Sept. 17, 2010

Troy Stats / Kennesaw State

KENNESAW, Ga. - The Coastal Carolina University volleyball team split in the first day of the Kennesaw State Owl Invitational with a 3-0 loss to Troy in the first match, but came back to win a 3-1 decision to tournament host Kennesaw State in the nightcap on Friday, Sept. 17. The Chanticleers move to 6-6 on the season.

Troy 3, Coastal Carolina 0

The Chanticleers snapped their five-match win streak, falling 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-19) to Troy in their first match of the Kennesaw State Owl Invitational.

Senior Chelsy Kimes led Coastal with eight kills while freshman Lauren Alejo dished out 21 assists. On defense, freshman Lindsay Gill registered 15 digs and freshman teammate Meghan Laffin posted two blocks in the match.

The Trojans went out to an early 5-1 lead in the first set and never looked back. Coastal battled back to within two at 6-4, but a 8-3 run by Troy put the set out of reach for the Chanticleers. Kimes and Megan Bickford lead the team with three kills a piece, but the Chants were held to a .000 team attack percentage.

The second set was similar to the first as Troy took control early, jumping out to a 13-7 lead. Coastal tried to battle back at 16-10, but could not get its offense together, allowing the Trojans to go on a 9-5 run and take the second set. Erika Lightsey led the offense with three kills and Gill tallied five digs.

In the third and final set, Troy went out to an early 5-1 lead, but Coastal gradually came back and pulled the set to within one at 14-13 on a kill by Laffin. It looked like the Chants were gaining momentum, but the Trojans answered back with a 7-2 run, putting them ahead 21-15. Coastal would score four more points before Troy took the match in three straight sets.

Troy held the Coastal offense to a team attack percentage under .100 all three sets and tallied 10 service aces compared to the Chants' four.

Coastal Carolina 3, Kennesaw State 1

In the second match of the day, Coastal Carolina came up victorious in a come from behind 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-19) decision to tournament host Kennesaw State.

Kimes recorded her eighth double-double of the season with a team-high 16 kills and 15 digs. Megan Bickford was strong on offense, recording a season-high 10 kills and Kelsie Mauck tallied a season-high 13 digs on defense. Both Bickford and Laffin were a dominant force at the net, posting eight blocks each.

In the first set, both teams started strong, forcing 10 ties and eight lead changes. With the set tied at 14-all, the Owls took the final lead and never looked back, winning the first set. Kimes led the team with four kills in the set and Laffin came up with two blocks.

The second set was similar to the first with both teams fighting hard except Coastal finished victorious to tie the match at 1-1. The set was evenly matched with 13 ties and three lead changes. At 18-all, Laffin tallied a kill to give Coastal the lead, but two quick points by the Owls put them ahead at 20-18. The Chanticleers did not back down and went on a 7-1 run to end the set.

Coastal took the momentum from the second set and continued it into the third, defeating Kennesaw State 25-16. At 13-all, the Chants went on a 8-1 run to put them ahead 20-14 and the deficit was too much for the Owls to recover from, scoring just two addition points in the set. Kimes tallied four kills and Lightsey and Bickford each added three.

Up 2-1 in the match, Coastal took an early 3-1 lead and at 4-all went on a 7-3 run. Kennesaw State tried to build a comeback, getting to within one at 13-12, but the Chanticleer offense was too strong, finishing the set on a 12-7 run. Coastal held the Owls to a .077 attack percentage in the set.

The Chanticleers return to the court for their final match of the Kennesaw State Owl Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 18 against Ohio State at 10 a.m.