|
November 22, 2003 |
|||
|
(Lock
Haven, Pa.) - Lock Haven University (31-5) clawed its way
back from a one-game deficit against Edinboro University (26-12) to sweep the
next three and capture its fourth NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
Championship, 19-30, 30-28, 30-27, 30-9, at home in Thomas Fieldhouse. Edinboro held the advantage throughout game one, echoing its performance against Sitting out most of the semifinal match after suffering an injury, Haven freshman middle Cherry Li’s return to the lineup rejuvenated the Lady Eagles as they earned the victory in game two. A much closer battle, there were 10 ties after reaching 10-10. Edinboro held a 27-26 lead, but one of Li’s seven kills of the game landed untouched to knot things at 27-27. A kill by middle Lillian Bortoto on the next play moved the Haven into a 28-27 lead. Edinboro’s Knouff scored the kill following a Fighting Scot timeout, tying the game back up, 28-28. A kill from LHU’s Kristi Kauffman brought on game point, then an error on an attack by Katie Hummel closed out the game at 30-28, Lock Haven. Edinboro held the lead throughout much of game three, sparked by an 11-kill game from middle Ashley Walton. The Fighting Scots had a six-point advantage at 21-15. Lock Haven turned out a three-point run to move within three, 21-18. Edinboro put one on the board on a kill by Walton, but a subsequent service error on the senior middle made it 22-19. Another short run by the Lady Eagles came after a kill by Kristi Kauffman and two straight from Cherry Li, tying the game at 22-22. The teams battled to a 27-27 tie, with Lock Haven gaining the serve after its 27th point on a kill by Bortoto. Kauffman served up an ace, then Allison Wade registered a kill for game point. A swing and a miss by Edinboro’s Walton on the following play ended the game at 30-27 and gave Lock Haven the 2-1 lead. All the momentum came to a head in the fourth game for the Haven, who pounded out an incredible 30-9 victory to capture the regional crown. Only the fourth game all season where the Lady Eagles have held their opponent to less than 10 points and just the second opponent they stymied, Lock Haven started off with a service ace by Allison Wade. An attack error by Edinboro and a kill by LHU’s Amanda Snyder brought things to 3-0. Things never settled down nor balanced out, with Lock Haven feeding off the crowd and its two-game lead to roll to the 30-9 win. Both Haven middles, Cherry Li and Lillian Bortoto, registered 18 kills. Li added 12 digs and three blocks, while Bortoto had two aces and six blocks. Outside hitter Kristi Kauffman had 10 kills along with 10 digs and three aces. Both opposite hitter Amanda Snyder and outside attacker Allison Wade contributed seven kills, Snyder adding 11 digs and two aces. Setter Allison Furry collected 46 assists, and helped out on three blocks. Edinboro’s Ashley Walton had a match high of 24 kills and fellow middle Alicia Knouff posted 15 kills. Outside hitter Katie Hummel had 11 kills and two aces. Jen Shaw posted 15 digs, and libero Marissa DeLiberato added 12 digs. Outside hitter Amy Medicus had eight kills and 10 digs, while setter Renee Kam totaled 53 assists and six digs. The NCAA Atlantic Region All-Tournament team consisted of Tatiana Moore (Lees-McRae), Ashley Walton (Edinboro), Renee Kam (Edinboro), Kristi Kauffman (Lock Haven), Lillian Bortoto (Lock Haven) and Cherry Li (Lock Haven). Lock Haven advances to its fourth NCAA Division II Elite Eight at a location that will be determined once all eight regional championships have been decided. The Lady Eagles will face the winner of the South Central Region, either |
|
||
|
###LHU### |
|||
Back to LHU Athletics Home Back to Recent Releases