| volleyBALL RESULTS |
Kentucky 3, Albany 1
|
Florida State 3, Kentucky 0
|
Alabama 3, Alabama State 0
|
LSU 3, Alcorn State 0
|
North Carolina 3, Auburn 0
|
South Carolina 3, Montana 0
|
Georgia 3, Liberty 0
|
Colorado St. 3, Arkansas 0
|
LSU 3, Louisiana Lafayette
|
Alabama 3, Austin Peay 1
|
Florida 3, Boston College 0
|
Southern Illinois 3, Miss. State 2
|
Georgia Bulldogs Sweep Liberty To Open Season
ATHENS, Ga. – University of Georgia volleyball head coach Lizzy Stemke made her Georgia debut Friday night as the Bulldogs swept Liberty, 3-0, in day one of the Hotel Indigo Bulldog Invitational at the Ramsey Student Center.
Georgia (1-0) took both of the first two sets 25-21 and the third set 25-20 over Liberty (0-1) in the first match of the 2011 season in front of a crowd of 833.
Junior right side hitter Briana Bahr led the Bulldog attack with a match-best 12 kills followed by sophomore outside hitter Kathleen Luft’s 11. Luft also helped lead the Bulldogs defensively coming away with a double-double by adding 10 digs to go along with four blocks, two solo and two assisted with senior middle hitter Elizabeth Reid. Sophomore libero Allison Summers led the match with 15 digs, and senior Kathleen Gates tallied 41 assists in leading the Bulldogs to a .233 hitting percentage.
Liberty sophomore Lillie Happel had 11 kills while junior Loren Thomas collected a game-high seven blocks for the visiting Flames.
The Bulldogs fell behind early in the first set, but were able to put together an eight-point rally behind three Brittany Northcutt kills to pull ahead 14-9. Liberty answered back to cut the Georgia lead 15-14, but after a Bulldog timeout, the home team kept momentum on its side with a pair of kills each from Bahr and Luft en route to taking the first set.
Georgia notched the first point of the second set before Liberty built an 8-4 lead. Georgia kept fighting, as a 9-2 run put it in the Bulldogs’ favor at 13-10. After six lead changes, Georgia was up 21-20 and finished off the set with two kills from Luft and a block by Gates.
The third set started much the same for Georgia, as Liberty tabbed an 8-6 lead after a five-point spree. However, Georgia answered with a spree of its own, an 11-4 run that included two kills from Reid and an ace by Gates that put the Bulldogs up 17-12. UGA did not trail the rest of the set as the Bulldogs took the third set, 25-20 after outhitting Liberty .379 to .192.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Impressive Offensive Start Paces Kentucky Past Albany
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – For the sixth time in seven seasons under the direction of Craig Skinner the Kentucky volleyball team will begin the season with a victory. An impressive offensive display helped propel the Wildcats past Albany in a 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 25-16) win in the opening match of the season Friday morning in Tallahassee, Fla., at the Florida State Invitational. Kentucky returns to action playing the host Seminoles later this evening with first serve set for 7 p.m. ET.
“Offensively it was a good start for us,” Skinner said. “We need to do a much better job defensively, especially in transition. I’m happy to get a win in the first match of the year, and now we know the things we need to execute better to get to the next level.”
The Wildcats posted 14 or more kills in all four sets of play this afternoon with sophomore setter Elizabeth Koberstein dishing out a career-high 53 assists and leading UK to a .354 hitting clip in the match. Seven Wildcats struck for five or more kills led by a match-high 18 from senior Becky Pavan. Pavan torched the Great Danes with a .516 hitting clip while committing just two errors.
Junior Ashley Frazier was the other Wildcat player in double-figures with 14 kills in her debut with the Blue and White. Senior Gretchen Giesler added nine, while sophomore Whitney Billings and senior Ann Armes each struck for five.
Freshman outside hitter Lauren O’Conner had a great start to her collegiate career with seven kills. Koberstein was the other UK player with five or more kills as she added to her own cause with seven kills of her own.
Junior libero Stephanie Klefot paced the back line defensive effort with a match-high 21 digs. Freshman Jackie Napper posted 14 in her debut to help lead a defense that earned 67 scoops in the match. Pavan paced the front line with three blocks.
The Wildcats opened the 2011 season with a dominant offensive performance powered by 18 kills on a sizzling .469 hitting percentage. Seven different Kentucky players recorded two or more kills in the opening stanza led by four from Pavan. Koberstein dished out 14 assists to lead the Wildcat attack.
Pavan began the scoring in the 2011 campaign with a kill from the right side. From there the two squads engaged in a back-and-forth battle with neither team stretching a lead of more than two points at a time. UK’s offensive firepower led the way with the Blue and White scoring nine of its first 10 points off of kills.
Kentucky earned a 5-1 run highlighted by a pair of kills from O’Conner to break free at 19-15. Kentucky capped the stanza with a pair of kills from Giesler and Koberstein to capture the opening frame by a 25-21 margin.
UK took a 2-1 lead in the match following a thrilling 25-23 third set victory. The Blue and White totaled 19 kills on .362 hitting in the set, but the winning point came on a block by the duo of Frazier and Giesler.
For the second time in the match the Blue and White scored nine of its first 10 points on kills. In a back-and-forth battle, neither team captured more than a two-point advantage. With UK trailing, 22-21 Pavan scored consecutive kills to lift the Wildcats to a 23-22 score. Following an Albany timeout, the Great Danes evened the score with a kill before O’Conner slammed down a kill into the middle to lift UK to set point. With the squads rallying, Giesler and Frazier stepped up for a set-clinching block in the center of the net for the win.
The Blue and White jumped out a 3-1 lead and never looked back in the fourth frame. Kentucky recorded 14 kills in the set on .294 hitting. Pavan closed the set with a pair of kills to aid the Wildcat cause to close out the match with an impressive 25-16 win.
Albany evened the match with a 25-23 second set win despite a late charge by the Blue and White. Kentucky charted 14 kills on a .290 hitting clip.
The Great Danes earned an early 3-0 lead in the stanza, and UK eventually tied the score up at six behind three straight kills from Giesler, Frazier and Armes. The teams swapped points before Albany once again earned a commanding advantage at 13-9.
Albany maintained an edge all the way until earning set point at 24-19 before Kentucky’s late-charge pushed the score to 24-23. Koberstein led the way with a kill and a pair of aces. She also set up Pavan for a smashing slam to the middle of the floor to force Albany into a timeout. A crafty kill just over the outstretched arms of a Wildcat block lifted the designated visitors to the 25-23 set win.
Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum will play host to the NCAA Regionals Dec. 9-10. UK is one of four sites selected for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups with one team advancing to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, from the Lexington Region. Tickets are on sale now through the UK Ticket Office.
Wildcats Fall at Florida State in Nightcap
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State claimed a 3-0 (25-13, 25-8, 25-14) victory over the visiting Kentucky Wildcats in the nightcap of the opening day of the Florida State Invitational Friday evening. The senior duo of Gretchen Giesler and Ann Armes paced the Wildcat attack, while junior Stephanie Klefot posted the 40th match of her career with 10 or more digs.
“It’s certainly not what I expected tonight,” UK coach Craig Skinner said. “Give credit to Florida State because they’re a very good team, but we need to play a lot better than that. The good thing is we get a chance to come back out tomorrow against Tulsa and make it better.”
UK will conclude action at the Florida State Invitational with a showdown against No. 23 Tulsa at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday. The meeting between Kentucky and the Golden Hurricane will be the first in the history of the programs.
Kentucky falls to 1-1 on the season after earning a four-set victory over Albany earlier today. Florida State begins its season with a 1-0 mark. The Seminoles were paced by 12 blocks including 10 from the hands of Ashley Neff. Florida State also benefited from 25 attacking miscues from the Wildcats.
Giesler totaled six kills on a .286 hitting clip to lead the offensive effort for the 13th time in her career. Armes added five hammers, while junior Ashley Frazier and sophomore Whitney Billings both chipped in with four. Sophomore setter Elizabeth Koberstein passed out 21 assists and Klefot’s 12 digs led the back line. Armes had a pair of rejections to lead the blocking effort.
Florida State struck for an opening set 25-13 win to grab the early 1-0 edge. Kentucky struggled to find its offensive rhythm posting just eight kills on .091 hitting. Senior Becky Pavan, Giesler and Armes all notched two kills in the set.
The Seminoles notched a 25-8 second set win benefiting from 11 miscues from the Wildcats. Kentucky totaled six kills on a negative .167 clip, while the home team scored seven blocks in the set to frustrate UK’s offense. Billings had three kills in the set to lead the way for the Wildcats. With six digs in the second set, Klefot ran her total to 10 for the match to record her 40th career match with double-figure digs.
Kentucky jumped out to an early 6-3 lead to begin the third frame. In the stretch UK earned kills from Armes, Giesler and Frazier. The run was capped by a block from the tandem of Koberstein and Armes. The home team quickly responded with a 5-1 run to grab an 8-7 lead it would never relinquish en route to a match-clinching 25-14 final set win.
Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum will play host to the NCAA Regionals Dec. 9-10. UK is one of four sites selected for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups with one team advancing to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, from the Lexington Region. Tickets are on sale now through the UK Ticket Office.
Alabama Blanks Alabama State to Open 2011 Campaign
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women’s volleyball team opened the 2011 season with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-15) win over the Alabama State Hornets in the first match of the Hampton Inn Bama Bash on Friday. It was the first match at Alabama for head coach Ed Allen and the first in the newly renovated Foster Auditorium.
“It was very exciting to get out there and play against another team,” said first year head coach Ed Allen said. “We had moments that we were very pleased with the flow of the match and understanding what was happening on the other side. There is still a lot of improving to do over the next 30 matches.”
Junior outside hitter Kayla Fitterer led the way with a match-high 19 kills and 14 digs for her first double-double of the season and 13th of her career. Kitterer hit .567 for the match, helping the Crimson Tide hit .553 against the Hornets. Alabama State hit .067 in the opening match of the Hampton Inn Bama Bash.
Cortney Warren added 12 kills on 17 attempts with one error to hit .647 in her first match as a member of the Tide. Setters Stephanie Riley and Andrea McQuaid combined for 43 assists. Riley’s had a match-high 25 assists while McQuaid had 18 assists, five kills and eight digs. Kelsey Anderson paced the Tide with a match-high 15 digs.
The Tide got off to a good start, taking the opening set 25-12. After the Hornets closed the score to 6-5, Alabama scored eight of the next nine points to open a 14-6, before cruising to a 13-point victory in the first sent in Foster Auditorium since 1995. Fitterer had eight kills in the opening set, while Riley and McQuaid had eight assists each.
The second set was highlighted Kitterer’s seven kills as she hit .600, and went into the locker room after the second set with 15 kills and 10 digs. UA hit .500 in set two en route to a 25-15 win. UA closed out the match in three, winning the third set 25-15. UA posted a .556 hitting percentage in set three, recording 17 kills and just two errors in 27 attempts.
“We wanted to get off the floor in a timely manner,” said Allen. “We have two matches in the same day, so we didn’t want to expend a ton of energy preparing for our second match. We were able to play nine players in the match and we were able to get others an opportunity to play.”
Alabama returns to action later tonight in the Hampton Inn Bama Bash with a 7 p.m. match against the Austin Peay Lady Govs.
Jones and Willis Lead LSU Volleyball to Opening Win
BATON ROUGE – Madie Jones and Nicole Willis pounded nine kills apiece to fuel the LSU volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of Alcorn State [25-7, 25-14, 25-12] Friday in the season opener for both teams Friday at the Maravich Center.
For Willis, the nine kills were a career-best. She finished with a .400 hitting percentage and added two blocks.
The Tigers (1-0), who are receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll, improved to 12-2 in season openers under head coach Fran Flory.
“We’re certainly very excited to win our first match of the season,” Flory said. “That’s always the goal. It’s one step closer to reaching some of the goals we have internally within our team. It was a great effort, a nice level of execution, but we're certainly going to have to get better. Both Madie and Nicole are going to be the cornerstones of our offense. It’s nice that they put up those numbers and that efficient.”
Victoria Jacobsen distributed a career-high 11 assists, while Shelby Pursley and Malorie Pardo passed out eight and seven helpers, respectively. The Tigers ripped 35 kills and finished with a .300 hitting percentage.
Brittani Peska and Avery Striebel posted five kills each during their LSU debuts. Striebel also claimed seven digs from the back row.
Lauren Waclawczyk reeled in seven digs as well, but had her run of 17 straight matches with double digit digs come to a close. Madi Mahaffey chipped in three kills and four blocks.
In the opening frame, LSU raced out to a 14-2 lead as five different players connected for kills. The Tigers never looked back and won the frame in convincing fashion with a 25-7 victory. Jones got off to a fast start and powered home kills on all five of her swings.
The two teams went back-and-forth during the early stages of set two. Alcorn State took its first lead of the match at 12-11, but LSU fired back with 14 of the next 16 points to win going away, 25-14.
The Tigers kept the momentum out of the locker room and built a quick 7-1 advantage to start the third set. Jones and Willis cranked a quartet of kills as LSU rolled to a 25-12 win.
“We know how to play,” Willis said. “At times, I felt we had a good team flow, team tempo and played to our level. It will all come together. I think we need to work a lot of kinks out still, but we’re making progress. We did a lot of good things today.”
LSU continues the Tiger Classic Friday with a 7 p.m. tilt versus Louisiana-Lafayette. Live video and live stats are offered through the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. In-match updates also are available via the program’s social media outlets at http://twitter.com/lsuvolleyball or LSU Volleyball on Facebook.
“We have to be prepared for a much improved Louisiana-Lafayette team,” Flory said. “This is the best Louisiana-Lafayette that we’ve played in probably the last five years. Their ball control is very solid. They have physical people who can stay with us blocking and offensively. This is going to be a challenge tonight for this young team. We’re going to have to come in really prepaid mentally and physically and certainly I expect that they will.”
Fans are encouraged to take advantage of the Geaux Free program and receive free admission for every home match this season compliments of The Advocate.
Prior to match, LSU volleyball will host a “Serve It Up BBQ” where fans can enjoy free food and entertainment. The first 500 fans also will receive a LSU volleyball drawstring bag.
Tigers Fall to North Carolina 3-0 in Season Opener
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Auburn had 10 blocks and got career-high kills from two players, but dropped the first match of the 2011 season to North Carolina, 3-0 (15-25, 21-25, 26-28), on Friday at the Active Ankle Challenge.
“We started a little tentative in all areas,” Auburn head coach Rick Nold said. “We talked a lot about controlling our energy level. Later in the match, we passed the ball better and were more aggressive, and that gave us a chance to stay in the match. I thought we did a good job of making adjustments as we went along, especially in our blocking.”
Junior outside hitter Brittney Rhude, making her first career start, set a career high with eight kills on 20 attacks; she also had a block and two digs in the match. Sophomore middle blocker Chloe Rowand also had a career-high four kills and six blocks as she made her first career start as well. Senior outside hitter Kelly Fidero had five kills and four blocks in the match.
The two teams traded the lead several times early in the first set before UNC pulled ahead 9-4. The Tigers (0-1), however, would stage a rally of their own to make it 13-10. But 10-1 run by the Tar Heels would prove to be the Tigers’ undoing as North Carolina (1-0) took the opening set 25-15. UNC was able to score six of their 25 points via service aces, four of which came on Emily McGee’s serve.
North Carolina increased its lead to 2-0 with a 25-20 win in set two. The second set was much more closely contested with four ties and three lead changes and remained close throughout. UNC pulled ahead 17-12, causing Auburn to call a timeout. But from there, the Tigers went on a 5-2 run and pulled within striking distance at 19-17, forcing a Tar Heel timeout. From that point, UNC would score three straight points and go on to win the set to take a 2-0 lead.
The third set would be a back-and-forth affair that saw the Tigers lead almost the entire way. Auburn jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the heels of three straight blocks; three of seven the Tigers would tally in the set. Auburn led by as many as four on several occasions, including an opportunity at set point at 24-21. But two attack errors by the Tigers and a block by the Tar Heels pulled the set even at 24-24. The Tigers would fight off one UNC match point at 25-24 with a big swing from Fidero to knot the score again, and a block from Fidero and Rowand gave Auburn another set point at 26-25. But a service error and two UNC kills would put the set away at 28-26, giving the Tar Heels a 3-0 victory.
“We had lots of opportunities in game three,” Nold said, “but we didn’t play aggressively enough in situations where we could have put the game away. We kind of let them off the hook.”
Auburn had a total of 10 blocks in the match – all coming in the second and third sets – something the Tigers did just three times last season in a three-set match. Auburn also held the edge in the dig battle, 47-46, but North Carolina had 38 kills to the Tigers’ 26. Neither team hit particularly well, with UNC swinging at a .137 clip and the Tigers at .048.
The Tigers will return to the court Saturday, wrapping up the Active Ankle Challenge with a 4:30 p.m. (CT) match against Boston College.
Gamecocks Give Swanson First South Carolina Win, Beating Montana in Three
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – South Carolina (1-0) fought through a tight first set to sweep Montana (0-1) in three sets on the first day of the Temple Invitational. Gamecock head coach Scott Swanson tallied his first win at South Carolina with 34-32, 25-15, 25-15 set scores.
South Carolina sophomore outside hitter Juliette Thévenin led the way with 21 kills on a .340 hitting percentage to go with 18 digs. Junior setter Taylor Bruns tallied a match-high 20 digs, 36 assists, two kills, two aces and four block assists. Sophomore libero Paige Wheeler had 14 digs while freshman outside hitter Bethanie Thomas added 11 to go with nine kills. Redshirt freshman Cara Howley added four block assists, and sophomore Megan Kent tallied three kills and three block assists in the victory. Kayla Reno led Montana with 13 kills and 19 digs.
“Being the first match of the season, I thought we were a little tentative,” said Swanson. “We made some adjustments, putting Megan Kent and Cara Howley in the middle to mix things up, and it made a difference for us defensively at the net.”
The Gamecocks prevailed in the first set, 34-32, in a frame that had 13 ties and three lead changes. South Carolina fought off four set points before claiming the win with three-consecutive points, including the team’s first block of the match. After a solo block by Montana’s Kayla Reno gave the Grizzlies a chance to end the set, Bruns completed a successful dump to tie things at 32-32. Thévenin put away her 10th kill of the frame to give South Carolina its sixth set-point chance. The block came through in the end, as Kent and Thomas stopped the Grizzly shot to end it at 34-32. Thévenin had 14 digs in the first to go with those 10 kills, while Bruns had eight digs.
The second set went South Carolina’s way from the start. Starting with a 6-2 advantage, the Gamecocks saw the lead shrink to two before pulling away again, taking 11 of the next 14 points. Bruns ended the set with a swinging kill at 25-15. Hitting .282 as a team in the frame, the Gamecocks held the Grizzlies to a .045 mark, helped by three Carolina blocks. Thévenin had five kills, while Kent added two on four swings. Bruns and Howley combined on two blocks, while both Bruns and Wheeler added five digs.
The third closed just like the second, but the Gamecocks broke away earlier. With the frame tied at eight, South Carolina took seven of the next eight to put some distance between the Gamecocks and Grizzlies. During that run’s final three points, Thévenin posted kills around an ace that made it 15-9. The Gamecocks had a five-point skein later, helped by two blocks from Bruns and Howley. The junior setter wrapped the set with an ace. South Carolina hit .242 in the final frames and landed the only three aces of the match in that period.
For the contest, the Gamecocks held advantages in every statistical category except digs, which the Grizzlies won, 75-73. South Carolina made 54 serve receptions without an error and had just two service errors, compared to Montana’s nine.
South Carolina closes out the Temple Invitational with two matches on Saturday, but the schedule has changed due to the threat of Hurricane Irene. The Gamecocks now face Stony Brook at 10 a.m. EDT before closing the tournament against Temple at 1 p.m.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Arkansas Falls To Colorado State
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas volleyball team dropped its season opener in three sets, 25-22, 25-16, 25-21 to No. 15 Colorado State Friday night at Barnhill Arena in front of a record crowd. Kelli Stipanovich led the Razorbacks’ offense with a team-high eight kills while Jasmine Norton paced the team with 11 digs.
The 2011 season opener played out in front of a program-record 1,407 fans. The previous high for Barnhill Arena of 1,362 was set Nov. 22, 1998, against No. 5 Florida. With the crowd Friday night, the Razorbacks have now seen three of the top five attendance figures over the past two seasons.
After trailing by five points early on in set one, Arkansas pulled to within three after a service ace by Amanda Anderson and forced a timeout by the visitors. Out of the timeout, a block by Megan Plourde and Deedrea Foss pushed Colorado State’s lead back to five. The Razorbacks responded with five unanswered points, capped by a kill from Kasey Heckelman, to level the score at 16.
From that point, the score was tied three times but Arkansas never pulled ahead on the scoreboard. With the score tied 20-20, Colorado State won four of the next five points to arrive at set point after a kill by Izzy Gaulia. The home Hogs saved the first set point after a service error by its opponent but the visiting Rams closed out the opener, 25-22, with a kill by Katelyn Steffan.
Colorado State carried its momentum into the second set, winning four of the first points of the game. Stipanovich cut Arkansas’ deficit to one after a kill but the Rams won the three points to force a timeout out of Pulliza. Behind a .360 hitting percentage in the set, Colorado State pushed its lead into double figures and went on to win the game, 25-16.
Arkansas took its first lead of the match by winning the first three points of the third set. The quick start came by way of kills from Roslandy Acosta and Norton, and a tandem block by Acosta and Janeliss Torres-Lopez. Colorado State rallied back to knot the score at 4-all. The Razorbacks fell behind by four after an attack error by Stipanovich but Arkansas pulled back even, 12-12, after consecutive CSU miscues.
The third set was tied six times. The final tie came at 16-all but the visitors won the next three points to take control of the set and match for the last time. The Razorbacks made a final push to close to within one point, 18-19. Colorado State responded, however to arrive at match point, 24-19. Back-to-back kills by Stipanovich saved the first two but Steffan found the floor to end the set, 25-21, and give the Rams’ a season-opening victory.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LSU Beats Louisiana Lafayette 3-0
BATON ROUGE – Malorie Pardo dished out 38 assists to spark the LSU volleyball team to a program single-match record .638 hitting percentage as the Tigers rolled to a 3-0 triumph [25-13, 25-13, 25-6] over Louisiana-Lafayette Friday in-front of a spirited 1,209 fans at the Maravich Center.
The Tigers (2-0) improved to 32-11 during their first tournament with Flory at the helm and already have secured their 12th consecutive winning opening weekend.
Pardo, who made her first career start at setter, not only ignited Desiree Elliott, Madie Jones and Michele Williams to double figure kills but also career-high attack percentages. The trio racked up 34 kills on 43 swings with only one hitting miscue for an astounding .767 hitting clip.
Elliott powered home a match-high 14 kills on 18 swings en route to a .722 attack ratio, while Jones and Williams ripped 10 kills apiece. Jones’ 10 spikes on 12 swings and her .833 hitting mark tied for fourth-highest in program history for a single match.
Helen Boyle tacked on an all-around solid effort with seven kills, four digs, two assists and a block.
LSU played suffocating defense to limit ULL (1-1) to a .073 hitting percentage coupled with an impressive 88 percent sideout efficiency for the match. Lauren Waclawczyk sprawled out for a match-best 11 digs followed by Meghan Mannari’s 10 digs and Sam Delahoussaye’s five digs to spearhead the back row.
LSU charged out to an 8-3 lead in the first set as four different players connected for kills. At 14-9 behind Mannari’s serve, the Tigers reeled off seven straight points behind two Boyle kills and three ULL hitting miscues to take control the frame. Jones added the final blow to complete the 25-13 victory.
Set two provided the same dominant 25-13 result highlighted by Pardo’s 14 helpers to aid a scorching .750 hitting performance. The Tigers used their quick tempo in transition to fuel Elliott and Williams to a combined 11 kills for the frame.
LSU claimed 20 of the first 23 points of the third set as Delahoussaye, Mannari and Waclawczyk all strung together long serving runs. Pardo went more to the perimeter which allowed Boyle, Jones and Nicole Willis to each notch a trio of kills. The Tigers secured the sweep with a 25-6 win, the six points was the third-fewest allowed in program history for a single set.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Alabama Picks Up Win Over Austin Peay
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women’s volleyball team closed the first day of the Hampton Inn Bama Bash with a 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-16, 25-21) win over the Austin Peay Lady Govs, on Friday night from Foster Auditorium. Kayla Fitterer paced the Crimson Tide for the second straight match, posting a double-double with 20 kills and 15 assists.
Fitterer’s night included 52 swings, as the junior All-SEC player did not make an error for a .385 hitting percentage. The double-double marked the 14th of her career and second of the season. Andrea McQuaid finished the night with her first career double-double, dishing out 23 assists to go along with 14 digs. McQuaid nearly had a triple double as she added seven kills.
For the second straight match Cortney Warren reached double digits in kills with 11. She had 12 kills in the season opener against Alabama State in the afternoon. Kelsey Anderson had a match-high 23 digs.
Alabama took the first set 25-19 on the strength of a .378 hitting percentage. Fitterer was on her game early as she recorded seven of the Tide’s 17 kills in the opening set. Stephanie Riley had nine assists to lead the Tide in the opening set. Alabama held a 16-8 lead before the Lady Govs cut the Tide advantage to 17-14. UA then went on a 4-0 run to create a little breathing room before closing out the match with a six-point advantage.
After leading 5-3 early in the second set, Austin Peay went on a 4-0 run to take a 7-5 advantage. From there the Tide never regained the lead in the set and trailed 19-16 before getting within one (19-18) on the strength of a Fitterer kill. The Lady Govs closed the set with a 6-2 run to even the match at one set each.
Following the break, Alabama opened an 11-5 lead in the third set, only to see Austin Peay close to within one (13-12). UA went on a 7-2 run to open a 20-14 advantage and then cruised to a 25-16 set victory to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
The final set of the night was tightly contested, as Alabama held a 16-14 lead midway through the set. Alabama benefitted from a pair of attack errors by Austin Peay’s Nikki Doyle to open an 18-14 lead. From there the Tide held its advantage before closing out the Lady Govs with a 25-21 win in the fourth set and the match.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Florida Beats Boston College 3-0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 9 University of Florida volleyball benefited from 14 service aces and nine total blocks to defeat Boston College, 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-16), to open the 2011 season at the O'Connell Center on Friday night.
The Gators, hosting the Active Ankle SEC/ACC Challenge, move to 20-8 all-time in lid-lifters and notched their eighth consecutive victory in a season-opening match.
Seniors Stephanie Ferrell (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) contributed seven kills apiece, while fellow senior Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.) added six kills hitting at a match-high .667 clip.
Senior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) and sophomore setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) combined for 27 assists, while redshirt freshman libero Taylor Unroe (Muncie, Ind.) had a match-high nine digs in her collegiate debut.
The Gators took an early 3-0 lead over the Eagles in the first set, sparked by Taylor Unroe's service ace, the Gators' first of the season. Anderson started off the attack for Florida with a hit down the pipe and Wiggs followed with a kill of her own, clipping the line, to extend the Gators' lead at 8-2. The Eagles struggled to return the majority of the Orange and Blue's offense, falling in the first set, 25-11, hitting only .062 in the opening stanza to Florida's .556.
Florida began the second set in similar fashion, with both Jaeckel and Unroe serving up back-to-back aces in the opening points, giving the Gators a 6-1 lead. A monster kill by Ferrell extended the Orange and Blue's lead to 7-1, forcing a timeout by Boston College head coach Chris Campbell. Unroe continued her serving streak, thanks to an Anderson-Murphy stuff block, before Dureva Tsvetelina halted the Gators' run with a kill down the line. The teams traded points until Anderson got behind the service line, running off four straight serves to put the Gators ahead, 15-6. Mann and Jaeckel teamed up for a block to extend Florida's lead to double digits, an advantage they would keep through the rest of the set. The two sides continued to trade serve until set point came on a Boston College service error, giving the Gators a two-set advantage heading into intermission.
The third set started out a little tight for the Gators, as the teams traded points until 5-5 in the third stanza. Brown sparked a 5-0 run behind the service line for Florida, giving the Orange and Blue a 10-5 advantage and shifting the momentum to the Gators' side. The teams continued to trade possession through the third set as players came off the bench for both sides. A key element to the Gators' attack in the third set was the power of Ferrell, who had three kills in the final stanza. Her smash at 16-9 to end a long rally sent the O'Connell Center crowd, including the animated Rowdy Reptiles, on their feet. Ferrell's seventh and final kill of the night came on match point, a slam right in the middle of the Eagles' defense, sending the Gators off with their first victory of 2011.
Florida continues the Active Ankle SEC/ACC Challenge on Saturday evening when the Gators take on the North Carolina Tar Heels at 7:30 in the O'Connell Center. The match will be streamed live online on GatorVision and fans can tune into WRUF-FM, 103.7 The Gator, to hear to Tom Collett and former Gator All-SEC selection Missy Whittemore call the action live.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Miss. State Drops Five Setter
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Senior outside hitter Caitlin Rance starred on the court and Bulldog fans set a school attendance record, but Mississippi State fell short in a closely-contested season-opening volleyball matchup with Southern Illinois.
The visiting Salukis erased a 2-1 Bulldog lead to top State in a five-set thriller, 25-19, 16-25, 23-25, 25-22, 17-15. The match was witnessed by a school and likely state-record 3,024 fans, who rocked the Newell-Grissom Building on the opening night of the Maroon Classic.
State continues play in the Maroon Classic Saturday taking on Tennessee-Martin (1-0) at 12:30 p.m. and Southeastern Louisiana (0-1) at 7 p.m. The matches are open to the public with no charge for admission at the Newell-Grissom Building.
Rance, team co-captain, backed a match-high 22 kills, the second-most of her career, with 11 digs. Rance tied for second in the SEC last fall with 403 kills and raised her career kills total to 717 with her strong senior season-opening performance.
Junior outside hitter Chanelle Banker matched a career-best with 13 kills and with 10 digs notched her first career double-double. Lainey Parker, the lone freshman starter for State, had 11 kills in her Mississippi State debut and finished with a team-best four blocks and a match-best .450 attack percentage.
State held a 72-71 edge in digs, including a career-best 25 by junior Hillary Parker, playing in her first career match as the Bulldogs’ libero.
The Bulldogs held a statistical edge in virtually all categories, posted a 61-52 edge in kills, a .216 to .157 advantage in attack percentage, and a 15-10 lead in total team blocks.
But at the service stripe the Bulldogs struggled. Nineteen service errors proved costly in the closely-fought battle with the Salukis, with five of those coming during the deciding fifth set.
Jessica Whitehead had 15 kills and Laura Thole added 14 to go with 13 digs and a team-best three blocks.
Friday night’s attendance more than tripled the previous Newell-Grissom Building volleyball attendance record of 932 established during last year’s Maroon Classic.