Sept. 13, 2008
UT Arlington/Hilton Invitational Tournament Central
Box Score
ARLINGTON, Texas - The UT Arlington volleyball team proved patience and a vigorous schedule can pay off in the long run as the Maverick snapped a five-match losing skid with a four-set victory over South Carolina State on Saturday evening. It was the Mavs' final match in the UT Arlington/Hilton Invitational at Texas Hall, and the Mavericks went out in style coming back from a 0-1 deficit to defeat the Lady Bulldogs, 21-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-13. UT Arlington improves to 4-7 overall and South Carolina State drops to 1-10 on the campaign.
The Mavericks were coming off five straight losses, all coming against impressive non-conference opponents (San Francisco, UC-Santa Barbara, TCU, Duke, No. 13 Middle Tennessee).
UT Arlington sophomore setter Raegan Daniel led the way with a near triple-double, finishing with 44 assists, 10 digs and eight kills (.583 hitting percentage). Senior Ally Wade and freshman Christy Driscoll each recorded career highs with 15 kills and 11 kills, respectively.
The Mavericks tied a season high with six service aces and they dominated the net with 12 team blocks.
After suffering a 25-21 loss in the first set, UT Arlington started the second set on a different note with a 9-1 advantage.
The Mavericks took the lead with efficient serving from freshman Amanda Aguilera and junior Teena Sobczak, who each made strong serves during the Mavs' run. Driscoll notched three kills in the early going to help get the Mavs in front.
The third set made it appear the match might go five sets with the Lady Bulldogs pulling out-in-front with a 5-0 lead. UT Arlington slowly built a comeback as Sobczak, Aguilera and Shearin notched consecutive kills to tie the score, 16-16.
Daniel once again guided the Mavericks dishing out 13 assists with two kills and a block to give the Mavs a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set was all UT Arlington as the Mavericks tallied a .500 hitting percentage (15 kills-2 errors- 26 attempts) and the Lady Bulldogs collected only eight kills with five hitting errors.
UT Arlington freshman Alicia Shaffer led all players with 14 digs, and freshman Emily Shearin posted a match-high six blocks.
UT Arlington will take next week off before hosting the UT Arlington/Holiday Inn Invitational on Sept. 19-20, at Texas Hall. The Mavericks will welcome Sam Houston State, Texas Southern, New Mexico and UALR.
MATCH NOTES:
Tonight marked the first matchup between these two programs... it was only the second time the Mavericks have played a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponent, as they are now 2-0 after defeating North Carolina A&T in 2001.
UT Arlington/Hilton Invitational All-Tournament Team:
Leslie Clark (Jr.) Setter, Middle Tennessee
Izabela Kozon (So.) Outside Hitter, Middle Tennessee
Rachel Moss (Jr.) Outside Hitter, Duke
Jourdan Norman (Sr.) Middle Blocker, Duke
Raegan Daniel (So.) Setter, UT Arlington
Gisela Kloss (Sr.) Middle Blocker, South Carolina State
Tournament Recap (Championship):
No. 13 Middle Tennessee defeated Duke (20-25, 15-25, 25-14, 25-22, 15-9)
The championship match lived up to all the hype with No. 13 Middle Tennessee (9-0) coming from behind after dropping the first two sets to claim the tournament title. The Blue Raiders were led by Izabela Kozon (22 kills, .513 hitting percentage, nine digs) and Leslie Clark (66 assists, 10 digs), who were both named to the all-tournament team. Duke (6-3) received a strong effort from Jourdan Norman (13 kills, .632 hitting percentage) and Rachael Moss (10 kills, eight digs, three aces).
UT ARLINGTON/HILTON INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Friday, September 12
No. 13 Middle Tennessee defeated South Carolina State (25-16, 25-11, 25-18)
Duke defeated UT Arlington (25-10, 25-15, 25-15)
Saturday, September 13
No. 13 Middle Tennessee defeated UT Arlington (25-16, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21
Duke defeated South Carolina State (25-14, 25-12, 25-13)
UT Arlington defeated South Carolina State (21-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-13)
No. 13 Middle Tennessee defeated Duke (20-25, 15-25, 25-14, 25-22, 15-9)
