Catawba Advances To Volleyball Southeast Regional Final

WINGATE, N.C. -- The fourth-seeded Catawba College Indians fought back after dropping the first set to defeat the top-seeded Bulldogs of Wingate University 3-1 Saturday night in the semifinals of the 2008 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional volleyball tournament in Cuddy Arena. Catawba won by scores of 17-25, 27-25, 25-22 and 25-19 to improve to 22-10 overall. The Bulldogs end their season at 31-2 overall.

Catawba moves on to face the Armstrong Atlantic University Pirates, who defeated Lincoln Memorial University in the first semi-final match. The Catawba-AASU match will be played Sunday night at 7 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. The Catawba victory snaps a 29-match winning streak for the Bulldogs; the triumph is the first victory for Catawba over Wingate in the last 10 meetings.

Catawba senior outside hitter Melissa Griffith (Williamsburg, Va.) led the attack with 24 kills. She is averaging 6.75 kills per set in the regionals. Senior outside hitter Melissa Powers (Bennett, N.C.) added 14 kills, while freshman outside hitter Shay Meeks (Kings Mountain, N.C.) contributed with 13 kills. Freshman setter Megan Courson (Statesville, N.C.) handed out 48 assists to go along with 12 digs. Catawba Indian junior libero Mai Zoua Lo (Hickory, N.C.) collected 22 digs.

Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) led the Wingate attack with 17 kills. Senior outside hitter Kathryn Reddick (Franklinton, N.C.) and sophomore middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) added 13 kills each. Freshman setter Liz Willis racked up 49 assists and 12 digs, while freshman libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) had 22 digs.

"All year long, we won games by winning the critical points at the end," Wingate head coach Shelton Collier says. "In game two and three tonight, Catawba won those (points), which was the difference. We out-hit them and had more digs…but for the first time this season, we lost the serving and passing battle significantly," Collier says. "This (fact) cost us.

"We had a great season," Collier acknowledges. "We came up short of our year-end goal…making it to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight."

A kill from freshman outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) gave the Bulldogs a 12-7 lead in the first set. A kill from Meeks, followed by a block from Powers and Meeks cut the lead to two at 13-11. The Bulldogs answered with a 3-0 run to take a 16-11 advantage, capped by back-to-back blocks from Gale and Reddick.

Catawba cut the lead to three when a Wingate error made it 17-14. Ehorn answered with consecutive kills, followed by a pair of kills from Reddick to make the score 21-14 Bulldogs. The lead stayed above six the rest of the way, as sophomore middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) finished set one with a kill. Reddick had five kills in five attacks in the first set as the Bulldogs hit .387 in the opening frame.

Two kills from Reddick, along with a kill from Bloemer gave Wingate a 20-13 lead in the second set. A kill from Griffith, followed by a kill from junior middle blocker Jasmine Chunn (East Bend, N.C.) cut the lead to five. A kill from sophomore outside hitter Heather Myklebust (Sugar Land, Texas) gave Wingate a 22-16 lead.

Catawba responded with a kill from Meeks, followed by an ace from Lo. A Bulldog error made it 22-19. Wingate held a 24-21 lead after a kill from Billo. A Wingate error, followed by a kill from Griffith and another Bulldog error tied the frame at 24.

Another kill from Griffith gave Catawba a 25-24 edge; Wingate tied it on a Catawba error. A Bulldog service error, followed by a block from Griffith and Chunn completed the set for the Tribe. Griffith racked up eight kills in the second frame for Catawba.

The third set was tightly contested throughout, as the set featuring 15 ties and five lead changes. A kill from Gale gave Wingate an 18-16 lead. Catawba tied it at 19 on a kill from Meeks. A kill from Griffith gave the Catawba Indians a 21-20 lead, as Gale answered with a kill.

The teams traded points until a kill from Griffith gave Catawba a 23-22 set three lead. Back-to-back Wingate errors clinched the third set for Catawba. Griffith racked up 10 kills in the third frame, while hitting .667. The Tribe hit .447 as a team in the pivotal third set.

A kill from Griffith gave Catawba a 17-12 lead in the fourth set. A kill from Bloemer, followed by a Catawba error made it 17-14. Back-to-back Wingate errors gave Catawba a 20-15 lead. Two kills from Meeks, along with two kills from Powers gave Catawba a 24-16 advantage. Kills from Billo and Reddick, along with a Catawba error cut the lead to 24-19. The Catawba Indians finished the match with a kill from Powers.

Catawba hit .233 for the match, with 56 kills and 19 errors on 159 attacks. Wingate hit .273 for the match with 64 kills and 20 errors in 161 attacks. Powers led the Catawba defense with four block assists; Reddick led the Bulldogs with four block assists and a solo block.

Armstrong Atlantic State 3, Lincoln Memorial University 2

WINGATE, N.C. -- The Armstrong Atlantic State University volleyball team earned its second 3-2 victory in two days, taking a hard-fought decision over Lincoln Memorial University Saturday evening in the semi-finals of the 2008 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional volleyball tournament in Cuddy Arena.

In a complete role reversal from Friday, the AASU Pirates let a 2-0 lead evaporate before securing a 28-26, 25-18, 24-26, 24-26, 15-6 triumph over the LMU Railsplitters. On Friday, AASU trailed 14-9 in the final set before rallying for the win. The Pirates are 27-6 overall. They will face either Wingate or Catawba in Sunday's 7 p.m. final. The Cinderella story ends for Lincoln Memorial, as the 'Splitters finish the season 22-14.

Armstrong Atlantic State senior outside hitter Rindy Vidovich (San Pedro, Calif.) became the second Pirate in as many days to record a 20-20 double-double. The Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year, Vidovich notched her 1,000th career kill en route to a 24-kill, 26-dig performance. Both numbers were team highs.

Five Pirates had 10 or more kills. AASU junior outside hitter Gwendolyn Clarke (Superior, Colo.) collected 15 kills. Sophomore setter Hannah Segebart (Littleton, Colo.) had a career-best 71 assists, while freshman libero Casey Howett (Atlanta, Ga.) had 24 digs. Pirate junior setter Marina Marinova (Sofia, Bulgaria) had 22 digs.

Lincoln Memorial senior outside hitter Amanda Horenkamp (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and her teammates did not go down without a fight. Horenkamp had a 20-20 night of her own with 20 kills and 21 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Knight (Palm Harbor, Fla.) added 11 kills.

LMU sophomore setter Lauren Kiwacka (Tipp City, Ohio) had 45 assists for the second consecutive night. Railsplitter junior libero Alicia MacIntyre (Muncie, Ind.) was a defensive demon, notching a match-high 28 digs.

There was little drama in the deciding fifth set after a see-saw battle in the first four frames. Armstrong Atlantic State hit .370 in the pivotal set as the Pirates swash-buckled their way to a 10-3 lead. Vidovich had five kills in the fifth set, including a fitting termination on match point.

Lincoln Memorial forced the fifth set by taking two nail-biters 26-24 in sets three and four. In set four, the 'Splitters rallied from a 16-10 deficit, thanks to Horenkamp and her four kills. The fourth frame featured five tie scores and three lead changes. An AASU attack error and ball-handling error gave Lincoln Memorial the 26-24 victory.

The Railsplitters started their rally with a 26-24 triumph in set three. The third frame featured only one lead change, but it was the only one LMU would need to turn the tide. The 'Splitters had a .278 hitting percentage in the third set with 14 kills, four errors and 36 total attacks. Horenkamp was a big factor with five kills. Kiwacka dished out 11 assists. AASU had nine hitting errors each in sets three and four.

Armstrong Atlantic State hit .364 as the Pirates led from cover-to-cover in the second set. The Pirates plundered early and often, taking a 10-3 lead on a Bevolo kill.

AASU continued its run, taking a 15-5 advantage on a Railsplitter ball-handling error.

The 10-point lead was Armstrong Atlantic's biggest of the second frame. LMU cut the margin to four (20-16) on an AASU hitting error, but they could get no closer. Both Clarke and Remlinger hit .667 in the second set. Clarke and LMU's Horenkamp posted six kills each in set number two.

The first set was tightly contested, as the frame was tied 12 times with five lead changes. Armstrong Atlantic State took a 20-15 lead on an LMU attack error. The Railsplitters answered with a 6-1 flurry to tie the score at 21-21 on a ball-handling error by AASU. Knight had two kills in the run.

The Pirates responded with back-to-back kills by Vidovich. An LMU attack error on the next point gave Armstrong Atlantic a 24-21 advantage. The 'Splitters scored four consecutive points to take a 25-24 lead on a Horenkamp kill. Back-to-back Lincoln Memorial attack errors allowed the Pirates to take a 26-25 edge.

LMU benefitted from an AASU attack error to tie the frame for the 12th and final time at 26-26. Kills by Clarke and Remlinger completed the marathon first set for the Pirates. Remlinger had five kills in the first frame, as did Lincoln Memorial's Richardson.

Armstrong Atlantic State hit .250 in the marathon match with 76 kills, 26 errors and 200 total attacks. AASU junior middle hitter Michele Remlinger (Kalida, Ohio) had another big night, hitting .480 with 13 kills, one error and 25 total attacks. Freshman outside hitter Torrie Bevolo (St. Louis, Mo.) also had 13 kills for the victors.

Lincoln Memorial hit .218 with 60 kills, 19 errors and 188 total attacks. The Railsplitters had 85 digs compared to 99 digs for the Pirates. LMU completes a magical season by advancing to the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament finals and earning its first-ever NCAA post-season bid.