Big South Volleyball Delivers Wins on Friday

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Courtesy: Winthrop

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Big South Volleyball Delivers Wins on Friday

Published: August 31, 2012 11:35 PM Updated: September 6, 2012 3:25 PM by: Big South SIDs

HIGH POINT DEFEATS JACKSONVILLE STATE, 25-22, 25-13, 23-25, 25-27, 15-5 | BOX SCORE

The High Point University volleyball team won its fourth straight match with a 3-2 win over Jacksonville State on Friday at Auburn. The Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the game and held off the Gamecocks with a 15-5 win in the fifth set. HPU had four attackers with double-digit kills.

High Point improves to 4-1 with the 3-2 (25-22, 25-13, 23-25, 25-27, 15-5) win. HPU is 3-0 in five-set matches this season.

Sophomore Chelsea Davis had a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs. She also posted five blocks including two solo blocks in the fifth set. Sophomore Kristin Heldt led the team with 14 kills and seniors Courtney Johnk and Jamie McDonald added 13 and 12 kills, respectively.

After HPU let an early 2-0 lead slip away, the Panthers cruised through the fifth set. The Panthers put down five kills and had five blocks to score 10 of their 15 points in the final frame. The five kills came from five different HPU players.

The Panther trailed through much of the first set before Heldt solo blocked an attack by Kaley Sierawski to tie the score, 21-21, and Caity Farus put down a kill to give HPU their first lead of the set. Two errors by Jacksonville State and two more kills by Farus won the set for High Point, 25-22. Farus had five kills on six attempts in the first frame.

HPU rolled through the second set with a 25-13 win over the Gamecocks. HPU had 16 kills with just one attack error in the frame, outhitting Jacksonville State .484 to .161. Redshirt-sophomore Maddie Simpson dished out 13 assists, spreading the ball around for her attackers. In the set Heldt had six kills, McDonald had four and Davis and Johnk added three each.

Jacksonville State took a brief 18-16 lead in the third set. HPU scored four straight points to retake the lead, 20-18. The Gamecocks made three straight errors and Johnk capped the run with her ninth kill of the match. The frame stayed tight, with ties at 22-22 and 23-23. Back-to-back HPU attack errors won the match for JSU 25-23 and extended the match to a fourth set.

High Point outhit Jacksonville State in the fourth set but three late errors allowed the Gamecocks to pull out a 27-25 win and force a fifth set. Farus and Simpson put up a block on JSU's Kelsey Anderson to tie the set 24-24. Jacksonville State won the set on a pair of HPU errors and a service ace, 27-25.

Molly Barlow and Wavie Chin had 15 digs each to tie for the match lead. Simpson had a double-double with 29 assists and 11 digs. McDonald had seven blocks to go with 11 kills.

LIBERTY DEFEATS JACKSONVILLE, 23-25, 15-25, 25-17, 25-21, 15-8 | BOX SCORE

Trailing 2-0 after two sets, Liberty won the next three sets to down Jacksonville, 3-2 (23-25, 15-25, 25-17, 25-21, 15-8), during the opening match of the Holiday Inn Select/UCF Classic.

With the win, its fourth in a row, Liberty moves to 4-1, and the Dolphins sport a 0-4 record. Friday's win over Jacksonville marked the first time the Lady Flames had overcome a 2-0 deficit in winning a match since a 3-2 win over Radford on Oct. 28, 2011 in the Vines Center.

Liberty connected for a .281 attack percentage, while Jacksonville hit .259. The Dolphins out blocked Liberty, 11-8, but the Lady Flames held a 62-45 edge in digs and 9-4 in aces.

Ansley Gebben sent down a career-high 17 kills to lead all players, and added 10 digs for her first career double-double. Loren Thomas totaled 14 kills at a .417 pace, while Caroline Douglas tallied 11 kills. Jade Craycraft recorded a season-high 49 assists and 13 digs. Gabrielle Shipe collected a match-high 18 digs. Kendle Rollins and Lillie Happel both registered eight kills apiece, while Rollins had four blocks and a career-high five aces. Happel also notched 11 digs.

Sammie Strausbaugh paced the Dolphins with 16 kills and added 11 digs, while Alison Loeppky totaled 11 kills and seven blocks. Kendall Courtney recorded a match-high 50 assists.

The Lady Flames hit .400 on the way to a 15-12 lead in set one, as Thomas and Caroline Douglas notched two kills apiece. Jacksonville rallied to take a 22-20 lead with a 6-1 run that included two kills by Courtney. Liberty scored back-to-back points to tie it at 23-all, before Emily Laskelle recorded two kills to take set one, 25-23.
Douglas and Thomas both registered four kills for the Lady Flames in the first set, as Liberty hit .242, compared with .275 for Jacksonville.

After Douglas sent down a kill for a 1-0 set-two lead, the Dolphins took over, tallying the next seven points in a row on the way to a 25-15 win to take a 2-0 match lead. From 5-1 on, Liberty got no closer than four points. Jacksonville attacked at a .400 clip in the second set, to .071 for Liberty, as the Dolphins recorded five blocks during the second session.

Liberty led the third set from start to finish, converting for a point on every Jacksonville serve but one. The Lady Flames posted consecutive blocks to seal the 25-17 victory to extend the match. Thomas and Gebben recorded four kills apiece during set three, while Rollins added three kills. Liberty sent down 16 kills at a .517 clip in the third set, while Jacksonville hit .238.

During set four, Liberty built a 17-11 lead that included three aces, two by Craycraft and one from Rollins, and three kills by Gebben. Jacksonville battled back to within two, 18-16, as Strausbaugh earned a kill and an ace during a 4-0 rally. The Lady Flames surged to the finish, forcing a fifth and deciding set, with a 25-21 win.

Gebben sent down six kills in set four for the Lady Flames, who hit .171, compared to .200 for the Dolphins.

After Jacksonville took a quick 3-0 lead at the outset of set five, Liberty staged a 7-1 run, getting a pair of blocks and a Gebben kill during the rally. Douglas notched a kill for an 8-5 Liberty lead at the changeover. The Lady Flames continued to carry the play, racing to a 14-8 lead, capped by a Rollins kill. Happel then sealed the comeback with a kill, 15-8.

The Lady Flames hit .600 during the decisive fifth set, while Jacksonville hit .125.

LIBERTY DEFEATS COLUMBIA, 17-25, 25-16, 25-17, 26-24 | BOX SCORE

Behind a balanced attack, Liberty overcame a first-set loss to down Columbia, 3-1 (17-25, 25-16, 25-17, 26-24), Friday at the Holiday Inn Select/UCF Classic.

The Lady Flames (5-1) have won five matches in a row. The team’s winning streak is it’s longest since winning seven straight matches, from Oct. 14 through Nov. 5, 2011. Columbia sustained its second loss on Friday, falling to 0-2 on the season.

Five Lady Flames recorded nine or more kills, as Liberty registered 62 at a .310 hitting percentage. Liberty had nine blocks, compared to six for Columbia. The Lions hit .210, with 46 kills.

Jade Craycraft recorded a season-high 52 assists, good for her seventh career 50-assist match. Ansley Gebben and Lillie Happel both registered 13 kills, as Happel added 10 digs for a double-double. Loren Thomas totaled 12 kills and five blocks, while Caroline Douglas and Kendle Rollins had nine kills apiece. Gabrielle Shipe collected 14 digs, and Allie Reynolds chipped in a career-high three aces.

For the Lions, Caitlin Brenton tallied a match-high 14 kills, while Kelsey Mussleman had a double-double with 28 assists and 10 digs. Molly Winger tied Shipe for the match high with 14 digs.

Columbia led wire to wire in the first set, racing to a 25-17 victory. The Lady Flames fought back to within three, 15-12, but did not get any closer. The Lions ended the set the same way it started, on a 10-5 run. The Lions hit .273, compared to .179 for the Lady Flames, while Columbia served up four aces. Rollins led the Lady Flames with four kills during set one, and Brenton paced all players with five kills.

Liberty staged a 5-1 run to push its advantage to 16-11 midway through set two, getting an ace from Reynolds and kills from Craycraft and Thomas to help partially fuel the rally. After a pair of Brenton kills, Gebben put the Lady Flames back on track with a kill. Liberty then pulled away for a 25-16 set-two victory.

The Lady Flames totaled four aces during set two, and outhit Columbia, .345 to .139. Happel had four kills in the second set, while Brenton added five kills.

During set three, the Lady Flames never relinquished the lead on their way to taking the set, 25-17. Liberty’s blocking game picked up during the set with four blocks and continued its hot hitting, with a .382 attack percentage. Craycraft dished out 16 assists in the third session, while Gebben had five kills and Thomas recorded four kills and three blocks. Fletcher led the Lions with five kills during set three.

Liberty led, 20-16, during set four, following a Reynolds ace, and later built its lead to 23-18 after consecutive kills by Thomas. The Lions tallied the next three points in a row, drawing to within two at 23-21. Trailing, 24-21, Columbia fought off three set points to tie the set at 24-all, before Happel and Rollins sent down back-to-back kills to clinch the match.

Happel led all players with six set-four kills, helping the Lady Flames to 20 kills during the frame. Liberty hit .350 in the fourth set, while Columbia hit .333.

Liberty will next compete against the host UCF Knights tomorrow to close out this weekend’s invitational, with first serve set for 7 p.m.

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN DEFEATS CANISIUS, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 15-7 | BOX SCORE

The Charleston Southern volleyball team recorded their first win in the Al Givens’ coaching era behind Sydney Tracy’s double-double as the Buccaneers topped the Canisius Golden Griffins on the first day of the Willie Jewell’s Volleyball Invitational in the Buccaneer Field house in five sets, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 15-7.

Tracy led the way for the Buccaneers (1-3) as the sophomore outside hitter finished with a match-high 18 kills and 22 digs in the first double-double recorded by Charleston Southern on the season. Jessica Warner led three Golden Griffin (1-3) players in double-digits kills with 13 as Canisius fell in their first match of the weekend.

Erin LaVenice added nine kills and Wynter Davis had as the Buccaneers hit .199 from the floor as a team in the contest. Kirsten Struksnes set up the CSU attack with 30 set assists in the match, while Ashley Higgenbothem (14) and Siraya Windsor (11) had double-digit digs for Charleston Southern. Davis and LaVenice combined for 10 total blocks in the match as the Buccaneers recorded a season high 11 blocks in the match.

Canisius jumped out to an early 9-3 lead in the first set, but Charleston Southern battled back on Windsor’s serve, cutting the deficit to 12-11 with an 8-2 run as Windsor placed in a service ace. The teams struggled to serve in the opening set, combining for 10 service errors. Canisius broke the CSU serve and held on for the rest of the set, closing out the 25-22 victory on a kill by Logan Sulongga to go up 1-0.

Charleston Southern and Canisius battled through the second set with CSU taking the lead early behind a pair of LaVenice kills to hold the 11-8 advantage. Canisius kept the set close, closing to 21-20 on a block by Warner and Samantha Good, but back-to-back kills by Meredith Parrott and Windsor opened up a three point lead as Charleston Southern evened the match with a 25-22 victory after a LaVenice kill.

The Buccaneers scored eight of the first 10 points in the third set to jump out to the early lead and led 16-8 following a Canisius ball-handling error. Tracy led the Buccaneers with four kills in the set, while LaVenice added three of her own as Charleston Southern led by as many as nine points at 24-15 before closing out the set on a Golden Griffin attack error.

Jordan Tylec broke open a close-nit fourth set as the teams stood tied through the first 22 points of the frame, placing a service ace in as the Golden Griffens built a 20-14 lead. Charleston Southern battled back with a 7-0 run highlighted by a combined block by LaVenice and Davis, going up 21-20, but the comeback fell short as Emily Elek recorded back-to-back kills to give Canisius the advantage as the teams went into the deciding fifth set following the 25-21 set victory.

A 9-0 run in the fifth set on Higgenbothem’s serve put the Buccaneers ahead early as CSU cruised to the 15-7 set and match win.

RADFORD DEFEATS SAINT FRANCIS (PA), 25-19, 25-21, 25-19 | BOX SCORE

Behind Rachel Wiechecki's third double-double this season, Radford volleyball swept St. Francis (Pa.) 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-19) in the nightcap of the La Quinta Inn and Suites Highlander Invitational.

The sophomore from Wilmington, Del. recorded her 10th career double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs for RU (3-2). Fellow sophomore Emma Deininger also blistered the Dedmon Center court with 11 kills on 18 attempts for a career-high .611 attack percentage.

Jena Braden (18) and Christine Beckham (11) combined for 29 assists on the evening, while Nicole Lambert and Jesse Miedema posted four blocks each at the net.

Lauren Wingard registered seven kills on 16 attempts for a .312 clip to lead the Red Flash (1-3). Kierstin Kiser dished out 16 assists in the losing effort.

Three straight Highlander points opened the first frame. St. Francis was able to put a run together allowing the visitors to go ahead, 12-10. A Deininger kill sparked a 10-4 spurt that pushed the Highlanders ahead, 20-16. The Red Flash won the next two points to pull within two, but Radford claimed five of the final six points to reign supreme in the first set, 25-19.

SFU showed resiliency to begin the second game, winning the first four points. Trailing 9-5, the Highlanders rattled off five straight points to take their first lead of the set. The Red Flash answered and restored their lead to three at 18-15. RU roared back by putting together a season-best 7-0 run to reclaim the lead, 22-18.

The visitors got within one, 22-21, but a Miedema kill, a Lambert ace and a Wingard attack error ended the threat and gave Radford the 25-21 win in the second game.

Racing out to a 5-0 lead, the Highlanders were determined to chart their second sweep of the season. RU extended the advantage to 9-2 before the Red Flash won the next four points. Eventually, SFU trimmed its deficit to 14-12, but the Highlanders reeled off three straight points to cushion the lead to five at 17-12.

The Red Flash made one last push, cutting the Radford advantage to 20-17. A Deininger kill on the next exchange ignited a 5-2 match-clinching run to win the set, 25-19.

The Highlanders will be first to play on the second day of the Highlanders' home tournament. Radford squares off against The Citadel at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. The Bulldogs (0-4) were blanked by Murray State in the first match of the tournament.

RU and the Racers (1-3) will play in the finale tomorrow night, which is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start.

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN DEFEATS USC UPSTATE, 25-23, 12-25, 25-17, 25-27, 15-4 | BOX SCORE

Erin LaVenice and Wynter Davis each surpassed the Charleston Southern single match record for blocks and Sydney Tracy and Katrina Houston combined for 24 kills as the Buccaneers topped USC Upstate in the final match on the first day of the Willie Jewell’s Volleyball Invitational in the Buccaneer Fieldhouse in five sets, 25-23, 12-25, 25-17, 25-27, 15-4.

Charleston Southern (2-3) shattered the previous CSU single game record for total blocks as the Buccaneers recorded 19 total blocks against the Spartans on the evening. LaVenice set a school record with 13 block assists in the match, while Davis added 11 as the Buccaneers broke the single game record of 15 blocks, which CSU had reached twice in program history on Oct. 15, 2010 against Presbyterian and on Oct. 20, 2007 against Radford.

Tracy added 13 kills in the match, running her total on the first day to 31 as the sophomore outside hitter continued to display her ability all over the court. Houston came on strong in the final two sets to finish with 11 kills in the match, hitting .292 from the floor and added three blocks to the teams’ totals in the match.

Upstate jumped out to the early lead in the first set, scoring the first five points of the match, but the Buccaneers came roaring back with a 16-5 run sparked by four blocks by CSU as well as a pair of Tracy kills as CSU built a 16-10 advantage. Upstate rallied back, tying the match up at 17 apiece on a kill by Mindy Quimby, but an ace by Siraya Windsorput put the Buccaneers ahead as CSU took the first set on a Tracy kill to go up 1-0 with the 25-23 victory.

In the second set, Upstate broke a 5-all tie with a 10-1 run as Quimby recorded three consecutive kills for the Spartans during the stretch as USC Upstate went up 15-6 on their way to cruising to the 25-12 victory to even the match at 1-apiece.

Meredith Parrott was involved in back-to-back blocks for Charleston Southern early in the third set as CSU built a 14-9 advantage. The lead stretched to nine points at 23-14 following a Windsor kill off the assist from Cassidy Greer before Tracy again closed out the set with the final point to put the Bucs within one set of the day sweep.

USC Upstate held a 24-21 advantage in the fourth set following a kill by Kayla McAvoy, but the Buccaneers rallied behind LaVenice and Parrott at the net as the duo combined for back-to-back blocks to knot the match up at 24-all. After an Upstate service error tied the match at 25, Quimby closed out the set with back-to-back kills to send the teams to the deciding fifth set.

The Buccaneers recorded four blocks in the first 10 points of the final set in building a 10-1 advantage and Kirsten Struksnes served CSU home to their second five-set victory on the day as the Buccaneers closed out the match with the 15-4 victory.

Greer set up the Buccaneers attack with 25 set assists as CSU hit .169 for the match, .455 in the final set in recording the win. Ashley Higgenbothem led the CSU defense with 19 digs, while Windsor added 11 digs as well as seven kills to the CSU totals.

UNC ASHEVILLE DEFEATS SAVANNAH STATE, 25-7, 25-10, 25-12 | BOX SCORE

WINTHROP DEFEATED BY DAVIDSON, 25-9, 17-25, 15-25, 25-14, 13-15 | BOX SCORE

Winthrop's volleyball team got out to a great start in the first set of its opening match of the Wake Forest Invitational against Davidson, but the Eagles dropped a 3-2 decision to the Wildcats.

After claiming an almost unheard of 25-9 win in the opening set, Winthrop dropped back-to-back sets by the scores of 25-17, 25-15 before the Eagles rebounded to claim the fourth set 25-14 and send the match to a fifth and deciding set. Davidson hung on for a 15-13 win to claim the match and remain undefeated with a 2-0 record. With the loss, Winthrop drops to 3-2 on the season as it will now play two more matches on Saturday.

As a team Winthrop outhit Davidson as it turned in a .264 hitting percentage thanks in large part to its performance in the first and four sets when the Eagles hit .393 and .342. The Eagles compiled four more kills (58-54) and had managed one more block than the Wildcats. The digs were dead even at 65 each.

Zimmer, a middle hitter from Port Huron, MI, led the Eagles in hitting percentage as she hit .571 with 8 kills in 15 attempts and no errors. Both Palmer and Lenz hit better than .300 in the match.

Winthrop will return to action at 10 a.m. on Saturday as it faces UNC Wilmington. The Eagles will close out the tournament with a 7 p.m. match against host Wake Forest.

UNC ASHEVILLE FALLS TO NEW MEXICO, 22-25, 20-25, 14-25 | BOX SCORE

New Mexico had 11 services aces en route to a 3-0 victory over UNC Asheville in the first match for both teams at the Tiger Invitational at Savannah State Friday afternoon.

The Lobos won the match 25-22, 25-20 and 25-14. Asheville led 14-3 in the third set before allowing New Mexico to score the final 21 points to win the set and the match.



The Bulldogs face Savannah State in the second match of the day at approximately 3 p.m.

Anna Moore and Christine Lakatos led Asheville with seven kills each. Freshman setter Katie Davis had 25 assists and 11 digs. Chelsie Kenley and Moore contribute four blocks each.

Lakatos had three services and seven digs in the match. Rachel Wells also had seven digs.

The Bulldogs play twice on Saturday as they'll compete against Maryland Eastern Shore at 11 a.m. and Southern Utah at 3 p.m.

CAMPBELL DEFEATED BY GEORGETOWN, 28-26, 23-25, 8-25, 25-27 | BOX SCORE

Box Score (PDF): http://gocamels.com/sports/wvball/2012-13/files/CAM0831.pdf

The Campbell volleyball team opened its match with a 28-26 set one victory, but Georgetown would battle back to take the next three frames, 23-25, 8-25 and 25-27, to notch a 3-1 win at the William & Mary Tribe Invitational on Friday night.

Junior setter Heather Wilson was just one kill away from her first-career triple-double as the Concord, N.C., native tallied 34 assists, 10 digs and nine kills, while tallying a .333 attacking pct.

Pacing the Camels’ offense was sophomore outside Jessica Groen hammering 11 kills and hitting a .219 rate. Nine kills were notched by junior middle blocker Lorin Thomas. Freshman middle blocker Sam Zuber generated a career-best eight kills.

Campbell posted a strong presence at the net as the team totaled nine blocks. Leading the way was junior middle blocker Lindsey Coats with six blocks followed by Thomas with five.

The Camels recorded a season-high 66 digs during the contest as four players reached double digits. Freshman libero Lauren Bewick dug up a career-best 20 attacks, while junior right side Chelsey Pachoud registered 12 digs. Seeing her first action of the season was junior defensive specialist Mallorie Chubillos, who totaled 11 digs.

Campbell returns to the court on Saturday with two matches against host William & Mary at 10 a.m. and Manhattan at 4:30 p.m. to complete the Tribe Invitational.

GARDNER-WEBB FALLS TO ELON, 21-25, 20-25, 13-25 | BOX SCORE

The Gardner-Webb volleyball team was haunted by a total of 34 errors on Friday night, as the Runnin’ Bulldogs fell in straight sets to Elon, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-13), at the Elon Phoenix Classic in Burlington, N.C.

The loss drops Gardner-Webb to 0-5 on the season, while Elon improves to 2-3 overall for the year.

Gardner-Webb committed 15 attack errors and 11 service errors in what was a close match for most of the night, as Elon took advantage of the errors in the three set win.

Junior Tyler Cockrell posted a team-high six kills, while fellow middle blockers Amanda Murphy and Tyra Montour added five kills apiece in the loss. Sophomore setter Heather Feldman dished out 25 assists to go along with seven digs and three kills over the three set match.

Elon was led by Kris Harris, who had a match-high 12 kills, as three Phoenix players posted an attack percentage of .400 or higher for the match.

The opening set saw a tight frame throughout, as the two teams traded points back-and-forth for most of the start of the contest. Back-to-back kills by Gardner-Webb’s Montour and Murphy, followed by an Elon attack error, knotted the score up for the third time at 6-6.

A Gardner-Webb service error gave the lead back to the Phoenix at 7-6, who held off the Runnin’ Bulldogs for a 14-12 lead, until a kill by freshman outside hitter Callie Hildebrand jump started a 5-2 run by the visitors to pull ahead by one at 17-16.

After the two teams traded the next six points to put the score at 20-19 in favor of the Runnin’ Bulldogs, Elon put together four straight points to retake the lead at 23-20.

An Elon attack error and a kill by junior outside hitter Erin Anderson would cut the Phoenix lead to two at 24-22, yet it would prove to be too little too late, as Chanelle Smith posted a kill to give Elon the 25-21 set win.

The second set proved to be much like the first, as the score would be tied four times including at 8-8 on a Hildebrand kill, before Elon went on a 4-1 run to pull out to a 13-11 lead on a kill by Harris.

Out of a Gardner-Webb timeout, the Runnin’ Bulldogs took advantage of three straight Elon errors to tie the score up once more at 15-15 and then again at 16-16 on a Carolina Solano kill.

However, Gardner-Webb would not be able to retake the lead for the remainder of the set, as Elon finished the set out on a 9-4 run to hold on to the 25-20 set win.

Down 2-0, Gardner-Webb’s Murphy put the Runnin’ Bulldogs down by one at 5-4 on a kill only to have the Phoenix run off the next five straight points to pull in front by five at 10-5 and force a Gardner-Webb timeout.

Despite kills from Montour and Cockrell, the deficit proved to be too much as the Runnin’ Bulldogs struggled to put together a string of points, falling behind by double digits in the 25-13 set loss.

Gardner-Webb (0-5) will return to action tomorrow, as the Runnin’ Bulldogs will take on Alabama at 10 a.m. and then wrap up play this weekend against N.C. Central at 4:30 p.m. on day two of the Elon Phoenix Classic in Burlington, N.C.

HIGH POINT DEFEATED BY AUBURN, 19-25, 15-25, 17-25 | BOX SCORE

The High Point University volleyball team lost to Auburn, 3-0, on Friday in the War Eagle Invitational. The Panthers got eight kills from sophomore Kristin Heldt and eight digs from sophomore Chelsea Davis.

Auburn snapped HPU’s four-game win streak with the 3-0 (19-25, 15-25, 17-25) defeat. High Point is now 4-2 on the season with one game left in the War Eagle Invitational.

Davis had seven kills to go along with eight digs and two blocks. Senior Courtney Johnk added six kills and freshman Wavie Chin and senior Molly Barlow had six digs each.

The Panthers got off to a slow start allowing the Tigers to jump out to a 15-10 lead in the first set. HPU scored four of the next five points to cut Auburn’s lead to two, 16-14 on an ace by Heldt. Auburn used a timeout to regain composure and held the lead the rest of the way, winning the set 25-19. Davis had six of HPU’s 13 kills in the frame.

Johnk went without a kill in the first set but made her presence known early in set two. She staked HPU to a quick 3-0 lead. She put down a kill for the first point, combined on a block with Jamie McDonald for the second and went up for a block on the third that forced Auburn attacker Courtney Mcdonald to send the ball long. The Panthers extended the lead to 7-3 on an ace by Johnk. Auburn rallied back to take a 13-12 lead and extended the advantage to 18-13. The Tigers went on to win the frame 25-15.

Auburn carried the momentum in to the final set, winning 25-17. Heldt had four of her eight kills in the final frame.

HPU will play its final game in the War Eagle Invitational on Saturday at noon. The Panthers will face Georgia Southern. The Eagles lost to Auburn and beat Jacksonville State on Friday.

COASTAL CAROLINA DEFEATED BY PITTSBURGH, 20-25, 11-25, 23-25 | BOX SCORE

The Coastal Carolina volleyball team fell in its opening match of the Panther Invitational to host institution, University of Pittsburgh. Freshman Gabriella Horvath led the Chants with team-highs in kills, 11, and digs, 8. She hit .529 for the match while the rest of the team had a -.029 attack percentage.

The Chanticleers fall to 0-4 on the season while the Panthers improved to 2-2.

Pittsburgh took the first set, 25-20, the second, 25-11, and the third, 25-23.

Horvath had 11 of CCU’s 24 kills while the next highest Chant had just three kills. Sophomores Jenna Orner and Lian Bernett were second in digs to Horvath with five each while Bernett led the team in blocks with four. Junior Lauren Alejo picked up 18 assists from her setter position.

The Chants struggled in the opening two sets picking up just six kills in the first and five in the second.   Despite their struggles the Chants led 8-4 early in the opening set as six errors by the Panthers and kills from Horvath and junior Kindra Bailey gave CCU their eight points. The Panthers did not stay down long as they mounted an 11-5 run to take a 15-9 lead midway through the set. CCU was able to cut the lead to just two on an attack error by the Panthers late in the set but with Pitt closed out the set with three-straight points to take a 25-20 opening set victory.

CCU struggled to find its rhythm in the second set as the Panthers jumped out to a 10-1 lead. Three Pitt errors and a kill by Horvath cut the Pitt lead to just five which forced Pitt head coach Toby Rens to call his first timeout of the set. The Panthers responded with a 15-6 run to close out the set 25-11.

The third set was back-and-forth the entire way with neither team holding more than a two-point lead. The Chants ended with 13 kills in the set compared to Pitt’s 11 kills but it was not enough as the Chants had nine errors while Pitt had just five. Horvath had her best set of the match with six kills and one error on nine total attacks good for a .556 attack percentage.

The Chants led late in the set 22-20 but back-to-back kills tied the game at 22 which forced CCU head coach Jozsef Forman to call his first timeout of the set. A block by Pitt coming out of the timeout gave the Panthers a one-point lead but Alejo answered with a kill off an assist from Horvath to tie the game at 23. A service error and a block ended the match giving Pittsburgh a 25-23 victory.

Pittsburgh was led by Jasmine Dittrich who had nine kills while two other Panthers had seven kills each.

The Chanticleers will return to action tomorrow as they battle Butler and Howard in the final day of the Panther Invitational.

PRESBYTERIAN FALLS TO ILLINOIS STATE, 22-25, 19-25, 24-26 | BOX SCORE

The Presbyterian College volleyball team opened the Redbird Classic, being held Aug. 31-Sept. 1, with a hard-fought 3-0 (22-25, 19-25, 24-26) loss to Illinois State tonight in Bloomington, Ill.

The Blue Hose fall to 1-5 overall while the Redbirds improve to 2-2.

Presley Mabrey led PC with eight kills, while Allison Brown followed with seven on the night. Mabrey and Ashtin Frank paced the team with 12 digs apiece, with Frank leading the assist margin with 27 as well.

PC posted 33 kills but suffered through 27 errors to finish the match with a .053 hitting percentage. Illinois State came away with 42 kills and 23 errors for a .142 hitting percentage. The Redbirds led with 11.0 total blocks, while PC had eight on the night.

The Blue Hose found themselves down 21-15 in the first game before rallying to a 22-22 tie off a 7-1 run, highlighted by two kills by Kelly Berryman, who ended the night with three. A kill by ISU's Shannon McGlaughlin and Ashley Rosch, as well as a PC attack error, ended the comeback as the Redbirds took the next three straight to win 25-22.

After ISU opened the second game 4-0, the Blue Hose fought back to take a 12-10 lead, due in part to five PC kills. The lead was short lived as the Redbirds won the next four of five points to take back the lead, 14-13. The rest of the game was tight until ISU, up by just two, 21-19, closed out the stanza with a 4-0 run to take the 25-19 win.

Down 16-21 in the third game, PC went on a 7-1 run, after capitalizing on four ISU attack errors an two Brown kills, and took a 23-22 lead. The Redbirds fought back to a 24-24 tie before LaighAnn Hranka, who led ISU with 10 on the night, nailed back-to-back kills to help the home team take the 26-24 win.

The Blue Hose take on Oregon State and Miami in action Saturday, Sept. 1, as part of the tournament. Match times are 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (ET), respectively.