Aug. 31, 2002

Wayne State Splits Set At
Wheeling Jesuit Tournament

WHEELING, W.Va. – The Wayne State volleyball team (1-1) debuted with a smash hit at the Wheeling Jesuit University Tournament Saturday, Aug. 31. The Warriors defeated Alderson Broaddus (WV) 3-1 (30-19, 20-30, 30-21, 30-21) but dropped an exhausting five-game match to St. Joseph’s (IN) 3-2 (30-26, 30-18, 23-30, 25-30, 13-15).

In WSU’s first match, it was freshman Megan Smolen who made an impact in her first collegiate action. Smolen recorded 16 kills and 11 digs with a .382 hitting percentage. Darcie Amsdill and Allison Jurasek also chipped in with 10 kills apiece.

Jurasek, a senior middle blocker, tallied team-highs with 14 digs, six block assists and one block solo. The Warriors had 10 total team blocks.

Junior setter Rebecca Hague accounted for 44 of the Warriors’ 48 assists along with 10 digs.

Wayne State came out of the gate quickly. In game one, they hit .333 as a team but struggled in game two, committing eight attack errors and hitting just .091. Games three and four, the Warriors came back and combined for 29 kills and just eight attack errors to finish off Alderson Broaddus.

Against St. Joseph’s, the WSU pace continued at a high intensity for the first two games, but the Pumas held strong to go undefeated on the day. Smolen led the Warriors once again with 15 kills and 21 digs. Fellow freshman Kelita Sinclair stood tall at the net with a game-high six block assists, including four in game one.

Hague followed her first match performance with another 40-plus assists, notching 41 in the contest. Amsdill and Jurasek picked up double-digit kills again, with 11 and 10, respectively.

St. Joe’s Jill Ryan was a thorn in WSU’s side. She recorded a game-high 20 kills with a .312 hitting percentage.

Wayne State plays again on Sunday, Sept. 1. They take on the University of Indianapolis at 9 a.m. and wrap up tournament play against Bellarmine at 3 p.m.