Saturday, September 4
Jacksonville, FL
10:00 AM
Davidson College
2-1,0-0Atlantic 10
2
vs
3
Virginia Tech
5-1,0-0ACC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Davidson
15
25
25
19
15
2
Virginia Tech
25
23
18
25
17
3
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
'Cats Earn Split on Day One of UNF Invite
9/4/2021 4:24:00 PM | Volleyball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Davidson volleyball team battled in tight sets all day during the North Florida Invitational, ultimately earning a split on Saturday with a 3-2 loss to Virginia Tech and 3-1 win over Georgia State.
With the results, the 'Cats improved to 3-1 on the year and picked up the program's fifth win all time against the Panthers.Â
Match One vs. Virginia Tech, L 3-2
Davidson's underclassmen shined against the Hokies on Saturday, as setter Jessie Doyal and outside hitter Isabel Decker each recorded the first double-doubles of their respective careers. Doyal set the pace, dishing a career-high 33 assists and picking up 14 digs, while Decker added 17 kills and 14 digs, both new career highs for the rookie. Fellow rookies Isabella Perry and Xuan Nguyen also had strong outings, with Perry setting a new-career high with 11 kills in her first career start, while Nguyen dished 29 assists in her third straight 20+ assist performance.Â
Davidson struggled to find its offensive rhythm early against the Hokies, hitting -.020 in the first set compared to VT's .270 hitting percentage. Despite opening up the set with back-to-back kills from Malia Kay and Perry, and an early 2-0 lead, the Wildcats nearly split even with 11 kills and 12 attack errors in set one's 25-15 loss.
Bouncing back for set two, the 'Cats improved their offense to a .175 attack percentage and battled the Hokies in a neck-and-neck set. Freshman Isabel Decker provided clutch offense off the bench, notching two-straight kills out of Davidson timeouts and kept the game at bay. Down 23-20, Kay stepped up to the endline and ultimately led the 'Cats on a five-point tear, with kills from Hattie Rodriguez and Anela Davis, to pull out the set two, 25-23 victory.
After VT stole the fourth, the 'Cats nearly captured the fifth set thanks to an ace from Sophia Hritz that pushed Davidson to its match point at 15-14. However, the Hokies responded and pulled out the 17-15 victory to seal the match win.
Match Two vs. Georgia State, W 3-1
Decker and Doyal picked up right where they left off in match two, each recording another double-double for the day against the Panthers. This time around, Decker recorded 12 kills and 10 digs, while Doyal dished 29 assists and picked up 11 digs of her own.
Malia Kay started match two off with a monstrous 9-kill performance in only the first set, but it wasn't enough to knock off Georgia State, which took the first frame in an overtime, 28-26 fashion. After falling behind 5-0 early, the Wildcats responded and finally settled the score at eight points apiece. From there, the two teams would exchange the lead four more times, before Georgia State edged out the 'Cats for the first set win.Â
The 'Cats hung tight with the Panthers in set two, trailing by one in the early goings until a three-point run, thanks to kills from Kay and Paige Johnson, allowed Davidson to pull away with a 9-7 lead. But after its brief deficit, Georgia State's offense exploded into a 12-2 run that gave the Panthers a 19-11 stronghold over the Wildcats. With that, Decker took matters into her own hands and sent five kills to the floor and settled the score at 21 points apiece between the 'Cats and Panthers. With a 16-kill effort as a team, Davidson managed to pull out the 26-24 come-from-behind win.Â
Davidson grabbed its second-straight third set victory of the day after hitting .114 as a team, serving two aces and posting three blocks en route to the 25-23 victory against the Panthers. In the defining fourth set, the 'Cats hit .195 and relied heavily on Decker and Davis, who combined for four of the last six points of the match, to push the Wildcats past the Panthers for a 25-20, match victory.Â
With the results, the 'Cats improved to 3-1 on the year and picked up the program's fifth win all time against the Panthers.Â
Match One vs. Virginia Tech, L 3-2
Davidson's underclassmen shined against the Hokies on Saturday, as setter Jessie Doyal and outside hitter Isabel Decker each recorded the first double-doubles of their respective careers. Doyal set the pace, dishing a career-high 33 assists and picking up 14 digs, while Decker added 17 kills and 14 digs, both new career highs for the rookie. Fellow rookies Isabella Perry and Xuan Nguyen also had strong outings, with Perry setting a new-career high with 11 kills in her first career start, while Nguyen dished 29 assists in her third straight 20+ assist performance.Â
Davidson struggled to find its offensive rhythm early against the Hokies, hitting -.020 in the first set compared to VT's .270 hitting percentage. Despite opening up the set with back-to-back kills from Malia Kay and Perry, and an early 2-0 lead, the Wildcats nearly split even with 11 kills and 12 attack errors in set one's 25-15 loss.
Bouncing back for set two, the 'Cats improved their offense to a .175 attack percentage and battled the Hokies in a neck-and-neck set. Freshman Isabel Decker provided clutch offense off the bench, notching two-straight kills out of Davidson timeouts and kept the game at bay. Down 23-20, Kay stepped up to the endline and ultimately led the 'Cats on a five-point tear, with kills from Hattie Rodriguez and Anela Davis, to pull out the set two, 25-23 victory.
Carrying the momentum into set three, the Wildcats took a strong 18-10 lead midway through the third, stunning the Hokies into a timeout. From there, Virginia Tech pulled back within five points of the 'Cats but Perry and Decker took care of business, combining for four kills down the stretch and pushing Davidson past the Hokies, 25-18. On top of the set three win, the Wildcats' offense hit an impressive, season-best .383 in the frame, tallying 21 kills and just three errors.ÂHow to respond 101 ??
— Davidson Volleyball (@DavidsonVB) September 4, 2021
Freshman Isabel Decker coming in with the big time kill out of the timeout! pic.twitter.com/IXJ8Cz3lZZ
After VT stole the fourth, the 'Cats nearly captured the fifth set thanks to an ace from Sophia Hritz that pushed Davidson to its match point at 15-14. However, the Hokies responded and pulled out the 17-15 victory to seal the match win.
Match Two vs. Georgia State, W 3-1
Decker and Doyal picked up right where they left off in match two, each recording another double-double for the day against the Panthers. This time around, Decker recorded 12 kills and 10 digs, while Doyal dished 29 assists and picked up 11 digs of her own.
Malia Kay started match two off with a monstrous 9-kill performance in only the first set, but it wasn't enough to knock off Georgia State, which took the first frame in an overtime, 28-26 fashion. After falling behind 5-0 early, the Wildcats responded and finally settled the score at eight points apiece. From there, the two teams would exchange the lead four more times, before Georgia State edged out the 'Cats for the first set win.Â
The 'Cats hung tight with the Panthers in set two, trailing by one in the early goings until a three-point run, thanks to kills from Kay and Paige Johnson, allowed Davidson to pull away with a 9-7 lead. But after its brief deficit, Georgia State's offense exploded into a 12-2 run that gave the Panthers a 19-11 stronghold over the Wildcats. With that, Decker took matters into her own hands and sent five kills to the floor and settled the score at 21 points apiece between the 'Cats and Panthers. With a 16-kill effort as a team, Davidson managed to pull out the 26-24 come-from-behind win.Â
Davidson grabbed its second-straight third set victory of the day after hitting .114 as a team, serving two aces and posting three blocks en route to the 25-23 victory against the Panthers. In the defining fourth set, the 'Cats hit .195 and relied heavily on Decker and Davis, who combined for four of the last six points of the match, to push the Wildcats past the Panthers for a 25-20, match victory.Â
The Wildcats will return to the floor tomorrow afternoon for a 1 p.m. opening serve against tournament hosts, North Florida. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+, with live links available at davidsonwildcats.com/coverage.That's a wrap! ??????
— Davidson Volleyball (@DavidsonVB) September 4, 2021
Davidson wins its second match of the day, downing Georgia State 3-1!!!
How about back-to-back double-double performances from Isabel Decker and Jessie Doyal?!?!? pic.twitter.com/ZCBwlAPCuL
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Team Stats
GSU
DC
Kills
52
56
Errors
26
28
Attempts
165
177
Hitting %
.158
.158
Points
71
71.5
Assists
49
53
Aces
7
7
Blocks
12
8.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS/S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballOH
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