East Tennessee State fell to the College of Charleston, 3-0, Friday in the first round of the SoCon Tournament held in Davidson, N.C.
College of Charleston, who finished second in regular season play, dropped the Buccaneers in straight games, 30-16, 30-27 and 30-24. In the opening game, Charleston came out strong attacking the ball, finishing the game with an attacking percentage of .300 compared to the Buccaneers -.167.
In game two, the lead traded hands several times, but Charleston took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Game three was another tight battle, as ETSU led on several occasions. Charleston’s Tara Greene led the way, hitting .320 for the game.
Katie Ralph and freshman of the year Nicole Ryan led the Buccaneers with six kills apiece. Renee Vesey tallied 23 assists for the match.
All SoCon selection Mary Sabatino had 35 assists and 19 digs on the day.
The Buccaneers end their season 8-23 overall, while the Cougars advance to take on Davidson.
MATCH ONE: Furman tops Western Carolina in five.
In the opening match of the championship, the No. 4 seed Furman defeated No. 5 seed Western Carolina in a five back-and-forth games, 30-24, 32-30, 21-30, 18-20, 15-10.
The final game of the match saw Furman storm out to an 8-4 lead. But at 13-7, Western was able to pull themselves back into the game. Furman put the game away on a serve by freshman Molly Rybak.
Western Carolina ends it season at 22-12. With the win, Furman went on to challenge top-seeded Georgia Southern in the semifinals Saturday.
MATCH TWO: Georgia Southern downed the Mocs, 3-0.
Top-seeded Georgia Southern shut out the No. 8 seed Chattanooga Mocs in three games, 30-24, 30-14, 30-18. The Eagles advanced to face Furman in Saturday’s semifinal.
Georgia Southern’s Martina Veiglova, 2002 Southern Conference Player of the Year, led the game with seven kills.
Game two action started close until Georgia Southern scored eight straight points on the serving of setter Kim Foytich, pulling the Eagles out to a 27-10 lead. Chattanooga was able to tally three points before surrendering the game at 30-14 on a Veiglova kill. Georgia Southern had 33 total kills in the game to Chattanooga’s 20. Chattanooga ended its season at 10-22.
MATCH THREE: Charleston downed the Bucs in three games.
MATCH FOUR: Davidson blasts Appalachian State, 3-0
In the final quarterfinal match Friday, the No. 3 seed Davidson defeated No. 6 seed Appalachian State in three games, 30-22, 30-24, 33-31. The Wildcats advance into Saturday’s semifinal against the College of Charleston.
The final game of the match saw 13 lead changes and had four game points, as Davidson battled for the win. Rebecca Teichgraeber served out the match at 33-31. The Wildcats had 48 kills in the game, with middle blocker Latisha Chapman leading the way with 14 kills. Appalachian State’s middle blocker Katherine Dean led the Mountaineers with 11 kills.
Appalachian State ends its season at 15-18.
MATCH FIVE: Georgia Southern tops Furman, 3-1.
In the first semifinal match, Georgia Southern topped Furman in four games, 30-24, 30-28, 27-30, 30-21, Saturday. The Eagles advanced into Sunday’s final against the College of Charleston.
In game one, the Eagles was able to capitalize on Furman defensive miscues, finishing the game at 30-24. Both teams tallied 15 kills and 17 digs, but the Eagles’ .256 hitting percentage to the Paladins’ .140 made the difference in the game. Georgia Southern’s Martina Veiglova led the Eagles with five kills.
The Paladins mounted a comeback late in game two, but the Eagles answered the challenge punctuated by a huge kill to end the game by Georgia Southern’s Erin Martin. Veiglova again led the Eagles with seven kills, as Furman’s Laura Bush led the Paladins with five.
Game three saw back and forth action, as the Paladins were determined take the game. Furman, however, won 30-27, with consistent defensive play and strong net play as Bush led the Paladins with six kills.
In the final game, the Eagles maintained the lead the entire game, thus taking the match. The Eagles finished the match with 71 kills, while the Paladins finished with 67. Overall, Georgia Southern hit .331 for the game and Furman hit .268.
With the win, Georgia Southern advances to the finals for a second straight year. The Eagles won the title game last year, defeating Chattanooga in three straight games. Furman ends its season at 21-14.
MATCH SIX: College of Charleston defeats Davidson, 3-2
In the second semifinal match tournament, College of Charleston defeated Davidson in a five-game thriller (30-22, 26-30, 30-23, 23-30, 15-11) Saturday. The Cougars advanced to Sunday’s final.
Charleston came out swinging, hitting .231 for the game with 15 total kills. Davidson had a good offensive effort, matching the Cougars in kills, but Charleston was able to capitalize on Wildcat defensive mistakes.
Charleston’s Rebecca Wieters had three kills and hit .500 for the game. Davidson’s Rebecca Teichgraeber led the game with seven kills.
The teams traded points back and forth in game two. Davidson took the lead at 17-11, but Charleston knotted the score at 22-22. The teams again traded points, but Davidson was able to put the game away on a big kill by Roberta Quis.
The Cougars regained the lead in the match in game three, as they tightened their defense with ten total blocks. Missed serves cost the Wildcats, as the game ended on a serve in the net. Outside hitter Tara Greene led the Cougars with four kills Quis led the Wildcats with eight kills.
Game four was tied at 17-17, when Davidson’s Erin Balak served five points in a row for the Wildcats, upping the score to 22-17. The Cougars struggled to answer the Wildcats’ challenge, as Davidson was able to turn Cougars’ mistakes into Wildcat points. Davidson was able to end it on a kill by Teichgraeber.
The final game was back-and-forth but it saw Charleston make the big points as they defeated Davidson 15-10.
With the win, College of Charleston advanced to the tournament finals to face Georgia Southern. The Cougars split the regular season title with the Eagles. Davidson ends its season at 23-11.
FINAL MATCH: The tournament final pitted the co-regular season champions against each other, College of Charleston topped Georgia Southern in three games, 30-24, 30-26, 30-22, to claim the 2002 Southern Conference crown. With the victory, the Cougars earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Game one action started at a fast pace, with the College of Charleston jumping out to an early 3-0 lead. The action was tough as the teams traded points early in the game. The Cougars put space between them and the Eagles with quick offense, as Ballard led the Cougars with six kills. The Cougars shut the door on the Eagles with a kill by Greene to end the game, 30-24.
The Cougars took game two, converting the Eagles’ defensive mistakes into points. Ballard again led the Cougars with seven kills.
Defensively, College of Charleston had 45 digs to Georgia Southern’s 39. Although the Eagles pulled it close, the game ended at 30-26.
The Cougars refused to give up a game, taking game three 30-22. The Eagles (26-9) were unable to stop the Cougars’ momentum, as the College of Charleston (29-5) dominated offensively the entire match.

Author