Monday, September 11, 2006

Belmont Bruins

In the SIU Tournament, Belmont was sharp across the board; hitting .313 as a team while recording nearly five and a half more kills per game than the opposition (16.8 to 11.4). The Bruins also stepped their serving, placing 25 aces with just 16 errors. All told, BU won all nine games it played over the weekend - the longest such streak since Belmont won 16 straight games during the heart of last season. Sophomore Emily Cahill continues to respond to her increased role in the Bruin attack, registering 25 kills, 12 blocks, and a hitting percentage of .458 during the weekend to earn SIU Tournament MVP honors.

Campbell Camels

Campbell ended a six-match losing streak with a 3-1 victory over Howard on Saturday. Freshman Melissa Harvey was named to the Georgetown Invitational All-Tournament team; this is the second-consecutive tournament she has received this honor. Ashley Weers is ranked 20th in the nation averaging 0.78 service aces per game and had five against Howard. The Camels are in the midst of a 10-match road trip.

ETSU Bucaneers

The Lady Bucs are off to a 4-2 start for the second consecutive year as they prepare to host the Lady Buc Volleyball Classic, featuring a strong field of Furman, Evansville and defending Big South champion Winthrop. Senior Nani Emerson has been outstanding directing the Lady Buc attack in 2006, dishing out 279 assists through the first six matches.

Gardner-Webb Bulldogs

Audra Harrison (kills in a four-game match) and Katie Matykowski (digs) garnered school records this past weekend at the Runnin' Bulldog Invitational. Melissa Gibson had four total blocks against RMU (three solo, one assists) and 13 against UNCG (four solo, nine assists).

Kennesaw State notched its first ever victory on Saturday night with a 3-0 sweep over Providence in the final match of the Chesapeake Challenge in Baltimore, Maryland. The Owls were led by Lindsey Plotner with 10 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Freshman Jenny Black led the Owls last week with 42 kills and 47 digs in their four matches at the Chesapeake Challenge.

Lipscomb Bisons

Middle blocker Alex Scruggs was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Tiger Invitational hosted by the University of Memphis. It was the second week in a row that Scruggs has earned All-Tournament honors. Outside hitter Cara Wilber recorded the first double-double of the season for the Lady Bisons with 14 kills and 11 digs against Arkansas-Little Rock. The Lady Bisons close out their tournament schedule this weekend when they participate in the Fullerton Classic at Cal State-Fullerton. Ashley Cox posted 14 kills against Arkansas-Little Rock and eight against the University of Memphis, marking two matches where she has led or tied the team in kills.

Mercer Bears

Mercer went 2-2 for the week, dropping its match on Tuesday to Georgia, 3-0, picking up consecutive wins on Saturday to UNC Asheville, 3-0, and Nicholls State, 3-1. The Bears dropped their final match of the Bear Brawl to UAB, 3-2. Julie Darty picked up 43 kills on the first day of the Bear Brawl, including a career-high 22 kills against UNC Asheville. Darty was named to the All-Tournament team. Karen Dorris racked up a career-high 21 digs as Mercer defeated UNC Asheville. Dorris also had a career-high 8 service aces in Mercer’s loss to UAB on Saturday.