VCU Volleyball vs. University of New Orleans at FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Invitational (9/2/16)

Records: VCU 1-3, Univ. of New Orleans 1-4

Sophomore outside hitter Sahbria McLetchie had a career night hitting a career-high 23 kills leading the Rams to a 3-1 victory (25-15, 25-16, 21-25, 25-19) over New Orleans Friday in the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Invitational.

McLetchie committed only five errors in 42 swings and hit .429 in the match. Freshman setter Tyler Sroufe had 51 assists and dug nine balls. Sophomore Julia Adler reached 10 kills, while teammate Tori Baldwin chipped in with eight kills and two blocks. Freshman Jasmin Sneed hit seven kills and recorded four blocks for the Rams.

VCU Women’s Soccer vs. Sacred Heart in the VCU Invitational (9/2/16)

Defensive Stalemate ends in a Tie

By: Jacob Sexton

Records: VCU 1-2-1, Sacred Heart 1-2-2

In VCU Women’s Soccer home opener against Sacred Heart, the game resulted in a tie score of 0-0. Despite the score, both teams had their chances to score goals. VCU would control the tempo throughout the first half with Junior Megan Dell and Sophomore Maddi Santo having multiple scoring opportunities. However, Sacred Heart’s defense inside the penalty box along with a plethora of saves by Nicole Sambuco helped the Pioneers keep VCU off the scoreboard.

The second half began with Sacred Heart being the aggressors on offense but, VCU’s defense too was great, assisted by Sophomore goalkeeper Audrey Sanderson, who made game changing saves throughout the half. Sophomore Kelly Graves provided multiple scoring chances within the 69th and 75th minute but could not prevail. Sophomore Julia Suarez came off the bench in the 86th minute and provided an opportunity to break the tie but came up short when Sambuco made the save.

When the temperature began to drop as both teams went into extra time, the play from both squads sure heated up.  With Sanderson stepping out the 18 and was knocked down, the window was wide open for Sacred Heart to score. That window remained open until a miraculous save by Sophomore Brittany Beckwith, kicking the ball away while she was laying on her back, keeping the score tied at 0-0. Both teams combined for 17 saves on the night with Sacred Heart having 8 and VCU having 9.

 VCU Volleyball vs. Delaware at FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Invitational (9/3/16)

Records: VCU 2-3, Delaware 4-2

Sophomores Sahbria McLetchie and Julia Adler combined for 32 kills and freshman Jasmin Sneed recorded eight blocks in VCU’s 3-1 win over Delaware (25-14, 25-17, 27-29, 25-23) Saturday at the FGCU Invitational, their second straight win in the tournament.

McLetchie starred once again with 18 kills and six blocks. Sophomore middle Tori Baldwin had 11 kills and registered six blocks. Four Rams were credited with at least six blocks and Junior Iibero Rebekah Strange collected 21 digs for VCU, which helped stopped Delaware offensive attack.

VCU Volleyball vs. Florida Gulf Coast at FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Invitational (9/3/16)  

Records: VCU 2-4, Florida Gulf Coast 4-2

VCU couldn’t hold off Florida Gulf Coast Saturday in the Rams’ weekend finale as they lost 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-11).

VCU sophomore Julia Adler provided nine kills and hit .350 in the match and freshman CeCe Madison added six kills and four digs. Also, junior Iibero Rebekah Strange had 10 digs. VCU freshman setter Tyler Sroufe collected 23 assists and dug five balls in the lost as well.

Adler and sophomore Tori Baldwin were named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts in three matches over the weekend.

VCU will host High Point in the Rams’ home opener on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

VCU Women’s Soccer vs. Holy Cross in the VCU Invitational (9/4/16)  

Records: VCU 2-2-1, Holy Cross 1-3-1

Strong first half leads Rams to Victory

By: Parker Shumaker

VCU women’s soccer hosted Holy Cross in their second game of the VCU Invitational. After a double overtime stalemate with Sacred Heart, the Rams’ offense came to life. The Rams scored 3 goals in just the first half.  It only took five minutes for the Rams to get on the board with Julia Suarez’s goal coming off of a penalty kick. Twenty minutes after the first goal, Amanda Tredway followed with a goal of her own.  Megan Dell also chimed in with a goal in the 36th minute of the game. This gave the Rams a commanding three nil lead over the Crusaders.  With two minutes left in the first half the Crusaders showed a little life with a goal by Kara Shaw.

The second half was strategically different for the Rams. They were playing with a two goal lead and became a keep away and defensive team. It showed to work well as they kept Holy Cross off the board for the rest of the game.  However, the VCU offense was not done as they padded their lead with a Maddi Santo goal in the 62nd minute. This showed to be the final nail in the coffin for the Crusaders, as they couldn’t fight out of the hole they had dug.

This was the best offensive game for the Rams this season. The first game that VCU was able to score more than two goals in a game and it proved to be beneficial. This brought the VCU women’s soccer record to 2-2-1 on the season. The Rams look to bring the same intensity offensively and grab another win as they host William and Mary on Thursday September 8th at 7 p.m.