Armstrong Atlantic State Tops Catawba In Southeast Region Volleyball Championship

WINGATE, N.C. -- The Armstrong Atlantic State University volleyball team will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time in school history, thanks to a 3-0 victory over Catawba College in the championship match of the Southeast Regional tournament in Cuddy Arena.

The Pirates won 25-23, 29-27, 25-23 to improve to 28-6 overall on the season. AASU will face Grand Valley State (Mich.) University (32-3 overall) in the Elite Eight on Thursday, Dec. 4 (at a site to be determined). Catawba completes the 2008 campaign 22-11 overall.

Armstrong Atlantic State senior outside hitter Rindy Vidovich (San Pedro, Calif.) was one of three Pirates to earn All-Tournament team honors. In the title match, she posted 12 kills, 12 digs, four block assists and one block solo. Pirate freshman outside hitter Torrie Bevolo (St. Louis, Mo.) led four players in double-digit kills with 13. Bevolo also had a double-double with 20 digs to go with her 13 kills.

Pirate junior outside hitter Gwendolyn Clarke (Superior, Colo.) topped the AASU hitting charts with a .440 hitting percentage and 12 kills, while setter Hannah Segebart (Littleton, Colo.) notched 44 assists on the evening. Segebart and Bevolo joined Vidovich on the All-Tournament team.

Catawba senior outside hitter Melissa Griffith (Williamsburg, Va.) led the Indian attack with 15 kills. She added eight digs. Freshman setter Megan Courson (Statesville, N.C.) posted a double-double of her own with 30 assists and 10 digs. Griffith, Courson and junior libero Mai Zoua Lo (Hickory, N.C.) earned All-Tournament honors.

In the deciding third set, Armstrong Atlantic State never trailed to wrap up the championship. The Pirates posted their best hitting percentage of the evening, recording a .333 rate (16 kills, four errors and 36 total attacks). AASU junior middle hitter Michele Remlinger (Kalida, Ohio) had her best set of the evening in the third, posting team-best totals of five kills and two block assists. Griffith and senior middle blocker Melissa Powers (Bennett, N.C.) had five kills each for Catawba in the third set.

The Pirates rallied from two separate four-point deficits to take set two in extra innings. Catawba led 22-18 on a double block by Powers and freshman hitter Erin O'Reilly (Morehead City, N.C.). Armstrong Atlantic made a 6-1 move, taking a 24-23 lead on back-to-back service aces by freshman libero Casey Howett (Atlanta, Ga.).

Catawba saved four set points, but Armstrong took the 2-0 lead when Vidovich finished the stanza with a kill. Set two featured 11 tie scores and four lead changes. Vidovich and Clarke had six kills each in the frame, while Griffith matched them with six terminations of her own.

In the first set, the two teams experienced 10 tie scores and six lead changes. AASU led by three points on four occasions, the final time at 19-16 on a Catawba attack error. The Indians made a 6-2 push to take a 22-21 lead on a Powers kill.

Armstrong Atlantic State finished the first frame with three straight points (on three Catawba attack errors) to take the victory. Vidovich and Bevolo had five kills each for the Pirates in set one. Griffith and freshman outside hitter Shay Meeks (Kings Mountain, N.C.) posted four kills each for the Indians.

The Pirates posted a .217 hitting percentage Sunday night, with 52 kills, 22 errors and 138 total attacks. AASU had one solo block and 15 block assists. Remlinger had five block assists. The Pirates had 61 digs to 56 for the Indians. Howett had 15 digs to support Bevolo's 20-dig effort.

Catawba hit at a .171 clip with 40 kills, 18 errors and 129 total attacks. The CatU Indians had 14 block assists. Powers led all blockers with seven block assists. Lo had 19 digs to lead the Indian defensive effort.

2008 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional All-Tournament team
Rindy Vidovich, Armstrong Atlantic State
Torrie Bevolo, Armstrong Atlantic State
Hannah Segebart, Armstrong Atlantic State
Megan Courson, Catawba
Melissa Griffith, Catawba
Mai Zoua Lo, Catawba
Stormi Gale, Wingate
Kathryn Reddick, Wingate
Amanda Horenkamp, Lincoln Memorial
Alicia MacIntyre, Lincoln Memorial
Kerri Sorensen, Lander
Jenna Kaiser, Francis Marion

What They Are Saying

AASU head coach Will Condon:

"I think this match, even though it only went three games, was equally intense as the first two. Each game was decided by two points. You can't get any closer than that."

On playing so many two-point games in the first two matches of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional:

"It certainly didn't hurt us. I think our players, no matter what was going on, weathered the storm and found a way to score the points they needed to score. I've never seen a team this intense…with this much passion and desire to finish it."

Other comments:

"To me, the one player who has gotten overlooked this tournament and this year is Casey Howett. She played unbelievable today. Richie (Casie Richards) gave us some swings in a row that ended this in three…where yesterday caused us to go five."

AASU senior outside hitter Rindy Vidovich:

"This team, this year…we have more passion. We want it. There's never a time on the court when we're scared to swing, to block, to execute…never a time when we feel like we're going to lose - there's no way. Even if we're down, we know we are going to come back."