Morgan State Defeats Fordham In Maddie Bingaman Tournament
BALTIMORE, Md. – The Morgan State volleyball team closed out the 2015 Maddie Bingaman Tournament with a 3-1 (28-26, 17-25, 25-16, 25-19) non-conference win over Fordham on Saturday morning at RAC Arena on the campus of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. It was the Lady Bears’ first win over the Rams in two tries.
Keana Browne tallied a match-high 17 kills to lead the Lady Bears. Evely Macedo recorded a double-double with 13 kills and added 12 digs, while Arianna Hayden also earned double-double with 12 kills and a match-high 13 digs. Carmen Fernandez hit for a career- and match-high .833, while totaling a career-best five kills to go with her match-high 44 assists and nine digs.
Fordham (3-7) was led by Olivia La Porta, who finished with nine kills and had a match-high three service aces. Breanna Jones and Sarah Skelton each totaled seven kills. Clarissa Cartledge had a team-high 12 digs and Brennan Delsing finished with 10. Emily Fronk and Abigail Konovodoff shared the setter duties, collecting 22 and 15 assists, respectively.
Morgan State (2-9), which recorded a season-high 54 kills, finished with a hitting percentage of .216. The Lady Bears tallied eight service aces, behind a match-high three aces from Hayden. However, they did commit 11 serving errors.
The Rams finished with a .198 hitting percentage with 45 kills on 121 attempts and 21 attack errors.
The Lady Bears will be off until next week when they compete in the Delaware Invitational in Newark, Del. (Sept. 18-19).
For complete story, visit www.morganstatebears.com
Savannah State drops pair at Valparaiso Popcorn Classic
VALPARAISO, Ind. – Savannah State University dropped the final two matches of the Valparaiso Popcorn Classic on Saturday in the ARC with losses to host Valparaiso 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-11) and to Elon 3-0 (25- 15, 25-20, 25-13).
Junior middle blocker Gabrielle Nathaniel led the team with eight kills in two matches, including seven kills against Elon, while freshman outside hitter Chinenye Ofodile added seven kills, including four against Valparaiso, and junior setter Caitlynn Masoe added six kills.
Masoe added 24 assists in the two matches, including 13 against Valparaiso, and had nine digs, including five against Valpo. Nathaniel added 15 digs, including 12 against Valpo, while junior libero Alexis Washington added 13 digs, including nine against Elon.
Against Valparaiso, Nathaniel led the team with 12 digs and added a kill and a block assist, while Masoe and Ofodile led the team with four kills each. Masoe also led the team with 13 assists and added five digs.
The Crusaders were led by Sydney Bronner with eight kills, Tarrah Lasky with 16 assists and with nine digs.
Against Elon, Nathaniel led the team with seven kills and added one service ace, three digs, one solo block and two block assists, while Masoe led the team with 11 assists and added two kills, four digs and a block assist. Washington led the team with nine digs, while freshman setter Briana Littlejohn added seven assists.
Elon was led by Sydney Busa with seven kills and with nine digs, and Sydel Curry with 25 assists.
For complete story, visit www.ssuathletics.com
Bethune-Cookman falls to Campbell
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Bethune-Cookman concluded play at the Courtyard by Mayo Classic with a 3-0
(25-21,25-21,25-20) loss to Campbell at the University of North Florida.
Delicia Pierre had eight kills, Rakaya Neely seven and Destiny Hudson six, but the Lady Wildcats (2-8) ended the weekend 0-3
in the tournament and saw their losing streak extend to seven.
Hazel Ortiz-Rosado had 25 assists, while Normarie Rolon-Soto contributed 17 digs and five assists and Alexuas Bennett six digs
and two service aces.
Campbell (4-6) got 12 kills from Rachel Harty as it erased a 12-6 deficit to win the first set.
Rolon earned a berth on the all-tournament team. The junior posted 38 digs in three tournament matches.
Bethune-Cookman hosts Florida Gulf Coast in its home opener Tuesday at 7 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com
North Carolina Central drops two at UMES Fall Fling
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The North Carolina Central University volleyball team allowed its opponent to hit over .300 for the fifth time this season in a 3-0 neutral-site loss to Manhattan College Saturday morning in the UMES Fall Fling.
Against the Jaspers (6-5) moved back over .500 with the 25-20, 25-11, 25-17 conquest to snap a four-match losing streak. The Lady Eagles (0-11) only hit .043, while allowing Manhattan to fire at a .349 mark.
Junior outside hitter Kelsey Murphy bounced back from her lowest offensive output on Friday with an 11-kill performance against Manhattan. Murphy only committed three errors on 33 attempts for a .242 hitting percentage.
Senior Kelly Rossip and freshmen Whitney White and Sydney Sumner all had three kills for the Lady Eagles. Junior Casey Curran tallied 20 assists; senior Marilyn Sherbondy made a team-high eight digs; and White chipped in three block assists.
Senior Claire Van Dyk posted a match-high 13 kills. Classmate Teodora Peric setup the hot-hitting Jaspers attack with 31 assists, while just missing a double-double with eight digs. Junior libero Allie Yamashiro led all players with 12 digs.
In the dramatic five-set match to Loyola, Murphy hammered a career-high 27 kills for North Carolina Central University, but Loyola University (Md.) rallied from a five-point deficit in the fifth set to win a narrow 3-2 seesaw battle in the UMES Fall Fling Saturday afternoon.
Curran posted a season- and match-high 48 assists, not only going to Murphy but to all of NCCU’s attackers. Sumner set a new milestone with 14 kills and Rossip continued her steady play with 11 spikes and a team-high four block assists.
Sumner notched her second double-double with 12 digs.
NCCU returns home for a non-conference clash against Winthrop University on Tuesday evening.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com
Hawks sweep Loyola and Manhattan
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — In their toughest tournament to date, the Hawks volleyball squad faced off against two formidable foes in Loyola (Md.) and Manhattan College. It wasn’t easy at times, but in the end, UMES continued their undefeated streak to open the season, extending the mark to 10-0.
The hometown Hawks defeated Loyola in five sets, then won a 3-1 decision over Manhattan in the nightcap.
Two Hawks were named to the All-Tournament team. Senior Petra Jerabkova earned MVP honors after amassing a stat line of four kills, 71 assists, 18 digs, three aces and three blocks. Freshman Zuzana Ondruskova picked up 31 kills, 21 digs, five aces and four blocks.
In the first match the Hawks fell behind early as the visiting Greyhounds captured the first set, 25-18. But UMES would battle back in the second set, jumping to an insurmountable lead midway thru and flipping the script, winning by their own 25-18 score and tying the match at one.
The 10-0 start for UMES continues to be the best start in school history, which they surpassed all the way back on September 5th against Quinnipiac. Every undefeated win will continue to add to this record.
Next up for UMES will be the Courtyard by Marriott Volleyball Classic in Wilmington, N.C., where the Hawks will face off with Stetson University on Friday. A 5:30p.m. first serve is scheduled at Hanover Hall on UNCW’s campus.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
Coppin State picks up first win of the season
CATONSVILLE, Md. - Once the Coppin State volleyball team got its engines revved up there wasn't much Rider could do to slow the powerful blue-and-gold locomotive.
After dropping the first set, Coppin State stormed from behind with a balanced performance to claim its first victory of the 2015 season by running Rider off the tracks, 3-1, in the first game of the Maddie Bingaman tournament at the RAC Saturday afternoon. Despite having 10 players in uniform, the Lady Eagles captured the match, 15-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-18.
As usual in the middle of the madness directing with the smooth grace of an orchestra conductor was senior setter Chelsee Sauni, who finished with a season-high 49 assists and 11 digs. It was her second double-double of the season and the 18th time in her career she handed out at least 40 assists in a match.
Kendra Ireigbe and Samantha Polk led the way with a career-best 16 kills each. Cindy Okpegbue enjoyed her first double-double of the season with 15 kills and 12 digs.
Defensively, Coppin State collected 66 digs with four players recording double digits. Sophomore Glory Rosado paced the Lady Eagles with 19 digs and three service aces. Sophomore Bailee Jackson was a major factor with 11 digs and three timely kills.
Rider got a double-double from Ryan Ackerman (12 kills and 11 digs). Hailey Riede finished with 13 kills.
Against UMBC in the nightcap in a 3-0 loss, Okpegbue registered her 1,000th career kill during the match that Coppin dropped 25-11, 26-24, 25-20. She finished with 10 kills to become the third volleyball player in school history to reach that milestone. She has 1,003 for her career. Samantha Polk added nine kills and Sauni recorded 33 assists.
Coppin State returns to action next weekend when it competes at the Saint Francis (Pa.) Tournament in Loretto. Coppin State meets High Point Friday night at 4:30 p.m
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com
Spartans Survive to Pick Up First Win of Season
GREENSBORO, N.C. – A strong start and a 2-0 lead evaporated for the Norfolk State volleyball team in a matchup with Alabama State on Saturday morning. But after the Hornets dominated the next two sets, the Spartans responded with a victory in the fifth to earn their first win of the season.
The victory certainly looked as if it would come a lot sooner than it did, as the Spartans jumped on Alabama State by winning the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-18. The Hornets came out of the break and easily handled NSU in the next two, 25-14 and 25-11. NSU, though, was able to build a four-point lead in the fifth set and hold off a Hornet rally in a 15-13 win.
The contest was played at UNCG’s Fleming Gymnasium as part of the Spartan-Aggie Invitational.
The Spartans of NSU improved their overall record this year to 1-7 while simultaneously dropped Alabama State to 3-6.
A pair of sophomores had big days for NSU. Hope Forsythe led the Spartans with 13 kills on a .348 attack percentage to go along with six digs and two blocks. Clarke Tyler hit .269 and totaled 10 kills and a career-high seven blocks. The Spartans, though, hit just .064, compared to .211 for the Hornets.
Darcus finished with eight kills, while junior libero Alex Irizarry had a team-best 15 digs.
Alabama State outblocked NSU, 15-7. Rachel Smith had 14 kills and 12 digs to pace the Hornets. Myla Marshall also led them with eight blocks.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com
Hampton completes second day of ECU Classic
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Hampton University closed out the East Carolina Classic on Saturday at Minges Coliseum with a four-set loss to William & Mary and a three-set loss to Western Carolina.
Kyndall Nicholas was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Against William & Mary, the Lady Pirates (0-9) opened the match by taking their first set of the season, hitting .175 (13 kills, six errors in 40 attacks) in the process while holding the Tribe to .000 hitting. Reeana Richardson and Allysa Medina each notched double digit kills: 12 for Richardson and 11 for Medina.
Medina also had a team-high 11 digs for her first double-double of the season. Mallory Beard added 11 digs on defense.
Alexandra Erhart had a team-high 16 assists and two service aces.
Nicholas led the way at the net with six blocks, while Lena Washington and Tatyana Thomas each had five blocks.
Against Western Carolina, Richardson notched a career-high 13 kills in Saturday’s second match, while Medina and Beard each had a team-high 13 digs on defense. Medina also had seven kills and a team-high three service aces.
Erhart had 17 assists and tied for the team high with two blocks.
As a team, the Lady Pirates held a 4-2 edge in blocks.
The Lady Pirates will be in Richmond, Va. on Tuesday to take on VCU at 7 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com
Hornets drop two at Penn Invitational
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. --- The Delaware State volleyball team came up empty in two matches at the University of Pennsylvania Invitational. The Hornets fell to host Penn 3-0 in the tournament opener and dropped a 3-0 decision to Fairfield.
DSU fell to Penn 25-18, 25-9 an 25-9.
The Hornets were plagued by hitting mistakes in the Penn contest, posting a -.096 attack percentage match. DSU had 15 kills and 24 errors on 94 attempts against the Quakers.
Nevershi Ellis and Jae Jackson led the Hornets with four kills each in the Penn match. Jasmine Jackson had a team-high 10 digs, while Marisol Arredondo topped the team with eight assists.
Fairfield defeated DSU by scores of 25-11, 25-15 and 25-19.
Jasmine Jackson had a team-high seven kills in the match, while teammate Alliyah McBean led all players with 20 digs.
Delaware State (2-8) will try to snap a three-match losing streak when it competes in the Bucknell Invitational this weekend. The Hornets will face Providence in their tourney opener on Friday (Sep. 18) at 5 p.m. in Lewisburg, Pa.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com