Maryland Eastern Shore wins Maroon and Gray Invite
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — On the second day of the Courtyard and Marriott & Gray Invite, Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) kept the momentum rolling from day one.
The Hawks defeated UMass Lowell by a 3-1 score in the afternoon, and then took care of the Rider Broncs by the same score. With the pair of victories the Hawks won their own tournament, going a perfect 4-0 for the weekend.
Three Hawks — freshman Lucia Babic and seniors Andjela Reljic and Petra Jerabkova —were all named to the All-Tournament team. Babic secured MVP honors after registering 67 kills for the weekend.
In the opening match against UMass Lowell, Babic led the Hawks with 16 kills. Jerabkova was a perfect five-for-five in kills to lead the team in attack percentage, while Reljic contributed 17 digs. Haley Robinson and Jerabkova tied with four blocks.
In the nightcap against Rider, Babic once again led in kills with 19, followed by Zuzana Ondruskova and Polk, who tied with 13. Klafuric went 8-for-10 with just one error for an impressive .700 kill percentage. Reljic compiled 35 digs while Ondruskova added 11 of her own. Marta Klafuric pitched in on three blocks, but two of those came solo.
UMES will be home again next weekend as they host the Courtyard Classic. First match will be Friday against Quinnipiac at 6:00p.m., followed by noon and 6:00p.m. matches against Delaware State and North Carolina A&T, respectively.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
Hornets take Manhattan to the limit in 3-2 loss
TOWSON, Md. --- Delaware State got off to its best start so far this season, but came up short in a hard-fought 3-2 volleyball loss to Manhattan in the Towson Invitational at SECU Arena.
The Hornets (0-3) won the first set 25-22, but dropped the next two by identical 25-16 scores to fall behind 2-1 in the match. DSU stayed alive with a 25-23 win in the fourth set to force a deciding game. The Jaspers won the contest with a 15-6 in the final set.
Senior Jasmine Jackson continued her strong early season play with 14 kills and 18 digs, each a team high.
Jae Jackson was second on the team with 11 kills and tied with teammate Jenessa Helu for match-high honors with six blocks (one solo). Helu had two block solos and four block assists in the contest.
DSU had 18 blocks in the match.
Alliyah McBean had 17 kills and freshman setter Marisol Arredondo dished out 35 assists for the Hornets.
Manhattan’s Claire Van Dyk led all players with 20 kills. Milena Janjusevic (14), Marissa Behrens (12) and Ivana Kostic (10) also reached double figures in kills for the Jaspers. Allie Yamashiro had a game-high 21 digs, while teammate Jade Gray had 50 assists for Manhattan.
The Hornets close out the tournament against host Towson on Sunday at 11 a.m.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com
Coppin State falls to Tennessee
TOWSON, Md. - Cindy Okpegbue and Kendra Ireigbe finished with a team-high eight kills each to lead the Coppin State volleyball team during a 3-0 setback to the University of Tennessee in the Towson Invitational Saturday morning at the SECU Arena.
Coppin State (0-2 overall) was competitive against Tennessee (3-0) even though it fell by scores of 25-15, 25-17, 25-14. It was the first time in the 28-year history of its program that Coppin State has ever played a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Also, during the game, Ireigbe tied Brittany Arvin's all-time school record for blocks. They each have 238. Ireigbe had a strong hitting percentage of .375 during the match against the Volunteers. In Coppin State's opening two matches, Ireigbe is averaging 10 kills and three blocks.
More strong efforts for Coppin State was turned in by senior setter Chelsee Sauni who had 23 assists and five kills. Freshman Alexa Williams added three kills and a pair of blocks. She also enjoyed a .286 hitting percentage. Sophomore Glory Rosado collected a match best 15 digs along with numerous floor burns.
Tennessee got a team-high nine kills each from Nora Reed and Kanisha Jimenez. Lexi Dempsey finished with 36 assists.
Coppin State concludes the Towson Invitational by taking on host Towson Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com
Savannah State drops matches to Kennesaw State and Alabama State
KENNESAW, Ga. – On the second day of the Kennesaw State Invitational, Savannah State University volleyball team fell to host Kennesaw State 3-0 (25-10, 25-13, 25-10) and to Alabama State 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-16) at KSU Convocation Center on Saturday.
Freshman outsider hitter Makayla Tam led the Lady Tigers with eight kills in both matches, while senior outside hitter Christian Lyle and junior middle blocker Gabrielle Nathaniel added six kills each.
Junior Caitlynn Masoe added 20 assists in both matches and freshman setter Briana Littlejohn added 15 assists, while junior libero Alexis Washington led the team with 18 digs in both matches.
The Lady Tigers (0-3) return home with its first home match of the 2015 season against East Carolina (0-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Willcox-Wiley Gym.
For complete story, visit www.ssuathletics.com
Curran has big night as NCCU drops pair at Gamecock Invitational
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Junior Casey Curran led the North Carolina Central University volleyball team with 21 assists and two aces in a 3-0 loss to host University of South Carolina in the Lady Eagles second match at the Gamecock Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
NCCU played each set tighter as the match progressed despite having to battle in front of USC’s loud home crowd of over a thousand fans. The Gamecocks did hold off the Lady Eagles in straight sets by scores of 25-12, 25-16 and 25-19.
Junior Kelsey Murphy paced NCCU with seven kills and was followed closely by freshman Sydney Sumner (6 kills), freshman Whitney White (5) and senior Kelly Rossip (4).
Freshman libero Tamika Brekke reached the 10-plus dig mark for a second straight match with a team-high 12 lifts.
The Gamecocks got a career-high 18 kills from junior Dessaa Legros to remain undefeated on the season at 2-0. Legros hit .424 with only four errors on 33 swings. USC hit .353 as a team.
Freshman setter Aubrey Ezell recorded her second straight double-double to start her collegiate career with 33 assists and 11 digs. Junior Joely Cabrera paced the Gamecocks with 13 digs.
Against Southeastern Louisiana, Murphy had her best performance of the event missing a double-double by one dig. Murphy smashed 12 kills and made nine digs.
Brekke contributed a match-high 14 digs. Brekke made at least 10 digs in all three contests at the Gamecock Invite.
Rossip continued her steady play with five kills and three block assists. Freshman Sydney Sumner chipped in seven kills and five digs while Curran logged 16 assists.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com
Hampton opens season at Liberty Invitational
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The two-time defending MEAC champion Hampton University volleyball team opened the 2015 season on Friday and Saturday with a trio of matches in the Liberty Invitational presented by La Quinta Inns & Suites at the Vines Center.
Hampton fell to Fairleigh Dickinson in straight sets on Friday, before losing 3-0 to UNC Greensboro and falling 3-0 to tournament host Liberty on Saturday.
Tatyana Thomas was named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Lady Pirates will be in Davidson, N.C. this coming Friday and Saturday to compete in the Davidson Tournament.
For complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com
Norfolk State falls to Gardner-Webb and William & Mary
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Norfolk State Spartans fell to Gardner-Webb and William & Mary on Saturday during the Tribe Invitational at Kaplan Arena.
In the opener against Gardner-Webb, the Spartans come out on fire, less than 24 hours after NSU had to rebound from a slow start in its season opener. This time against Gardner-Webb in an early afternoon matchup, the Spartans hit .200 in the first set to win, 25-17. The Bulldogs rallied to triumph in the second set, 25-22, and then earned the victory with wins in the third and fourth sets, 25-15 and 25-20.
Gardner-Webb (2-0) exploited a pair of weaknesses against the Spartans, holding an 11-2 edge in blocks over NSU while also posting a big advantage in service ace, 14-4. This despite the fact Gardner-Webb hit just .083 with 35 kills, compared to .108 and 43 kills for NSU (0-2).
Seniors Angie Darcus and Janay Frazier did plenty of damage for the Spartans. Darcus led NSU with 13 kills to go with a career-high 15 digs. Frazier, meanwhile, also set a new career high with 13 digs and added 11 kills while hitting .182.
Against William & Mary, NSU could not get going early on in the last matchup of the Tribe Invitational, falling 25-9 in the first set. The Spartans stormed back, though, winning the second set by a 25-23 margin. William & Mary had to battle late in the next two sets and won both by 25-23 scores to finish the win.
Darcus again led the Spartans, tallying her third straight double-double with 17 kills and 13 digs. She earned all-tournament team honors in the process. Sophomore Clarke Tyler added nine kills and hit .250 for the match, although the Spartans posted just a .036 attack percentage overall.
Dessi Koleva (14 kills, .462 attack percentage, 20 digs) and Sydney Biniak (11 kills, .333 hitting percentage) provided plenty of offense for the Tribe. William & Mary (2-1) hit .221 for the match and also held an 11-2 advantage in blocks.
Senior Darcy Moore posted 34 assists and 16 digs, while Dailey (10) and junior Alex Irizarry (13) also reached double figures in digs.
NSU will travel to North Carolina to take part in the Campbell Invitational next Friday and Saturday.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com