Knights Fall to California ( Pa.) in NCAA Volleyball Tournament

November 18, 2004

LOCK HAVEN, PA—The Knights were able to tie the match up after two games but could not pull off the upset over No. 2 seed California University of Pennsylvania in the first round of the Atlantic Regional in the 2004 NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship Thursday at host Lock Haven University. No. 7 seed St. Andrews lost 3-1 (30-27, 27-30, 30-18, 30-22) to the Vulcan’s in their opening match of their first-ever trip in the national tournament.

The Knights did not let the new experience bother them as they jumped out to an early 11-4 lead in the first game of the match. The Vulcan’s fought back with 13-4 run to take a 17-16 lead. California continued to lead but a Tirzah Armenta ( Phoenix, AZ) kill cut the St. Andrews deficit to two at 28-26. The Vulcan’s escaped with two of the final three points to take the lead after the first game.

Just like the first game SAPC took control early in the second with a 13-5 lead. A kill by Kim Harper ( Boca Raton, FL) extended the Knights lead to 18-9. California would close the gap but St. Andrews held on with a three-point win to tie the match up a 1-1.

The third game started out close with both teams deadlocked at 12-12 before the Vulcan’s would go on a 15-4 run to take the commanding 27-16 lead and cruise to the 12 point victory.

St. Andrews tried to tie the match back up in the fourth game. A Nicki Bateman ( Liberty, NC) kill put the Knights up 14-12. However, the Vulcan’s would run off the next 11 points to take the powerful 23-14 lead. SAPC would take eight of the final 15 points but it was not enough as California would win the game 30-22 and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Armenta led the Knights with 17 kills and 11 digs. Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) tallied 13 kills and Harper provided 36 assists and 15 digs. Jessica Burkart ( Puyallup, WA) had a team-high 20 digs.

The Knights could not stop Vulcan Katie Barker, who ripped a game-high 32 kills on 62 attempts for a .468 hitting percentage. Five different California players reached double digits in digs.

St. Andrews finished its season with a 16-13 record while the Vulcan’s improved to 27-6. It was a great experience for the Knights that they will look to build on next year.

Knights Volleyball Headed to the ‘Big Dance’

November 15, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—The St. Andrews Presbyterian College volleyball team received its first-ever bid to the NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championships. The Knights enter the tournament as the No. 7 seed in the Atlantic Regional and will play No. 2 seed California University of Pennsylvania on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

The Knights enter the ‘Big Dance’, aka the NCAA Championship Tournament, with a 16-12 overall record while the Vulcan’s of California (Pa.) have a 26-6 record. The Atlantic Regional is hosted by No. 1 seed Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pa.

SAPC finished the regular season ranked seventh in the Atlantic Region and was ranked as high as sixth during the year.

St. Andrews ended the regular season with a 14-4 Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference record, tying a team-high record in CVAC wins. The Knights entered the conference tournament, which was hosted by SAPC this weekend, as the No. 3 seed. The Knights defeated No. 6 seed Coker in three straight games before being upset by No. 7 seed Barton in a thrilling five-game semifinal match.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to play in the national tournament and its something that I’m very proud of,” said St. Andrews Head Coach Bill Rude. “The team has worked hard and it’s a huge step in the right direction for our program.”

“Making the tournament says a lot about our players who have worked extremely hard and never quit when the times got tough,” continued Rude. “We won a lot of big games that we needed to win.”

“We would have never made it without the help of so many people that worked so hard for us including the student-athletes, my assistants (Ben Briney and Hal Clifton) and our alumni. I would also like to thank everyone who has supported our team including the fans, Carl Ullrich (Athletic Director) and Howard Reichner (Faculty Athletic Representative).

“When I came back to St. Andrews in March of 2003, many people told me that this was not the place to be and I wouldn’t be able to win here,” explained Rude. “However, making the tournament proves these people wrong and that we are moving in the right direction.”

Continuing with a smile on his face Rude said, “Our players have sacrificed a lot to compete at this level, but they are gladly willing to make it to be successful. We are some of the lucky that get to experience something as great as competing in the NCAA tournament. Its something that you cannot buy; it’s something you have to pay for with hard work and sweat.”

The Knights will be one of three CVAC schools participating in the Atlantic Regional. It’s the first time in conference history that three CVAC schools have made the NCAA tournament. No. 5 seed Lees-McRae qualified after winning the CVAC Tournament on Sunday and No. 6 seed Mount Olive received an at-large bid with SAPC.

November 12, 2004

THOMASVILLE, NC—Tirzah Armenta of St. Andrews Presbyterian College was selected the 2004 CVAC Volleyball Freshman of the Year by the conference head coaches on Friday night at the Honors Banquet during this weekend’s tournament hosted by SAPC.

Armenta, Jessica Burkart and Kim Harper were also named to the CVAC All-Conference list. Armenta, a freshman outside hitter from Phoenix, AZ, averaged a double-double for the Knights with 15.44 kills/match and 12.32 digs/match. Armenta led St. Andrews with 386 kills and ranked fifth in the CVAC with 4.329 kills/game. Armenta finished the regular season with a .246 hitting percentage, 308 digs, 20 solo blocks and 19 assisted blocks. Along with being named the CVAC Freshman of the Year, Armenta was selected to the CVAC First Team All-Conference. Armenta also was a CVAC Player of the Week this year.

For the second straight year sophomore setter Kim Harper made the CVAC Honorable Mention Team averaging 11.9 assists/game. The Boca Raton, FL, native led the Knights with 1115 assists and played in every game for St. Andrews this season. Heading into the last week of the season Harper ranked third in the CVAC in assists per game. Harper also led the Knights with 44 service aces.

Freshman Jessica Burkart served as the Knights libero this season and was recognized by the CVAC by making the Honorable Mention Team averaging 4.459 digs/game. The Puyallup, WA, native led the Knights with 379 digs and ranked fifth in the CVAC in digs per game.

Knights Volleyball Advances to CVAC Semifinals

November 13, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—In the quarterfinals of the 2004 CVAC Volleyball Tournament No. 3 seed St. Andrews Presbyterian College defeated No. 6 seed Coker College 3-0 (30-28, 30-25, 30-24) Saturday morning Harris Court on the campus of St. Andrews.

The Knights improved to 16-11 and will play No. 7 seed Barton Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in Harris Court. The Cobras fell to 16-15.

Statistical Leaders for St. Andrews:
Nicki Bateman – 12 kills, .423 hitting percentage, 2 solo blocks, 1 assisted block
Kim Harper – 15 digs, 37 assists, 3 service aces
Tirzah Armenta – 14 kills, 5 service aces, 4 digs, 1 solo block, 1 assisted block
Jessica Burkart – 15 digs
Sara Smith – 8 kills, 8 digs, 1 service ace
Jesi Bewley – 8 kills, 2 digs, 1 service ace, 1 solo block
Lauren McManus – 12 digs, 3 kills, 3 assists

Statistical Leaders for Coker:
Andrea Manuel – 10 kills, 23 digs
Tara Nelson – 14 digs, 37 assists
Jessica Norton – 3 assisted blocks, 2 service aces
Courtney Barton – 5 assisted blocks, 1 solo block
Megan Haupt – 10 kills
Margaret Madison – 9 kills

November 9, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—After losing the first two games on ‘Senior Night’ the St. Andrews volleyball team rallied to force a fifth game before falling to visiting Newberry College Tuesday in Harris Court. With the 30-21, 30-21, 24-30, 27-30, 15-13 victory the Indians finish the regular season with a 10-18 record while the Knights conclude regular season play with a 15-11 mark.

Newberry looked to be in complete control of the match taking early leads in the first two games and coasting to nine-point wins in both sets. St. Andrews responded with their best game in the third jumping out to an 18-10 lead and holding on for a 30-24 win. The Knights used the momentum to take a 15-10 lead in the fourth but the Indians fought back with five straight points to tie the game up at 15-15. The set remained close with everything tied at 27-27 but SAPC scored the next three points to square the match up at 2-2.

The Indians grabbed the early 6-4 lead in the deciding game. The Knights rebounded with the next six points to take a commanding 10-6 advantage. However, Newberry would supply the final run out scoring St. Andrews 9-3 down the stretch to take the match.

Nicki Bateman (Liberty, NC), the only senior for the Knights, finished her regular season career with 15 kills, four solo blocks, two digs and a service ace. Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) chipped in with another double-double including 20 digs and 18 kills. Jesi Bewley (Cincinnati, OH) had 16 digs and 10 kills and Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) contributed with 15 digs and 14 kills. Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) had 46 assists, 16 digs, seven kills and two aces.

St. Andrews will begin hosting the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Volleyball Tournament on Friday afternoon. The Knights enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed and will take on No. 6 Coker College on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.

November 4, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) tallied her 16th double-double of the season leading the St. Andrews volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference rival Belmont Abbey in Harris Court on Thursday. The 30-18, 27-30, 30-23, 30-26 win improved the Knights to 15-10 overall and 14-4 in the CVAC while the Crusaders fell to 5-19 and 4-12.

SAPC jumped out to an early 13-7 lead in the first game and cruised to their easiest set win of the night, 30-18. Belmont Abbey responded in the second game grapping an11-8 lead and holding off the Knights for the close 30-27 win.

The Knights came out hot in the third game scoring the first five points and carrying the momentum to the 30-23 game win. St. Andrews looked confident at the start of the fourth game taking a 9-6 lead but the Crusaders storm back to take a 17-13 advantage. BAC maintained the lead up until 25-23, when the Knights surged ahead with seven of the last eight points to take the game and the match.

Armenta led St. Andrews with 17 kills and tied Nicki Bateman (Liberty, NC) for the team-lead with 20 kills. Setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) recorded 59 assists, eight digs and a .556 hitting percentage. Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) and Jesi Bewley (Cincinnati, OH) finished with double digit kills at 10 each. Smith also had 10 digs while Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) made 15 digs.

The Crusaders were led by Sarah Halligan’s (Yuma, AZ) 18 kills and 22 digs. Lydia Johnson (Charleston, SC) chipped in with 22 assists, 11 digs and two service aces. Peggy Ploeger (Storm Lake, IA) had five blocks. Ploeger and Latoya Gordon (Clinton, MD) had 11 kills apiece and Mallory Adkins (Penhook, VA) contributed with 13 assists and three blocks.

The Knights tied their most conference victories in the CVAC era with 14. St. Andrews raps up the regular season hosting non-conference Newberry on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The Knights enter the CVAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will play at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 13th (CVAC Tournament hosted by St. Andrews).

November 2, 2004

PEMBROKE, NC—On a night when both offenses struggled, senior Natalie Niesborella anchored a UNCP defense with a game-high 23 digs, leading the Pembroke volleyball squad to a 3-1 win over visiting St. Andrews in the Jones Center on Tuesday night (14-30, 30-27, 30-26, 30-25). The Lady Braves have now won two out of their last three games and stand at 8-20 on the season. SAPC falls to 14-10 overall.

St. Andrews dominated game one, and UNCP struggled to find a spark in the 30-14 loss. The Knights recorded a .255 hitting percentage to Pembroke's -.049 for the game.

The Lady Braves, however, bounced back to take game two behind the impressive serving of junior Kelly Parker. Tied at one game apiece, UNCP cruised to victories in games three and four, receiving a much needed lift from sophomore Rachelle Milbank, who came off the bench to tally eight kills and three service aces.

Tirzah Armenta paced the Knights with a game-high 15 kills and 12 digs. Jessica Bewley finished with 13 kills, while setter Kim Harper tallied 41 assists on the night. Defensively, Jessica Burkart recorded 24 digs.

For UNCP, senior Stacy Norton notched a team-high 14 kills, while Parker finished with 11. Jenn Paroda recorded yet another double-double with 40 assists and 16 digs.

SAPC will wrap up their CVAC regular season on Thursday when the Knights host Belmont Abbey at 6:30 p.m. Thursday’s game is a rescheduled game from earlier in the year.

October 29, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—The St. Andrews volleyball team won CVAC matches on back-to-back nights after defeating conference foe Coker College in Harris Court on Friday night. The 3-1 (28-30, 30-21, 30-27, 30-23) victory improved the No. 6 regionally ranked Knights to 14-9 overall and 13-4 in the CVAC while the Cobras dropped to 14-13 and 6-9.

Coker grabbed a 19-12 lead in the first but the Knights scored the next seven points to tie the game up at 19-19. The Cobras composed themselves and were able to hold on for the 30-28 win. SAPC responded with their best game in the second, jumping out to a 12-7 lead and coasting to the nine-point win to square the match at 1-1.

The Cobras had the lead in the third game as late as 25-21. The Knights fought back with nine of the final 11 points to take control of the match. St. Andrews took control of the fourth game early with a 6-1 advantage and carried the lead to an 30-23 deciding game victory.

Three different Knights recorded double-doubles including Sara Smith’s (Thompson Station, TN) 14 kills and 13 digs. Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) provided 47 assists, 13 digs and four service aces while Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) had 11 kills, 10 digs and five aces. Nicki Bateman (Liberty, NC) led the Knights with 15 kills and a .412 hitting percentage. Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) led with 21 digs and Smith had a game-high six aces.

The Cobras were led by Andrea Manuel’s (Spartanburg, SC) 17 kills and 19 digs. Margaret Madison (Savannah, GA) supplied 14 kills, two solo blocks and five assisted blocks. Setter Tara Nelson (Rochester Hills, MI) had 46 assists and 22 digs.

The Knights visit non-conference UNC Pembroke for a rescheduled game on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m.

October 28, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—Senior Nicki Bateman’s (Liberty, NC) .652 hitting percentage sparked St. Andrews to a 30-13, 30-19, 30-17 straight-game victory over visiting CVAC foe Limestone College Thursday evening on Harris Court. With the victory the Knights, who are 13-9 overall and 12-4 in the league, locked up at least a No. 3 seed heading into the CVAC Tournament while the Saints fell to 7-20 and 0-14.

The Knights made their presence known early scoring the final eight points in the first game. St. Andrews carried the momentum into the final two games winning every set by at least 11 points. The Knights, who are ranked sixth in the Atlantic Region, controlled the match with their third highest team hitting percentage of the year (.339).

SAPC remains perfect against Limestone in CVAC play with a 13-0 record against the Saints dating back to 1998.

Freshman Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) led the Knights with a double-double that included 13 digs and 12 kills. Sophomore Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) dug up 12 digs, provided 35 assists and served up four aces. Freshmen Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) had a team-high 21 digs and Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) chipped in hitting .320 with nine kills and two solo blocks.

The Saints Meredith Overton (Floyds Knobs, IN) had five kills and four aces. Setter Talayna Akrie (Aurora, CO) supplied 14 assists and Jen Black (Jonesboro, AZ) had 14 assists. Haley Blanton (Shelby, NC) had a match high five blocks.

The Knights will be back in action tomorrow night when they host CVAC rival Coker College at 6:30 p.m.

October 26, 2004

MT. OLIVE, NC—Heidi Busch matched a career high and her school record with 34 kills to lead regionally seventh-ranked Mount Olive to a 30-25, 25-30, 30-28, 30-21 victory over regional No. 6 St. Andrews in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference volleyball Tuesday at College Hall.

Busch, who extended her streak of consecutive matches with at least 20 kills, narrowly missed a “30-30” performance with 26 digs, also a career high. The win is the third in a row for the Trojans and the second in as many matches over a higher-ranked team.

Mount Olive (22-11 overall, 12-3 CVAC) fell behind 5-1 in game one as St. Andrews used a kill and an ace by Sara Smith on back-to-back points to take an early lead. The Trojans rallied to tie the game at 13 and Busch’s kill at 15-14 put the Trojans ahead to stay. Mount Olive built the lead to as many as five points before St. Andrews (12-9, 11-4) pulled within 25-24. But the Trojans won five of the final six points, capped by an ace on game point by Sam Mitchell.

Game two saw five ties and four lead changes before St. Andrews took the lead for good on Nickalit Bateman’s kill at 19-18. Bateman and Smith shared team-high honors with 15 kills apiece. St. Andrews used a 6-1 run to take a three-point lead and Mount Olive never got any closer than two points the rest of the way as the Knights evened the match at a game apiece.

Game three was a game of momentum swings as three kills by Busch staked Mount Olive to a 5-1 lead. The Trojans built the lead to five points before St. Andrews used a 7-1 run to take its first lead at 10-9. St. Andrews appeared to take control of the match, building the lead to 21-15. But Busch’s one-handed dig kept a point alive and sparked a 10-4 run to tie the game at 25-25. After St. Andrews built the lead to 28-27, the Trojans tied the game on a kill by Colby Mangum and Busch closed out the game with back-to-back kills to put Mount Olive within a game of winning the match. Busch had 10 kills in game three.

In game four, back-to-back aces by Candice Collins broke a 3-3 tie and the Trojans never looked back. Mangum served two aces during a 6-0 run and Collins’ kill gave Mount Olive its biggest lead at 19-8. St. Andrews never came closer than seven points the rest of the way and Anna Luft’s kill at match point clinched the victory.

The Knights head home to host CVAC games on back-to-back nights with Limestone on Thursday and Coker on Friday. Both matches are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. starts.

October 23, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—After splitting the first two games the St. Andrews volleyball team played two very strong sets to defeat Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference foe Anderson College 3-1 (30-28, 29-31, 30-22, 30-18) on Saturday in Harris Court. The Knights improved to 12-8 overall and 11-3 in the league while the Trojans fell to 18-10 and 6-6.

SAPC had to come back from an early 7-1 deficit to take the tight first game, 30-28. The second game stayed very close with the Knights taking a late 28-27 lead, but watched the Trojans win four of the next five points to tie the match up at 1-1. St. Andrews rebounded from the second game loss with a dominating 30-22 third-game victory. The Knights carried the momentum over into the final game for their easiest game win, 30-18.

Senior Nicki Bateman (Liberty, NC) and freshman Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) led the Knights with 17 kills apiece. Armenta also had 22 digs and setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) provided 52 assists and 12 digs. Libero Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) led SAPC with 32 digs while Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) contributed with four digs and three service aces. Both Jesi Bewley (Cincinnati, OH) and Smith had 14 kills.

Ryan Johnson (Spindale, NC) led the Trojan attack with 16 kills. Defensively Maggie Irvin (Spartanburg, SC) had 28 digs while Catie Cornett (Greenville, SC) made five blocks and 14 kills. Betsy Fisher (Lexington, SC) led AC with 29 assists.

The Knights look to take over the No. 2 spot in the CVAC standings on Tuesday evening when they travel to Mt. Olive for a 6:30 p.m. match.

October 13, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—Four Knights pounded out at least 11 kills against visiting Queens University of Charlotte, as St. Andrews defeated the CVAC rival 3-1 (30-22, 30-26, 31-33, 30-23) on Wednesday evening in Harris Court. After completing the regular season series sweep of the Lady Royals, St. Andrews improved to 11-7 overall and 10-2 in the conference while Queens fell to 10-12 and 4-6.

SAPC jumped out to an early 14-9 lead in the first game and never looked back winning their easiest game, 30-22. The Knights looked to be in complete control of the second game with a 23-13 lead after scoring 10 straight points off of Nicki Bateman (Liberty, NC) serves. The Royals never gave up and went on a 12-4 run to cut the St. Andrews lead to 27-25. The Knights stayed poised and tallied three of the next four points for the 30-26 set win.

The closest game came in the third frame as it consisted of 15 ties and four lead changes. At 1-1 the Knights lost their team leader in kills, Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) with a foot injury. St. Andrews fought hard and took the first big advantage at 18-13, but Queens went on a 10-2 run to take the 23-20 lead. The Royals held the three-point advantage until 28-25, when SAPC reeled off three straight points to tie the game up at 28. QU stayed calm and finally took the third game on their third game point attempt.

Queens used the momentum from the third game to keep the score close for a while in the fourth, but the Knights slowly pulled away to the 30-23 set victory and won the match 3-1.

Freshman Erin Haugen (Ft. Mills, SC) led the Knights with 20 digs and sophomore Jesi Bewley (Cincinnati, OH) led with 15 kills. Bateman finished with 12 kills and a .323 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) provided 46 assists and 10 digs while Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) drilled 13 kills. Armenta had 11 kills before getting injured and Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) contributed with 18 digs.

Robin Simmons (Hilton Head, SC) led the Royals with 10 kills and three blocks. Lauren Kegerreis (Chambersburg, PN) added nine kills while while Hendersonville, NC natives’ Juliette Thomas and Cara Verner chipped in with 32 assists and 30 digs, respectively.

The Knights travel to Banner Elk, NC this weekend for the Magic on the Mountain Tournament hosted by Lees-McRae College. SAPC will play Kutztown and California (Pa.) on Friday and Edinboro and Millersville on Saturday.

October 8, 2004

BELMONT, NC—The Belmont Abbey volleyball team led late in sets two and three, but St. Andrews Presbyterian College was able to rally and defeat the Crusaders 3-0 (30-22, 33-31, 30-26) in CVAC volleyball action from the Wheeler Center Friday.

In game one SAPC (10-7 overall, 9-2 CVAC) never trailed, taking a 10-6 lead. Belmont Abbey (2-11, 1-5) cut the lead down to one at 14-13, but couldn’t get over the hump, as the Knights slowly extended their lead, and eventually took the first game 30-22.

Game two turned out to be the pivotal game of the match. The Lady Crusaders played one of it’s strongest games of the season, going on an 8-2 run to rally from 15-11 down to 19-17 up as the homecoming crowd in the Wheeler Center started to get excited. The Crusaders kept the lead and led 29-27, but St. Andrews fought back, taking the next three points to hold a 30-29 lead. Belmont Abbey held off two Knight game points and tied the score at 31, but SAPC took the next two points and won 33-31.

Despite the game-two loss, Belmont Abbey kept up their strong play in game three, jumping out to an 11-7 lead. The Crusaders held their largest lead at 18-13, but St. Andrews again fought back, going on a 9-2 run to turn a 23-19 deficit into a 28-25 lead, and the Knights took the deciding game 30-26.

Tirzah Armenta’s (Phoenix, AZ) 21 kills and 14 digs led the Knights, while Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) had 43 assists and 10 digs. Libero Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) had a team high 23 digs. Sophomore Lauren McManus (Raleigh, NC) chipped in with 10 digs, four kills, four aces, and three assists.

BAC was led by Sarah Halligan with 18 kills, while Mallory Adkins had 15 assists and 16 digs, and Lydia Johnson had 19 assists.

The Knights host CVAC rival Queens University of Charlotte on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

October 6, 2004

WILSON, NC—The Barton College volleyball team ran its win streak to six matches Wednesday night with a five-set upset of visiting St. Andrews Presbyterian College. Barton knocked off the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference leader in a 30-26, 26-30, 30-26, 20-30, 15-13 thriller.

The victory vaulted the Lady Bulldogs’ records to 9-10 overall and 4-6 in the league while the Knights left at 9-7 overall and 8-2 in CVAC play. SAPC started the night 8-1, just ahead of 5-1 Lees-McRae.

After winning the first set, Barton had a seemingly comfortable lead in game two at 24-18, but SAPC stormed back behind the hitting of 5-11 freshman Tirzah Armenta to a 30-26 win. Barton prevailed by the same score in game three as sophomore setter Kari Poling set some great balls that were finished off by Tawnya Harper, Kelly Lamotta and Keauna Vinson. Defensively, junior libero Laurie Alpert was the star for the Lady Bulldogs, evidenced by 37 digs. Sophomore Libby Stadnyck was also stellar with 26 digs. SPAC roared to a 30-20 victory in game four, forcing a deciding fifth game.

Three good serves from Lauren McManus and some fine rallies by her teammates helped the Knights break from a 3-3 tie to a 6-3 cushion. Barton rallied to an 8-8 tie after back-to-back kills by Vinson. A decisive spike and service winner by Sara Smith put SAPC up 11-9 and the Lady Bulldogs called a timeout. After the break, another kill and block winner by Vinson made it 11-11. A St. Andrews mishit and kill by Armenta made it 12-12.

Vinson and Michelle Walker put Barton up 14-12 with kills, then, after another Armenta kill, Harper finished off the match will a kill to the back right corner.

Vinson finished with 29 kills, eight blocks and two aces. Harper had 19 kills and six blocks while Lamotta dropped 15 kills. Poling piled up 60 assists.

The Knights got 35 kills from Armenta, 25 digs from Burkhart and 65 assists from Harper.

October 4, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—The St. Andrews volleyball team secured its lead over Pfeiffer University in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference with a 3-0 victory on Monday evening in Harris Court. With 30-24, 30-18 and 30-14 game wins, the Knights improved to 9-6 overall and 8-1 in the conference while the Lady Falcons fell to 9-10 and 7-3.

Pfeiffer had its best game in the first frame grabbing an 18-12 lead but could not hold on. SAPC ripped off 10 of the next 14 points to tie the game up at 22-22, and used the momentum to take the first game 30-24. The second game started out close but after the Knights converted on five straight points while sophomore setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) was serving, they were able to coast to the 30-18 win. St. Andrews dominated the third game from the opening serve jumping out to a 24-5 lead and rolled to the 30-14 victory to sweep the regular season series, 2-0.

Freshman Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) led the Knights with 14 digs while fellow freshman Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) led with 13 kills. Armenta followed with 12 kills while Nicki Bateman (Liberty, NC) and Jesi Bewley (Cincinnati, OH) each had nine kills. Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) chipped in with 10 digs. Harper finished with 38 assists while both Smith and Lauren McManus (Raleigh, NC) had two service aces.

Vera Taylor (San Clemente, CA) led the Lady Falcon attack with 12 kills. Setter Jenny Fitch (Batavia, IL) contributed 21 assists and two aces while Sara Judy (Greensboro, NC) had 13 digs and 5 kills.

The Knights have won nine of their last 11 matches including eight conference wins to stay atop the CVAC standings. St. Andrews will look to continue that trend as they travel to Wilson, NC to take on the Lady Bulldogs of Barton College in CVAC action on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m.

September 30, 2004

HARTSVILLE, SC—Coker ran into a talented St. Andrews team Thursday night and came out on the wrong end of a 3-0 decision in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference collegiate volleyball. The Cobras fall to 5-8 on the year and 2-5 in the CVAC, while the Knights improve to 8-5 and a perfect 7-0 in conference.

The Knights operated with precision in the opening set, mixing their serves and attack with both strength and placement to ease their way to a 30-18 win. The Lady Cobras rode the hot hand of Andrea Manuel to a fast start in the second set but St. Andrews came back to grab their first lead at 15-14. The teams went back and forth to 25-25 but the Knights ran off the last five points to end it.

In the final set Coker didn’t go easily but St. Andrews kept grinding and eventually pulled away for the 30-23 win. When CC pulled within one at 11-10, the Knights called time out and then went on a 10-2 run to erase any doubt and capture their sixth straight victory.

Knights senior Nickalit Bateman (Liberty, NC) led all hitters with 15 kills and sophomore Jessica Bewley (Cincinnati, OH) finished with 10 kills and three block assists. Freshman Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) had 11 digs and eight kills and setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) tallied 42 assists and seven digs.

Manuel led the Lady Cobras with 11 kills and 13 digs and Megan Haupt contributed 10 kills. Margaret Madison had nine kills and two blocks and setter Tara Nelson finished with 30 assists and 20 digs.

The Knights will battle Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC to remain in sole possession of first place in the CVAC standings on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

September 26, 2004

ANDERSON, SC—St. Andrews Presbyterian College improved its record in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference to 6-0 with a 24-30, 30-17, 34-32, 30-27 victory over Anderson College Sunday afternoon at the Abney Center.

The Knights, 7-5 overall, were led by Jesi Bewley (Cincinnati, OH) with 20 kills; and Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) and Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) with 18 kills apiece. Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) had 57 assists and 19 digs for the Knights. Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) also had 19 digs for St. Andrews.

The loss drops Anderson to 10-6 overall and 1-5 in the CVAC. Ryan Johnson had 13 kills and Betsy Fisher had 11 kills for Anderson. Mindy Salley had 26 assists, and Fisher contributed 17 assists for AC. Defensively for Anderson, Lindsay Crump collected 28 digs and Catie Cornett had five blocks.

In the first game, Anderson jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held off a late comeback by St. Andrews to take a 1-0 in the match. In the second game, the Knights used a 13-5 run in the middle of the game to take control and cruised from that point to tie the match at one game apiece. St. Andrews led the third game 19-11, but Anderson rallied to tie it at 20. From that point, there were nine more ties before a kill by Smith ended the game and gave the Knights a 2-1 lead in the match. The Knights jumped out to a 13-5 lead in the fourth game and then held off a late rally by Anderson to close out the match.

The Knights visit CVAC rival Coker College on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m.

September 25, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—The St. Andrews volleyball team defeated UNC Pembroke in three straight games on Saturday afternoon increasing their current undefeated streak to four matches. The 3-0 (30-25, 30-12, 30-19) victory improved the Knights to 6-5 while the Lady Braves fell to 4-9.

Freshman outside hitter Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) led the Knights attack with 19 kills, 11 digs, and a .436 hitting percentage. Freshman Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) followed with 10 digs and nine kills. Sophomore Jesi Bewley (Cincinnati, OH) connected for a .545 hitting percentage in the match while setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) chipped in with 42 assists.

Stacy Norton (Hamlet, NC) led the Lady Braves with seven kills. Jen Paroda (Brownsville, PA) had 30 assists and Natalie Niesborella (Huntersville, NC) made 18 digs.

The Knights will try and remain undefeated in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference when they visit Anderson on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.

September 21, 2004

THOMASVILLE, NC—Tirzah Armenta and Kelly Chaplin of St. Andrews Presbyterian College have been selected as the NCAA Division II Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (CVAC) women’s volleyball and cross-country Players of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday afternoon.

Freshman outside hitter Tirzah Armenta had an outstanding week for the Knights, helping St. Andrews remain undefeated in the CVAC. Armenta recorded 54 kills, 43 digs, and a 0.276 hitting percentage in three matches this week. With Armenta’s play, SAPC went 2-1 on the week handing both Mt. Olive and Pfeiffer their first conference losses of the season. Armenta started off the week with 12 kills, 12 digs, and four blocks against a tough Francis Marion team on Tuesday. On the following day, Armenta stepped up big for the Knights with 19 kills and an impressive .548 hitting percentage against the Trojans of MOC, leading the Knights to a 3-0 victory. Armenta finished up the week with 23 kills and 17 digs in a 3-1 victory against the Falcons. The Phoenix, AZ native’s 4.387 kills per game ranks herself amongst the league leaders.

September 18, 2004

MISENHEIMER, NC—With only one game hiccup, the St. Andrews volleyball team won its fourth match in its last five tries, defeating host Pfeiffer University 3-1 (30-24, 20-30, 30-21, 30-28) on Saturday afternoon. The Knights remain perfect in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference improving to 4-5 overall and 4-0 in the CVAC while the Lady Falcons fell to 6-7 and 4-1.

Senior Nicki Bateman (Liberty, NC) led the Knights to victory with nine kills and a .391 hitting percentage. Setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) supplied 54 assists to bring up her league leading assist average to 11.1 APG. Freshman Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) had team high 23 kills and tied Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) with 17 digs apiece. Outside hitter Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) chipped in with 14 kills and nine digs while Harper and Lauren McManus (Raleigh, NC) each had 13 digs.

The Knights ended the week handing both Mt. Olive and Pfeiffer their first conference losses. SAPC looks to remain undefeated in the CVAC on Tuesday evening when they travel to Charlotte, NC for a conference match-up with Queens at 6:30 p.m.

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO—The American Volleyball Coaches Association has named a record-number 161 college volleyball programs the recipients of the 2003-04 AVCA Team Academic Award including St. Andrews Presbyterian College.

The Knights volleyball team finished 10th overall in NCAA Division II with a team GPA of 3.54. There were a total of 31 D-II schools that were honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award. St. Andrews was the only Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference school to make the list.

The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the school year. Nominating head coaches must be AVCA members.

“The AVCA Team Academic Award captures the true essence of the student-athlete, and the AVCA is honored to recognize these schools for excellence in the classroom,” Katherine McConnell, AVCA executive director said. “We are especially pleased to bestow this prestigious award to a record number of teams for the third year in a row.”

The Knights also had five volleyball players named to the 2003-04 CVAC Presidential Honor Roll. Volleyball players Kim Harper, Rachel Hoag, Lauren McManus, Amy Miller and Bethany Evans were all named to the list after achieving a grade point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.00 scale).

September 15, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—Freshman outside hitter Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) connected for 19 kills in 31 attempts for a sparkling .548 hitting percentage on Wednesday evening in Harris Court, leading the St. Andrews volleyball team to a 3-0 (32-30, 30-16, 30-21) victory over Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference rival Mt. Olive.

The match pitted two undefeated CVAC programs that were picked second (MOC) and third (SAPC) in the Preseason Coaches Poll. With the victory the Knights improved to 3-5 overall and 3-0 in the CVAC while the Lady Trojans fell to 6-4 and 3-1.

The first game was the closest of the three with the Lady Trojans taking a lead of four or more points, five different times in the game including a late 26-22 lead. The Knights hung in and reeled off 10 of the next 14 points for the 32-30 win. St. Andrews used that momentum in the second set winning the first eight points and rolling to the 30-17 win. The deciding game remained close for a while but with a 22-19 lead SAPC pulled away to the nine-point victory with an 8-2 run.

Along with her 19 kills Armenta also supplied 14 digs and two aces. Setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) led the Knights with 41 assists while freshman Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) provided 10 kills, seven digs, and three aces. Harper also had nine digs and three aces. Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) tallied 13 digs and Nicki Bateman (Liberty, NC) chipped in with six kills and six digs.

Heidi Busch (Ft. Wayne, IN) led the Lady Trojans with 16 kills while Colby Mangum (Wilmington, NC) ripped eight kills and had three blocks. Setter Sara Christie (Champaign, IL) had 27 assists and one ace. Ashley Napoles (Miami, FL) provided 13 digs and one ace.

SAPC head coach Bill Rude felt, “If we played well and did what we needed to do, we would give them (MOC) a very good match. Everyone made a contribution tonight while remaining focused, leading us to victory. Tirzah had a great match and Burkart got us a lot of digs.”

Rude continued with, “I felt the way we played was indicative of how we can always play. We set a team goal to go 6-2 in our final eight matches in September after starting out 2-4 and this victory was a great step towards meeting our goal.”

The Knights will try and remain perfect in the CVAC when they travel to Misenheimer on Saturday to face conference foe Pfeiffer University at 1:00 p.m.

September 13, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—The St. Andrews volleyball team played four very hard fought games against Francis Marion University, but were edged 3-1 (31-29, 30-20, 22-30, 30-28) on Harris Court Tuesday evening. The Patriots improved to 6-6 with the win while the Knights fell to 2-5.

FMU looked to have everything under control in the first game taking a commanding 17-9 lead, but after a timeout the Knights made a 19-11 run to tie the set up at 28 each. The Patriots remained poised and took the first game 31-29. Francis Marion then had its easiest game winning the second set 30-20. SAPC grabbed an early 9-3 lead in the third game and never looked back. The Patriots made a run in the third but came up short as the Knights took it 30-22. Just like in the first game the Patriots grabbed a strong lead in the fourth set 25-18. The Knights would never give up but could not finish the comeback as Francis Marion took the deciding game 39-28.

Melissa Hennessy (Moore, SC) led the Patriots to victory with 44 assists in just three games and two aces. Lezlie Logan (Cleburne, OH) sparked FMU with 16 kills while Jessica Strader (Kettering, OH) supplied 20 digs and two aces. Jackie Phiel (Amherst, OH) added 15 kills and 12 digs.

Sophomore Jesi Bewley (Cincinnati, OH) lead the Knights with .308 hitting percentage and eight digs while Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) nailed 12 kills and scooped up 12 digs. Setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) contributed with 35 assists and eight digs while Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) ripped 11 kills. Jessica Burkart (Puyallup, WA) added 11 digs.

The Knights look to bounce back tomorrow night as they host CVAC rival Mt. Olive at 6:30 p.m.

September 8, 2004

LAURINBURG, NC—The St. Andrews Presbyterian College volleyball team remained perfect in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference play with a 3-1 (30-12, 30-26, 27-30, 30-16) victory over visiting Barton College on Wednesday evening in Harris Court. The Knights improved to 2-4 overall and 2-0 in the CVAC while the Lady Bulldogs fell to 1-7 and 0-3.

The Knights dominated the first game with a 30-12 victory that included one stretch of 12 consecutive points. The Lady Bulldogs surged out to a 15-9 lead in the second game but watched SAPC come back for the 30-26 win. In the closest of the four games, Barton held on to the third set with a 30-27 victory. The Knights responded with a strong fourth game to take the match with a 30-16 win.

Freshman outside hitter Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, AZ) led the Knights with 24 kills, 18 digs, a .357 hitting percentage and three blocks. Kim Harper (Boca Raton, FL) added 52 assists and 12 digs in the win while Sara Smith (Thompson Station, TN) chipped in with 18 kills and 11 digs.

Keauna Vinson (Zebulon, NC) led the Lady Bulldogs with 12 kills and eight blocks. Kelly Lomatta (Rolesville, NC) provided 13 kills and an ace while Melanie Mills (Woodbine, MD) had 30 assists and Laurie Alpert (Virginia Beach, VA) made 24 digs.

St. Andrews will not play again until Tuesday when they host Francis Marion University at 6:30 p.m.

September 4, 2004

GAFFNEY, SC—The St. Andrews volleyball team dominated Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference foe Limestone College in a 3-0 victory on Saturday afternoon. The Knights (1-4, 1-0 CVAC) defeated the Lady Saints by game scores of 30-12, 30-25 and 30-27.

St. Andrews put Limestone on their heels in the opening game with a 30-12 win. After taking the second game 30-25, the Knights held off a rallying Saints squad in a close 30-27 deciding game.

Tirzah Armenta (Phoenix, Ariz.) led the Knights with 14 kills. Kim Harper (Boca Raton, Fl.) had 35 assists and Lauren McManus (Raleigh, NC) supplied 19 digs. Both Nickalit Bateman (Liberty, NC) and McManus helped out with 5 blocks apiece.

Haley Blanton recorded six kills in the losing effort for Limestone. Talayna Akrie complimented four aces with 19 assists. Meredith Overton had 7 kills and Jennifer Black had 16 digs.

The Knights will host CVAC rival Barton College in their home opener on Wednesday evening at 6:30

August 20, 2004

THOMASVILLE, NC—St. Andrews Presbyterian College was picked third in the 2004 Volleyball Pre-Season Poll as voted on by the head coaches. Reigning CVAC Volleyball Coach-of-the-Year Bill Rude will be working with a very young team in his second season with the Knights. Rude has four returnees and six freshmen after losing six players from last year’s squad (24-11 overall, 14-4 CVAC in 2003). Last years team finished the season strong with a third-place finish in the regular season and falling just short of the tournament title after losing in the final game of the championship match. Rude was surprised at the pre-season ranking because of the fact he lost four starters from last year and how young his team will be this year. Rude says, “It’s an honor to be in the top three but we have nine players under the age of 19 that will be playing so I’m not sure if we are deserving. I am happy with the girls that I have as we may struggle early, but hopefully we can learn and improve as the season goes along.” The Knights improved by four spots from last years poll, when they were picked seventh.

Lees-McRae College clinches the top slot in the CVAC Volleyball Pre-Season Poll. The Lees-McRae College women’s volleyball team (31-12 overall, 17-1 CVAC in 2003) will look to defend its CVAC regular season and tournament titles this fall under the helm of new head coach Don Metil. With only 2 conference losses in the past 6 years, the Bobcats return the nucleus of last season’s championship squad, including last year’s CVAC Player of the Year and First Team All-CVAC member Tatiana Moore.

Mount Olive (27-11 overall, 15-3 CVAC in 2003) returns five starters from last year’s squad, including three All-CVAC selections and last year’s CVAC Freshman of the Year. Junior hitter Heidi Busch became Mount Olive’s first-ever volleyball All-American last year, earning Honorable Mention.First-year head coach Oleksandr “Sasha” Gutor takes over a team that has finished second in the regular season and reached the CVAC Tournament semifinals in each of the last two years.

Rounding out the poll 4-10 was: Barton, Anderson, Pfeiffer, Queens, Belmont Abbey, Coker and Limestone respectively.

CVAC Volleyball Preseason Poll (# of First Place Votes in Parenthesis)
1. Lees-McRae (7) 79
2. Mount Olive (2) 72
3. St. Andrews (1) 64
4. Barton 58
5. Anderson 46
6. Pfeiffer 37
7. Queens 31
8. Belmont Abbey 27
9. Coker 20
10. Limestone 16

November 16, 2003

THOMASVILLE, NC—The Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference announced four St. Andrews Presbyterian College players to the volleyball All-Conference teams at the Honors Banquet during this weekend’s Conference Championship volleyball tournament. The Knights head coach Bill Rude was also awarded CVAC Coach of the Year.

Senior hitter Amy Miller (Venice, Florida/Chicago State) made the All-Conference 1st team. Miller finished the season with 2.78 kills/game, 3.6 digs/game, and a league leading 0.400 hitting percentage. Amy was named CVAC Player of the Week twice during the year.

Senior outside hitter Rachel Hoag (Brunswick, Ohio/Padua) and senior libero Kim Makahilahila (Kailua, Hawaii/Kamehameha) were named to the All-Conference 2nd team. Hoag lead the Knights with 3.69 kills/game and supplied 2.6 digs/game. Makahilahila contributed greatly in the second half of the season recording 366 digs in only 21 matches (5.15 digs/game).

Freshman setter Kim Harper (Boca Raton, Florida/Olympic Heights) was named to the All-Conference Honorable Mention team. Harper won the last CVAC Player of the Week for the season, after voting for these awards had already concluded. Harper finished the season with 11.66 assists/game, 3.42 digs/game, 57 service aces, and a 0.4 hitting percentage.

Rude was named CVAC Coach of the Year in his first season at St. Andrews. Bill led the Knights to a 24-11 overall and 14-4 conference record. The Knights finished third in the conference standing after being picked to finish seventh in the pre-season. Rude capped off the excellent season by leading the Knights to the finals of the CVAC tournament, in which they almost pulled off the upset.

Head coaches from CVAC member institutions nominate and then vote upon the award winners who represent the best of the best for the conference.