Savannah State drops nonconference road match to Mercer
MACON, Ga. – Savannah State dropped a nonconference road match to Mercer University in straight sets on Wednesday.
Freshman Zariya Thomas and junior Justice Dilworth led the Lady Tigers in the loss with six kills apiece. Dilworth and Alexis Washington led in digs with seven each. With the loss the Lady Tigers fall to 4-19 on the season.
In the first set, teams traded points until a Mercer error knotted the game at 6. The Lady Bears broke the stalemate with a 7-2 run following the tie for a 13-8 lead. Out of an SSU timeout Mercer extended their lead with a 9-0 run.
The offensive push was enough for the Lady Bears to seal up a 1-0 lead in the match, winning 25-12 in the opening set.
Mercer carried their momentum into the second set, pushing out to a 12-4 lead early and then rolling midway through, improving to 21-7.
Out of a timeout, the Lady Tigers kept fighting. Caitlynn Masoe served up a 5-0 run, that included a service ace and a kill from Thomas, cutting Mercer’s lead to 22-12.
Moments later, SSU was down 13-23. Olivia Wasdin served up an ace and a service point as the Lady Tigers continued to fight. Kills from Jordan Gollon and Gretja Otten sealed up a 25-16 win for Mercer and a 2-0 lead in the match.
SSU held with Mercer point for point in the opening of the third set. Trailing 10-12, SSU knotted the set up with a kill from Thomas and a service ace from Washington.
Mercer responded with back-to-back kills for a 14-12 lead. SSU added a kill, but the Lady Bears took the next two points for a 16-13 lead, forcing the Lady Tigers to take a timeout.
Out of the pause, the Lady Bears went up 20-15 on a 4-2 run, and sealed up the match win on a 5-0 run to close out the 25-15 game win.
Molly Locke led Mercer with 14 kills. Caroline Carlton followed with 10. The Lady Bears improve to 5-13 on the season.
Savannah State will take a six-day break, one of the longest of the season, before returning to action on the 21st with another nonconference road match against Georgia Southern. The Lady Tigers return home on October 24 with a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) match against Bethune-Cookman.
For complete story, visit www.ssuathletics.com
Lady Eagle fall to Charleston Southern
DURHAM, N.C. - The North Carolina Central University volleyball team battled the Charleston Southern Buccaneers, falling 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-18) on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.
Outside hitter Kelsey Murphy led the NCCU offense and defense with 11 kills (.226) and seven digs.
Redshirt junior Melissa Rabell Pineiro opened the match with two consecutive service aces, followed by a kill from Ashley McCarthy.
The Buccaneers quickly responded to the Eagles' early 5-1 lead with a 7-1 run, giving them an 8-6 advantage over NCCU.
NCCU battled Charleston Southern on a come-back attempt, tying the set for the seventh time at 18. However, the Buccaneers put the Eagles in a 7-3 deficit to close out the first set, 25-22.
Similar to the first set, the Eagles earned the first point in sets two and three. NCCU was unable to hold off the Buccaneers offense as Charleston Southern seized a match sweep, capturing the final two set victories 25-18.
CSU outside hitter Siraya Windsor (Lexington, South Carolina) led the Buccaneers with a double-double consisting of 12 kills and 16 digs.
NCCU will prepare to take on the Aggies of North Carolina A&T after a 10-day game break, Sunday, Oct. 26 in McDougald-McLendon Gym at 2 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com