September 2, 2006

Maroons Finish 0-4 at Elmhurst Invite

ELMHURST, Ill. -- The University of Chicago volleyball team dropped four matches at the season-opening Elmhurst College Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

#25 Elmhurst def. Chicago 30-25, 30-18, 33-31 (Sept. 1)
In their 2006 season opener, the Maroons fell in three games to 25th-ranked Elmhurst (1-0). Junior middle hitter Erin O'Neill (Peoria, Ill./ Notre Dame) led Chicago with six kills, five blocks, and a .455 hitting percentage (6-1-11). Junior middle hitter Koryn Kendall (Napa, Calif./ Vintage) collected five blocks, while junior libero Dominique Marshall (Columbus, Ohio/ Columbus School for Girls) registered a team-high 15 digs.

St. Mary's (Minn.) def. Chicago 30-24, 20-30, 31-29, 30-23 (Sept. 1)
Freshman outside hitter Diandra Bucciarelli (Del Mar, Calif./ Torrey Pines) had 12 kills and 20 digs as the Maroons fell in four games to St. Mary's (Minn.) University (1-0). Sophomore outside hitter Katie Given (Atherton, Calif./ Castilleja School) hit 11 kills, while Marshall collected 11 digs.

Alma def. Chicago 30-27, 25-30, 30-28, 30-21 (Sept. 2)
Bucciarelli turned in her second 10-kill/10-dig effort of the tournament as she contributed 14 kills and 11 digs in a four-game loss to Alma College (1-2). Kendall and O'Neill were credited with seven and six blocks, respectively, while sophomore outside hitter Katie Volzer (North Canton, Ohio/ Lake) added five. Sophomore libero Tereza Widmar (McLean, Va./ Langley) led the club with 16 digs.

Hope def. Chicago 30-21, 30-25, 30-20 (Sept. 2)
Bucciarelli hit eight kills with a .320 attack percentage, and Volzer contributed six kills with a .462 percentage as the Maroons dropped a three-game decision to Hope College (2-2). O'Neill recorded four blocks; Kendall and Volzer each had three.

On the weekend, Bucciarelli led the Maroons (0-4) with 39 kills (2.79 per game), while O'Neill and Kendall paced the club with 17 blocks each. Senior setter Nikki Sindy (Granger, Ind./ Penn) collected 70 assists, with a high of 25 against St. Mary's (Minn.). Sophomore setter Nikki Boddicker (Encino, Calif./ Buckley School) recorded 50 assists.

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