Sept. 7, 2005
Box Score
VILLANOVA, Pa.-Adrian Semrau (Grafton, Ohio) led all players with 19 kills as the Wildcats (6-0) defeated the La Salle Explorers (4-2) 3-1 at Jake Nevin Field House.
The game scores were 30-16, 26-30, 30-20, and 30-18.
Villanova cruised through game one, up 26-11 but had problems closing out the Explorers. Game two proved to be more of a test as La Salle sailed out to a 5-0 lead and extended it to 10-4 on a Wildcat blocking error. Villanova tied it up at 12-12 after an 8-2 run, the first of six ties in the set. But at 19-17, the Explorers began to move away and eventually took the set, 30-26.
"The first game we came out really well," said head coach Gilad Doron. "But we were flat in the second and that made the match tougher than it should have been. But we made corrections in the line up and that gave us momentum."
'Nova was slow to start the third game, trading points with the persistent Explorers. A kill by Villanova's Dana Tartazky (Haifa, Israel) gave the 'Cats a 19-15 lead and that would be all they'd need as a kill by freshman Alona Cherkez (Raanana, Israel) closed out the game.
The fourth frame featured four early ties, but Villanova took a 7-6 lead before going on a 10-4 run. A Cherkez kill made it 22-11 in favor of the Wildcats. A 5-3 Explorer run brought La Salle to within eight, at 25-16. Villanova did not panic, however, and used a 5-2 run of its own to end the match.
Semrau led all players with 19 kills and hit .467 (19-5-30) with three blocks. Cherkez recorded her third double double of her career with 18 kills and ten digs, while hitting .570 (18-2-28). Kacy Sellers (Battle Creek, Mich.) was the third Wildcat in double figure kills, registering ten kills and three blocks. Junior Jenna Link (Wheaton, Ill.) tallied a season-best 54 assists.
Stephanie Owen was the only Explorer in double figures for kills, with 11.
Villanova returns to action on Friday, September 9 when the Wildcats host the 2005 Villanova Volleyball Classic. The action begins at 3:00 when the 'Cats face Wagner.
