Sept. 14-15 Volleyball Weekend Recap

Three Horizon League schools picked up tournament titles in the final weekend of non-conference play. Green Bay (Davidson Wildcat Classic), Loyola (Rambler Challenge) and Valparaiso (Hoosier Classic) all went undefeated this weekend en route to winning their tournaments. In addition to those three schools, Cleveland State, UIC and Youngstown State all went .500 or better on the weekend.

Here’s a team-by-team look at the fourth weekend of play.

Cleveland State at West Virginia Invitational
Results:
Cleveland State def. Murray State, 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-14)
West Virginia def. Cleveland State, 3-2 (21-25, 24-26, 25-18, 27-25, 15-12)

The Vikings (8-5)  closed out the non-conference portion of their schedule Saturday, earning a 3-0 sweep over Murray State and falling to West Virginia in five sets at the West Virginia Invitational. Seniors Marie Frease and Kara Koch led the Vikings throughout the West Virginia Invite, Frease posting her fourth and fifth straight matches with double-digit kills and Koch combining for 38 kills to improve her career mark to 1,309. Following the two matches today, Koch now ranks fourth all-time on the CSU career kills list, and is one of only four Vikings to notch 1,300 kills on their careers. In the first match of the invite, Cleveland State cruised to a 3-0 victory over Murray State, defeating the Racers for the second time this season. Koch and Frease each tallied double-digit kills, Koch with 15 and Frease with 13, while Amanda Medvetz tallied 12 digs and Annie Djukic notched 32 assists. Cleveland State dropped a hard fought five-set match against West Virginia to close out the invite, winning the first two sets and allowing the Mountaineers to claim the final three frames. Koch posted her sixth 20-kill match of the year with 23 against WVU, while Frease tallied 12 and Jackie Dabbeltadded 11. Djukic notched 44 assists, while the trio of Koch (25), Medvetz (13) and Djukic (10) notched double-digit digs.

Green Bay at Davidson Wildcat Classic
Results:
Green Bay def. North Carolina Central, 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-17)
Green Bay def. High Point, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-17)
Green Bay def. Davidson, 3-2 (25-11, 32-30, 14-25, 22-25, 15-11)

The Phoenix (7-5) exit the third weekend of regular season play with a four-match winning streak after winning the Davidson Wildcat Classic. Green Bay opened the tournament with a sweep of North Carolina Central. The Phoenix finished with a staggering advantage in attack percentage, out-hitting NC Central .283 to .028 while also owning a 42-25 lead in the kill column. Leah Van Zeeland drilled home a match-high 11 kills to go along with 10 digs, giving the junior her fourth double-double of the year. Junior Leah Poel led the Phoenix passing attack with 26 assists, while senior Brittany Groth paced the defense with a match-high 23 digs. It marked the fourth time this season that Groth has registered 23 or more digs in a three-set match.  In their second match of the tournament, the Phoenix once again won in a sweep, defeating High Point, 3-0. Green Bay finished with the advantage in nearly every statistical category, out-doing the Panthers in hitting percentage (.281-.177), kills (47-36), assists (43-34), digs (54-46) and service aces (4-1). The Phoenix got another big match from Van Zeeland who reached double-digit kills for the fifth straight contest and registered her fifth double-double of the year with 13 kills and 12 digs. Monica Anderson also reached double-figures in kills, tallying 11. Poel finished with a match-high 36 assists - tying her best three-set total of the season - and Grothpaced all players with 19 digs. In the tournament finale, Green Bay raced out to a 2-0 lead and after dropping the next two sets, rebounded in the fifth and final set to defeat Davidson and capture the tournament championship. Anderson led all players with a career-high 22 kills against the Wildcats, hitting .340 for the match. Carmen Leitermann tied her season-high of 18 kills on remarkable .421 hitting percentage, while Lyndsay Zabkowicz and Van Zeeland also reached double-figures with 16 and 10 kills, respectively. Overall, the Phoenix out-hit Davidson .234 to .168 in the contest. Poel earned tournament MVP honors, capping off an outstanding weekend with a season-high 59 assists against the Wildcats. The junior finished with 121 assists in just 10 sets played on the weekend, averaging 12.1 per set. Joining Poel on the All-Tournament Team were Van Zeeland and Anderson. Van Zeeland had 34 kills and 38 digs in the three matches, while Anderson led the Phoenix with 41 kills.

Loyola hosted Rambler Challenge
Results:
Loyola def. Chicago State, 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-15)
Loyola def. USC-Upstate, 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 25-15)
Loyola def. DePaul, 3-1 (25-15, 19-25, 25-23, 25-19)

The Ramblers (8-5) were the last Horizon League team to play a home match, but Loyola wasted little time getting comfortable on its home floor as they won all three matches they played this weekend en route to winning the Rambler Challenge. LU opened play on Friday with a sweep of Chicago State. Laura Purcellfinished with 10 kills against just one error in her 21 swings (10-1-21, .429) to lead Loyola. Kelly Feigh recorded a season-high seven kills and added seven digs in support while Libby Bresser, Mary Kate Styler and Kathleen Vogel all added five kills apiece. Stephanie Kinane led the defensive charge with 13 digs as LU held its visitors to just 23 kills and a .062 hitting percentage. Brittany Brown was solid from her setter spot, handing out 30 assists to go with eight digs. On Saturday morning, Loyola started the day with a 3-1 win over USC-Upstate. Anna Eytchison had a career-high 22 kills on a .474 hitting percentage, while Vogel had a then career-high 14 kills in the match to lead the Loyola offense. Brown set a then season-high in the match with 56 assists. Loyola captured the Rambler Challenge title with a 3-1 win over DePaul on Saturday night. Eytchison matched her career-high with 22 kills and had her first double-double of the season after finishing with 13 digs. Vogel, who was named tournament MVP, had a career-high 17 and Purcell finished with 14. Brown dished out a season-high 57 assists and recorded 11 digs and Kinane, who was also named to the all-tournament team, was rock solid in the back, racking up a match-high 25 digs.

Milwaukee at Marquette Invitational
Results:
Iowa def. Milwaukee, 3-2 (25-23, 25-21, 12-25, 17-25, 15-12)
Pacific def. Milwaukee, 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-17)
Marquette def. Milwaukee, 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-10)

The Panthers (5-8) stayed in Milwaukee this weekend playing in the Marquette Invitational. UWM started the tournament on Friday night with a tough five-set loss to Iowa. UWM (5-6) placed four players in double figures in kills and dominated the third and fourth sets in turning the match around. But, the Panthers could not pull out the fifth frame, falling in a five-set match for the fourth time this season. Elizabeth Egerer led Milwaukee with 15 kills, while Sammi Herron and Rachel Neuberger both had 13 and Julie Kolinske had 12 to pace the Panther offense. Kayla Price had a match-high 49 assists in the match and Anna Bartz led the defense with a match-high 29 digs. On Saturday, UWM opened up its match against Pacific by winning the first set, but the Tigers won the next three sets to take the match. Kolinske had 18 kills and 15 digs to lead Milwaukee, which also got 14 kills from Neuberger and 10 from Herron. The tournament finale on Saturday night went the same way as Milwaukee’s first match on Saturday went. The Panthers once again won the first set to jump out to a 1-0 lead, but Marquette won the next three sets to claim victory. Kolinske led the Panthers for the second-straight match with 22 kills, while Egerer also reached double-figures with 10. Bartz had a team-high 21 digs and Maisey Mulvey had 16 to lead the Panthers defense against the Golden Eagles.

UIC at Tiger Invitational
Results:
Memphis def. UIC, 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 19-25, 25-20, 15-7)
UIC def. Alabama A&M, 3-1 (25-17, 16-25, 25-17, 25-16)
UIC def. Louisiana-Lafayette, 3-2 (25-27, 14-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13)
Belmont def. UIC, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 25-11)

The Flames (6-8) split their four matches this weekend at the Tiger Invitational in Memphis, Tenn. UIC opened the tournament by dropping a five-set match to host Memphis. The Flames rebounded after dropping the first set to capture the next two, but the Tigers were able to win the final two sets to knockoff UIC. Four Flames posted double-digit kills, led by seniors Kelsey Safranek and Janise Dismuke with 14 and 12, respectively. Sophomore Molly McCoy had 11 and senior Aubrey Sniegowski 10, to round out the Flames in double-figures. UIC rebounded from the Memphis loss by defeating Alabama A&M, 3-1. Sara Sternard led the Flames offense with a career-high 16 kills on a .560 hitting percentage in the win. Safranek (14), Dismuke (13) and Sniegowski (11) all reached double-digits in kills for the second consecutive match. MaryKate Imrie had 53 assists compared to 36 for the entire Alabama A&M team in the match. In their first match on Saturday, the Flames battled back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Louisiana-Lafayette, 3-2. McCoy captured 14 kills to best her former career-high of 12 kills, while Maggie Strus collected a then career-high 28 digs to overturn her previous best of 20 digs to lead UIC to victory. Safranek had a team-high 20 kills in the match, while Sniegowski had 10 kills as both players had double-digit kills for the third consecutive match at the tournament. UIC finished the tournament by falling to Belmont, 3-1. Strus broke the career-high she set earlier in the day by recording 35 digs in the match. Imrie had 30 assists in the match as she was named to the All-Tournament team. Safranek had a team-leading 10 kills in the match as she finished in double-figures in every match at the tournament.

Valparaiso at Hoosier Classic
Results:
Valparaiso def. Indiana, 3-2 (19-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-12)
Valparaiso def. Miami (Ohio), 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-22)
Valparaiso def. UT-Chattanooga, 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-12)

The Crusaders (8-6) won all three matches in Bloomington, Ind., this weekend on their way to winning the Hoosier Classic. Valparaiso opened the tournament by coming back from a 2-0 deficit to knockoff tournament-host Indiana, 3-2. Ellen Vanden Bergdominated on both sides of the ball picking up a career-high 14 kills on .458 hitting while also tallying six blocks. Morgan Beil added 12 kills on .364 hitting, while Sarah Dooms finished with 10 kills and 11 digs. Kelsey Berrington handed out a team-high 24 assists to go with 20 from junior Ariel Cudney, while senior Taylor Root led the way on the back line with 18 digs. The Crusaders built off the momentum gained on Friday night by sweeping both of their matches on Saturday. They started the day with a 3-0 victory over Miami (Ohio). Valpo hit at a .287 clip for the match, as four of its six attackers hit better than .300. Kelsey Victor finished with a team-best 10 kills on .421 hitting and also picked up a team-high three blocks. Lindsey Hauch hit .444 with nine kills, Janelle Hobbs hit .412 with eight kills and Vanden Berg posted seven kills on .316 hitting. Berrington tallied 18 assists to go with Cudney's 14, while Root paced the back line with 13 digs. In the tournament finale, Valparaiso defeated UT-Chattanooga. Valpo dominated the Mocs on both sides of the ball, committing just five attack errors en route to a .343 team hitting percentage while holding UTC to .096 hitting. The balanced Crusader offense saw no player tally more than eight kills against Chattanooga. Victor led the way, hitting .438 with eight kills, while Dooms matched her hitting percentage on seven kills. Vanden Berg also picked up seven terminations, going along with a team-high six blocks, and Hauch added six without an error as well. Cudney recorded 17 assists and Berrington 14, while the back line was led by Root's 15 digs. Victor was named Tournament MVP, while juniors Dooms and Vanden Berg joined Victor on the All-Tournament Team.

Wright State at Ball State Tournament
Results:
Wyoming def. Wright State, 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-22)
Ball State def. Wright State, 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-16)
Pittsburgh def. Wright State, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-16)

The Raiders (1-15) spent the weekend in Muncie, Ind., at the Ball State Tournament. Wright State opened play against Wyoming, falling to the Cowboys, 3-0. Heidi Splinterpaced WSU with 13 kills and had nine digs while libero Katie Glassmeyer had 15 digs and setter Ashleigh Lucco tallied 25 assists and nine digs. The Raiders fell to host Ball State in their second match of the tournament, 3-0. Splinter led the team for the second consecutive match, this time recording nine kills and adding 12 digs, while Glassmeyer led the team with 15 digs. Wright State finished play by falling to Big East foe Pittsburgh, 3-0. Splinter, who was selected to the All-Tournament Team, posted her seventh double-double of the season with 10 kills and 12 digs.  In the three matches over the weekend, the junior outside hitter had 32 kills and 33 digs. Natalie Catani tied Splinter for team-high honors in the match with 10 kills, while Glassmeyer reached double-figures in digs (10) for the third consecutive match at the tournament.
Youngstown State at Spartan Spiketacular
Results:
Morehead State def. Youngstown State, 3-0 (27-25, 25-9, 25-19)
Youngstown State def. UNC-Greensboro, 3-1 (25-18, 25-16, 17-25, 25-17)
Youngstown State def. UNC-Wilmington, 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 20-25, 25-17)

The Penguins (10-4) won two of three matches in their final non-conference tournament of the season. YSU opened play at the Spartan Spiketacular in Greensboro, N.C. against Morehead State, falling to the Eagles, 3-0. Juniors Missy Hundelt and Jackie Carlisle both finished with six kills apiece for the YSU attack. Alexis Egler posted seven digs, Shannon Watson and Jenna Cavanaugh registered two blocks to help lead the Penguin defense.Youngstown State rebounded on Saturday with two victories to become the first team in the Horizon League to reach double figures in wins. The Penguins knocked off host UNC Greensboro, 3-1, to start their Saturday. Hundelt led the team with 18 kills and 17 digs in the wins, while Watson added 10 kills and Aly Ryan had seven block assists. YSU finished the tournament by dispatching UNC-Wilmington, 3-1. Hundelt posted 19 kills and a career-high 21 digs in the win for the Penguins as she finished one kill away from becoming the first YSU player since the 2007 season to have a 20-20 match. Egler added 14 kills and 14 digs, and Watsonfinished with 12 kills while hitting a match-best .400. Youngstown State’s 10 non-conference wins this season are the most by for YSU since the 1999 season.