Flagler sweeps Carson-Newman 3-0 Saturday; Saints reach second straight regional title match

Wingate, N.C.----The second-seeded Flagler College Saints swept the sixth-seeded Carson-Newman College Eagles in semi-final action of the 2010 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional volleyball tournament Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. The Saints won by scores of 25-21, 25-15 and 25-21 to improve to 29-8 overall and reach the regional title match for the second consecutive season. Carson-Newman ends its season at 20-11 overall.
          
Senior middle blocker Meg Weathersby (Maitland, Fla.) had 14 kills and 12 digs, while hitting .312 to lead the Flagler attack. Sophomore middle blocker Crystal Niederriter (Merritt Island, Fla.) added nine kills and four blocks with a .438 hitting percentage, while sophomore outside hitter Dianna Craine (Oshawa, Ontario) contributed seven kills. Senior setter Rebecca Royal (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) had 22 assists, four digs, three kills and three blocks for the Saints.
          
 Junior middle hitter Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) had nine kills and five blocks to lead the Carson-Newman attack. Senior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) added eight kills for the Eagles. Senior setter Lara McDonald (Salem, Va.) handed out 27 assists, while sophomore libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) collected a match-high 17 digs.

A block from freshman outside hitter Lindsey Bryant (Gainesville, Ga.) gave the Eagles an 11-8 lead in the first set. Flagler answered with four of the next five points to tie it at 12 on a kill from Craine. A Weathersby kill, along with a Carson-Newman error, gave the Saints a 16-14 lead. The Eagles battled back, tying the set at 20 on a pair of kills from Mozgai. Flagler responded with a 4-0 run to take a 24-20 advantage. Niederriter started the flurry with back-to-back kills, then teamed up with Royal for a block to give the Saints set point. Flagler claimed set one on a Carson-Newman attack error.
          
The Saints used a 4-0 run to take a 13-10 lead in the second set, highlighted by back-to-back Niederriter kills. Carson-Newman cut it to one on a kill from McDonald, followed by a Flagler error, which made the score 13-12. The Saints scored the next five points to take a six-point lead. Niederriter started it with a kill and back-to-back aces, while Weathersby added a kill. Another Weathersby kill, along with two Carson-Newman errors, gave the Saints a 24-15 lead. Flagler claimed set two on an error from the Eagles.
          
Back-to-back kills from James gave the Eagles a 12-9 lead in the third set. Another kill from James, along with a Flagler error, made it 15-11. The Saints responded with a 9-5 run to take a 20-19 lead. Weathersby had a pair of kills in the key stretch, while Royal added a kill which tied the set at 19. A Mozgai kill tied the set at 20. Craine answered with a kill to put the Saints on top for good at 21-20. A Royal kill gave the Saints a 24-21 advantage. Sophomore outside hitter Kathleen Fitzpatrick (Pompano Beach, Fla.) concluded the match with a kill.
          
Flagler hit .280 for the match, with 42 kills and 14 errors in 100 attacks. The Eagles had 30 kills and 16 attacks for a hitting percentage of .131. Niederriter had all four aces for the Saints, while Hayes had two of the four Carson-Newman aces on the day.
          
The Saints will take on the winner of the Wingate-Montevallo match Sunday night at 7 p.m. for the regional title. Flagler defeated Wingate 3-1 in the 2009 regional championship match in Cuddy Arena. The Saints and Bulldogs split a pair of matches in the 2010 season. Flagler and Montevallo also split the two regular season meetings this year.
          
(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)