UWF, the No. 2 team in the South Region, won all three of its matches in the tournament. On Friday, UWF defeated Henderson State, the West Division No. 4 seed, 3-1. UWF defeated Harding for the second time this season with a 3-1 victory this afternoon in the semifinals. UWF defeated UNA for the second time this season and is 2-1 against them for the year.
MATCH ONE – No. 20 West Florida 3, Harding 1
West Florida won its semifinal match against Harding, 25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 25-22, this afternoon at the UWF Field House. Harding was the West No. 2 seed. UWF is now 2-0 against Harding this season. With the loss, Harding was eliminated from the tournament and fell to 18-11. UWF improved to 27-6.
Libero Anna Stoecklein recorded a career high 30 digs. It also ties the school record for digs in a match. It is the most digs for an Argo ever recorded for a four game match. Abby Timmer set a career high with nine blocks. Nine blocks is the fifth highest total in school history.
Two kills by Kara Gonzalez and a service ace by Katie Johnson put UWF up 8-5 in game one. Three Argo kills gave UWF a four-point lead, 12-8. A Jamie Nichols kill made the score 19-16, UWF. The Argos won four of the last five points to take set one, 25-19.
Back-to-back kills by Chelsea Wilhoite and Timmer gave UWF an early 5-1 in set two. Harding came within one when a kill by Mollie Arnold made the score 9-8, UWF. UWF went up by six, 14-8, on a kill by Timmer. Back-to-back Harding attack errors gave UWF set two, 25-18.
Harding and UWF battled throughout set three. Kills by Chandler Carney and Timmer put UWF up 9-8. Harding pulled away, winning seven straight points, to go up 15-11. An attack error by Johnson gave Harding a six-point lead, 18-12. A Wilhoite kill brought UWF within three, 23-20. Harding won three of the last four points as the Argos dropped the set by three, 25-22.
UWF went up 4-0 in set four. Harding came within one, 7-6, on a kill by Samantha Anderson. UWF built a five-point lead, 18-13, with a Johnson ace. Back-to-back Harding kills tied the game, 20-20. A kill by Gonzalez, attack error by Harding’s Arnold and a Tricia Tirabassi ace gave UWF the set, 25-22.
MATCH TWO – West Florida 3, North Alabama 1
No. 20 West Florida clinched its third straight GSC tournament title with a 25-22, 17-25, 25-17, 25-23 over North Alabama. UWF was the regular season GSC East Division Champion, while UNA was the No. 2 seed from the East. For the match, UWF out blocked UNA 15-5. Senior Katie Johnson, the GSC East Division Player of the Year, led the Argos with 12 kills and 10 digs. For the second straight match, Abby Timmer tallied nine blocks.
UNA won three straight points early in set one to go up 6-4. Back-to-back kills by UNA’s Sarah Roberts built a four-point lead for the Lions, 11-7. A Chelsea Wilhoite kill and a block by Abby Timmer and Chandler Carney brought the Argos within three, down 16-13. An ace by Kara Gonzalez brought UWF within four, 24-20. A Natalie March kill gave UNA set one, 25-22.
Katie Johnson had three kills and a service ace in the first 12 points of set two, giving UWF the 8-4 lead and forcing a UNA time out. A Timmer kill advanced the Argo lead to five, 11-6. A block by Gonzalez and Jamie Nichols put UWF up by eight, 22-14. An attack error by UNA’s Gregg gave UWF set two, 25-17. UWF hit .308 for the set while UNA hit .179.
A block by Gonzalez and Nichols gave UWF a four-point lead, 9-5, in set three. Back-to-back UWF blocks put UWF up 16-8. UWF went on a four-point run to go up 22-14. Kills by Gonzalez and Nichols let UWF take set three, 25-17. UNA was held to a .049 hitting percentage for the set, while UWF hit .375.
In set four, UWF won three straight points early, to take the 7-2 lead and force a UNA timeout. Two UNA attack errors and a Johnson kill put UWF up by six, 12-6. A Gonzalez kill made the score 16-10, UWF. UNA scored four straight points to come back within one, 23-22. A Johnson kill gave UWF the set, 25-23 as UWF clinched its third straight GSC tournament championship.
This was the third time the two teams have met this season. UNA won the first match in Florence, Ala., in five sets, after dropping the first two. The Argos avenged the loss with a 3-1 home victory at the end of October.
The field for the NCAA Division II volleyball tournament will be announced tomorrow night at 9 p.m. (central) on NCAA.com. As the tournament champion, West Florida receives the GSC’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. After the announcement of the bracket, details for UWF.
2010 GSC Championships All-Tournament Team:
#6 Sarah Von Lienen, Arkansas Tech
#3 Abby Timmer, West Florida
#21 Sarah Roberts, North Alabama
#1 Katie Johnson, West Florida
#8 Lauren Greenhill, North Alabama
#9 Kara Gonzalez, West Florida
#7 Chelsea Wilhoite, West Florida, Most Outstanding Player
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