Wingate, Carson-Newman, Tusculum, Lincoln Memorial Advance In Food Lion SAC Volleyball Tournament
SALISBURY, N.C. -- Three of the four matches in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Food Lion SAC Volleyball Tournament went to five sets on Friday, with the top four seeds advancing.
Top-seed and four-time defending Food Lion SAC Volleyball Tournament champion Wingate University defeated eighth-seed Newberry College, 3-2, while fourth-seed Carson-Newman knocked out fifth-seed and host Catawba College, 3-2. Third-seed Lincoln Memorial University needed five sets to beat sixth-seed Anderson University. Second-seed Tusculum swept seventh-seed Mars Hill College in three sets.
Saturday's semifinals will have Wingate and Carson-Newman at 1:30 p.m. and Tusculum and Lincoln Memorial meeting at 4 p.m.
No. 1 Wingate 3, No. 8 Newberry 2
For the first time in the 2010 season, the Wingate University Bulldogs were pushed to a fifth set. The top-seeded Bulldogs prevailed 3-2 over the eighth-seeded Wolves of Newberry College in quarter-final action of the 2010 Food Lion SAC Volleyball tournament Friday afternoon in Goodman Gymnasium on the campus of Catawba College. The four-time defending tournament champions prevailed by scores of 25-22, 23-25, 25-19, 24-26 and 15-12 to improve to 26-1 overall and advance to the tournament semifinals. Newberry concludes the 2010 campaign 13-18 overall.
Senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) notched season highs of 19 kills, 20 digs and six blocks to lead the Wingate attack. The two-time SAC Player of the Year hit .327 on the afternoon. Sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) had a career day, piling up 15 kills and six blocks, while hitting .394. Freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 14 kills and 11 digs for the Bulldogs. Junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had 39 assists, 16 digs and four aces, while senior setter Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) contributed 23 assists and 12 digs.
Grace Krauser post-match interview
Newberry senior outside hitter Kara Harris (Grandview, Texas) had a match-high 20 kills to go along with 16 digs. Freshman outside hitter Samantha Parrish (Angola, Ind.) added 17 kills and 19 digs for the Wolves. Freshman outside hitter Anne Staudinger (Fort Wayne, Ind.) collected 11 kills, while junior Brittany Wood (Pendleton, S.C.) registered 10 kills. Senior setter Brianna Blakely (Houston, Texas) had 52 assists and 17 digs, while senior libero Nadia Andrade (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) racked up a match-high 36 digs.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-6 lead in the opening frame on a kill from senior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.). Newberry answered with an 8-2 run to tie the set at 14 on a Staudinger kill. An ace from Blakely gave the Wolves the advantage at 19-18. A Gale kill, followed by a block from Gale and sophomore outside hitter Katie Handy (Palos Verdes, Calif.), put Wingate on top 20-19. Harris tied it at 21 with a kill. Krauser answered with a kill, while a Willis ace made it 23-21. A Newberry error gave the 'Dogs a 24-22 lead, as Billo concluded the set with a kill.
A Harris kill, followed by an ace from senior middle blocker Leah Nye (Hoover, Ala.), gave Newberry a 14-6 lead in the second set. Wingate used a 5-0 run to cut the lead to two at 15-13. Gale had a pair of blocks in the spurt. Back-to-back Parrish kills, followed by a kill from Harris, pushed the Newberry lead to 19-15. The 'Dogs scored the next five points to take a 20-19 lead. Gale got it started with a kill, while McGowan added a kill and a block to tie it A block from Handy and senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) put Wingate on top. The Wolves answered by scoring five of the next seven points to take a 24-22 lead. Harris tied it at 22, while two Wingate errors gave Newberry the advantage. The Wolves claimed the set on a Wingate error.
A pair of McGowan kills, along with a Billo kill, put Wingate on top 15-8 in the third set. A Staudinger kill cut the lead to four at 16-12. The Bulldogs answered with a 3-0 run, capped by a Handy kill, to take a 19-12 lead. The Wolves would get no closer than five the rest of the way, with Handy finishing the set with a kill.
A pair of Harris kills gave Newberry a 12-9 lead in the fourth set. The Bulldogs scored the next six points to take a 15-12 advantage. Willis sparked the flurry with a pair of aces, while Handy finished it with a pair of kills. The Wolves battled back, taking an 18-17 lead on back-to-back Parrish kills. Newberry took a 21-20 lead on a kill from Nye. A McGowan kill, followed by a Willis ace, put Wingate on top 22-21. Sophomore outside hitter Katie Davenport (Tyrone, Ga.) gave Newberry a 24-23 lead with a kill. The Bulldogs tied it at 24 with a block from Krauser and Billo. Parrish gave the Wolves a 25-24 lead with a kill. A Wingate error would send the match to a fifth set.
Kills from Parrish and Nye put the Wolves on top 10-7 in the fifth set. Bloemer answered with a kill, while Krauser and Handy added a block to trim the lead to one. A Nye kill made it 11-9. Wingate scored the next three points to take its first lead of the set, capped by a Newberry error. The Wolves tied it at 12 on a Wingate error. Krauser gave the Bulldogs a 13-12 lead, while Gale pushed the advantage to two with a kill. Billo capped the match with a kill for the Bulldogs.
Wingate hit .282 on the match, with 74 kills and 17 errors in 202 attacks. The Wolves hit .225, with 71 kills and 25 errors in 204 attacks. Wingate piled up a season-high 15 blocks on the afternoon. Krauser and Gale led the way with six each, while Handy added five. Willis had four of Wingate's five aces. Nye led the Wolves with two aces on the day.
The Bulldogs advance to the semifinals, where they will face Carson-Newman. The semifinal contest takes place at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Goodman Gymnasium.
Wingate Coach Shelton Collier post-match interview
Newberry Coach David Nicholson post-match interview
No. 4 Carson-Newman 3, No. 5 Catawba 2
SALISBURY, N.C. -- The fourth-seeded Carson-Newman volleyball team held off fifth-seeded Catawba, 3-2 (24-26, 27-25, 25-23, 18-25, 17-15), on Friday afternoon in the first round of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament at Goodman Gym.
Senior Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) tallied a career-high 29 kills and added eight digs and three blocks to lead C-N, while junior Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) contributed 21 kills, 10 digs and eight blocks. Junior Carly Swisher (Fort Collins, Colo.) chipped in 10 kills and seven blocks in the win.
Carly Mozgai post-match interview
With the win, the Lady Eagles (19-9) advance to the semifinals and will face top-seeded and four-time defending tournament champion Wingate (26-1) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Catawba falls to 14-13 overall.
Mozgai and James combined for 50 of Carson-Newman's 67 kills. Setter Lara McDonald handed out 59 assists and libero Angelle Hayes registered 26 digs.
Kaitlyn Whitmer led Catawba with 27 kills and hit at just under 35 percent. She added 11 digs, two blocks and a pair of aces. Shay Meeks followed with 18 kills. Setter Jordan Raye collected 53 assists with libero Jenny Young posting 27 digs.
Catawba led the final set 14-12 after consecutive kills from Meeks. The Lady Eagles rallied behind back-to-back kills from Mozgai. A kill by Alli Parrish gave the Lady Indians one last match point, but Carson-Newman reeled off the final three points. Swisher fought off the match point with a kill then combined with Lindsey Bryant on a block for a 16-15 edge. An attack error by Catawba led to the final point.
The Lady Indians took the opening set after trailing 10-2 out of the gate. Down 22-16, Catawba surged ahead with an eight-point run to go up 24-22 on the serving of Raye. Whitmer had four kills in the run. Meeks delivered the final kill in the set.
Carson-Newman took tightly contested sets two and three. Catawba led 10-5 in set two before the Lady Eagles rallied back. Mozgai had a kill to give C-N a 20-16 edge, but the Lady Indians forced extra points as Whitmer pounded down consecutive kills for a 24-all tie. Swisher posted a kill and a combo block to help the Lady Eagles lead 26-25 and Mozgai killed off the set.
The Lady Eagles fought back from an early deficit in set three as Mozgai served a pair of aces in a six-point run to put C-N up 12-10. The teams traded leads until Swisher and James combined on a block to give Carson-Newman a 24-23 edge. A Catawba attack error would end the set.
In set four, Catawba extended the match by winning the only set not decided by two points. Parrish had back-to-back kills to help the Lady Indians to a 12-7 lead. Leading 16-14, Anna Logan served an ace and Whitmer had a block and a kill to put Catawba up 20-14. A kill by Taylor Doss finished off the set.
Carson-Newman Coach Shannon Mincey post-match interview
Catawba Coach Ginger Hamric post-match interview
No. 2 Tusculum 3, No. 7 Mars Hill 0
SALISBURY, N.C. -- Tusculum got a team-high 12 kills from Allyson Ray as the Pioneers knocked off Mars Hill for an opening round win at the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Tournament on Friday afternoon at Goodman Gym on the campus of Catawba College. The second-seeded Pioneers won by the scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-20 to improve to 24-5. The Lions, seeded seventh, fall to 13-12. Tusculum advances to a Saturday afternoon semifinal against the winner of the Lincoln Memorial/Anderson match.
A trio of Pioneers reached double digits in kills as Rhayne Smitherman and Sam Underwood followed Ray with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Setter Ashley Sarmiento totaled 38 assists, while libero Caitlyn Dean recorded 33 digs. Marissa Wixson led Mars Hill with 12 kills, while adding 10 digs and three blocks. Maggie Murphy posted 25 digs.
Tusculum pulled away late in the opening set. Leading 15-14, the Pioneers scored six straight points to take control. Smitherman and Alyssa Raterman each had a pair of kills in the run. Bailee Price killed off the final point. A five-point spurt pushed Tusculum to a 21-13 lead in set two. Ray and Price each had a kill and combined for a block in the run. Smitherman and Raterman combined on a block for set point.
A Price kill helped the Pioneers to an early 9-4 lead in the final set. Mars Hill stayed close and kills by Evie Tafunai twice pulled the Lions within two points down the stretch. With a 21-19 lead, Sam Underwood delivered a kill and Dean an ace for a 23-19 edge. Underwood and Raterman would kill off the final two points for the Pioneers.
Sam Underwood, Tusculum, post-match interview
Mars Hill Coach Tony Fontanelle post-match interview
Tusculum Coach Michael Robinson post-match interview
No. 3 Lincoln Memorial 3, No. 6 Anderson 2
SALISBURY, N.C. -- Lincoln Memorial held off an Anderson comeback bid to post a five-set win in an opening round match at the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Tournament on Friday night at Goodman Gym on the campus of Catawba College. The Lady Railsplitters, seeded third, were victorious by the scores of 25-20, 25-22, 12-25, 21-25 and 15-8. The win improves LMU to 23-6 and advances the Lady Railsplitters to a Saturday semifinal with Tusculum. The Trojans fall to 18-15.
Kaitlin Walton led LMU with 15 kills, while Ashley Knight had a double-double with 13 kills and 18 digs. Blaire Fowler also recorded 13 kills and delivered six blocks. Jamie Lancaster posted match-highs with 20 kills and 20 digs for Anderson. Marlie Bryant followed with 11 kills and 16 digs. Setter Lindsay Doggett handed out 41 assists and recorded 18 digs.
After Lincoln Memorial saw Anderson erase a two-set deficit, the Lady Railsplitters ran off the final seven points of the fifth set to take the match. A kill by Walton gave the serve to Kristen Cantrell, who served out the match. Fowler combined on two blocks during the run and killed off the match point.
Anderson stormed back after losing the first two sets. The Trojans rolled to a 25-12 win in set three. Anderson trailed in set four 13-6 before coming back to go on top 17-16 on a combo block from Bryant and Tiffany Rowe. LMU regained the lead at 19-17, but after a kill by Bryant and a service ace by Adria Mullaney the Trojans took the lead for good at 21-20.
Three straight kills by Candace Richardson late in the opening set helped spark Lincoln Memorial to the early lead. The spurt by Richardson put the Lady Railsplitters up 22-18 and was part of a 7-2 run to close the set. LMU also pulled away late in set two, turning an 18-17 deficit into a 24-18 lead with a seven-point burst. Three points came on kills by Fowler, who also killed off the set point.
Blaire Fowler, Lincoln Memorial