Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Sunday, October 16
Charlotte, N.C.
12:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-517, 26 (CUSA)
3
at
2
Charlotte
-715, 16 (CUSA)
1
2
3
4
5
F
Middle Tennessee
25
25
20
22
15
3
Charlotte
17
23
25
25
10
2
Team Stats
MT
CHA
Kills
70
51
Errors
27
18
Attempts
196
176
Hitting %
.219
.188
Points
84.0
69.0
Assists
64
45
Aces
6
6
Blocks
8.0
12.0
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
Blue Raiders down Charlotte in career day
10/16/2016 5:49:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Five Blue Raiders turn in career-highs in win
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a thrilling five-set match to cap the weekend, five Blue Raiders turned in career efforts as Middle Tennessee picked up its second conference victory of the season with a 3-2 win at Charlotte Sunday afternoon.
"Our kids came out ready to play. They did a really good job of playing point-by-point, which is something we talked about all week," interim head coach Jeff Huebner said. "Even though we finished the first and second set with big runs, we did it one at a time and did it the right way. It was good discipline. That was the mark of a championship-level team."
Vonnie Covington sparked the Blue Raider offense with a career-high 17 kills, while also swatting a season-high four blocks and hit for a team-best .519. Regan Coughlin matched a career-high with 18 kills to go along with 21 digs.
Jacqueline Lux continued her success in setting up the offensive attack, dishing out a career-best 54 assists along with a season-high 18 digs. Lux has now set new career-marks for assists in three of the last five matches, and currently sits 15 digs and 117 assists away from a career 1,000 for each category.
Freshman Meg Irvin tallied career-highs in digs and assists with 34 and seven, respectively. As a team, MT picked up a season-best 101 digs.
Makila York provided her best match of the season with 10 kills, three digs and a pair of blocks, while Delaney Gallagher pitched in seven kills and four blocks. The Raiders tied its season-best with eight total team blocks.
"The defense we played as a team was phenomenal. That comes from the way Vonnie and Delaney blocked and were disciplined. York was so good for us. She was a point-scorer when she needed to be a point-scorer, and she was a game manager when she needed to be a game manager," Huebner said of his team's defense. "Meg was so consistent. If the ball was hit where she played defense, the ball was up and we were terminating the ball. You need that from your libero."
The Raiders and Niners traded points throughout an opening set that saw 13 ties. Charlotte claimed a narrow 9-7 lead early, when Middle Tennessee responded with a 5-1 run highlighted by a kill from Coughlin and ace from Gallagher to jump ahead 12-10. Charlotte responded to tie the set 12-12 and built a 17-15 lead. The Blue Raiders rebounded with an offensive surge that produced the largest run of the match. MT used a 10-0 run behind four kills from Coughlin, a kill from Gallagher and York while forcing four Charlotte errors to cap the come-from-behind set win 25-17.
Much like the first set, MT and Charlotte swapped points until the 49ers claimed seven straight points for a 13-7 lead. The Raiders responded with a 3-0 run of their own with kills from Lux, York and Covington to cut the deficit to 13-10. With Charlotte holding on to a 19-16 lead, the Blue Raiders provided another rally to surge to a set win. A pair of kills by Aubrie Huddleston cut the deficit to 19-19, and a Gallagher ace followed by a kill from Covington helped capped a 6-0 run to give MT a 22-19 lead. The 49ers attempted a rally, but MT finished the set with a Huddleston kill and a 49ers' error to win 25-23.
Out of the intermission, the Blue Raiders kept the momentum alive before Charlotte answered to get on the scoreboard. With the Raiders leading 14-12, the 49ers forced another set tie. Knotted at 17-17, the Niners struck for a 5-0 run, and established a lead which grew to 23-19. The Blue Raiders offered a late rally, but a pair of Raider error helped Charlotte to a 25-20 win.
The 49ers fed off its third-set win to gain an early 6-4 lead in the fourth set, a lead they would not relinquish. Charlotte found its offensive rhythm to earn its largest lead of the day at 19-11. The deficit proved too much for the Raiders to overcome, but MT established momentum down the stretch by claiming 11 of the final 17 points in the set.
"The last 14 points of the fourth set were probably the hardest 14 points we've played in the season because of the way our kids responded. We finished the set on a good run to keep it close, and that was a really good springboard," Huebner added, "When our kids committed to each other, then the fifth set was a breeze. The kids did a great job of executing the game plan. They took ownership, and that was the most important thing."
Middle Tennessee opened the final frame with a 4-1 lead behind kills from Covington, Mason and York. Charlotte crawled back into the set, trimming the Raider advantage to 6-5. The Raiders took the next three points with a kill from Mason and a pair of Charlotte errors, and extended the lead to 13-8 thanks to kills by Mason and Covington. With match point in hand at 14-10, Coughlin put away her 18th kill of the match to end the set and secure the 3-2 victory for the Blue Raiders.
MT improved to 2-0 on the season in five-set matches, adding a win to the 3-2 victory against Tennessee Tech earlier this season.
Jocelyn Stoner led Charlotte (7-15, 1-6) with 11 kills, while Janell Sparks earned a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs.
Middle Tennessee returns to Alumni Memorial Gym for a four-match homestand beginning Wednesday when it hosts in-state rival Austin Peay. The midweek "Think Pink" match is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
"Our kids came out ready to play. They did a really good job of playing point-by-point, which is something we talked about all week," interim head coach Jeff Huebner said. "Even though we finished the first and second set with big runs, we did it one at a time and did it the right way. It was good discipline. That was the mark of a championship-level team."
Vonnie Covington sparked the Blue Raider offense with a career-high 17 kills, while also swatting a season-high four blocks and hit for a team-best .519. Regan Coughlin matched a career-high with 18 kills to go along with 21 digs.
Jacqueline Lux continued her success in setting up the offensive attack, dishing out a career-best 54 assists along with a season-high 18 digs. Lux has now set new career-marks for assists in three of the last five matches, and currently sits 15 digs and 117 assists away from a career 1,000 for each category.
Freshman Meg Irvin tallied career-highs in digs and assists with 34 and seven, respectively. As a team, MT picked up a season-best 101 digs.
Makila York provided her best match of the season with 10 kills, three digs and a pair of blocks, while Delaney Gallagher pitched in seven kills and four blocks. The Raiders tied its season-best with eight total team blocks.
"The defense we played as a team was phenomenal. That comes from the way Vonnie and Delaney blocked and were disciplined. York was so good for us. She was a point-scorer when she needed to be a point-scorer, and she was a game manager when she needed to be a game manager," Huebner said of his team's defense. "Meg was so consistent. If the ball was hit where she played defense, the ball was up and we were terminating the ball. You need that from your libero."
The Raiders and Niners traded points throughout an opening set that saw 13 ties. Charlotte claimed a narrow 9-7 lead early, when Middle Tennessee responded with a 5-1 run highlighted by a kill from Coughlin and ace from Gallagher to jump ahead 12-10. Charlotte responded to tie the set 12-12 and built a 17-15 lead. The Blue Raiders rebounded with an offensive surge that produced the largest run of the match. MT used a 10-0 run behind four kills from Coughlin, a kill from Gallagher and York while forcing four Charlotte errors to cap the come-from-behind set win 25-17.
Much like the first set, MT and Charlotte swapped points until the 49ers claimed seven straight points for a 13-7 lead. The Raiders responded with a 3-0 run of their own with kills from Lux, York and Covington to cut the deficit to 13-10. With Charlotte holding on to a 19-16 lead, the Blue Raiders provided another rally to surge to a set win. A pair of kills by Aubrie Huddleston cut the deficit to 19-19, and a Gallagher ace followed by a kill from Covington helped capped a 6-0 run to give MT a 22-19 lead. The 49ers attempted a rally, but MT finished the set with a Huddleston kill and a 49ers' error to win 25-23.
Out of the intermission, the Blue Raiders kept the momentum alive before Charlotte answered to get on the scoreboard. With the Raiders leading 14-12, the 49ers forced another set tie. Knotted at 17-17, the Niners struck for a 5-0 run, and established a lead which grew to 23-19. The Blue Raiders offered a late rally, but a pair of Raider error helped Charlotte to a 25-20 win.
The 49ers fed off its third-set win to gain an early 6-4 lead in the fourth set, a lead they would not relinquish. Charlotte found its offensive rhythm to earn its largest lead of the day at 19-11. The deficit proved too much for the Raiders to overcome, but MT established momentum down the stretch by claiming 11 of the final 17 points in the set.
"The last 14 points of the fourth set were probably the hardest 14 points we've played in the season because of the way our kids responded. We finished the set on a good run to keep it close, and that was a really good springboard," Huebner added, "When our kids committed to each other, then the fifth set was a breeze. The kids did a great job of executing the game plan. They took ownership, and that was the most important thing."
Middle Tennessee opened the final frame with a 4-1 lead behind kills from Covington, Mason and York. Charlotte crawled back into the set, trimming the Raider advantage to 6-5. The Raiders took the next three points with a kill from Mason and a pair of Charlotte errors, and extended the lead to 13-8 thanks to kills by Mason and Covington. With match point in hand at 14-10, Coughlin put away her 18th kill of the match to end the set and secure the 3-2 victory for the Blue Raiders.
MT improved to 2-0 on the season in five-set matches, adding a win to the 3-2 victory against Tennessee Tech earlier this season.
Jocelyn Stoner led Charlotte (7-15, 1-6) with 11 kills, while Janell Sparks earned a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs.
Middle Tennessee returns to Alumni Memorial Gym for a four-match homestand beginning Wednesday when it hosts in-state rival Austin Peay. The midweek "Think Pink" match is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
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