Bulldogs Split Friday Matches; Elgert Records 1000 Career Digs

Friday, August 30

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

11 a.m.

The Citadel

1-0,0-0SoCon

UT Martin

0-1,0-0OVC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
UT Martin	21	23	25	25	11	2
The Citadel	25	25	19	23	15	3

Box Score (.pdf)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
The Citadel	22	25	25	23	1
Alabama	25	17	27	25	3

Photo by: Kyla Michelitch/Alabama Athletics

Bulldogs Split Friday Matches; Elgert Records 1000 Career Digs

8/31/2024 12:37:00 AM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: The Citadel Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, ALA. – The Citadel volleyball team split their matches on Friday with a win over 3-2 UT Martin (25-21,25-23,19-25,23-25,15-11) and a 1-3 loss against Alabama (22-25,25-17,25-27,23-25) inside Foster Auditorium.

Match 1 vs. UT Martin

Key Plays & Stats

The Bulldogs set the tone against the Skyhawks 25-21, 25-23 by taking the first two sets.
The Bulldogs registered 30 kills in those first two sets compared to UT Martin's 21.
UT Martin fought back in sets three and four with a 25-19 and 25-23 victory over the Bulldogs.
Despite falling in back-to-back sets The Citadel jumped to a 6-1 lead to begin the fifth set.
Both teams fought back and forth, but the Bulldogs won the match with a 15-11 victory in the fifth set.
Mackenzie Martin, who had a career and match-high 21 kills as Bulldog on a .268 attack percentage. She also posted 15 digs.
Ali Ruffin was second on the team with 17 kills and 16 digs, marking her first double-double of the season.
In her first game in a Bulldogs uniform, Sophie Childs recorded ten kills with three block assists.
Belle Hogan registered 44 assists and 18 digs.
Aaliyah Byers debuted as a Bulldog with eight kills and five total blocks.
Jaelynn Elgert, who recorded 23 digs, surpassed 1,000 digs for her career as a Bulldog.

Match 2 vs. Alabama

Key Plays & Stats

Alabama jumped to a 7-4 lead in the first set with two kills and an attack error committed by the Bulldogs.
The Citadel managed to narrow the lead to just one at 19-18 with blocks by Aaliyah Byers and Ali Ruffin.
The Bulldogs fought until the end, but Alabama escaped with a 25-22 win in set one.
A kill from Sophie Childs gave the Bulldogs a 5-1 lead to start the second.
The Bulldogs lead grew to 13-5 with blocks from Childs and Byers.
The Citadel dominated the rest of the set, which led to a 25-17 victory over Alabama in set two.
The third and fourth sets were a battle against both teams, but Alabama recorded a two-point victory in set three at 27-25 and a 25-23 victory in set four to secure the match.
Mackenzie Martin and Ali Ruffin led the Bulldogs with 14 kills each.
Sophie Childs was second on the team with 13 kills.
Aaliyah Byers tabbed a match-high seven total blocks, and Jaelynn Elgert recorded 22 digs.

Up Next
The Bulldogs will play against Grambling State on Saturday starting at noon (ET) inside Foster Auditorium to finish out the Crimson Tide Invitational.