[Stevev]

Well it looks like we goose egged down at Davidson this weekend. I know the competition was tough but that loss to Davidson really has me concerned.

[ATrain]

Pinder is already throwing out the young, inexperienced team line again...oh this will be a long semester for me

[thesportscritic]

losing to davidson is just inexcusable

[Stevev]

I can understand losses to Washington and Ohio U but getting shutout vs Davidson, no excuse for that.

[BJWilliams]

And here comes the woe. I guess next we'll be calling for Coach Pinder's job. Now I say that agreeing that the results of this weekend definitely were not good (especially losing to Davidson and all) but again this is the first weekend of the season. Now if we start like we did last year, then all this stuff will most certainly be justified.

[Stevev]

This program seemed to hit the skids when Coach Chris Phillips left the program. Hopefullly we can turn things around.

[ATrain]

I'm not saying anything about Pinder or his job...my lips are sealed.

[Stevev]

Too early in the season to do that. Lets see if anything positive developes.

[thesportscritic]

Too early in the season to do that. Lets see if anything positive developes.

or lets hope something changes quickly.

[Sly Fox]

Frankly, I'm not that surprisied considering the levl of competition this weekend. Certainly you'd like to win at least one game as opposed to going 0-12. But there is time to get things in order. Its barely September.

[TIMSCAR20]

Ok, we lose to 2 ranked teams and the host team and we are pressing the panic button? Relax guys. We need to let this team develop some chemistry first and get into the season before we start to worry so much. I know this is a message board and things tend to get blown out of proportion but I think we need to give them a chance to succeed before we write this team off. I am glad we didn't have these forums when I played. You guys are a tough crowd

[SuperJon]

I was thinking the same thing. We lose in a tournament with good teams and all of a sudden the coach is horrible. Some people expect us to win every single game.

[ATrain]

Well, its not just this season but last as well...towards the end of last season the team did get plauged with illness and injury (last year we were 9-22), but losing to Davidson 3-0 does have me concerned, especially after we beat them last year.

[Stevev]

You guys do have a valid point and I was not suggesting that LU fire Coach Pinder. My concern is more long term after a terrible last season, an underachieving year before that and the start of this season losing to Davidson. There are serious concerns going forward into the future with this coaching staff and the recruits he brought in to the program. Like I said earlier our success faded when coach Phillips left the program. But you guys are right; give the team a chance to develope some chemistry and maybe we can achieve some success before conference play kicks in.

[hurricane fan]

"This program seemed to hit the skids when Coach Chris Phillips left the program. Hopefullly we can turn things around."

She left the cupboard empty in more than one way. Pinder is cleaning up the mess that was left behind.

[Stevev]

I don't see it that way. The results or lack thereof speak for itself in comparing the 2 coaches.

[hurricane fan]

you have no idea, stevev and i will leave it at that

[PAmedic]

Portland Defeats Lady Flames, 3-0, in Volleyball Season Opener

August 31, 2006
Davidson, N.C.

A young Liberty University volleyball team was unable to overcome some early first-match jitters, dropping a 3-0 (30-12, 30-22, 30-25) decision to Portland at the Davidson Mizuno Wildcat Classic Thursday evening at Belk Arena.

Liberty is now 0-1, while the Pilots evened their season record at 1-1.

LU head coach Shane Pinder went with a starting lineup that featured three sophomores and a freshman. That unit was tested right away by Portland, a solid West Coast squad.

The Pilots scored the first three points of the match and never looked back in the opening game, winning by a 30-12 margin.

The Lady Flames made things quite competitive in game two and held a 12-11 lead after a Portland service error. The Pilots then scored six of the next seven points to take the lead for good in their 30-22 win.

A pair of kills by sophomore Alysson Sanders (OH, Bear, Del.) and a service ace by freshman setter Kallie Corbin (Beaverton, Ore.) helped the Lady Flames race out to a 4-0 advantage in the third game. A Sanders ace gave Liberty its largest advantage of the game at 7-2.

Liberty would lead as late as 17-16. The Lady Flames were not able to hold on for the victory, though, as Portland pulled out a 30-25 decision.

Corbin had a solid, all-around performance in the first match of her college career. She totaled 13 assists, eight digs and a team-best three blocks (one solo, two assisted).

Sophomore outside hitter Kendall Nichols (Hoover, Ala.) led the Lady Flames with eight kills. Sanders contributed seven kills and two of Liberty’s four aces. Junior libero Lara Bartolomeo (Huntington Beach, Calif.) paced the Lady Flames with nine digs.

Portland’s attack was led by Nicole Thometz and Jennifer Sheedy, who posted 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Their efforts helped the Pilots accumulate a .333 team attack percentage.

Liberty will return to action Friday at 5:30 p.m. with a match against defending national champion, Washington. The contest will be the Lady Flames’ second of four matches at the Davidson Mizuno Wildcat Classic.

[PAmedic]

Defending National Champion Washington Too Much for Lady Flames

September 1, 2006
Davidson, N.C.

The young Liberty University volleyball team did some more growing up Friday evening, meeting defending national champion Washington. In the end, the Huskies took a 3-0 (30-13, 30-17, 30-17) decision at the Davidson Mizuno Wildcat Classic at Belk Arena.

Liberty is now 0-2 on the young season, while the third-ranked Huskies are 4-1 after completing a 3-0 tournament.

The Lady Flames got off to a strong start, catching the heavily-favored Washington unit by surprise. Liberty was able to take advantage of several Husky errors and a kill by Autum Black (Sr., MB, Mingoville, Pa.) tied the first game at 6-6.

Washington’s attack, choreographed by two-time All-American setter Courtney Thompson, then started to click. The Huskies scored the next four points, three of which were kills set up by Thompson, and never looked back on their way to a 30-13 win.
Liberty put together its best stretch of volleyball thus far this season early in game two. Four different players provided kills in the game’s early moments. Rachel Denton (Sr., MB, Burnet, Texas) drilled a kill that knotted the score at 8 apiece.

Another Denton kill kept the Lady Flames close at 11-9. Washington was then able to pull away by scoring the next four points and triumphed, 30-17.

In the third and final game, Washington wasted no time, jumping out to a 4-0 advantage on the strength of a pair of service aces. The Huskies went on to a 30-17 triumph, but Liberty head coach Shane Pinder’s youngsters provided a couple late highlights.

Freshman middle blocker Stephanie Stow (Murrieta, Calif.) entered the contest for the first time during game three and quickly provided the first two kills of her collegiate career. The second of her kills was assisted by classmate Kallie Corbin (S, Beaverton, Ore.).

Corbin recorded 20 assists for Liberty. Junior libero Lara Bartolomeo (Huntington Beach, Calif.) added a team-high 11 digs. Mary Alice Pike (RS, Jr., Durham, N.C.) led the Lady Flames with six kills.

Washington was led by Thompson, who totaled 46 assists. Her primary targets were Christal Morrison (14 kills) and Stevie Mussie (13 kills). The Huskies also took advantage of a dozen aces.

Liberty will remain in Davidson for the final day of the Mizuno Wildcat Classic on Saturday. The Lady Flames will play two matches on Saturday, a 12:30 p.m. tilt with the host Wildcats and a 5:30 encounter against 15th-ranked Ohio University.

[PAmedic]

Host Davidson Triumphs over Lady Flames, 3-0

September 2, 2006
Davidson, N.C.

The host Davidson Wildcats withstood a valiant effort by the Liberty volleyball team Saturday afternoon, earning a 3-0 (30-24, 30-28, 30-23) victory on the third and final day of the Davidson Mizuno Wildcat Classic at Belk Arena.
The Lady Flames are now 0-3 to open the season, while Davidson is 4-3.

Redshirt sophomore Alysson Sanders (OH, Bear, Del.) got Liberty off to a flying start in the opening game. She recorded a kill to knot the score at 1 and then served for six consecutive points, giving the visitors a 7-1 advantage. That was just the beginning of an impressive performance by Sanders, who totaled nine kills, 10 digs, two aces and a pair of blocks.

Davidson battled back to tie the score at 8. The score would be knotted four more times, with the last coming after a Mary Alice Pike (RS, Jr., Durham, N.C.) spike tied things at 19.

The Wildcats then scored the next two points and led the rest of the way in a 30-24 decision.

The second game was close the entire way. A kill by Sanders gave the Lady Flames a 24-23 advantage. Davidson setter Jenna Dykstra then recorded a kill and assisted on a block to give her squad the lead for good in the 30-28 victory.

The third game was controlled by the Wildcats, for the most part, as the home team finished its 3-0 win with a 30-23 victory.

Kendall Nichols (OH, So., Hoover, Ala.) led the Lady Flames’ offensive attack with a season-best 12 kills. Kallie Corbin (S, Fr., Beaverton, Ore.) paced Liberty in assists (34) and digs (13). Lara Bartolomeo (DS, Jr., Huntington Beach, Calif.) added 10 digs, while senior middle hitter Rachel Denton (MB, Sr., Burnet, Texas) provided nine kills.

Dykstra finished with 38 assists for the home team. Liz Williamson led the Wildcats in both kills (19) and digs (13).

Liberty will play its fourth and final match of the Davidson Mizuno Wildcat Classic against 15th-ranked Ohio at 5:30 p.m.

[PAmedic]

Lady Flames Start Quickly But Drop 3-0 Decision to #15 Ohio

September 2, 2006
Davidson, N.C.

Playing their fourth match in three days, the Liberty University volleyball team was defeated by 15th-ranked Ohio University, 3-0 (30-22, 30-11, 30-20), Saturday evening at the Davidson Mizuno Wildcat Classic at Belk Arena.

Ohio, a Sweet 16 team in 2005, is now 3-2. Liberty falls to 0-4.

The Lady Flames scored the first two points of the evening as Mary Alice Pike (RS, Jr., Durham, N.C.) recorded one of her team-best six kills and Alysson Sanders (OH, R-So., Bear, Del.) served up an ace.

Eleven of the next 14 points went to the Bobcats, giving Ohio an 11-5 advantage. Liberty did not give up, however. A Kallie Corbin (S, Fr., Beaverton, Ore.) kill trimmed Ohio’s advantage to 26-21. The deficit proved to be too sizable to overcome, though, as the Bobcats took game one by a 30-22 count.

The Bobcats quickly took control of the middle game, racing out to a 9-1 edge. Liberty was unable to get back into that contest, dropping a 30-11 decision.

In game three, LU head coach Shane Pinder put a number of young players on the court together and that unit held its own. Two freshmen combined to cut Ohio’s advantage to 16-12 as Corbin assisted on a Stephanie Stow (MB, Fr., Murrieta, Calif.) kill. Liberty could not get over the hump, however, and Ohio took the game, 30-20.

Corbin completed an impressive opening weekend with team-high totals in assists (21) and digs (8). Autum Black (MB, Sr., Mingoville, Pa.) paced the Lady Flames with two blocks.

Ohio’s performance was spearheaded by sisters Stephanie (14 kills, nine digs) and Michaele (14 digs) Blackburn. The Bobcats hit .400 as a team for the match.

Liberty will return to action at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invite on Friday and Saturday. The Lady Flames will meet Appalachian State at 5 p.m. on Friday to get their three-match weekend underway.

[PAmedic]

Evidently, though winless, we didn't go without strong individual effort by many of the ladies.

Keeping in mind its still a young team, I've no doubt they will continue to grow and improve- we look forward to good things this year!

GO FLAMES!

[Stevev]

you have no idea, stevev and i will leave it at that

Maybe it is good that I don't know. Thanks for the info!

[hurricane fan]

probably steve. and you weren't gonna get it from me anyway

[ATrain]

Oh...the drama that surrounded the team when the coaches changed...enough to make a person's headspin, and I'll leave it at that. It'll be interesting to see the interaction between Pinder and Phillips once GW joins our conference fulltime.