South Carolina def. Akron, 3-0
Northern Illinois def. North Dakota St., 3-2
Oregon def. Toledo, 3-0
San Jose State def. Buffalo, 3-1
Marquette def. Bowling Green, 3-0
Ball St. def. Gardner-Webb, 3-0
Tulsa def. Western Michigan, 3-0
Auburn def. Central Michigan, 3-2
Cleveland St.def. Kent State, 3-0
IUPUI def. Miami, 3-1
Pepperdine def. Ohio, 3-0
E. Michigan def. S. Illinois, 3-1
Akron def. UNC Asheville, 3-1
Buffalo def. Canisius, 3-1
Toledo def. Houston, 3-2
E. Michigan def. UALR, 3-1
Stories Courtesy of MAC Media Relations Offices
South Carolina def. Akron, 3-0
Akron def. UNC Asheville, 3-1
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of Akron volleyball team split its first two matches of the 2012 season Friday at the Gamecock Invitational, defeating UNC Asheville, 3-1, and falling to tournament host South Carolina, 3-0.
Akron 3, UNC Asheville 1
The Zips snapped a 10-match losing streak dating back to last season in a big way to kick off 2012, defeating UNC Asheville 25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21.
Akron came out of the gate with something to prove, significantly out-hitting UNCA in each of its three set victories. Every Zip that played at the net had at least one kill, and three finished with double-digit kills.
Senior Chelsea Harvey led the offensive charge, hitting a match-high .438. She tallied 15 kills to go with 17 digs for her first double-double of the season. Alex Cocklin and Tina Dimitrijevs added fuel the fire with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Morgan Kuhn picked up a double-double of her own with 44 assists and 15 digs.
The match was hotly contested by UNCA, especially in the first and final sets which saw the score tied a combined 13 times, but Akron's defense answered the call. Libero Jill Paluch also set a new career mark, leading both teams with 20 digs. Three other Zips finished in double figures on the defensive end, including freshman Tori Lanzillotti who posted 15 digs in her collegiate debut.
South Carolina 3, Akron 0
Akron struggled in the nightcap, giving up straight sets to South Carolina 19-25, 13-25, 19-25. Although the Zips played the Gamecocks close in nearly every category on paper, the story of the match was the unforced errors.
UA gave up 13 points in the match at the hands of service errors, as well as 16 errors on the attack. South Carolina found holes in the Akron defense when it needed to, and the Zips had a difficult time adjusting.
Midway through the third set, it looked as though Akron might be able to force a fourth, as it fought back to within one point with the score at 13-12 in South Carolina's favor. UA kept the margin to within five with a Harvey kill at the 21-16 mark, but it would never be able to regain the lead. A pair of kills from the Gamecocks' balanced front line locked up the set and the match.
Dimitrijevs led the Zips the second time around with eight kills, with Harvey and Cocklin each following up with seven.
Tournament play resumes tomorrow when Akron (1-1) takes on East Tennessee State at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by a 5:30 p.m. tilt with Temple. ETSU defeated UNC Asheville, 3-2, and Temple, 3-0, earlier today, while South Carolina also shut out Temple.
Oregon def. Toledo, 3-0
COLUMBUS, OH - Toledo (1-1) ran into a buzz saw on Friday evening as the Rockets suffered a 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-19) setback to No. 20 Oregon (1-0). The match took place at Ohio State's Sports Imports DC Koehl Classic in St. John Arena.
The Rockets were limited to a .058 attack percentage, while the Ducks registered an impressive .364 hitting mark.
Sophomore RSH Becca Reidy led UT with seven kills and a .267 hitting mark, while senior OH Sondra Parys tallied six kills. On the defensive front, junior MB Dakota Harkins tallied a match-high six blocks and senior libero McCall Paynter notched a team-best five digs.
Oregon was paced by senior OH Katherine Fischer's match-high 12 kills, while Third-Team All-American Alaina Bergsma tallied eight kills and a .467 ATK%.
The Rockets led on just one occasion, 2-1 in Set 2, in the match as the Ducks controlled play throughout. Toledo hit .040 in Set 1, .136 in Set 2 and .000 in Set 3, while Oregon tallied attack percentages of .300 in Set 1, .636 in Set 2 and .200 in Set 3.
UT will wrap up tournament play tomorrow morning with an 11:30 a.m. matchup against the host No. 24 Buckeyes.
San Jose State def. Buffalo, 3-1
Buffalo def. Canisius, 3-1
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo volleyball team began its 2012 campaign on Friday, splitting its two matches on the opening day of the UB Invitational. The Bulls defeated Canisius in their opener, 3-1, before falling to San Jose St. in the nightcap by the same score. For Buffalo, today's action was the first for its six-member freshman class.
In the first match against Canisius, the Bulls took the contest 23-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-18 as UB outhit its opponents, .209 to .107. After trailing 7-2 early in set number two, the Bulls went on a 16-6 run, taking an 18-13 advantage following a kill from junior Dani Reinert. The Griffs pulled back within four before UB clinched the set on a block from Liz Scott and freshman Akeila Lain.
It was the Bulls who got out to the early lead in set three, taking 10 of the first 15 points, capped off on an ace from freshman Megan Lipski. Again Canisius came back pulling to within one at 17-16, but Buffalo responded with four straight points to go up 21-16. Following a UB attack error, the Bulls strung together four more points for the set. The fourth set was also owned by Buffalo as it got out to a 21-12 advantage before taking it 25-18.
Scott tied her career-high with 20 kills in the victory, hitting .375 for the match. The preseason All-MAC selection, added nine digs and five block assists in the contest. Lipski added 10 kills, six digs and a match-high four service aces in her debut, while Lain had eight kills and six blocks. Tahleia Bishop added seven kills and seven digs. Reinert ran the offense with 46 assists and 14 digs, while junior Dana Musil, filling in at libero, had 24 digs.
In the evening contest, the Spartans defeated the Bulls, 25-22, 25-22, 15-25, 25-20 as they outhit Buffalo .184 to .126. Each of the first two sets were close, including the first, which was tied up 19-19 late. However, San Jose St. scored three quick points and held on for the 25-22 win. The Bulls led 16-12 in the second set, but fell behind after five straight Spartan points. The set was tied up at 19-19 and again SJSU answered with three straight points and took the set by the identical score as the first set.
The Bulls dominated the third, building an early 7-2 lead. UB increased its lead to 19-11 and led by as many as 11 at 24-13 following a kill from Scott. Unfortunately, UB was unable to ride the momentum from the set victory as it fell 25-20 in the fourth set.
Bishop, Lipski and Scott each finished with 10 kills against the Spartans, while junior Carissa McKenna had nine kills and just two errors, hitting a team-high .389. Musil had another outstanding match defensively, recording a career-high 26 digs, finishing with 50 for the day.
Other matches on the first day of the UB Invitational saw Oral Roberts defeat San Jose St., 3-1, and Canisius, 3-0. Canisius and San Jose St. will meet tomorrow at 2:30 pm, while Buffalo and Oral Roberts conclude the tournament at 5:00pm.
Marquette def. Bowling Green, 3-0
Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team knew it was facing a tough challenge to open the 2012 season. The Falcons opened the Marquette Challenge Friday night against the host school, dropping the match in straight sets 25-20, 25-21, 25-19.
The Falcons got a strong effort from Danielle Tonyan, who posted the first double-double of her career. Her 12 kills tied for match-high honors and she added a career-best 10 digs. While Lindsey Butterfield struggled in the attack, she also had 10 digs and served a career-best five aces. Butterfield entered the match with just one ace in her two-year career thus far.
Marquette was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST in the preseason coaches’ poll and the Golden Eagles return much of the team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history a year ago. That experience, combined with a breakout performance by freshman Erin Lehman, helped Marquette to get past a Bowling Green team that stayed close throughout the evening.
"We lost to a very good team tonight that will probably go to the NCAA Tournament again this year," BGSU first-year head coach Danijela Tomic said. "I am proud of our team because we fought hard and never gave up. We did many good things that we will build on and we will work on those areas that need to be improved. Teams like Marquette will prepare us well for our conference play, which is what we are aiming for."
Lehman had five kills in the first set, finishing with 12 for the evening, and helped Marquette set the tone early. Bowling Green dug itself a hole, falling behind 14-7. After Tomic, coaching her first match for the Falcons, used a timeout to settle down the team, BGSU began to rally. The Falcons closed to within two at 19-17 but Marquette held off the charge by hitting .448 to pull away late 25-20.
The second set started much better for Bowling Green as a Kaitlyn Skinner kill tied the frame at 13-13. Marquette, though, got three kills and an ace during a five-point spurt that gave the Golden Eagles control on the way to the 25-21 victory.
In the third set, Bowling Green again hung close through the early stages, leading by two points midway through the stanza. But with the score tied at 18-18, Marquette closed with a 7-1 run for the 25-19 victory to clinch the match.
While BGSU hit just .189 for the match, that average was brought down by a second set in which the Falcons had just five kills to five attack errors. Bowling Green hit respectably in the other two sets, posting a .289 attack rate in the first and .259 in the third. Marquette hit .327 but was only able to post 2.0 blocks. The Falcons dominated that statistic with 6.0 blocks, three from Skinner.
Ashley Dunn added 10 digs for Bowling Green, marking her 20th consecutive match with a double-digit dig total, dating back to the 2011 season. Laura Avila handed out 27 assists in the setter position.
Bowling Green, now 0-1 on the season, will play Northwestern Saturday out of the Big Ten Conference. The Wildcats will be playing their season opener when they face the Falcons at 4 p.m. CT.
Ball St. def. Gardner-Webb, 3-0
MUNCIE, Ind. - - After a dominating first set victory, the Ball State women's volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-20) sweep of Gardner-Webb to open play in the 2012 Active Ankle Challenge Friday evening at Worthen Arena.
"It's great to get that first match under your belt," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "There's a lot of excitement and adrenaline pumping. For our younger players, it was great to be able to come out with a great crowd behind us to get our first win."
The Cardinals used the momentum from the Worthen Arena crowd to put the Runnin' Bulldogs on their heels early in the opening set. After a kill from senior outside hitter Kara Bates (Bradley, Ill./Bradley Bourbonnais Community/Maryland) gave BSU its first point of the 2012 season, some strong serving, including a pair of aces, from junior setter Jacqui Seidel (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) pushed the Ball State advantage to 7-0.
"Jacqui had a long rehab coming off of her injury last season," said Shondell. "Looking at her tonight though, you could not tell she had come back from an injury. She played really solid for us."
The Cardinals carried the momentum the rest of the opening frame, as they posted a 25-8 victory capped by a kill from redshirt freshman outside hitter Hayley Benson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley). Senior defensive specialist Lauren Schlaker (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East) made a pair of spectacular diving digs in the final rally to help set up the final point.
With Ball State trailing 11-10 in the second stanza, a pair of kills from Bates and junior middle hitter Mindy Marx (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven) sparked a 6-0 BSU run, giving the hosts the edge at 16-11. GWU would cut the advantage to 22-20 down the stretch, but kills from senior transfer Lisa Scott (McLean, Va./Langley/Maryland) and Bates helped close the set out at 25-20.
"Lisa was looking forward to coming out tonight," said Shondell. "After not playing for nearly two years, it took her until the third set to really settle back in the game. We are excited to have her as a part of our program. I expect some big things from her this season as she gets more relaxed and back into the flow of the game."
The third set was another back-and-forth battle early, as the combatants played to a 13-13 stalemate. A kill from Bates would break the matches' final tie, while a block and kill from Scott gave Ball State a 16-13 advantage. BSU built a five-point edge at 20-15 off of Seidel's third ace of the match, while another Benson kill gave the Cardinals set point at 24-18. Three rallies later, a Gardner-Webb attack error secured the set (25-20) and the match (3-0) for Ball State.
"We cannot bask in this win for too long because we have things we need to work on moving forward," said Shondell when looking forward to tomorrow's matches versus VCU and Illinois State. "It was great to get a win here with a fantastic crowd behind us and with all of the excitement in the arena, but we need to be ready to battle two very good opponents tomorrow."
Bates ended the night with a match-high 15 kills, while posting a .429 (15-3-28) attack percentage. She also collected three digs to go along with three block assists.
Along with her three aces, Seidel led the Ball State offense to a .267 (38-14-90) hitting mark for the night, while posting a .800 (4-0-5) mark herself. She dished out 29 assists and collected 10 digs to earn her third career assist/dig double-double.
Junior outside hitter Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) also turned in a strong performance in the backcourt and from the service line with 14 digs and three aces. Junior libero Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) led all players with 15 digs.
As a whole, the Ball State defense limited the Gardner-Webb attack to a .000 (24-24-106) hitting mark for the night. Carol Solano and Tyler Cockrell led the Runnin' Bulldogs with seven kills each. Anna Pashkova added a team-high nine digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team continues play in the 2012 Active Ankle Challenge Saturday with matches versus VCU (11 a.m.) and Illinois State (7 p.m.). The two squared off in the tournament's first match Friday afternoon with VCU earning a 3-1 (26-24, 24-26, 25-20, 25-16) win.
Tulsa def. Western Michigan, 3-0
NORMAN, Okla. - The Western Michigan women's volleyball team played a series of tightly contested sets against a regarded national power, but the Broncos fell to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 3-0 (21-25, 19-25, 21-25) at the Oklahoma Nike Invitational on Friday. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 0-1 on the season.
Taking on an opponent that received a considerable number of votes in the first AVCA Coaches' Poll of the 2012 season, the Broncos battled with the Golden Hurricane but were eked out late in each set. The Broncos out-blocked Tulsa 4.0 to 3.0 and got a number of standout performances from individual players, but the Golden Hurricane hit .321 en route to the victory.
The Broncos did their offensive damage in the middle, with Jessica Brown adding 10 kills on 23 attempts with just two errors for a .348 hitting percentage, and sophomore Richelle Ranney adding career bests in kills (8) and hitting percentage (.412). Defensively, junior libero Lena Oliver tied the match-high with 17 digs, and classmate Gillian Asque notched eight kills.
The Broncos would begin the first set by trailing early, but tied the score at 9-9 on an Asque kill; Asque would add another on the next point to give the Broncos a lead, and Ali Gossen would contribute a kill one point later to cap the 3-0 run. The Broncos would have their largest lead of the half at 13-10, when Brown recorded a solo block against Tulsa's Diana Silva. Tulsa would take the lead at 16-15 and hold on for the rest of the set, though the Broncos would pull to within 23-21 on another kill from Asque.
After the Golden Hurricane took the second set with a coast-to-coast lead, the Broncos put together their best offensive set of the match in the third, hitting .282 as a team in the narrow loss. WMU overcame what was at one point a four-point deficit, coming back from being down 11-7 to tying the score at 16-16 on a kill from Ranney, and taking the 17-16 lead on a kill from Asque. Brown would record a kill to give the Broncos their largest lead of the set at 19-17, but Tulsa would score eight of the final 10 points of the match for the win.
Auburn def. Central Michigan, 3-2
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Central Michigan showed a never-give-up attitude in its season-opener versus Auburn Friday night at the Green Bay/Country Inn & Suites Invitational, but ultimately dropped the contest in five sets.
The Chippewas claimed the first and fourth sets of the match in dominating fashion, 25-17 and 25-16, but were unable to come up with the win in the fifth set, falling 15-9.
CMU was able to jump out early and never looked back in the first, leading wire to wire, thanks in large part to a .448 hitting percentage as a team. A kill by freshman Angelique White put the Maroon and Gold up five, 15-10, and they eventually closed out the set on back-to-back attacking errors by Auburn's Sarah Bullock.
The Tigers flipped the switch on the Chippewas in the second set, evening things up by claiming the game, 25-16, before a back-and-forth third set.
Auburn forced CMU to take a timeout after it jumped out a 5-1 lead in the third, but the Chippewas came fighting back and pulled within two, 11-9, on a kill by junior setter Kelly Maxwell. The back and forth continued between the two squads and CMU was faced with set point down 24-22 before back-to-back kills by junior Danielle Gotham and White tied things up. CMU and AU saw the lead exchanged or the game tied eight more times before the Tigers closed it out, 30-28.
The dominant form returned in the fourth set for the Chippewas as they evened the match with a 25-16 set victory. CMU took a big lead early, 10-4, on a kill by Maxwell and extended it to eight, 19-11, on back-to-back kills from sophomore outside hitter Kaitlyn McIntyre. After Auburn pulled within six, 21-15, CMU ran away with the set and forced a fifth set when senior Lindsey Dulude came up with a set-clinching block.
The Tigers claimed an early 5-0 lead in the fifth set, forcing CMU to use each of its two timeouts, but they proved important as the Chippewas came back and tied the set, 6-6, on a kill by Val DeWeerd. Auburn was able to reclaim the lead however on the next point and did not relinquish it, outscoring CMU, 9-3, down the stretch to claim the victory.
White led a balanced attack of four Chippewas with double digit kills in her first collegiate match, hitting .542 with 14 kills and a team-high six blocks. Dulude had 12 kills and 16 digs, while DeWeerd had 13 kills and McIntyre 12. Maxwell finished the night with match-high 46 assists and junior libero Jenna Coates had a match-high 34 digs.
The Chippewas will continue the tournament tomorrow afternoon when they take on host Green Bay at 1:30 and Drake at 5:30 p.m.
Cleveland St.def. Kent State, 3-0
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Kent State volleyball team lost its 2012 season opener to Cleveland State, 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-21) Friday (Aug. 24) in the opening match of the Hyatt Place Fort Wayne/IPFW Invitational at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center.
Freshman outside hitter Kelly Hutchison (Columbus, Ohio) led the Golden Flashes (0-1) with 11 kills in her first-ever intercollegiate match. She was joined in double figures by sophomore outside hitter Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola (Ellicott City, Md.), who tallied 10 kills. Junior setter Aleksandra Nowak (Damnica, Poland) collected a team-high 32 set assists. Junior libero Hannah Herc (Eden, N.Y.) led the way on the defensive end with a team-high 15 digs.
The opening set of the 2012 campaign was a back-and-forth affair that featured eight lead changes and 17 ties. The Golden Flashes held leads of 10-7 and 15-12 early on, but the Vikings (1-0) rallied to tie things up. With the score knotted at 17-all, the two squads traded eight straight points until Kent State made it two in a row with a kill by Aderemi-Ibitola followed by a ball handling error by Cleveland State to grab a 22-21 edge. The Flashes and Vikings traded the next three points, but Cleveland State broke through to take a 24-23 advantage after a service error by Kent State and a kill by senior outside hitter Kara Koch. After Kent State took a timeout, senior middle blocker Kathy Krupa (Burbank, Ill.) responded with a kill to knot it at 24-all. Unfortunately, for the Flashes, Cleveland State capitalized on a service error and an attack error to take the first set.
"The first set game was tough," said first-year head coach Don Gromala. "We talk about those 23-all moments, and we were right in the mix there. When we didn't come out on top, it kind of deflated us."
The Vikings took a commanding 2-0 lead by hitting .393 as a team in the second set.
Kent State came out with high energy in the third set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead thanks in large part to three kills by Hutchison and another by Krupa. The Vikings responded again, though, fighting back by going on a 16-8 run to take a 17-14 lead. The Flashes used two kills apiece from Aderemi-Ibitola and Nowak and to pull within one at 19-18, but the Vikings closed out the victory by ending the match on a 6-3 run.
"We came back and rallied in game three, and that was good," said Gromala. "It was a much better defensive effort on our end."
Koch led the match with 18 kills. Junior setter Annie Djukic tallied a match-high 40 set assists. Freshman setter Danya Roberts compiled a match-high 16 digs. She was joined in double digits by senior defensive specialist Amanda Medvetz, who totaled 12 digs.
Kent State looks to bounce back Saturday (Aug. 25) as the Hyatt Place Fort Wayne/IPFW Invitational continues with an 11 a.m. match against Murray State. Kent State will close out its first weekend of competition at 7 p.m. against host IPFW.
IUPUI def. Miami, 3-1
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Meg Riley scored a career-high 13 kills for Miami, but the RedHawks fell to IUPUI, 1-3 (21-25, 19-25, 25-21, 17-25) on Friday at the Thunder Invitational. It was the season-opening game for both teams.
After dropping the first point of the first set, kills by Kayleigh Cox and Lisa Treadway off of Amy Kendall assists would give Miami a 2-1 lead. IUPUI would go in front, 6-4, before a block by Chelsea Visk and Kendall along with a kill by Visk would help tie the score at seven. Trailing 7-10, two kills from Madison Dodd along with a service ace by Kendall would retie it at 10. An 8-3 run by the Jaguars would give IUPUI control of the set at 18-13. Behind 16-21, a 4-2 mini-run by the RedHawks would pull Miami to within three at 20-23. While Treadway would record another kill, it would be as close as the Red and White could get as they fell, 21-25.
The big blow in set two would come after Miami took a 4-3 advantage. The Jaguars would score the next 10 points in a row to go in front, 13-4. A kill from Dodd would stop the bleeding. The junior outside hitter would have two more kills as the RedHawks went on a 6-2 run to pull within five at 10-15. However, IUPUI answered with the next three points to make it an eight-point lead once again. A block by Visk and Sarah Chaney would help bring Miami to within six at 17-23, but the Jaguars would eventually go on to win, 25-19.
Riley made her 2012 debut in set three and immediately had a huge impact on the Miami offense. She recorded kills on her first three swings to lead the 'Hawks to a 3-1 advantage. With the score tied at 10, a service ace by Riley, along with kills from Chaney and Cox were part of a 5-2 run that put the RedHawks in front, 15-12. The Jaguars answered right back with their own 5-2 run to tie the score at 17. From there Riley took over once again, recording three kills to go with an attack error and a block by Jenny Ingle and Chaney to make it 22-17 in favor of Miami. IUPUI scored the next four points in a row to pull within one, but two kills from Riley, along with a block by Riley and Cox would give the Red and White a 25-21 victory. Riley recorded a total of 10 kills in the third set.
The momentum seemed to remain on Miami's side for set four. Another kill from Riley, two straight service aces by Kendall and a Jaguar attack error put the 'Hawks in front, 4-0. Riley and Ingle would each score kills as Miami extended the lead to six at 9-3. IUPUI answered with a 7-1 run to tie the score at 10. Once it took the lead at 13-11, the RedHawks would call timeout. Out of the break Dodd scored a kill off of Riley's assist to make it 12-13, but the Jaguars scored eight of the next 10 points to pull ahead, 21-14. Ingle and Dodd would each record one more kills, but Miami would be unable to shake the deficit as it fell, 17-25.
In addition to her 13 kills, Riley finished with five assists, three digs, a service ace and a solo block. Madison Hardy played strong defensively as the team's libero, finishing with 26 digs - only three off her career-high. Dodd just missed a double-double with 10 kills and nine digs, while Treadway had seven kills and eight digs. Cox had a career-high eight kills, while Kendall led the 'Hawks with 30 assists.
Miami concludes play at the Thunder Invitational with two games on Saturday. The RedHawks will face Wright State at 10:30 a.m. and then take on host Marshall at 7:30 p.m.
Pepperdine def. Ohio, 3-0
DAYTON, Ohio - The Ohio Bobcats dropped their 2012 season opener this afternoon, falling in straight sets, 16-25, 18-25, 14-25, to No. 11 Pepperdine in the first game of the Flyer Classic. Kelly Lamberti finished two digs shy of a double-double after leading the 'Cats with 11 kills.
Playing in her first collegiate match, Abby Gilleland led Ohio with 16 assists with senior Leah Petrovich also notching 10. Freshman Meredith Ashy paced the Green & White with nine digs and Lexie Hartnett had three blocks. Overall, Ohio struggled offensively, hitting just .073 while Pepperdine hit .307. The Waves received 13 kills from Katie Messing and a dobuble-double (28 assists, 10 digs) from Kellie Woolever.
In the first set, Ohio jumped out to a 4-1 lead before the Waves went on a six-point run to take a lead it would not relinquish. The Bobcat deficit grew to six at 14-8 and would stay that way until consecutive kills from Serena Warner and Faith Robins forced a Pepperdine timeout at 20-16. Out of the huddle, PU scored the final five points of the set to win 25-16.
Robins, Lamberti and Chelsea Bilger each notched three kills in the set and Ohio out-blocked the Waves. However, Pepperdine hit .312 while Ohio hit .150 and accrued four service errors.
The second set saw both teams exchange points until a three-point run went Pepperdine’s way for an 11-8 lead. Ohio bounced back with kills from Robins and Lamberti before an attack error knotted things at 11. Another three-point run put the ‘Cats in a 14-11 hole and two close calls didn’t help matters as they found themselves behind 18-14.
Now trailing 19-15, Pepperdine scored five in a row for a nine-point edge. Facing set point, Ohio responded with three points and forced a Wave timeout at 24-18. Despite their best efforts, the Bobcats dropped the set on the next point. Lamberti had four kills on 11 swings with no errors in the second set as Robins and Bilger had three kills once more.
Pepperdine jumped all over the 'Cats in the third set taking leads of 6-1 and 13-3. Ohio was behind 20-5 before scoring three points in a row (two kills by Hartnett and a combined block by Petrovich and Warner). Two kills by Lamberti followed and cut the deficit to 22-12, but the Waves eventually won the set 25-14, recording 6.5 blocks in the process.
Ohio returns to the court tomorrow afternoon for day two of the Flyer Classic in Dayton. The Bobcats will take on one of last year's NCAA Championship finalists in No. 7 Illinois at 5 p.m.
E. Michigan def. S. Illinois, 3-1
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team took their second straight match of the day, Friday, Aug. 24. EMU was able to top Southern Illinois University in four sets, 25-20, 25-23, 12-25 and 25-19.
The Eagles move to 2-0 on the year, while SIU falls to 0-1.
Rachel Iaquaniello (Plymouth, Mich.-Dearborn Divine Child) was able to rack up a double-double for the Eagles as she banged home 17 kills and picked up 19 digs. Kristen Baker (Mentor, Ohio-Mentor) went 11-2-21 in attacks, giving her a .429 attack percentage, while Erin Short (Orrville, Ohio-Orrville) and Paige Roback (Maumee, Ohio-Notre Dame Academy) each contributed seven kills. Kim Hildreth (Novi, Mich.-Novi) setup the offense for EMU throughout most of the match, piling up 33 assists in the victory.
Sierra Reed (Parker City, Ind.-Wapahani) led the Eagles' defense with 27 digs and Roback picked up 13.
Eastern took the opening set 25-20, Baker led the offense with a pair of aces and kills, while Hildreth added a kill and nine assists in the opening set victory. Short's four kills was the most in the set and despite hitting just .189, EMU was able to keep SIU at bay, holding the Salukis to a .146 attack percentage.
The Eagles took a 2-0 lead after a pair of sets. Although Eastern hit just .128, the Eagles defense was able to clinch the 25-23 set. Iaquaniello's four kills led the offense for the Green and White.
The Salukis came out swinging in the third set, hitting .371 en route to a 12-25 set victory. Iaquaniello notched five kills for EMU but Jessica Whitehead of SIU's seven negated the offensive effort.
Eastern clinched the match with a 25-19 victory in the fourth set. The Eagle offense showed up, hitting .349 (18-3-43) in the final set of the match. Baker went a perfect four-for-four in the set, while Iaquaniello went 7-0-13, good for a .538 attack percentage.
The Green and White continue their schedule at the Memphis Invitational Saturday, Aug. 25, with a pair of matches. Eastern starts the day with a 10 a.m. (CST) match with Austin Peay University and finishes the tournament with host, University of Memphis at 5 p.m. (CST).
Toledo def. Houston, 3-2
COLUMBUS, OH - Toledo won its season opener for the fourth-straight year on Friday afternoon with a come-from-behind 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 15-25, 25-23, 15-11) triumph over Houston. The match took place at Ohio State's Sports Imports DC Koehl Classic in St. John Arena.
"It was a great win for us over a Houston team that I think is going to have a very good season," Toledo Head Coach Greg Smith. "They were a tough opponent, and it's good to get our first-match jitters per se out of the way and get some confidence under our belt. They were a lot of momentum changes, and the match could have gone either way. I feel like we did a nice job of staying mentally tough and getting it done when we needed to."
Junior MB Dakota Harkins and junior RSH Becca Reidy topped the Rockets' offensively with 13 and 12 kills, respectively, with Harkins also posting a team-best .385 attack percentage and five blocks. Senior libero McCall Paynter led UT's defensive efforts in the back row with a match-high 20 digs.
"Our middles did a good job today," said Smith of Harkins and sophomore MB Brooke Frazer (seven kills). "Dakota had a great match and Brooke really started connecting with the setters later in the match."
The Rockets utilized a pair of setters, freshman Alex Hines and junior Adria Pryor, in the contest. Hines started the match and tallied 24 assists, while Pryor enter midway through the third set and notched 17 helpers.
Houston registered a 63-49 advantage in kills and narrowly outhit the Rockets, .168-.164, but Toledo held the upper-hand defensively in digs, 72-67, and blocks, 8-5.
Senior OH Katie Norris paced Houston with a match-high 17 kills but was limited to a .054 hitting mark.
The Rockets trailed 14-10 in the fourth set but scored six straight points to take a 22-18 lead en route to forcing a fifth set. A pair of Reidy kills accounted for two of Toledo's final three points in the set.
The two teams traded points early on in Set Five, but a four-point Rocket run put the Midnight Blue & Gold ahead 7-4. The Cougars came within a point on three occasions (10-9, 11-10, 12-11) but could never score the equalizer.
"We learned a lot about where we need to improve and that's why we're playing in a tournament like this," Smith said. "We're excited to play Oregon tonight to see if we can improve on the areas Houston exploited."
Toledo is back in action later this evening when it takes on No. 20 Oregon at 7:30 p.m. The Ducks will be playing their first match of the day against the Rockets.
E. Michigan def. UALR, 3-1
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team opened up the 2012 campaign with a victory at the Memphis Invitational Friday, Aug. 24. The Eagles topped the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in four sets, taking the opening set 25-16, then dropped the second frame 22-25 and taking the final two 25-21 and 25-22.
EMU starts the season with a 1-0 record and drops the Trojans 0-1 after the opening match of the 2012 Memphis Invitational.
The Eagles' balanced offensive attack was led by senior Rachel Iaquaniello (Plymouth, Mich.-Dearborn Divine Child) who had a match-high 17 kills. Kristen Baker (Mentor, Ohio-Mentor) contributed 13 kills on 26 attempts, with just two errors for a .423 attack percentage. Erin Short (Orrville, Ohio-Orrville) was in double-digits for kills with 10. Kim Hildreth (Novi, Mich.-Novi) and Alyssa Davis (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Plainwell) split the setting duties with 26 and 19 assists, respectively.
Hildreth also led the Green and White defensively with 13 digs, while Paige Roback (Maumee, Ohio-Notre Dame Academy) and Sierra Reed (Parker City, Ind.-Wapahani) had 12 and 10 digs, respectively.
EMU took the opening set, 25-16, with a dominant offensive performance, hitting .346 as a squad. Iaquaniello led with five kills, while Baker was a perfect three-for-three offensively. The Eagles added four-of-six total team blocks in the opening frame en route to the 1-0 lead. Defensively, the Green and White held the UALR offense at bay, as the Trojans hit just .065 in the first set.
UALR was able to tie the match in the second set by taking the frame, 25-22, after hitting .404. Despite hitting .412 as a team, EMU was unable to match the Trojans' 23-kill performance in the second set. Iaquaniello added six more kills to her total, while Short hit .714, going 5-for-7 without an attack error. Hildreth contributed an assist in all but one of the Eagles' 15 kills in the second set.
It was Davis' 13 assists in the third set that helped Eastern to a 2-1 lead after three frames. The Green and White defense showed up again in the set, holding UALR to just a .182 attack percentage, while EMU went 16-8-37 for a .216 hitting percentage. Megan Crawshaw (Mattawan, Mich.-Mattawan) led the Eagles offensively in the set going 5-for-7 without an error, while Baker added four more kills to her total in the 25-21 set victory.
EMU used five of its nine aces to put away the match with a 25-22 fourth-set win. Baker's four kills amounted for a third of the Eagles' total in the frame and Eastern held the Trojans to a .129 attack percentage in the final set.
The Green and White square-off with Southern Illinois University at 2 p.m. (CST) Friday afternoon for its second match of the Memphis Invitational.