Tuesday, October 18, 2005

 JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (October 18, 2005) - Brittany Kessel (Libertyville, Ill.) posted a triple-double, including 12 kills, 26 assists, and 13 digs, on Tuesday night, as the East Tennessee State volleyball team downed Radford, 3-1, in Brooks Gym.  After ETSU captured game one, 30-24, Radford answered with a 31-29 victory, only to have the Lady Bucs steal the momentum with a 37-35 win in a marathon game three.  The Lady Bucs would then seal the deal with a convincing 30-18 win in the fourth frame.

With the victory, ETSU ups its record to15-7 on the year, while Radford falls to 3-14.  The win was also the seventh-straight home win for the Lady Bucs, who have come out on top of eight of nine matches in Brooks Gym.

"It was important for us to rebound from the weekend," said head coach Lindsey Devine.  "The win just reinforces that the girls really love to play at home."

Kessel wasn't the only Lady Buc to put up big numbers in the match, with two more ETSU athletes contributing double-doubles, and a total of five Lady Bucs posting double-digits in the kill column.  Jennifer Sartor (Toronto, Ontario) led ETSU with a team-high 15 kills, along with a match-best and season-high 20 digs.  Crystal Palmer (Chico, Calif.) added 12 kills of her own, while Callie Kiselich added another double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.

"Brittany was huge," said Devine.  "I was really please with how she executed tonight.  Her stats really show what kind of player she is.  She's competitive, and other teams know she's one they need to worry about."

Sara Scandiffio (Purcellville, Va.) tallied 10 kills, as teammate Sara Buhr (Stockton, Calif.) came within a kill of a double-double, recording nine kills and 11 digs.  Kessel was tops on the team in hitting percentage, swinging .455 for the match.  Jennifer Emerson (Santa Clara, Calif.) was the Lady Bucs' leading setter, with 37 assists.

ETSU trailed the highlanders by as many as five points in game three, but battled back to tie the frame at 22.  ETSU had four chances to put the game away, as Radford missed on three opportunities.  With the score knotted at 35, Palmer would give the Bucs the 36-35 lead, with a kill on a Kessel assist.  The Bucs finally got the win on a service ace by Kiselich.

"The win in game three really emphasized the character of this team," said Devine.  "Radford was pushing us, and we just weren't going to back down."

Radford's Divona Cox posted a match-high 17 kills, swinging an impressive .615.  Teammate Josie Hanners also recorded a match-best, dishing out 40 assists.  The Highlanders had four players with double-digit assists, including Rachel Newton with 13.

The Lady Bucs travel to Nashville, Tenn., this weekend for another Atlantic Sun road trip, as they are slated to face Lipscomb, on Friday, Oct. 21, at 7:00 p.m., and Belmont on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 2:00 p.m.