Xavier University Athletics
Xavier University
#6 Minnesota<br>(Diet Coke Classic)
Xavier Battles No. 6 Minnesota to the Wire
09.03.05 | Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2005
Box Score
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - In the championship match of the Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis, Minn., Xavier was defeated by No. 6 Minnesota in three games, 30-24, 30-26 and 30-15. The Musketeers claim runner-up in the tournament, while posting a 2-1 record over the weekend.
Game one found the Musketeers going toe to toe with the Golden Gophers as the 13 ties and 13 lead changes indicated. With the score 22-22, Minnesota capitalized on three XU miscues and pulled ahead for good. Carley Horvath and Astyn Bjorklund each tallied three kills in the game, while Bjorklund had three block assists. Xavier held the Golden Gophers to a .180 hitting percentage, which marked the first time that Minnesota was under the .250 mark in the tournament.
The second game found XU again battling with the sixth-ranked team in the nation until the end. Only six ties and six lead changes occurred but with the score 14-13 the Golden Gophers mounted a 4-0 run to go ahead 18-13. The Musketeers would answer with a 5-1 run to pull the score back within 19-18 but a back and forth battle did not allow Xavier to regain the lead. XU again held UM to a .036 hitting percentage but had the favor returned as the Musketeers could only register 10 kills along with 10 hitting errors in the game.
The final game of the match found the Musketeers a little tired. XU's eight kills in the game were countered by eight attack errors and Minnesota's 19 kills provided a .357 hitting percentage to put the match in favor of the home team.
The Musketeers were led by three players with six kills. Kate Duchek, Danielle Skrajewski and Jill Quayle each had six kills in the match, while Jordan Brightwell recorded a season-high 18 digs and Horvath added 15.
Junior Astyn Bjorklund and freshman Jenn Welsh were named to the Diet Coke Classic All-Tournament Team, while the Musketeers earned runner-up honors.
With its first loss of the season, XU now stands at 5-1 on the season, while Minnesota improves to 3-0 after the win. Xavier will return to action next weekend as XU travels to Coral Gables, Fla. for the Hurricane Invitational hosted by the University of Miami. The Musketeers will take on Jacksonville State at 4:00 pm on Friday night, Tulane at 9:00 am on Saturday morning and the host Hurricanes in the nightcap at 7:30 pm.
For all your information on Xavier volleyball, visit the new home of the Musketeers at www.GOXAVIER.com. Also, for live stats next week please tune into Gametracker by clicking on the link in the events schedule or navigate to the schedule page and click on the appropriate game.
