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UAB Volleyball Team Hosts ECU Friday For Employee Appreciation Night Split conference weekend also features Blazer road trip to Marshall
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Blazer volleyball team hosts East Carolina for Employee Appreciation Night on Friday at 7 p.m. CT at Bartow Arena. All UAB employees will be admitted for free with a valid UAB ID.
The East Carolina match is part of a split Conference USA weekend that also includes the Blazers traveling to Huntington, W. Va., on Sunday for a 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT) matchup with Marshall.
UAB (3-11, 0-2 C-USA) is looking to rebound from a pair of conference-opening losses last weekend to SMU. The Blazers fell on back-to-back nights to the Mustangs, the second-highest rated RPI team in the league.
Despite the losses, libero Heather Thomas continued her strong defensive play. The junior ranks second in C-USA and has climbed to 16th in the national rankings with a 5.48 digs-per-set average.
Offensively, Michelle Uzoh has been the most efficient hitter for the Blazers, ranking fourth in the league with a .332 attack percentage. Uzoh (2.30) is one of three UAB players averaging better than two kills per set, joining Jordan McDonald (2.92) and Sam Serley (2.80).
East Carolina (1-13, 0-2 C-USA) dropped a pair of 3-0 decisions at home to UTEP last weekend. The Pirates' lone victory came two weeks ago in their non-conference finale against Binghamton.
Marshall (8-6, 2-0 C-USA) started league play in opposite fashion, sweeping two home contests with UCF. The Herd opens its weekend Friday at Memphis before returning home to host the Blazers on Sunday.
UAB went 3-1 combined last year against East Carolina and Marshall, winning both regular-season meetings from the Pirates and splitting with the Herd. The Blazers have won 11 of 16 all-time meetings with ECU and six of 11 against Marshall.
TCU Volleyball Team Handles UNLV, 3-1 Igodan tallies career-high seven kills FORT WORTH, Texas – The TCU volleyball team notched a 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-15, 25-19) Mountain West Conference victory over UNLV Thursday night at the University Rec Center. Yvonne Igodan tallied a career-high seven kills and racked up a match-high four blocks for the Horned Frogs. Irene Hester and Christy Hudson both picked up double-doubles in the contest. Irene Hester’s 11 double-double of the season featured a match-high 16 kills and 10 digs. Hudson’s fourth double-double of the season saw her pick up 15 kills and tally a team-high 13 digs. Kristen Hester pitched in with 11 kills and served up a match-high three aces. Meghan Horio tallied 47 assists, three kills and six digs. Jordan Raines knocked down seven kills and picked up nine digs. TCU raced out to an early 7-2 lead on kills from Hudson and Kristen Hester. A setter-dump by Horio gave the Frogs a comfortable 10-4 lead. The Horned Frogs clung to their lead, working the set to 14-9 as Igodan joined the offensive charge with a kill. UNLV hung around and eventually worked itself back into the set, taking a 19-18 lead. A kill from Hudson gave the Frogs a 23-22 lead and a service ace from Cheyenne Giesecke made it a 24-22 contest. The Rebels handed the Frogs the 25-22 set one victory with their second service error of the set. A tighter affair greeted the teams in a second set that featured 10 ties and two lead changes. Igodan gave the Frogs a 10-9 lead and from there the teams battled through five ties before UNLV eventually grabbed a two-point lead on a kill by Kelsey Keeler. Trailing by three, 21-18, the Frogs tried to get back into the set behind the serving of Giesecke. Hudson blasted back-to-back kills from the right side to pull the Frogs within one, 21-20, but a kill from Sara Nehf killed the rally. Keeler finished off the 25-21 set two win for UNLV, evening the match at a game apiece. It was all Horned Frogs in the third set as they took the 2-1 match lead with a dominating 25-15 victory. Horio served the Frogs to a 4-2 lead that was aided by kills from Irene Hester and Hudson along with a loud denial on the outside by Igodan and Hudson. The lead continued to grow with Hudson serving as the Frogs put the Rebels in a seven-point hole, 17-10. The Rebels pulled within five, 20-15, but Igodan put the Frogs on the winning track with a loud kill in the middle. Giesecke took the ball and served the Frogs to victory. The 5-0 run that ended the set was punctuated by a solo denial from Hudson that gave the Frogs set point. TCU continued its domination in the fourth set as it locked up the victory. The Frogs fought their way to a 13-9 lead that was aided by kills from the usual suspects, Irene Hester and Hudson. UNLV kept the set close, pulling within one, 17-16, but an attack error by the Rebels put the Frogs back in front by two. The Frogs would never look back as Irene Hester gave the Frogs a four point lead, 21-17. Raines pushed the set to match point with a loud kill from the back row and Kristen Hester finished the victory with a blast in the middle. The Horned Frogs improve to 10-6 overall and 1-1 in league play. TCU will host Air Force on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
UTSA Volleyball Team: Kendra Rowland pushes Roadrunners past Stephen F. Austin
NACOGDOCHES - Senior outside hitter Kendra Rowland tallied a match-high 14 winners to help the UTSA volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Stephen F. Austin on Thursday night inside Johnson Coliseum.
The win marked the Roadrunners (8-9, 2-1 Southland) first win in Nacogdoches since topping the Ladyjacks (8-10, 1-2) on Sept. 16, 2000.
Rowland led three Runners into double digits as sophomore outside hitter Whitney Walls and junior outside hitter Elise Huskey chipped in with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Redshirt sophomore setter Kelsey Schwirtlich led all players with 48 assists, while junior libero Kelsey Jewasko collected 26 digs to anchor the UTSA back row.
The Roadrunners hit .201 collectively, including a match-best .350 in the third set and held Stephen F. Austin to a .169 hitting percentage.
Mary Caitlin Bottles and Kelsey Owens each tallied 13 winners to pace the Ladyjacks attack. Laurel Kuepker handed out 22 assists, while Madison Hanlan netted 14 digs.
UTSA held a 10-9 lead in the opening set before SFA recieved a winner from Allison Gideon to tie it at 10. An attack error by the Roadrunners handed the Ladyjacks the lead for good. SFA pushed its lead to 23-18 before UTSA mounted a comeback attempt. The Runners reeled off three consecutive points to pull within two (23-21). SFA withstood the push by UTSA after winning the next two points to claim the first frame.
The Roadrunners took a 7-6 lead in the second stanza and never looked back. UTSA increased its lead to seven (24-17) before the Ladyjacks picked up a point with a kill by Sabrina Burns. A service error followed to allow the Runners to tie the match.
UTSA claimed the match lead after winning a closely contested third frame. The Runners trailed by four (10-6) early on, but would go on to lead by three (21-18) before the two teams traded several set points. UTSA took a 27-26 lead after Schwirtlich set up Rowland for a winner and the Runners took full control of the match after a Ladyjack attack error.
Momentum allowed UTSA to take an early 5-1 lead in set four. Later on in the set, the Birds pushed out to a five-point advantage (19-14) on a winner by Rowland. Leading 22-17, the Runners won the final three points, including a final kill from Rowland to seal the win.
UTSA continues its three-match road swing with a trip to Huntsville on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tilt with Sam Houston State.
Tulsa Volleyball Team Plays Split Weekend at Southern Miss and Home vs. Tulane Golden Hurricane takes on Golden Eagles Friday at 7 p.m. and Tulane Sunday at 1 p.m. TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa volleyball team takes on Southern Miss and Tulane in a home-and-away split weekend, Friday and Sunday, in the second week of Conference USA competition. Tulsa takes its 11-2 overall record and 2-0 mark in league play on the road to Southern Miss (8-5, 1-1 C-USA) for a match Friday at 7 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum, then returns home to face Tulane (4-10, 1-1 C-USA) Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Live stats for both matches will be available at www.TulsaHurricane.com. Live video via Hurricane Vision will be available for TU’s match against Tulane. “It’s a difficult weekend for the whole league, because the whole league faces a split weekend,” Tulsa Head Coach Ed Allen said. “I think it’s double-important for us, because Southern Miss and Tulane are both programs that we see only one time this year, and it’s important that we play well and try to get a win in those matches.” Tulsa enters the weekend hitting .276 (651-211-1597) with 651 kills (14.80 k/s), 616 assists (14.00 a/s), 61 service aces (1.39 sa/s), 720 digs (16.36 dig/s) and 62.0 total blocks (1.41 blk/s). The Hurricane’s opponents hit .177 (489-27-1533) with 489 kills (11.11 k/s), 458 assists (10.41 a/s), 41 service aces (0.93 sa/s), 626 digs (14.23 dig/s) and 77.5 total blocks (1.76 blk/s). Tulsa is led on the outside by sophomore Tyler Henderson, who has 282 kills (6.41 kills per set), a .318 attack percentage, 90 digs, 24.0 total blocks and 308.0 points for the Hurricane. Sophomore Diana Silva has 116 kills (2.64 k/s) and 137 digs (3.11 dig/s). Junior Kelsey Hancock has 94 kills (2.14 k/s) and hits .248. At middle blocker, senior Hannah Stout hits .348 with 99 kills and 20.0 blocks, while freshman Elizabeth Kale (Frisco, Texas) leads TU with 30.0 blocks. Sophomore libero Jessica Adams leads Tulsa with 201 digs (4.57 dig/s). Sophomore setter Jordan Clampitt has 581 assists (13.20 a/s) and 112 digs (2.55 dig/s). Southern Miss is hitting .244 (692-251-1805) with 692 kills (14.12 k/s), 643 assists (13.12 a/s), 58 service aces (1.18 sa/s), 761 digs (15.53 dig/s) and 81.0 total blocks (1.65 blk/s). The Golden Eagles’ opponents hit .213 (618-244-1753) with 618 kills (12.61 k/s), 576 assists (11.76 a/s), 38 service aces (0.78 sa/s), 693 digs (14.14 dig/s) and 105.0 total blocks (2.14 blk/s). Southern Miss is led by outside hitter Ashley Mell, who has 239 kills (4.88 k/s), hits .284, and has 28 blocks (0.57 blk/s). Middle blocker Lauren Sears hits .315 and has 30 blocks, setter Kelsea Seymour has 554 assists (11.31 a/s) and libero Lisa Knect has 228 digs (4.65 dig/s). Tulane hits .186 as a team (577-274-1631) with 577 kills (13.19 k/s), 536 assists (11.40 a/s), 46 service aces (0.98 sa/s), 666 digs (14.17 dig/s) and 7.0 total blocks (1.60 blk/s). The Green Wave opponents hit .234 (620-234-1650) ith 620 kills (13.19 k/s), 567 assists (12.06 a/s), 74 aces (1.57 sa/s), 660 digs (14.04 dig/s) and 119.0 total blocks (2.53 blk/s). Tulane is led by outside hitter Izabela Grot, who averages 3.04 kills per set and has 19 blocks, while middle blocker Lindsey Shepard hits .307 and leads the team with 39 blocks. Green Wave setter Mel Mandelbaum has 446 assists (9.49 per set) and Amaris Genemaris averages 3.11 digs per set. Tulsa leads the all-time series against Southern Miss, 3-2, including a 2-1 record in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles defeated the Golden Hurricane last season, 3-2, at USM. TU trails the series against Tulane, 10-5, but the Hurricane beat the Green Wave twice last season after dropping the conference opener in New Orleans. TU has a 3-2 record vs. Tulane in Tulsa since 2005. For all Tulsa volleyball news and information, visit www.TulsaHurricane.com. Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane. Become a fan of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane page on Facebook – www.facebook.com/TulsaHurricane. -TulsaHurricane.com-
Added to the events of Dig Pink, the Charlotte 49ers volleyball team is hosting a mobile mammography vehicle on campus on October 15th from 8:30 am- 4 pm in conjunction with their annual Dig Pink volleyball match. The mammography vehicle will be located on Craver road on the same side of the street as the Student Union (in the Burson building bus turn around). Appointment space is limited so be sure to schedule your appointment early. Charlotte Volleyball Team Announces Dig Pink Initiatives for 10/15 Match
CHARLOTTE -- October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Charlotte 49ers are in full preparations for their Dig Pink match, which takes place on October 15 at 7 p.m. against Temple. The team raised more than $8,000 last season and has set a goal of $10,000 for the 2010 campaign, which begins in earnest this weekend. The team is asking folks to head to the Charlotte94ers.com site and click the new "Dig Pink" donate button to access the team's fundraising page. In addition to bringing back many of last year's events, the volleyball team has added a "Jail and Bail" fundraiser, scheduled for October 14, where celebrities will be publicly arrested and placed in a mock public jail cell and will solicit "bail money" to be released as part of the goal totals. The team will raise finds at the University Place Chick-Fil-A on Thursday, October 13. The 49ers have already appeared at tailgating venues before the Cincinnati-Carolina NFL game, receiving donations of over $900 towards their goal. As they did last season, Charlotte will don Pink Charlotte jerseys and hand out 1,000 pink t-shirts for the fans attending the event. Last year's attendance was 1,429, a record for a single volleyball event (Charlotte drew 1,679 last November 11 and 2,188 on November 12, 2006 as a lead-in to a basketball game later that evening). Fraternities and sororities on campus, as well as the athletic teams competed in penny wars, where teams collected pennies toward their own total, and penalized other teams by putting other coins, which were counted against the team penny total, in opposing team collections. The 12 Charlotte athletic programs raised over $800 in change towards the overall goal. The team made appearances at Jersey Mike's, which donated proceeds during one six-hour time period towards the goal, and went out to the Carolina Panthers home opener downtown and visited tailgates of Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles fans. The Niners set up online donations through their Dig Pink-affiliated Web site, and collected $4,150 in 2009 through that vehicle. The Dig for the Cure match was created by former head coach Lisa Marston for the 2002 season. This is the ninth-straight season that Charlotte has participated in a match for raising awareness towards breast cancer research. --charlotte49ers.com--
Bowling Green State University Volleyball Team: Paige Penrod, Danielle Tonyan Shine Despite Loss To Miami (Ohio) Bowling Green, Ohio – Bowling Green State University freshmen Paige Penrod and Danielle Tonyan both posted season highs in kills but the Falcons lost a wild match to Mid-American Conference foe Miami (Ohio) 25-20, 25-21, 11-25, 25-23 Thursday night in volleyball action. Playing in front of 360 people in Anderson Arena, Penrod had 22 kills and Tonyan added 17 as Bowling Green outkilled Miami 58-49 and outdug the RedHawks 62-44. Despite those lopsided totals, the RedHawks came away with a stunning victory, in particular in a mind-boggling fourth set. After dropping the first two sets, Bowling Green stormed back to completely control the third in a 25-11 win. Despite holding all the momentum heading into the fourth, Miami scored seven of the first nine points to take a 7-2 lead. But a Penrod kill started an amazing run of 14 consecutive Falcon points that gave BGSU a comfortable 16-7 lead. Penrod and Tonyan combined for six kills and the Falcons had three blocks during the stretch. But Cassie Farrell’s kill stopped the run and Miami began to claw back. Bowling Green led 18-10 when Miami scored four in a row to make it 18-14. Noelle Spitler had a kill but Miami came back with five more in a row to tie the score at 19-19. The RedHawks finally took the lead back for good on a Lisa Treadway kill that made it 22-21 and forced BGSU coach Denise Van De Walle to burn a timeout. Coming out of the break, Miami built the lead to 23-21 and to 24-22 before Penrod’s final kill of the match cut the deficit to one. But Miami’s Amy Raseman put the match away by hammering a set through a BG block attempt for the win. Penrod hit .462 for the match and Tonyan hit .367 as the Falcons hit .281 as a team, holding Miami to .223 hitting. The RedHawks actually hit .365 during the first two sets but only .105 in the final two stanzas. Ashley Dunn had 24 digs as Bowling Green had 18 more as a team than Miami. Laura Avila added 10 to her 33 assists for a double-double. BGSU also doubled up Miami with 8.0 team blocks, seven coming from Spitler. Miami jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first set but Bowling Green battled back to get within one point at 17-16, 18-17, and 19-18. But at that point, Miami scored four straight on a BG service error followed by an ace, a Treadway kill and a Raseman kill that put the set away. In the second set, Miami again built an early lead at 8-4 and Bowling Green never got closer than two points the rest of the way. But momentum shifted in the third set when the Falcons scored the first seven points and then added another seven-point run later in the set to cruise to victory. Miami improves to 6-10 on the year and 1-2 in MAC play with the win. Bowling Green falls to 6-11 overall and also is 1-2 in league action. The Falcons will host Western Michigan Saturday evening at 7 p.m. as the program recognizes the All-Anderson Team – the 14 best volleyball players of the Anderson Arena era – in celebration of the final season of Anderson Arena for “Closing The Doors Of The House That Roars.”
McNeese State Volleyball Cowgirls Team Drop SLC Match To UT-Arlington
LAKE CHARLES-- McNeese State's volleyball team put up a good fight her Thursday night in a straight set Southland Conference loss to Texas-Arlington. The Cowgirls dropped the set by the scores of 21-25, 19-25, 21-25. "Tonight they were better than us and they are well coached. We played as hard as they did, they are just better than us. We did everything we possibly could do and we were in the match. I'm satisfied with what we did tonight," said head coach Terry Gamble. McNeese held a 20-16 lead in the first set but allowed the Maveraicks to take a 21-20 lead and the 25-21 first set win on a kill by Emily Shearin. In the second set, UTA took the lead from the first serve and never looked back. At one point in the set the Mavericks held a 11-5 lead but it was the Cowgirls who fought back with three straight points to cut the lead to 11-9 and then 12-11. UTA went on to outscore the Cowgirls 13-10 the rest of the way for the second set victory. Following intermission, the Cowgirls looked like they had regrouped at the beginning of the match and never trailed by more than two points. After the sixth tie of the set at 19 all, Bianca Sauls gave UTA the lead at 20-19 and Shearin upped the lead to 21-19 after a McNeese timeout. McNeese cut the lead to 21-22 on a UTA ball handling error and a kill by Regina Trapp. UTA took a 23-21 lead on a McNeese error and Amanda Aguilera put down back-to-back kills to win the set and the match. Trapp led the Cowgirls with 10 kills and Katie Kennedy led with 14 digs. Setter Becky Bekelja dished out 38 assists and added 12 digs while Nicole Bowden led McNeese with a .364 hitting percent. The loss drops the Cowgirls to 6-12 on the year and 1-3 in league play while UT-Arlington improved to 8-9 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Mavericks were led by Sauls' 12 kills and a .706 hitting percent. Sauls was errorless in 17 attempts and was credited with 10 digs. McNeese will return to conference play Saturday when they will host Texas State in a 2 p.m. match.
Western Michigan Volleyball Team Loses, 3-2, at Northern Illinois
DeKALB, Ill. -- Freshman outside hitter Ali Gossen set career highs with 16 kills and .483 attack percentage, but Western Michigan couldn't hold onto the lead and fell at Northern Illinois, 3-2 (22-25, 25-17, 25-27, 25-21, 15-10), in a Mid-American Conference match at Victor E. Court on Thursday night.
The loss snapped the Broncos (11-5, 2-1 MAC) five-match winning streak and was the first five-set match of the season for WMU. The Huskies (16-2, 2-1 MAC) moved into a tie with WMU in second place in the MAC West. Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Brown added 15 kills, three blocks, two digs and hit .333, while senior outside hitter Allyson Doyle notched her 38th career double-double with 10 kills, 10 digs, five assists and career-high-tying three aces. Doyle moved into 16th place in school history with 1,032 career kills. Freshman middle blocker tallied a career-high nine kills playing in the last three sets.
Junior setter Sam Viox had a season-high 55 assists and moved into 10th place in school history with 1,711 career assists. Freshman libero Lena Oliver led the Broncos with 20 digs and freshman outside hitter Taylor Richard tied her career high with 16 digs.
The Huskies were led by Lauren Wicinski with 29 kills, 12 digs and hit .309, while libero Maddie Hughes led all players with 27 digs. Setter Kristin Hoffman had 67 assists and 10 digs as the Huskies hit .298 and held WMU to .228 attacking. The Huskies had more kills (76-63), digs (75-69) and blocks (6.0-4.0).
"Northern Illinois played very, very well," head coach Colleen Munson said. "We were able to side out with them, but couldn't get enough runs going."
WMU won the third set to take the lead, but Northern Illinois came back to win the fourth set and extend the match to the fifth set.
A kill by Harris and block by Brown and Viox gave the Broncos the first two points of the fifth set, but NIU came back to tie, 4-4. The Broncos went back up two, 6-4, after a Gossen kill and NIU error. The Huskies came back with a 4-1 run to take its first lead, 8-7. WMU tied the score after another error by NIU, but then was called for being in the net on the next point. Doyle had a kill to tie the set, 9-9, but then NIU scored five in a row with three straight kills and then two WMU errors. WMU saved one match point after a ball-handling error by NIU, but couldn't stave off defeat, 15-10.
NIU hit .304 with 10 kills and three errors in the final set. After a good start, WMU finished with six kills and four errors in the decisive frame.
A kill by Brown, ace by Doyle and kill by freshman outside hitter Gillian Asque put the Broncos on top, 4-2, in the first set. Northern Illinois tied the score by earning the next two points, but another Brown kill and NIU error put WMU back up, 6-4. The Broncos pushed the lead to four after kills by Gossen and Asque, 11-7. Western Michigan kept the lead around three to four points, until NIU closed within one, 20-19, late in the set. Doyle had a kill to push the cushion to two, 22-20, but NIU scored the next point. WMU answered with an Asque kill and block by Brown and Gossen to go up three, 23-20, and took the first set on an attack error by the Huskies, 25-22.
WMU hit .424 with 17 kills in the first set, while NIU had 18 kills and hit .325. Brown and Gossen had four kills to lead the Broncos, while Viox dished 15 assists.
Asque scored the first point of the second set for WMU with a kill, but then NIU scored three in a row to take a lead it would not relinquish. A missed serve kept the Broncos within one, 6-5, but the Huskies rattled off a 8-1 run to take control of the set, 14-6. The Broncos scored three in a row on kills by Asque and Doyle and an ace by junior middle blocker Ashley Turnage to force NIU to call timeout, 22-16. The Huskies responded with kills on three of the next four points to even the match, 25-17.
The Huskies hit .500 in the set with 15 kills and one error in 28 attempts, while the Broncos hit .125 with 12 kills and eight errors in 32 attempts. Doyle had four kills and hit .667 as a bright spot for WMU in the frame.
The Huskies missed an attack to start the third set, but then scored the next four points. Gossen notched a kill to keep WMU within three, 9-6, but the Huskies came back with another 4-0 run to increase its lead, 13-6. The Huskies missed the next serve to start a 7-2 run for the Broncos to close within two, 15-13, after back-to-back kills by Harris. The Huskies kept its lead at three, 22-19, but kills by Harris, Brown and Gossen tied the score and forced NIU to call timeout.
NIU scored the next point and the teams traded for the next six points until WMU saved its second set point and tied the set, 25-25, on another Gossen kill. The Huskies missed on the next two points to give WMU the set, 27-25, and the match lead, 2-1.
WMU hit .238 with 15 kills and five errors, while the Huskies had 18 kills and eight errors to hit .185. Gossen had five kills and hit .714, while Harris and Brown each added four kills. Oliver and Richard had eight and seven digs in the set.
The Huskies started the fourth set with back-to-back aces and went up three, 6-3, before WMU went on a 5-1 run to take the lead, 8-7. The teams traded points until NIU went back up by two, 14-12, and kept that distance for the next 10 points, 19-17. Back-to-back kills by Brown and an error by NIU put the Broncos back on top, 20-19, and NIU called timeout.
Western Michigan subsequently missed the serve after the timeout to tie the set and start a 6-1 run that extended the match, 25-21, for NIU.
WMU hit .229 with 13 kills and five errors, while NIU hit .278 with 15 kills and five errors. Brown and Harris each had four kills for the Brown & Gold. The Broncos head to Bowling Green (6-11, 1-2 MAC) on Saturday with first serve set for 7 p.m. at Anderson Arena. The Falcons lost, 3-1, at home to Miami on Thursday night.
University of Central Arkansas Volleyball Team Sweeps Southeastern Louisiana
CONWAY, Ark. - The University of Central Arkansas volleyball team swept Southeastern Louisiana 25-15, 25-17, 25-14 in Southland Conference action at the Prince Center on Thursday night. With the win, the Sugar Bears improve their record to 13-6 overall and 4-0 in league play. They also extend their SLC winning streak to 26 matches and their home streak to 23 straight, both of which date back to 2008. The Lady Lions fall to 9-11 overall and 1-3.
UCA started off by hitting a scorching .417 in the first set, connecting on 12 kills and only making two errors. SLU had eight kills, but only hit .107. Sugar Bear freshman Karlie Giesler paced UCA with four kills in the opening frame. Senior right side Chloe Smith recorded five of the Sugar Bears' 15 kills in set two, en route to a 25-17 victory. Junior outside hitter Jessica Hays hit .778 and threw down seven kills on nine chances in the third set, as UCA wrapped up the match 25-14.
For the match, the Sugar Bears hit .326 and tallied 42 kills, while the Lady Lions hit .095 with 19 kills. UCA also had a big advantage with 11 service aces, compared to just two for SLU.
Hays led Central Arkansas with 12 kills and Smith had 10. Sophomore middle blocker Taylor Hammonds hit .571 with eight kills and Giesler added another seven. Freshman setter Marissa Collins recorded her third double-double of the season with 32 assists and 10 digs.
Freshman middle blocker Kinsey Williams led the Lady Lions with six kills and Taylor Buckner had nine digs.
UCA will continue Southland Conference play against Nicholls on Saturday. The match will begin at 2 p.m. in the Prince Center.
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Volleyball - Islanders fall in five sets on the road to Sam Houston State
Islanders fall in five sets on the road to Sam Houston State HUNTSVILLE – The Texas A&M – Corpus Christi volleyball team was unable to find a rhythm early on Thursday night as they lost a hard-fought match to the Sam Houston State Bearkats by a 3-2 (25-16, 26-24, 21-25, 17-25, 15-13) final in their first Southland Conference road match. After getting behind 2-0 in sets, the Islanders won the next two before falling by a 15-13 final in the match-deciding fifth set. The Islanders are now 6-10 on the season and 0-3 in Southland matches. The Bearkats improved to 7-11 on the year, 1-2 in league play. “They are starting to show an awful lot of character,” said head coach Tony Graystone. “We are getting better, and we just have to get over that hump. “They are playing hard and fighting for points. We know they are going to get it and that has to be what we take from this.” Emma Ridley led the Islanders in kills on the night with 26, a season high and her second-straight 20-plus kill match after totaling 20 against UT Arlington on Saturday. She also added 18 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Isabella Arcidiacono was back in the lineup after missing last match and was the only other Islanders player in double-digits kills with 11. In the opening set, the Islanders fell behind early and were never able to recover as the Bearkats won the set 25-16 to take a 1-0 lead. In the second set, the two teams played closer, with neither team leading by more than four points. The Bearkats held a 23-20 advantage late in the set. A&M-Corpus Christi scored four-of-five points on a kill from Brooke Alverson, a service ace by Jessica Jennett and back-to-back kills from Ridley to even the set at 24-24. They were unable to complete the comeback as Sam Houston scored the next two points to take a 26-24 victory and a 2-0 match lead. The third set saw the Islanders take an early lead before the Bearkats tied the score at 7-7. Sam Houston gained the advantage at 14-10, the visitors scored four-of-five points to knot the set at 15-15. The Bearkats then scored the next two points to retake the lead at 17-15. A string of Bearkats errors and kills from Ridley, Jordan Flemmer and Arcidiacono allowed the Islanders back into the set to take a 25-21 win. Set four began with A&M-Corpus Christi taking an early 3-1 lead and keeping the advantage by answering points back immediately. The Bearkats closed to within 10-9 before Ridley picked up her 19th kill of the night to push the lead back to 11-9 over SHSU. Back-to-back kills from Arcidiacono netter her double-digit kills on the night and stretched the lead to 16-11, the largest of the set. With the score at 21-17, the Islanders scored four-straight points on three kills from Ridley and a kill by Shannon Hullum to put the match into a fifth and deciding set. In set five, the Bearkats scored the first two points before the Islanders scored two-straight on a Ridley kill and an attack error to tie the set. An attack error from Ridley gave the Bearkats the lead at 3-2 before a block assist from Ridley and Flemmer tied the set once again. The two teams traded points to 6-6 before SHSU scored five-of-six points to take an 11-7 advantage. “The big thing is that we are getting out here on the road and really fighting,” said Graystone. “That is all I can ask of them. “We are getting close to figuring it out. All we can ask is that they keep fighting and battling and eventually we are going to get there.” A pair of kills from Ridley and one from Flemmer helped the Islanders close to within one point at 12-11 late in the deciding set. The set was tied as late as 13-13 before Sam Houston scored the final two points of the night for a 15-13 set win and a 3-2 match victory. Logen Bourque led the Islanders in assists with 47, besting her previous career-high of 46 set last match against UT Arlington. Micah Nolan led the Islanders with 22 digs on the night while Flemmer had a match-high eight block assists while Shannon Hullum added seven in the contest. Next up for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is a Saturday afternoon match against Stephen F. Austin. The Islanders and the Ladyjacks will play at 1:00 p.m. with live stats available by visiting www.sfajacks.com.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team looks to maintain its hold on first place in the Horizon League when hosting Valparaiso and Loyola in a pair of key contests this weekend.
Friday's match with Valpo starts at 7 p.m. and follows UWM's First Friday, which is being co-hosted by the Department of Athletics and the Department of Rec Sports and Facilities. The monthly event makes a stop in the Klotsche Center to kick off October, with complimentary appetizers and a cash bar available for faculty and staff starting at 4:30 p.m. All those attending "First Friday" will then receive free admission to the volleyball contest.
Also, fans in attendance for Friday's match can pick up Miller Lite Pint Glasses and Verizon Wireless Cinch Sacks, both of which will be available at the door.
Valpo enters Friday's match at 13-2 overall and the Crusaders are 2-1 in the Horizon League. They have been strong on all fronts through the first 15 matches of the season, leading the league in digs while ranking second in kills and hitting percentage.
Meanwhile, the Ramblers evened their overall record at 7-7 with a three-set sweep of Bradley Tuesday night. Loyola will play at Green Bay Friday night before coming to Milwaukee for a 4 p.m. Saturday contest.
The Panthers will sign autographs after Saturday's match.
After a difficult non-league schedule, UWM is 3-0 in league play and has won 44 of its last 45 regular season league home matches. Jena Berg earned League Offensive Player of the Week honors Monday while junior Mary Beth O'Brien has taken over the team lead in kills. The Panthers are again getting it done on defense, leading the league in blocks while standing third in both digs and opponent hitting percentage.
This weekend's matches start an extensive stretch of home contests for the Panthers, who will actually play nine of their next 10 at the Klotsche Center. Included in that is the Oct. 9 contest with Butler that will be the annual Pink Out match, as well as the Oct. 15 contest against Green Bay that is Alumni Recognition Night and Campus Ambassador Night.
Charlotte Volleyball Team to Host First Pair of Conference Home Matches This Weekend
CHARLOTTE -- Charlotte volleyball hosts it first home Atlantic 10 Conference matches of the season this weekend Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. The 49ers (9-7, 0-1 A-10) will host defending conference champion Saint Louis (6-8, 1-1 A-10) on Friday night, with improving Duquesne (11-6, 0-2 A-10) coming into town on Saturday. Charlotte dropped its first five-set match of the season on the road last Saturday at George Washington. Saint Louis split at home against the Ohio teams last weekend, dropping their opener to Dayton and defeating Xavier. Duquesne lost both home matches to the Ohio teams, to Xavier in five sets and a Dayton in straight sets. NOTES: Charlotte is 27-15 at home in three-plus seasons under head coach Chris Redding. The 49ers are second in the league team statistics in opponent hitting percentage, blocking and service aces. Saint Louis is second in the league in kills and assists. Duquesne is third in opponent hitting percentage and second in digs this season. --charlotte49ers.com--
HOUSTON – Fresh off its sweep of Tulane on Sunday, the University of Houston volleyball team will be back in action this weekend as they host UCF and travel to UTEP in two Conference USA matches. Houston will be playing in front of their home audience for the first time in more than a week when they take on UCF at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Cougars are 7-8 entering the weekend and 1-2 in league action. Chandace Tryon leads the team with a .384 hitting percentage and is second with 128 kills. Amber Brooks has a team-high 544 assists and Amanda Carson’s 263 digs leads the team. UCF stands at 7-7 on the season and is 0-2 in C-USA. Marshall won two matches against the Golden Knights last weekend. Kristin Fisher leads the team with 210 kills and Rachel Vukson’s 405 assists is a team-high. The Cougars are 6-0 all-time against the Golden Knights, including a 3-0 sweep in Orlando last season. Following the home match against UCF, Houston will head west to play UTEP on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Miners are 10-5 this season and 2-0 in league play. They knocked off East Carolina last weekend in two matches. Melissa Toth is the team leader with 173 kills and Patty Jarmoc has a team-high 443 assists. Sunday’s match will be the 14th meeting between the two schools and Houston holds a 9-4 lead in the overall series. Last season, the Cougars split matches against the Miners, each winning in their home match. The Gametracker link will be available for both matches by logging on to UHCougars.com. A complete wrap-up of both matches will also be available on the website. UP NEXT Following two matches this weekend, the Cougars will be back in Houston for two meetings against Southern Miss on Oct. 9-10. The weekend match-ups will be part of the volleyball team’s Alumni Weekend.
Alabama Volleyball Team Travels to Georgia and Auburn Crimson Tide in search of its first SEC win of the season TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama volleyball team (8-5, 0-3 SEC) will hit the road this weekend to take on Southeastern Conference rivals Georgia (9-6, 1-3 SEC) and Auburn (11-5, 2-2 SEC). The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs face off in Athens on Friday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m. CT. Alabama will then head to Auburn to challenge the Tigers on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 1:30 p.m. CT. “When you go on the road in any conference, especially in the SEC, you have to have the mentality that you are willing to stay in it as long as it takes,” Alabama Head Coach Judy Green said. “We have to have the mindset that when we go onto somebody’s home court, we are going to be the spoiler. We have to have a chip on our shoulder and be willing to claw, fight, scratch and do whatever we have to do to take advantage of the situation. I truly believe in our conference that on any given night, anybody can beat anybody. For Alabama, we need to have the mindset that we are going to compete and that everybody is going to show up and be committed to that, so we can play as solid as we can. We are excited to get back out there and serve it up again.” Last week the Tide fell to LSU 3-0 and Arkansas 3-1 in Tuscaloosa. Alabama freshman Brianne Vande Griend led the offense against LSU with 13 kills, and sophomore Kelsey Anderson recorded a match-high of 17 digs. Sophomore Kayla Fitterer registered a new career high with 21 kills in Sunday’s match against Arkansas. Georgia split a pair of matches last weekend, beating 20th-ranked Tennessee 3-2, but then fell to 24th-ranked Kentucky in a five-set contest. The Bulldogs’ win over Tennessee was the first win over a ranked opponent since 2008 when they beat and eighth-ranked Florida. Junior setter Kathleen Gates was named SEC Player of the Week for her help in the upset over the Lady Vols. The Bulldogs and the Tide have met 42 times with Alabama leading the overall series 23-19. Alabama and Georgia split the season in 2009 with each collecting a win at home. Auburn faced No. 24 Kentucky and No. 20 Tennessee last weekend earning a split by winning 3-2 against the Wildcats and falling to the Lady Vols 3-1. Sophomore Sarah Bullock was a key player in both matches with 11 kills and 12 digs against Kentucky as well as 16 kills and 10 digs in the match against Tennessee. The Tide and the Tigers will be meeting for the 69th time on Sunday in the series that dates back to 1974 with Alabama holding a 43-25 lead. In 2009, Auburn and Alabama split the season with one win and one loss for each team, the most recent being a loss for the Tide in Auburn. Live scoring will be available for both matches and can be found by visiting RollTide.com. --UA--
