Akron 3 def. Southern Illinois Edwardsville 0
Creighton def. Ball State, 3-0
Bowling Green def. Portland State, 3-1
Clevealnd State def. Buffalo, 3-1
Central Michigan def. Campbell, 3-0
Eastern Michigan def. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 3-0
Eastern Michigan def. North Texas, 3-2
Liberty def. Kent State, 3-2
Miami def. Indiana State, 3-2
Northern Illinois def. New Orleans, 3-0
Northern Illinois def. Nebraska-Omaha, 3-0
Ohio def. Niagara, 3-0
Ohio def. Belmont, 3-0
Toledo def. Memphis, 3-1
Western Michigan def. Middle Tennessee, 3-0
Akron 3 def. Southern Illinois Edwardsville 0
AKRON, Ohio – Akron fought back from an 0-2 deficit for the first time since 2010 to win its first five-set match of the year in the nightcap of the Zips Invitational on Friday, defeating Binghamton 3-2. Earlier in the day, the Zips dealt Southern Illinois Edwardsville a 3-0 shutout to bring their record back to .500 at 4-4 on the year.
The two unbeaten teams in this tournament will go head-to-head Saturday afternoon when UA extends the challenge to Youngstown State at 2:00 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena.
The Cougars did not give Akron any real problems in the first match of the doubleheader, as the Zips handled their business in three sets, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21. UA came out hot right away, out-hitting SIUE .290 to .029 in the first period to set the tone for the rest of the match.
Tina Dimitrijevs gave the opponents a hint of what was to come, tallying 13 kills and only posting two errors in 17 attempts for a match-high .647 attack percentage. Chelsea Harvey led both teams with 14 kills, just one short of her career high. After missing last weekend due to injury, Alex Cocklin's return to the floor Friday made the Zips look even sharper – she knocked down eight kills in the afternoon showing.
The second set was when Akron proved its domination, hitting .517 as a team and never relinquishing its early lead. Three out of the four Akron wins this season have come when the Zips are up two sets to none.
SIUE made a statement in the middle of the third, stringing together a 4-0 run to tie the score at 15. A Dimitrijevs kill gave Akron back the lead and the Zips forged on from there, only forfeiting match point once before Mary Delich locked it away with one of her six kills.
Defense was a big key for the Zips in the first match. Akron out-dug SIUE by a 53-38 margin, led by Jill Paluch with 16, in addition to its six blocks, headlined by Paiton Twitty's three solo stuffs.
Akron 3, Binghamton 2
A grudge match at its very finest, the Zips protected their home floor and walked away the victors in their first five-set contest of 2012, with set scores of 22-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-13, 16-14. The win marked the first time that Akron came back from being down two sets to none since Nov. 5, 2010, when the Zips beat crosstown rival Kent State.
Both teams entered the match playing slow and looking sluggish – Binghamton also took Youngstown State to five sets in its first match of the day.
Akron had trouble coming up with answers to the Bearcats' plan of attack in the first two sets. Although the Zips managed to keep it interesting until the end, even tying the score at 22 in the first set, there was still something missing.
Whatever that missing piece was, the Zips found it in a hurry during the break, because they came out blazing and looked like a team on a mission at the start of the third set. With the score tied at eight, Akron scored five unanswered points to take a 13-8 lead and force Binghamton to take a timeout.
UA continued to chip away and increase its lead, finally scoring on five out of the last eight plays to win the set and stay alive. Harvey, who struggled mightily in the first two sets, turned her game around completely and was 7-for-10 hitting with zero errors in the third set.
The Zips built an early lead in the fourth set, supplemented by a big service ace from freshman Kelsey Wilson to make the score 9-4 Akron, and cause another BU timeout.
If there was a turning point in the fourth set though, it was the play immediately after that timeout when senior outside hitter Janine Lawler summoned a solo block so powerful it caused a physical momentum shift in the Zips favor. BU could not muster a comeback and Akron rolled on to win the set and extend the match to the fifth and final period.
The Bearcats all but shut down the Zips to start the fifth, and it looked like Akron's hopes of a five-set win were fading when Binghamton took an 11-6 lead on a UA error. But Dimitrijevs lit the match that started the fire, and delivered two of her seven blocks amidst a 4-0 Akron run to bring the Zips within one at 11-10.
The two teams traded points from there, and the score evened out at 12, 13, and 14, before a BU service error allowed the Zips to set their sights on match point.
In classic senior leadership fashion, Dimitrijevs capitalized on the opportunity and served up an ace to complete the comeback and lift the Zips to victory.
Setter Morgan Kuhn finished the night with 46 assists and 12 digs, allowing four Akron hitters to record double-digit kills. Dimitrijevs ended with 16, one short of her career-best 17, while Cocklin tied her career mark with 15. Harvey and Twitty chipped in 11 and 10, respectively.
Although Akron considerably out-hit Binghamton in the three sets it won, the Zips' blocking game was clutch. The team's seven solo blocks tie for eighth in program history for most in a match.
Creighton def. Ball State, 3-0
GREELEY, Colo. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team (4-4) opened play in the Northern Colorado Classic with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-21) loss to Creighton (6-1) Friday afternoon at UNC's Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.
In the loss, senior outside hitter Kara Bates (Bradley, Ill./ Bradley Bourbonnais Community/Maryland) led the Ball State offense with eight kills, while three Cardinals recorded seven markers.
Among the BSU players with seven kills was redshirt freshman outside hitter Marquita Marshall (Muncie, Ind./Central) who was making her collegiate debut for the Cardinal and White. After coming in late in the second set to record a pair of kills, Marshall led the Ball State offense with five kills in the final set.
Also picking up seven kills for Ball State were senior transfer middle hitter Lisa Scott (McLean, Va./Langley) and junior opposite attacker Lauren Grant (Eagan, Minn./Eastview/Cincinnati).
Ball State junior libero Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) led all players with 16 digs and helped BSU hold a 40-30 edge in team digs.
However, it was Creighton's offense which dominated much of the match and finished with a .373 (48-10-102) attack percentage. Leah McNary led the Jays with 13 kills, while Melanie Jerbe and Heather Thorson added 12 and 11, respectively.
Ball State finished the match with a .158 (39-23-101) rate of success as a team, and was out-blocked 13.0-to-3.0. BSU did out-ace the Jays 3-to-2, with two of the aces coming from junior middle hitter Mindy Marx (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven).
A pair of kills from Bates helped the Cardinals jump out to a quick 5-1 advantage in the opening set, while a solo block and ace from Seidel moved the score to 7-2 in favor of BSU. The Jays would battle back within one point, at 15-14, only to have a pair of Ball State kills extend the lead back to three at 17-14.
Following its first timeout, Creighton would score the next two points and eventually take its first lead of the match at 22-21. Unfortunately, the Jays carried the momentum the remainder of the frame, scoring three of the final four points to win the set 25-22.
Creighton used blocks on three of the first four rallies to pull ahead 4-0 in the second set. Kills from Bates and Scott helped the Cardinals cut the lead in half, at 4-2. The Jays answered with the next two points and never looked back winning the set 25-14.
One highlight for the Cardinals in the second set came from Marshall who blasted back-to-back kills late in the frame in her first collegiate action.
Three kills from Bates helped the Cardinals play to an early 3-3 tie in the third set, while a kill from Marx gave BSU a slim 7-6 edge. However, Creighton scored the next five points and pulled ahead by six at the 17-11 mark.
A pair of blocks from Bates, one solo and one assisted by Scott, helped BSU battle within two points at 17-15. However, Ball State would get no closer, losing the set 25-21.
The Ball State women's volleyball team concludes play in the Northern Colorado Classic Saturday with matches versus tournament host Northern Colorado (Noon MT) and Tulsa (5 p.m. MT).
Bowling Green def. Portland State, 3-1
Provo, Utah – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team rebounded from a slow start to use a balanced effort offensively and defensively in a 16-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-17 win over Portland State in the team’s opening match at the BYU Nike Invitational Friday night.
While Portland State entered the match with a 3-4 record, the Vikings had already recorded a three-set sweep of defending Mid-American Conference regular season champion Northern Illinois. By hitting a season-high .264, the Falcons improved to 2-0 this year when reaching at least .200.
Three players had at least 14 kills for Bowling Green, led by Danielle Tonyan with 15. Paige Penrod added 14 and Lindsey Butterfield had a career-high 14. Leah Shaw added a career-best nine kills and hit .600 without a single attack error.
“After a very slow start we were able to refocus and execute our game plan,” BGSU head coach Danijela Tomic said. “The main adjustment we made was reducing unforced errors, especially serving errors, and our outside hitters started finding ways to score. In order for us to win, we have to have at least three hitters with double-digit kills. We did that today and almost had a fourth.”
Tomic got production up-and-down the lineup. Shaw added six blocks, while Kaitlyn Skinner had six kills and three blocks. Laura Avila directed the offensive attack with 49 assists to go with 11 digs. Ashley Dunn added 18 digs from her libero position and Libby Dachenhaus came in to add eight digs as a defensive specialist as the Falcons had three more digs than Portland State. Cassie Berning added five digs and a pair of aces in a critical support role, marking the first multi-ace match of her career.
After a poor start in the first set, the Falcons quickly turned things around in the second. BGSU had no aces or blocks in the first set but had improved immensely in the second set, posting three aces and four blocks. The Falcons also hit .353 in the second set to turn the match around.
Bowling Green jumped out to a 13-8 lead in the third set but Portland State stormed back with six straight points and the Falcons still trailed 21-20 late. But Penrod had three kills and a block down the stretch to lead Bowling Green to the 25-23 victory.
With Portland State reeling in the fourth, Bowling Green put the match away by hitting .406, the second-best single-set attack percentage for the Falcons this year. BGSU never trailed in the final set and led by a comfortable margin throughout.
Coming into the match, Bowling Green led the MAC in aces and the Falcons added to their total with seven, six more than Portland State. The Vikings hit just .198 and BGSU ended with 9.5 blocks, 1.5 more than Portland State.
Portland State falls to 3-5 with the loss and Bowling Green improves to 2-4. The Falcons will play No. 21 BYU Saturday at 2 p.m. EST and Utah at 7 p.m. EST.
Clevealnd State def. Buffalo, 3-1
CLEVELAND, OH – Despite winning the opening set, the University at Buffalo volleyball team dropped a 3-1 contest to Cleveland State, opening play at the Cleveland State Invite. The loss drops UB's record to 3-4 on the season.
Cleveland State took the contest 24-26, 25-21, 25-22, 25-14 as it outhit Buffalo .287 to .127. UB took the opening set 26-24 and were in contention for much of the next two sets, but were unable to take the lead from the Vikings.
Sophomore Liz Scott and junior Carissa McKenna each led the way for Buffalo with 11 kills, while Dana Musil added nine kills. Freshman Megan Lipski added seven kills and nine digs.
Junior Kelly Svoboda made her season debut this evening as she recorded 18 digs, tying for match-high honors. Dani Reinert added 10 digs and team-high 24 assists.
The Bulls continue action tomorrow at the Cleveland State Invite as they face Oakland at 10:00 am and Eastern Kentucky at 4:30 pm.
Central Michigan def. Campbell, 3-0
RALEIGH, N.C. - Junior Danielle Gotham's all-around play at the net in the third set sparked a Central Michigan comeback facing set point against Campbell to close a straight-sets victory over the Fighting Camels, 25-11, 25-22, 26-24, in the first match of the Courtyard Midtown Invitational Friday afternoon.
Gotham recorded five of her six kills and three of her four blocks in the deciding third set as the Chippewas (5-3) defeated the Fighting Camels (4-5) for their third straight-sets victory of the season.
Freshman Angelique White led the Chippewas with eight kills on a career-high .636 hitting percentage, while senior Lindsey Dulude and sophomore Kaitlyn McIntyre recorded seven kills apiece. Junior Kelly Maxwell distributed 33 assists, and junior Jenna Coates led the way with 11 digs. Senior Val DeWeerd finished with six kills and three blocks.
Campbell hadn't led a set in the match until the third, when the Fighting Camels scored the first three and jumped out to a 5-1 lead. McIntyre and Gotham recorded kills and Campbell committed an attacking error to pull the Chippewas within one, 5-4, but the Camels responded with a three-point run to force a CMU timeout. Led by Gotham, who recorded two block assists, a kill and a service ace, the Chippewas battled back to within one, 12-13.
The Maroon and Gold again fell behind, 21-17, and called another timeout. Out of the timeout, White and Delude scored on back-to-back kills to pull within two, 21-19, and force a Campbell timeout. Similar to the second set, the Chippewas and Fighting Camels traded points following the timeout, until the CMU faced a Campbell set point at 24-23. Gotham recorded a kill to tie the set, 24-24, following a Campbell timeout, the Dulude gave the Chippewas a 25-24 advantage one play letter. Campbell committed an attacking error to close the set and the match.
Strong defensive play kept the Chippewas in the set and enabled the comeback, holding the Fighting Camels to a .057 hitting percentage mark.
The Chippewas jumped out to a commanding early lead in the first set on a 8-0 run with three services aces by Dulude and three kills by McIntyre, forcing the Fighting Camels to take a timeout.
Campbell took two consecutive points following the timeout, and the two sides briefly traded points back and forth throughout the middle part of the set. Central Michigan took a 20-10 lead and finished the set on a 5-1 run that included kills from Dulude and freshman Kalle Mulford and three errors by the Fighting Camels, including a service error to close the set.
Dulude, McIntyre and White each recorded three kills during the set, while Maxwell dealt out 11 assists.
The CMU defense stifled the Fighting Camels in the first set, allowing only a -.087 hitting percentage.
Central Michigan opened up a seven-point lead on three different occasions throughout the middle of the second set, capped by kill from White that gave the Chippewas a 16-9 lead. Despite taking a 19-13 advantage, the Chippewas allowed Campbell to score five consecutive points to pull within one, 19-18, and force a CMU timeout.
The two sides went back and forth as neither team scored consecutive points throughout the remainder of the set until sophomore Hallie Enderle recorded a kill to give the Chippewas a 24-22 set point advantage, followed by a service ace from Maxwell to close the set.
DeWeerd made four kills in the set, while Maxwell had nine assists.
The Chippewas continue play at the Courtyard Midtown Invitational Saturday with matchups against Western Carolina (11 a.m.) and host N.C. State (7 p.m.).
Eastern Michigan def. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 3-0
DENTON, Texas (EMUEagles.com) - Rachel Iaquaniello rewrote the record books as the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team won in straight sets, 3-0, over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Friday afternoon in the Eagles opening match of the Mean Green Invitational hosted by North Texas University.
Eastern Michigan won convincingly in three sets, 25-13, 25-18 and 25-23 to move to 7-2 on the season. The sweep marks the third time this season that the Eagles have downed their opponent in three sets, and extends the current win streak to three over their opponents.
The story of the afternoon however was the rewriting of the EMU volleyball record books. Rachel Iaquaniello, came into the tournament 12 kills behind Roxanne Munch's all-time kill record of 1,537. With the Eagle's leading 24-23 in the third set, Iaquaniello finished off the Islanders with her 13th kill of the match giving her 1,538 for her career, one ahead of Munch's 23-year old record which was set in 1989.
That wasn't the only record Iaquaniello broke on the afternoon, as Iaquaniello's 37 attacks against the Islanders gave her 4,466 career attacks, moving her ahead of previous record holder Jennifer Nighswander, who had 4,456 from 2000-2003.
Alyssa Davis paved the way for Iaquaniello with 27 sets in the match, while Erin Short and Megan Crawshaw each added six kills each.
Iaquaniello and the Eagles will not have much time to bask in the win, as EMU gets back to action tonight against North Texas at 7:30 PM (CST).
Eastern Michigan def. North Texas, 3-2
DENTON, Texas (EMUEagles.com) - It took five sets but the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team remained unbeaten at the Mean Green Invitational following a 3-2 win over host North Texas Friday night.
For Eastern, the Eagles improve to 8-2 on the season and 2-1 in five set matches.
The Eagles and Mean Green exchanged the first four sets after North Texas won the first. EMU finally broke the pattern winning back-to-back sets when it counted late in the match.
After rallying from two points down late in the fifth set, the Eagles went on a run to push the score to 15-15. Following an EMU point to go up one, EMU finished off the Mean Green after a rally that saw the final North Texas attack land wide.
Eastern was led by the junior Paige Roback and the senior duo of Kristen Baker and Rachel Iaquaniello, all of which recorded 10-plus kills each. Alyssa Davis turned in the second most assists of her young career as she set up the Eagles hitters 49 times.
The Eagles have two more matches at North Texas, as EMU will take on Hofstra, Saturday at 9 AM (CST), and Oral Roberts at 1 PM (CST).
Liberty def. Kent State, 3-2
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State volleyball team suffered a 3-2 defeat to Liberty (28-26, 26-24, 25-27, 17-25, 15-11) Friday (Sep. 7) evening in its opening match of the Kent State Mizuno Classic at the M.A.C. Center.
The match closely resembled Kent State's come-from-behind victory over South Florida last weekend at The Midtown Classic in Raleigh, N.C. The Golden Flashes dropped two close sets to open the match and faced match point on two occasions before taking the third set. That momentum was used to force the final set, but Liberty refused to be the Flashes' second comeback victim in as many matches.
Sophomore outside hitter Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola (Ellicott City, Md.) had another terrific performance for the Golden Flashes, recording a single match career-best in kills for the second consecutive match. Aderemi-Ibitola had a match-high 22 kills to go with a .362 hitting percentage. She also tallied 11 digs in the match.
Freshman outside hitter Kelly Hutchison (Columbus, Ohio) matched her career-best of 19 kills, which she also set in Kent State's previous outing against South Florida. Junior setter Aleksandra Nowak (Damnica, Poland) recorded a season-best 60 assists and junior defensive specialist/libero Hannah Herc (Eden, N.Y.) led the Flashes with 20 digs one shy of her career mark.
Kent State fell behind, 8-4, early in the opening set against the defending Big South Conference champions, but battled back to take a 9-8 lead. The set remained close the rest of the way with Liberty taking a 24-21 advantage on a kill by freshman outside hitter Carolina Douglas and serving for set point. A Hutchison kill, ball handling error by Liberty, combined block by Hutchison and senior middle blocker Kathy Krupa (Burbank, Ill.), and kill by Hutchison put the Flashes ahead, 25-24. Following an attack error that evened the set, Hutchison recorded yet another kill for a 26-25 lead. Liberty would take the next three points, however, to close out the set.
The Golden Flashes led by as many as four points in the second set at 20-16. Liberty rallied and took a 24-23 lead after scoring on eight of the next 11 points. Aderemi-Ibitola recorded a kill to extend the set, but a service error and attack error by the Flashes on the ensuing points gave the set to the Flames.
With their backs against the wall, the Flashes led the majority of the third set. Holding to a 16-13 lead, they lost the next three points to allow the Flames to tie the set. An attack error by Liberty put Kent State ahead again, but the Flames took the next four points for a 20-17 lead. The Flashes would even the set at 22-22, but an attack error and service ace had them down to their final point of the match. Hutchison calmly delivered consecutive kills to even the set. Following a kill by Liberty's Loren Thomas, Ansley Green had an attack error for the Flames and the set was tied once more. Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Engleman (Cincinnati, Ohio) then recorded two kills to keep the Flashes alive.
Tied 13-13 in the fourth set, Kent State rallied off six consecutive points to take control of the set. Once again, Engleman delivered the set-clinching point with an ace. Liberty opened the decisive set with a 7-1 lead and Kent State was unable to complete its comeback. The Golden Flashes made it interesting, however, coming as close as 13-10. A kill by Douglas shut the door on the Flashes and gave Liberty its eighth consecutive victory.
Douglas led the Flames with 16 kills, followed by 12 from Green. Junior setter Jade Craycraft delivered 45 assists. The defense was led by sophomore defensive specialist/libero Gabrielle Ship (19 digs) and junior middle blocker Kendle Rollins (seven blocks).
Kent State will return to action with a air of matches on Saturday (Sep. 8) to conclude the Kent State Mizuno Classic. The Flashes host St. Francis (Pa.) at 10:30 a.m. and take on Marshall in the event's finale at 5 p.m.
Miami def. Indiana State, 3-2
OXFORD, Ohio - For the fourth time this season, the Miami University volleyball team was taken to a fifth set. On Friday night, it came out victorious against Indiana State, recording a dramatic 3-2 (25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 23-25, 15-8) win at the Best Western/Sycamore Inn Invitational. The victory gave head coach Carolyn Condit the 600th win of her career. The RedHawks improve to 2-6 on the season, while the Sycamores fall to 1-7.
Condit had earned her 500th career Miami victory two weeks ago in a victory over Wright State. She now has 501 victories for the Red and White to go with 99 victories she got as the head coach of Xavier. Both totals are more than anyone who has ever been a head coach at Miami for any sport.
Senior setter Amy Kendall also reached a significant milestone. In the fifth set, she recorded her 2,000th career assist. She is only the 10th setter in school history to join the 2000-assist club.
Indiana State jumped to a 6-2 lead to begin set one. Kayleigh Cox quickly led the comeback, as she put down two kills to go along with service aces by Kendall and Madison Hardy as part of a 12-4 run that put Miami in front, 14-10. With the score 16-12, two kills by Treadway off of Kendall's assists along with an attack error put the RedHawks in front, 19-12. That would prove to be more than enough, as a Meg Riley kill would finish off a 25-19 win.
Three kills from Riley would help Miami begin set two with a 6-5 advantage. The Red and White would increase it to 11-8 with a run that included Jenny Ingle assisting on three blocks. Three more kills from Riley and two more from Cox would make the lead as big as seven at 17-10. An 8-5 run would help close Indiana State to within four at 18-22, before they made a service error to give the RedHawks a point. After ISU put down a kill, Riley answered with one of her own to give Miami set point. The Sycamores made it interesting by scoring the next three in a row, but they then committed a service error to give the RedHawks a 25-22 win.
Indiana State went up 10-7 early in set three. Sarah Chaney helped lead Miami back with two kills, while a Madison Dodd kill would give it a 13-12 advantage. The teams would trade the lead back-and-forth until the Sycamores went in front, 18-17. While Cox and Menche put down kills, ISU would eventually push the advantage to 22-18. Dodd would record two more kills, but Indiana State eventually came away with a 25-22 victory.
It looked bleak for the RedHawks in set four as they fell behind, 6-11. Cox would take over, as she put down three kills as part of a 9-3 run that gave Miami a 15-14 lead. From there a 6-1 run by the Sycamores put Indiana State back in control of the set. The Red and White had one more run in them as another kill from Cox sparked a 7-3 run that tied the score at 23. Unfortunately for Miami, the Sycamores were able to score the next two points to earn a 25-23 win and even the match at two sets apiece.
Kills by Riley and Christina Menche opened set five for Miami. After ISU recorded the next two points to even things up, a kill by Dodd, an attack error and a solo block for Menche put the RedHawks in front, 5-2. Kills from Annie Reiswig and Riley would help Miami increase the advantage to 9-4. Two straight points for the Sycamores made it a three-point match and forced the 'Hawks to call timeout. Out of the break Cox and Dodd put down two kills each to help Miami take control at 13-7. The Red and White would get to match point when Menche and Dodd teamed up for a block. After Indiana State scored a kill, it would make a service error on the next point to give Miami a 15-8 victory and give Condit her historic 600th career victory.
Cox had arguably the strongest match of her career, finishing with a career-high 17 kills. She only made two errors on 21 attempts and had an incredible hitting percentage of .714. Riley had a double-double with 15 kills and 29 assists, while Dodd had 13 kills and nine digs. Kendall finished with 30 assists and now has 2,002 for her career. Hardy led Miami with 11 digs.
The RedHawks hit .278 for the match, while holding the Sycamores to .236 hitting.
Miami finishes play at its Best Western/Sycamore Inn Invitational with two matches tomorrow. The RedHawks will take on Chicago State at 10 a.m. and Temple at 7:30 p.m.
Northern Illinois def. New Orleans, 3-0
Northern Illinois def. Nebraska-Omaha, 3-0
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A 35-minute severe weather delay to the beginning of the match did nothing to affect the Northern Illinois volleyball team's performance in a 3-0 sweep of New Orleans at Missouri State's Dr. Mary Jo Wynn/DoubleTree Hotel Invitational Friday evening at Hammons Student Center. The Huskies (5-5) climbed back to .500 on the season as the Privateers (3-4) fell under .500 in a 25-14, 25-19, 25-10 decision.
"It was good for our group to not let other things be a factor," said NIU Head Coach Ray Gooden. "We've been like that all year. We had a situation with Mother Nature that delayed us during warm-ups. But we kept our focus and played a solid match."
Despite having to hang out in the tunnels of Hammons Student Center to take cover for 60-70 MPH winds that swept through in a severe thunderstorm, NIU took care of business. The Huskies racked up huge advantages in kills (50-20), attack percentage (.411-.036) and digs (42-29) over UNO. NIU's .411 attack percentage marked the highest of the 2010 campaign.
Junior middle blocker Sarah Angelos (Waukegan, Ill./Waukegan) led the Huskies with 13 kills and a season-high .722 hitting percentage as she had 18 errorless swings. Fellow middle and senior Mary Kurisch (La Crosse, Wis./West Salem) wasn't too far behind Angelos with 11 kills (tied a season high) and a .474 attack percentage. On the outside, sophomore MacKenzie Roddy (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) hit a season-best .500 with nine kills on 16 swings with only one error. Freshman setter Alexis Gonzalez (Fresno, Calif./Bullard) dished out 23 assists, dug up five balls, and tallied two kills (.333) and an ace.
"We took care of the ball well, which helped us get diversity in our offense today," Gooden said. "It's nice to continue to add more contributors offensively."
In the back row, senior defensive specialist Sue Hayes (Evergreen Park, Ill./Mother McAuley) totaled a match-high 10 digs.
Three straight Angelos kills opened up a 9-2 first set lead for NIU and forced an UNO timeout, but the Privateers didn't recover until the second set. With New Orleans ahead 16-15 in the second frame, Angelos came through with a kill to knot the score. Following a kill from senior outside hitter Meghan Romo (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso), Angelos blasted another ball to put NIU up 18-16. Moments later, Romo and Angelos each scored two more times to give the Huskies a comfortable 23-17 lead en route to a 2-0 edge in the match at the break.
The third set belonged to Roddy as she started it with a kill for a 1-0 NIU lead and turned in six more as the Huskies breezed past the Privateers to end the match. Roddy went 7-for-10 on swings with no errors in the frame.
The Huskies finish the invite with two more matches tomorrow. NIU will face Connecticut at 2:30 PM CT and Missouri State at 7:30 PM. Both matches will feature live stats (UCONN | MSU) and paid streaming video.
"We have two big matches tomorrow," Gooden said. "Our group continues to learn that most of our success happens from within. We played well together today, and if we continue to build confidence on our side, we can do some pretty positive things."
Ohio def. Niagara, 3-0
ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio Volleyball won its first game in the Bobcat Invitational this afternoon, toppling Niagara in straight sets 25-13, 25-20, 25-23. Kelly Lamberti had 17 kills to pace the Bobcats and surpassed the 500 mark for her career.
“We were very efficient on offense today,” Head Coach Ryan Theis said. ““Niagara is a very scrappy team and they seem to find every open square inch of the court and locate the ball. I think that in the third set we had some defensive lapses, and we struggled on a few things here and there in the second set, but I was happy that we finished the game well. I hope that we come out with energy tonight.”
Lamberti, who’s season-high was 19 in a four-setter with nationally-ranked Oregon, finished two off that mark in only three frames today. She also helped pace the Bobcats with 11 digs for her 22nd career double-double.
Lexie Hartnett had nine kills and three blocks while Serena Warner led the team with four denials at the net. Chelsea Bilger racked up eight kills with Faith Robins adding six and hitting .500. Abby Gilleland had 33 assists to lead the Green and White while Mollie Geske tied for the team lead with 11 digs apiece.
Ohio used a five-point run, leading 5-4, to open up a six-point advantage. Leading 14-10, kills and blocks by Lamberti, Robins and Warner propelled Ohio to an eight-point cushion. The Bobcats used one final five-point flurry with Liis Kullerkann serving to win the set. Lamberti finished with seven kills as Ohio hit .382 as a team.
Consecutive kills by Hartnett and another from Lamberti helped Ohio gain a 10-6 edge in the second set. An attack error with Carley Jones serving allowed the Green and White to take its largest lead at 15-9. Niagara would battle back and eventually tie the set at 20-20 on a kill by Ellen Senf.
Despite facing the prospects of having the match tied at the intermission, Ohio rattled off five-consecutive points to win the set and take a 2-0 lead in the match. Lamberti had six kills in the second set with Warner, Bilger and Robins all making critical plays during the final run.
Ohio fell behind 7-5 in the third set until scoring five in a row. Gilleland, who finished the set with eight assists, had two of her three blocks while teaming with Hartnett during the Bobcat push. Niagara would eventually draw even at 13-13 and the teams would trade volleys before another Gillleland-Hartnett combo block opened up an Ohio three-point lead.
Down 18-15, the Purple Eagles would answer right back and knot the score. The scoreboard remained deadlocked until 23-23 when Bilger notched the final Bobcat kill of the match. An ace by Kullerkann ended things with Ohio earning its second sweep in the last three matches.
Ohio hosts Belmont tonight at 7 p.m. with Montana State playing Niagara in the preceding game.
Ohio def. Belmont, 3-0
ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio Volleyball swept its second match of the day, defeating the Belmont Bruins in three sets, 25-20, 25-11 and 25-18. Chelsea Bilger paced the `Cats with 13 kills, one shy of her season high.
"We focused on what we needed to do and did that well today in both matches," Bilger commented.
Freshman Abby Gilleland contributed with an all-around effort of five kills, 20 assists and six digs. She made way for Leah Petrovich in the third set and the senior racked up 13 assists. Kelly Lamberti's nine kills were second on the team, and four different Bobcats had five or more digs led by Meredith Ashy's 11.
Bilger's five blocks were tops on the team and a season-high for the sophomore. Lexie Hartnett and Serena Warner each had four blocks and the redshirt junior also tacked on seven kills while hitting .385 for the match.
Ohio and Belmont battled back forth in the first set, going point for point. Tied 11-11, the Bobcats scored the next four points for a little cushion. After the Bruins evened things at 16-16, Hartnett single-handedly scored the next four points for a 20-16 Green & White lead. She finished the set with four kills and two blocks.
Belmont got within one at 21-20 but Gilleland and Warner scored consecutive kills before the sophomore combined with Bilger on a block attempt to win the set 25-20.
"After the first set, we were able to figure out their hitters and settled in," Head Coach Ryan Theis said.
Ohio never trailed in the second set, jumping out to a 19-9 lead. Lamberti notched three kills and two of the squad's four aces on the night. Bilger and Gilleland each added three kills while Hartnett blocked two more attempts. The 11 Belmont points were the fewest allowed in a set this year by the Bobcats.
In the final set, Ohio led 9-8 before going on a five-point run that culminated with a resounding solo block from Bilger. The Bruins would climb within three but could get no closer as the `Cats won comfortably, 25-18. Bilger had seven kills in the final set with Lamberti adding four. As a team, Ohio hit a match-best .341 in the frame.
The Bobcats play Montana State tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. in the final game of the Bobcat Invitational. Belmont and Niagara will face-off at 1 p.m. in the day's first match.
Toledo def. Memphis, 3-1
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo opened its home campaign on Friday evening with a 3-1 (25-16, 17-25, 25-18, 25-20) triumph over Memphis in Savage Arena. The contest was the second match of the day at the 11th annual Rocket Classic.
Junior OH Lauren Rafdal's 14 kills paced a balance UT offense that also saw junior MB Dakota Harkins and junior RSH Becca Reidy tally 11 terminations apiece.
Toledo featured a balanced defensive effort as well with senior libero McCall Paynter collecting a team-high 18 digs to help the Rockets hold a 70-60 advantage in that department. She was joined in double figures by freshman DS Celina Diaz (13), junior OH Jordan Kielty (12), junior S Adria Pryor (12) and Reidy (11). UT also had four players - sophomore MB Brooke Frazer, Harkins, Kielty and Rafdal - with three blocks apiece.
Senior OH Altrese Hawkins topped Memphis' attack with a match-high 20 kills.
The Rockets opened the match by dominating the first set, 25-16, thanks to a .375 team hitting mark. Reidy spearheaded UT offensively in the set with a team-high six kills The Tigers regrouped though with a .344 ATK% en route to a 25-17 Set 2 win. Hawkins buoyed the visitors with an impressive .727 hitting mark on 8-0-11 totals.
After Toledo won Set 3 by a 25-18 margin, Memphis appeared ready to send the match to a fifth set when it bolted to a 14-9 advantage midway through Set 4. The Rockets regrouped though and put together a 9-1 spurt for a 19-15 cushion to take control. Rafdal keyed UT's burst with two kills and two blocks.
The Rockets return to action at Noon tomorrow with a matchup against Illinois State. The Redbirds (4-4) posted a 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 26-24) victory over Florida Gulf Coast (4-4) earlier today.
Western Michigan def. Middle Tennessee, 3-0
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Western Michigan volleyball team recorded their fifth straight victory thanks to a dramatic second set, and the Broncos defeated Middle Tennessee 3-0 (25-13, 31-29, 25-18) in the first match of the 2012 Carolina Volleyball Classic. With the win, the Broncos improve to 5-2 on the season.
The Broncos recorded relatively easy first- and third-set wins, but the second set required an incredible comeback, as WMU rallied from a seven-point deficit midway through the set to take the wind from the Blue Raiders' sails. Trailing 10-3 in the set, the Broncos traded points with the Blue Raiders, and MTSU looked to be in control after Chelsea Ross's kill made the score 19-13.
However, Richelle Ranney would record kills on consecutive points to get the Broncos back on track, sparking a run that would put the Broncos back in contention for the set. After Jessica Brown recorded a tip kill to cut the Blue Raiders' lead to 23-21, Ali Gossen pulled the Broncos to within one point with a service ace, and an MTSU attack error would tie the score at 23-23. Brown would notch a kill on the next point to give the Broncos their first lead of the set.
The teams traded points back and forth, with the Broncos getting the upper hand at 30-29 when Gillian Asque scored a kill to make it set point. Gossen would be the hero of the set with a roller over the hands of the blockers, giving the Broncos an improbably 31-29 set win and a 2-0 set advantage.
Gossen would finish with a match-high 14 kills and hit .393, while Ranney would break double figures with 10 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. Norris finished with 39 assists and an attack line of 6-1-7 for a .714 hitting percentage, and also contributed seven digs.
WMU would stand tall after the dramatic second set, beginning on a 6-2 run that was wrapped up with Brown's kill from the middle. MTSU would pull to within two points at 12-10, but the Broncos scored six of the next seven points to take an 18-11 lead and force an MTSU timeout. Richelle Ranney would get the Broncos on track with a solo block to make it 20-12, and Norris would tip to the back left corner to give WMU a nine-point lead at 22-13. Ranney would clinch the win for the Broncos with her 10th kill of the night, pounding one in the middle for the kill.
The Broncos opened the match on fire in the first set, jumping out to a big lead on the Blue Raiders and holding on for the win. The Broncos opened on an 11-5 run that was capped by kills from Brown and Ranney, and the lead reached double figures when Carlee Berland went cross court for a kill that made it 17-6. The Broncos built their biggest lead of the evening when Gossen ripped a kill to make it 20-8, and Brown wrapped made it set point with a tip kill at 24-12. The Broncos wrapped the set victory when Brown recorded a cross-court kill to make it 25-13.
The Broncos will be back in action on Saturday, September 8, when they face North Carolina at 12 p.m. and LSU at 5:30 p.m.