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MATCH 3 - Thursday, December 4 - 5:00 p.m. - Gangelhoff Center | ||
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#3 Grand Valley State University |
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Armstrong Atlantic State University |
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Grand Valley State, 3-0; BOX SCORE
RECAP:
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Lakers of Grand Valley State (33-3) advanced to their fifth-ever NCAA Championship semifinal game by downing Armstrong Atlantic (28-7) 3-0 in the National quarterfinals in St. Paul, Minn. (25-19, 25-23, 25-17). Grand Valley faces the victor of the Concordia University/New Haven match at 7:30 pm on Friday evening.
While both offenses had troubles keeping the ball inside the lines, the Lakers managed to put down 43 kills to AASU's 25. Grand Valley hit .193 on the night and Armstrong Atlantic hit at a .058 clip. Senior middle blocker Danielle Alexander helped keep the Laker season alive with a match high 12 kills and three blocks (1s, 2a). She did not commit a single error and posted a .522 hitting average.
The teams had similar game plans from the serving line, staying aggressive to keep their opposition from gaining good looks on offense. The Lakers overcame 11 serving errors in the sweeping win. Armstrong Atlantic showed a greater blocking game in the match with seven team stops to GVSU's four. Casie Richards, a freshman middle, had six block assists for the Pirate squad.
In addition to her blocking success, Richards was second on the team with six kills Rindy Vidovich topped the roster with eight kills and also added nine digs and four blocks. Marina Marinova had a team high 11 digs.
Grand Valley State's Alexander was the only player in the match to enter double figures for kills (12). The next highest performance for GVSU was Lauren Reber with nine. Reber came up just short of a double double, adding ten digs to her line. The defensive leader was Meredith Young with 13 digs. Jamie Ashmore had assists on 31 of the team's 43 kills.
Match Notes:
Grand Valley State: 10th NCAA Appearance ... 28-8 all-time in NCAA Tournament ... fifth appearance in the National semifinal - first since 2005 ... Winner of 30 of last 31 matches ... on an eight match win streak.
Armstrong Atlantic State: Made its first Elite Eight appearance in six trips to the NCAA Championship ... This was their first NCAA Championship appearance since they made the tourney field five years in a row, from 2000 to 2004 ... They were .500 (5-5) in NCAA Championship play entering tonight's match ... The Pirates were 10-4 this season against teams which qualified for the NCAA Championship ... AASU had not faced a ranked opponent this season before tonight's loss to Grand Valley State ... The Pirates were 15-3 in three-set matches, 10-2 in four-set matches and 3-2 in five-set matches ... AASU entered the Elite on a nine-match winning streak, its longest since the start of the 2004 season, and had won 17 of its last 18 ... The Pirates had just one senior, Rindy Vidovich, one this year's team.
Press Conference Video (posted approx 1 hour after conclusion of match):
GRAND VALLEY STATE QUOTES:
Head Coach Deanne Scanlon:
Opening Statement: "Glad it's over. Glad we won. So excited to be back here at the NCAA Elite Eight with this group of seniors and be back for another day. This was not our prettiest match we've played all year. We didn't execute well, a sign of getting nerves out. We're excited to get the win. We found a way to win in a couple of tight spots there."
In regards to the match win tonight: "This was not the traditional way we win matches, but we found a way to win. We executed, and dug some great balls today. We would like to block a bit better. We rely on our blocking and hopefully we'll get that back for tomorrow's match."
Why the struggle with serving tonight?: "We'll take any serving suggestions you have! (laugh)" We tell the girls to serve aggressive, especially at this level. We missed way too many serves tonight. A lot of why we missed is the new environment. We need to get used to the way the ball travels in this gym. It's also an adrenaline thing during the match, we can feel the intensity in the huddles."
How do you need to prepare for either opponent you'll face tomorrow?: "Different circumstances if we face Concordia. We need to relax, have fun, and a lot of people smiling. Key to winning is enjoy the moment and have some fun on the court."
This is your fifth National Semifinal appearance, how does this team compare to other teams in the past?: "It was a challenge to get here. Nothing has been easy this year. Every night has been a challenge on the court. We've handled the pressure well. There's nothing that's been thrown at them this year that they can't overcome."
What do you know about the other opponents in Concordia and New Haven?: "Haven't been focussing on them yet. We will watch their match tonight. Both teams are respectable, and are different types of teams. We have to play better tomorrow night. We won't change much, or make too drastic of adjustments, but we'll be prepared for whoever we have to play and be ready to go."
Senior outside hitter Lauren Reber:
How were you able to shut down Armstrong's offensive weapons?: "Our block was set great tonight, which gave our defense a chance to get into their correct positions.
We all worked well together tonight."
On a night when you don't play your best, how much does experience play a roll?: "We've learned what each person needs to increase their own game levels. We help each other."
Senior middle blocker Danielle Alexander:
What worked well for you offensively today, no errors today: "Our passes were on target, which allows our setter (Jamie Ashmore) to dish out great sets. That really helped me out as a hitter to have the ball right where I needed it."
On a night when you don't play your best, how much does experience play a roll?: "The experience helps a lot. We seniors have been together for along time. We know how to feed off each other. The experience of playing together does help immensely."
ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE QUOTES:
Head coach Will Condon:
On his team's play tonight: "Honestly, I don't think we play very well. We're capable of playing better but we just couldn't get on any kind of a run. The effort was there we just didn't get the results. I think we're a much better team than we showed today. I'm disappointed for them, not in them."
On the keys in the match: "They served us pretty tough but most of our problems were on our side of the net, and they certainly took advantage of our mistakes."
On the experience his team gained: "It's a tremendous experience. My hope is that what happened today will make them hungry in off-season and make them want to show people a different team next year."
Sophomore setter Hannah Segebart:
On distributing the ball tonight: "All my hitters can be go-to hitters and I felt like I had a lot of options. They had a good defense."
On losing in the team's first trip to the Elite Eight: "We're a young team and nerves played a part of that, but we gained a lot experience and now we know what it takes next year."
Senior outside hitter Rindy Vidovich:
On reaching the Elite Eight: "We were depending a lot on a young team. It's a great feeling and I wish luck to them in future. I was glad to be a part of the experience this year."
On AASU's struggles tonight: "At the beginning it was nerves. We went on some point runs when we were more aggressive. I just think we had a lot of nerves within us."
