Sept. 11, 2010

Norfolk State Final Stats / USC Upstate Final Stats

CONWAY, S.C. - The Coastal Carolina University volleyball team swept the Comfort Suites Coastal Carolina Invitational with two wins on Saturday, Sept. 11. The first win was over Norfolk State 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-18) and the second came in a tough 3-2 (25-20, 14-25, 25-19, 25-27, 15-11) match over USC Upstate in the nightcap. The Chanticleers improve to 5-5 on the season.

Seniors Chelsy Kimes and Megan Bickford were both named to the Comfort Suites Coastal Carolina Invitational All-Tournament team with Kimes being named tournament MVP.

Coastal Carolina 3, Norfolk State 0
The Chanticleers blanked the Norfolk State Spartans 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-18) in their second game of the Comfort Suites Coastal Carolina Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Erika Lightsey led the Chants with nine kills in the match while Chelsy Kimes and Amanda Russell were close behind, each registering seven kills a piece. Russell was also strong at the net, posting three blocks to lead the team and Kelsie Mauck finished with three service aces.

Coastal Carolina downed Norfolk State 25-12 in set one. After falling behind 1-3 in the early minutes of the set, Coastal went on a 7-1 run to take a 9-4 lead over the Spartans that they would not relinquish. The Chanticleers had nine kills as a team, with Meghan Laffin leading the team with three. Kimes led the team with four digs in the set while Lauren Alejo and Mauck dished out nine total assists with five and four, respectively.

The second set of the game saw four ties and two lead changes in the early goings, but the Chanticleers took a 3-2 lead over the Spartans and never looked back. Kindra Bailey scored her first career point for Coastal to help the team on to a 25-14 victory. Lindsay Gill led the team with five digs and Russell was a key contributor in the set with four kills.

The Chanticleers jumped out to an early 2-1 lead during the third and final set of the match, putting them on the path to a 25-18 win over the Spartans. Erika Lightsey registered four kills against the Spartans, while Laffin posted three kills. On defense, Kimes and Gill had six and five digs, respectively, during the set.

Coastal out hit the Spartans, finishing with a team attack percentage of no less than .321 in any set while Norfolk State was held to under .100.


Coastal Carolina 3, USC Upstate 2
Coastal Carolina outlasted the USC Upstate Spartans 3-2 (25-20, 14-25, 25-19, 25-27, 15-11) in the final game of the Comfort Suites Coastal Carolina Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11th.

Kimes led the team with 24 kills and two service aces while Mauck totaled 34 assists during the match. Freshman Lindsay Gill led the defense, posting 29 digs in the win.

Coastal took set one from the Spartans 25-20 after three ties and two lead changes in the first moments of the game. The team was led by Kimes with six kills and followed closely by Lightsey's five. Gill was also instrumental in the set win with seven digs in the set.

Set two of the match-up saw a close game early on, but a 7-1 run by USC Upstate left Coastal down 7-15. The Chants rallied to within four points of the Spartans, but an 8-1 run by the Spartans led to a 14-25 Coastal loss. Lightsey posted five kills during the set while Alejo and Mauck tallied four and three assists, respectively.

The Chanticleers went on an 8-3 run against the Spartans to start set three of the match, putting themselves on the road to a 25-19 victory. Gill recorded nine digs for Coastal while Kimes led the team with seven kills and Mauck totaled 11 assists for the set.

In set four, both teams battled, forcing 16 ties and eight lead changes that ended in 27-25 loss by Coastal. Down 20-18, the Chanticleers rallied to tie the set at 22-all and again at 23-all and 24-all before a service error by the Spartans gave Coastal the advantage. USC Upstate did not back down and tied the set for the final time at 25-all when back-to-back attack errors on Coastal allowed the Spartans to tie the match 2-2.

In the deciding set, there were three early ties before Coastal gained momentum and went on a 5-2 run to give them a 12-7 lead. The Spartans lingered, winning four more points before the Chants put the set away and took the match.

The Chanticleers are back on the road for its final non-conference tournament Sept. 17-18 at the Kennesaw State Owl Invitational. Coastal will face Troy and Kennesaw State on Friday at 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. and close out the event against Ohio State on Saturday at 10 a.m.