CANTON, NY -- The 2012 USCAA Women's Volleyball Championship finished day two of pool play on Saturday, with eight matches rounding out the pools. At the beginning of day two, only three teams remained unbeaten, including top seed Daemen College who captured three wins on day one in Pool A. Joining them in Pool A as an unbeaten is the University of Cincinnati-Clermont, who's wins over Carlow and Penn College nearly assured them of inclusion in the elimination round.
Florida College escaped Pool B as the only unbeaten, taking down Pool B's top seed, Rochester College, before topping Penn State Fayette to sit at 2-0 going into day two.
After pool play, the highest seeds all advanced from the quarterfinal round to the semifinals, set for Sunday morning in the Convention, Athletics and Recreation Center on the SUNY Canton campus.
Overall number one seed, Daemen College, led the charge as Florida College, SUNY Canton and Rochester College all picked up wins in straight sets, sweeping their challengers to elimination. Each game of day two is recapped below.
TOURNAMENT STATISTICAL LEADERS
POOL PLAY
Pool A -- 10:00 a.m., Dana Hall
SUNY Canton def. University of Cincinnati-Clermont, 2-0 (25-18, 25-18)
SUNY Canton survived a previously undefeated pool play opponent, Cincinnati-Clermont, to secure their second win in Pool A, guaranteeing themselves a spot in the elimination round. Both teams now sit at 2-1 in pool play, and will play elimination games this evening after completing their pool play matches this afternoon.
Rachel Lowther and Danielle Swanston each recorded six kills for the 'Roos, while Mackenzie Mynter added 18 assists and four kills in the two set sweep. A total of five players recorded three or more kills for Canton, including Jessica Reynolds with three and Morgan Bills with four.
Cincinnati-Clermont was led by Rachel Hays and Heather Rowland, who each contributed four kills. Rowland also added a game-high eight digs for the Cougars.
Pool B -- 10:00 a.m., Convention, Athletics and Recreation Center (CARC)
Florida College def. Johnson & Wales (NC), 2-0 (25-16, 25-6)
Florida College cruised to their third win in Pool B, coming back in set one before handling Johnson & Wales (NC) easily in the second set for a sweep. The Falcons sit at 3-0 and have earned their place in the elimination round as the number one seed in Pool B, with one match remaining against NHTI. Johnson & Wales (NC) sits at 1-2, and will play Rochester College at 1:00 p.m.
The Falcons were led by Savannah Gormon with nine kills, followed by Kerri Taylor with seven. Jenny Moorer dished out 20 assists, while Olivia Luallen recorded eight digs and three service aces. Devyn Jackson added a game-high four aces and also notched seven digs for Florida.
Johnson & Wales received four kills from Lauren Cordts, while Kaitlin Kuntz added 11 assists for the Wildcats.
Pool A -- 11:30 a.m., Dana Hall
Carlow University def. Penn College, 2-0 (25-18, 25-11)
Carlow got in the win column on Saturday morning, taking down Penn College in a battle of winless pool play teams. Penn College's loss drops them to 0-3 in pool play. Carlow will face Pool B's one seed, Florida College, in the quarterfinals, after earning the fourth seed in Pool A.
Carlow got a boost from Carly Bonk and Karly Murray, who finished with nine and eight kills, respectively. Caitlin McCormick handed out 16 assists, while teammate Amanda Knobeloch added 11 for the Celtics in their sweep. Amanda McKenzie had a game-high 16 digs to fend off the Penn College offensive attack.
Penn College was led by Melissa Lake with four kills, while Morgan Moberg added two service aces for the Wildcats, who cannot advance from pool play.
Pool B -- 11:30 a.m., CARC
Penn State Fayette def. NHTI, 2-1 (22-25, 25-21, 15-9)
Penn State Fayette battled back from a first set loss to topple NHTI in the Roaring Lions last match of pool play. The Roaring Lions took a back and forth second set before pulling away to win the third and deciding set. Fayette finishes 2-2 in Pool B, sitting as the third seed, while NHTI fell to 0-3. Fayette will face the second seed from Pool A, SUNY Canton, in the quarterfinals.
The Roaring Lions were led by Leah Ambrosini, who recorded a game-high 16 kills while contributing five digs. Emily Konter had 30 assists for Fayette, including some to Janelle Cooper who finished with four kills. Cooper also had a game-high seven digs and three service aces. Emily Caldwell also finished with three aces and three kills.
NHTI got 10 kills from Alesha Niswander and 18 assists from Amber Rodney. Victoria Spencer added six kills for the Lynx, who cannot advance from pool play.
Pool A -- 1:00 p.m., Dana Hall
Daemen College def. University of Cincinnati-Clermont, 2-0 (25-8, 25-5)
Daemen College rolled over Cincinnati-Clermont in each team's fourth and final match of pool play. The Wildcats used a balanced offensive attack to sweep the Cougars and improve to 4-0, moving into the elimination round as the number one seed out of Pool A. Daemen will face Pool B's fourth seed, Johnson & Wales (NC). Cincinnati-Clermont falls to 2-2, and has earned the third seed from Pool A as they enter the elimination rounds.
Daemen received five kills each from Ye Wang, Joanna Fretthold and Lindsey Nowak. Fretthold and Paige Tilert each recorded six digs for the Wildcats, while Chelsea Turcer dished out 11 assists as Daemen continued to dominate, having not lost a set during pool play.
Cincinnati-Clermont lost their second match of the day, but was able to advance out of pool play following two wins on day one. The Cougars were led by Rachel Hays with three kills. Kaitlyn Miller had a team high four digs. Cincinnati-Clermont will face Pool B's second seed, Rochester College, in the quarterfinals.
Pool B -- 1:00 p.m., CARC
Rochester College def. Johnson & Wales (NC), 2-0 (25-6, 25-20)
Rochester College improved to 3-1 in Pool B, grabbing the second seed out of pool play after downing Johnson & Wales (NC). The Warriors are set to face the third seed from Pool A, Cincinnati-Clermont, in the quarterfinals. Despite the loss, Johnson & Wales advances to pool play as the fourth seed from Pool B, and will face Pool A first seed Daemen College in the quarterfinals.
The Warriors received a game-high five kills from Niki McKerracher, as well as four kills from Chelsea Potter. Sara Hayes recorded 19 assists and four digs, while Emily Serrano had a game-high eight digs.
Johnson & Wales was led by Moriah Hughes and Shanna Stewart, who each finished with three kills. Lauren Cordts also added three kills, while Kaitlin Kuntz recorded 10 assists for the Wildcats.
Pool A -- 2:30 p.m., Dana Hall
SUNY Canton def. Penn College, 2-0 (25-12, 25-12)
SUNY Canton capped off their pool play with a straight set win over Penn College to finish 3-1 in Pool A and grab the second seed. The 'Roos will face Pool B's third seed, Penn State Fayette, in the quarterfinals. Penn College fell to 0-4 in pool play, and will not advance into the elimination round.
The 'Roos offense was led by setter Mackenzie Mynter who finished with 17 assists and seven digs. Morgan Bills had a game-high nine kills for Canton, who won their second match of the day.
Penn College was led by Caitlyn Curley with seven assists and two digs. Courtney Gernert added seven digs for the Wildcats, who will not advance out of pool play for the second straight year.
Pool B -- 2:30 p.m., CARC
Florida College def. NHTI, 2-0 (25-16, 25-7)
Florida College used 12 kills from Kerri Taylor to knock off NHTI and finish a perfect 4-0 in Pool B. The Falcons had already wrapped up the number one seed out of their pool, but remained undefeated to keep pace with Daemen College, who finished 4-0 in Pool A. Florida will take on Carlow University, Pool A's fourth seed, in the quarterfinals.
Jenny Moorer had 23 assists, while Olivia Luallen had a game-high 12 digs. Savannah Gorman and Camille Cline each added six kills for Florida, while Devyn Jackson added five kills and eight digs.
NHTI was led by Kaitlin Taylor and Alesha Niswander, who each finished with three kills apiece. Amber Rodney had eight assists and three digs for the Lynx, who were eliminated from contention for the elimination rounds.
QUARTERFINALS
4:00 p.m., CARC
SUNY Canton (Pool A #2) def. Penn State Fayette (Pool B #3), 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-21)
SUNY Canton needed a first set comeback, but never looked back after that, eliminating Penn State Fayette in the quarterfinals of the elimination bracket in the CARC on Saturday afternoon. Canton advances to face Florida College, a winner over Carlow, in the first semifinal match at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Fayette held the advantage for much of the first set, including a 20-16 lead, but Canton cut into the deficit and eventually tied the match at 21-21, before pulling away for a 1-0 set lead. The 'Roos cruised in set two, and then capitalized on some Roaring Lion mistakes in the third set to advance to the semifinals.
Canton's Mackenzie Mynter had 22 assists and five digs, while Robyn Carroll had a game-high 18 digs. Six 'Roos finished with kills, including eight from Caitlin Grimshaw and seven from Jessica Reynolds. Danielle Swanston added five kills for the 'Roos.
Fayette was led by Emily Konter, who dished out 18 assists while recording 16 digs. Leah Ambrosini led the offensive attack for the Roaring Lions with seven kills, who were eliminated with the loss.
4:00 p.m., Dana Hall
Florida College (Pool B #1) def. Carlow University (Pool A #4), 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-17)
Florida College dominated its quarterfinal match, toppling Carlow in straight sets to advance to the semifinals of elimination play. Florida remains undefeated in the tournament after finishing 4-0 in pool play. The Falcons will face SUNY Canton at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday in the first semifinal match of Championship Day.
The Falcons went out early in each set, and was able to keep Carlow's offense in check, using a balanced attack of their own to advance in the bracket.
Florida won easily behind stellar performances from their All-Americans. Kerri Taylor had a current tournament-best 18 kills, while adding a team-high tying 14 digs. Devyn Jackson added 14 kills for the Falcons, while Jenny Moorer distributed 35 assists and tied Taylor with 14 digs.
Carlow was led once again by Carly Bonk, who finished with six kills and four digs. Amanda McKenzie had a game-high 16 digs for the Celtics, while Caitlin McCormick had 10 assists.
5:30 p.m., CARC
Daemen College (Pool A #1) def. Johnson & Wales (NC) (Pool B #4), 3-0 (25-5, 25-5, 25-20)
Daemen College remained unbeaten in the 2012 USCAA Volleyball Championship, defeating Johnson & Wales in straight sets in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats advance to face Rochester College in the second semifinal match on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
Daemen dominated the first two sets, as a balanced attack led to two straight 25-5 wins. Johnson & Wales battled back and forth in the third set in a battle of the Wildcats, but was unable to muster a comeback against the overall number one seed.
Daemen received 10 kills from Lindsey Nowak, while teammates Jenn Karan and Joanna Fretthold added seven and six kills, respectively. Brittany Anthony and Ye Wang each contributed five kills for the Wildcats in their fifth win of the tournament. Chelsea Turcer distributed most of the assists for Daemen, finishing with 16, while teammate Kaley Vazquez added 14 dishes.
Johnson & Wales was led by Lauren Cordts with nine kills, while Kaitlin Kuntz added 11 assists and a team-best eight digs in the Wildcats' final game of the tournament.
5:30 p.m., Dana Hall
Rochester College (Pool B #2) def. University of Cincinnati-Clermont (Pool A #3), 3-0 (25-7, 25-14, 25-14)
Rochester College rounded out the semifinalists with a 3-0 win over the University of Cincinnati-Clermont, as each higher ranked team has advanced from the quarterfinal round. Rochester will meet Pool A's number one, and overall number one seed, Daemen College in the semifinals at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday in the CARC.
The Warriors cruised in the first set, and easily advanced with strong defense and a balanced offense, led by setter Sara Hayes who finished with 28 assists. Brenna Pelloni finished with a game-high 10 kills for Rochester, while teammate Brittany Alexander added nine.
Niki McKerracher finished with six kills for Rochester, and Emily Rajter led the defensive effort with 14 digs, a team and game-best.
Cincinnati-Clermont's Rachel Hays had five kills for the Cougars, who were held to a .000 hitting percentage during the match. Rebecca Walton had nine assists and a team-high seven digs. Kiley Collins also had four kills for the Cougars, who were eliminated from the tournament.