NIVC First Round
- Nov. 29, 2017
- Oxford, Mississippi (Gillom Center)
Arkansas State and Ole Miss kept their seasons going with opening round victories over SIUE and Stephen F. Austin respectively in NIVC play. ASU used a strong block and service game to best the Cougars, while Ole Miss topped the Lumberjacks with a strong hitting effort.
ASU and Ole Miss will face off at 7 p.m. ET Thursday for a spot in the Final Eight.
MATCH STATS
- Arkansas State def. SIUE 3-1 (25-21, 28-30, 29-27, 27-25)
- Arkansas State moves to 21-11; SIUE falls to 23-7
- Box Score
- Arkansas State Recap / SIUE Recap
Key Stats: SIUE outhit Arkansas State .164 to .140 and recorded 16 more kills (68-52), but was outblocked 16-13 by the Red Wolves and out-aced 6-1. Also playing into ASU’s hand were 40 Cougar hitting errors (to 28 of their own).
Stat Leaders: Junior outside hitter Carlisa May put down a match-high 20 kills, while redshirt sophomore outside Kenzie Fields added 10 for Arkansas State. Fields rounded out a double-double with 11 digs and seven assists, while senior middle blocker Jessica Uke notched six kills and a match-high nine blocks. Freshman libero Tatum Ticknor paced the Red Wolves with 18 digs. Junior setter Ellie Watkins, redshirt senior defensive specialist Lindsay Cline and sophomore middle Madison Turner served up two aces apiece.
Seniors Jackie Scott, Ashley Witt and Taylor Joens each turned in double-digit kill efforts, but it was not enough to lift the Cougars to victory. Scott tallied 17 kills and 13 digs, while Witt added 15 putaways and Joens turned in 12 kills and a team-leading seven blocks. Senior libero Katie Shashack led a group of four players with double-digit digs, pulling up 16. Scott (13), redshirt sophomore setter Samantha Knight (13) and freshman defensive specialist Jordyn Klein (12) followed.
It Was Over When: After splitting sets 2 and 3 decided in extra points, the teams played a cat and mouse game in Set 4. First SIUE led 4-1, and again at 12-9. Arkansas State knotted the score at 13, 14 and 15 before taking the lead at 16-15 on a Watkins ace. Down 18-16, the Cougars scored three in a row, two on ASU miscues. SIUE led 22-19 only to see the Red Wolves tie it up at 22 and 23. A hitting error gave the Cougars a set-point try at 24-23 and a Scott kill set up another at 25-24. A kill by Fields and back-to-back blocks by Anna Murphy and Drew Jones finally sewed up the 27-25 Alabama State win and the match.
#AStateVB | The Red Wolves are now 21-11 this season with the win over SIUE. A-State is now 9-7 all-time in the NIVC and its the program's first win in the postseason since the 1993 NIVC.
— A-State Game Day (@AStateGameDay) November 29, 2017
MATCH STATS
- Ole Miss def. Stephen F. Austin 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-19)
- Ole Miss moves to 18-14; SFA ends the season at 26-7
- Box Score
- Ole Miss Recap / SFA Recap
Key Stats: Ole Miss outhit SFA .300 to .103 and bested the Lumberjacks 47-33 in kills, 10-9 in blocks and 2-1 in aces. Five of the six Ole Miss hitters with a kill hit .280 or better.
Stat Leaders: Senior outside hitters Kate Gibson and Lexi Thompson dropped double-digit kill performances and hit nearly .400 to pace the Rebel attack. Gibson rounded out a double-double with 12 digs and three blocks. Freshman middle blocker Bayleigh Scott put up four blocks and four kills, while sophomore middle Navo Warnell added six kills and three stuffs. Junior libero Caroline Adams pulled up a team-high 18 digs.
Sophomore middle Danae Daron led the Lumberjacks with nine kills and a .368 hitting effort. Junior outside Haley Coleman added eight kills and six others added at least one putaway. Junior outside Makenzee Hanna put up a team-leading six blocks, while sophomore setter Ann Hollas added three. Senior libero Lexus Cain managed a team-best 13 digs, while Hollas added nine.
It Was Over When: Ole Miss snapped a 5-all tie in Set 3 with an 8-0 run. Three Gibson kills and two by Warnell gave the Rebels the 13-5 edge. SFA cut the margin to three at 19-16 on a Coleman kill, forcing an Ole Miss timeout. Up just three at 20-17, two Gibson kills and a Lumberjack miscue made it 23-17. A block and an ace by Gibson ended the match at 25-19.
REBELS WIN! See you tomorrow at 6 PM as we face Arkansas State in the second round of the @WomensNIVC. #HottyToddy #NIVC pic.twitter.com/oBVSkLZ1kD
— Ole Miss Volleyball (@OleMissVB) November 30, 2017
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