Volleyball
Wins Holiday
Inn Express
Blackbird
Challenge;
Wagner
Named Most
Valuable
Player |
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(boxscore
- South Dakota State) Wagner notched her 13th double-double of the season, adding 12 digs. Junior Shelby Heggie (Laramie, Wyo.) contributed 13 kills while sophomore Martina Racic (Pula, Croatia) added 12. The Blackbirds came from behind in a gritty first game to tie the game at 29. LIU used that momentum to fight its way to a 32-30 win. Long Island came out firing in the second stanza, taking a 6-1 lead and keeping the Jackrabbits at arm’s length as the Blackbirds won 30-23. In game three, LIU again took a 6-1 lead and led for the majority of the game. The Jacks put forth a late charge, but the Blackbirds staved them off to ensure the match victory, as well as the tournament crown. LIU outhit South Dakota State 59-50, and hit .310. The Jacks hit .292. South Dakota State’s Samantha Pearson led all players with 21 digs. The win was the fifth in a row for Long Island, who improved to 11-8. The Jacks dropped to 13-7. Three other Blackbirds were named to the all-tournament team: Heggie and juniors Trevon Dyson (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Lindsey Patty (Edmund, Okla.). South Dakota State’s Kristina Martin and Virginia Commonwealth’s Melissa Peterson and Ana Luiza Bernardes de Borja rounded out the all-tournament squad. Earlier in the day, Wagner’s 14 kills and 13 digs led LIU past Sacred Heart 3-0 (30-23, 30-11, 30-24). Heggie also reached double digits in the kill category, racking up 10. Freshman Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia) contributed 14 digs to lead the Blackbirds, who improved to 10-8. Sacred Heart, coming off a 3-0 loss last night to South Dakota State, played the Blackbirds close in the first game. With the Pioneers leading 11-10, LIU rattled off five straight points with Patty serving and took the lead. Long Island would hold on to win the game, 30-23. The Blackbirds controlled game two from the first serve, jumping out to a 15-3 lead. Long Island kept the throttle down and cruised to a 30-11 win. Game three was a bit tighter as LIU went to the bench to give the subs some action, but in the end the Blackbirds came out on top, 30-24, and secured the sweep of the Pioneers. Long Island outhit Sacred Heart by a 46-27 margin. The Blackbirds hit .287 for the match, compared to Sacred Heart’s paltry .068. Sacred Heart dropped its 14th-consecutive match, falling to 1-14 on the year. In other action at the tournament, VCU defeated both South Dakota (3-1) and Sacred Heart (3-0). The Blackbirds will return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 3, when
they host Seton Hall at 6:00 p.m.
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9/30/06 -- The
Long Island University volleyball team captured the Blackbird
Holiday Inn Express Challenge crown with a 3-0 (32-30, 30-23,
30-26) win over South Dakota State, giving them a perfect 3-0
record in the tournament. Junior Martina Wagner (Friedrichshafen,
Germany), who led all players with 18 kills, was named the tournament’s
most valuable player.