Sept. 4, 2010
IRVING, Texas -
Conference USA had a strong weekend of volleyball action as two teams captured tournament titles and two teams finished second.
UCF (6-0) battled back from a two-set deficit to defeat UNC Greensboro in thrilling fashion, 3-2 (10-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-12), before knocking off South Carolina State, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-18), to take home the UNC Wilmington/Courtyard by Marriott Tournament title Saturday afternoon. Junior Kristin Fisher was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after posting 31 kills (3.88 per set), 22 digs and 33.0 points during the event. Sophomores Evija Vilde and Meredith Murphy joined Fisher on the all-tournament team for the second-straight weekend. The Knights have opened the season with six-straight wins for the first time since 1983 and for the first time since moving up to the Division I ranks.
Tulsa also gave an outstanding team performance over the weekend as the Golden Hurricane marched through the Powerade/Asics Challenge in San Francisco, Calif. Tulsa collected a pair of 3-0 victories over host San Francisco and UC Santa Barbara Saturday at War Memorial Gym. C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Henderson was named tournament MVP along with teammate Jessica Adams earning all-tournament merits.
SMU and Marshall both hosted Invitationals and finished runner-ups. Southern Miss wraps up tournament action Sunday against Auburn at the MT Blue Raider Bash in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
RECENT RESULTS
Sat., Sept. 4
East Carolina at Delaware Invitational (Newark, Del.)
Delaware 3, East Carolina 0
Sam Houston State 3, East Carolina 0
Houston hosts Houston Invitational
(RV) Oklahoma 3, Houston 2
#17 Tennessee 3, Houston 0
Marshall hosts Thunder Invitational
Marshall 3, High Point 2
Cleveland State 3, Marshall 2
Memphis at UIC Tournament (Chicago, Ill.)
Northern Illinois 3, Memphis 0
Memphis 3, Kennesaw State 1
Rice at Asics Classic - Pepperdine University (Malibu, Calif.)
(RV) Missouri 3, Rice 0
Rice 3, Eastern Washington 0
SMU hosts SMU Doubletree Invitational
UC Davis 3, SMU 1
Southern Miss at Middle Tennessee State Tournament (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Middle Tennessee 3, Southern Miss 2
Miami (Fla.) 3, Southern Miss 1
Tulane at Pitt Blue and Gold Tournament (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Purdue 3, Tulane 1
Pitt 3, Tulane 0
Tulsa at Asics Challenge (San Francisco, Calif.)
Tulsa 3, San Francisco 0
Tulsa 3, (RV) UC Santa Barbara 0
UAB at Bama Bash (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Alabama 3, UAB 1
UCF at UNCW Hilton Garden Inn Classic (Wilmington, N.C.)
UCF 3, UNC-Greensboro 2
UCF 3, South Carolina State 0
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C-USA VOLLEYBALL SHOOTING STARS (Saturday, Sept. 4)
• Tyler Henderson earned tournament MVP honors as Tulsa completed its sweep through the Powerade/Asics Challenge with a pair of 3-0 victories over San Francisco and UC Santa Barbara Saturday at War Memorial Gym. Henderson totaled 43 kills and 16 digs in the two matches, while Jessica Adams, also a member of the all-tournament team, totaled 33 digs for the Golden Hurricane (4-2).
• UCF (6-0) battled back from a two-set deficit to defeat UNC Greensboro in thrilling fashion, 3-2 (10-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-12), before knocking off South Carolina State, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-18), to take home the UNC Wilmington/Courtyard by Marriott Tournament title Saturday afternoon. Junior Kristin Fisher was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after posting 31 kills (3.88 per set), 22 digs and 33.0 points during the event. Sophomores Evija Vilde and Meredith Murphy joined Fisher on the all-tournament team for the second-straight weekend. The Knights open the season with six-straight wins for the first time since 1983 and for the first time since playing in the Division I ranks.
• Senior Kathryn Wilkerson landed a team-high 20 kills and had 10 digs in the championship match of the SMU Doubletree Classic. Her performance marked her fourth double-double of the season and earned her all-tournament honors. Joining Wilkerson on the all-tournament team was Sidney Stewart who led the Mustangs defensive charge. Also notching her fourth double-double of the season was junior Dana Powell who accumulated 12 kills and 10 digs. The Mustangs (5-1) finished second with a 3-1 loss to UC Davis.
• Libero Heather Thomas turned in another strong effort defensively for UAB with a match-high 24 digs against Alabama. She averaged a tournament-best 6.0 digs per set to earn all-tournament honors. Jordan McDonald was also named to the all-tournament team. UAB closed out the Bama Bash with a tough 3-1 (25-15, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22) loss to host Alabama. Jordan McDonald and Heather Thomas.
• East Carolina (0-6) suffered a pair of sweeps on Saturday to Delaware (17-25, 11-25, 17-25) and Sam Houston State (10-25, 11-25, 15-25) to close out play at the Delaware Invitational.
• Redshirt junior Ashley Mell landed 50 kills in two matches, but it wasn't enough as Southern Miss fell 3-2 (21-25, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23, 10-15) to Middle Tennessee and Miami (FL), 3-1 (24-26, 15-25, 25-22 and 23-25) at the MT Blue Raider Bash.
• Altrese Hawkins landed a match-high 17 kills and a .429 hitting percentage to lead Memphis (4-2) to a 3-1 win over Kennesaw State at the Illinois-Chicago 2010 Invite. The Tigers clinch a runner-up finish in the four-team field, while Hawkins was named to the All-Tournament team.
• Ashleigh McCord had a match-high 12 kills to lead Rice (3-3) to a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-14, 25-22) over Eastern Washington to wrap up the Pepperdine's Asics Classic in Firestone Fieldhouse.
• For her efforts in Houston's three matches, senior Lucy Charuk was named to the Houston All-Tournament Team. The Cougars dropped its final match to No. 17 Tennessee 3-0 (13-25, 17-25, 22-25).
• Elizabeth Fleming and Cameron Yoho earned Thunder Invitational All-Tournament honors after guiding Marshall to a hard fought 2-1 record. Fleming produced a double-double with 50 assists and 11 digs in the team's 3-2 (25-19, 16-25, 25-16, 14-25, 15-13) win over High Points. Yoho had 13 kills.
C-USA UPCOMING MATCHES
Sun., Sept. 5
Southern Miss at Middle Tennessee State Tournament (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Southern Miss vs. Auburn 1 p.m.
All Times Central.
Fri., Sept. 3
East Carolina at Delaware Invitational (Newark, Del.)
Rutgers 3, East Carolina 1
Houston hosts Houston Invitational
#13 Florida State 3, Houston 0
Marshall hosts Thunder Invitational
Marshall 3, Hofstra 2
Memphis at UIC Tournament (Chicago, Ill.)
Memphis 3, Illinois-Chicago 1
Rice at Asics Classic - Pepperdine University (Malibu, Calif.)
(RV) Pepperdine 3, Rice 0
SMU hosts SMU Doubletree Invitational
SMU 3, Texas Tech 0
SMU 3, Texas State 1
Southern Miss at Middle Tennessee State Tournament (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Southern Miss 3, Georgia Southern 2
Tulane at Pitt Blue and Gold Tournament (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Lipscomb 3, Tulane 0
Tulsa at Asics Challenge (San Francisco, Calif.)
Tulsa 3, Washington State 0
UAB at Bama Bash (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Furman 3, UAB 1
UAB 3, Toledo 0
UCF at UNCW Hilton Garden Inn Classic (Wilmington, N.C.)
UCF 3, UNC-Wilmington 0
(RV) New Mexico State 3, UTEP 0
More information on Saturday's matches and your favorite team can be found on the school websites:
East Carolina |
Houston |
Marshall |
Memphis |
Rice |
SMU |
Southern Miss |
Tulane |
Tulsa |
UAB |
UCF |
UTEP
