JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Charleston Southern volleyball team claimed its second straight victory Saturday in Jacksonville. The Lady Bucs scored the last four points of the match to defeat Chattanooga, 3-2 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-27, 15-13), after a 3-1 win over North Florida earlier in the day.

CSU went 2-2 during the Best Western Invitational, and improves to 4-6 on the season with two wins Saturday. Chattanooga is now 3-8, having also gone 2-2 this weekend.

CSU's Amanda Hill and Amy Nokes were named to the All-Tournament Team. Hill and Nokes were previously named all-tournament at the season-opening NCCU Invitational.

Set five featured extended rallies for both sides, beginning with an opening 9-4 flourish from the Lady Bucs. Hill, Cori Holeman and Amberle Trinder posted kills during the early going. Chattanooga turned the tables with a 9-2 run, taking a 13-11 lead. Hill spiked two kills out of a CSU timeout, leading UTC's head coach to call time. Following a Mocs error, Hill ended the match with a kill for a 15-13 score, giving the Lady Bucs the match victory at 3-2.

The Lady Bucs used a strong net presence to record a season-best 14 total blocks. Holeman tied her career high with eight. Erin LaVenice set a season high with six blocks, while Kayla Klinger and Nokes had four apiece and Trinder had two.

For the match, CSU hit .194, while Chattanooga connected at a .188 clip, with the Lady Bucs holding a 64-62 edge in kills. CSU made good use of the service line, posting a season-best eight aces, including four by Klinger, to the Mocs' three. Both teams earned 80 digs.

Hill led the Lady Bucs with 26 kills and 19 digs for her sixth double-double in a row. Nokes posted a double-double as well, her third of the season, throwing down 10 kills while leading the team with 37 assists. Nokes also added nine digs.

CSU opened the match with a 25-20 set one victory, thanks to a .270 attack percentage and five blocks. Each team made extended runs, but CSU pulled ahead with a four-point rally to make it 21-17, and sailed to a win in set one thanks to late kills by hill and Klinger and blocks by Nokes, Trinder and Hill.

Set two featured 12 ties and seven lead changes, as the teams battled for momentum. CSU had a pair of early four-point leads, but Chattanooga rallied and led 19-18. Kills from Nokes on the next three Lady Bucs side outs tied the match, and CSU scored the final five points of the second set for a 25-21 win and 2-0 match lead.

Chattanooga burst out to a 17-9 lead in set three and led by seven at 24-17 with several set point chances. CSU sliced the margin to three courtesy of kills from Holeman and Hill and a Holeman-Klinger block. However, UTC held on for the 25-21 win.

Set four saw the Mocs claim a 23-17 lead which seemed to be enough. The Lady Bucs responded to tie it at 23-23 with a 6-0 scoring rally which included a Trinder kill and three consecutive aces by Klinger. Chattanooga earned the next rally point, and converted on its third set point chance, winning 27-25 to force a fifth set.

Trinder and Holeman added nine kills apiece on the match. Klinger set a season high with 14 digs to go with eight kills. Tricia Rodl registered 17 digs, while Michaela Luna and Laura Grace Swindler added nine and eight assists, respectively.

Christina Teter led the Mocs with 18 kills, followed by Jennifer Kuroski, who had 16 kills and 14 digs. Tess Kosycarz led all players with 53 assists.

Head Coach Danyel Bellush said, "We played pretty well this match. Our energy has been great, which is something we've been working on. UTC is a great team and did some things that we could not stop, but we found a way to win in the end."

The Lady Bucs will next compete in the Springhill Suites Invitational, hosted by Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga., Friday, Sept. 17 and Saturday, Sept. 18. CSU will open the tournament at noon Friday against East Tennessee State.

CSU vs. Chattanooga Box Score

Lady Bucs Earn 3-1 Victory Over Host North Florida to Open Second Day of UNF Tournament
The Charleston Southern volleyball team earned a 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 25-20) victory over host institution North Florida Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Best Western Invitational. With the win, CSU (3-6) handed the Ospreys (2-7) their first defeat in three matches at the weekend tournament.

For the match, CSU hit .250 as a team, compared to .188 for North Florida. The Lady Bucs posted 66 digs to the Ospreys' 60. Then Lady Bucs hit .250 or better during each of their three set victories.

Amanda Hill led the Lady Bucs with 21 kills and 25 digs, hitting .419 for the match. She came up big with 10 kills in set four. Cori Holeman tied a career high with eight blocks, aiding a CSU front line which posted a season-best 10 blocks.

The Lady Bucs trailed 15-13 midway through set one, but an 8-1 CSU rally gave the visitors a 21-16 advantage. Holeman posted two kills and a block assist during the run. The Ospreys drew to within three points at 22-19. However, the Lady Bucs claimed set one, 25-20, receiving late kills by Hill and Amy Nokes.

UNF won set two, 25-19, breaking open a 10-10 contest with a 7-3 rally. The Ospreys out-hit CSU .204 to .034, during set two.

Set three featured seven ties and four lead changes. UNF took a 15-12 lead before the Lady Bucs staged a comeback to reclaim the momentum. CSU went on a seven-point rally go ahead, 19-15, with kills from Nokes and Hill and a block by Holeman highlighting the surge. UNF responded to regain the lead at 23-21 via an 8-2 skein. The Lady Bucs scored the final four points of set two. Kills from Nokes, Hill and Amberle Trinder set up a set-clinching ace by Nokes, and CSU took a 2-1 lead with a 25-23 set two victory.

The Lady Bucs earned the victory with a 25-20 triumph in set four. CSU hit .387 to UNF's .162 during the fourth set, also sending down five team blocks. CSU jumped out to a 10-5 lead. Following a brief burst by the Ospreys, hill recorded four straight kills for points during a 5-1 rally which gave CSU a 17-9 lead. North Florida bounced back, drawing to within two at 17-15 and again at 18-16. Back-to-back blocks by Holeman gave the Lady Bucs a 21-16 edge. Hill closed out the set with kills on CSU's final three points in the match-ending victory.

Amy Nokes led CSU with 21 assists and two service aces, while Kayla Klinger registered eight kills,10 digs, and three blocks. Erin LaVenice chipped in three blocks.

UNF's Paige Pridgeon led all players with 26 kills, hitting .321. Britt Claessens recorded a match-high 47 assists.

Head Coach Danyel Bellush said, "We found a nice rhythm and stuck with it, for the first time in awhile. I am very happy with the effort the team put in against UNF."

CSU vs. North Florida Box Score