PHILADELPHIA – Junior Devin Corah was named Tournament Most Valuable Player as the La Salle University volleyball team swept the La Salle Invitational this weekend. The Explorers completed their second sweep of the tournament with a win over Kent State in the first match of Saturday and defeated Rider (3-2) later that evening.
 
La Salle 3, Kent State, 0
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• La Salle struggled to find its footing in the first set trailing Kent State 9-2 at the start. 
• Setter Kathryn Wood generated the first point for the Explorers with an assist to sophomore Samantha Graver.
• The score was locked at 19-19 when Kent State called a time out. Junior Kathryn Wood returned to the court with a kill followed by an assist for freshman Elizabeth Osborn to put the Explorers in the lead en route to a victory for game one.
• Junior Devin Corah helped the Explorers break ahead registering five kills, two of which were the game-winning points for a 25-21 finish.
• La Salle started strong in the second set alternating kills and services aces to put four points on the board, gaining an early advantage over the Golden Flashes.
• The Explorers maintained the lead for the duration of the game, closing at 25-14.
• The Golden Flashes kept steady with the Explorers for the majority of the third set tying it up at 23-23. The teams battled point for point until a kill from Corah and a service ace by freshman Samantha Fulkerson-Bird decided the set, 30-28, earning La Salle its second sweep in the invitational.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• La Salle topped Kent State in overall points (67), kills (55), aces (8), blocks (4), and assists (50).
• Sharrits had a team high of 22 digs and currently holds the top rank in digs per set (6.04) in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
• Wood posted 41 assists in the matchup and heads the conference in assists per set (11.50).

La Salle 3, Rider, 2
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Junior Samantha Graver opened game one with a kill.
• The Broncs were unable to build further momentum against the Explorers and lost the set (25-16) thanks in part to four consecutive kills by Graver, Osborn, and junior Catherine Edgington.
• Several Kills from Corah and service errors by Rider positioned the La Salle to win the second set, 25-16.
• Rider claimed the third set 25-19 marking the first loss of a game for La Salle in the tournament.
• La Salle carried the lead for the majority of the fourth set, but Rider tied it up 21-21 and tallied four kills to clench the game.  
• The Explorers made a comeback in the fifth and final set, landing on a final score of 15-9.

All-Tournament Team: 
NJIT – Adriana Nieto
Kent State – Kathryn Ellison
Rider – Anilee Sher
Rider – Rachelle Runyon
La Salle – Elizabeth Osborn
La Salle – Devin Corah 
 
UP NEXT
La Salle will travel to Maryland on Friday, Sep. 14 for the Towson Invitational. The Explorers will face the host team, UMBC as well as Ball State.