Sept. 11, 2009
DePaul Beats NC State in Five
Wolf Pack Drops Five-Setter to Rutgers
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State volleyball dropped a tough five-set decision to DePaul in its first match at the Raleigh Crabtree Valley Marriott Classic on Friday, Sept. 11. The loss moves the Wolfpack to 5-3 on the year, while the Blue Demons climb to 4-3.
In the second match NC State volleyball fell to Rutgers in five sets on Friday, Sept. 11, in the Raleigh Crabtree Valley Marriott Classic at Reynolds Coliseum. The loss sends the Wolfpack to 5-4 on the year, while the Scarlet Knights climb to 2-6.
Sarah Griggs (12), Margaret Salata (11) and Alex Smith (10) combined for 33 of the team's 52 kills, while Alex Smith roped in 36 set assists. Lindsay Benac secured 23 digs with Kelly Wood adding 15 of her own. Kelly Burns dropped five service aces, while Lisa Kretchman's six total blocks led the Wolfpack defense.
Maryland Volleyball Sweeps Hampton
WASHINGTON - Sophomore outside hitter Maddi Lee led the University of Maryland volleyball team with nine kills on a career-best .471 hitting as the Terrapins made short work of the Hampton Pirates Friday evening in the first round of the Georgetown Classic, winning 3-0 in a crisp 1 hour, 13 minutes.
After a relatively-close first-set victory by a 25-22 score, the Terps (5-3) cruised in the next two frames, winning 25-17 and 25-10.
Holding a 15-9 lead in the opening set, the Terps looked to be in control. However, the Pirates (2-5) rallied back with a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to two and eventually knotted the score at 20. Maryland kept its focus, though, scoring the next three points on kills by Lee and Brittney Grove, followed by a tandem block from Grove and Lisa Scott. Up 24-22, freshman outside hitter Kara Bates put home the clinching kill on a set from fellow frosh Taylor Jones.
Unbeatenn Virginia Tech sweeps NJIT at American Tournament
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Virginia Tech volleyball squad moved to 7-0, opening the American Tournament by issuing the New Jersey Institute of Technology its first loss of the season, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-16), in Bender Arena on Friday night.
Senior Betsy Horowitz paced the Hokies (7-0, 0-0 ACC), who continued their best start in school history, with the best performance of her young season, racking up 15 kills on a .500 hitting percentage and five blocks. Sophomore Erin Leaser recorded 35 assists, while senior Jill Gergen dug 12 attacks. As a team, Tech hit .291 in the match and held NJIT (8-1, 0-0 Great West) to a .101 clip, its sixth straight opponent to hit under a .200 clip. The Hokies registered nine blocks to the Highlanders' three.
In set one, Tech opened up to a 9-5 advantage, forcing an NJIT timeout, which the Highlanders responded to. NJIT battled back to even the frame at 13 apiece and gave the Hokies a fight the rest of the way. Tied at 17, Tech buried the Highlanders with an 8-3 run, taking the opening stanza, 25-20.
Cavaliers Make History in Four-Set Loss to No. 8 UCLA
LINCOLN, Neb. - For the first time in program history, the Virginia volleyball team took one set from a top-10 nationally ranked opponent, but it wasn't enough as the Cavaliers fell to No. 8 UCLA, 3-1 (17-25, 25-23, 14-25, 16-25), on Friday evening in the second day of the Ameritas Players Challenge at the University of Nebraska. Virginia falls to 4-4 on the season, while UCLA improves to 7-1.
Senior Lauren Dickson led Virginia with 15 kills and junior AJ Cushman collected a career-high 21 digs and landed a match-high four aces. Freshman Rachel Gray dished out 35 assists, while sophomore Hillary Trebels - making her first collegiate start - led the team with a personal-best four blocks.
Three Bruins paced UCLA's attack, led by Kaitlin Sather's 13 kills and 13 digs. Lainey Gera led the defense with 16 digs and Lauren Cook distributed 44 helpers. Amanda Gill contributed 10 kills and a match-high eight blocks.
Miami Handles Middle Tennessee State in Volleyball, 3-1
Coral Gables, Fla. - Cassie Loessberg had 32 digs and Genny Mayhew supplied 13 kills to help lead the University of Miami over Middle Tennessee State, 3-0 (23-25, 26-24, 25-17, 25-19), in volleyball action Friday evening at the James L. Knight Sports Complex in Coral Gables, Fla. The match was part of the inaugural Miami/FIU Invitational.
Miami (6-2) got a solid performance from a variety of players Friday evening, while fending off an NCAA Tournament second round opponent from the 2008 season in Middle Tennessee State.
MTSU (5-4) trailed 9-7 in the opening set following a Katie Gallagher kill off an assist from Miami's Mayhew. That's when Stacy Oladinni collected one of her five kills in the set to begin a 6-1 run for the Blue Raiders. MTSU advanced in front, 13-10, when teammates Leslie Clark and Alyssa Wistrick collected blocks at the net.
Carolina Rallies Past Tennessee 3-2
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina rallied to beat Tennessee in five sets Friday night in front of 918 fans at the Dean E. Smith Center in their first match of the Carolina Classic. The Tar Heels dropped the first two sets 20-25 and 21-25, but won the next three 25-19, 25-21 and 16-14. Carolina improves to 4-3 on the season, 2-1 in five set matches, as Tennessee falls to 5-2. Carolina has now played in three five set matches and has won two of those contests after dropping the first two sets.
Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland's match-high 17 kills and Erica Behm's 59 assists led the Tar Heels. Behm's assist total is a new career high as Hanson-Tuntland tied her previous career high with 17 kills. Branagan Fuller added 15 kills, Heather Brooks 12 and freshmen Heather Henry (10) and Emily McGee (13). Libero Kaylie Gibson paced the defense with 21 digs as the Heels have won three straight games.
The Tar Heels got off to a slow start as the Vols jumped out to a 4-0 before a Branagan Fuller kill. Carolina responded with three straight points to knot the score at four. Tennessee answered with a 6-0 run to stretch the lead to 10-4. Carolina answered back to cut the lead to two at 15-13, but the Vols proved too be too much.
Burling's 15 Kills Lead Blue Devils Past Cougars
DURHAM, N.C. - Becci Burling was near perfect, going 15-for-25 with just one attack error to lead Duke to a 3-1 (18-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-20) win over College of Charleston on the first day of the Duke Invitational Friday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Burling, a 6-1 middle blocker, had at least three kills in each set and hit .560 in the four-game win, extending Duke's winning streak to five matches. The Blue Devils (6-1, 0-0 ACC) will now have a shot to clinch the Duke Invitational crown on Saturday with matches against Loyola (10 a.m.) and defending national champion No. 1 Penn State (7 p.m.).
Burling, who also had three of Duke's six blocks, was part of an offensive effort that saw three Blue Devils finish with double-digit kills. Sophomore setter Kellie Catanach directed the team with 50 assists and dished out 14 kills to sophomore Sophia Dunworth and 10 to senior Rachael Moss. Moss also collected 12 digs for her second straight double-double.
Demon Deacons Fall In Five To Georgia Southern
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Wake Forest volleyball team held a 2-1 lead but a feisty Georgia Southern team fought back to take a 3-2 victory on the opening night of The Bash at the `Boro, hosted by Georgia Southern.
The Eagles improve to 5-3 with the victory (25-23, 24-26, 20-25, 25-18, 15-11) and the Deacons fall to 0-7. It was Wake's third loss in a five-set match this season.
Bethany Sanford posted a double-double, leading all attackers with 17 kills and collecting a match-high 19 digs. Setter Kate Van Dyke dished out 43 assists and had five kills while Cristin Haines had 16 digs and a pair of assists.
Georgia Tech Tops Clemson 3-2 To Open ACC Play
ATLANTA - Sophomore Bailey Hunter had a career-high 19 kills as the Georgia Tech Volleyball team (5-2, 1-0 ACC) took down Clemson (5-2, 0-1), 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 15-25, 15-8) Friday night in the Courtyard Classic at O'Keefe Gym.
Four Yellow Jackets recorded double-figure kills led by Hunter's 19. Senior Brittany Roderick, who began the night a perfect 8-for-8, tied her career-high with 15 kills. Freshman Monique Mead posted her third double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs, while junior Jordan McCullers had a career-best 25 digs. Senior Chrissy DeMichelis also chipped in with 13 kills and six total blocks (three solo) and sophomore Asia Stawicka tallied nine kills and four total blocks as well for Tech.
