Maryland Eastern Shore splits decisions on Day 2 in Wilmington
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — Entering the second and final day at the Courtyard by Marriott Volleyball Classic on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, UMES was looking to get back in the win column. After falling in the matinee match to the host Seahawks, 3-0, the team rallied to defeat Presbyterian 3-1 in their evening finale, improving their record to 11-2.
For her efforts over the weekend, Hawks freshman Zuzana Ondruskova was named to the All-Tournament team. Ondruskova is the reigning Player of the Week in the MEAC and was named a GEM of the Week by HERO Sports.
UNCW defeated the Hawks by scores of 25-15 in set one and 25-13 in set three. Ondruskova ended up being the team’s leader in kills with 13, and libero Andjela Reljic led in digs with 15.
In the nightcap the Hawks would rebound against Big South opponent Presbyterian. More often than not, however, the Blue Hose would prove to be a tough matchup for the Marylanders.
In the evening matchup, Ondruskova impressed with 26 kills against just eight errors for a .286 kill percentage. Reljic led four Hawks in double figures with 26 digs, and Alana Polk took part in five total blocks.
As a team the Hawks outhit the Blue Hose, .245 to .072.
UMES returns home Friday night to open MEAC play against preseason favorite Howard. Match time is slated for six in the evening.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
Savannah State drops its final match at the Wildcat Classic
TUCSON, Ariz. – Senior outside hitter Christian Lyle led the team with six kills as Savannah State University fell to host No. 16 Arizona 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-14) in the final match of the Wildcat Classic on Saturday at McKale Center.
Junior setter Caitlynn Masoe was second on the team with five kills and had a .455 hitting percentage and led the team with 11 assists and added three digs, while junior libero Alexis Washington led the team with 12 digs.
The Wildcats were led by Kalei Mau with 13 kills and with 10 digs, Penina Snuka with 29 assists.
The Lady Tigers return home for its longest homestand of the season starting with Charleston Southern on Monday at 6 p.m. and The Citadel on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Willcox-Wiley Gym.
For complete story, visit www.ssuathletics.com
Dukes top North Carolina Central in three sets
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Senior Kelly Rossip led the North Carolina Central University volleyball team with seven kills, four digs and four block assists in a 3-0 loss to host James Madison University in the JMU Invitational Saturday morning.
The Dukes (9-3 Overall) prevented the Lady Eagles (1-15) from a second straight win with the 25-15, 25-13, 25-13 win.
Rossip finished with a team-high nine points. Other top hitters for the Lady Eagles included junior Kelsey Murphy (5 kills), freshman Kierra Shipman (4) and freshman Whitney White (3).
Junior setter Casey Curran tallied 15 assists and five digs. Sophomore Paige Phillips paced NCCU’s defense with eight digs.
Junior Janey Goodman paced the Dukes attack with a match-high 10 kills. Senior Meghan Niski chipped in eight kills and nine digs. Senior setter Sarah Patterson guided the offense with 24 assists.
James Madison held NCCU to a negative hitting percentage, thanks in part to 11 team blocks. Freshman Taylor Gail highlighted the Dukes front row fence with six block assists.
NCCU will begin MEAC southern divisional play next week when the Lady Eagles host archrival North Carolina A&T State on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com
Hampton completes second day at N.C. State
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Hampton University volleyball team completed the second day of the N.C. State Doubletree Cary Classic on Saturday at Carmichael Gym, losing to both N.C. State and Campbell in straight sets.
Lena Washington was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Against N.C. State, Asya Patterson led the Lady Pirates with seven kills against Wolfpack, hitting a team-best .182. Reeana Richardson had six kills in the match. Summer Humes had a team-high seven digs on defense to go along with 17 assists, and Kyndall Nicholas had six digs.
Alexandra Erhart had five blocks, while Patterson and Tatyana Thomas each had two.
Perry Ramsey led N.C. State with 12 kills.
Against Campbell, Washington and Richardson each had nine kills to lead the Lady Pirates in their final match of the afternoon, and Richardson added eight digs on defense. Mallory Beard had a team-high nine digs on defense and Medina added eight digs.
Richardson hit a team-best .208 for the match, while Washington hit .194.
Erhart had 22 assists and an ace.
Rachel Harty led Campbell with 10 kills.
The Lady Pirates will be home for the first time this season on Friday, opening MEAC play against Morgan State.
For complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com
Norfolk State drops pair at JMU Invitational
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team kept its mistakes to a minimum, but the Spartans were unable to overcome Georgetown’s offensive firepower in a 3-0 loss to the Hoyas on Saturday afternoon and concluded the tournament with a 3-0 loss to James Madison in the JMU Invitational.
In the opener against Georgetown, NSU hit .162 for the match and committed a season-low 12 attack errors, but Georgetown hit nearly .400 in winning 25-11, 25-19 and 25-17. The Hoyas posted 45 kills in the match with just 11 errors.
Liv King played a big part in that for Georgetown (6-7), as she finished with 13 kills on 18 swings, hitting .667 along the way.
The Hoyas hit .395 altogether and held the advantage in digs (40-28) and service aces (10-3).
Etuk and senior Janay Frazier each added four kills. Frazier also led all Spartan players with eight digs.
Against James Madison, the Dukes won the first two sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-16 before overwhelming the Spartans in the third set, 25-4.
JMU (10-3) hit .375 for the match and committed just nine attack errors. The trio of Janey Goodman (12 kills, .286 attack percentage, four blocks), Bryn Recker (10 kills, .500 attack percentage) and Meghan Niski (nine kills, .600 attack percentage) did most of the damage. They combined for 31 of the team’s 39 kills on the evening.
NSU will begin MEAC play next weekend at home, beginning with Coppin State at 6 p.m. on Friday at Joseph Echols Hall.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com
Coppin State defeats Saint Francis and Fordham
LORETTO, Pa. - The Coppin State volleyball team finished its weekend at Saint Francis with a flourish to enjoy a triumphant trek back to the 410.
The Lady Eagles scored the final 10 points of the match to defeat Saint Francis (Pa.), 3-2, at Degol Arena in the final contest of the Red Flash Classic Saturday night. It was the perfect complement to Coppin State's 3-1 victory over Fordham earlier in the day. Coppin State edged St. Francis, 20-25, 26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 15-7. The Lady Eagles won the first two sets against Fordham, 25-15, 25-21 before falling 16-25, in the third set and then rebounding to close the match with 25-22 victory in the final set.
Coppin State senior Cindy Okpegbue was a beast against the Red Flash recording her fourth double-double in her last five games with a season-high 20-kill and career best 15 dig performance.
Okpegbue was one of five Coppin State players with at least 15 digs in the win over Saint Francis. Freshman Samantha Polk posted her first career double-double with 11 kills and a career best 15 digs. Sophomore Bailee Jackson had nine kills and 15 digs. Senior setter Chelsee Sauni finished with 44 assists and 16 digs. Meanwhile, sophomore Glory Rosado had a career best 29 digs.
Senior Kendra Ireigbe had 10 of her 15 kills Saturday in the win over Saint Francis. She also had six blocks each in both matches. She also combined for a .375 hitting percentage on Saturday.
Leading Coppin State in its opening victory over Fordham was senior Denali Sturgeon, who had a season best 13 kills and a .370 hitting percentage. Sauni had 30 assists. Jackson and Rosado combined for 34 of Coppin State's 55 digs (61.1 percent).
Okpegbue and Sauni were named to the Red Flash All-Tournament team after helping Coppin State conclude the weekend with a 2-1 record.
Coppin State opens Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play Friday night when it visits Norfolk State in a match beginning at 6:00 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com
Hornets come up empty handed at Bucknell Tournament
DOVER, Del. --- The Delaware State volleyball team continued its recent struggles, dropping each of three matches at the Bucknell Invitational.
The Hornets fell to Providence 3-0 on Friday, before suffering shutout losses to Colgate and host Bucknell and Saturday.
DSU lost to Providence 25-19, 25-23 and 25-15. Jasmine Jackson led the Hornets with nine kills and eight digs in the match, while Taylor Marshall had a team-high 14 assists.
The Hornets fell to Colgate 25-18, 25-17 and 25-18. Jackson recorded a double-double in the match, collecting team-highs of 14 kills and 16 digs. The 16 digs marked her second best total of the season.
Nevershi Ellis added 14 digs, while Marshall led the Hornets with 25 assists.
Bucknell topped the Hornets by scores of 25-11, 25-10 and 25-16. Jackson posted her sixth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 15 digs. Alliyah McBean led DSU with 17 digs.
The Hornets (2-11) will try to snap a six match losing streak when they return to action on Friday (Sep. 25) at Fairleigh Dickinson. The contest begins at 6 p.m. in Teaneck, N.J.
DSU will play its home opener at Oct. 9 against MEAC rival Coppin State. The Dig Pink Breast Cancer Awareness match is set for 6 p.m. in Memorial Hall.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com