CANTON, NY -- The 2012 USCAA Women's Volleyball Championship's final day is underway with four matches set for the final day, including two semifinal match-ups, the third-place game and the championship match.
Overall number one seed, Daemen College, Florida College, Rochester College and host SUNY Canton were all who remained on Sunday morning after winning their quarterfinal matches on Saturday evening. Today's first three games will be recapped below.
TOURNAMENT STATISTICAL LEADERS
SEMIFINALS
10:00 a.m., CARC
Florida College def. SUNY Canton, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-16)
Defending champion Florida College started and finished equally strong, knocking host SUNY Canton out of championship contention in the first semifinal match of the 2012 USCAA Women's Volleyball Championships. The Falcons await the winner of the Daemen College and Rochester College semifinal at 12:00 p.m.
Florida College used several runs in the first set to pull away from the Kangaroos of Canton, capitalizing on several Canton errors. Canton battled back in the second set, grabbing an early lead, but Florida's lenght kept Canton from a consistent attack. The Falcons defense stifled Canton's offense, holding the 'Roos to an .069 hitting percentage.
Devyn Jackson led the defensive stand with 20 digs for the Falcons, who have yet to lose a set in the tournament. Olivia Luallen added 15 digs for Florida, while Savannah Gorman protected the net with five blocks.
Jackson also proved to be an offensive force for Florida, combining with teammate Kerri Taylor for 33 kills. Jackson finished with 15 kills, while Taylor had a tournament-best 18 successful attacks. Overall, Florida hit .215 for the match on 107 total attacks. Jenny Moorer set up most of her teammates, finishing with 35 assists to lead the Falcons to a sweep.
Canton struggled offensively, but received seven kills from Morgan Bills. Danielle Swanston added five kills for the 'Roos, and Robyn Carroll had a team-high 16 digs. Mackenzie Mynter added 16 assists for Canton, who will face the loser of the Daemen/Rochester semifinal at 2:00 p.m. in the CARC.
12:00 p.m., CARC
Daemen College def. Rochester College, 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 26-24)
Overall number one seed Daemen College survived a third set scare, but was able to hold off a Rochester College rally to win in three sets in the second semifinal match of the 2012 USCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. The Wildcats advance to the championship match against Florida College at 4:00 p.m. in the CARC on SUNY Canton's campus, while Rochester will take on Canton in the third place game at 2:00 p.m.
Rochester held a 12-9 advantage in the first set, but a four point Daemen run forced a Warriors timeout. Rochester would battle back for the lead, but the Wildcats used a late rally to go up 1-0. Daemen cruised in the second set, but Rochester would not go easily in the third. Despite trailing for much of the set, the Warriors rallied to tie the score at 24-24. But a Daemen kill from Joanna Fretthold and a receive error by Rochester ended the Warriors' run at the championship.
Jenn Karan paced the Wildcats, setting game-high marks with 15 kills on 29 attacks. Fretthold added 11 kills and 10 digs for Daemen, as Kaley Vazquez dished out 24 assists. Chelsea Turcer pitched in 15 assists, while Paige Tilert and Katie Auge led the defense with 12 and 16 digs, respectively. Auge also had a game-high two service aces.
Brittany Alexander had a team-high 11 kills for Rochester, and Keri Teschler added 10. Emily Rajter and Paige TenBrink finished with 18 digs each for the Warriors. Sara Hayes finished with 35 assists and 13 digs for Rochester.
THIRD PLACE GAME
2:00 p.m., CARC
Rochester College def. SUNY Canton, 3-1 (25-17, 25-16, 23-25, 25-22)
Rochester College went home with hardware on Sunday, capturing the third place game over host SUNY Canton, 3-1. The Warriors, playing immediately after their semifinal loss to Daemen College, rebounded with a four set win, taking the first two sets easily before dropping the third set. Rochester needed a late comeback in the fourth and final set, but took advantage of Canton's mistakes to claim the consolation game.
Sara Hayes had a tournament-best 49 assists for the Warriors, and added 18 digs. Emily Rajter had a tournament-best 27 digs, while Breanna Pelloni led the offensive attack with 18 kills. Keri Teschler added 15 kills for the Warriors, who finished the tournament 5-2 overall.
Mackenzie Mynter had 25 assists for the 'Roos, who suffered their third loss of the tournament after falling to Florida College in the first semifinal on Sunday. Morgan Bills added 10 kills, while Robyn Carroll had a team-high 10 digs for Canton.