Volleyball Voices

Women's Volleyball: #18 Pepperdine Makes Statement, Shuts Out #11 Florida State and #21 Ohio State

Women's Volleyball: #18 Pepperdine Makes Statement, Shuts Out #11 Florida State and #21 Ohio State

Sept. 14, 2012

HOUSTON – The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, ranked #18 by the AVCA, defeated two top-25 teams today at the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup. The Waves started the day with a 3-0 shut-out victory against #11 Florida State before blanking #21 Ohio State just a few short hours later.

The Waves are now 8-3 overall and 2-1 on the week after suffering a tough loss to #2 UCLA on Wednesday.

Jazmine Orozco (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood HS/Illinois) led Pepperdine with double-double performances in both matches. She posted a team-best 12 kills and 10 digs versus the Seminoles (6-2), before registering 13 kills and 14 digs against the Buckeyes (8-2).

Katie Messing (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) followed Orozco with 22 kills on the day, while Victoria Adelhelm (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS) tallied 17 kills and eight blocks in two matches.

Kellie Woolever (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) averaged 11.33 assists/set today and picked up a team-best 4.17 dig/set for a total of 25.

Pepperdine made short work of the match against FSU, winning by set scores of 25-21, 25-23, 25-15. The Waves hit a then-season-best .310 (49 kills-14 errors-113 attempts) while holding the Seminoles to a .168 (37-18-113) clip.

Although Florida State led in the opening points of the first set, Pepperdine overtook the lead at 6-5 following a tandem block courtesy of Messing and Samantha Cash (San Diego, Calif./Canyon Crest Academy). The Waves remained steady the entire set and never relinquished the advantage. Adelhelm sealed the win, 25-21, with a kill.

The Seminoles once again started out on top in set two, but the Waves scored five unanswered points to go ahead 6-2. FSU fought back and knotted the score at 11 coming out of a Pepperdine timeout, but the Waves responded with a 6-1 run to tip the scales in their favor, 17-12 and went on to win 25-23.

Orozco put away five kills in the frame, while Adelhelm led the defensive charge with three blocks.

The third set went all Pepperdine’s way. Tied at five, Messing nailed down a kill to give the Waves the side out and rotate Taylor Racich (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS) in to serve. The freshman dished out the next eight points, which included three aces, to give Pepperdine the 14-5 edge. The Seminoles could not overcome the large deficit and bowed out 25-15.

Cash finished the match with six kills on 10 errorless attempts, while Messing handed out nine winners. Woolever paced the defense with 13 digs and Michaela Christiaansen (Tucson, Ariz./Ironwood Ridge) reached double digits with 10 digs.

Pepperdine’s whirlwind day continued against Ohio State, who entered the match with an 8-1 record. The Waves fought off the Buckeyes and earned their second sweep of the day with the 26-24, 25-22, 25-20 victory.

The Waves improved their season-high hitting percentage for the second time in as many matches, posting a .311 (52-14-122) clip against the Big Ten powerhouse.

The first set was a back-and-forth battle, as the two teams vied for control. Tied at 21, Orozco sent home a clutch kill to take the lead and the Buckeyes committed an attack error to put the score at 23-21. Although Emily Danks recorded a kill to bring OSU back within one, Messing responded with a kill of her own to give Pepperdine set point.

The Buckeyes refused to go down quietly, however, and scored on back-to-back plays to even the frame at 24-24. The Waves once again went up set point following an attack error by Ohio State, and Cash clinched the stanza with a kill off the Woolever assist to take the opening advantage.

Orozco was a double threat for Pepperdine, pounding down six kills while hitting .555 on offense and picking up nine digs on the defensive end.

Pepperdine never trailed in the subsequent sets, although the Buckeyes never lingered far behind. Tied at 12, the Waves scored eight points in 10 plays to take a seemingly insurmountable 20-14 lead. OSU climbed back to knot the score 21-21, but back-to-back Adelhelm kills, followed by an ace courtesy of Woolever gave Pepperdine set point. Adelhelm sent another kill to the floor – her fifth of the set – to seal the 25-22 win.

The Waves once again sprinted out to a sizeable lead in set three before Ohio State fought back to tie the score. Pepperdine never gave up the lead entirely, however, and put the go-ahead point on the board at 12-11. The Waves maintained a high side-out percentage the duration of the match to win 25-20 and secure their second sweep against a top-25 opponent of the day and third of the season overall.

Woolever finished the day with 11 total kills earned on 17 swings and no errors for a .647 clip. Racich supported the offense with a 1.67 kills/set average, and lent 2.67 digs/set on defense.

Pepperdine’s tournament season comes to a close tomorrow, when they face Houston at 9:30 a.m. (PT) Download the Pepperdine Athletics App, now available for both Android and iPhone users, for access to GameTracker, schedules, recaps and more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No. 4 Penn State Womens Volleyball Team Sweeps No. 2 Texas

No. 4 Penn State Womens Volleyball Team Sweeps No. 2 Texas

 

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Sept. 1, 2012 – The fourth-ranked Penn State women’s volleyball team grabbed a convincing 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-22) win against No. 2 Texas. The Nittany Lions improved to 5-0 for the season, while the Longhorns are now 5-1.

 

Junior Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) was named the MVP of the Rockvale Outlets Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic, while junior Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) and sophomore Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) were named to the all-tournament team. Also on the all-tournament team was Texas’ Haley Eckerman and Khat Bell, Florida’s Ziva Recek and Stanford’s Morgan Boukather and Carly Wopat.

 

Scott led the team for the second straight night with 12 kills, while McClendon posted 11. Hancock paced the offense with 34 assists and had five kills in seven errorless swings. Sophomore Lacey Fuller (San Diego, Calif.) led the Nittany Lions with nine digs and freshman Megan Courtney (Dayton, Ohio) tallied eight. Slay had a match-high four blocks and Courtney added three.

 

Penn State recorded a .265 hitting percentage against the Longhorns. The Nittany Lions totaled 43 kills, five aces, 40 digs and 7.5 total team blocks. Texas hit .188 with 36 kills, three aces, 38 digs and 7.0 team blocks.

 

The Nittany Lions opened the match taking a 5-3 lead, but Texas answered with a 4-0 run for a 7-5 edge. A McClendon kill and a double block by sophomore Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio) and Slay had the score knotted at 7-7. The two squads went back and forth with the score tying seven times before a Scott kill and a Hancock ace moved PSU up by two, 16-14. After a Texas timeout, two Texas kills and a PSU error had the score at 18-all. Three Texas errors helped Penn State to take a 21-19, which grew to 23-20 with a Slay kill and a Longhorn attack error. Texas called a second timeout and grabbed two points off of Penn State service errors. However, McClendon pounded two kills to close out set one in Penn State’s favor, 25-22.

 

It wasn’t until halfway through set two that either team was able to develop any momentum to take a strong lead. With the score knotted at 10-10, two straight PSU kills and an ace from senior Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) had the Lions leading by three, 13-10. Texas called a timeout and slowed the Nittany Lions enough to take a 14-13 lead. Texas’s lead grew to two, 16-14, and again at 19-17, which forced a Penn State timeout. Texas had a serving error to give Penn State the ball and Scott and Hancock each pounded a kill to move the Lions in front by one, 20-19. Texas used its final timeout and tied the score at 20-20, but a 3-0 Nittany Lions run had Penn State within two of taking the set, 23-20. A solo stuff by Texas proved to be the Longhorns’ final point as a McClendon kill and a Texas error secured set two for PSU, 25-21.

 

The Nittany Lions took control early in the third frame with a 6-3 lead. The Longhorns used an early timeout, but Penn State held on to its three-point lead at 8-5. The Nittany Lions maintained the lead until more than halfway through when the Longhorns knotted the score at 15-15 after an ace and a kill. The score tied twice more before a Courtney kill and a block from Hancock and Slay had PSU with a 20-18 advantage. The Longhorns called a second timeout, but a block and a kill from the Nittany Lions pushed Penn State closer to the finish at 22-19. A Texas error and a McClendon kill had Penn State at match-point, 24-20. The Longhorns tallied two final points before a service error sealed the win for Penn State, 25-22.

 

The Nittany Lions are back in action on Sept. 8-9 in the Chicago Classic. Penn State takes on DePaul and Oregon State on Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., respectively, before challenging UIC on Sept. 9 at 2 p.m.

 

For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2012 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.

 

Penn State women’s volleyball is on Twitter. Follow @PennStateVBALL. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatewomensvolleyball.

 

Volleyball Recap: No. 24 CSU Volleyball Team Falls to BYU

Volleyball recap: No. 24 CSU falls to BYU
Rams suffer first three-match losing streak since 2008

Final Stats

By Nic Hallisey
Athletic Media Relations

WICHITA, Kan.—The No. 24 Rams were overpowered from start to finish in Set 2, erasing any momentum earned in the opening-set win, which led to a 3-1 BYU win Saturday afternoon at the Shocker Volleyball Classic (25-21, 12-25, 21-25, 16-25).

“We played frantically and couldn’t get anything going,” Head Coach Tom Hilbert said. “It’s disappointing, because we got worse today.”

After rallying for a Set-1 win, the second set was all BYU from start to finish. The Cougars, 5-0 on the year and receiving votes in the most recent AVCA top-25 poll, took the set’s first six points, and used a 9-0 run midway through to extend their lead to 18-3. Despite a 6-3 CSU run late in the frame, BYU was able to finish it easily, winning 25-12.

The third set was crucial for both teams. It featured six ties and a brief CSU lead, 11-10 after consecutive Dana Cranston kills, but BYU took seven of the next nine. CSU (3-3) got back within three—after a Brieon Paige kill to make it 17-20 and a Megan Plourde kill to put the score at 21-24—but never closer.

The Rams fell behind early, 5-1, in Set 4, and never recovered, dropping it, 16-25

In the opening Set, CSU fell behind by as many as five—9-14—but got the next three points to force a BYU timeout, and coming out, got four of the next six to tie the score at 16-16. Shortly after, the Rams took their first lead since 3-2, at 20-19, coming off of an Adrianna Culbert kill. That was Point 3 in a 4-0 run that allowed CSU to push toward the final stretch and get the opening-set win, 25-21.

With the loss, CSU fell to 0-3 in the Shocker Volleyball Classic. Each opponent is or has been ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA top-25 poll this season. It is CSU’s first three-match losing streak in four seasons—since Nov. 20-29, 2008.

“We have to figure out how to make our outside hitting more productive,” Hilbert said. “We’re playing with a great deal of desperation right now. We can’t ball handle and our outside hitting is bad, which is a problem.”

Plourde led CSU with 11 kills on .455 hitting. She was the one constant over the weekend, and was named to the all-tournament team. Fellow seniors, Cranston and Paige had nine kills apiece and Culbert tallied seven on .462 hitting.

BYU hit. 353 on the day in addition to outblocking CSU, 13.0-3.0.

CSU will have a chance to get back on the winning side Sunday vs. Oklahoma, another team receiving votes. The match will be played at Moby Arena at 1 p.m. MT.

No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats Volleyball Team Suffers Sweep at the Hands of No. 17 Oregon

No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats Volleyball Team Suffers Sweep at the Hands of No. 17 Oregon

Frazier posts eight kills on a career-high .583 hitting percentage

ATHENS, Ohio. – The 10^th-ranked Kentucky volleyball suffered a 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-16) loss to No. 17 Oregon on Saturday afternoon at the Baymont Invitational on the camps of Ohio University. It marks the first three-set loss for the Blue and White since Oct. 24, 2011.

 

With the loss, Kentucky falls to 4-2 in the early stages of the season. Oregon improves to 5-0 on the year. Kentucky closes out the Invitational with a matchup against Western Carolina tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

 

Senior Ashley Frazier was the highlight of the day for the Blue and White. The senior totaled eight kills on a career-high .583 hitting percentage for the Wildcats. Junior Whitney Billings had nine kills and a team-high three blocks.

 

Oregon used a blistering offensive attack that had three players reach double-figures in the kills’ column and the team combined to hit .500 for the match. Kentucky’s defense had a season lows in blocks (4) and digs (18).

 

The Ducks jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead in the opening set and never looked back en route to a 25-18 opening set victory. The Ducks totaled 16 kills on .281 hitting, while UK countered with eight kills on a .065 hitting clip. Frazier had three kills to pace the Wildcats.

 

UK opened the second set by grabbing an early 5-3 lead after Frazier had a trio of hammers in the run. Oregon then mounted a 6-0 run to take a 10-7 lead and the Wildcats could not quell the threat. Oregon finished the set on a 15-7 run for the 25-14 win. Oregon posted a sizzling .818 hitting percentage as the team tossed down 18 kills and did not commit a single error in the stanza.

 

In the third frame the teams exchanged points back and forth until the Ducks posted consecutive kills and took a 4-2 lead. The 17^th-ranked Ducks would not look back from there finishing the set with a 25-16 win. Oregon hit .500 with 17 kills in the final frame. UK had nine on .227 hitting.

 

BYU Volleyball Takes Down No. 14 Tennessee to Win Tourney

BYU Volleyball Takes Down No. 14 Tennessee to Win Tourney

WICHITA, Kan.—Pulling off its biggest upset since 2007, the BYU women’s volleyball team handed No. 14 Tennessee its second loss of the season in a 3-1 (17-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-17) defeat of the Volunteers Saturday night.

The win gives BYU the Shocker Volleyball Classic crown and increases the Cougars’ unbeaten record to 6-0. Tennessee falls to 3-2 on the season.

"We’re excited to come out here and win the Shocker Classic,” head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “I thought we kept a lot of pressure on Tennessee defensively, putting ball back on them so they had to make some plays. We got them a little frazzled by being able to do that, blocking and digging them. I’m super happy for the girls. They worked hard this season. But the season is still very young. We feel we learned a lot this weekend, but we still have things to learn.”

Jessica Jardine led the charge with 13 kills and 11 digs, her second double-double of the season. Freshman Alexa Gray had 12 kills and five blocks. Nicole Warner led the team in blocks with eight, including two solo blocks.

Setter Heather Hannemann helped the team on all fronts, tallying 35 assists and 14 digs, while freshman Ciara Parker had 18 digs and Tia Withers had 14.

BYU took an early lead in the first set, going ahead 8-4. But the Volunteers steadily made their way back. Successful blocking set Tennessee on a 10-1 run that put the team ahead 21-13. Kills by Jennifer Hamson and Hannemann helped the Cougars cut down the deficit, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 25-17 Tennessee victory in the end.

Despite the early loss, the Cougars pressed forward into the second set, where they again reached a four-point lead with some good blocks. A bad set by Volunteer Kelsey Robinson gave BYU its biggest lead yet at 8-3. Tennessee chipped away at that lead with the help of Robinson’s kills, until a block by Robinson and fellow Volunteer Mercedes Vaughn tied up the match at 12-12.

The teams fought for position, with BYU holding a slight edge as they both inched toward the coveted 25 points. Tennessee faltered momentarily, giving the Cougars three points off errors and pushing the lead to 23-19. Gray pounced on the Volunteers’ missteps, smacking down two kills to finish off the set 25-20.

BYU stayed within two points for the first part of the third set, but Robinson once again proved difficult to handle as she pushed Tennessee forward to a 10-6 lead on a kill. Jardine and Hamson kills cut the lead down to 12-10. Gray stepped up again, tying up the set 15-15 with two kills. Gray exchanged kills with Volunteer Tiffany Baker until Baker was blocked by Warner, giving the lead back to BYU at 17-16. That started a 6-1 run for the Cougars, putting another set victory in reach with a score of 23-17. BYU took the set on a Tennessee service error to take the overall lead 2-1.

BYU didn’t stop for breath, jumping to a 5-1 lead in the fourth. Kathryn LeCheminant extended the lead to 9-3 with a kill and a block. A Baker kill helped Tennessee decrease the lead to 9-6, but BYU held onto the three-point gap until LeCheminant extended it to 18-13 on back-to-back blocks with the help of Jardine and Hamson. The blocks were part of a 7-1 Cougar run that got the lead to 21-14. Gray took the Cougars to match-point position and a Tennessee service error gave the set and the match to BYU.

Following the match, Hamson, Parker and Warner were named to the all-tournament team and Hamson was named MVP, her second such honor.

The Cougars return to Provo for the home opener against Utah Friday at 7 p.m. MDT. The match will be BYU’s first of the BYU Invitational, where BYU will also face Portland State and Bowling Green Saturday.

BYU Cougar Volleyball Spikers Upset No. 24 Colorado State

BYU Cougar Volleyball Spikers Upset No. 24 Colorado State

WICHITA, Kan.—In its first match against a top-25 team this season, the BYU women’s volleyball team soundly defeated No. 24 Colorado State 3-1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-16) Saturday in its second match of the Shocker Volleyball Classic.

“I thought our girls responded really well for playing a five-set match last night,” head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “That can sometimes be really taxing, but they responded well with great intensity to win against a great opponent. I thought we played really well defensively. We made plays when we need them and Jen Hamson came up for a lot of crucial plays.”

Jennifer Hamson once again led the Cougars with 20 kills on .459 hitting and had six blocks. Middle blocker Nicole Warner had 12 kills, a season high, on a career-high .857 hitting. She also led the team in blocks with seven. Heather Hannemann had 46 assists and Ciara Parker totaled 19 digs in the match.

Hamson pushed the Cougars (5-0) out in front to start the set, blocking Dana Cranston with Kathryn LeCheminant to go up 6-3. Back-to-back kills from Hamson gave BYU its largest lead of the set, 13-8, before Cougar errors put the Rams back in the game, tying the set 16-16. With an ace and two kills, CSU (3-3) bounced ahead 21-19 for its first lead of the set. Three Cougar attack errors helped the Rams put away the set 25-21.

BYU came out on fire in the second set, snatching the first six points before CSU could react. A 9-0 run, including two kills each from Jessica Jardine and LeCheminant, gave BYU an 18-3 lead as the Rams scrambled to regroup. With CSU unable to recover, BYU easily took the set 25-12.

Freshman Alexa Gray kept the Cougars ahead for the first part of the third set before Cranston tied the score 10-10 on a kill and then took an 11-10 lead on another kill. That kicked BYU into action and the Cougars responded with kills from Hamson and Jardine to retake the lead 13-11. Another Hamson kill took BYU to a 20-15 lead, which the Cougars held through the end of the set. With a 25-21 victory in the third, BYU took the overall lead 2-1.

With the loss of two straight sets hanging over their heads, the Rams were never able to regain confidence, allowing BYU a 5-1 lead to open the final set. Four attack errors in a row didn’t help CSU’s cause. Hamson led the Cougars on a 5-0 attack to increase that lead to 13-6. The Rams couldn’t break the lead BYU carried through the rest of the set. Jardine administered the final blow to defeat CSU 25-16.

The last time BYU defeated a ranked opponent was in 2008, when the team defeated No. 15 CSU.

Coming up on the schedule, a match against No. 14 Tennessee to finish the Shocker Volleyball Classic. The match begins at 7 p.m. CDT.

CSU vs. BYU Box Score

Volleyball Video: Charlotte Volleyball Readies For Second Weekend

 

Charlotte Volleyball readies For Second Weekend

Coach Redding talks about opening weekend success and preparing for the Clemson Tournament

 

 

 

Florida State Volleyball Team Finishes Unblemished in Knoxville

Florida State Volleyball Team Finishes Unblemished in Knoxville

No. 12 Seminole volleyball knocks off No. 10 Iowa State in five sets, then defeats Cincinnati to secure Comcast Lady Vol Classic championship

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (seminoles.com) – The 12^th-ranked Florida State indoor volleyball team could not ask for a better start to the season, earning two victories against No. 10 Iowa State and Cincinnati to finish the Comcast Lady Vol Classic with a 3-0 overall record and a tournament title on Saturday evening at Thompson-Boling Arena.

 

The Seminoles (3-0) defeated Iowa State in their first match at noon, 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 25-11, 25-27, 15-11), in what was a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight thriller won by FSU in five sets. Junior outside hitter Olivera Medic was the focal point of the match, recording 19 kills, a .516 hitting percentage and 12 digs for her first career double-double at FSU.

 

FSU won the second match of the day against Cincinnati, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-14). Medic was invaluable in today’s matches, putting forth a great performance in the first match, then entering the third set against Cincinnati as the libero after starter Katie Mosher went down late in the second frame with an injury.

 

“It was an amazing weekend,” head coach Chris Poole said. “My staff has done a great job preparing the girls for this weekend. This was easily one of the top tournaments in the nation and I'm proud of how the girls stepped up. We had contributions from a lot of people and this group of girls will only get better.”

 

For the tournament, Medic finished with 24 kills and a .442 hitting percentage in three matches. Marija Milosavljevic and Elise Walch also had 24 kills, while Fatma Yildirim led the group with 26 put-downs in the three-match slate.

 

Ashley Neff was very effective to open the season, totaling 23 kills, a .538 hitting percentage and 16 blocks this weekend. Setters Duygu Duzceler and Sarah Wickstrom coincidently totaled 61 assists apiece, providing several good sets for FSU’s talented hitting core.

 

Sareea Freeman was also efficient, putting down 15 kills and 10 blocks. Mosher led FSU with 42 digs this weekend.

 

FSU hit .267 in the match against the Cyclones, showing good offensive balance with Yildirim (15 kills, 13 digs), Milosavljevic (13 kills), Neff (11 kills, 5 blocks) and Elise Walch (11 kills). Yildirim’s double-double was the eighth of her career.

 

The Seminoles’ win over No. 10 Iowa State is now their 19^th nationally-ranked win in the school’s history. Iowa State is the sixth highest-rated opponent FSU has ever defeated, and Poole’s 10th ranked opponent he has beaten as FSU’s head coach since 2008.

 

After Iowa State mounted a small comeback to take the fourth set and tie the match, Florida State jumped out to a commanding 6-0 lead in set five courtesy of some good serving from Duzceler. Iowa State then came back by winning six of the next seven rallies, but FSU held strong as Freeman’s kill gave the Seminoles a 10-7 lead.

 

The Cyclones kept it close, as a kill by Tory Knuth cut the FSU lead to 12-10. A Freeman kill and attack error by ISU’s Mackenzie Bigee gave the Seminoles match point at 14-10, and Medic fittingly ended the match with her 19^th kill.

 

Much like in Friday’s match against Tennessee, the first set against the Cyclones was another close battle but the Seminoles ultimately fell 25-23. With FSU leading 19-18, Iowa State put together a 6-0 run that was mostly aided by Seminole attack errors. However, FSU would not go down easily as it countered with four consecutive points which included kills by Freeman and Yildirim, once again combating a few set points.

 

The deciding point in the first set came off a good effort by FSU’s block, as it initially batted away an attack from the Cyclones. In the same rally, Iowa State’s Victoria Hurtt’s attack trickled off the side of an FSU player and fell out of bounds for the kill.

 

Elise Walch and Medic led FSU with five kills apiece in the opening set.

 

Both teams were sound offensively in the second set won by FSU at 25-23. The Seminoles recorded 19 kills on 44 attacks and mustered a .341 hitting percentage in the frame, highlighted by Yildirim and Milosavljevic’s four kills apiece. Medic was 5-for-9 in her kill attempts in the set, heading into the 10-minute break with 10 kills in the match.

 

FSU started fast in the second frame, leading 10-4 thanks to a flurry of kills by Medic. Iowa State stayed resilient and tightened the score, but FSU tried to break loose late as Medic finished off another attack to make it 19-14 late in the frame. Iowa State would later tie the set at 20-20 on a kill by Jamie Straube, but Yildirim countered with a strong kill of her own.

 

Following a timeout by the Seminoles leading 23-22, FSU won two of the next three rallies as Yildirim had another kill and Milosavljevic finished the set on a good attack in the middle of the floor.

 

The Seminoles were dominant in the third set, hitting .429 in the frame behind the attacking of Elise Walch and Neff. Leading 9-5 and off to another good start, FSU put together a 7-0 run to break away to a 16-5 lead. Neff then strung together three straight kills to give the Seminoles a 21-8 advantage. An attack error by Iowa State’s Jamie Straube ended the set, as the Cyclones hit a -.031 in the frame.

 

After a slow start versus Cincinnati, FSU managed to hit .294 against the Bearcats in the first set and come back for a 25-20 win. Neff tallied five blocks while Milosavljevic was effective with four kills. Laura Dadowski came in with the Seminoles leading 23-20 and delivered a great first serve and a service ace to win the set.

 

In set two against the Bearcats, FSU relied more on its attacking game after not producing a block. FSU hit .345, led by Yildirim’s four kills and three kills apiece from Neff and Elise Walch. In the third set, the Seminoles finished off the Bearcats with a 25-14 win.

 

Nicole Walch led FSU with eight kills in the win over Cincinnati, which was a rematch of last year’s NCAA second round contest won by FSU in five sets.

 

The Comcast Lady Vol Classic All-Tournament Team will be announced following the conclusion of the 7:30 p.m. match between No. 15 Tennessee and No. 10 Iowa State.

 

The Seminoles host the FSU Invitational next weekend in Tallahassee, starting the home season off with FIU on Friday, Aug. 31, at 6:30 p.m. at Tully Gym.

 

Five-Set Comeback Leads Bulls To UB Invitational Championship

Five-Set Comeback Leads Bulls To UB Invitational Championship

BUFFALO, NY - Down 13-7 in the fifth set and with the UB Invitational Championshipson the line, the University at Buffalo volleyball team staged an epic comeback, running off eight straight points to defeat Oral Roberts and win their season-opening tournament.  The Bulls got a total team effort, including a spark from a freshman, who despite not playing the first two matches, found her way onto the All-Tournament team.

The Bulls took the contest 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 15-13 as they outhit the Golden Eagles .199 to .164.  Buffalo got off to a tremendous start in set one, scoring eight of the first nine points, but ORU came back late to take the opener 25-23.  In the second set, Oral Roberts raced out to a 19-13 lead , but the Bulls were able to use some ORU miscues, scoring five points and pulling within one.  The Golden Eagles went back up 21-20, but freshman Kasey Hollstegge served the Bulls to the final four points of the set.

Like the others, the third set was also extremely close as the two teams were tied at 19-19 before Buffalo ended the set on a 6-1 run, following a pair of hitting errors from Oral Roberts.  The Golden Eagles came back to take the fourth set as they ended it on a 7-2 run, setting up the fifth and pivotal set.

Early on it looked as if Oral Roberts would leave Alumni Arena undefeated, taking an early 7-3 lead.  The Golden Eagles got their lead up to 13-7, but it was the last time they earned a point on the scoreboard. A service error by ORU began the run, which featured a pair of blocks, both that included freshman Akeila Lain.  Following an Oral Roberts timeout, freshman Megan Lipski continued her strong serving, recording an ace followed by back-to-back kills from Lain and Liz Scott, tying the set up at 13-13 and forcing Oral Roberts to use its final time out.  Out of the break, junior Dana Musil continued the run with a kill, giving the Bulls their first lead in the set and a ORU hitting error capped off the improbable comeback.

“I am extremely proud of this team for the way they fought to the very end,” said head coach Todd Kress. “We got contributions from everybody on the team and we needed it to beat a very good Oral Roberts team.  I thought the crowd and the energy in the arena was the best since I’ve been here and they made a big difference tonight.”

Scott finished with a career-high 25 kills as she was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. It was the second time this weekend that Scott had 20 or more kills in a match.  She finished with just two errors on 48 swings, leading all players with a .479 hitting percentage.  Scott ended the night with 27.0 points, tying the school record for points in a five-set match.  The point category was not introduced until the 2003 season.

Musil, who spent the first two matches as libero, moved back to a hitter in the second set tonight, finishing with 15 kills and a team-high 19 digs.  Lipski and Lain each finished with seven kills.  Musil was one of three players from UB on the All-Tournament Team following the match.

Musil was able to move to hitter because of the play of Hollstegge, who gave the Bulls a huge lift of the bench.  The Cincinnati, OH native had 15 digs and six assists in her debut.  The play of Hollstegge earned her All-Tournament Team honors as well.

Lain led the blocking attack for Buffalo with a match-high nine blocks, including three solos.  Scott and Dani Reinert each finished with four blocks.  Reinert added 49 assists and 15 digs on the evening as well.

The Bulls will be back in action next weekend as they hit the road for the first time, playing in the Shamrock Invitational at Notre Dame.  UB begins play on Friday at 4:30pm against Eastern Kentucky.

UCI Anteaters Volleyball Team Salvages Weekend With Sweep Of Oakland

UCI Anteaters Volleyball Team Salvages Weekend With Sweep Of Oakland

MANHATTAN, KS --- Aly Squires led all players with 20 kills to go along with 13 digs as UC Irvine swept Oakland University, 25-17, 25-22, 27-25 Saturday at the Varney Invitational.

 

Squires boasted a .320 hitting percentage, posting just four errors in 50 attempts. Kristin Winkler notched her second 20+dig match with 27 digs. Marissa Alvarez handed out 38 assists to go along with 11 digs while Shannon Fleming fired four aces. Arielle Manz was errorless on the day, hitting .538 (7-0-13).

 

“Aly and Kristin were solid,” said head coach Paula Weishoff. “Molly Yoder passed well and Arielle came back and hit well. Marissa Alvarez is getting better every match and Taylor Smith and Sydney Wright were both good on the right side.”

 

UCI took early command of the first set, pulling away from a 9-8 lead to take a 13-8 advantage on a kill from Marisa Bubica. The lead opened up to six and Oakland never threatened as the Anteaters came away with the first frame on a bad set from Alissa Valentine.

 

Squires was unstoppable in the second set, putting away three straight kills as UCI opened with a 5-0 lead. Oakland chipped at the lead, catching UCI at 11-11 but the Anteaters went on to a 6-1 run to take control at 17-12. Oakland mounted a rally and eventually erased the margin to two at 24-22 but Winkler connected with Squires to give the Anteaters a two-set lead.

 

Oakland led early in the final frame at 11-9 and led by as many as six at 19-13 on a block by Brittany Holbrook and Allia Knight. A pair of three-point rallies put the Anteaters in striking distance and UCI caught Oakland at 24-24 on the put-away by Squires. After trading points, Oakland’s Ciara Schultz was called for the bad set and Alvarez went to Victoria Dennis to complete the sweep.

No. 7 Illinois volleyball defeats Ohio, 3-1 and falls to No. 11 Pepperdine, 3-0

No. 7 Illinois volleyball defeats Ohio, 3-1 and falls to No. 11 Pepperdine, 3-0

ILLINI SPLIT MATCHES AT DAYTON FLYER CLASSIC

Birks paces Illinois in first tournament of the season

 

Dayton, Ohio -- Jocelynn Birks had 19 kills and seven digs to pace No. 7 to a 25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 25-18 victory over Ohio in the Illini's final match of the Dayton Flyer Classic. Liz McMahon added 14 kills in Illinois' first win in three matches on the weekend and on the season.

 

Illinois is 1-2 after falling to Dayton in three sets on Friday and to No. 11 Pepperdine, 25-15, 25-21, 25-20 on Saturday morning. Birks and Criswell paced the Illini offense against the Waves with nine kills apiece, but the Illini allowed Pepperdine to hit .272, including .333 in the third set.

 

In all three matches of the weekend, the Illini improved their hitting percentage as the match went on, culminating in a .343 clip in set four vs. Ohio. The Illini were also able get more players involved in the offense in the victory. McMahon had six kills in the second set and improved to hit .229 for the match. Middle blocker Erin Johnson had four of her seven kills in the third set as Illinois again pulled out a tight one.

 

"We passed just a little bit better and kept the ball in play," Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly said in the difference in the Ohio match vs. the previous two.  "We were finding ways to lose early and tonight we found ways to win."

 

The Ohio match was tight in the first three sets. Set one included 13 ties with neither team able to get a lead larger than three points. The big swing came late in the set. With Ohio up 23-21, the Illini scored the final four points, including a kill and an ace from Birks, who had eight kills in the opening frame.

 

Illinois took an 11-7 lead in set two, only to see the Bobcats come back to take it 25-19. The Illini hit just .105 in the frame. 

 

Middle blocker Anna Dorn had a solid weekend offensively, hitting .375 with 18 kills and nine blocks for the tournament, including nine kills vs. Ohio. With set three tied at 20-20, Liz McMahon played free and hit a couple of rockets to make it 22-20 Illini. Sophomore Morganne Criswell had the final two kills of the set.

 

"We got everyone going a little bit more in that third set," Hambly said. "We need that. We can't just set high, pass off the net and hit high balls all night and expect to win."

 

Illinois played with confidence in the fourth set and limited Ohio to an .083 hitting percentage. The Illini built leads of 17-11 and 20-12 before finishing off the Bobcats.

 

Birks, the redshirt freshman, finished the tournament with 44 kills and 14 digs and had two of the Illini's five aces on the weekend in her first action as an Illini.

 

"It was really exciting," Birks said of her collegiate debut. "I was a little nervous at first, but once I got in the match and started sweating a little bit, I was fine. I'm so excited to actually be in the jersey now (instead of warm-ups)."

 

"Birks showed that she could be offensive and be special, but she also showed she is a freshman and can make a lot of mistakes," Hambly said.

 

In the opening match of the day, the Illini hit -.032 in the first set, but recovered to take a 12-6 lead in the second. Pepperdine recovered behind the arms of middle blocker Samantha Cash (14 kills) and former Illini Jazmine Orozco (11) to take the final two sets.  The Illini had better play at the net to out-block the Waves 10-7, paced by six block assists from Dorn.

 

It doesn't get any easier for Illinois as it hosts No. 10 Iowa State at Huff Hall next weekend. The Stuff Huff match is Friday at 7 p.m. with the teams also squaring off at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

 

"We're a work in progress," Hambly said after the first weekend. "That's where we are going to be for a while. We have a lot to learn. We're going to have to get better every night, which I think we already have. I think we are starting to discover some things about how we need to play to be successful."

Clemson Volleyball Team Claims Third Straight Big Orange Bash Title

Clemson Claims Third Straight Big Orange Bash Title

August 25, 2012

ClemsonTigers.com Coverage/ Highlights: http://www.clemsontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=28500&ATCLID=205669239 

CLEMSON, SC - It was a day of celebration in Clemson on Saturday around the Volleyball program, as back-to-back wins brought home a huge milestone win and an early-season tournament championship. Clemson defeated Xavier, 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-21) on Saturday night to clinch the Big Orange Bash tournament title just hours after head coach Jolene Jordan Hoover notched her 400th career victory at Clemson against South Carolina State.

Clemson won all three matches 3-0, and allowed more than 20 points in just one set, the third against Xavier. The Tigers actually trailed, 17-9 against the Musketeers in the set, but came roaring back to finish on a 16-4 run and close out the championship. Clemson used kills from five different players during the run, and tallied three blocks en route to the win.

For her tremendous efforts on the weekend, sophomore Kristin Faust earned Tournament MVP honors, while Mo Simmons and Sandra Adeleye were named to the All-Tournament team.

Faust, an Orlando, FL native, tied Simmons with a team-high 32 kills, a tournament-leading 3.86 per set and an average of nearly five points per set, all while hitting .356 overall. On Saturday night, she also tallied 14 digs to register Clemson’s first double-double of the season. Faust was the only player in the tournament with double-figure kills in all three matches, and she also ripped off ten aces, nearly half of her total of 21 from all of last season.

Simmons and Adeleye were among the top four in the tournament in kills per set, hitting percentage, and points per set. For Adeleye, it was her third career Big Orange Bash tournament honor, one of only six players in Clemson history to accomplish that feat.

Other contenders for awards included junior setter Hannah Brenner and senior middle Alexa Rand. Brenner led Clemson to a .340 hitting mark in the three matches, including .289 on Saturday night, while averaging a tournament-best 11.00 assists per set, and added nine blocks, including a career-best six against Xavier. Rand led the tournament in hitting percentage by one one-hundredth of a point over Adeleye in nailing 14 kills against only four errors in 28 swings for a .393 average. She also had eight total blocks, in moving into sixth all-time in blocking with 503 in her Tiger career.

Libero Natalie Patzin led the tournament with 38 digs, an average of 4.22 per set. She quietly passed the 1,000 career dig milestone early in the match, and is one just a few players all-time with more than 500 career kills and 1,000 career digs. She even added a kill on an overpass on her 1,002nd career defensive save. She entered the match with 994 for her career, and registered the 1,000th early in the second set on her way to 13 for the match. She was in double-figures in all three matches.

In all, it was an efficient all-around weekend for the Tigers, who will get an interesting test next Tuesday as the Slovenian National Team will come into Jervey for an exhibition match.

The Tigers hit .340 on the weekend, while holding opponents to .082 hitting and just 8.89 kills per set. Clemson was also solid in the serving game, tallying 19 aces, while allowing nine in the three matches.

After strong first and second sets, Clemson found a struggle in the third. Xavier took an early lead, and stretched it all the way to eight with a 17-9 lead. Clemson tighened up, getting to within 17-12 before a Xavier timeout. Faust served into the net coming after the timeout, but back-to-back Xavier errors drew Clemson closer at 18-14. Back-to-back blocks from Adeleye and a kills from Yaz brought Clemson to within two at 21-19.

A Musketeer kill stopped the bleeding temporarily, but Clemson would tie it at 20-20 behind a pair of errors from the visitors. Brenner then found Faust, and Rand knocked down a kill to give the Tigers the lead for good. Yaz followed with an ace, and after All-Tournament member Ame White committed an attack error, Rand and Faust combined for the clinching block to seal the match.

Clemson will play in an exhibition on Tuesday before hosting the Clemson Classic from Aug. 31-Sept. 1.

Final Standings:
Clemson, 3-0
Xavier, 2-1
SC State, 1-2
Coastal Carolina, 0-3

All-Tournament Team:
MVP: Kristin Faust, Clemson
Mo Simmons, Clemson
Sandra Adeleye, Clemson
Ame White, Xavier
Stephanie Vorherr, Xavier
Meghan Laffin, Coastal Carolina
Paige Webb, South Carolina State.

Iowa Cyclones Volleyball Team Falls To No. 12 Florida State, No. 15 Tennessee

Iowa Cyclones Volleyball Team Falls To No. 12 Florida State, No. 15 Tennessee

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –  No. 10 Iowa State (1-2, 0-0 Big 12) played 10 sets of top-15 volleyball on Saturday, falling to No. 12 Florida State in five sets (23-25, 25-23, 11-25, 27-25, 11-15) and to No. 15 Tennessee by the same match score (25-20, 24-26, 25-19, 20-25, 4-15). Freshman Mackenzie Bigbee was named to the Comcast Lady Vol Classic All-Tournament Team for her play during the weekend.

 

Through three matches, Bigbee is hitting .313 with a team-high 37 kills and double-digit kills in each match. The freshman out of Williamsburg, Iowa has also collected a solo block and three block assists.

 

Junior middle blocker Tenisha Matlock had a big weekend on defense with three solo block and nine total blocks while adding 20 kills, hitting over. 300.

 

Seniors Rachel Hockaday and Jamie Straube led the scoring against Florida State and Tennessee, respectively. Hockaday had 15 kills and 13 digs against the Noles, her second double-double in as many matches. Straube hit .303 against the Lady Vols, tallying 13 kills. Bigbee was the second leading scorer against both teams.

 

In set one against Florida State, Victoria Hurtt fired up the Iowa State offense with five kills to lead the team’s .286 offensive effort. Hurtt and Matlock each collected three block assists and Bigbee grabbed a solo block as the Cyclones’ defense posted four blocks.

 

Hurtt added five more kills in game two, leading the Cyclones once again, hitting .500 in 10 attack attempts. Florida State’s offense kicked in to take the win behind Olivera Medic’s five kills and Fatma Yildirim and Marija Milosavlejevic each added four kills.

 

Iowa State never got going in the third set, scoring just eight kills while making nine errors. Defense was no better for the Cyclones as Florida State erupted for a .429 hitting percentage and the 2-1 match win.

 

The teams tangled early in the fourth but the Seminoles took control and, after leading 7-6, Iowa State trailed until pulling even at 22-all. The squads traded the next six points before a kill from Jamie Straube and an attack error by Yildirim sent the match to a fifth and deciding set.

 

Florida State jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the final set and never relinquished its hold, although Iowa State drew within one, down 7-6. Florida State’s Medic’s team-high 19^th kill closed out the match.

 

In the night match, Iowa State took the first set, leading most of the way and carried by .571 hitting from both Bigbee and Straube who had five and four kills, respectively.

 

Tennessee outside hitter Kelsey Robinson ruled the second set, grabbing eight kills on .294 hitting and posting a team-high six digs. A back row kill from Robinson clinched the second set and the match tie for the Lady Vols.

 

Set third belonged to Straube and the Cyclones. The senior went 4-for-5 on the court with no errors while Matlock had a solo block and block assist for the Cyclones. Robinson added seven more kills to her night.

 

Errors hurt the Cyclones in the fourth set but Matlock picked up two solo blocks as Tennessee forced a fifth set behind six more Robinson kills.

 

Set five was all Lady Vols who took command early and were led once again by Robinson, who had five kills, totaling 29 on the night.

 

Next weekend the Cyclones are on the road again, traveling to Champaign, Ill. to play No. 7 Illinois on Friday and Saturday. Friday’s match is set for 7 p.m. CST.

Ute Volleyball Captures Utah State Invitational Title

Ute Volleyball Captures Utah State Invitational Title

Utes down Portland, 3-0.

 

LOGAN, Utah – Junior middle blocker Erin Redd was named Utah State Invitational Most Valuable Player after registering a match-high 13 kills to help the University of Utah volleyball team won the USU Invite after downing Portland (25-9, 25-21, 25-21) on Saturday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

 

Utah has started a season 4-0 for the first time since 2009 after outhitting Portland .301 to .077 and also earned an 11.0 to 6.0 advantage in team blocking. The Utes have outblocked their opponents in three of four matches in 2012.

 

Redd posted 13 kills on 21 swings with only three errors for a .476 hitting percentage. The Spanish Fork, Utah native hit .395 over the weekend with 2.93 kills, 1.14 blocks and 0.43 service aces per set.

 

Sophomore outside hitter Chelsey Schofield, senior setter McKenzie Odale and junior outside hitter Morgan Odale were each named to the All-Tournament team.

 

Schofield added 11 kills on 30 swings to go with three blocks against Portland. Over the weekend, the Provo, Utah native posted a team-high 3.79 kills per set as well as 1.64 digs and 1.00 blocks per set.

 

Morgan Odale posted 17 digs and had six kills against the Pilots, while senior setter McKenzie Odale coordinated the Ute attack with 41 assists.

 

The Utes host their home opener Tuesday against Utah Valley at 7 p.m. Follow live stats of the action at http://utahutes.cstv.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wvolley.html?event=1134117&school=utah&sport=wvolley&camefrom=&startschool=&.

 

- UU-