Nov. 17, 2006

Final Stats

Dayton, Ohio - In the opening match of the 2006 Atlantic 10 Volleyball tournament, the No. 3 Saint Louis Billikens swept No. 6 seed Fordham 3-0, in Dayton, Ohio. Game scores were 30-23, 30-25, 30-25. The Billikens advance to the tournament semifinals at 4 p.m. (CT) on Saturday against No. 2 seeded Temple.

"I was proud of how we played in our first tournament match in two years," Billiken head coach Anne Kordes said. "It was a good win over a Fordham team that was on a roll and had a seven-match winning streak. Sammi McCloud did a great job for us and carried our offense."

The Rams led 9-8 before the Billikens ran off six straight points. Sammi McCloud ended the run. Fordham tied the game at 20, but the Billikens reeled off four straight. After a Fordham error, Menshikova pounded a ball down the line. Jessica Poorbaugh followed with two straight aces to build a 24-20 lead. After a Fordham kill, the Billikens tacked on another 4-0 outburst. Whitney Roth pushed a ball down, and Menshikova followed with two straight kills. Roth and Christman combined for a block, while a Menshikova kill pushed the Billikens to game point. Christman hit a cross-court winner for a 30-23 decision.

SLU held a narrow 5-4 lead to open game two and stretched the lead on a 7-0 run. Two Fordham errors ignited the run, and Christman and Lasater combined on two blocks. McCloud had a kill, Angela Powers, a first-team All-Conference selection, registered a solo block, and a Christman kill pushed the Billikens to 12-4. The Billikens built a double-digit lead at 16-6 but the Rams inched back into the game. Down 23-14, Fordham scored five of the next six points to close to within five at 25-20. Christman and McCloud notched consecutive kills, and a Lasater kill closed out the game at 30-25.

Game three was close throughout as neither team led by more than one point until the Billikens inched out a 15-13 lead. Powers and Lasater combined on a block with McCloud following with a kill. Fordham answered to tie the game at 15-15, but the Billikens scored six straight points. Lasater began the run, and McCloud served up an ace. The Rams hurt themselves with two straight hitting errors, and Powers notched two straight kills for a 21-15 lead. Fordham cut the lead to four on three occasions, including 26-22, but a Menshikova kill pushed the Billikens back up by five. Two more points brought the Billikens to match point, and a McCloud kill down the middle ended the contest at 30-25.

Sammi McCloud posted a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs, while hitting .367 for the contest. Tatyana Menshikova hit .379 with 13 kills. Whitney Behrens posted 17 digs to break the SLU single-season record with 490 this year. The Billikens improve to 20-8, and ended the Rams seven-match win streak. Fordham ends the season at 21-15.