Volleyball Voices

University at Buffalo Volleyball Team Falls To Hot-Hitting Eastern Michigan, 3-1

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University at Buffalo Volleyball Team Falls To Hot-Hitting Eastern Michigan, 3-1

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo volleyball team returned home on Friday night to face Eastern Michigan, but the Bulls fell to a hot-hitting Eagles squad, 3-1, at Alumni Arena.  The loss drops UB’s record to 14-11 and 2-7 in the MAC.
The Eagles hit .316 as they took the match 25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 25-8.  UB hit just .145 for the contest but hung tough early in the match.  The first set was tight through out as the teams traded back the lead, but with things tied at 19-19 the Eagles picked up two straight points to take a 21-19 lead.  UB got it to within 22-21, but the Eagles scored the last three points of the set to take the set 25-21.  The Eagles hit .400 in the second set, which they won 25-19.
UB fought back after the break and led pretty much throughout the entire third set.  UB led 15-11 when EMU tied things up at 15-15.  The Bulls responded with four straight points to take a 19-15 lead.  The Eagles would get it tied at 23-23, but the Bulls would score the final two points to take the set.  The momentum was short lived for UB as Eastern Michigan hit .583 as a team in the fourth set, while the Bulls struggled to find the floor, hitting -.029.
Senior Kristin Bignell led the way for UB with 11 kills and just two errors, while Marisa Hornbaker and Kayla Govier added 10 and nine kills, respectively.  Freshman Dana Musil also had nine kills, while Abby Niekamp added eight.  Senior Lindsey Schlegel had 28 assists, while freshman Dani Reinert finished with 19.  It was serving that plagued the Bulls as well as UB recorded 12 service errors, opposed to just three aces.
Defensively, junior Heather Pyle tied her career-high with a match-best 24 digs.  Hornbaker added seven digs, while Musil and Kelly Svoboda each had six.  Niekamp added five total blocks, while Bignell and Govier each had two.
UB is back in action tomorrow night when it hosts Central Michigan in its “Dig For The Cure” match.  Match begins at 6:00 pm and fans are encouraged to wear pink to the event.

California Golden Bears Volleyball Team Crushes Cardinal in Big Spike

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California Golden Bears Volleyball Team Crushes Cardinal in Big Spike
Senior setter Carli Lloyd crossed the 5,000-assist plateau as the Golden Bears defeated Stanford in four sets
 

STANFORD, Calif. – On the strength of 21 kills by junior outside hitter Tarah Murrey, the No. 5-ranked California volleyball team (18-1, 8-1 Pac-10) upset No. 2 Stanford (16-2, 7-2 Pac-10) at Maples Pavilion on Friday, Oct. 22, to claim sole possession of first place in the Pac-10. The Golden Bears walked away with a four-set victory (21-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-16) to win the 71st Big Spike as senior setter Carli Lloyd crossed the 5,000-assist plateau and helped Cal to its second win on The Farm in three years.
 
Murrey registered her sixth double-double of the year with 21 kills (5e, 57att, .281) and 12 digs. Sophomore middle hitter Shannon Hawari contributed 11 kills (1e, 17att, .588) while fellow sophomore middle Kat Brown put in nine kills (3e, 18att, .333) and led the Bears with six blocks. Freshman outside hitter Adrienne Gehan posted 10 kills (3e, 28att, .250) and sophomore opposite Correy Johnson added eight (0e, 571) on 14 swings.
 
Defensively, Cal earned points on eight blocks and were the better team to the ball with 61 digs; led by sophomore libero Robin Rostratter’s match-high 16. Lloyd’s accuracy put her over the 5,000-assist mark as she led the Bears to a .347 hitting percentage (64k, 13e) on 147 attacks. Lloyd now has 5,050 as is just the ninth Pac-10 player to cross the threshold.  She also moved into ninth in all-time career blocks at Cal with four against the Cardinal as she passed former middle hitter Mindi Wiley. Lloyd is the only setter in Cal’s top ten for career blocks.
 
Stanford was led by senior outside hitter Alix Klineman’s 22 kills (5e, 64att, .266). Klineman also posted a double-double by adding 10 digs. Cardinal freshman Rachel Williams logged 11 kills (2e) on 26 attacks for a .346 hitting percentage and added seven digs of her own. Senior libero Gabi Ailes led Stanford with 15 digs and sophomore outside hitter Hayley Spelman put down 10 kills (3e, .292) on 24 swings. The Cardinal attacked at a .268 rate with 59 kills (18e) on 153 attempts.
 
On the strength of eight kills (0e, 15att, .533) by Klineman, the Cardinal came away with a 25-21 win in the first set. Stanford attacked at a .444 rate in the opening set (18k, 2e, 36att), but committed six service errors to keep the score close. The Bears took a 20-19 lead as Murrey went down the line for a kill, but Klineman gave Stanford three straight points on kills for a 22-20 lead. One more kill by Murrey pulled Cal to within one point, but Klineman went high off Bear hands to end the set. Cal had 11 kills (5e) on 36 swings for a .167 hitting percentage.
 
The Bears raced out to a 5-2 lead in the second set as Murrey crushed a cross-court kill, but the Cardinal fought back to earn a five-all tie on a block. Stanford went up, 9-7, momentarily, but the Bears forced the sixth tie of the set on a service ace by Rostratter. Brown took a quick set from Lloyd to give Cal the last lead of the set at 12-11. The Bears earned the next six points, five on kills, to roll out to an 18-11 lead. Stanford came back with a couple of points, but consecutive kills by Hawari and Johnson terminated the set in the Bears’ favor, 25-16. Cal posted a .514 hitting percentage in the second set with 19 kills (1e) on 35 attacks while the Cardinal had 13 kills (5e, 36att) for a .222 attack rate.
 
Stanford came out and built a six-point lead in the third set at 12-6 as Klineman blocked one of Hawari’s attacks, but the Bears stood fast and ripped off a 10-3 run to tie the set at 16. Cal came up with its first lead of the set at 17-16 on a cross-court kill by Murrey before the Cardinal forced one more tie at 19-all. Murrey went down the line to score a 20-19 lead for the Bears before Hawari came up with a kill on a quick set from Lloyd to give the Bears three set-points to work with at 24-20. Hawari’s eighth kill of the night made the score, 25-22, for Cal. The Bears posted a .279 hitting percentage in the third set (18k, 6e, 43att) and held the Cardinal to a .191 attack rate with 14 kills (5e) on 47 swings.
 
Cal meant business in the final set as the Bears never trailed to take a 25-16 win in the fourth. Brown registered her second kill of the set off a back-set from Lloyd to give Cal a three-point edge at 7-4, but Stanford came right back to tie the set at seven-all on a dump by senior setter Cassidy Licthman. Lloyd and Brown teamed up to block Klineman for an 8-7 Cal lead and the Bears were off to the races. Brown sent a quick set to the ground to terminate a play and give Cal a six-point lead at 18-12 before Stanford made a small run. But the Bears were too efficient and pulled out to a seven-point lead at 22-15 as Murrey went off the block for a kill. Hawari gave Cal set-point at 24-15 on a slide play and closed out the set with the last point of the day. The Bears put up 16 kills (1e) on 33 swings for a .455 hitting percentage and held the Cardinal to a .235 rate (14k, 6e, 34att) in the fourth set.
 
The Bears hit the road for matches in the Beaver State. Cal will face Oregon State (8-14, 1-7 Pac-10) in a 7 p.m. PT match at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. on Friday, Oct. 29, and then take on No. 16 Oregon (16-4, 4-4 Pac-10) at McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. PT. Please visit CalBears.com for more information and links to live stats and video.
 

(video)Jacksonville State Volleyball Team: Head Coach Rick Nold Talks About Friday Win Over Eastern Kentucky

 

Jacksonville State Volleyball Team: Head Coach Rick Nold Talks About Friday Win Over Eastern Kentucky

Jacksonville State head volleyball coach Rick Nold talks about the Gamecocks' 3-0 win over Eastern Kentucky at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Oct. 22, 2010

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Sun Devil Volleyball Team Continues Hot Streak With Win Over Washington State

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Sun Devil Volleyball Team Continues Hot Streak With Win Over Washington State

PULLMAN, Wash. – Fighting off a tough crowd and slow start, the ASU Volleyball team kept their streak alive as they topped the Washington State Cougars 3-2 Friday night in Pullman. ASU topped WSU 18-25, 25-20, 15-25, 25-16 and 15-10 to push their winning streak to four straight in Pac-10, another feat ASU has not attained since 1995. The win gives ASU a 9-11 overall record and 4-4 Pac-10 record, the Cougars fall to 6-12 overall and 0-8 in conference play with the loss.

Set one saw the Sun Devils struggle to find control as they only posted a .088 attack percentage as WSU hit .250 with four blocks to push the throttle on the Sun Devils. Meagan Ganzer led the way for the Cougars putting five kills on the floor for a .308 attack percentage to lead WSU to a 25-18 win.

ASU wasn’t about to watch the match go by though as they jumped in full steam in set two to crush a .344 attack percentage with Sarah Reaves hitting .231 with four kills to lead the assault with Sonja Markanovich hitting a perfect 1.000 with three kills as ASU took game two with a 25-20 win.

WSU made sure to let ASU know who’s gym it was in the third set though as they held ASU to a .054 average with five blocks and a .273 average as Rachel Todorovich slammed down five kills for a .214 average to send WSU into the break up 2-1 with a 25-15 win.

Coming out of the break was all ASU though as they hit .231 on the set and floored three blocks to stymie the Cougar offensive attack with Erica Wilson lighting up the boards with a .571 average for four kills as ASU romped onto a 25-16 win to push it to five.

The Sun Devils stepped up to make it happen in the fifth as well with defense making the difference as ASU put down three blocks to get the upper hand with Erica Wilson and Sarah Reaves taking it from there with two kills apiece to take the 15-10 win from a vicious WSU crowd.

The Sun Devils will play the seventh-ranked Washington Huskies tomorrow night at 7 p.m. as their Pac-10 slate continues on.

Washington State Volleyball Team Falls to Arizona State in Five Sets

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Washington State Volleyball Team Falls to Arizona State in Five Sets
 
PULLMAN, Wash. -- The Washington State volleyball team (6-12 overall, 0-8 Pac-10) lost in five sets to Arizona State (9-11, 4-4) Friday night in Bohler Gym. ASU won its fourth consecutive conference match with set scores of 18-25, 25-20, 15-25, 25-16, and 15-10.
 
The Cougars were led by Meagan Ganzer’s 19 kills and Rachel Todorovich’s 15 kills. Oceana Bush had a match-high 22 digs with Kaleinani Kabalis and Ganzer adding another 29 digs. Brittany Tillman and Conley Kipp each had four blocks and Kipp had a pair of aces. Sara Biondi had 41 assists.
 
Sarah Reaves led the Sun Devils with 16 kill and had 13 digs. Erica Wilson and Danica Mendivil combined for another 24 kills. Malia Marquardt had six blocks and Wilson added five more. Sarah Johnson had 18 digs with Cat Highmark adding 47 assists and 14 digs.
 
ASU hit .170 for the match and WSU hit .160. Cougars had the lead in blocks with 12 team blocks to ASU’s 11. Each team committed 10 service errors.
 
There were six ties and two lead changes in the first set but the final score showed WSU on top, 25-18. Reaves had six kills for the Sun Devils as the visitors struggled offensively, hitting .088. Ganzer had five kills as WSU hit .250 in the opener.
 
The second set was a see-saw battle with ASU going ahead 20-17 and extended it to 23-19. Ganzer laid a huge hit down the center for her sixth kills of the set. Reaves retaliated with a left side attack that put ASU on the line serving for set. Wilson’s serve landed in the Cougars’ back right corner, an ace that was briefly disputed as whether it was inside the line. ASU hit .344 for this set and WSU dropped to .194.
 
Cougars took a 13-7 lead in the third and extended it to a 25-15 win. Todorovich has five kills to lead WSU and the team controlled the net with five blocks. WSU held ASU to a .054 hitting percentage.
 
WSU did not hold the momentum from the third set and fell behind early in the fourth set. ASU took a commanding lead and did not relinquish it, evening the match with the 25-16 fourth set win. The Cougars is .000 for this set.
 
The Sun Devils went ahead 8-4 in the fifth set but the Cougars closed the gap to 8-7 on kills from Todorovich and Tillman and an ASU hitting error. A highly disputed call of a lift on Biondi put ASU up 9-7 and the Cougs closed to within one on an ASU attack error. The Sun Devils regained the momentum and the finals points came after Wilson landed a pair of attacks and WSU stumbled at the service line twice. ASU wins 15-10.
 
“I think the fourth set is what lost us that match,” WSU Head Coach Andrew Palileo said. “When the girls came out (of the break), and they had that feeling, because we haven’t won a lot of sets, that feeling of accomplishment. That is why I called an early timeout. I could see it in their eyes and their body language that they thought that they had it and that Arizona State was going to go away. They did follow the game plan defensively. Thought we did a good job on Reaves, she only had 16 kills and five errors so we held her. It was good to have Rachel back (playing) to offset Ganzer a little bit and balance us out more. The middles were a little more involved but need to be more involved. We did a good job blocking. When you make five errors in the last have of the fifth set you are not going to win a lot of matches. We made way too many errors and missed too many easy opportunities to get the ball back and make a run.”
 
Washington State takes on No. 25 Arizona (14-7, 3-5), coming off a 3-2 loss at No. 7 Washington, Saturday, Oct. 23, in the Attacking Breast Cancer match where the Cougs wear pink jerseys and the first 100 fans will be given pink T-shirts. Fans who wear pink to the match pay only $2 to attend.
 
www.wsucougars.com

(video)UCSB Gauchos Volleyball Team Win Over UC Irvine, 3 - 1

UCSB Gauchos Volleyball Teams Win Over UC Irvine, 3 - 1

 

 

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Auburn Volleyball Team Cooks Razorbacks In 2-0 Sweep

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Auburn Volleyball Team Cooks Razorbacks In 2-0 Sweep

AUBURN – The Auburn volleyball team recorded its second sweep in a
row Friday night as the Tigers downed conference rival Arkansas, 3-0
(26-24, 25-16, 25-15) at the Student Activities Center. Auburn improves
to 16-7 overall and 7-4 in the Southeastern Conference with the win. The
seven conference victories are the most for the Tigers since 1999.

“Arkansas is a good team and I thought we made them not play so well
tonight,” said Auburn head coach Wade Benson. “We had a tough run in
the first set, but we stuck with our starters and they showed a lot of
maturity and were able to execute for the rest of the match.”

Senior Morgan Johns led the Tigers on offense, tallying a team-high
nine kills while hitting .333. Sarah Bullock added seven kills and
Camilla Jersonsky came in with five with Christina Solverson accounting
for a team-high 19 assists. Jersonsky started the second and third sets,
connecting on five kills on six attempts for a .833 hitting percentage.

Defensively, senior libero Liz Crouch tallied 11 digs, followed by
Katherine Culwell with nine and Bullock with eight. Jersonsky led the
team with four blocks while Kelly Fidero and Lauren Mellor added three
each.

Arkansas (9-13, 3-8 SEC) was led by Janeliss Torres with nine kills,
followed by Kelli Stipanovich with seven and Jasmine Norton with five.
Auburn held the Razorbacks to a .075 team hitting percentage on the
match. Raymariely Santos led the team with 26 assists while libero
Brooke Fournier tallied 12 digs.

In the first set, the Tigers and Razorbacks traded the lead with
Arkansas taking the largest lead of the set at 19-16. Auburn would tied
the set four more times before pulling away for a 26-24 lead,
capitalizing on a pair of attack errors by Arkansas’ Jasmine Norton
and Torres. Auburn’s Johns picked up four of her team-high nine kills
in the opening set.

The score remained close in the first half of the second set, but a
kill by Culwell gave Auburn the serve and an 18-16 lead. Bullock would
go on to serve out the remaining seven points of the set, closing it out
with back-to-back service aces for the 24th and 25th points. Fidero had
two of her three kills in the set in the last five points while Bullock
led the Tigers with four kills.

Coming out of the intermission, Auburn took control early, racking up a
5-0 lead to start the set. Though Arkansas would come back to tie the
set at 9-9, Auburn never trailed again, cruising to the 25-15 win.
Auburn closed out the set out-scoring Arkansas 12-3 with aces by Crouch
and Chelsea Wintzinger. Johns tallied a team-high four kills in the
set.

The Tigers return to the Student Activities Center Sunday afternoon for
a 1:30 p.m. matchup with 17th-ranked LSU. The Bayou Bengals downed
Georgia 3-2 Friday night, improving to 18-2, 9-2 SEC.

Florida State University Volleyball Team: Seminoles Fall in Three Sets to Wake Forest

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Florida State University Volleyball Team: Seminoles Fall in Three Sets to Wake Forest
Loss snaps nine-match winning streak versus Demon Deacons
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The 24th-ranked Florida State University volleyball team fell to Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Wake Forest, 3-0 (19-25, 18-25, 20-25), on Friday evening at Tully Gym.
 
Entering the contest, FSU owned a nine-match winning streak against Wake Forest that was its second-longest active streak against any conference opponent. Playing without one of the ACC’s top players in junior outside hitter Visnja Djurdjevic, the Seminoles (14-6, 6-4) struggled offensively while the Demon Deacons (13-7, 6-4) used 15 kills by junior Kadija Fornah to get a key road win.
 
Filling in well for Djurdjevic’s absence was senior outside hitter Stephanie Neville, who used 11 kills and a .417 hitting percentage to pace FSU’s offense. The Seminoles, however, were only able to muster a .169 hitting percentage, while Wake Forest hit at a .301 clip.
 
Middle blocker Lauren Young joined Neville in having a solid all-around performance. The senior from Ben Wheeler, Texas, provided plenty of noticeable energy and recorded six kills and a .455 attack percentage for the Seminoles.
 
Defensively, the Demon Deacons showed a greater propensity for batting away any FSU attacks, registering eight team blocks while the Seminoles recorded only 3.5. The total is FSU’s lowest of the season, as it entered the match at second in the ACC in blocks per set.
 
Senior Jenna Romanelli’s 10 digs leaves her only four away from gaining sole possession of 10th place on the school’s career list. Romanelli is also just 18 digs shy of reaching 1,000 for her career, as she shows 982 in less than four seasons of work.
 
Sophomore Duygu Duzceler led FSU with 22 assists, while junior Patricia Figueiredo added 15. Both players also combined for 12 digs, while junior Jekaterina Stepanova led the team with 12 digs.
 
FSU got off to a slow start after recording a .073 attack percentage in the first set. Duzceler led the team with seven assists as the primary setter, but Fornah recorded a team-best five kills in the frame. FSU kept the set close with five consecutive points to trim its deficit to 14-13 midway through, but Wake responded with three points of its own to take a 17-13 advantage. FSU stayed close by cutting it to 20-18 on a kill by Rachael Morgan, but Wake won five of the next six points to take the set.
 
Young gave the Seminoles a spark off the bench in set two, but it wasn’t enough as FSU fell behind the entire frame. Young provided some offense with five kills, and Duzceler added 10 assists as the Seminoles improved their hitting percentage at .268 in the set. A late kill by Andrea Beck and a block by Kristen White gave Wake its largest lead at 23-14 in the set, and the frame ended on a kill by Fornah to put the Demon Deacons ahead in the match, 2-0. Wake then used 17 kills in the third set to power past FSU in a clean sweep.
 
The Seminoles return to Tully Gym on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. for a match against conference leader Duke. FSU will also host its lone “Paint it Pink” match on Sunday in an effort to help raise breast cancer awareness.
 
www.seminoles.com
 

Texas Volleyball Team: Faucette powers No. 11 Volleyball to sweep of Kansas State

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Texas Volleyball Team: Faucette powers No. 11 Volleyball to sweep of Kansas State

Senior outside hitter Juliann Faucette connects for a match-best 14 kills on .480 hitting to lead Texas to its sixth-straight win.

AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 11 Texas Volleyball team used a match-high 14-kill performance by senior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette to sweep Kansas State and win its sixth-straight match, Friday night at Gregory Gymnasium. The 25-19, 25-23, 25-19 victory improved the Longhorns to 14-5 on the year and 9-2 in Big 12 play, while the Wildcats fell to 9-13 overall and 3-8 in league action.
 
Faucette hit at a .480 clip in the victory and recorded eight digs and three blocks. Junior outside hitter Amber Roberson bolstered the UT attack with 11 kills and seven digs, while junior middle blocker Rachael Adams connected for nine kills and senior middle blocker Jennifer Doris added seven.
 
In the first set, Kansas State challenged the Longhorns early on and played UT to a tie at the 15 all mark. Texas forged ahead 20-17 on a kill by Faucette and went on a 5-1 run fueled by two more Faucette kills to win the frame, 25-19.
 
Texas fell behind early in a second stanza that saw 15 tie scores and six lead changes. The Wildcats held the Horns in check until the 21 all mark when K-State took advantage of a kill and a service ace by Kaitlynn Pelger on consecutive points to forge ahead 23-21.  A double-block by Doris and sophomore opposite hitter Sha’Dare McNeal closed the gap to one and a kill by Doris evened the tally at 23. Freshman libero Sarah Palmer forced set point with a service ace and a Kansas State attack error closed out the set, 25-23.
 
The Wildcats played the Horns tight to start the third set before two-straight kills by Faucette put the Horns in front 10-7. Another kill by Faucette widened the margin to 15-11 and she chipped in another kill during a 3-0 run that extended the UT lead to 20-15. Kansas State shrank the lead to two late, but Texas closed out the frame on a 5-1 run headlined by two kills from Faucette and capped by a kill from Roberson that ended the set, 25-19.
 
Texas returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 27 when it plays host to No. 3 Nebraska at Gregory Gymnasium. First serve is set for 8 p.m. Central on ESPNU.
 
POST-MATCH NOTES
·         Texas’ win over Kansas State improved its all-time record against the Wildcats to 25-7 and 13-3 in Austin.
·         The Horns’ victory extended its season-best winning streak to six matches and improved its Big 12 home winning streak to 20 matches.
·         Texas out-hit Kansas State .330-to-.223 in the win and out-blocked the Wildcats 7.0-to-1.0.
 
POST-MATCH QUOTES
Head coach Jerritt Elliott:
General statement: Overall it was a good performance for us against a stubborn Kansas State team. I thought we really battled in the crunch in game two, and we got some great production out of some of our players. Juliann (Faucette) had a big breakout night before we play Nebraska which is important for her confidence, for our team’s confidence and our overall play. It’s always tough to win in this conference, so you appreciate getting the win 3-0. I’m pleased for our team.
 
On Jennifer Doris’ performance: Jen has been doing a great job for us. She has really stepped up here in her senior year. We’ve been getting her the ball more, and she has been a lot more accountable. It has really allowed us to open up our offense. She has been working hard every single day in practice and off-the-court as well. So I’m very happy for her, it has helped this team out. She’s finishing her career strong.
 
 
 
 
 
Hook'em

UAB Blazer Volleyball Team Posts Impressive Numbers But Falls 3-2 At UCF

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UAB Blazer Volleyball Team Posts Impressive Numbers But Falls 3-2 At UCF
UAB sets season-highs in blocks, attack percentage against Knights
 
ORLANDO, Fla. --
The UAB volleyball team put four players in double-figure kills and turned in another outstanding blocking performance Friday night, but the Blazers came up on the short end of a 3-2 (16-25, 25-20, 28-26, 23-25, 15-12) decision at UCF.
 
For the second time in three matches, UAB racked up 17 total team blocks, which ranks as the second-highest total in Conference USA this season. Sam Serley contributed on eight of those blocks, while Michele Simmons was a part of seven.
 
The Blazers (5-16, 2-7 C-USA) also turned in their best offensive night of the season, statistically, hitting for a .287 percentage as a team. Serley hit .481 on her own and led UAB with 16 kills, followed by Jordan McDonald with 15, Michelle Uzoh with 14 and Ally Slaughter with 11. UCF hit more than 60 percentage points lower at .223.
 
Unfortunately for UAB, the biggest portion of its advantage came in a lopsided, 25-16 first set. The Blazers posted six of their blocks in the opening frame and hit for a .433 percentage, while UCF was hitting at a .000 clip.
 
The Knights (11-10, 4-5 C-USA) picked up their offensive game the rest of the way, out-killing UAB 61-49 over the final four sets after being out-killed 15-9 in the first. Kristin Fisher was the offensive star for the Knights with a match-high 26 kills, while UCF setter Rachel Vukson handed out a match-best 57 assists.
 
After UCF evened the match at one set apiece, UAB had a chance to go back ahead in the third. The Blazers led 23-20 and held a set point at 24-23, but the Knights pulled out a 28-26 win to take a one-set lead. The Blazers then won a close fourth set to force the decisive fifth frame.
 
UCF ran out to a quick 4-0 lead in the fifth, but UAB stormed back to tie the score at 5-5. It remained tied as late as 12-12 before UCF rattled off three straight points on two kills from Fisher and one from Evija Vilde to seal the victory.
 
McDonald and Alison Woods each recorded their sixth double-double of the season for UAB. McDonald added 20 digs to her 15 kills, while Woods dished out 54 assists and totaled 11 digs. Slaughter posted nine digs to go along with her 11 kills as she came up just shy of a double-double.
 
Libero Heather Thomas was the third Blazer in double-digit digs, leading the team with 21. UCF's Meredith Murphy led all players with 24 digs.
 
Friday marked UCF's first vistory over UAB since 2005 as the Knights snapped a nine-match losing streak in the series.
 
UAB continues its road weekend by making the long flight to El Paso, Texas. The Blazers will square off with UTEP on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT (2 p.m. CT).
 

-- CALL US UAB --

Bowling Green Volleyball Team: Toledo Picks Up Come-From-Behind Victory Over Falcons

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Bowling Green Volleyball Team: Toledo Picks Up Come-From-Behind Victory Over Falcons
 
Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team earned a win in the opening set of Friday night’s volleyball match against rival Toledo but the Rockets rallied to defeat the Falcons 22-25, 25-19, 25-18, 27-25.
 
Along with winning that opening set, Bowling Green had three set points in the fourth to push the match to a fifth frame but the Falcons were unable to come up with the one point they needed. After Toledo took a 22-20 lead in the fourth, the Falcons stormed back with four in a row, including back-to-back blocks by Danielle Tonyan and Kari Galen, to take a 24-22 lead. But Toledo scored two in a row to tie it. Galen came back with a big kill to put the Falcons on top 25-24 but an attack error followed by a bad set gave Toledo a match point with a 26-25 lead. The Rockets’ Sondra Parys picked up the deciding kill for the win.
 
In the opening set, Bowling Green built a five-point lead at 17-12 but Toledo stormed back to take a couple of one-point leads. With the score tied at 22-22, Tonyan and Lindsey Butterfield had consecutive kills and Toledo had an attack error for the 25-22 win.
 
The Falcons struggled to find consistency in the middle two sets, falling behind early in both and never making a serious run at Toledo.
 
Tonyan led Bowling Green with 14 kills and Spitler and Paige Penrod ended with 10 each. Ashley Dunn had 22 digs and an ace from the libero position and Madison Nitta had four aces to go with five digs. Penrod had 14 digs to go with her 10 kills for a double-double and Laura Avila also had a double-double with 40 assists and 10 digs. Galen ended with five kills and a team-high three blocks.
 
Toledo improves to 8-12 with the win and 3-6 in MAC play. Bowling Green, now 7-17 overall and 1-8 in league action, hosts Ball State Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Liberty Lady Flames Volleyball Team: Solid Blocking, Serving Lead Flames Past Blue Hose

 

Liberty Lady Flames Volleyball Team: Solid Blocking, Serving Lead Flames Past Blue Hose
 
      LYNCHBURG, Va.  – Backed by 10 blocks and 10 service aces, the Liberty Lady Flames cruised to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-13) conference win, Friday night at the Vines Center, defeating the visiting Blue Hose of Presbyterian College.
      Outside hitter Lillie Happel played a key role in both categories, achieving a career-high five blocks, and tying a career-high with four aces.
      With the win, the Lady Flames, currently No. 1 in Big South Conference standings, improve to 18-7 on the year, and move to 9-1 in conference play. Liberty has now won six straight matches, its longest streak of the season.
      The Blue Hose drop to 10-13 overall and 3-6 in the Big South.
      The first set was a dogfight, with Presbyterian College leading most of the way, but the Lady Flames enjoyed a surge at the end, winning five straight points to tie it up, 22-all. Hannah Anderson helped the cause with back-to-back aces to solidify the comeback, and a kill by Karyl Bacon at 23-23 gave Liberty a set point. The Lady Flames took the 25-23 win on the next play, when Allison Brown’s spike sailed long.
      The Lady Flames hit .211 in the opening set, and held the Blue Hose to a .125 attack percentage. Kendle Rollins led all players with five kills, followed by Bacon and Lillie Happel with four apiece. Presbyterian College’s Amanda Kettles and Presley Mabrey notched three kills each.
      The beginning of the second set was a lot like the first, but this time it was in Liberty’s favor. The Lady Flames took an early 8-4 lead on a Rollins kill, but the Blue Hose stayed within range.
      But Liberty turned it up a notch, pulling away for a 10-point lead at 22-12.
      The Blue Hose kept fighting, but Liberty eventually went on to win the set, 25-18.
      Bacon led the Liberty attack, posting five kills, while Loren Thomas hit .500 with three kills for the Lady Flames. Once again, it was Kettles and Mabrey who led the Blue Hose, contributing two kills each.
      The third set wasn’t pretty, as it was defined by a total of 15 attack errors: Presbyterian with nine and Liberty with six. But Liberty still kept control, keeping a small lead in the beginning, before pulling away. Part of the spark was thanks to three straight aces by Happel, and a kill by Thomas sealed the 25-13 third-set victory.
      Thomas led all players with three kills in the final set, while Bacon and Happel posted two apiece. No Presbyterian College player put up more than one kill, and the Blue Hose were held to just a -.133 attack percentage.
      Overall, Bacon paced all players with 11 kills, while Thomas hit .333 with seven successful spikes. Jade Craycraft contributed three kills and put up 29 assists, while Kelly Haseman added 19 digs for the Lady Flames.
      Additionally, Rollins added seven kills, plus seven blocks for the third consecutive match, while Happel recorded eight kills. At the service line, Anderson added a trio of aces to compliment Happel’s effort. 
      Kettles and Mabrey led the Blue Hose effort with six kills each, while setter Kilee Ruppe posted 19 helpers and 14 digs, leading her team in both categories.
      Liberty’s blocking game has been very successful in recent matches, as tonight marks the fourth consecutive contest that the Lady Flames have posted double digits in blocks.
      Liberty will compete again tomorrow, hosting Gardner-Webb for a 2 p.m. matchup in the Vines Center. Presbyterian College will continue its road trip, facing off against East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn., at 2 p.m. 
     
 
- LibertyFlames.com -

VCU Volleyball Team: Low, Boyd Spark Rams Past Georgia State, 3-0

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VCU Volleyball Team: Low, Boyd Spark Rams Past Georgia State, 3-0

RICHMOND, Va. – Sophomore Kristin Boyd (Wilmington, N.C.) spiked 12 kills to drive the offense and classmate Marisa Low (Carlsbad, Calif.) dug 21 balls to spark the defense in Virginia Commonwealth University’s 3-0 (25-10, 25-19, 28-26) victory over Georgia State Friday at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

VCU has won a season-high four straight to improve to 8-16 overall and 6-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The win allowed the Rams to keep pace with first place George Mason and second place Delaware, which each won on Friday. Georgia State slipped to 10-12 overall and 4-4 in league play.

The Rams hit .370 and .469 in sets one and two, respectively, to roll out to a commanding 2-0 match lead. VCU led wire-to-wire in a 25-10 rout in the opening set. The Panthers threatened to push the match to four sets, but Boyd and senior Mariel Frey (Lititz, Pa.) blasted back-to-back kills off assists from freshman Ciara Brown (Fort Myers, Fla.) to lock up a 28-26 win.

Low, who was celebrating her 19th birthday Friday, provided 20-plus digs for the second straight match. She also dug 29 balls in a 3-2 win over George Mason on Oct. 16. In her last two matches, Low has averaged more than six digs per set.

Behind Low’s effort and seven blocks, the Rams limited Georgia State to a paltry .080 hitting percentage. The Panthers hit just -.192 during the opening set.

“I’m really proud of the way [Marisa Low] played tonight,” VCU Head Coach James Finley said. “She played amazing defense and kept us in a lot of rallies. The team, in general, has gotten better and better on defense as the year has progressed.”

Boyd hit .429 and added three blocks, while senior Kelsie Clegg (Boise, Idaho), who was honored prior to the match for breaking VCU’s career blocks record, added eight kills and hit .400.

“Two kids I’m really proud of tonight that were really standouts, Kelsie Clegg, who hit .400 blocked well and provided great leadership, and Kristin Boyd who I’m so proud of. We knew this was coming,” Finley said.  

VCU returns to the floor on Saturday, Oct. 23 when it hosts UNC Wilmington at the Verizon Wireless Arena at 7 p.m.

Wake Forest Volleyball Team Earns Huge Three-Set Sweep Over No. 24 Florida State on the Road

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Wake Forest Volleyball Team Earns Huge Three-Set Sweep Over No. 24 Florida State on the Road
 
Demon Deacons claim first victory over ranked opponent since 2005
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Led by junior Kadija Fornah’s fifth double-double of the season, the Wake Forest volleyball team upset No. 24 Florida State on its home floor in a three-set sweep Friday evening in Tully Gymnasium.
 
The victory improves Wake Forest’s record to 13-7 on the year, while Florida State drops to 14-6. Both teams now sit at 6-4 in ACC play.
 
For the Demon Deacons, the win is the first over a ranked opponent since they defeated No. 24 Maryland 3-2 in Reynolds Gym on November 12, 2005. Additionally, the win snaps a nine-match losing streak to the Seminoles and is the first victory in Tallahassee since a 3-1 victory on October 4, 2003.
 
Fornah was on fire with 15 kills and 11 digs while recording a season-best .414 hitting percentage (15k-3e-29a).
 
As a team, the Deacons hit .301, as junior Carlin Salmon and seniors Kelsey Jones and Lauren McIntyre all hit at least .400 in the match with no errors. Salmon had eight kills and hit .400, McIntyre had six kills and hit .667 and Jones had a season-high six kills and hit .600.
 
Jones also dished out 30 assists and had seven digs, while senior libero Megan Thornberry had a match-high 12 digs.
 
The Deacons also served tough with six aces. Senior Kristen White had three of the six, while Fornah had two on the night.
 
Florida State scored the first two points of the match on a pair of long rallies and would never hold the lead the rest of the night. Jones got the Deacs on the board with a tip to the deep right corner and White went back to the serving line and helped Wake Forest take a 6-2 advantage. White had two aces during the stretch, forcing the Seminoles to call their first timeout of the set.
 
The Demon Deacons had their largest lead of the set at 13-6 after a block by McIntyre and Beck. The Seminoles went on a 7-1, though, and instantly cut the lead to one before Oehler recorded a kill from the back row to stop the run and the make the score 15-13. An ace by Hargreaves and an attack error by FSU gave the Deacs a 17-13 lead.
 
Florida State cut the lead to two on three separate occasions, but Wake Forest pushed the lead back to 22-18 and forced the final FSU timeout. The Seminoles got a side out right after the timeout, but an attack error by FSU, a block by Beck and Hargreaves and another error by the Seminoles ended Set 1 25-19 in favor of Wake Forest.
 
The Demon Deacons jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match thanks to a dominating Set 2 performance. Wake hit .412 with 15 kills, just one error and 34 attack attempts. McIntyre was a big part of the high hitting percentage with four kills and no errors on five swings in the frame.
 
Set 2 was back and forth at the onset, as the Demon Deacons held a narrow 6-5 advantage. A service error by the Seminoles gave Wake a 7-5 lead, and a kill by McIntyre and back-to-back aces by Fornah gave the Deacs a 10-5 cushion.
 
Wake Forest continued to build its lead throughout the set and had a 22-14 lead after a kill by Beck. FSU called a timeout, but that did not stop the Deacon momentum, as White put up a huge solo block on the next serve to give the Deacs its largest lead of the set at 23-14. The Seminoles ended Set 2 on a 4-2 run, but Wake had a large enough lead and Fornah ended the set on a kill for a 25-18 win.
 
The final set stayed tight early with the score 9-9. Jones and Fornah then each recorded a kill and then Fornah and Beck teamed up for a block to make the score 12-9. Out of an FSU timeout, the Deacons were not finished with the run, as Beck and Fornah each had another kill to give Wake a five-point advantage at 14-9.
 
Florida State came within one point only once more in the match at 16-15. A 4-1 run by the Deacs made the score 20-16, giving Wake Forest all the room it needed to win the decisive set 25-20.
 
Wake Forest will next travel further south and play Miami on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in Coral Gables, Fla.