Northland Sports Online

UMD Volleyball 9-12-14

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NSO-NEWS RELEASE
With the top five teams in the nation at the Colorado Premier Challenge, a shake-up at the top of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Coaches Poll was to be expected, and the third-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth had a chance to make their mark Saturday as the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the nation took the court for the opening match of day two of the tournament at Metro State University of Denver.

On Friday, No. 2 University of Tampa knocked off No. 1 Concordia University, St. Paul on Friday, before falling to No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State University. No. 3 UMD took down No. 4 Brigham Young University-Hawaii, who in turn, defeated the No. 5 University of Central Missouri.

No. 2 Tampa (6-1) edged the third-ranked Bulldogs (6-1) by a 3-1 final on Saturday morning 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-17, continuing the chaos at the top of the ranks. UMD bounced back with a three-set sweep over the hosts from Metro State (5-2).

HIGHLIGHTS
• The match with Tampa marked the eighth time in the last calendar year that UMD has faced a top-ten opponent. The Bulldogs are 7-3 in those matches.
• Hitting errors plagued UMD (27 in the match), who hit just .250 against Tampa. Four Bulldogs hit double-digit kills, led by junior middle blocker Monica Turner, who had a match-high 19. Sophomore middle blocker Sydnie Mauch had 11 kills to go with a team-high four blocks.
• Coming back against MSU Denver, Turner would lead the way as well in the second match, with 12 kills on 16 swings and no errors. Mauch continued her offensive output with 10. Senior outside hitter Katie Ledwell collected a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, while senior libero Julie Rainey led the way with 17 defensive saves.
• Turner, and junior setter Ashley Hinsch were named the Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team following the conclusion of the day.

UMD took an early lead in the first set on Tampa, and stayed a step ahead despite facing its toughest test of the young season, to go up 1-0 on a 25-23 victory. The Spartans repaid the favor in the second half, jumping up on the Bulldogs and leading by as much as16-8 before UMD charged back, tying pulling to within 21-9. Seven matches into the season, The Bulldogs lost their first set of 2014 as Tampa closed on a 4-2 run to tie the match at a set apiece.

The third game became a back-and-forth affair, with the Bulldogs leading by as many as four early, before Tampa went on a 6-1 run to take a 16-13 lead. They held off UMD the rest of the way, eventually pulling away 25-20 for go up 2-1 in the match. The fourth set started as a battle, but Tampa pulled away thanks to a pair of four-point runs and would take the set, and match, by a 25-17 final.

Junior outside hitters Berkley Whaley and Megan Heffron led the way for the Spartans offensively with a 15 kills each. Senior setter Kahley Patrick had 13 digs and spread the ball around for 50 assists. For UMD, junior setter Ashley Hinsch had 50 assists, while senior libero Julie Rainey hauled in 19 digs. In addition to hitting .350 on the day, Tampa collected 10 team blocks, with senior middle blocker Meagan Burke playing a part in five. UMD had six team blocks.

The Bulldogs returned to the court just hours later and took their frustration out on the Roadrunners of Metro State. After a pair of tightly contested 25-23 victories in the first two sets, UMD opened up a big lead and held on to down MSU Denver 25-16 in the third set. Rainey added 17 digs to bring her day’s total to 36, while Hinsch had 44 assists in three sets. UMD hit .331 in the match, compared to .212 for the Roadrunners. Senior rightside hitter Lauren Quijano had a game-high 13 kills on 20 swings without an error. Senior libero Savannah Garcia had 14 digs for Metro State, while sophomore Brandi Torr had 38 assists.

UP NEXT
The NSIC season opens Tuesday evening as UMD travels to St. Cloud State University for a 7:00 p.m. match-up.

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