Iona Volleyball Women Hitting Too Much For Manhattan Lady Jaspers Drop Fifth Straight Match, 3-0 RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The volleyball teams at Manhattan College and Iona entered Saturday afternoon's match headed in different directions. The Lady Jaspers came into the contest looking to snap a four-match skid, while the Gaels came in the winners of three straight. Unfortunately for Manhattan (7-20, 3-12 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), both streaks continued, as the Gaels (10-15, 7-8 MAAC) posted a 25-15, 25-17, 26-24 victory at Draddy Gymnasium. Iona quickly jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first set, prompting a Manhattan timeout. The Lady Jaspers pulled back within 10-8, but a 4-1 Iona run pushed the Gaels' lead back to five points at 14-9. After Manhattan scored three of the next four points to make it 15-11, Iona went on a 9-2 run to reach set point. The Lady Jaspers got a block from Maddie Heck (Corte Madera, Calif.) and Casey Tidwell (Redlands, Calif.), then a kill from Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) to stave off two set points before the Gaels finished off a 25-15 win. Iona hit a scorching .405 (19 kills, four errors, 37 attempts) in the first set. After the sides traded the first six points of the second set, Iona used a 9-2 spurt to turn a 3-3 tie into a 12-5 advantage. Manhattan responded with a 5-1 spurt to get back within three at 13-10. Iona scored three of the next four points to bring its lead back to five at 16-11, but the Lady Jaspers again responded, going on a 5-2 run to pull within two at 18-16. That's as close as the Lady Jaspers would get, however, as Iona scored seven of the last eight points, including the final six, to wrap up a 25-17 set win. In the third set, Iona went on an early 4-0 rally to break a 3-3 tie and open up a 7-3 lead. A block by Heck and Tidwell brought Manhattan back within one at 9-8 before three straight Iona points pushed the Gaels' lead back to four at 12-8. Manhattan again pulled within one at 13-12 and 16- 15, but each time Iona responded. After Iona pushed its advantage to 21-16, the Lady Jaspers went on a 5-2 rally to make it 23-21. The Gaels reached match point on a kill by Sarah Wiener, but Manhattan fought off three straight match points against to force a 24-24 tie. Another Wiener kill gave Iona another match point at 25-24, and this time the Gaels finished it out, 26-24. Rita Welsh (Collegeville, Pa.) led the Lady Jaspers with 13 kills on .355 hitting, while Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) added eight kills. Strutner had a team-high 13 digs to go along with six kills, and Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Jayne Timo (Holbrook, N.Y.) each recorded nine digs. Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) distributed 28 assists. The Lady Jaspers hit .100 (30-18-120) as a team. Wiener finished with 16 kills on .368 hitting to lead the Gaels. She also tallied five service aces and five digs. Molly O'Shea hit .556 in the match, pounding 11 kills and committing just one error. Allison Nieters registered a match-high 17 digs, and Nicole Tamburri posted a double-double with 37 assists and 10 digs. Colleen Genett notched six blocks for Iona. The Gaels had 48 kills compared to Manhattan's 30 and outdug the Lady Jaspers 62-47. Iona also held a 7-2 advantage in aces. As a team, Iona hit .254 (48-18-118) in the match. Saturday's contest concluded Manhattan's season-long five-match homestand. On Sunday, the Lady Jaspers head to Baltimore for a 2 p.m. matchup with Loyola (12-17, 7-7 MAAC). Manhattan posted a thrilling five-set victory when the teams met at Draddy Gymnasium on Oct. 4. Due to technical difficulties, the live webcast of the match was not available. The Manhattan College Athletic Department apologizes for the inconvenience. ###
Colonials Volleyball Team Records 3-0 Win Over Terriers
Moser leads the team with 10 digs
Moon Township, Pa. - Nov. 7, 2009 - The Robert Morris University Colonials defeated the St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Sewall Center. Robert Morris hit at a .260 efficiency to the Terriers .118 hitting percentage in route to the victory.
The win improves the Colonials to 12-18 overall and 9-4 league play, while St. Francis drops to 3-20 overall and 2-11 in the NEC.
Although winning set one 25-22, the Terriers put up a solid fight. A kill by freshman Amanda Craig (Houston, Texas / St. Agnes Academy) gave RMU the first point of the set and the Colonials soon captured a 4-1 advantage. Robert Morris continued to lead, but St. Francis slowly chipped away at the Colonial lead until the score was deadlocked at 10-10. Two errors by the Colonials gave the Terriers their first lead of the game at 12-10 and a couple kills by SFNY's Anisa Lila gave them a 16-12 lead. Robert Morris quickly got back into the set with a two kills by Craig and several Terrier errors to tie the score 16-16. The squads battled back and forth, but RMU eventually came away with the win. Craig hit perfect in set one with five kills.
For the majority of the second set the score remained within one or two. Both teams played relatively even with the Colonials hitting a .256 hitting percentage to the Terriers .233 hitting percentage. However, RMU put up 21 digs to the Terriers 13 to give them an advantage and the 25-20 victory. The set ended with a kill by junior Amanda Graham (Melbourne, Fla. / Eau Gallie).
Unlike the first and second set, the Colonials cruised past the Terriers in the third set winning by a score of 25-15. SFNY started the set on a 3-0 run, but RMU quickly recovered and brought the score to 14-10 in their favor off the serve of freshman Nicole Wiechecki (Wilmington, Del. / Urusuline Academy). The Terriers were able to side-out with a kill by Detelina Dimitrova, but RMU got the ball right back with a put down by freshman Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun). Junior libero Corinne Moser (Meyersdale, Pa. / Meyersdale) went back to serve and went on a five-point run to give the Colonials a dominating 20-12 lead. The set ended with back-to-back service aces by Monger and an SFNY error.
Craig led the Colonials with 13 kills and added seven digs and two blocks. Wiechecki recorded a match-high three service aces and added eight digs in the win, while Moser recorded a team high 10 digs. Sophomore setter Alyssa Bennett (Ramona, Calif. / Ramona) finished the match with 32 assists and added five kills and two blocks. Graham and Monger each added seven kills in the triumph.
The Colonials return to the Sewall Center tomorrow to take on the Long Island Blackbirds at 1:00 p.m. Prior to the game Robert Morris will honor the squad's lone senior on the team, Jessy Nelko (Aliquippa, Pa. / Hopewell).
Ute Women's Volleyball Drops Four-set Decision at TCU Silva hits team-high 13 kills. FORT WORTH, Texas – Senior outside hitter Cinthia Silva hit a team-high 13 kills and Karolina Bartkowiak came up with 10th double-double this season but the University of Utah volleyball team dropped a four-set decision Saturday at TCU (21-25, 26-24, 20-25, 7-25) in a Mountain West Conference match at the University Recreation Center. Utah (15-9, 8-4 MWC) was led by Silva, who posted her third consecutive double-figure-kill match with a team-high 13 kills. The San Paulo, Brazil has led or tied for the team lead in kills four times this year. Bartkowiak came up with her 10th career double, all coming this season. The Aurora, Ill., native had 11 kills and 10 digs. The Utes host Colorado State Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The action from Crimson Court will be televised live on The Mtn. - UU -
Panthers fall to Big South leader UNC Asheville on Senior Day
High Point, N.C. - Despite four Panthers with double-digit kills HPU fell to Big South leader UNC Asheville Saturday 3-0 (16-25, 25-13, 24-26, 21-25) at the Millis Center.
Freshman Courtney Johnk led the HPU offense with 14 kills while Stephanie Wallin and Megan Smith each contributed 12. Anna Lott added 10 kills for the match.
“It was a tough loss but I have to tip my hat to UNC Asheville,” said Jason Oliver. “They made plays when it mattered. It is a positive note for our team that we know we can pay and beat the best teams in our conference. It sets us up well to have a great conference tournament.”
UNC Asheville took the first set 25-16, holding HPU to a .075 attack percentage. However, the Panthers came back to hit .448 in the second set and win the frame 25-13. Wallin had four kills in the set and Holly Fong put up 12 assists.
High Point took a 20-18 lead late in the set on a kill by Wallin and extended the lead to 22-18 on back-to-back attack errors by Asheville. The Bulldogs battled back, knotting the score at 24-24 on an attack error by Smith. It was two more HPU attack errors that gave UNC Asheville the 26-24 set win, and 2-1 match advantage.
HPU outhit UNC Asheville .267 to .214 in the fourth set but the Panthers struggled from the service line, committing four service errors in the 21-25 loss. The Panthers tied the set at 18-18 on a kill from Wallin but UNCA was able to outscore High Point 8-3 in the final points of the set to win the match 3-1.
Megan Kaminskas finished the day with eight kills and a solo block while Fong had a double-double with 47 assists and 14 digs. Julie Hershkowitz had 25 digs for the match.
High Point falls to 16-15 (5-9 BSC) while UNC Asheville improves to 23-8 (12-2 BSC). The Panthers are on the road for the final pair of Big South matches at Liberty and Charleston Southern this week.
No. 11 UK Hosts Mississippi State Sunday Wildcats are 36-1 all-time against the Bulldogs LEXINGTON, Ky. – After an impressive 3-1 victory Friday night over Alabama, the 11th ranked Kentucky volleyball team returns to action Sunday as it plays host to Mississippi State at 1:30 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are 36-1 all-time against the Bulldogs, including a 3-0 sweep earlier this season. Kentucky (23-2, 13-1) recorded the 50th win at Memorial Coliseum in the last four seasons in the win over the Tide Friday. UK holds a notable 50-8 home record in the last four years. Kentucky has had over 1,000 fans attend all of its home matches this season including a crowd of 1,431 to watch the Blue and White defeat Alabama in four sets Friday night. Sophomore Gretchen Giesler posted a career-high 13 kills in the victory over Alabama. Even more impressive, Giesler notched her career-high kill total on a sizzling .667 attack percentage. Senior setter Sarah Rumely continues to spread the ball around among all of UK’s potent attackers. Seven UK players recorded at least one kill in the match. Rumely is now just a mere 110 assists away from claiming the school record for career assists. Not to be overlooked, senior libero BriAnne Sauer continues to have the most remarkable season of her career. Sauer is on pace to shatter a career-high in digs in a season as she already has racked up 406 in her senior campaign. Her career-high currently is 475 which she achieved as a junior in 2008. Sauer has led the Wildcats in scoops in 18 matches this season and has tallied 23 career matches with 20 or more digs. Mississippi State dropped a three-set match to Tennessee on Friday night and are 6-20 overall and 2-13 in the SEC. The Bulldogs earned their second conference win a week ago with a 3-1 victory over South Carolina at home. Mississippi State is led by Ashley Newsome who averages 3.02 kills per set, while Hillary Parker leads the defense with 4.74 digs per set. Earlier this season UK claimed a 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-16) win in Starkville. UK put together a complete effort with 54 kills and 62 digs in the match. Three UK players reached double-figures in kills led by junior Sarah Mendoza’s 14 hammers. For the most up-to-date news, highlights and features about the Kentucky volleyball team please visit UKathletics.com. ‑ GO CATS ‑
Kansas Volleyball Women Suffer Road Loss at Oklahoma
LAWRENCE, Kan. - After winning three-straight Big 12 Conference road matches, the Kansas volleyball team suffered a 3-0 setback (25-17, 25-16, 25-13) at Oklahoma Saturday afternoon.
KU dropped to 13-11 overall and 5-9 in the conference, while hitting .097 on offense, its worst attack percentage since recording a .079 clip versus FIU on Sept. 4.
Oklahoma improved to 17-7 on the season and 10-5 in Big 12 action behind a .341 attack.
Kansas sophomore Allison Mayfield was the only player in double digit on offense for both teams collecting 12 kills for her fourth-straight contest of 10-plus kills. Junior Jenna Kaiser was next with five kills for the Jayhawks.
A balanced OU offense featured four players with at least seven kills, led by Francie Ekwerekwu with nine.
Kansas and Oklahoma stayed close in the opening set, which featured many long rallies. At 12-12 though, the Sooners went on a 13-5 run to close the set for a 25-17 win.
Both teams featured a solid defensive effort but KU committed two more hitting errors than OU and struggled from the service line with three serving errors.
Senior Melissa Grieb tallied eight of her team-high 14 digs in set one.
The Jayhawks got off to a slow start in the second set and quickly found themselves trailing 17-8. From there, things started to fall into place for the Jayhawks as Kaiser connected for a pair of kills, and Nicole Tate and Mayfield chipped in one a piece. Kansas also got help from three Oklahoma service errors to out-score the Sooners 6-4 over the next 10 points. Down the stretch, KU could not quiet the OU offense as Oklahoma won set two 25-16 behind a .424 attack percentage.
Kansas recorded just one more hitting error than the Sooners in the second set but only connected on 10 kills, compared to 16 for the Sooners.
In the third set, KU used an early 4-0 run to take a 5-3 lead. A few points later, an OU service error followed by an ace from Mayfield kept the Jayhawks ahead at 7-6. The lead would not hold however as Oklahoma began to pull away and proceeded to score 18 of the final 23 points to earn a 25-13 victory.
The Jayhawks return to the friendly confines of the Horejsi Family Athletics Center in the first of two-straight home matches on Wednesday, Nov. 11 to host in-state rival Kansas State. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
FAU Women's Volleyball Nipped By Lady Toppers Owls Will Finish Regular Season on Saturday BOWLING GREEN, KY (November 7, 2009) – The Florida Atlantic University volleyball team (6-19, 4-12 Sun Belt) lost to Western Kentucky in a tough four-set loss on Saturday. Western Kentucky was clinging to a one-point lead early in the first set when the Lady Toppers went on a 12-5 run, eventually winning the set 25-17. The Owls had a two-point lead late in the second set, but were unable to hold off WKU, losing the set 25-22. A Christina Wallinger kill gave FAU a 24-20 lead in set number three and after being unsuccessful on their first three attempts, the Owls converted their fourth set point opportunity, taking the set after another Wallinger kill. A Brittany Bowen attack error cut the Owls’ deficit to one late in the fourth, but WKU took five of the next six points to win the set and the match. The Owls will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, November 14 at 7 p.m. when they host rival FIU. It will be Senior Night for FAU and Krystena Castro, Kristyna Dzmuranova and Ivana Stanojevic will be recognized before the match. - FAU –
Canisius College Volleyball Team Drops Four-Set Match at Siena
The Canisius College volleyball team dropped a four-set match at Siena on Saturday, in the Alumni Recreation Center. The Golden Griffins lost 23-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-14 to fall to 11-16 overall and 8-8 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings.
Junior Renee Lettow led the Griffs with 10 kills and also had 10 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Senior Michelle Godfrey had nine kills and five block assists to go along with a .375 attack percentage. Freshman Samantha Good also had five blocks (two solo and three block assists) while freshman Allyson Severyn had a team-high 16 digs.
Canisius jumped out to a big lead in the first set, going up 19-10 after a 10-2 run that included two kills from Godfrey. The Saints came right back with six straight points and eventually tied the set at 22-22. Canisius responded with a kill from Good and a block from Godfrey and Good to go up 24-22 and win the set on a Siena attack error.
Siena's Burgandy McCurty had 11 of her career-high 33 kills in the second set. The senior scored the final three points of the set for the Saints (12-12, 10-5 MAAC) to even the match at one set apiece.
Canisius posted its best attack percentage of the day in the third set, but the Saints only committed two attack errors to record a .425 attack percentage. With the score tied at 8-8, Siena won three straight points and slowly pulled away to win the set. In the fourth set, Siena scored six straight points to take a 19-10 lead after three straight kills from McCurty, and comfortably closed out the match.
Canisius wraps up the weekend at Marist on Sunday, with match time set for 2 p.m.
Match Notes: Canisius lost its sixth consecutive match at Siena... The nine kills from Godfrey are the most for the senior since she had nine against Davidson on Sept. 12... Lettow had double-digit kills for the 14th time this season... The five blocks for Good are the most since she had five at Loyola on Oct. 10... Senior Kaela Glenn had a career-high nine assists.
UCA VOLLEYBALL TEAM SWEEPS SFA, CLAIMS SOUTHLAND TITLE
CONWAY, Ark - The University of Central Arkansas volleyball team claimed the Southland Conference overall regular season title by defeating Stephen F. Austin on Saturday afternoon in the Prince Center. The Sugar Bears (25-3, 14-0) remained undefeated in the league with a 25-22, 25-22, 25-19 victory over the the Ladyjacks (19-12, 8-5).
"I am very proud of this team and I'm especially proud of our seniors," said fifth-year head coach Steven McRoberts. "They get to go out as champions. This is a great day for our program."
UCA will try to complete the season with an undefeated conference record. They host Sam Houston State on Thursday night and senior day will be against Lamar next Saturday afternoon. It will be the final matches for seniors Evaree Franklin, Jennifer Hauskey, Robyn Smith and Amicha Williams.
"We want to go undefeated so this next week is still very important to us," McRoberts said. "We need good crowds to send these seniors out. This is the most competitive group I've ever coached. They just hate to lose."
The Sugar Bears had their best offensive performance in a Southland match by hitting .330 with 51 kills. The Ladyjacks manged a .234 hitting percentage with 34 kills.
Junior right side hitter Chloe Smith led UCA with 16 kills 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. She also hit .371 and recorded three blocks. Sophomore Jessica Hays came up with 12 kills and hit .409 to go with nine digs. Franklin and Williams had seven kills each and Franklin also had four blocks. Sophomore libero Cristin Curl had 10 digs and Robyn Smith had 45 assists.
SFA was led by sophomore Mary Caitlin Bottles with 11 kills and a .562 hitting percentage. Madison Hanlan and Kelsey Owens recorded nine digs each.
