College of Charleston
Chattanooga
Chattanooga Hands Cougar Volleyball First Conference Loss
10/9/2007 4:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Led by NCAA kill leader Leslee Ball, Chattanooga defeated Charleston 3-2 (27-30, 31-29, 30-25, 30-16, 12-15) in SoCon volleyball action. Seniors Tiffany Blum and Annie Uthe both recorded double-doubles in the loss. CofC falls to 11-6 overall and 6-1 in league play. Chattanooga improves to 11-8 and 6-1 in the Southern Conference.
“We started slow in games one and two allowing Chattanooga to dictate the pace of the game," said Head Volleyball Coach Jason Kepner. "I was pleased with the way we responded in games three and four. Unfortunately anything can happen in the fifth game. We let Chattanooga get an early lead and made small runs on our own side but were not able to cut into their lead enough to give us a chance to win.”
Charleston rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take games three and four. The two teams battled in game three until Charleston took a 20-18 lead. The Lady Mocs and Cougars traded points for nine consecutive possessions until UTC tied the game at 20. A service ace by Blum gave Charleston the lead for good. An attack error by Ashley Yeager sealed the 30-25 win for Charleston.
With the momentum on their side, Charleston took game four 30-16. After getting off to a slow start, Charleston found its rhythm and took an 8-7 lead. The Cougars never saw that lead disappear after scoring nine consecutive points, enhancing their lead to 17-8. Chattanooga scored back-to-back points to make it a 17-10 game. Charleston scored the final 13 out of 19 points to tie the match at two and force a fifth game.
Game five saw Charleston get behind early. The team narrowed the UTC lead to 6-4 before the Lady Mocs went on a 5-0 run to increase their lead to 13-6. Charleston answered with a 5-0 run of their own to make the game within two. Chattanooga scored two of the final three points to clinch the match.
The team combined for 65 kills, led by Blum with 24. Russell added 12, while Uthe finished with 10 kills. Five additional players recorded kills in the effort. Senior setter Lindsey Kane earned three service aces to add to her 56 assists, while Blum had one and freshman Paige Johnson tallied two.
Led by Blum, who tied her career record with 12 total blocks, the Cougars out-blocked the Mocs 24-2. The 24 team blocks is a season high for the Cougars. Also in on the defensive effort was Uthe with 10 total blocks, Kane with seven, Ginny Phillips with six, and Emily Sawin, Whitney Russell, and Cole Dawley combining for eight blocks.
For the Lady Mocs, Leslee Ball led the team with 24 blocks, while Jamie Engel and Sarah Bass notched double digit kills with 10 and 16 a piece. Four players in Laura Nethery, Bethany Herndon, Aurore Kullak, and Julianna Martinez also added kills in the win. The defense was led by Lara Newberry with 45 digs. Nethery, Bass, Ball, and Martinez also recorded one block each.
Charleston opens a four-match home stand Thursday at 5 p.m. against Western Carolina. Live stats will be available at www.cofcsports.com
