September 2005 Volleyball

Blossoms Drop Heartbreaker To Ouachita
 September 28, 2005

 

ARKADELPHIA --- After rallying from a two games to none deficit to even the match after four games, the University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (4-12, 0-4 GSC) fell in the fifth and deciding game to Ouachita Baptist, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Lady Tigers in Arkadelphia.

 

The Blossoms struggled in the opening two matches, hitting .194 and .094 versus OBU percentages of .311 and .400 en route to 30-20 and 30-18 losses. The Blossoms pulled it together in the third and fourth games, hitting .222 and .382 en route to 30-24 and 30-25 wins.

 

With the fifth and final game tied 13-13, the Lady Tigers used consecutive kills by Breanne Garrett and Raichel Settle to seal the 15-13 game victory and the 3-2 match victory.

 

Kasey McBrearty, Amanda Sayre, and Maegan Martin all notched double-doubles in the loss, as McBrearty paced the Blossoms with a team high 32 kills alongside 27 digs, Sayre added 24 kills and a team-high 32 digs, and Martin had a team-high 65 assists and 15 digs.

 

Katy Stoneking added 14 kills.

 

Sayre's 32 digs paced the Blossoms, while McBrearty (27), Amie Kronk (24), Martin (15) and Katherine Brown (12) all posted double-digit digs for the Blossoms.

 

Sayre added four service aces, while Leigh Sadler posted a team-high .429 hitting percentage.

 

The Blossoms return to action Tuesday, October 4, hosting Central Arkansas at Steelman Fieldhouse. The match begins at 7 p.m.

 

Blossoms Fall To Harding
 September 27, 2005

 

MONTICELLO --- Despite a game-high 20 kills from Kasey McBrearty, the University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (4-11, 0-3 GSC) dropped a 3-0 decision to the Harding Lady Bisons (18-1, 3-0 GSC) tonight at Steelman Fieldhouse.

 

The Lady Bisons controlled the match in the early going, winning the first two games 30-20, 30-20 and holding UAM to a .038 hitting percentage in the first game and an .043 hitting percentage in the second game while hitting .231 and .263 themselves.

 

The Blossoms rallied in the third game but came up short, falling 30-27. UAM improved their hitting to a .333 mark, but the Lady Bisons were up to the challenge, hitting .450 themselves.

 

McBrearty led all players with 20 kills, while Amanda Sayre added ten kills. Maegan Martin led all players with 39 assists, and Katherine Brown led UAM with 12 digs. Joining Brown in double-digit digs were Sayre (11) and Amie Kronk (10).

 

The Blossoms return to action tomorrow at 7 p.m. facing Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia.

 

Blossoms Fall To Henderson State
 September 22, 2005

 

MONTICELLO --- The University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (4-10, 0-2 GSC) were unable to overcome 28 Britnee James kills as they fell 3-1 to the Henderson State Lady Reddies tonight at Steelman Fieldhouse.


The Lady Reddies took the first two games 30-26 and 30-27 before the Blossoms rallied to take a 30-28 decision in game three to narrow the match to 2-1.


HSU started hot in the final game, taking a 14-2 lead before the Blossoms clawed back, but their comeback fell short as the Lady Reddies took a 30-26 victory in the deciding game.


Kasey McBrearty led the Blossoms with 18 kills, while Amanda Sayre (16) and Katy Stoneking (10) registered double-digit kills. Maegan Martin led UAM with 43 assists, while Amie Kronk added 24 digs. Sayre (14) and McBrearty (10) notched double-digit digs for the Blossoms.


Stoneking led UAM with a .273 hitting percentage.

The Blossoms return to action next Tuesday, as they host Harding at Steelman Fieldhouse. The match begins at 7 p.m.

Blossoms Drop Conference Opener
 September 21, 2005

 

RUSSELLVILLE -- Despite a 12-kill effort from Amanda Sayre and a 10-kill effort from Kasey McBrearty, the University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (4-9, 0-1 GSC) fell 3-0 to the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (11-6, 1-0 GSC) Tuesday night at Tucker Coliseum.

The Golden Suns hit .199 for the match and took decisions of 30-25, 30-17, and 30-23 en route to the win. The Blossoms hit .058 led by Sayre’s .176 percentage.

Sayre led the Blossoms with a .176 hitting percentage and 12 kills, while McBrearty added ten. Maegan Martin led UAM with 33 assists and added 11 digs, while Amie Kronk led UAM with 21 digs.

The Blossoms return to action on Thursday, hosting Henderson State at Steelman Fieldhouse. The match begins at 7:00 p.m.

 

Blossoms Split at UCA Tri-Match
 September 15, 2005

 

CONWAY, AR --- After struggling in the opening match against Central Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (4-8) were led by a 25-kill effort by Kasey McBrearty against Lyon to salvage a split at the University of Central Arkansas Tri-Match Thursday.

In the opener, the Blossoms dropped a 3-0 decision to Central Arkansas, falling 30-19, 30-16, and 30-18. The Blossoms started off hot, but the red-hot hitting of UCA’s Sallye Cockrell picked apart the UAM defense. Cockrell’s .826 hitting percentage for the match was seventh-best in GSC history and a UCA school record.

UCA’s defense also stifled the UAM offense, as the Sugarbears had 10.5 team blocks.

McBrearty led the Blossoms with 11 kills, while Maegan Martin added 16 assists, Amie Kronk added 11 assists, and Katherine Brown notched 12 digs along with Martin’s ten.

The Blossoms hit .119 for the match, led by Pam Grano’s .263 percentage.

In the nightcap, UAM and Lyon opened the match with a hotly-contested opening game, with UAM eventually taking a 31-29 win to go up 1-0 in the match. The Blossoms dominated the second game, winning 30-20, before Lyon exploded with a .362 hitting effort in the third game to take a 30-17 victory and narrow the match to 2-1. The Blossoms settled down in the fourth game, hitting .390 en route to a 30-18 game four victory and a 3-1 match win.

McBrearty’s 25 kills led all layers, while Amanda Sayre (13), Katy Stoneking (11) and Grano (11) also notched double-digit kills. Martin dished out 34 assists, while Kronk added another 16.

Brown and Martin tied for the team lead with 21 digs, while Sayre (17), McBrearty (14), and Kronk (13) also reached double digits in digs. UAM hit .257 for the match, led by Stoneking’s .435 percentage (11 kills, one error, 23 attacks).

The Blossoms return to action on Tuesday at 7 p.m., opening their Gulf South Conference schedule against Arkansas Tech at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville.

Blossoms Sweep UAPB
 September 9, 2005

 

MONTICELLO --- Led by a 15-kill night from Amanda Sayre, the University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (3-7) made their home opener a memorable one, sweeping the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 3-0 tonight at Steelman Fieldhouse.

 

The Blossoms forced 13 Lady Lion errors in the opening game, holding UAPB to a -.346 hitting percentage in a 30-11 opening-game victory. UAM continued their torrid hitting in the final two games, winning 30-15 and 30-14.

 

Amanda Sayre led the Blossoms with 15 kills and a .522 hitting percentage, while Katherine Brown and Kasey McBrearty led the Blossoms with six digs apiece. Maegan Martin dished out 27 assists.

 

The Blossoms hit .369 for the match, holding UAPB to a mere -.176.

 

The Blossoms return to action on Thursday, September 15 at the UCA Tri-Match, facing Central Arkansas and Lyon. The opening match is at 3 p.m.

 

Blossoms Drop Two On Final Day Of Mule's Cantina Classic
 September 3, 2005

 

MAGNOLIA --- The University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (2-7) dropped their final two matches at the Mule's Cantina Classic Saturday, falling 3-0 to Texas Woman's University and then dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker to Southeastern Oklahoma.

In the opener, the Texas Woman’s Pioneers controlled the pace throughout the match, sweeping past the Blossoms 30-23, 30-22, and 30-25. TWU’s Robin Hawkins dominated, notching 17 kills and a .430 hitting percentage, taking advantage of 11 UAM blocking errors.

Kasey McBrearty led the Blossoms with 11 kills, while Maegan Martin added 17 assists, and Katherine Brown and Amie Kronk had 14 and 12 digs respectively. UAM managed only a .063 hitting percentage for the match.

In the closer, the Blossoms fell behind after losing the opening game to Southeastern Oklahoma 30-25, but UAM rallied to take the next two games by scores of 30-28 and 30-22 to take a 2-1 match lead. The Savages tied the match with a 30-27 victory in game four and clinched the come-from-behind win with a 15-11 win in the fifth game.

McBrearty led all players with 26 kills, while Amanda Sayre added 20 kills in the loss. Martin added 17 assists. Brown’s 27 digs led the way, while Martin (24), Sayre (19), Amie Kronk (17), and McBrearty (13) were all in double figures.

SOSU’s Jennifer Landry was dominant, taking advantage of 14 UAM blocking errors en route to a 23-kill night with a hitting percentage of .400.

The Blossoms return to action Friday, September 9 at facing Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Steelman Fieldhouse in their first-ever home match. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m.

 

Blossoms Win First Two Matches In Program History
 September 2, 2005

 

MAGNOLIA, AR --- The University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (2-5) volleyball team won their first two matches in program history today, downing Dallas Baptist 3-2 in the opener and then beating West Alabama 3-1 in the day's finale at the Mule's Cantina Classic on the campus of Southern Arkansas University.

Dallas Baptist started the opener with a flurry, taking a 30-25 victory to give them a 1-0 match lead. The Blossoms evened the match at a game apiece with a furiously contested 36-34 victory in game two. DBU seemed to seize a bit of momentum in the third game with a 30-22 victory, but the Blossoms responded in kind in the fourth game, evening up the match at 2-2 with a dominant 30-14 victory. UAM sealed their victory with a 16-14 victory in game five to give the Blossoms their first-ever win.

Kasey McBrearty led all players with 24 kills. Amanda Sayre added 19 kills and Katy Stoneking added 11. Maegan Martin dished out 53 assists, while Katherine Brown led all players with 32 digs. All in all, five players notched double-digit digs for UAM, as Sayre (21), McBrearty (17), Martin (14), and Amie Kronk (10) also contributed to the winning cause.

The Blossoms hit .203 for the match, including an outstanding .481 percentage in the fourth game of the match. Individually, Stoneking led all players with a .391 percentage.

UAM came back immediately to win the second match in program history, knocking off the Tigers of West Alabama 3-1 with game scores of 27-30, 30-27, 30-27, 30-25.

UWA took advantage of eleven Blossoms errors in the first game, but UAM rallied throughout the rest of the match, boosting their overall hitting percentage to .128. The Blossoms were able to benefit from 16 UWA service errors.

UWA’s Amanda Heaton led all players with 18 kills. Sayre led the Blossoms in the second match with 17 kills, while McBrearty added 14. Martin once again led the way with 39 assists, while Kronk led UAM with 18 digs. McBrearty pitched in 15 digs while Martin, Sayre, and Brown all had 14 digs in the winning effort.

Martin also added four service aces for the Blossoms.

The Blossoms return to action at 9 a.m. tomorrow facing Texas Woman’s in the day’s opener, and will finish tournament play at 4:30 p.m. against Southeastern Oklahoma.