Wright State University
2-8
Liberty
4-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 30 | 30 | 26 | 30 | 3 |
| Wright State | 23 | 27 | 30 | 23 | 1 |
Volleyball Drops Pair at Raider Challenge
9/8/2007 12:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Wright State volleyball team dropped a pair of matches in the final day of the Raider Challenge Saturday at the C.J. McLin Gymnasium, falling to Liberty 30-23, 30-27, 26-30, 30-23 and to tournament champion South Florida 30-24, 28-30, 30-23, 30-27.
Liberty pulled away in game one by scoring the final five points, including three kills from Jessica Nelson, and then carried that momentum into game two by jumping out to an 8-1 lead, an advantage the Flames would not relinquish.
Wright State gradually pulled away from a slim 14-12 lead to take game three, but Liberty broke open a 9-8 margin in the fourth game with six straight points. The Raiders drew to within two at 23-21 following a Tara Geegan kill, but could get no closer as the Flames scored the next three points and ended the game on a 7-2 run.
The Raiders had the edge in kills (64-60) and in blocks (11-10), but Liberty outhit Wright State .187-.163 and recorded eight aces to just one for WSU.
Jessica Woods paced the Raiders with a double-double of 19 kills and 13 digs while Lexi Leonhard also posted a double-double of 15 kills and 12 digs off the bench. Geegan added 12 kills while setter Lindsey Frank tallied 50 assists and 18 digs and libero Alisha Kimbro had 19 digs.
Ashley Webber hit .636 with 14 kills in 22 attempts and added six blocks for Liberty (4-4) while Nelson posted a double-double of 12 kills and 23 digs and Chelaine McCarty also had 12 kills. Setter Kallie Corbin recorded 47 assists and 14 digs and libero Lara Bartolomeo had 15 digs.
The first two games of the South Florida match went back and forth as there were a combined 23 ties and 11 lead changes. A Lindsey Frank kill drew WSU to within three at 25-22 in the opening game, but the Bulls put the game out of reach with three straight points, including two kills from Marcela Gurgel.
The two teams were then tied at 24 in the second game before the Raiders took the lead for good with three unanswered points, two coming on a Geegan kill and a later block by Geegan and Woods. USF closed the margin to 29-28 with another Gurgel kill, but Geegan responded with another of her own to even the match.
South Florida, though, quickly took control in game three, jumping out to a 10-2 advantage and used a 5-0 burst in game four to go in front 15-12. Wright State later cut the deficit to one on four different occasions, but could not get over the hump as the Bulls hung on down the stretch for the victory.
Geegan led the way for WSU with 17 kills as she hit .394 for the match and added five blocks. The MVP of last year's Raider Challenge, she was named to the All-Tournament Team again this season after recording 36 kills and 11 blocks in three matches while hitting .347. Geegan, who was selected to the Sheraton Hilton Invitational All-Tournament Team last weekend, has now been chosen to five all-tournament teams over the past two seasons.
Leonhard chipped in a double-double of 10 kills and 22 digs off the bench, while Woods had a near double-double of nine kills and 12 digs. Frank recorded 46 assists and 16 digs, Kimbro 10 digs and Lili Williams 10 digs.
Gurgel, who named as the Tournament MVP, paced USF (5-1) with a double-double of 22 kills and 16 digs, while Kristina Fabris, who was also selected to the All-Tournament Team, also posted a double-double of 19 kills and 13 digs. Allie Boaz added 10 kills and Stephanie Augustavo, also an All-Tournament Team honoree, had 21 digs.
Wright State, now 2-9 on the season, turns its attention towards Horizon League play, which begins next weekend as the Raiders host Cleveland State on Friday, September 14, at 7:00, followed by Youngstown State on Saturday, September 15, at 4:00.
2007 Raider Challenge Results
Friday
South Florida def. Liberty 30-24, 23-30, 30-23, 30-25
Wright State def. The Citadel 30-19, 30-24, 30-24
Saturday
Liberty def. Wright State 30-23, 30-27, 26-30, 30-23
South Florida def. The Citadel 30-21, 30-15, 30-16
Liberty def. The Citadel 30-25, 30-12, 30-16
South Florida def. Wright State 30-24, 28-30, 30-23, 30-27
Final Standings
South Florida 3-0
Liberty 2-1
Wright State 1-2
The Citadel 0-3
All-Tournament Team
Marcela Gurgel, South Florida (MVP)
Kristina Fabris, South Florida
Stephanie Augustavo, South Florida
Kallie Corbin, Liberty
Ashley Webber, Liberty
Tara Geegan, Wright State
