Quarterfinal Recaps: December 6, 2018

​COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 3, CLEMSON 0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-19)

Clemson, SC – College of Charleston ran its offense with precision and accuracy, hitting .355 overall and getting 18 kills from Devon Rachel to top Clemson and advance to the semifinals of the NIVC.

The Cougars (24-11) will play at Tulane in one semifinal; that match will be held at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 8.

College of Charleston put together an impressive comeback to take the second set, then jumped to a 6-1 lead the third set before Clemson drew to within 10-9. The Cougars eased back ahead and ended the set hitting .516 to finish the sweep of the Tigers (19-15).

Allison Beckman had 42 assists for the Cougars; Kennedy Madison closed with 11 kills. Entering the match, Clemson had led the all-time series between the programs, 8-1.

Clemson got 12 kills from freshman Solei Thomas and 11 kills from Brooke Bailey. Gabby Easton had 37 assists for the Tigers, who have two juniors on their roster with te rest being sophomores or freshmen.
 
TULANE 3, VALPARAISO 1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-13, 25-20)

New Orleans, LA – Tulane hit a robust .366 on the night and backed it up defensively with 13 blocks, taking control and taking down Valparaiso to earn a spot in the semifinals of the NIVC.

The Green Wave (28-8) will host College of Charleston in one semifinal, set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 8. This is the team’s first postseason appearance since 2009, and they are now 17-2 at home in 2018.

Tulane hit .609 and made just one error in cruising to a win in set three; set four was tied at 12-all before the home team cranked up the intensity and secured the win.  

Erika Hansel had 17 kills with just two errors for the Green Wave. Dayna Kern added 12 kills, Taylor Henigsman had 33 assists and nine digs, and Kaylie McHugh closed with 17 digs.

The Crusaders (27-11) got 21 kills from Katherine Carlson, and Sydney Bronner added 10 kills. Brittany Anderson closed with 44 assists. 

UNLV 3, PORTLAND 1 (19-25, 25-19, 30-28, 25-20)

Portland, OR – Sophomore Mariena Hayden filled the boxscore for UNLV, finishing with 18 kills, 20 digs and five aces as the Rebels beat host Portland and earned a spot in the NIVC semifinals.

UNLV (22-11) will travel to Iowa State for one semifinal. The Rebels used a late 6-0 run to polish off the second set; in a wild third set that required 58 points to decide, the visitors got kills from Hayden and Elsa Descamps to seal the verdict.   

Descamps closed with 11 kills, and Jillian Berg added 10 kills and 13 digs. The Rebels also had 11 blocks.

Portland (20-13) was paced by the 15 kills of Izzy Guzik, while Reghan Pukis had 13 kills. Cali Thompson finished with 40 assists and 10 digs, and Shayla Hoeft added 10 kills. Carey Williams had 23 digs.