VCU Rams

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Boosted by a stout defensive performance, Virginia Commonwealth University picked up a pair of wins Saturday, defeating Appalachian State, 3-0, and Binghamton, 3-2, at the Marriott Jefferson Cup at the University of Virginia’s Memorial Gymnasium.

VCU (5-4), averaged 3.12 blocks per game and limited its opponents to a .150 hitting percentage for the day. The Rams finished with a 2-1 mark at the tournament.

Here is a recap for each match:

VCU 3, Appalachian State 0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-18)
Senior Elisa Kuehnel (Dresden, Germany) had eight kills and four blocks, while junior Ivana Rich (Cumberland, Va.) (pictured) chipped in with five kills and six rejections in a sweep of Appalachian State.

Their performances highlighted a 13-block effort for the Rams, as they stymied the Mountaineer attack. Appalachian State (2-7) hit just .094 and had 32 hitting errors on the day, compared to just nine for VCU.

Junior Ariel Newman (Greensboro, N.C.) added six kills, seven dig and two blocks for the Rams.

Lauren Swecker led the Mountaineers with 14 kills and seven digs.

VCU 3, Binghamton 2 (21-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 15-14)
Newman ripped a season-high 19 kills and sophomore Jessica Ojukwu hit .440 with 13 kills as VCU rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat Binghamton.

Ojukwu provided three of her kills in the decisive fifth set, including the match-clincher.

The Rams led the set by as many as six, but the Bearcats (3-7) rallied to knot the score at 14-14. Following a timeout, VCU got back-to-back kills from Newman and Ojukwu to seal the victory.

Senior Laryssa Goncalves (Curitiba, Brazil) led all players with a season-high 27 digs. Rich contributed 10 kills and five blocks.

Michelle McDonough had 18 kills for Binghamton.

VCU will return to action on Friday, Sept. 19, when it travels to the Pitt Invitational in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Rams will play two matches that day, first a 10:30 a.m. meeting with Eastern Michigan, followed by a 5 p.m. tilt with Gonzaga.

Marriott Jefferson Cup All-Tournament Team
Ashley Allen- Binghampton
Elisa Kuehnel- VCU
Ariel Newman- VCU
Lauren Swecker- App. State
Sydney Hill- Virginia
Marlow Bruneau- Virginia
Tournament MVP- Shannon Davis- Virginia