CSM Box Score
UAFS Box Score
BOLIVAR, Mo. - - The 22nd-ranked Truman volleyball team recorded a second split at the Southwest Baptist Purple Bash on Saturday, pushing past Colorado School of Mines, 3-1, in the opener before dropping the nightcap to Arkansas-Fort Smith by the same score.
Truman hit .221 and got a team-high 13 kills from junior MB Megan Sharpe to beat Mines, 3-1 (22-25, -16, -22, -21), on Saturday morning. After dropping the opening set by three points, the Bulldogs hit .357 in the second frame to douse any Oredigger momentum with a 25-16 set win. Though CSM (6-3) made things interesting late in the final two sets, the Bulldogs (5-3) held on behind kills at key points to pick up the victory and move to 2-1 on the weekend.
Sharpe's 13 kills and .522 hitting percentage led the Bulldogs in both categories, while junior RS Lauren Radix added nine kills, hit .300 and met Sharpe with five blocks. Senior Kylie Easlon took home top setting honors with 20, with fellow setter, freshman Meghan Zimmerman, put up a 15 assist/10 dig double-double. Freshman libero Abby Moser racked up match-best 26 digs as one of four Bulldogs with double-figure digs.
For the match, Truman hit .221 with 50 total kills and dealt eight service aces. Despite being narrowly out-dug by CSM, the 'Dogs made up for it at the net by out-blocking the Orediggers, 9-5.5.
Truman then returned to the court two hours later to face Arkansas-Fort Smith, the Heartland Conference's preseason favorite. Despite taking the first set by two, the Bulldogs fell in the next three, suffering a 3-1 (23-25, -19, -22, -15) loss in the match. Sharpe continued her exceptional tournament, compiling a team-high 17 kills and turning in three blocks, while junior OH Heather Hargadine notched a double-double with ten kills and 19 digs.
Easlon added 27 assists and 15 digs for a double-double of her own, and both Hargadine and Easlon were joined in the double-figure dig column by Moser, who tacked on 15. Truman hit .205 for the match, but UAFS carded a .279 mark behind 36 combined kills for Morgan Banner and Heidi Luks.
Truman (5-3) returns to action next Saturday (Sept. 17) for its MIAA and home opener against No. 17 Emporia (Kan.) State. First serve on Family Day in Pershing Arena is set for 1:00 pm.
Friday Recap
MSU Box Score
SAU Box Score
BOLIVAR, Mo. - - The No. 22 Truman volleyball team opened day one of the Southwest Baptist Purple Bash with a split, coming up on the short end of a top-25 battle with Minnesota State before routing Southern Arkansas in the nightcap.
The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs and 12th-ranked MSU Mavericks lived up to the hype of a top-25 showdown to open the weekend, but it was MSU pulling through with the 3-2 (-23, 25-27, 23-25, -19, 15-13) win. Junior MB Megan Sharpe hit .471 on 18 kills, and freshman DS Abby Moser recorded a career-high and Truman season-high 37 digs.
Each of the first three sets were just two-point decisions, as MSU jumped ahead with a 25-23 win in the opener before the Bulldogs rallied twice late in the second and third sets to win 27-25 and 25-23. The Mavericks won the fourth, 25-19, and took an early lead in the fifth before Truman rallied again, closing the decisive set to 11-10 on an MSU attack error. The teams sided-out to 14-13 before the Mavericks delivered the final kill to end the match.
Sharpe's 18 kills were a Bulldog high this season, as the two-time all-American had 16 of her 18 kills in the final four sets – including five on a .625 percentage in the fifth frame. Junior OH Heather Hargadine added ten kills and 22 digs for a double-double, and both senior OH Molly Sinclair and junior MB Emily Briseno added seven kills.
Truman outhit MSU, .157 to .151, and put up 17 blocks to MSU's 14. Both teams finished with more than 90 digs and three service aces.
Then, in the late game, the Bulldogs rattled off a 3-0 (-8, -23, -19) sweep of the Southern Arkansas Muleriders (3-2), as all non-libero players recorded at least one kill. The 'Dogs hit .462 and held SAU to -.069 in the opening set, with Truman coasting to a 25-8 win. From there, the Bulldogs kept SAU at bay, putting together a .302 mark for the match and finishing off the three-set sweep. Freshman OH Allie Brak led the team with seven kills and 18 digs, while senior MB Johanna Ruff hit. 600 and put away six kills of her own. Junior RS Allyson Stellmach led all players with four blocks and added five kills, and senior S Kylie Easlon posted a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs.
The 'Dogs wrap up the tournament with a pair of key matches on Saturday, starting with Colorado School of Mines at 11:00 am before wrapping up the event with Arkansas-Fort Smith at 3:00 pm.
