Wingate Advances To NCAA Volleyball Region Championship, Flagler Knocks Out Carson-Newman
WINGATE, N.C. -- Wingate University senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer had 17 kills in 25 swings, for a .640 hitting percentage to lead the top-seeded Bulldogs past the University of Montevallo Falcons 3-1 in semifinal action of the 2010 NCAA Southeast Regionals.
The 25th-ranked Bulldogs won by scores of 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 and 25-21 to improve to 30-1 overall, advancing to the regional finals for the second straight year. Montevallo ends its season at 24-13 overall.
"This was definitely one of the most exciting and high-level matches we have ever had here at Wingate," head coach Shelton Collier says. "There was obviously a lot at stake, and Montevallo played awesome, so we had to elevate our game or otherwise our season would be over. Now we have another chance to play to go to the Elite Eight, which is very exciting."
Bloemer notched six kills in seven swings in the third set, while collecting eight kills in 13 swings in set four. Freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 12 kills and 18 digs, while senior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) chipped in with 11 kills. Senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) had nine kills, 17 digs and six blocks for the Bulldogs. Junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had 31 assists and 10 digs, while junior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 28 digs.
Sophomore middle hitter Virginia Clay (Fort Collins, Colo.) had 15 kills and five blocks, hitting .419 on the night. Senior outside hitter Kara Zawisza (Ann Arbor, Mich.) added 13 kills and 14 digs for the Falcons. Freshman middle hitter Many Ati (Lawrenceville, Ga.) had 13 kills, while senior outside hitter Rebecca Dowd (Dothan, Ala.) chipped in with 12 kills and 22 digs. Junior setter Anna Garrison (LaVergne, Tenn.) handed out 57 assists to go along with 18 digs, while junior libero Rachel Wotizky (Punta Gorda, Fla.) notched 26 digs.
Kills from Billo and McGowan gave Wingate a 12-9 lead in the opening set. The Falcons fought back, getting kills from Clay and Dowd to take a 15-14 advantage. Another Clay kill put Montevallo up 17-15. The Bulldogs scored five of the next six points to take a 20-18 lead. Billo got it started with back-to-back kills. The three-time All-SAC performer capped the spurt with a kill to give Wingate a two-point lead. The Falcons would not go away, cutting the lead to one at 23-22 on a kill from freshman middle hitter Michelle Carle (Sugar Land, Texas). The 'Dogs claimed the opening set on back-to-back Montevallo errors.
The second frame stayed tight throughout, with 11 ties and three lead changes. A kill and two blocks from Gale gave Wingate a 13-10 lead. McGowan put the Bulldogs on top 17-13 with a kill. Back-to-back kills from Zawisza, along with an ace from Clay tied the set at 19. A kill from McGowan gave the Bulldogs a 22-21 lead. Kills from Ati and Carle put the Falcons ahead 23-22. Dowd and Clay combined on back-to-back blocks to give Montevallo the second set.
Kills from Bloemer and Gale, followed by a block from Gale and junior outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) gave Wingate a 16-12 lead in the third set. A kill from redshirt freshman middle blocker Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) gave the 'Dogs a 19-15 advantage. A block from Dowd and Clay, followed by a pair of Wingate errors cut the lead to 19-18. Kills from McGowan and Bloemer, along with a pair of Montevallo errors gave Wingate a 23-20 lead. Another Bloemer kill made it 24-21. Back-to-back Montevallo points made it 24-23. The Bulldogs went back to Bloemer, who put the third set away with a kill.
An Ati kill gave the Falcons a 14-12 lead in the fourth frame. Kills from Bloemer and sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) tied it at 14. The teams would trade points until Willis followed a Bloemer kill with an ace to give Wingate a 19-18 lead. Krauser and Bloemer followed with a block, while Bloemer sandwiched two more kills around another Willis ace to give the Bulldogs a 23-18 lead. Back-to-back Ati kills, along with a Wingate error cut the lead to two at 23-21. Wingate went back to the hot hand one final time, as the senior Bloemer slammed home two more kills to put the Bulldogs in the regional finals.
Wingate hit .235 for the match, with 59 kills and 16 errors in 183 attacks. Montevallo had 65 kills and 27 errors in 199 attacks for a hitting percentage of .191. Willis had two of Wingate's three aces on the night. The 'Dogs racked up 12 blocks, led by Gale's six and Bloemer's four. Montevallo got five blocks from Clay and four from Dowd.
The Bulldogs and Saints meet in the regional title match for the second straight year. Flagler knocked off Wingate 3-1 in the 2009 regional championship match, on its way to the NCAA final four. The Bulldogs and Saints met twice in the regular season, with each team claiming one match.
Flagler 3, Carson-Newman 0
WINGATE, N.C. -- The second-seeded Flagler College Saints swept the sixth-seeded Carson-Newman College Eagles in semi-final action of the 2010 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional volleyball tournament Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. The Saints won by scores of 25-21, 25-15 and 25-21 to improve to 29-8 overall and reach the regional title match for the second consecutive season. Carson-Newman ends its season at 20-11 overall.
Senior middle blocker Meg Weathersby (Maitland, Fla.) had 14 kills and 12 digs, while hitting .312 to lead the Flagler attack. Sophomore middle blocker Crystal Niederriter (Merritt Island, Fla.) added nine kills and four blocks with a .438 hitting percentage, while sophomore outside hitter Dianna Craine (Oshawa, Ontario) contributed seven kills. Senior setter Rebecca Royal (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) had 22 assists, four digs, three kills and three blocks for the Saints.
|
Carson-Newman's Nikki James hits for a kill against Flagler. Photo by Mike Slade. |
Junior middle hitter Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) had nine kills and five blocks to lead the Carson-Newman attack. Senior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) added eight kills for the Eagles. Senior setter Lara McDonald (Salem, Va.) handed out 27 assists, while sophomore libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) collected a match-high 17 digs.
A block from freshman outside hitter Lindsey Bryant (Gainesville, Ga.) gave the Eagles an 11-8 lead in the first set. Flagler answered with four of the next five points to tie it at 12 on a kill from Craine. A Weathersby kill, along with a Carson-Newman error, gave the Saints a 16-14 lead. The Eagles battled back, tying the set at 20 on a pair of kills from Mozgai. Flagler responded with a 4-0 run to take a 24-20 advantage. Niederriter started the flurry with back-to-back kills, then teamed up with Royal for a block to give the Saints set point. Flagler claimed set one on a Carson-Newman attack error.
The Saints used a 4-0 run to take a 13-10 lead in the second set, highlighted by back-to-back Niederriter kills. Carson-Newman cut it to one on a kill from McDonald, followed by a Flagler error, which made the score 13-12. The Saints scored the next five points to take a six-point lead. Niederriter started it with a kill and back-to-back aces, while Weathersby added a kill. Another Weathersby kill, along with two Carson-Newman errors, gave the Saints a 24-15 lead. Flagler claimed set two on an error from the Eagles.
Back-to-back kills from James gave the Eagles a 12-9 lead in the third set. Another kill from James, along with a Flagler error, made it 15-11. The Saints responded with a 9-5 run to take a 20-19 lead. Weathersby had a pair of kills in the key stretch, while Royal added a kill which tied the set at 19. A Mozgai kill tied the set at 20. Craine answered with a kill to put the Saints on top for good at 21-20. A Royal kill gave the Saints a 24-21 advantage. Sophomore outside hitter Kathleen Fitzpatrick (Pompano Beach, Fla.) concluded the match with a kill.
Flagler hit .280 for the match, with 42 kills and 14 errors in 100 attacks. The Eagles had 30 kills and 16 attacks for a hitting percentage of .131. Niederriter had all four aces for the Saints, while Hayes had two of the four Carson-Newman aces on the day.
The Saints will take on Wingate Sunday night at 7 p.m. for the regional title. Flagler defeated Wingate 3-1 in the 2009 regional championship match in Cuddy Arena. The Saints and Bulldogs split a pair of matches in the 2010 season. Flagler and Montevallo also split the two regular season meetings this year.