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Volleyball Falls to Tennessee Tech 3-2 in Season Opener

           

Volleyball Falls to Tennessee Tech 3-2 in Season Opener

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Coastal Carolina opened the 2007 season with a 3-2 loss to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in the first match of the Louisville Invitational at Cardinal Arena Friday, Aug. 24. The Lady Chanticleers won the fourth game to force a deciding game five, but were unable to complete the comeback as the Golden Eagles won the fifth game. Game scores were 18-30, 30-19, 19-30, 30-27, 11-15.

Tennessee Tech used several early runs to eventually take a 13-7 lead in game one. A kill by senior Nakia Thompson (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) and a Golden Eagle error allowed Coastal to cut it deficit to four. However, that would be as close as the Lady Chanticleers could get as Tennessee Tech used a pair of four-point runs to distance itself.

Coastal rebounded in game two, totaling 17 kills off 43 total attacks for a .349 team hitting percentage. With the Lady Chanticleers leading 10-9, a Thompson kill and a service ace by freshman Amanda Russell (Liberty, Ind./Union County) sparked a four-point run. Coastal continued to pull away as the Lady Chanticleers enjoyed separate four- and six-point runs before sophomore Jill Nyhof (Alpharetta, Ga./Northview) closed the game with a kill. 

Game three began as a close battle between Coastal and Tennessee Tech. With the exception of the Golden Eagles taking a 5-3 lead, neither team could get more than a one point lead until the Golden Eagles scored three consecutive points to take a 18-15 advantage. Coastal pulled to within two due to a Tennessee Tech service error, but the Golden Eagles responded with three straight points. Although Coastal tried to cut into the deficit, Tennessee Tech took advantage of a late seven-point run to take the game and a 2-1 lead in the match.

Coastal rolled to a 5-0 lead to start game four with three kills from freshman Chelsy Kimes (Munster, Ind./Munster) and a pair of Golden Eagle attack errors. Tennessee Tech started to come back and eventually took a 13-12 lead, but the Lady Chants responded with five consecutive points to take a four-point lead. The game remained close, with seven deadlocks occurring before a kill by Kimes gave Coastal a 25-24 lead. Four straight Golden Eagle errors made the score 29-24. However, kills by Amanda Lindgren and Jessica Asplund and an error by Kimes allowed Tennessee Tech to come within two points, but a Golden Eagle service error allowed Coastal to tie the match at two games apiece.

A pair of kills by Kimes allowed Coastal to take a 2-1 lead in Game Five, but four straight points allowed Tennessee Tech to take the final lead and eventually the match.

Kimes recorded a team-high 21 kills, while Nyhof and Thompson totaled 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Junior Brett Starbuck (Glen Allen, Va./J.R. Tucker) notched a team-high 23 digs. Sophomore Meagan Tracey (Scottsdale, Ariz./Horizon) put up 50 assists. Thompson and Tracey each recorded a match-high five block assists.

Leah Moffert notched the match's only double-double with  22 kills and 13 digs. Kappy Lang had a match-high 57 assists, while Katie Keline totaled 28 digs.

Coastal Carolina returns to action at the Louisville Invitational with a pair of matches on Saturday. The Lady Chanticleers face host Louisville at 1 p.m., and then Memphis at 5 p.m.