No. 2 Appalachian's Revenge Ends No. 7 Davidson's Season

Friday, November 16

Chattanooga, Tenn.

TBD

Davidson College Athletics

No. 7 ASU

Photo courtesy of Brian Westerholt (Sports on Film)

No. 2 Appalachian's Revenge Ends No. 7 Davidson's Season

11/16/2007 12:01:27 PM | Volleyball

Lauren Biggers -- Assistant SID

Box Score

CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — The second-seeded Appalachian State Mountaineers avenged last week's loss to the seventh-seeded Davidson Wildcats, 3-1 (27-30, 30-25, 30-25, 31-29), ending both the 'Cats' upset bid and season in the opening round of the 2007 Southern Conference Volleyball tournament Friday morning on the campus of the University of Tenneessee at Chattanooga.

SoCon Player of the Year Brittany Zahn led all hitters with 21 kills on 55 swings, while the Mountaineers (19-13) also got big contributions from Lauren Swecker and Carla Durham, who had 18 and 14 kills, respectively. Durham also had five blocks. Lorelle Rau had a match-high 52 assists for the Mountaineers, while Heather Kale paced the defense, which had four players in double figures, with 25 digs.

Freshman outside hitter Sarabeth Peele led the Wildcats (12-20) with 19 kills, while senior outside hitter Katie Pierucci and junior middle blocker Kittery Neale each had 13. Freshman setter Hayley Lawson added 47 assists, and fellow classmate Jorden Benedict had a match-high seven blocks. Senior libero Lindsey Woeste turned in a great effort to lead the Wildcat defense and all players with 28 digs. Senior defensive specialist Courtney Cron chipped in 17, while Lawson and Pierucci each double-doubled with 11.

Davidson had the second-seeded Mountaineers on their heels to open the match. Despite getting down early, 3-6, the Wildcats regrouped after a quick timeout and got the score knotted at seven behind back-to-back kills from Cron and Neale. Pierucci kept her serve going, adding a couple points to the 'Cats' lead, and the trend continued as Davidson controlled the rest of the way on strong serving and defensive play. Davidson led by as many as six at two separate times, but the Mountaineers chipped away and made a game of it at the end. Nursing a slight 28-27 lead, consecutive kills from Benedict and Pierucci delivered the 30-27 win for Davidson.

Davidson kept attacking, opening up a 6-2 lead to start the second game, and forced Appalachian into a corner. The Mountaineers rallied and a kill from Zahn tied things at 15-15. The two teams traded points for the next third of the game, until with the game tied at 20, Appalachian took control with straight scores. The Mountaineers would lead the rest of the way and go on for the 30-25 win to even the match at 1-1.

The third game was as evenly matched as the earlier pair, but this time, from the start. With the score tied at 15, Dianna Thomas served a couple of points in the midst of a three-point Mountaineer run. Davidson would get things tied at 22 and again at 23, but Appalachian closed with a 7-3 run, including the final three points, to take control of the match with another 30-25 win.

The 'Cats nearly kept their upset bid alive, and the Mountaineers needed more than 30 points to secure the victory. Davidson again jumped out to an early 7-3 lead and put Appalachian on the defensive. The 'Cats pushed their lead to 15-11, but Thomas served four straight points to even the score at 16. Peele put the 'Cats back on top, and consecutive hitting errors from Swecker helped Davidson mount another attack, but Zahn got the possession back and Rau's six-point serve gave Appalachian a 25-23 lead. A kill from Neale and a Mountaineer hitting error evened the score at 25, and the team's traded points until, with the game tied at 29-all, back-to-back Wildcat hitting errors lifted Appalachian to a 31-29 win for the match.

Appalachian State will advance to face the winner of the Furman/UNC Greensboro match in the semifinals tomorrow. For complete tournament coverage, visit www.soconsports.com.