CSU Comeback Haulted by Liberty in a 3-2 Semifinal Loss

RADFORD, VA.  – Despite Amanda Hill’s match-high 26 kills, No. 6 Charleston Southern dropped a five set heartbreaker (25-16, 21-25, 25-14, 26-28, 15-10) vs. the No. 3 Liberty Flames.  Liberty advanced to their third straight championship match, Friday in the first semifinal of the 2009 Big South Volleyball Championship presented by Musco Sports Lighting, at the Dedmon Center in Radford, Va.

In the decisive game five Liberty got off to a good start scoring the first eight points and held off a Lady Bucs rally to win 15-10.  CSU came roaring back to within three points, but couldn’t compete the comeback to advance to the finals.  Nicki Scripko finished with a double-double (12 digs) and hit at team-best .367.

Hill led CSU (17-17) with a match-best .400 hitting percentage and also had 17 digs for a double-double. Nichole Diller and Amberle Trinder reached double figures in kills for the Lady Bucs with 13 and 12, respectively. Sam Sasan joined Hill in the double-double category with 50 assists and 12 digs.

Scripko (12 digs), Karyl Bacon (12 kills, 18 digs) recorded double-doubles for the Lady Flames, while Courtney Boggs dished out a match-high 60 assists.

Liberty raced out to an 8-1 lead and cruised to a 25-16 game one win. The Lady Flames hit .467 and were led by Chelaine McCarty’s and Loren Thomas’ game-high four kills.
The Lady Bucs hit .333 in game two, evening the match at 1-1 with a 25-21 win. After Liberty took an early 3-1 lead, Charleston Southern scored the next four points to take a 5-3 lead. The Lady Bucs would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way, going up by as much as six points (20-14) during the game. Hill and Diller paced CSU with five and four kills, respectively.  Scripko found the floor with a game-high nine kills.

Scripko’s momentum continued into game three as she recorded nine more kills, guiding Liberty to a 25-14 victory. With the game tied at nine-apiece, Liberty went on a game-changing 12-1 run to take a commanding 21-12 lead.  Hill found the floor with five kills for the Lady Bucs.

In a nail biting game four that featured 15 ties and seven lead changes, Charleston Southern rallied from a 21-18 deficit and extended the match to a fifth game with a 28-26 win. Hill paced the Lady Bucs with a game-high 10 kills with Diller chipping in with six. McCarty and Bacon each registered six kills for the Lady Flames.

CSU finished their season at the .500 mark, the first time the Lady Bucs have finished .500 or better since the 1993 season.  It was another memorable season for CSU, with several individual and team performances being added to the school record books.  

QUOTES

Charleston Southern Head Coach Danyel Bellush
“I am so proud of them. I feel like we were the little team that wouldn’t go away. I am really proud of how we came back in the last game that was a valiant effort from them. I am just so proud of them. ”

Liberty Head Coach Shane Pinder
“This was a great match and was everything you could hope for in the semi-finals.  Charleston Southern never quit. They had something special going out there.  Our girls just made the plays the needed to make and we had huge help from several key players.”