CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? The Chattanooga Lady Mocs came within one match of the Country Inn & Suites Challenge Championship Saturday as UTC fell to Central Michigan 3-0 in the tournament's championship game, 25-22, 25-17, and 25-20. Ashley Yeager led the Lady Mocs in the loss with seven kills, while Lara Newberry paced the team defensively with 14 digs. Michaela Huff had a team-high 20 assists in the loss, which drops UTC's record to 2-4.
For Central Michigan, the Chippewas had three players with double digit kills, in Kaitlyn Schultz, 11, Whitney Evers, 10, and Kate Fissel, 10. Stephanie Budde led all players with 41 assists, and Alexis Lonneman had a match-high 19 digs. With the victory, Central Michigan improved to 5-1 on the season.
In the first set, both teams played neck-and-neck, until the Chippewas broke a 16-all tie with a Whitney Evers ace. Central Michigan would then score five straight points to increase its lead before eventually taking a 1-0 lead. Budde led all players in the set with 11 assists, while Lonneman had a set-high eight digs. Both CMU's Whitney Evers, and UTC's Courtney Barnes led with four kills a piece.
The second set began much like the first for both teams as neither squad to pull away from one another. After a Kate Fissel kill to put CMU up 10-9, the Chippewas never trailed again, winning the second frame 25-17.
The next set started with both teams swapping leads all the way to a 8-all tie. A Cassie Conner service error would give the Chippewas the lead, one they wouldn't relinquish, as CMU won the set, the match, and the tournament, with the 25-20 win.
To get to the championship game, the Lady Mocs had to get past the South Alabama Jaguars. In what proved to be the most exciting game of the tournament, the Lady Mocs prevailed in five sets, winning 26-24, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, and 15-10.
Chattanooga's Michaela Huff led all players with 49 assists, while Newberry and USA's Samia Salomao tied with 31 digs. Offensively, Yeager, and the Jaguars' Tereza Bendlova, and Lindsay Schwartz, led with 13 kills.
Chattanooga jumped out early winning the first two sets, only to see USA storm right back with two sets of its own. Early in the fifth, and deciding set, UTC found itself down 6-4. A kill by Courtney Barnes, and an ace by Yeager, quickly brought the Lady Mocs back to a 6-all tie. Chattanooga would then score two more consecutive points to give itself the 8-6 lead, and the Lady Mocs wouldn't trail again as they took the set, and the match 15-10, to improve to 2-3 on the season.
In the other two games played in the tournament on Saturday, Central Michigan took out Alabama A&M 3-0, while South Alabama was also victorious over the Bulldogs in straight sets. In Central Michigan's bout with AAMU, Schultz led all players with eight kills as the Chippewas had a hitting percentage of .312 in the set. In the other matchup, USA won in straight sets thanks to Tereza Bendlova's match high 12 kills. The loss dropped Alabama A&M to 0-6 on the season, while South Alabama improved to 3-2.
After the final game of the tournament, the Country Inn & Suites Challenge All-Tournament team was announced. Central Michigan's Kaitlyn Schultz, and Whitney Evers were selected, as Schultz was tabbed the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Schultz had 28 kills for CMU, and recorded a .462 hitting percentage. Chattanooga also had two players named to the team, as Lara Newberry, and Ashley Yeager were selected. Newberry recorded 62 digs in the tournament, second only to South Alabama's Samia Salomao. Selected from the Jaguars was Maria Kashavelova, and Alabama A&M's Courtney Jenkins was named to round out the team.
Next up for the Lady Mocs will be the Chanticleer Invitational on Sept. 12-13, in Conway, S.C., where UTC will play Troy, Georgia State, and Coastal Carolina. Chattanooga will open up the tourney Friday, against Troy, at 4 p.m.
2008 Country Inn & Suites Challenge All Tournament Team
1. Kaitlyn Schultz (CMU) (MVP)
2. Whitney Evers (CMU)
3. Lara Newberry (UTC)
4. Ashley Yeager (UTC)
5. Maria Kashavelova (USA)
6. Courtney Jenkins (AAMU)
