Dartmouth Volleyball Splits on Last Day of Invitational

Saturday, September 19

Hanover, N.H.

1:00 PM

Dartmouth College

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE

Dartmouth Volleyball Splits on Last Day of Invitational

9/19/2009 6:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: Dartmouth

Central Connecticut Boxscore
Northeastern Boxscore

HANOVER, N.H. - The Dartmouth women's volleyball team wrapped up play at it's own Invitational, defeating Central Connecticut, 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-21) before falling to Northeastern (20-25, 17-25, 18-25) in the last match of the day.

Megan MacGregor (Carlsbad, Calif.) was named to the All-Tournament team as the senior co-captain recorded 16 kills on the day along with 18 digs, three blocks and four service aces. Kendall Houston (Austin, Texas) was also selected All-Tournament as the sophomore setter had 85 assists on the weekend.

Against CCSU in the first match, MacGregor led both sides with 12 kills as Madeline Baird (Austin, Texas) added 11. Houston was the top setter with 34 assists while Baird led four players in double-figure digs with 17. Annie Villanueva (Santa Barbara, Calif.) led with five total blocks.

In the final match Baird was tops with seven kills and eight digs. Jessie Hartman (Woodside, Calif.) also added eight digs.

In the match against the Blue Devils, the Big Green took an early lead and seemed to be in control but CCSU stormed back and made it close late in the set. After coming from behind to be down by just a point at 23-22, the Blue Devils took a timeout but after the break Dartmouth won the final two points needed for the 25-23 win.

In the second set the Big Green jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead and extended it to 6-1 before Central Connecticut stormed back, 8-9. CCSU took the lead at 10-9 as Dartmouth was foreced to burn a timeout. Coming back from the break Dartmouth surged ahead and led 15-11 before the Blue Devils needed another timeout to regroup. Morgan Covington (Katy, Texas) served eight straight points as the Big Green won 25-18.

In the third set it was again Dartmouth that went ahead early but Central Connecticut would not go down easily. The Blue Devils kept within one point midway through before the Big Green was able to gain a bit of cushion thanks to a kill by Baird. CCSU kept it close in the latter going but Dartmouth held on for the 25-21 victory.

In the nightcap against Northeastern the Huskies took an early 5-2 lead in the Set One before the Big Green came back to tie it at seven-all. A block by Northeastern's Nicole Bishop allowed NU to take the lead back at 9-7. The two teams kept tying things up for the next couple of points before Northeastern started to pull away and led 23-19 before Dartmouth took a timeout. The Big Green won the next point but the Huskies allowed no more, winning 25-20.

In the second set Northeastern took the lead and held it for several points. Dartmouth tied things up at 9-9 beofre NU scored the next four points forcing the Big Green to take a timeout. Dartmouth came back with three straight and pulled to within one but NU again went up by four and never looked back, enroute to a 25-18 win.

In the third set the Big Green went ahead for the first time in the match but NU surged back and tooke a 7-5 lead. MacGregor recorded back-to-back service aces to tie the set at 14 apiece. Villanueva had a huge kill to tie the set again before NU's Britney Brown had a block that gave her team the lead and allowed the Huskies to score the next four as Dartmouth took a timeout at 20-16. Northeastern would allow the Big Green to score just two more points, winning the set 25-18.

Also named to the All-Tournament team was Central Connecticut's Jamie Baumert and Amanda Bayer, NU's Caitlin Tittl and Bishop and Sacred Heart's Elise Sage and Courtney Kidd-Kadlubek

Dartmouth will be back in action on Sept. 25 in its first Ivy League match of the season. The Big Green will travel to Cambridge to take on Harvard at 7:00 pm.