Sept. 19, 2009

Duke Wins Black & Gold Challenge
Amanda Robertson recorded her first career double-double with 11 kills and a team-high 19 digs to help Duke capture a 3-1 (25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 25-14) win over Appalachian State that gave the Blue Devils the Black and Gold Challenge crown Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Gym.

After leading Duke to a sweep over host Wake Forest in the opening match of the two-day tournament on Friday, Robertson helped Duke notch a pair of wins on Saturday - 3-2 over Liberty and 3-1 over Appalachian State - to earn all-tournament honors. After putting together a .643 clip against Wake Forest, the 6-3 sophomore hit .429 against Appalachian State while making just one attack error.

Duke got another solid performance from sophomore setter Kellie Catanach, who finished with 42 assists and averaged 11.33 assists per set for the tournament to earn Most Valuable Player honors. Catanach put up 57 of those assists in Saturday's opener against Liberty and followed by recording her second double-double of the season with 12 digs against the Mountaineers. 

Duke Rallies for 3-2 Win Over Liberty
Led by a 57-assist effort from sophomore setter Kellie Catanach, the Duke volleyball team came from behind to win three straight sets en route to a 3-2 (25-27, 22-25, 25-16, 29-27, 15-13) win over Liberty at the Black and Gold Challenge Saturday morning in Reynolds Gym.

After dropping the first two sets, Duke (10-2, 1-0 ACC) rebounded to win the third set 25-16 and came back to win set four 29-27 to tie the match at 2-2. Catanach was clutch in the come-from-behind victory, tossing up 18 assists in the two-point, fourth-set win before rallying the Blue Devils with four assists and a kill in the 15-13 fifth-set win.

The 57 assists were a season-high for Catanach, who directed Duke to a .279 hitting percentage and saw 45.6 percent of her sets go down for kills. Catanach fed classmate Sophia Dunworth a team-high 36 attacks, 16 of which she converted to kills for a .389 hitting percentage. Dunworth, who leads Duke with 119 kills and a .347 hitting percentage, hit .389 for the second straight match and over .300 for the 10th time this season. 

Clemson Volleyball Posts Comeback Victory Against Furman
Clemson needed five sets to put away a scrappy Furman squad on Saturday morning, as the Tigers moved to 9-3 on the season. The seniors showed excellent leadership for the Tigers, with libero Didem Ege tying the Clemson single-match record for digs with 36, Kelsey Muphy registering 61 assists, and Lia Proctor leading the way with 19 kills and a career-best 27 digs.

For their efforts, Proctor and Murphy were each named to the all-tournament team.

Murphy also moved into second all-time in assists at Clemson. She needed 41 to tie the mark, held by Furman's head coach, Michelle (Thieke) Young. Murphy stepped up, notching 61 assists to move alone in second. 

Hokies back on track with 3-1 win over Albany
The Virginia Tech volleyball squad responded after their first loss of the season last night with a 3-1 (25-14, 20-25, 25-20, 25-10) victory over Albany on Saturday afternoon in Memorial Gym at the Marriott Cavalier Invitational.

After falling to Virginia on Friday night in its tournament and ACC opener, Tech (10-1, 0-1 ACC) regrouped on Saturday afternoon, hitting .392 in the match. The Hokies recorded 10 blocks in the affair. The Great Danes (4-8, 0-0 America East) could only muster a .172 hitting percentage and two blocks in the contest.

The Hokies came out firing in the first set, racing out to a 4-0 lead, and extended the lead to 12-4 midway through. Two quick timeouts could not stop the Great Dane bleeding and Tech ran away with the set, 25-14. 

Boston College Defeats Rhode Island 3-1 For 10-Straight Win
The Boston College volleyball team was victorious in its final match of the weekend, flying past Rhode Island 3-1 in the Power Gymnasium in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The Eagles are now 10-1 on the season while the Rams fell to 5-6.

Both teams were undefeated on the weekend and when the score was tied at 11-11 during the first set and the hometown crowd knew it was not going to come easy for the Eagles. Senior Taylor Williams' six kills pumped up the fans and her teammates to overcome the tough opposition, however, and Boston College charged forth to take the first set 25-20. 

Eagles Fights Off Hartford To Win 3-1
The Boston College volleyball team won its first of two matches on the day by defeating Hartford 3-1 in the Power Gymnasium in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The Eagles are now 9-1 on the season while the Hawks fell to 5-6.

The Hawks and Eagles matched up well to start the match and the score was set at 18-15 in the first set before the Hawks used their first timeout of the day. Sophomore Mollie Kolosky kept up BC's attack with seven kills, and a service ace by sophomore Jordan Meredith to end the set gave the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.

Deacons Pick-up First Win With Sweep of Appalachian State
The Wake Forest volleyball team notched its first victory of the season Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Appalachian State on the second day of the Black & Gold Challenge at Reynolds Gym.

For just the second time this season, Wake came out and won the opening set by a count of 25-20 and then rallied for a pair of 25-17 victories to complete the sweep.

The Deacons (1-10, 0-1 ACC) played a solid all-around match, hitting a season-best .262 as a team and holding the Mountaineers (3-9) to just a .063 hitting percentage. The Deacs also had a season-high 12 blocks in the win. \\

White's Double-Double Leads Wake Past Liberty 3-0
Wake Forest used the momentum it built from its first win earlier in the day to roll past Liberty in three sets to cap-off a successful Black & Gold Challenge Saturday evening.

The Deacons (2-10) won for the second time today in three sets, sweeping the Flames 25-21, 25-22, 25-21. With the loss, Liberty falls to 5-7 on the season.

Junior Kristen White recorded her first double-double of the year to lead the Deacs as she posted 10 kills and 11 digs.

Terps Win Home Tourney with 3-1 Victory over UMBC
Needing to defeat UMBC in four or less sets to win the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Terrapin Invitational, the University of Maryland volleyball team accomplished just that Saturday evening, winning 3-1 to win a three-way tie and claim the tournament title.

It was Maryland's second tournament championship in as many weeks, as the team also won a tiebreaker to win last week's Georgetown Classic.

The Terrapins (8-5) cruised in the opening set, 25-17, but dropped set No. 2, 25-20. Tied at 1-1, the Terps had to win the next two sets to win the tournament crown and they got the job done, winning 25-18 and 25-18.

Terps' Volleyball Sweeps Howard
Freshman Kara Bates recorded a team-best 13 kills to lead the University of Maryland volleyball team to a 3-0 victory against the Howard Bison Saturday afternoon in the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Terrapin Invitational.

The Terrapins (7-5) were never threatened in the match, winning by scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-15.

Senior middle blocker Katie Usher gave Maryland a productive all-around match, posting nine kills on .667 hitting with four service aces and two blocks.

Tech closes out Cavalier Invite with 3-2 loss to Villanova
Tech dropped a five-set heartbreaker, 3-2 (25-17, 18-25, 22-25, 25-21, 9-15) to Villanova to close out the Marriott Cavalier Invitational on Saturday night.

Tech (10-2, 0-1 ACC) played strong defense, holding the Wildcats (10-4, 0-0 Big East) to a .186 hitting percentage and blocking 11.5 Villanova attacks, but could not overcome a .191 hitting percentage of their own and nine service and 12 receiving errors.

The Hokies started out strong in the opening frame, racing out to a 12-7 lead. Tech only increased the advantage in the set, doubling the Wildcats at 16-8, and eventually captured a 25-17 opening set win. Tech hit .282 in the period.

NC State Loses to UNC Greensboro
NC State lost to host UNC Greensboro, 3-2, on Saturday, Sept. 19 in its final match at the UNC Greensboro Volleyball Tournament. The Wolfpack falls to 7-8 with the loss, while the Spartans improve to 6-7.

Keri DeMar landed 11 kills for the Pack, and Jana Angel had nine blocks. Kelly Burns (18) and Alex Smith (14) combined for 32 set assists, while Lindsay Benac (21), Kelly Wood (21) and Smith (15) all recorded double-digit dig totals. Taylor Pritchard added two aces.

Kretchman was named to the all-tournament team for her play throughout the weekend. 

NC State Falls to Georgetown in Five
NC State dropped a five-set contest to Georgetown on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the UNC Greensboro Volleyball Tournament. The loss moves the Wolfpack to 7-7 on the year, while the Hoya’s climb to 8-5.

Lisa Kretchman put on a show for the Wolfpack defense, securing 11 total blocks. Isis Gardner posted a team-high nine kills for the offense, while Keri DeMar and Kelly Wood both added seven each. Kelly Burns lifted 32 set assists, while Wood (15) and Lindsay Benac (14) combined for 29 digs.

Georgetown took the first two sets – 25-23 and 25-22 – before the Wolfpack bounced back with a 19-25 victory in the third on the back of some stout defense from Kretchman and a struggling Hoya offense.

Virginia Falls to Villanova in Marriott Cavalier Invitational
The Virginia volleyball team saw its home match win streak come to an end Saturday afternoon against Villanova in the second day of the Marriott Cavalier Invitational. The Wildcats defeated the Cavaliers, 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 20-25, 25-16), to improve to 10-3 on the season, while Virginia falls to 6-5 on the season and 4-1 at home.

Senior Lauren Dickson led Virginia with a double-double of 13 kills and 10 digs, while freshman Rachel Gray collected her second career double-double of 34 assists and 12 digs. Sophomore Simone Asque landed 10 kills to help the attack, while Brittani Rendina led the defense with 16 digs and junior AJ Cushman contributed 11. Cushman also added three service aces.

For Villanova, Krista Anderson and Maggie Mergen led all players with 15 kills each. Anderson also had 20 digs, while Kim Maroon led all players with 25 digs and seven service aces. Courtney Oertli dished out a match-high 51 assists. 

Great Danes Sweep Cavaliers in Marriott Cavalier Invitational Finale
The Virginia volleyball team dropped its second-straight match Saturday evening, 3-0 (21-25, 20-25, 16-25), to Albany in the Marriott Cavalier Invitational finale. The loss drops the Cavaliers to 6-6 on the season, while Albany moves to 5-8.

Sophomore Simone Asque paced the Cavaliers, contributing 10 kills, while freshman Rachel Gray tallied 26 assists. AJ Cushman, a member of the all-tournament team, and Brittani Rendina each dug nine attacks.

For the Great Danes, Valerie Sourbeer had 14 kills. Brooke Stanley, another all-tournament team member, dished out 37 assists and Hillary White had 10 digs. 

Hurricanes Volleyball Drops 3-2 Decision to Notre Dame
Senior libero Cassie Loessberg became Miami's all-time leader in digs Saturday afternoon as the University of Miami volleyball team dropped a 3-2 decision (25-17, 25-23, 21-25, 15-25, 13-15) to Notre Dame in the final match of the Seminole Tri-Match at Tully Gym in Tallahassee, Fla.

Miami (7-4) led 2-0 heading into the third set after collecting 25-17 and 25-23 wins in the opening sets.

In the third set, UM led 9-5 until Notre Dame (6-3) went on a 4-0 run to tie the set, 9-9. The Fighting Irish used Hurricanes attack errors and a service ace from Megan Dunne to take a 14-10 lead.

Georgia Tech Ends Pioneer Classic With 3-1 Loss To No. 9 Minnesota
The Georgia Tech Volleyball team (7-4) closed out the Pioneer Classic with a 3-1 (19-25, 17-25, 27-25, 18-25) loss to No. 9 Minnesota (8-3) Saturday afternoon in the Mile High City. Freshman Monique Mead led the Yellow Jackets with 14 kills as Tech played in its final tournament of the season and now returns home to host NC State and North Carolina next weekend.

Sophomore Bailey Hunter had 13 kills for Georgia Tech, while senior Chrissy DeMichelis added 11 playing close to her hometown of Aurora, Colo. Junior Jordan McCullers led the Yellow Jackets with 17 digs and classmate Mary Ashley Tippins contributed with 43 assists, five digs and a team-high four aces.

The first set was close for the first half, but Minnesota began to pull away and Tech was forced to use a timeout down 17-12. It was later 20-13 Minnesota when the Yellow Jackets tried to mount a rally. Tech scored six of the next seven points to make it a 21-19 score, but the Gophers responded by winning the next four points to take the set 25-19.