for Baylor with Sanders racking up three kills in the first six total points of the set. A kill by Graham and a service ace by Allison King gave Baylor a 10-4 lead. The Bears traded points with Missouri to hold the lead at five until a 3-0 Tiger run made it 17-15. Graham helped Baylor to two points in a row out of a timeout with a kill and block assist with Breyfogle. Then Breyfogle teamed up with Barnes to block Ampudia for a commanding 22-18 lead. Barnes put away a kill to set up match-point, and Sanders put it way with her 13^th kill of the match.

 

The win gave Baylor only its second winning conference record in program history, and first in 10 years. The 1999 squad finished in a tie for fifth place with a 13-7 Big 12 record.

 

Baylor’s NCAA Tournament fate will be decided on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. CT on ESPNU. The Bears have made only two appearances in the NCAA Tournament in program history. In 1999, Baylor won its first round match, before losing in the second round, and then was ousted in the first round in 2001.

Oregon State Women's Volleyball Rachel Rourke Kills 19, but Volleyball Falls to No. 4 Washington

 

Seattle, Wash. – Senior Rachel Rourke (Queensland, Australia) killed a match-high 19 balls, but the Oregon State volleyball team fell to No. 4 Washington in three (21-25, 23-25, 16-25) on Wednesday evening.

 

“We had a pretty good distribution particularly with Lexie [Rathgeber], Bree [Knitter] and Ashley [Eneliko],” head coach Taras Liskevych said. “Rachel had her good moments of scoring a lot of points, but she just ran into too many errors in set two or three. We needed to block better, particularly on the outside and the angle shots. And we needed to pass the ball better, especially with Jill Collymore’s six aces. That’s a real key to the match.”

 

Rourke added seven digs, an ace and a block. Junior Jill Sawatzky (St. Andrews, Manitoba) tallied seven kills, while senior Lexie Rathgeber (White Rock, British Columbia) had six.

 

Defensively, sophomore Betsy Devich (Kirkland, Wash.) dug a team-high nine balls, and freshman Ashley Eneliko (Seattle, Wash.) and senior Bree Knitter (Fallbrook, Calif.) both had a pair of blocks.

 

Washington’s Carlson paced the Huskies’ offense with 14 kills, while Airial Salvo had a match-high 10 digs.

 

Oregon State is now 12-17, 3-14 Pac-10, while Washington improves to 23-4, 13-4 Pac-10.

 

Oregon State concludes the 2009 season at Washington State on Friday at 7:00 p.m.

 

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 Washington Women's Volleyball Player Collymore Helps Serve Up 3-0 Win Over Beavers

Washington salutes three seniors on Friday vs. Oregon and can clinch a share of the Pac-10 crown.

SEATTLE – One more win can earn the fourth-ranked UW volleyball team a share of the Pac-10 Conference title. The Huskies (23-4, 13-4 Pac-10) moved a step closer with a 3-0 win over Oregon State (12-17, 3-14 Pac-10) tonight at Bank of America Arena in front of 2,440 fans. Washington ends the regular season Friday night at 7 p.m. hosting 18^th-ranked Oregon.

 

Washington is now tied with Stanford in the conference standings, with the Cardinal hosting California Friday night. The Huskies needed to pull out a couple close sets tonight against the Beavers to set up the dramatic Senior Night on Friday. Junior Kindra Carlson’s 14 kills and a season-high six service aces for senior Jill Collymore were two of the driving forces in the 25-21, 25-23, 25-16 win for the Huskies.

 

“Jill did what she does and the big thing was she did it when we were down. After her runs we sort of stablilized and took care of the ball better,” said head coach Jim McLaughlin. “They’re a physical team, and they came out loose and served us incredibly tough.”

 

The Huskies outhit the Beavers, .279-.210 for the night, and had nine blocks and nine aces to three of each for OSU. Carlson hit .458 (14-3-24) and sophomore Bianca Rowland had her second-straight errorless night, earning eight kills on 12 swings for a .667 percentage. Still, it was Collymore’s blazing serve was the highlight of the night, as she rallied the Huskies from a second-set deficit and also broke open the third set with long runs.

 

“I just went back there knowing I was in a limited role but wanting to make a difference,” said Collymore. “If I could get the serve going I knew we could catch up.” Her six aces were one shy of her career-high set last season.

 

Becky Perry earned the kill on the opening set’s first point. The teams went back and forth early with neither team earning more than a one point edge until an ace from senior Tamari Miyashiro put the Dawgs up 10-8. Salvo had three kills on her first four swings to pace UW. Carlson earned her first kill to to make it 11-9, then followed with a jump serve ace for a margin of three. OSU hit long on the next point and needed a timeout, UW up 13-9. The Beavers had a three-point streak out of the break, but Bianca Rowland’s first kill put a stop to that, and on the next point, Rowland, Salvo, and Hagglund all blocked down a Rourke attack for a 15-12 lead. Lauren Barfield then came through with back-to-back blocks, one with Salvo and another with Carlson, to push UW’s lead to 18-15. The Beavers closed within one on three occasions, but UW kept their distance, and an ace by Jill Collymore earned set point, and an OSU service error gave the Huskies the 25-21 set. Four blocks and three aces helped UW’s cause in the set, and they outhit the Beavers .242-.167.

 

Oregon State blocked a pair of Husky strikes early in set two for a 4-1 lead, but Perry and Rowland responded with a block of their own to make it 4-3 and a Rowland kill on the next point tied it. The Beavers pulled out to a 12-8 lead but Carlson and Perry terminated the next two points to cut the lead in half. OSU came back with a kill by Bree Knitter and an ace by Rourke to make it 15-11 and UW took its first timeout. Carlson stopped the run with her sixth kill and Collymore went back to serve. The Beavers hit into the net on the first point, then Collymore ramped up the miles per hour and aced the Beavs on the next point. Salvo kept the rally going with a kill that tied it at 15, then Collymore rifled another serve off the OSU defense and into the crowd for the Husky lead and OSU needed time. Out of the break, Collymore scored her fourth ace for a 17-15 lead. She finally drilled one into the top of the net to end the run. Still, the Beavers came back with three-straight for a 19-18 lead and UW called its second timeout. Carlson and Rourke went head-to-head late, alternating for five straight kills as UW pushed ahead by one and the Beavers tied. The Huskies went up 23-22 on a Carlson swing and OSU took its last timeout. Rourke was wide on the next attempt for a Husky set point, but a Knitter kill bought OSU another point. Perry though cashed in UW’s next attempt with a shot off the block and out and the Dawgs took a 2-0 lead. The Huskies wound up hitting .300 for the set after being in the negative early, and Carlson led the way with seven kills in the set.

 

Washington rallied from a brief 4-2 deficit in set three with a 4-0 run on Carlson’s serve. Carlson, Rowland, and Perry each had kills in the streak. Salvo’s seventh kill gave the Dawgs a 9-7 advantage. Oregon State pulled to within 12-11, but Carlson continued to step up with kills when UW needed them most and she registered another for a 13-11 lead. Once again OSU was forced to take time after a Collymore serve was not handled, resulting in a Carlson finish and a 15-12 UW edge. Still, the Beavers could do nothing to control the senior’s serve, and Collymore cranked aces five and six on the night on the next two points, and after a Rowland kill, the Beavers were forced to take their last break with UW cruising 18-12. Salvo and Rowland assisted on a booming block to extend the run to six points before OSU finally picked up a kill but the Dawgs led 19-13. Washington was not threatened the rest of the way, and a final block by Collymore, Rowland, and Carlson sealed the set and the match, 25-16. UW hit .304 in the last frame against .172 for OSU, and Rowland and Carlson combined for eight kills without an error.

 

The 18^th-ranked Ducks will be UW’s final obstacle in their Pac-10 title quest, and the final tune-up before the NCAA Championships. Seniors Collymore, Salvo, and Miyashiro will be honored before the match. Then the NCAA Selection Show will air on Sunday, Nov. 29, at 12 noon Pacific time on ESPNews.

 

 

LADY VOLS FINISH REGULAR SEASON IN STYLE, TOP NO. 10 KENTUCKY IN FIVE-SET THRILLER

UT Finishes 2009 Regular Season with 16 SEC Victories, the Most in School History

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It certainly wasn’t easy, but the University of Tennessee volleyball team (23-7, 16-4 Southeastern Conference) was able to walk away with a thrilling, five-set victory and sweep the season series over No. 10 Kentucky (27-4, 17-3) in its regular-season finale on Wednesday night, 25-16, 25-14, 24-26, 17-25, 16-14, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. The Lady Volunteers fought off four set points in the fifth frame to knock off their second top-15 opponent in five days.

 

“What a great way to end the regular season,” UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. “This is something that the team can definitely build off of as we head into the NCAA Tournament. I told our team in the locker room after the match, that winning the fifth set was all about them making plays.

 

“Going into the match, our team knew what it had to do in order to be successful,” Patrick said. “Even though we slipped up focus-wise a little in the third and fourth sets, we were able to make the big plays when we needed them the most. I can’t even begin to explain how proud I am of what our team has been able to accomplish over the last week. To beat two quality teams in Florida and Kentucky gives us a lot of confidence and momentum going into the postseason.”

 

With the victory, Tennessee claimed its 16th conference win of the year, setting the school record in the process. The Orange and White had previously won 15 league contests on three different occasions, most recently accomplishing the feat last season. The team’s 31 SEC triumphs since the beginning of the 2008 campaign mark the most productive two-year stretch in school history, surpassing the 28 wins it accumulated between 2004 and 2005.

 

Also of note is the fact that Wednesday’s win was the 750th in program history and gave UT a 12-1 mark at home in 2009, tying the 2004 squad for the most home victories during a single season.

 

For the second season in a row, the Big Orange kept the Wildcats from winning their first SEC championship since 1988, as LSU can now lay sole claim to that title in 2009 with an 18-2 record in conference play. Kentucky finishes second at 17-3, while Tennessee sits in third. Florida can tie UT for third if it defeats South Carolina at home later this week.

 

On Wednesday, the Lady Vols held Kentucky to its lowest hitting percentage of the season at .171. The Wildcats came into the match boasting the seventh-best team attack average in the nation and top mark in the SEC at .286. Although UK recorded more kills with 65 to UT’s 58, the Big Orange won virtually every other statistical battle, tallying two more aces (3-1), six more digs (80-74) and almost 10 more blocks (18.0-8.5).

 

“To hold such a great offensive team to a .171 hitting percentage is absolutely phenomenal,” Patrick said. “This group has a synergy going right now that is very hard to explain, but wonderful to see.”

 

As they have done almost all season, sophomore Kayla Jeter and junior Nikki Fowler led the way offensively for Tennessee. The troublesome twosome accounted for nearly 70 percent of the squad’s kills with totals of 23 and 17, respectively. Jeter did so while hitting at an astounding .422 clip with just four errors on 45 swings. Fowler, meanwhile, notched her 14th consecutive double-double and 35th of her career, as she picked up 12 digs in addition to tallying four blocks and an assist.

 

“Kayla was just on fire tonight,” Patrick said. “She has been playing at an extremely high level lately as she’s become more comfortable on the court and in our offense. Her improvement over the course of the season has been great to see. Between her and Nikki, we have two legitimate options to get kills with anytime we want. That’s nice to have in your back pocket.”

 

On the defensive side of the court, senior Chloe Goldman and junior Leah Hinkey were both outstanding, amassing match-high totals of 27 digs and 13 blocks. Goldman’s dig total gives her a career mark of 1,724, tying her with Alabama’s Amy Pauly (2005-08) for the fifth-most in SEC history heading into postseason play. With her 13 blocks, meanwhile, Hinkey notched the fifth-best single-match total in school history and finished just one off her career high. Senior Kylie Marshall also had a terrific match, accumulating a season-high 20 digs, while pounding out six kills, sending back six Wildcat attacks, serving an ace and recording an assist.

 

“I told our middles before the match, that they would have a huge impact on the outcome of the match and they worked extremely hard all night,” Patrick said. “Leah used her quickness to her advantage and did a terrific job of closing the block, reading the setter and other things of that nature. (Kentucky setter) Sarah Rumely is a great attacker and we were able to negate that a bit by getting in front of her and getting our hands up high.”

 

After the two squads split the first four sets, the match came down to just a few plays at the end of the fifth frame. With the scoreboard reading 14-10 in favor of Kentucky, it looked as if the Wildcats would be able to put their loss in the 2008 regular-season finale to UT behind them and stake claim to a share of this season’s SEC title. They Lady Vols had other ideas, however.

 

Using an attack error by Sarah Mendoza to get the ball back on its side of the court, the Big Orange turned to the hot hand of Jeter. The Solon, Ohio, native proceeded to register three consecutive kills to return the set to a deadlock at 14-all. Her first putaway came when she smashed one wide off the left-side block, while the second was a cross-court laser to the back-right corner that prompted UK Head Coach Craig Skinner to burn a timeout.

 

Jeter continued her offensive onslaught with another hammer from the left side on the first play out of the break before turning the reigns over to Fowler who crushed one off the hardwood from the back row to give Tennessee a 15-14 advantage and a chance at match-point. The Big Orange took full advantage of the opportunity as Hinkey and Marshall joined forces to stuff a Blaire Hiler attack on the outside to end the contest.

 

With the 2009 regular season now complete, Tennessee will await its NCAA Tournament fate which will be announced Sunday, Nov. 29, at 3 p.m. on ESPNews.

 

##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##

 

 

 

College Volleyball Game Results Tonight, Volleyball Quotes Week 14: Kentucky Loses at Tennessee,

Kentucky Suffers Heartbreaking Five-Set Loss at Tennessee

After a comeback effort by UK, Tennessee saves set point four times to top the Wildcats in the fifth set

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.  –  With Kentucky trailing by two sets the Wildcats put together a spectacular comeback effort to force a deciding fifth frame only to come up short in the final set when Tennessee claimed a 16-14 fifth set win to take the match. Tennessee captured the 3-2 (25-16, 25-14, 24-26, 17-25, 16-14) win and prevented the Wildcats from claiming a share of the Southeastern Conference title.

 

Kentucky (27-4, 17-3) had four players reach double-figures in the kill column led by Sarah Mendoza’s 15 kills. Blaire Hiler matched a career-high with 14 with Lauren Rapp posting 12 and Gretchen Giesler adding 10. Senior setter Sarah Rumely dished out 53 assists and had a double-double with 12 digs. Mendoza also charted a double-double effort when she paced the squad with 18 scoops.

 

Tennessee limited UK’s high-octane offense to just a .171 hitting percentage. It was the second time this season the Lady Vols’ defense got the better of the Wildcats as Tennessee is the only team to keep Kentucky under a .200 hitting percentage.

 

Becky Pavan contributed nine kills and led the team with five blocks. BriAnne Sauer had 16 digs from her libero position and Stephanie Klefot added nine scoops.

 

In the deciding fifth stanza the Volunteers began the scoring for the fourth time in the match with an opening kill. Pavan quickly responded with a kill for the Blue and White to knot the score at one apiece. The teams continued to trade points until UK got back-to-back kills from Hiler to give the Blue and White a 6-4 advantage and force Tennessee into an early timeout.

 

Out of the break the Volunteers scored on a block but Hiler once again came up with an answer when she slammed down a ball that split the defense for a 7-5 advantage for the Blue and White. UK claimed an 8-6 advantage into the switching of benches after a kill from Pavan.

 

Once again the squads traded points back and forth until Kentucky broke free for consecutive points to earn a three-point edge at 12-9. After a length rally Rumely swiftly found a spot to give the Blue and White the cushion and force Tennessee to use its final timeout.

 

Kentucky earned set point with a 14-10 lead behind a kill from Hiler. However, the home team was able to save set point on four occasions and tie the score at 14. Tennessee used its momentum and finished the set by taking the final six points and earn a 16-14 set five win spoiling UK’s title hopes.

 

UK hit .286 in the fifth stanza and Tennessee’s offense erupted for a .379 average and 11 kills despite 14 hammers from the Wildcats.

 

Trailing by two sets the Wildcats came out of the gate and for the first time in the match the Blue and White scored the opening point of the set when Hiler tossed down a kill for the visitors to begin the third set. Tennessee responded with a kill of its own and the teams traded points back and forth until a Rapp kill and a Klefot service ace gave the Wildcats a 5-3 edge. Kentucky maintained its two-point advantage until Tennessee made the score 9-8 after a long rally that featured great defense by both squads. Kentucky responded with a masterful transition kill from Giesler to give UK its two-point cushion back.

 

After the squads swapped points UK scored three straight to take a 12-9 advantage and force Tennessee into a timeout. A Giesler kill, Tennessee hitting error capped off by Hiler’s kill formed the string of points for the Blue and White. Out of the break the Wildcats trio of Hiler, Pavan and Rapp rejected a Nikki Fowler attempt to give UK its largest of the set at 13-9.

 

The Wildcats continued to maintain a two-to-three point advantage throughout much of the middle portions of the frame. Consecutive hitting errors by the Volunteers enabled the Blue and White to stretch its lead to 20-16 and the Lady Vols opted to use its final timeout. Out of the break the Volunteers tossed another attempt out of bounds to stretch the Wildcats lead to 21-16. Tennessee then scored on three consecutive possessions to get back to within 21-19.

 

After a Kentucky called timeout Tennessee scored the next point to get to within one point, but Rapp quickly answered with kill of her own. The visitors were able to grab a one-point edge when they scored the next three points behind a kill, a block and then UK committed a hitting error to aid the cause. UK chose to take its final timeout trailing by one point.

 

Rapp answered the call and found a hole in the back corner to tie the score at 23. The home team earned set point with a kill after a long rally and point in transition after UK had to save a ball that sailed deep into the endzone. Rapp once again came up with a huge kill to save the point. It was Kentucky’s turn to benefit from a length rally when Giesler was able to lay down a ball after a spectacular display of defense on both sides of the net. The set ended when Giesler found another hole in the center of the floor to lift the Wildcats to a third set 26-24 set victory and make the score 2-1.

 

UK used a .170 hitting percentage and 16 kills in the set to earn the win. Rapp paced the offensive attack with five kills in the set and Rumely dished out 16 assists. Kentucky limited Tennessee to a mere .080 hitting clip and 12 kills.

 

Tennessee scored on a kill to begin the fourth set and benefited from an attacking error by the Wildcats to take a 2-0 edge. Pavan scored for UK with a powerful slam to get the offense jump-started. Kentucky managed to knot the score at three after Tennessee misfired on an attempt. The squads continued to exchange points until UK shook loose for two straight points to make the score 11-9. Hiler and Pavan combined on a block and then Hiler fired down a kill for the Blue and White.

 

After the Lady Vols knotted the score at 13 the home team committed a service error to give the lead and momentum right back to Kentucky. Mendoza then posted consecutive kills to give the Wildcats a 16-13 edge and Tennessee took the first timeout of the stanza. Out of the timeout, Giesler smartly tapped down a ball, UT committed an error and Mendoza rejected a Tennessee attack on her own to stretch the Wildcat lead to 19-13.

 

Kentucky never looked back from that point on as it rolled a 25-17 fourth set win to force a deciding fifth set when Pavan and Rapp combined for the final point on a rejection of a Tennessee attempt. Kentucky used a .343 attack percentage and 17 kills led by Mendoza’s five in the set. Kentucky’s four blocks also proved to be monumental in helping the Wildcats to the victory. 

 

Tennessee began the opening set by jumping out to a large lead by taking the first seven points of the match. The Lady Vols were able to toss down four kills and force the Blue and White into three hitting errors. With Tennessee up 7-0, Kentucky opted for an early timeout in attempt to quell the Volunteer attack.

 

Out of the break the home squad earned another block, but Mendoza quickly ended the run with a powerful slam to get the Wildcats on the board. With Tennessee having stretched its lead to 9-1, the Blue and White put together a string of four straight points behind kills from Mendoza and Giesler. The tandem then combined for a block and the final point came on a Tennessee error to pull the Wildcats to within 9-5.

 

Despite the run to pull to within four, the teams would trade points and the Wildcats were unable to get any closer than four points throughout the frame. With back-to-back UK miscues the Lady Vols went up 19-13 and Kentucky opted to use its final timeout of the set. Tennessee was able to maintain its momentum and earn an opening set victory by a 25-16 margin.

 

In the opening stanza the Wildcats were limited to just a .030 hitting clip and 10 kills. Kentucky committed eight hitting errors and to accompany four service errors. Tennessee meanwhile hit .214 and tossed down just 11 kills. Tennessee registered four blocks compared to a pair from the Wildcats.

 

Tennessee opened the second set by claiming the first three points before Mendoza once again scored the first point for the Blue and White with a kill to make the score 3-1. The Volunteers were able to stretch its lead to a six-point advantage at 12-6 where UK took a timeout.

 

Out of the break the Wildcats scored back-to-back points behind a kill from Rumely and a service error committed by the home team to pull to back to within 12-8. However, the Wildcats would get no closer the rest of the way as the Volunteers took a 2-0 lead into the locker room after Tennessee turned in a 25-14 second set victory.

 

UK’s offense continued to struggle with a .000 hitting clip and just eight kills in the second set. Tennessee used a .370 attacking percentage and tossed down 13 kills in the stanza. The Volunteers turned back four UK attempts and benefited from two more service errors by the visitors.

 

Kentucky concludes the regular season with tonight’s match. The Wildcats will now await the NCAA Tournament selection on Sunday. ESPNews will air the show on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

 

For the most up-to-date news, highlights and features about the Kentucky volleyball team please visit UKathletics.com.

 

UCF Volleyball Concludes 2009 Slate with Thrilling Victory at USF

The Knights hit .643 with nine kills and did not commit an error in the fifth set to claim the season-closing win.

               

TAMPA, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – The UCF volleyball team had five different players post double-digit kills  and hit .329 as a team Wednesday night as the squad defeated in-state rival USF (18-10), 3-2, in a five-set thriller on the road at The Corral to improve its record to 12-18 on the year.

 

“As a program, all you can hope for is to put yourself in a position where you can feel the way that we feel right now,” head coach Todd Dagenais said following the match. “Not only did we see a team that executed fundamentals at a very high level over the duration of a match, but we saw a team that has gone through a season of adversity and they left it all on the court. It is really nice that the team gets to go into the end of the season feeling like they do right now.”

 

Sophomore Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) led the offensive charge, hitting a career-best .394 with 19 kills, while also registering a double-double with 10 digs. FreshmanEvija Vilde (Riga, Latvia) contributed a .483 attack percentage with 14 kills and three blocks, while seniors Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) and Lauren Williams (Lake Mary, Fla.) added 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Williams hit .500 on the evening and posted two blocks and Campbell had eight digs and two blocks for the Knights.

 

“We knew that Evija Vilde had a match like that in her,” Dagenais said. “And she sure picked a nice time for it to come out. Not only was she attacking at an elite level, but her blocking was also at an elite level. I also thought that Kristin Fisher stepped up and played the best match she has played all year.”

 

Freshman Tory McCutcheon (Milton, Ontario) had a breakout performance in the victory, hitting .478 while matching her career-bests with 11 kills and seven blocks. She also established a new career-high with four digs. Both McCutcheon and Vilde finished the match without an attack error.

 

“I think the key tonight was that we knew we had to be balanced on offense, because Erin (Campbell) has been playing at between 50-60 percent because of an injury. Our middles, Lauren Williams and Tory McCutcheon, stepped up big time. (Assistant coach) Michelle Chatman has done such a great job working with them and believing in them, especially in a position where we have suffered so many injuries.”

 

Fellow freshman Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) and junior Kristen Petrasic(Carrollton, Texas) both controlled the back row, each recording 14 digs, with Murphy adding two service aces and extending her streak of double-digit digs to nine matches.

 

The Knights stormed out to take an early 1-0 lead on the Bulls after winning the opening set, 26-24. UCF fell down early, but a 7-1 run behind the serving of senior Andee Youngblood (Castle Rock, Colo.) gave the squad a 9-5 advantage. The Bulls started to chip away at the Knights’ lead, before finally evening the set, 14-14, before going up by as many as three points late. But, kills from McCutcheon, Vilde, Fisher, Campbell and Williams put the Black and Gold back on top just in time, 24-23, as Campbell posted two-consecutive points with a kill and a service ace to end the set.

 

Youngblood finished the contest with a season-best 60 assists, seven digs, three blocks, two kills and a service ace.

 

“To have Andee distribute the ball the way that she did tonight really kept USF guessing,” Dagenais said. “They could just not hone in on anything.”

 

After falling in the second set, the Knights regrouped to take the third set, 25-21. UCF jumped out to an early lead with kills from Williams, Campbell and Fisher, and never looked back, maintaining its advantage for the remainder of the contest. The visiting squad led by as many as seven points late in the set. The Bulls would pull within two points, 22-20, but a 3-1 run, capped off by a McCutcheon kill, sealed the third-set victory.

 

UCF and USF played evenly throughout the majority of the fourth set, tying the score 12 times throughout, but it was the Bulls who came out victorious in the game, getting back-to-back kills with the score knotted at 23-23, to once again even the match and send the contest into a deciding fifth set.

 

The Black and Gold took control of the deciding set and cruised to a 15-6 victory. The squad did not commit an error in the final set, hitting .643 with nine kills. UCF jumped all over the Bulls right from the beginning, taking a commanding 13-4 lead following a kill from Fisher. An additional kill from Fisher and another from Vilde put the Knights at match point, before a block from Youngblood and Williams finished off the home team and gave the Black and Gold a season-ending victory.     

 

For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com – the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF’s new online apparel store. Also visitwww.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.

 

-UCF-

 

Seniors End Career on Big Win Over Virginia
Donovan, Gergen, Horowitz, Lang and Parrish honored before match
November 25, 2009
For Immediate Release

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia Tech volleyball squad ended the 2009 campaign with a hard-earned victory over the Virginia Cavaliers, 3-1 (25-18, 25-15, 22-25, 25-20), Wednesday night in Cassell Coliseum.

Tech (19-12, 9-11 ACC) honored its five seniors, Gemma Donovan, Jill Gergen, Betsy Horowitz, Michelle Lang and Taylor Parrish, before the match and then hit .255 and blocked eight attacks to send them out with a victory on senior night. The Cavaliers (12-19, 7-13 ACC) struck at a .108 clip and totaled three blocks in the contest.

After Virginia led in the early stages of set one, Tech went on a 5-0 run, all on sophomore Justine Record's service, to pull out to a 13-11 advantage. The Hokies continued the run winning five of the next seven points to take control of the period and cruise to victory, 25-18.

The Hokies dominated set two hitting .385 and only allowing the Cavaliers to muster a .094 hitting percentage. Tech opened the stanza winning five of the first six points and never looked back. Virginia would not close within four points of the rest of the frame, capturing the second set, 25-15.

Virginia battled back coming out of the locker room in the third set. The two squads combined to tie each other 11 times in the close period. Even at 21, two Hokie attack errors gave the Cavaliers some breathing room, and they maintained the advantage the rest of the way, winning the third stanza, 25-22.

A fast start paced the Hokies in the fourth set, as they led 13-7 early. Virginia clawed back with a 6-0 spurt to cut the cushion to one, but Tech refused to relinquish the lead. Both squads exchanged points, until the Hokies reeled off three straight to press out to a 20-15 lead. Tech carried the margin to a 25-20 win, sealed by Record's career-high fifth service ace, in set four, and a 3-1 victory in the match.

Record led the Hokies with 15 kills and the five service aces, four of which came in the first two frames. Freshman Cara Baarendse added 10 kills in the matchup. Senior Jill Gergen earned her ninth 20-plus-dig match of the season, tallying 21, to cap her Hokie career, while Erin Leaser recorded 48 assists and 14 digs for her eighth double-double of the year. Freshman Morgan O'Neill and Amy Wengrenovich registered 14 and 13 digs, respectively, in the contest, and freshman Kirsty Blue led the way with four blocks.

Auburn Volleyball Team Concludes Regular Season With 3-2 Loss To Georgia

AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball team fought Georgia on Wednesday
to five sets, falling 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 18-25, 25-18, 12-15) in the
regular season finale at the Student Activities Center. The Tigers
conclude the season with a 16-15 overall record and 8-12 in the SEC.

”It was a good match and it was any team’s win to take,” Wade
Benson, head volleyball coach, said. “I thought our team fought really
hard, but couldn’t come out on top.”

Freshman Sarah Bullock and sophomore Christina Solverson each picked up
their eighth double-double of the season. Bullock finished with 12 kills
and 10 digs, while Solverson tallied 25 assists and 12 digs.

Junior Morgan Johns finished with a team-best 13 kills, while sophomore
Kelly Fidero added 12 kills. Junior Liz Crouch had 17 digs and classmate
Alyssa Davis had a team-best five blocks.

Erika Clark led the Bulldogs  (17-14, 8-12) with 14 kills and finished
with 16 digs. Libero Calra Tietz had a match-best 21 digs, while Briana
Bahr and Valentina Gonzalez each picked up 12 kills. Gonzalez had a
match-high nine blocks.

The Bulldogs grabbed a quick lead in the first set to go up 5-2.Georgia
pushed its lead to go up 9-5, but a pair of kills by Katherine Culwell
brought the Tigers within two at 10-8. A kill by Johns triggered a 4-1
Auburn run that gave the Tigers a slim 14-13 lead. Another Auburn run
put the Tigers up 18-16, but the Bulldogs battled back to take a 22-20
lead. Auburn, however, put together a 5-1 rally to take the set 25-23.

In set two, kills from Johns and Bullock gave Auburn a 5-3 lead and
another kill by Bullock and one from Davis put the Tigers up 7-4. A
Georgia rally gave Bulldogs a slim advantage at 10-9 and the team held
onto its lead throughout the middle of the set. A kill from Bullock
sparked an Auburn three-point rally to tie the set at 17, but another
Georgia run solidified the Bulldog 25-21 win.

A Tiger error and a service ace put Georgia up 5-3 early in the third
set and a Bulldog run pushed the visitors to a 13-8 advantage. Kills
from Jonelle Wallace and Courtney McDonald brought Auburn within five at
22-17, but the Bulldogs took the set, 25-18.

Auburn took a quick 6-2 lead in the fourth set and kills by Culwell and
Johns and a service ace from MacKenzy Harper gave the Tigers a 10-4
advantage. Kills by Davis and McDonald gave Auburn its largest lead at
17-8 and a pair of Tiger blocks made the score 20-11. Georgia rallied to
cut the score to five at 21-16, but Auburn closed out the set with a
25-18 win.

In the final set, Georgia jumped out to a 5-3 lead and took its largest
lead at 9-5. The Tigers came within two on a kill by Culwell at 11-9,
but the Bulldogs battled to take the match with a 15-12 win.

Virginia Volleyball Team's Rally Falls Short, Drops Match to Virginia Tech
Cushman collects 13 digs

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team concluded its 2009 campaign with a tough loss at Virginia Tech Wednesday evening, falling 1-3 (18-25, 15-25, 25-22, 20-25) to the Hokies.

Virginia (12-19, 7-13 ACC) was led by sophomore Simone Asque’s nine kills. Juniors Sydney Hill and Kendahl Voelker each knocked down seven, while junior AJ Cushman led the defense with 13 digs. Seniors Brittani Rendina and Tara Hester each collected 12, while freshman Rachel Gray registered her fifth double-double. The setter dished out 32 assists and had 10 digs.

Virginia Tech (19-12, 9-11 ACC) had two players in double-digit kills, led by Justine Record, who tallied 15 and Cara Baarendse who landed 10. Erin Leaser distributed 48 assists and collected 13 digs, while Jill Gergen had a match-high 21 digs.

Freshman Jessica O’Shoney and Asque teamed to lead Virginia to an early 6-2 advantage, sandwiching back-to-back kills from each of them around one from the Hokies. But Tech was able to work its way back into the frame, and eventually took a 13-11 lead following a service ace from Record. The Hokies continued their run following a timeout called by the Cavaliers and, thanks to a 10-2 streak, capped off a 17-7 run with a 25-18 victory.

Behind consecutive service aces from Record at the start of the second frame, the Hokies were able to grab an early 7-2 lead and extended their advantage to eight, by 17-9. The Cavaliers attempted to cut their deficit down, but four-unanswered kills from Tech to end the frame put the home team on top, 25-15.

The third set was much closer, as it featured 11 tie scores, including eight-straight late in the frame. With the score knotted at 21 all, the Cavaliers took advantage of two Hokie errors to gain a two-point advantage and held on for the 25-22 victory.

Virginia fell behind at the beginning of the first set, 9-3, but worked to cut Tech’s lead to one, at 14-13, following a five-point run. The Hokies wouldn’t allow the visitors to even the score though, as they landed back-to-back kills to extend their lead back to three. Virginia worked to string together a late rally, but Tech would go on to win, 25-20.

The match marked the final contest for Virginia’s three seniors: Lauren Dickson, Tara Hester and Brittani Rendina. The trio concluded their careers with a 70-55 overall record and a 45-39 mark in conference play.

No. 2 Texas Longhorns Women's Volleyball wins outright Big 12 Championship, sweeps Oklahoma

The Longhorns clinch their third straight Big 12 title and their first outright since 1997.

NORMAN, Okla. – The second-ranked Texas Volleyball earned its third straight Big 12 Championship and its first outright title since 1997 with its 3-0 win over Oklahoma on Wednesday night. The 25-19, 25-14, 25-19 victory improved the Longhorns to 23-1 on the year and 18-1 in Big 12 play, while the Sooners fell to 18-10 and 11-8 in conference action.

 

Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker headlined the Texas attack with 18 kills on .486 hitting and added seven digs and three blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Rachael Adams connected for 10 kills and hit .615 against the Sooners, while junior middle blocker Jennifer Doris held down the net with four solo blocks and four block assists.

 

Texas broke a six-all tie in the first with a kill by junior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette and added a 5-0 run fueled by a kill and a block from Hooker to push the UT lead to 13-8. Another kill from Faucette widened the margin to 18-12 and her fifth kill of the set paced a 4-1 rally and moved the score to 23-18. A kill by Doris and an OU attack error finished out the frame 25-19.

 

In the second, Oklahoma jumped out to an early 4-0 edge, but Texas battled back behind two Hooker kills and a 5-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. A double-block by Hooker and Adams widened the margin to 14-9 before a Doris solo block moved the tally to 16-10. Down the stretch, Texas went on a 7-1 set-ending run headlined by three kills and two blocks by Adams to close0 the set 25-14.

 

The Longhorns leapt out to a 5-1 lead to start the third on a kill by senior All-America setter/opposite Ashley Engle. Back-to-back kills by Adams moved the tally to 9-5 and a 5-1 run headlined by two kills each from Faucette and Hooker widened the gap to 15-8. The Sooners battled back with a 5-1 run to close the lead to 18-15, but Hooker was too much late in the stanza, connecting for four kills to lift UT to a 25-19 win.

 

Texas returns home for its final regular season match on Saturday, Nov. 28 when it hosts Kansas at Gregory Gymnasium. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. Come early to salute the 2009 senior class.

 

POST-MATCH NOTES

·         The Longhorns clinched their fourth Big 12 title against Oklahoma and their third straight. The championship was UT’s first outright title since 1997.

·         Texas’ win over Oklahoma improved its all-time record against the Sooners to 35-2.

·         Jennifer Doris’ four solo blocks against OU marked a career high for the junior middle blocker.

·         Texas out-hit Oklahoma .423-to-.116 on the night and out-blocked the Sooners 13.0-to-3.0.

 

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Head coach Jerritt Elliott

On winning the Big 12 title outright: This means a lot. A lot has gone into this championship. We want to thank our administration for all of their support and all of the alumni before us that have created a great tradition at Texas. This is agreat for this group and it is exciting that our alumni is just as excited for us. It is very gratifying because we have put a lot of work into this as a staff, including all of the former members of this staff. I’m really proud of our team. They executed very well tonight. This is a big win on the road against a rival team that we have struggled with in the past.

 

On not sharing the title: It is sweeter to win the title outright. It is never fun when you have to share something, unless you are sharing with your kids or your family. As competitors you don not want to share. I’m very happy for our senior class and this team for believing in this staff and what we do.

 

On Texas’ continued blocking progress: For the last three to four weeks blocking has been a staple of our practice. We have been spending time on it and we have made it a focal point. A block is an immediate point and if we are able to get points off the block and add that to our kill production, we become a very good team.

 

On offensive balance: Against good teams you have to have good balance. As we advance in the NCAA tournament we want to have balance because it is very difficult to stop. When we are getting that kind of balance and production it puts pressure on our opponents. We have gone through a lot of different lineups and we have a lot of different personnel that we can use as a staff.

 

 

 

 

 

And The Winner Is...College Volleyball Game Results, Volleyball Quotes from Today's Games

Alabama Volleyball Drops 3-0 Decision to No. 17 LSU

 

Junior Alyssa Meuth tallies a match-best 13 kills

 

BATON ROUGE, La. – Junior Alyssa Meuth collected a match-high 13 kills, but the Alabama volleyball team fell Sunday to 17^th-ranked LSU 3-0 (25-12, 27-25, 25-19) at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. With the loss, the Crimson Tide dips to 8-21 overall and 6-13 against Southeastern Conference opponents, while the Tigers improve to 24-5 on the season and 18-2 versus league foes.

 

“I thought our team played with a great amount of effort today, and I am proud of them for that,” said head coach Judy Green. “We unfortunately couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities we had when LSU was out of system. That all comes down to execution. LSU is a good volleyball team, and I definitely think they’ve gotten better since the last time we saw them. I hope they have a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.”

 

Joining Meuth with multiple kills for the Tide was senior Brooks Webster and sophomore Ashley Frazier, who added eight apiece. Junior Kayla Schmidt led Alabama in assists dishing out 27 in the match. On defense, both Webster and freshman Kelsey Anderson collected double-figure kills with 11 and 10, respectively.

 

Alabama and LSU traded the first eight points of the opening set before the Tigers scored 11 unanswered points to pull in front 15-4. The Tide was able to cut its deficit to nine but could not get any closer as LSU closed out the frame on a 5-1 run for the 25-12 win.

 

Again, the Tide and Tigers would trade points, but this time, Alabama would be the team to make the run early tallying four consecutive points behind a trio of kills and a service ace for the 6-2 advantage. The Tide jumped ahead by as many as five early on before LSU scratched its way back to take the lead at 12-11. Alabama rallied to jump back on top moments later scoring five straight, but would soon be challenged by the Tigers. The Tide was able to hold on and had an opportunity to take the second, but LSU fought off a pair of set point attempts setting itself up for the comeback. The Tigers got a kill from senior Marina Skender followed by a duo of service aces from sophomore Lauren Waclawczyk for the 27-25 victory in the second frame.

 

In the third, LSU led from start to finish with the exception of two ties in the beginning. The Tigers went ahead by as many as six points early on before Alabama was able to cut the LSU lead to three on three occasions, but could not get any closer in the frame. The Tide avoided the Tigers’ first attempt at set point thanks to a kill from Meuth, but LSU senior Brittnee Cooper delivered a kill on the next play to give the Tigers the win.

 

Alabama concludes the 2009 season Friday, Nov. 27 when it travels to Starkville, Miss. to take on Mississippi State. Opening serve is slated for 7:00 p.m. (CST).

 

--UA

Rice Women's Volleyball Team Upsets No. 2 Tulsa, 3-1, to Win First C-USA Championship Title

Schamun adds Tournament MVP honors to her All-C-USA resume.



HOUSTON, Texas - First the first time in program history, Rice University has captured the Conference USA Volleyball championship. The Owls upset No. 2 seed Tulsa, 3-1, inside Tudor Fieldhouse Sunday in Houston to extend their winning streak to eight matches.



Rice and Tulsa had never met in a tournament match before today. However, the two teams faced each other twice earlier this season. Tulsa won both.



All-C-USA first team selection Ashley McCord led the Owls with 24 kills, followed by senior Natalie Bogan's 12 and senior Jennifer McClean's 11. McClean, an all-tournament team selection, also had 17 digs for her 13th double-double of the season.



But, it was fourth-seeded Rice's scrappy defense that earned the programs its first ever conference tournament crown. Junior and all-tournament team member Tracey Lam led a trio of players with 19 digs. Junior and tournament MVP Meredith Schamun also had 13 digs to go with her match-best 49 assists.



A pair of All-C-USA first team and all-tournament team picks led the Golden Hurricane as freshman Tyler Henderson put down a match-high 26 kills and senior Jennifer Eichler recorded 16. Freshman Jessica Adams finished with 28 digs, followed by Eichler's 10.



The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball selections will be announced on Sunday Nov. 29 on ESPN News from 3-3:30 p.m. ET.



2009 C-USA All-Tournament Team

Visnja Djurdjevic, Tulane

Tyler Henderson, Tulsa

Jennifer Eichler, Tulsa

Tracey Lam, Rice

Jennifer McClean, Rice

Meredith Schamun, Rice (MVP)



2009 CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP

Houston, Texas

Tudor Fieldhouse (host Rice)



Friday, Nov. 20

Match 1 - (3) Tulane 3, (6) SMU 1

Match 2 - (2) Tulsa 3, (7) UAB 1

Match 3 - (4) Rice 3, (5) Marshall 0
Match 4 - (1) Southern Miss 3, (8) Houston 1



Saturday, Nov. 21

Match 5 - (2) Tulsa 3, (3) Tulane 0

Match 6 - (4) Rice 3, (1) Southern Miss 1



Sunday, Nov. 22

Match 7 - (4) Rice 3, (2) Tulsa 1 (CBS C)

Auburn Women's Volleyball Tigers Come From Behind To Top Ole Miss, 3-1

OXFORD, Miss. – After dropping the first set, the Auburn volleyball
team fought back to defeat Ole Miss, 3-1 (18-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-23),
Sunday afternoon. The Tigers improved to 16-14 overall and 8-11 in the
SEC, while Ole Miss fell to 9-20 overall and 3-16 in the conference.

“It was a good comeback by the team after Friday’s loss and they
rebounded well,” Wade Benson, head volleyball coach, said. “We did a
great job fighting and put together a solid 10 in effort. Ole Miss
played very well and made us fight for everything.”

Freshman Sarah Bullock led the way for Auburn, finishing with 14 kills
and seven digs. Junior Morgan Johns tallied 12 kills, while classmate
Liz Crouch had a match-high 24 digs. Kelly Fidero added nine kills,
Alyssa Davis had four blocks and Lauren Mellor finished with seven kills
and three blocks.

Regina Thomas tallied 14 kills, while Whitney Craven added 10 to lead
Ole Miss offensively. Morgan Springer picked up 11 digs for the Rebels.

Ole Miss opened the first set with a 6-1 run, but a kill from Mellor
and a pair of Rebel errors brought Auburn within two at 6-4. The Rebels
pulled ahead again to go up 10-5 and the home team held on to the lead
though the middle part of the set. A kill by Bullock and another Rebel
error cut the Ole Miss lead to three at 17-14, but the Rebels held on to
win the set 25-18.

Kills from Mellor and Bullock and a service ace from Chanelle Clark
gave Auburn a quick 3-0 lead to start set two. A service ace from Crouch
and kills by Mellor and Fidero pushed the Tigers up 11-5 and, at 14-8,
Auburn used a 4-0 run, highlighted by a pair of Mellor kills, to take a
10-point, 18-8 lead. A kill by Jonelle Wallace gave Auburn set-point at
24-15 and the Tigers went on to win the set 25-18.

Auburn took a 3-1 advantage at the start of the third set on a pair of
kills by Bullock. A kill by Johns gave the Tigers the 10-6 lead, but the
Rebels fought back and tied the set at 10 apiece. Kills from Johns and
Davis triggered a 6-1 Auburn run to put the Tigers up 16-11. Ole Miss
put together a run of its own to come within one at 17-16. The two
squads battled for the set until, tied at 23, a Rebel service error and
a kill by Fidero gave Auburn the 25-23 win.

In set four, the Rebels came out with a quick 5-0 lead and held on to
the advantage through most of the set. Down 16-11, a kill by Katherine
Culwell ignited an Auburn three-point run and another kill by Culwell
brought the Tigers within one at 18-17. A kill from Bullock gave Auburn
its first lead at 19-18, but Ole Miss used a three-point rally to take a
23-21 advantage. Kills by Fidero and Culwell tied the set at 23 apiece
and a Rebel error and another kill from Fidero gave Auburn the 25-23
victory.

Auburn closes out the regular season with a 4 p.m. match with Georgia
on Wednesday. The Tigers host the Bulldogs at the Student Activities
Center and admission is free.

Long Island Women's Volleyball Team Wins Sixth Straight Northeast Conference Women’s Volleyball Tournament Title in 2009

 

2009 NEC Women’s Volleyball Tournament Hosted by Long Island University Brooklyn, NY Semifinals Saturday, November 22 #1 Long Island 3 #4 Robert Morris 0 #2 Sacred Heart 3, #3 Central Connecticut State 0 Championship Sunday, November 22 #1 Long Island 3, #2 Sacred Heart 0

Brooklyn, NY – In true top-seed fashion, the Blackbirds of Long Island topped the No. 2 Pioneers of Sacred Heart, 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-21), for the 2009 Northeast Conference Championship Crown Sunday, Nov. 22 at the Wellness, Recreation Center on the campus of Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY.

LIU took an early lead in the first set, and though SHU brought the score within three on two different occasions, they never recovered the rest of the game. The numbers were close for both teams, but LIU held the biggest edge in hitting percentage with .250 compared the SHU’s .103, led by this year’s tournament MVP sophomore Ashley Rice (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee).

 

In the second stanza, Sacred Heart took an early 2-0 lead and the teams fought a hard back and forth battle with the Pioneers eventually working out a 9-5 edge. Long Island hung tough and eventually tied the set at 14-14 on a kill by NEC Player of the Year Svetlana Simic (Klerk, Serbia/Commercial School). LIU extended its lead to 18-16 before the Pioneers rallied to tie with two straight points. A pair of Simic kills and an error by SHU pushed the Blackbirds ahead 21-18 and LI was able to fend off a late charge to earn the 25-20 win.

 

In the third set of the 71-minute match it was LIU who took the early lead at 3-0 after Rice slammed two strong kills down on the Pioneer side. The Blackbirds extended their lead to 16-8 in what seemed to be the start of their run to the crown, but SHU scored 11 of the next 14 points to fix the score at 19-19. Simic tallied a kill to give the Blackbirds back their lead, which was followed by a Maile Hetherington (Thousand Oaks, CA/Thousand Oaks) kill from the other side. LIU senior Martina Racic (Pula, Croatia/School of Arts) hit back-to-back kills before SHU had an attacking error that put the Blackbirds up 23-20. LIU then recorded an error of their own just before Simic finished out the match with the last two points for a 25-21 topping.

 

With a crowd of 385, SHU’s Jessica Colberg (Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Polytechnic) notched a team-high 18 digs while sophomore all-tournament teamer Ashlyn Trimble (Temecula/Temecula Valley) tallied a team-best 13 kills. NEC Setter of the Year Courtney Kidd-Kadlubek racked up the most helpers (33) for the Pioneers.

In a match that marked LIU’s 18th win in the last 19 games, Simic finished with a team-high 12 kills, while classmate Dunja Milin (Pula, Croatia/School of Economics), another all-tournament team selection, had 29 assists, while sophomore Chelsey Stanton had the most digs (14).

 

Hoping to continue their now-12 game win streak – a new school record – LIU will await word on who it will face in the NCAA Tournament to be announced Monday, Nov. 29 at 3:00 p.m. on ESPNews.

 

009 All-Tournament Team
Ashley Rice, LIU, MB, So., Marlton, NJ/Cherokee (Tournament MVP)
Dunja Milin, LIU, S, Sr., Pula, Croatia/School of Economics
Ashlyn Trimble, SHU, OH, So., Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley
Jessica Colberg, SHU, L, So., Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Polytechnic
Tori Vaughn, CCSU, MB, Jr., Salinas, CA/Salinas
Amanda Craig, RMU, OPP, Fr., Houston, TX/St. Agnes Academy

 

 Tulsa Volleyball Falls in C-USA Championship, 3-1, to Rice

Golden Hurricane led by Henderson’s 26 kills and Adams’ 28 digs

 

HOUSTON – Tyler Henderson slammed 26 kills and Jessica Adams recorded 28 digs to lead The University of Tulsa volleyball team, but it was not enough, as the Golden Hurricane fell, 3-1, to Rice in the title match of the 2009 C-USA Championship Sunday afternoon at Rice’s Tudor Fieldhouse.

 

Henderson hit .365 in the match and added a pair of blocks, and Jennifer Eichler added 16 kills and 10 digs. Julia Kenealy had five blocks and five kills on the day.

 

The Golden Hurricane, which falls to 26-7 on the season, hit .210 as a team (63-26-176) with 63 kills, 58 assists, 69 digs and nine blocks. Rice (22-8) hit .241 in the match (61-22-162) with 61 kills, 57 assists, 77 digs and 13 blocks.

LADY VOLS DOMINATE SOUTH CAROLINA ON SENIOR DAY

UT Honors Four Seniors in Pre-Match Ceremony

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee volleyball team (22-7, 15-4 Southeastern Conference) posted one if it’s most impressive offensive showings of the season on Sunday, outhitting South Carolina (14-15, 5-14), .333 to .050, en route to its 13th sweep of the season, a 25-10, 25-19, 25-14 drubbing on Senior Day at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. The Lady Volunteers honored their four seniors – Carol Cheade, Chloe Goldman, Farren Powe and Kylie Marshall – in a ceremony prior to the contest.

 

“I was really happy with the focus of our team today, especially after an emotional win on Friday,” UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. “It was great to see the team play so hard for our seniors. These four players have done some great things for our program. Their work ethic, sacrifice and talent has kept Tennessee volleyball near the top of the SEC. They are all playing the best volleyball of their careers right now as well, which is always a neat thing to see.”

 

All four seniors started on Sunday, finishing with a combined total of 10 kills, 10 blocks and 31 digs. In the sixth start of her career, Cheade hit at a season-best .400 clip with a trio of kills and just one error on five swings. Powe was extremely efficient as well, delivering three putaways of her own on 10 errorless swings for a .300 attack average. The Mobile, Ala., native also collected a match-high tying seven blocks, while Marshall posted four kills, 12 digs, a block and the 100th ace of her career. Goldman paced all players defensively with 17 digs to go along with three assists.

 

As a team, the Big Orange tallied its fifth-best attack average of the season, hitting .333 with 49 kills and just 12 errors in 111 swings. On the other side of the net, the UT defense stymied the Gamecock offense, holding it to its second-lowest hitting percentage of the season, a miniscule .050, as they had almost as many errors (20) as kills (29). The kill total was SC’s lowest of the 2009 campaign, falling three short of its totals against Kentucky and Arkansas.

 

“We needed to play low-error volleyball to be successful in this match and that was what I challenged our team to do,” Patrick said. “Except for the second half of the second set, the team did a fantastic job of doing just that. I knew we were going to be in some long rallies, as South Carolina is a very well-coached volleyball team that controls the ball well in both serve-receive and on defense. Our plan was to remain patient offensively and not be anxious to get a kill too soon within the play.”

 

A prime example of that offensive philosophy was sophomore Kayla Jeter who blasted out a match-high 19 kills with just a pair of errors on 30 swings for a monster .567 hitting percentage. The Solon, Ohio, native was spectacular at the net defensively as well, tying Powe for the most blocks in the contest with seven, matching her previous career best in the process. She also dug up four Gamecock attacks and registered an assist and an ace.

 

“Kayla was pretty unstoppable tonight,” Patrick said. “We were able to move her along the net a little more than we have in the past and she took advantage of the great sets that she was receiving. She was a force at the net defensively as well. While she was able to get a lot of blocks, I was also impressed by the fact that, even when she didn’t block the attack, she made the hitters change directions with their shots nearly every single time they set in front of her.”

 

As usual, junior Nikki Fowler was also a standout on the stat sheet, notching her 13th consecutive double-double and 34th of her career with 16 kills and 10 digs. The 6-2 outside hitter from Dallas, Texas, also hit .355 (16-5-31) and picked up three blocks and a pair of assists. Sophomore Kelsey Mahoney, meanwhile, fell just short of her eighth double-double of the season, posting a 40-assist, nine dig, two-ace effort.

 

The Lady Vols will close out the 2009 regular season by hosting No. 11 Kentucky at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25 in Thompson-Boling Arena. They will then await their NCAA Tournament fate which will be announced at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 29, on ESPNews.

 

##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##

 

NCAA Conference Volleyball Tournament Winners, Results, Quotes...and all the Rest

Long Island University Women's Volleyball Sweeps Sacred Heart to Secure Sixth Straight NEC Volleyball Title

 

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The top-seeded Long Island University volleyball team took three straight sets from No. 2 Sacred Heart (25-17, 25-20, 25-21) to capture the Northeast Conference title for the sixth straight season. Sophomore Ashley Rice (Marlton, N.J.) registered eight kills and eight blocks while hitting .571 en route to being named the NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player.

 

Long Island (21-13) came out swinging in the first set, taking an 8-2 lead on an attack error by Sacred Heart’s Johanna Ovsenek. The Pioneers (23-11) would narrow the margin to three points at 10-7, but the Blackbirds responded by scoring eight of the next 10 points to take an 18-9 advantage. From there, the Blackbirds held off Sacred Heart to take the first frame, 25-17.

 

In the second stanza, Sacred Heart took an early 2-0 lead and the teams fought tooth and nail, with the Pioneers eventually working out a 9-5 edge. Long Island hung tough and eventually tied the set at 14-14 on a kill by NEC Player of the Year Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia). Long Island extended its lead to 18-16 before the Pioneers rallied to tie with two straight points. A pair of Simic kills and an error by Sacred Heart pushed the Blackbirds ahead 21-18 and Long Island would fend off a late charge to earn a 25-20 win.

 

In the third set, Long Island worked out an early 3-0 lead after Rice opened with two authoritative kills. The Blackbirds stretched the lead to 16-8 on a kill by seniorMartina Racic (Pula, Croatia) and appeared to have the championship at hand before things got dicey. Sacred Heart scored 11 of the next 14 points to knot the score at 19-19. Simic finally put an end to the run with a kill following a long rally but the Pioneers answered back with a kill by Maile Hetherington. Racic then responded with back-to-back kills and a Sacred Heart attack error gave the Blackbirds a23-20 lead. After an error by Long Island, Simic recorded back-to-back kills of her own to close out the set, 25-21, and give the Blackbirds their sixth consecutive NEC crown.

 

Simic finished with a team-high 12 kills, adding nine digs. Racic tallied 11 kills, eight blocks and seven digs. Senior Dunja Milin (Pula, Croatia), who joined Rice on the NEC All-Tournament Team, had 29 assists and eight digs, while sophomoreChelsey Stanton (Macungie, Pa.) led Long Island with 14 digs.

 

The Blackbirds hit .238 as a team and Sacred Heart swung at a .146 clip but held a 42-40 advantage in kills. Ashlyn Trimble led the Pioneers with a match-high 13 kills. Jessica Colberg led all players with 18 digs.

 

Long Island will await its seeding in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament selection announcement will be televised on ESPNews on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 3:00 p.m.

 

 

- LIU -

 

Arizona Volleyball Team Trumps No. 11 Cal, 3-1

 

No. 19 Cats notch 19th win as Whitney Dosty and Tiffany Owens combine for 28 kills

 

 

TUCSON, Ariz. – On Senior Day in McKale Center, the No. 19 Arizona volleyball team topped No. 11 California to improve its chances for an at-large NCAA bid and ran its record to 19-8 overall and 8-8 in conference.

 

Tiffany Owens and Whitney Dosty both finished with 14 kills apiece while Paige Weber recorded 40 assists, four kills and seven digs. Danielle Holloway also received significant playing time, tallying three assists, two aces and one dig over four sets. Middle blocker Stephanie Snow came on strong off the bench as well and gave her team nine kills and four total blocks.

 

“The win feels terrific,” said head coach Dave Rubio.  “I’m really proud of how our kids responded today.” 

 

The Golden Bears (18-9, 11-6) got off to a quick start, taking a five-point lead followed by UA bouncing back and closing the gap somewhat at 7-5. After a few exchanges, Owens tied the score at nine with a powerful attack.  Arizona then took the lead at 10-9 when Weber and Jacy Norton teamed up for a block.  Following a Cal timeout, the Cats took the next two points to increase their lead by three. The lead grew to six behind an attack from Weber and a block assist from Dosty and Snow.  Arizona would take the set and a 1-0 lead on a Cal attack error to win the set 25-17.

 

In the second set, both teams traded jabs early to stay knotted at 12-12. Each UA attempt to establish a permanent lead was quickly answered by Cal who tied things up at 19-19.  After Cal took a brief 20-19 advantage, Arizona went ahead on a Bear attack error and an Owens kill to move the score to 22-20 in its favor. The Cats grabbed the set, 25-22, behind consecutive Cal errors and moved ahead in the match 2-0.

 

Cal opened set three with a 6-3 advantage after Kat Brown and Correy Johnson rejected a UA attack.  Cal’s lead would grow to 13-7 when Hana Cutura hammered home her fourth kill of the set.  After an attempted UA comeback, Cal kept its foot on the accelerator and moved ahead 20-13.  The Golden Bears won the set on an Arizona attack error, 25-18.

 

The Wildcats responded quickly in set four, racing out to a 5-1 lead after Dosty and Snow blocked a Cutura attack. The Bears signaled time to slow UA’s momentum with the score at 8-2. It failed to work however as the Cats’ lead grew to 11-3 on an error by Brown.  Arizona sustained a mini Cal run half way through as the lead shrunk to 14-9 Arizona. The Golden Bears then ripped off a 7-4 run though shortly after to close the gap to 18-16 and forced Rubio to signal for time. Follwing the timeout, Arizona refused to succumb to the Bear rally and took the fourth set, 25-21 and the match 3-1.

 

Seniors Norton and Alanna Resch were lauded before the match for their four-year careers. Norton totaled five kills and four block assists while libero Resch had 12 digs.

 

Arizona will travel to Los Angeles next weekend to face UCLA Friday afternoon and USC on Saturday afternoon to close its regular season and await its NCAA tournament fate on Sunday.

 

Panthers Complete Amazing Turnaround With Title Win Over Cleveland State
UWM headed to NCAA Tournament for eighth time

Check http://www.uwmpanthers.com for additional postmatch coverage

CLEVELAND, Ohio - After a loss at Wright State on Oct. 11, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team had just five wins to its credit and stood in eighth place in the Horizon League.

Six weeks later, the Panthers are again champions.

Maddie Sueppel had 16 kills and tournament most valuable player Lauren Felsing led a stellar defensive effort with 16 digs as Milwaukee claimed a 27-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-13 win over Cleveland State Sunday afternoon at Woodling Gymnasium in the title match of the 2009 Horizon League Volleyball Tournament.

The third-seeded Panthers (16-14), who have now won 11-straight matches, never trailed in the final two sets to claim their sixth league tournament crown and eighth NCAA Tournament berth.

Natalie Schmitting added 11 kills for an offense that was able to score consistently with its middle attack. And, Felsing was one of five players to reach double figures in digs, as Lauren Hintze collected a collegiate-best 20 and Jena Berg added 19.

Cleveland State (26-8), which won the league regular season title, committed 31 hitting errors as the Panthers frustrated the Vikings throughout the match.

That allowed this to become a day for Milwaukee to cap an amazing turnaround. The loss in Dayton last month put the Panthers in a position it never dreamed of after being pegged to win a seventh-straight regular season league title. Now, UWM is in perhaps just as unimaginable a position, hoisting the championship trophy and awaiting an NCAA Tournament opponent.

"This team did the 180 that we talked about in the locker room at Wright State after that last loss," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "It was an incredible turnaround. We just have so much momentum and we're getting better every single time we play."

"It is incredible to come back from the first half of the season when we were really struggling to find what our team was like," Felsing said. "To come back and get 11-straight wins is incredible to do, so I am just so proud of our team."

Compared to how difficult the first seven weeks of the season were for the Panthers, UWM made it look easy once they held off a valiant upset effort from Green Bay Friday. Milwaukee attacked quickly in the middle against the Vikings, with Sueppel and Schmitting the offensive stars. That slowly opened holes on the outside for Kerri Schuh (nine kills), Mary Beth O'Brien (eight kills) and Berg (eight kills).

"That was our plan - to go quick in the middle," Johnson said. "All of these teams are so good in our conference on defense, so you have to make it harder for them. By doing a quicker attack, it makes it harder because they don't have as much time to dig. It opened up other attacks for us once we set the middle."

Cleveland State, meanwhile, could never get its big hitters on track. League Player of the Year Beth Greulich had just 11 kills but nine errors, while Liz Fazio had 15 kills and 10 errors. The Vikings hit .229 in the second frame and seemed to be back on track, but then hit just .058 in the third and .026 in the fourth.

The only set that was ever in doubt was the first. Each team built a three-point lead and then Cleveland State had to fight off a pair of set-point chances for Milwaukee. The Vikings couldn't do it a third time, though, with a pair of errors followed by a kill from Schuh pushing UWM ahead in the match.

Cleveland State then controlled the second set and the stage seemed set for a repeat of last season's five-set title match won by Milwaukee. Instead, UWM started the third set with a 5-1 lead and eventually led by as many as eight points in the frame. The Panthers did even better in the fourth, scoring 10 of the first 11 points to take complete control.

"It is a different feeling because it wasn't so tight this time," Felsing said of comparing the five-setter last year to Sunday's win. "It wasn't that last touch, save the game, that type of thing. We were taking care of business and we did what we wanted to do."

The win helps make the first seven weeks of the season even more of a distant memory, and allows the season to continue for at least two more weeks.

"I don't even want to look back, but it's really amazing how far we have come along and how many changes we have made," Schmitting, who earned all-tournament honors, said. "It's really unbelievable that we went from eighth place to first."

And as for the team in Milwaukee uniforms that went 2-6 in the first half of league play, Felsing says it will never be seen again.

"They're gone - long gone. I think we've let it creep up but we have found a way to push it down and become the team we were supposed to be this whole time."

University of Maryland Women's Volleyball Falls Short at No. 15 Florida State

Usher ties career high with 18 kills.

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Led by a career high-tying 18 kills from senior Katie Usher, the University of Maryland volleyball team went to No. 15 Florida State Sunday afternoon and went to-to-toe with the Seminoles for much of the match before coming up short in three sets, 25-22, 25-23 and 25-9.

 

The Terps (13-19, 5-14) proved to be a pesky bunch for the Seminoles (27-2, 18-1), but Florida State was able to escape unscathed and clinch the outright Atlantic Coast Conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

 

Maryland grabbed an 11-6 lead in the opening set as Usher posted three quick kills, forcing Florida State to call timeout. The Seminoles fought their way back in and took the lead, but the Terps were in striking distance late, down only one at 23-22. But a Seminole kill and service ace earned the set for Florida State.

 

In the second set, it was Florida State jumping out to a big lead early, only to see it taken away. Trailing 11-5, the Terps fought back with eight unanswered points to grab a two-point advantage. The lead exchanged hands several times from that point and the score was tied at 23 in the closing stages. However, like the first set, Florida State took the win with back-to-back points to grab a 2-0 lead heading into the break.

 

After narrowly avoiding defeat in the first two sets, Florida State left no doubt in the third, hitting .650 in the frame to win by 16 points.

 

Usher was fantastic in spearheading Maryland’s upset bid, tying her career with 18 kills while also tying her season high with a .667 hitting percentage. Unfortunately for Maryland, Usher’s performance wasn’t enough to overcome Florida State’s balanced attack.

 

Mira Djuric led the Seminoles with 11 kills, Stephanie Neville recorded eight and Rachael Morgan and Fatma Yildirim each contributed seven.

 

Maryland concludes its season at 3 p.m. Wednesday when Boston College visits Comcast Pavilion.

 

– TERPS –

Texas State Wins Southland Volleyball Tournament Championship

SAN ANTONIO - No. 1 seed Texas State downs No. 3 Stephen F. Austin (25-20,
25-20, 23-25, 25-17) in four sets to capture the 2009 Southland Conference
Volleyball Tournament Championship at the Convocation Center in San
Antonio. The Bobcats earn their sixth tournament title overall, as they
improve their record to 22-12 and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA
Tournament.

Junior outside hitter Mo Middleton was named the Most Valuable Player.
Middleton registered 36 kills in the tournament, including tying her
career-high of 18 in the championship match.

Joining Middleton on the all-tournament team were senior outside hitter
Jessica Weynand and junior right side hitter Melinda Cave.  Weynand
recorded 12 kills and 15 digs in the match for her ninth double-double of
the season. Cave tallied 28 kills and 23 digs throughout the tournament to
help the Bobcats to the title.

Texas State started the match down two, before Weynand slammed a kill to
the right side, followed by a Brittany Collins service ace to start the
match. The Bobcats continued to hit well as they went up 10-6 thanks to a
kill by Cave that forced SFA to call a timeout and slow things down.

Cave was on fire in the set as she helped Texas State to a 15-11 lead,
heading into a media timeout. A solo block by Weynand coming out of the
timeout kept the Bobcats rhythm flowing as they maintained a five-point
lead at 19-14.

The Ladyjacks came back after two kills by Mary Caitlin Bottles to bring
the score to 23-20 in favor of the Bobcats. Texas State took the set
25-21, after an off the shoulder kill by Middleton and an error by Ashley
Bailey.

Sophomore Mary Caitlin Bottles led the Ladyjacks with 18 kills, and with
senior Ashley Bailey had 10 kills.  Both were named to the all-tournament
team at the conclusion of the match. Bottles finished just one kill shy of
a career high and only had a pair of misfires out of 36 swings, and even
rejected five shots in the process. Junior Kelsey Owens with 10 kills as
well.

After being down by three in the second Middleton nailed a kill to tie the
set at 6-all. Texas State grabbed a two-point lead after kills by
Middleton and Amber Calhoun, taking them up on the Ladyjacks 11-9.

Texas State spread the lead to four after three straight errors by SFA in
the set. An ace by Ally Buitron gave the Bobcats a six-point advantage at
20-14; as they went on to take the set 25-20.

SFA went on a slight run in the third to go up 14-9 on Texas State and
take the lead. Staying one point ahead of the Bobcats, the SFA offense was
powered by Bottles and Ashley Bailey as the Ladyjacks survived forcing a
fourth set.

AJ Watlington got things started in the fourth as she scored Texas State’s
first two kills of the set. Holding on to the lead, Middleton served
four-straight points for the Bobcats including an ace to give them a 10-6
edge over SFA.

The Bobcats kept their heads high and bodies moving as they went on to win
the set and the match 25-17 with a block assist by Watlington and Jillian
Wolpman to end the match.

Texas State recorded 58 kills on .287 hitting, plus 63 digs. Stephen F.
Austin hit .250, with 51 kills.

The NCAA Championship Selection Show will be on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 2pm on
ESPN News.

2009 Southland Conference All-Tournament Team
Mo Middleton, Texas State (MVP)
Jessica Weynand, Texas State
Melinda Cave, Texas State
Mary Caitlin Bottles, Stephen F. Austin
Ashley Bailey, Stephen F. Austin
Adrianne Meengs, Lamar

Post Match Quotes:

Texas State Coach Karen Chisum
“I'm just so excited for our kids. I was worried we had over extended
ourselves against Lamar in the semifinals. Fortunately we still had enough
left in the tank to get the job done. My hat is off to Coach Debbie
Humphreys and Stephen F. Austin. They played a very good tournament and
pushed us in the final match.”

Texas State Senior Jessica Weynand
“It is so exciting. This is our third title in four years. It's such a
huge accomplishment for us.”

Stephen F. Austin Coach Debbie Humphreys
"They left it all out there and as a coach you can't ask for any more than
that. I'm proud of how they played and how we improved over the course of
the year. But I really wanted this for the seniors, it's unfortunate
really for them that it's over.”

"Texas State just has so many weapons, especially offensively and they
played well. We've overcome a lot this year and to make it this far and
finish with 24 wins on the year."

"We knew we had to try and crank it up at the service line today and it
was certainly frustrating when you look back on that aspect of the match.”

Billikens Suffer Heartbreaking Loss in A-10 Championship Final

Boken, Fonke, McCloud named to All-Championship team

DAYTON, Ohio – Saint Louis won the first two sets 25-22 and 25-17, but a late Dayton (28-3) comeback in set three ignited the Flyers and gave them the momentum to capture 25-23, 25-15, 15-7 wins in the final three sets of the Atlantic 10 Championship final. It is the first time that the Billikens (23-7) have suffered a loss in the Championship final. Megan Boken, Bridget Fonke and Sammi McCloud were named to the All-Championship squad.   

Casey Chernin helped the Bills take an early 2-0 lead after blocking a Dayton attack and recording a kill down the line. But the Flyers battled back to tie things up twice before SLU went back on top. A Fonke kill and a service ace from Whitney Behrens put SLU on top 6-4. UD trimmed the lead to 7-6 before Saint Louis exploded for six straight points to take a commanding 13-6 lead. The Billikens were up 15-8 when the Flyers staged a comeback. After a SLU service error, Amanda Cowdrey served an ace. Then Dayton collected three straight kills before Cowdrey’s second ace of the run brought the Flyers within 15-14. However, Boken gave the Bills the next three points on back-to-back kills and a solo block to make it 18-14. UD got as close as two points twice before Fonke took control with three kills down the stretch to help the Bills capture the set-one victory. SLU outhit the Flyers .224 to .128 as Boken, Fonke and the Flyers’ Cowdrey led all players with five kills apiece.

Dayton took control early in the second set. After the Flyers scored the initial two points the Bills tied things up at 4-4. But UD took advantage of four Saint Louis errors and a Rachel Krabacher tip to claim a 9-4 edge. SLU scored six of the next eight points to get to within 11-10. The Flyers recorded a pair of hitting errors during the spurt, while Fonke tallied two kills, Alyssa Deno had one and Whitney Roth had one. The teams traded service errors before a Boken kill brought the match to a stalemate at 12-12. The teams also tied at 13-13 before the Billikens scored the next five points. A McCloud kill ignited the run and was followed by three Dayton errors. Then Chernin terminated and notched a solo block to finish the rally, which put SLU on top 18-13. SLU used two UD errors and consecutive kills from Boken, Fonke and McCloud to race out to a 23-15 advantage. The Flyers posted a couple kills near the end of the set but a kill from Deno completed the match. The Billiken hit at a .286 rate with McCloud leading the way with four kills, while Chernin added three kills and Roth had 13 assists. Dayton hit .061 in set two with six errors.   

The Flyers used two kills and a Billiken hitting error to stake its way to an early 3-0 edge in set three. Saint Louis chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the score and gained the 6-4 lead on back-to-back McCloud kills and a UD hitting error. Dayton drew even at 7-7 before it committed a pair of errors to hand the lead back to the Bills. SLU managed to hold onto a slim lead before the Flyers posted consecutive kills to even the score at 11-11. The teams endured seven ties, which brought the set to 18-18, before SLU scored three of the ensuing four points to go up 22-19. But that’s when Dayton made its run. A-10 co-Player of the Year Lindsay Fletemier sparked the rally with two kills as the Flyers assumed a 23-22 edge. The Billikens fought back to tie the score at 23-23 but UD scored the final two points to earn the win. Dayton outhit the Bills for the first time of the match in set three .220 to .150. Fletemier lead all players with seven kills, while Fonke led SLU with five.   

UD used its strong blocking and Saint Louis errors to race out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth set. The Billikens took advantage of a Flyers’ serving error to begin a 4-0 run, which also included two kills from McCloud and one from Boken, to get within 7-6. But SLU could never quite catch up as the momentum swung in Dayton’s favor. UD was up 12-9 when it mounted a six-point run that put them in control 18-9. The Bills tried to chip away at the lead but Dayton was able to control the tempo by hitting at a .500 clip and committing no errors. Saint Louis recorded a match-high seven errors in set four and hit just .135.    

Saint Louis fell behind 4-0 in the fifth set courtesy of a Fletemier kill, a service ace, a Krabacher kill and a Billiken hitting error. Two Flyer hitting errors combined with a kill from Fonke cut it to 4-3, but Dayton responded by scoring the next four points to go up 8-3. The Flyers took control from there as SLU was unable to put together consecutive points for the rest of the set. UD hit .333 with nine kills in the final set, while the Bilikens hit at a negative clip with just one kill and three errors.

Fonke led all players with 17 kills and completed a double-double with 14 digs. Boken recorded a double-double of 13 kills and 15 digs, while McCloud also turned in a double-double of 10 kills and 15 digs. Roth set the Billikens to a .167 hitting percentage for the match, while registering 48 assists and 11 digs. Behrens posted a team-high 22 digs, while Andrea Bolt added 11.

FLYERS CLAWS BACK FROM 0-2 DEFICIT TO WIN ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP AND AUTOMATIC BERTH INTO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Junior Transfer Amanda Cowdrey Is Named The A-10’s Most Outstanding Player

DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton Flyers entered Sunday’s title match in search of their fifth Atlantic 10 Championship in the last seven years. With the play from Dayton’s outside hitter  and the A-10’s Most Outstanding Player Amanda Cowdrey, the Flyers struck tournament gold defeating the No. 20 Saint Louis Billikens 3-2 at the Frericks Center in front of a nationally televised broadcast on CBS College Sports.

The Flyers clawed back from an 0-2 deficit for the third time this season to capture head coach Kelly Sheffield’s first A-10 title, and end a finals drought to the Billikens who had won the last two meetings in the A-10 finals. With Sunday’s win, the Flyers also earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, and will be making their sixth trip to the Big Dance in seven years.

Cowdrey was honored as most outstanding in the tournament after a 15 kill, 25 dig performance against SLU. It is the first such honor for Cowdrey as she transferred to the University of Dayton this fall.

All-Rookie team member Rachel Krabacher had 16 kills and 16 digs, tying All-American middle blocker and A-10 Co-Player of the Year Lindsay Fletemier for the team lead in kills. Fletemier also had eight blocks (eight assist), falling short of the tournament record of 11.

Dayton got off to a slow start against the Billikens. In fact, neither team had lost a match this season after winning the first set. The Flyers dropped the first set 22-25, but were stymied by the SLU offense in the second losing 17-25.

“We told the team at the break that we need to settle down and make better decisions,” Sheffield said.  “I think what you saw from then on out was a team executing its game plan.  Once we pushed we took the momentum and then had control of the match.”

From the intermission on, it was an entirely different for the Flyers. Dayton moved the ball to Fletemier who rattled off seven kills in the third set as UD began their ascent up the mountain.

 

“We were prepared for this game to go either way,” Fletemier said. “When we went down into the locker room, we were saying ‘Ok, Let’s go’. We knew we could play with them, there was no question since we did it on our home court before.”

As Dayton earned the third set from the Billikens, the tables began to turn on SLU who won last year’s tournament at home against the Flyers.

Cowdrey ignited, adding four kills for a .364 hitting percentage in the fourth. Fletemier continued her dominance on both sides of the ball putting away three block assists and five kills on seven attempts.

“We were expecting a long hard match and that is what it was today,” Cowdrey said.  “Once we got our heads together and focused on our side of the court everything took care of itself. Everyone wanted this bad enough that we had to make it happen in order to achieve our goal of going to the NCAA Tournament.”

Dayton pounced on the opportunity in the fifth set, opening up the final frame with four straight points. The Billikens came as close as pulling the match within two points, however, UD seized the opportunity closing out the match with three straight points.

Dayton will host the Ohio Bobcats in a non-conference match the day after Thanksgiving at the Frericks Center. The Flyers will then await their opponent in the Opening Round of the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Championships. The selection will occur on Sunday, Nov. 29 on ESPN News.

Notes: All-American middle blocker and A-10 Co-Player of the Year Lindsay Fletemier was named to the All-Tournament team. She was joined by the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Amanda Cowdrey. Dayton leads all current Atlantic 10 member schools with five tournament titles. Former A-10 school Penn State has seven championships. Dayton has come back twice from 2-0 deficits beating Creighton at home on Sept. 12 and Oregon State at the Michigan/adidas Invitational on Sept 18.

-UD-

Milwaukee captures second straight Horizon League volleyball title

Panthers win 11th straight match for sixth tournament crown in school history

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee used a four-set victory over Cleveland State University (27-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-13) on Sunday at Woodling Gymnasium to win the Horizon League Volleyball Championship for a second straight season.

The third-seeded Panthers, who capture their sixth Horizon League Tournament crown in school history, improve to 16-14 with their 11th consecutive match victory.  The top-seeded Vikings, who entered the week as just one of 11 NCAA Division I teams with at least 25 wins, finish the campaign 26-8.

Milwaukee will now head to the NCAA Volleyball Championship for the eighth time in school history.  The NCAA Tournament selection show is set for Sunday, Nov. 29, at 3 p.m. ET and will be televised live by ESPNews.

Milwaukee senior Lauren Felsing was named Tournament Most Valuable Player, while junior Maddie Sueppel and junior Natalie Schmitting also earned spots on the All-Tournament Team. 

Felsing tallied a match-high 20 digs on Sunday, while Sueppel recorded a match-best 16 kills.  Sueppel and Schmitting added five blocks apiece, while senior Kellye Zaporski handed out 38 assists.

Junior Amy Benz and sophomore Jordan Goad represented Cleveland State on the All-Tournament Team.  Benz recorded 12 smackdowns, while Goad dished out a match-best 42 assists.

Milwaukee held a .184 (54 K, 20 E, 185 TA) to .112 (52 K, 31 E, 187 TA) advantage in hitting percentage and out-blocked Cleveland State 10 (2 BS, 16 BA) to six (1 BS, 10 BA) in the fifth-and-final match of this year’s Horizon League Championship.

Milwaukee grabbed a competitive first set, which featured 14 ties and six lead changes.  Cleveland State then responded with a victory in the second set to knot things at intermission.

The visiting Panthers turned up the heat in sets three and four.  UWM used a 5-0 run midway through the third stanza, then raced out to a 10-1 advantage and never looked back in the final tilt.

Milwaukee advanced to the championship match with a five-set, come-from-behind victory over the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in the quarterfinals (25-16, 15-25, 15-25, 28-26, 15-10) and four-set win over the University of Illinois at Chicago in the semifinals (25-11, 19-25, 25-18, 25-14).

Cleveland State earned a first-round bye in the new six-team format and rolled to a three-set victory over Valparaiso University in the semifinals (25-14, 26-24, 25-23).

Felsing, Sueppel, Schmitting, Benz and Goad were joined on the All-Tournament Team by Valparaiso freshman Taylor Root and UIC junior Jessica Dalke.

Check out www.horizonleague.org in late November for details on Milwaukee’s first-round NCAA Tournament match.

--------------------------

Quarterfinals -- Friday, Nov. 20
Match 1 -- #3 Milwaukee 3, #6 Green Bay 2
Match 2 -- #5 UIC 3, #4 Butler 1

Semfinals -- Saturday, Nov. 21
Match 3 -- #1 Cleveland State 3, #5 UIC 1
Match 4 -- #3 Milwaukee 3, #2 Valparaiso 0

Championship -- Sunday, Nov. 22
Match 5 -- #3 Milwaukee 3, #1 Cleveland State 1

All-Tournament Team
Lauren Felsing, Milwaukee (MVP)
Maddie Sueppel, Milwaukee
Natalie Schmitting, Milwaukee
Amy Benz, Cleveland State
Jordan Goad, Cleveland State
Taylor Root, Valparaiso
Jessica Dalke, UIC

No. 17 LSU Women's Volleyball Team Downs Alabama, Clinches Share of SEC Crown

 

BATON ROUGE – The No. 17 LSU volleyball team sent its senior class of Brittnee Cooper, Sam Dabbs, Lauren DeGirolamo and Marina Skender off in-style with a 3-0 triumph [25-12, 27-25, 25-19] over Alabama to conclude the SEC regular season Sunday at the Maravich Center. 

 

LSU (24-5, 18-2 SEC) pushed its winning streak to nine matches and completed its third consecutive undefeated season against the SEC Western Division. The Tigers also clinched a share of the overall SEC regular season title as No. 13 Florida upended No. 10 Kentucky in four sets.

 

“It was certainly special for our seniors to end [the regular season] with a win on their home court,” head coach Fran Flory said. “We’re hopeful that we’ll get a chance [to host] the NCAA’s, but you never know so we knew we had to get this one today. We knew that Alabama was a great team, and we would have to really come to play. Traditionally, a lot of schools struggle with senior night, but our group plays well on senior night because they’re so devoted and so loyal to the people that have walked in their shoes before them. I couldn’t be prouder of our group.”

 

Sam Dabbs circulated 35 assists to go along with eight kills and three blocks. She also set the LSU offense to a .318 hitting percentage highlighted by a .385 clip in the third set.

 

Lauren DeGirolamo ripped four kills to become the 17th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000 career kills. She also reeled in a career-best 21 digs and tacked on three blocks.

 

“It’s not only one match,” DeGirolamo said. “This means a lot for us because it’s a culmination of our whole career here so we wanted to come in here, win and take care of business. Not just for us seniors, but for the whole team.”

 

Marina Skender powered home 11 kills and notched nine digs, while Brittnee Cooper popped eight kills and recorded a match-high five blocks.

 

Angela Bensend and Michele Williams chipped in seven kills apiece. Lauren Waclawczyk corralled 15 digs for the Tigers.

 

LSU wraps up the regular season at Rice, who qualified for the NCAA’s this weekend by winning the Conference USA Tournament. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and live stats are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow in-match updates of the five-time SEC Western Division champions viawww.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.