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NCAA Women's Championship Playoffs Volleyball Team News

NCAA Women's Championship Playoffs Volleyball Team News

IPFW Volleyball to Have Grand Send Off on Wednesday

 

Team to leave at 11:00 AM for Champaign, Illinois

 

Fort Wayne, IN – The IPFW Athletic Department is preparing for a grand send-off for the IPFW Women’s Volleyball team on their way to the NCAA Tournament First Round in Champaign, Illinois.

 

The team will depart from the Rhinehart Music Center Parking Lot at 11:00 AM on Wednesday morning, before traveling for an afternoon practice at the University ofIllinois later that afternoon.

 

The Mastodons drew eighth ranked Illinois in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, and the game is slated to begin at 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, December 3.

 

The Mastodons, 20-11 on the season, received their automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament by virtue of their 3-2 victory over the Bison of North Dakota State University in the championship match of the Summit League Tournament, snapping a 20-match home win streak for NDSU.

 

LSU Tickets Now On-Sale for NCAA Volleyball

 

BATON ROUGE – All-session ticket books are now on sale for the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Tournament First and Second Rounds hosted by LSU at the Maravich Center on Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5.

 

The NCAA Baton Rouge Regional gets underway with Arizona (19-10) and Texas A&M (18-10) in the opening round at 5 p.m. Friday. No. 15 national seed LSU (24-6) faces off against Tulane (18-9) approximately 30 minutes after the completion of Match 1.

 

Saturday’s second round will be played at 7:30 p.m.

 

All-session ticket books, which include both first round games and the second round contest, are available for $12 for reserved seats. General admission ticket books are $10 for adults, $6 for students, $6 for seniors and $4 for youth.

 

Single-session tickets are not available for purchase until 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Maravich Center box office.

 

Tickets can be purchased online at www.LSUtix.net as well as in person at the LSU Athletics Ticket Office or by phone at 225-578-2184 or 800-960-TKTS. The ticket office is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on the first floor of the Athletics/Administration Building.

 

Ticket Prices Announced for First and  Second Round NCAA Matches

Buckeyes are hosting first and second round matches in St. John Arena.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ticket prices have been set for the first and second round matches of the NCAA Volleyball Championship to be hosted by Ohio State in St. John Arena, Fri.-Sat., Dec. 4-5. All session tickets for both first round matches at 6 & 8 p.m. Friday and the second round match at 7 p.m. are $12 for adults. A student all session ticket is $6 and a child's (3-12) all session ticket is $4. Single session adult tickets are $8, student single session tickets are $5 and a child's (3-12) single session ticket is $4. Children 2 and under are free. All tickets are general admission and will be available at the St. John Arena ticket office beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday and 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets may be purchased from Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.com/search?DB_OEM_ID=17300&tm_link=tm_header_search&q=Ohio+State+Buckeyes) starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The Ohio State (24-9, 12-8 Big Ten, tied-fourth) women's volleyball team received an at-large bid to the 64-team NCAA Championship and will host first and second round matches in St. John Arena, Fri.-Sat., Dec. 4-5. The Buckeyes will host Cincinnati (25-10, 12-2 Big East, tied-second) at 8 p.m. Friday. The first match, at 6 p.m. Friday, will have ninth-seeded California (18-10, 11-7 Pac-10, fourth) facing Lipscomb (28-3, 20-0 Atlantic Sun, first). First round winners return Saturday at 7 p.m. for a berth in the Gainesville (Fla.) regional semifinals Dec. 11. ##ohiostatebuckeyes.com## Billikens Make Third NCAA Tourney Appearance this Weekend     SLU faces Wichita State Friday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m.     This Week: No. 22 Saint Louis (24-7, 14-1 Atlantic 10) will look to advance deep into the NCAA Tournament its third time around when it travels to Ames, Iowa, for a 5 p.m. match against Wichita State Friday, Dec. 4, at Hilton Coliseum. A Billiken victory would pit SLU against the winner of the match between No. 7 seed Iowa State and George Mason Saturday at 6:30 p.m.   For Tickets: Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Iowa State Athletics Ticket Office, by phone at (888) 478-2925 or online at www.cyclones.com. All tickets must be purchased as a three-match, two-day package until the day of the first match. All-Session tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for youth (high school age or younger). All-Session tickets are reserved on the lower level sides in sections 109-113 and 131-135. Single-Session tickets for the opening round are $10 for adults and $7 for youth, while the second-round-only tickets are available for $8 for adults and $6 for youth.    Following the Action: Live stats for all NCAA matches are available through the NCAA web site at www.ncaasports.com. Iowa State will also provide video streaming of all matches for free atwww.cyclones.com.  Last Time Out: Saint Louis defeated NCAA Tournament-bound Middle Tennessee State 3-1 last Saturday at Chaifetz Pavilion. Bridget Fonke and Sammi McCloud led all players with 19 kills apiece, while Whitney Roth collected a match-high 50 assists.            About the Billikens: Saint Louis, which has won 11 of its last 12 contests, will make its second straight, and third overall, appearance in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. Senior outside hitter Bridget Fonke leads the Bills with 3.42 kills per set, 45 service aces and a .280 hitting percentage. Senior right-side hitter Sammi McCloud follows with 3.26 kills per set, 29 service aces and a .271 hitting percentage. Senior setter Whitney Roth directs the offense with a team-best 11.24 assists per set and is second on the team with 2.71 digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Deno leads SLU with 54 blocks, while McCloud trails with 53. Five Billikens are averaging at least 2.47 digs per set, with senior libero Whitney Behrens leading the way with 3.23 digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter Megan Boken, Fonke and McCloud contribute 2.50, 2.48 and 2.47 digs per set, respectively. SLU enters the tournament with the 18th-best hitting percentage (.265) in the NCAA.  About the Shockers: Wichita State (25-6, 14-4 Missouri Valley), like the Billikens, received an at-large bid after falling in the title match of the MVC Tournament last weekend. The Shockers won the opening set against No. 20 Northern Iowa before dropping the next three. Five of the Shockers’ six losses this season were to teams from within its conference. Senior outside hitter Emily Stockman, a three-time MVC first-team pick, paces the squad with team highs of 4.03 kills per set and 35 service aces. No other player on the squad is averaging better than 2.60 kills per set. Sophomore setter and two-time All-Conference first-team selection Mary Elizabeth Hooper dishes out 11.27 assists per set. Junior middle blocker Sarah McGee, a two-time MVC first-team honoree, leads the club with 1.18 blocks per set and a .356 hitting percentage. Senior libero Melissa Granville and Stockman bolster the back row with 4.57 and 3.58 digs per set, respectively. Head coach Chris Lamb is 218-92 in his 10th season at the helm of the Shocker volleyball program. Wichita State leads the series against SLU 8-3; however, the Bills won the last meeting 3-0 on Sept. 21, 2002.   About the Cyclones: No. 5 ranked Iowa State (25-4, 17-3 Big 12), NCAA First and Second Round host and Big 12 regular-season runner-up, enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed and is riding a five-match winning streak. All of the Cyclones' losses this season came against ranked foes, while three of their four defeats were vs. Big 12 teams. Junior outside hitter Victoria Henson paces the offense with 4.13 kills per set, while sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hockaday adds 3.23 kills per set. Senior setter Kaylee Manns directs the offense with 12.20 assists per set and leads ISU with 22 service aces. Defensively, freshman middle blocker Jamie Straube has been the team's top stopper at the net with 1.12 blocks per set, while sophomore middle blocker Debbie Stadick contributes 1.00 block per set. Iowa State has four players averaging at least 2.90 digs per set. Junior libero Ashley Mass leads all players with 5.48 digs per set, while Manns, Henson and Hockaday add 3.21, 3.01 and 2.95 digs per set, respectively. Head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch is 103-57 in her fifth season with the Cyclones. She has guided Iowa State to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances since 2006. The series against SLU is tied 2-2, though the teams have not met since Oct. 27, 1984.    About the Patriots: George Mason (23-8, 10-4 Colonial Athletic), which tied for third in the CAA regular-season race, knocked off the first- and second-place teams in the conference tournament to capture the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Junior middle blocker/right-side hitter Holly Goode, the 2009 CAA Player of the Year, leads the club with 3.24 kills per set, while sophomore outside hitter Noelle Fanella and senior outside hitter Rebecca Walter each add 2.64 kills per set. Junior setter and second team All-CAA selection Fernanda Bartels directs the offense with a team-high 9.77 assists per set. Two Patriots have collected more than 30 service aces apiece, with senior middle blocker/right-side hitter Laura Turner boasting 35 aces and sophomore defensive specialist Katrina Boryc adding 31. Freshman libero Koala Matsuoka defends the back line with a team-best 3.42 digs per set, while Bartels contributes 2.55 digs per set. Sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Bohman, an All-Conference first-team pick, paces the squad with 1.41 blocks per set, while Turner and Goode register 0.94 and 0.89 blocks per set, respectively. Pat Kendrick, the 2009 CAA Coach of the Year, is 428-345 in her 25th season as the head coach at George Mason. The Billikens and Patriots have never met on the volleyball court. However, the teams have two common opponents this season. GMU was swept by George Washington and Xavier, while the Bills posted four 3-0 decisions against those teams in 2009.      Tourney History: The Billikens captured their first NCAA Tournament at-large bid in 2009 after earning automatic bids in 2006 and 2008 by winning the A-10 Championship crown. SLU is 1-2 all time in the tournament, with its lone win coming against Alabama A&M in first-round action last season.      Against the 2009 Field: SLU faced eight members of the 2009 NCAA Tournament field during the regular season. The Bills were 2-7 against those teams with wins against California and Middle Tennessee State.   All-Championship Accolades: Senior Sammi McCloud completed her career with four A-10 All-Championship honors. Only three other players have been awarded All-Championship plaudits all four seasons since the tournament started in 1982. Junior Megan Boken and senior Bridget Fonke were also named to the 2009 All-Championship team. A-10 Honors: The Billikens swept A-10 Coach, Player and Setter of the Year honors for the second straight season when the league announced its end-of-the-season honors last week. SeniorSammi McCloud merited Co-Player of the Year recognition, while fellow senior Whitney Rothcaptured an unprecedented third Atlantic 10 Conference Setter of the Year award. Billiken head coachAnne Kordes was voted Coach of the Year. Senior Bridget Fonke landed on the A-10 first team for the second straight season, while junior Megan Boken picked up second-team plaudits. SeniorWhitney Behrens achieved honorable mention status. Behrens and Roth were also named to the All-Academic squad.     Rank and File: Saint Louis has been listed among the AVCA Top 25 since earning the program's first ranking Oct. 20, 2008. The Bills, who have been ranked in 23 straight polls, peaked at No. 16 in the Sept. 7, 2009 poll.   Racking Up the Wins: SLU has put together four straight 20-win campaigns for just the second time in program history. The Billikens won 22 matches in 2006, 23 contests in 2007 and 29 tilts last season. The only other time Saint Louis achieved the feat was from 1987-90 when it recorded 20, 31, 28 and 22 victories. The 2009 seniors are the third-winningest class in program history with 98 victories and counting. Only the senior classes from 1983 (103 wins) and 1990 (101 wins) were victorious in more contests.    Hittin’ the Books: Senior Whitney Behrens picked up ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors for the third straight season in 2009. She was the only Atlantic 10 Conference player who advanced to the Academic All-America volleyball ballot. Fellow senior Whitney Roth earned a spot on the Academic All-District second team.   Double Trouble: Four members of the Billiken squad have combined to post 25 double-doubles this season. Whitney Roth leads the team with nine assist-dig double-doubles. Sammi McCloud and Bridget Fonke have each posted six kill-dig double-doubles, while Megan Boken has recorded four.    Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes is in her sixth season at Saint Louis with a 127-61 (.676) career ledger. The 1998 Louisville graduate enjoyed her winningest campaign as a head coach in 2008 when she guided the Bills to 29 wins, their second A-10 West regular-season crown, their second A-10 Championship title and NCAA Tournament bid, and the first unbeaten conference slate since 1997. Kordes earned CVU.com (Collegiate Volleyball Update) National Coach of the Year honors and was named AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year last season. In 2006, she led SLU to its first NCAA Volleyball Tournament appearance after her squad captured its first A-10 Championship crown and tied for the A-10 West regular-season title. Kordes is only the second coach in program history to earn more than 100 victories at SLU, and she has tied the best winning percentage by a SLU coach. The three-time A-10 Coach of the Year (2006, 2008, 2009) is joined on the sideline by assistant coaches Kyle Walton and Angela Powers, volunteer assistant Corey Arbini and director of volleyball operations Andy Halaz.  Bringin’ Da Fonke: Senior Bridget Fonke, who enters the tournament ranked 23rd in the nation in service aces per set, ranks among the program's career top 15 in three statistical categories. On the career charts, she is second with 155 service aces, eighth with 1,259 kills and 14th with 47 solo blocks.   Roth & Roll: Senior Whitney Roth ranks 21st in the NCAA with 11.24 assists per set through matches of Nov. 29. She is the only setter in school history ranked among SLU’s career top 20 in assists, service aces, digs and block assists. Last season, Roth became the program’s all-time assist leader and with 5,418 assists to date she has over 2,000 more assists than the player in the No. 2 spot. She is 13th on the career digs list (987), 16th on the career block assists chart (160) and 19th with 86 career aces. Roth has also played in 125 matches, which is fourth on SLU’s career list.    She’s a 10: Senior Sammi McCloud, one of the most decorated players in program history, has worked her way into SLU’s career top 10 in five statistical categories. She is fifth with 1,410 kills, sixth with 1,129 digs, eighth with 118 service aces and ninth with 244 block assists and 266 total blocks. The only other players in Billiken history ranked among the top 10 in each of those five categories are Colleen Hunter (1999-2002) and Julie Tretten (1994-97). Additionally, McCloud is just the fifth player in program history who is a member of both the 1,000-kill and 1,000-dig clubs.    Can You Dig It?: Senior Whitney Behrens became the program’s career digs leader at Fordham Sept. 26. SLU’s digs standard is 1,667 and counting. Behrens eclipsed Irene Haugh’s mark of 1,474 career digs, which had stood since 1990.   Around the A-10: Saint Louis enters the NCAA Tournament ranked first among A-10 teams with a .265 hitting percentage, 14.04 kills, 12.74 assists and 1.54 service aces per set in all matches. Individually, five players rank among the top 10 in the league statistically. Whitney Roth leads all A-10 players with 11.24 assists per set, while Whitney Behrens is tied for eighth with 0.28 service aces per set and Megan Boken is 10th with 3.14 points per set. Bridget Fonke leads all players with 0.44 service aces per set, and she is third with 4.11 points per set, fourth with 3.42 kills per set and 10th with a .280 hitting percentage. Sammi McCloud is fifth with 3.89 points and 3.26 kills per set, and sixth with 0.31 service aces per set.    A Formidable Foe: After playing one of the toughest schedules in the country in 2008, Saint Louis faced stiff competition again in 2009. The Billikens took on five teams ranked among the nation’s top 15 in the first three weeks of the season. SLU faced top-ranked Penn State in the Active Ankle Challenge during the season-opening weekend. At the Hawaiian Airlines Classic Sept. 3-6, the Bills battled No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Hawai’i and No. 10 California. Saint Louis played No. 14 Illinois Sept. 12 in the State Farm Classic. Four of those teams are among the top eight in the latest NCAA RPI report released Nov. 23, with Hawai’i coming in at No. 22 and Dayton at No. 23. SLU is No. 29.  Billikens Sign Five for 2010: SLU head coach Anne Kordes recently announced that five student-athletes have committed to play for the Billikens starting next season. The players who have signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University and compete for SLU are 6-foot-1 outside/right-side hitter Lauren Baumet (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg), 5-foot-11 outside hitterAndrea Beaty (Pacific, Mo. / Washington), 6-foot right-side hitter Emma Goldschmidt(O’Fallon, Ill. / O’Fallon Township), 5-foot-11 setter Hannah Kvitle (Quincy, Ill. / Quincy Senior) and 6-foot-3 middle blocker Kelsey Toebben (Jefferson City, Mo. / Helias). Each player will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2010 season.   On the Go with Gaillot: Sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Gaillot will keep a blog this season called “On the Go with Gaillot” at www.slubillikens.com. Her blog will provide fans with a weekly behind-the-scenes look at the 2009 Billiken volleyball team.

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NCAA Women's College Volleyball Players Honors and Awards III

Baylor Volleyball's Breyfogle Named Big 12 Defensive MVP

Bears also earn two first-team selections and one all-freshman team selection

 

IRVING, Texas – Senior middle blocker Anna Breyfogle was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year on Monday by league officials. Breyfogle becomes the first to earn the award in school history, and only the second from Baylor to win an individual award in Big 12 history.

 

Breyfogle was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team along with fellow senior Taylor Barnes. Freshman Torri Campbell received recognition for her outstanding season, earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

 

Breyfogle put together another spectacular season at the net, leading the Big 12 in blocking for the second year in a row. Breyfogle averages 1.39 blocks per set and has racked up 149 blocks on the season, 18 more than any other player in the Big 12. In addition, she is currently on a streak of 89 consecutive matches recording at least one block, dating back to the end of her freshman season in 2006. Over her career, Breyfogle has recorded at least one block in 114 of 116 career matches. This season, Breyfogle broke the Baylor rally-era record for career blocks and became just the second player in program history with more than 1,000 kills and 600 blocks.

 

Barnes, one of the most offensive-minded setters in the Big 12, earned her first all-Big 12 honor. A stat-stuffer, Barnes led the Bears and ranked sixth in the league with 10.69 assists per set, while also ranking second in the league in service aces per set with 0.39. She also led the team in hitting percentage at .331 and ranks third on the team with 2.38 digs per set. This season, Barnes broke the BU and Big 12 record for career service aces, while also breaking the Baylor record for career assists and becoming the first player in program history to top 5,000 for her career.

 

Campbell, a freshman who entered Baylor as one of the most highly-touted recruits in program history, helped pace Baylor’s offense and defense. Campbell was fourth on the team with 225 kills and third on the team with a .259 hitting percentage. She ranks behind only Breyfogle on the Baylor squad with 0.98 blocks per set. Campbell had 10 or more kills in a match 10 times, while also recording at least one block in all 31 matches.

 

Texas’ Destinee Hooker was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, while Iowa State’s Ashley Mass earned Big 12 Libero of the Year honors. Missouri’s Paola Ampudia was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, and Nebraska’s Hannah Werth was selected as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.

 

Baylor (22-9) is making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2001, traveling to Los Angeles, Calif., for the first and second rounds hosted by UCLA. The Bears will play Georgia Tech in the first round at 5:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 4 at Pauley Pavilion.

 

 Bullock Named To All-SEC Freshmen Team

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn freshman Sarah Bullock was honored by the
Southeastern Conference as she was named to the All-SEC Freshman team,
the league announced Monday.

“I’m very proud of Sarah and the growth she has made this year,”
Wade Benson, head volleyball coach, said. “She has many more awards
ahead of her with continued focus in the future.”

Bullock, an Allen, Texas, native, finished her first season with Auburn
as the team’s go-to attacker, finishing with a team-high 296 kills and
889 attempts. She finished with a .181 attack percentage and had a
team-best 11 solo blocks. Her 275 total digs and 2.43 digs per set
average were second-best on the team.

Against SEC opponents, Bullock led the Tigers with 216 kills and
recorded a .175 attack percentage.

Bullock tallied eight double-doubles on the year and had 16 matches in
double-digit kills. She set a career-high in kills at Arkansas with 21
kills and a career-best in digs with 14 against George Washington.

Bullock earned two SEC Freshman of the Week honors this season. Her
first came on Oct. 27 after Bullock led Auburn to two three-set sweeps
over Mississippi State and Alabama at home. Her second honor came on
Nov. 23 when she led the Tigers offensively with 35 total kills and a
.310 attack percentage, including her 21-kill, 12-dig performance
against Arkansas

The Auburn volleyball team closed out the 2009 season with its best
finish in 10 years, having a 16-15 overall mark and 8-12 in the SEC. The
Tigers finished second in the SEC West and tied for fifth overall in the
conference.

2009 SEC POSTSEASON VOLLEYBALL HONORS

Player of the Year: Brittnee Cooper, LSU
Libero of the Year: Chloe Goldman, Tennessee
Freshman of the Year: Jasmine Norton, Arkansas
Scholar Athlete of the Year: Sarah Cline, South Carolina
Coach of the Year: Fran Flory, LSU

First Team All-SEC
Kristy Jaeckel, Florida
Kelly Murphy, Florida
Sarah Mendoza, Kentucky
Sarah Rumely, Kentucky
Brittnee Cooper, LSU
Samantha Dabbs, LSU
Marina Skender, LSU
Nikki Fowler, Tennessee
Chloe Goldman, Tennessee

Second Team All-SEC
Alyssa Meuth, Alabama
Jasmine Norton, Arkansas
Elyse Cusack, Florida
Colleen Ward, Florida
Valentina Gonzalez, Georgia
Lauren Rapp, Kentucky
BriAnne Sauer, Kentucky
Kayla Jeter, Tennessee
Farren Powe, Tennessee

All-Freshmen Team
Amanda Anderson, Arkansas
Jasmine Norton, Arkansas
Sarah Bullock, Auburn
Briana Bahr, Georgia
Stephanie Klefot, Kentucky
Whitney Craven, Ole Miss
Leslie Cikra, Tennessee

Four Garner All-Conference Mention

 

Whitney Dosty, Jacy Norton, Tiffany Owens and Paige Weber named to All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention Team

 

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Four Arizona volleyball student-athletes were named to the 2009 All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention team, announced today by Commissioner Larry Scott.  Whitney Dosty, Jacy Norton, Tiffany Owens and Paige Weber were lauded for their performance over the season.

 

Dosty, a 6’3 hitter from Tucson, Ariz., finished the regular season with a kill per set ratio of 2.95.  In 85 total sets played, Dosty had 251 kills and 46 total blocks.  She was second on the team in kills and third in blocks.

 

Norton, a senior middle blocker, led Arizona with 100 total blocks with 29 of them coming as solo rejections and 71 as block assists.  The Louisville, Ky. native also led the team in hitting percentage at .281 with a minimum of 300 attempts.

 

Weber, the Wildcat captain and setter, started all 106 sets played, tallying 1138 total assists for a ratio of 10.74.  Weber also led Arizona with 30 service aces while chipping in defensively with 215 digs and 44 total blocks.

 

Owens led Arizona in kills with 396 while also starting all 106 sets played. The San Bernardino, Calif. native also was second on the team with 335 digs for a ratio of 3.16 digs per set.

 

Arizona received an at-large NCAA Tournament bid on Sunday to return to the postseason for the first time since 2005.  The team finished the regular season with an overall record of 19-10 and 8-10 in conference.

 

The Wildcats face Texas A&M in the first round of play at 5 p.m. CT on Friday in Baton Rouge, La.

 

 

2009 ALL-PAC-10 WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM

PLAYER,                    TEAM                        POS.    HT.      YR.      HOMETOWN

Kindra Carlson,            WASH                         OH      6-1       Jr.        Eaton, Colo.

Hana Cutura,                CAL***                      OH      6-3       Sr.        Zagreb, Croatia

Neticia Enesi,               ORE**                        MB      6-1       Sr.        The Dalles, Ore.

Amanda Gil,                 UCLA                          MB      6-6       So.       San Jose, Calif.

Jessica Gysin,               USC**                        OH      6-1       Sr.        Los Gatos, Calif.

Jenna Hagglund,           WASH                         S          5-9       Jr.        West Chester, Ohio

Alex Jupiter,                 USC                            OH      6-3       So.       Hermosa Beach, Calif.

Alix Klineman,             STAN***                    OH      6-4       Jr.        Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Cassidy Lichtman,        STAN                          OH      6-1       Jr.        Poway, Calif.

Tamari Miyashiro,         WASH***                   L          5-7       Sr.        Honolulu, Hawaii

Sonja Newcombe,        ORE**                        OH      6-1       Sr.        Lake Arrowhead, Calif.

Janet Okogbaa,            STAN                          MB      6-         Sr.        Tampa, Fla.

Rachel Rourke,             OSU**                        OH      6-5       Sr.        Aroona, Queensland, Australia

Kaitlin Sather,               UCLA                          OH      6-1       Sr.        Santa Rosa, Calif.

** two-time selection, *** three-time selection

 

 

Honorable Mention: Gabi Ailes, STAN; Kendall Bateman, USC; Reneé Bordeleon, WSU; Lauren Cook, UCLA; Nevena Djordjevic, ORE;Whitney Dosty, ARIZ: Lainey Gera, UCLA; Carli Lloyd, CAL; Dicey McGraw, UCLA; Heather Meyers, ORE; Tarah Murrey, CAL; Jacy Norton, ARIZ; Tiffany Owens, ARIZ; Sarah Reeves, ASU; Cassie Robbins, WSU; Bianca Rowland, WASH; Airial Salvo, WASH; Paige Weber, ARIZ; Mindi Wiley, CAL.

 

 Alabama’s Alyssa Meuth Selected to All-SEC Volleyball Second Team

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama junior Alyssa Meuth was named to the All-Southeastern Conference Volleyball Second Team which was announced by the league office on Monday. This is the first postseason award for Meuth and seventh in the past five years for the Crimson Tide.

 

“We are all very proud of Alyssa earning this honor,” said head Coach Judy Green. “She had a tremendous year and certainly had the stats to be on this prestigious team.”

 

Meuth finished the 2009 season as Alabama’s leader in kills with an average of 3.22 per set overall and 3.53 against SEC opponents ranking her sixth in the league. In addition, her .326 hitting percentage versus league foes is fifth-best in the conference. Meuth, who started in all 28 matches she played in, also tacked on 106 digs, 40 total blocks, 19 service aces and eight assists on the season.

 

Meuth was the Tide’s leader in kills on 17 occasions this season and collected double-digit kills a total of 23 times. Her season, and career, best came twice in 2009 as the Helotes, Texas native collected 18 kills against Jacksonville State on Sept. 5 and again on Sept. 25 versus South Carolina. Meuth also set new career highs in several other categories this season including service aces (four), digs (nine) and blocks (five).

 

Most recently, Meuth was named to the SEC’s Volleyball Community Service Team and was also a member of the Bama Bash All-Tournament Team earlier this season.

 

Volleyball Places Three on SEC First Team; Cooper and Flory SEC Player and Coach of the Year

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Brittnee Cooper, Sam Dabbs and Marina Skender notched All-SEC First-Team accolades Monday as announced by the league office. Cooper also became the first LSU player to pick up SEC Player of the Year, while Fran Flory was selected SEC Coach of the Year.

LSU (24-6, 18-2 SEC) paced the conference with three All-SEC First-Team selections as the Tigers won their first SEC regular season title since 1991.

Cooper paced the SEC with a .390 hitting percentage and recorded over a .400 clip in 17 matches. Her 3.44 kills per set ranked seventh in the SEC as the Houston, Texas product connected for double-digit kills on 21 occasions. She also headlined the SEC with 1.32 blocks per set and tallied five or more blocks 13 times.

Cooper became the first player in SEC history to pick up the SEC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards on consecutive weeks earlier this season. She also earned CVU National Player of the Week on Nov. 3.

Dabbs dished out 1,067 assists at a 11.23 per set ratio, good enough for second in the SEC. She set the Tigers to over a .300 hitting percentage on 13 occasions and racked up 10 double-doubles. The San Antonio, Texas native eclipsed 40 or more assists 12 times, including a career-best 56 assists against Tennessee.

Dabbs earned AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 13 after distributing 49 assists in LSU’s 3-0 sweep of Florida. She added seven or more kills on eight occasions and finished the season with 119 spikes on a .384 hitting percentage. 

Skender ripped double-digit kills in 26 matches, including 23 of her last 25 outings highlighted by a streak of 13 straight matches from Sept. 5-Oct. 16. She also racked up a team-best 13 double-doubles and her 3.90 spikes per set in SEC matches ranked fourth. The Croatia native provided 0.27 aces per set which ranked sixth in the SEC.

She knocked a season-best 20 kills to go along with 15 digs during LSU’s historic win at Florida. She also powered home 19 kills in matches against Kentucky and Tennessee. 

LSU plays host to the NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds this weekend at the Maravich Center. The Tigers earned a No. 15 national seed and square off against Tulane Friday in the opening round. First serve is slated for approximately 7:30 p.m. with live stats available on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow in-match updates of the 2009 SEC champions via www.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.

All-session ticket books, which include both first round games and the second round contest, are available for $12 for reserved seats. General admission ticket books are $10 for adults, $6 for students, $6 for seniors and $4 for youth.

Hooker earns Big 12 record 13

^th Player of the Week award 

The 2009 Big 12 Player of the Year claims her conference record 13^thcareer Big 12 Player of the Week honor.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker has been named Big 12 Player of the Week for a conference record 13^th time after leading the second-ranked Longhorns to sweeps of Oklahoma and Kansas last week. The award was the sixth of the season for Hooker, setting a Big 12 record for most in a season.

 

Hooker anchored No. 2 Texas’ attack last week, connecting for 6.00 points and 5.33 kill per-set, while hitting at a red-hot .500 clip and committing just three attack errors on 58 swings. She added 1.83 digs and 0.67 blocks per-set to her stat line, while chipping in a pair of service aces.

 

In Texas’ sweep at Oklahoma, Hooker registered a match-high 18 kills on 35 swings, committing just one attack error and hitting .486. The senior added seven digs and three total blocks in the tough road rivalry.

 

Hooker headlined the UT attack again on senior night at Gregory Gymnasium. The All-American hammered out a match-best 14 kills on 23 swings, while hitting .522 and making just two hitting errors. She added two services aces, four digs and one block to her standout effort.

 

The Big 12 Player of the Year and her Texas teammates return to action on Thursday, Dec. 3 when they play host to Texas State in the NCAA First Round. First serve is set for 6 p.m. Central or 30 minutes following the opening round match between TCU and Rice.

 

 

 

NCAA Women's College Volleyball Players Honors and Awards

Johnson named to State Farm MVC All-Tournament Team

Alicia Johnson led the Salukis with 14 kills and 15 digs.

www.SIUSalukis.com

OMAHA, Neb. - Southern Illinois right side Alicia Johnson was named to the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team following the completion of the three-day tournament hosted by Creighton.

The junior led the Salukis with 14 kills, 15 digs, five block assists and two service aces in a four-set match with Wichita State Thursday night in the opening round of the tournament at D.J. Sokol Arena.

Earlier in the week, Johnson was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and was the Most Valuable Player of the Saluki Invitational in September. This season, her first as a Saluki, she averaged 2.54 kills, 2.82 digs and 0.53 blocks per set. She ranked third in the tournament statistics in kills per set (3.50) and second in points per set (4.62).

2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team
Alicia Johnson, Southern Illinois
Emily Heffernen, Drake
Calli Norman, Missouri State
Jessica Houts, Creighton
Emily Stockman, Wichita State
Mary Elizabeth Hooper, Wichita State
Beth Discher, Northern Iowa
Ellie Blankenship, Northern Iowa
Bre Payton, Northern Iowa (MVP) 

Haverly Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week ... Again

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.- Jordan Haverly garnered her third Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Monday after leading the Hoosiers to road wins over Wisconsin and Iowa this past weekend. 

On Friday against the Badgers, she put down 22 kills on .333 hitting with seven digs, three total blocks, two assists and an ace in a five-set win. The following night at Iowa, she contributed 19 kills at a .531 clip with six digs and three assists in the 3-0 sweep. For the weekend, Haverly averaged 5.1 kills on .410 hitting with 1.6 digs per set 

In the process, she demolished the previous school record for most kills by a freshman, bolting past 2008 Honorable Mention All-American Erica Short with 446 put-aways this season. Short had owned the record since '05, when she tallied 398 kills in her first year as a Hoosier.

Mountain West Conference Announces 

Volleyball Player of the Week - Nov. 30

 

TCU’S CHRISTY HUDSON NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE 

VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – TCU right side hitter Christy Hudson has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the first time in her career.

                                             

Hudson, a 6-2 junior from Yorba Linda, Calif., led the Horned Frogs to four-set wins over Long Beach State and UC Irvine at the Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament in Long Beach, Calif. over the weekend. Against the 49ers, she knocked down 16 kills for a .517 hitting percentage (one error), while collecting four digs and three total blocks. Against the Anteaters, Hudson tallied 12 kills, while collecting one total block, one assist and one ace.

 

On the week, Hudson averaged 3.50 kills, 0.50 blocks, 0.50 digs and 3.88 points per set, while hitting .377 (28-5-61).

 

 

MWC Volleyball Players of the Week:

Aug. 31                 Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Sept. 7                   Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Sept. 14                 Nichole Stillwell, Jr., MH/MB, Air Force

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Sept. 21                 Kayla Walker, Sr., RS, BYU

Sept. 28                 Cursty Jackson, So., MB, UNLV

                                Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Oct. 5                     Ashley Rhoades, So., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Oct. 12                   Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Oct. 19                   Kyley Sexton, So., OH, San Diego State

Oct. 26                   Megan Munce, So., S, TCU

Nov. 2                   Anna Lehne, Sr., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Nov. 9                   Anna Lehne, Sr., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Nov. 16                 Danielle Minch, Jr., OH, Colorado State

Nov. 23                 Andrea Hannasch, Fr., OH, San Diego State

Nov. 30                 Christy Hudson, Jr., RS, TCU

 

 Rourke and Eneliko Earn Pac-10 Volleyball Honors

 

Walnut Creek, Calif. – Senior Rachel Rourke (Queensland, Australia) and freshman Ashley Eneliko (Seattle, Wash.) were named to All-Pac-10 Teams, announced Monday by Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott.

 

Rourke, a two-time All-Pac-10 selection, finished her career with 1,920 kills, easily breaking the school record set in 1994 by Shelly Smith. Her 531 kills this season ranks fourth all-time, and she holds the single season record for kills per set (4.83) and points per set (5.47). She also holds the career record for kills per set, averaging 4.52. She was an All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention selection as a sophomore and an All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honoree in 2006.

 

Eneliko earns Pac-10 All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention status after racking up 66 blocks on the season in limited playing time, playing in 66 of the team’s 110 sets, starting 12 matches. Eneliko added 41 kills, three assists and 14 digs.

 

Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund.  For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370.  You can make an “everyday champion.”  Follow Beaver Athletics on twitter.

 

 Duke Volleyball Team’s Rachael Moss 

Named ACC Volleyball Player of the Week

 

November 30, 2009

 

DURHAM, N.C. - After a week in which she was named First Team Academic All-America and led Duke to a 3-1 win over Wake Forest in her final home match in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke senior Rachael Moss was named ACC Volleyball Player of the Week for the third time this season, the ACC announced on Monday.

 

Moss, a 5-10 senior from Cypress, Calif. (Los Alamitos), earned her second Academic All-America citation on Monday, Nov. 23, and one day later went off for 21 kills, 13 digs and a career-high five blocks in a 3-1 win over Wake Forest in the final home match of her career. The effort vaulted Moss into third place on Duke's all-time kills list, putting her just 26 kills away from becoming the third Duke player in school history to reach 1,700 career kills.

 

Moss also became the first Blue Devil in school history to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team honors. A Second Team Academic All-America as a junior, Moss boasts a 3.94 grade point average as a Political Science major and Theater minor.

 

A three-time All-ACC and three-time AVCA All-America Honorable Mention choice, Moss becomes the ACC's first three-time Player of the Week this season. Behind her three selections and another from sophomore setter Kellie Catanach, the Blue Devils had the most players named Player of the Week in the ACC this season.

 

Along with ranking third at Duke with 1,674 career kills, Moss also ranks fourth with 1,544 career digs and 167 career service aces. She leads Duke with 13 double-doubles heading into the NCAA Tournament where she and the Blue Devils will face host Tennessee in the opening round on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.

 

-d-u-k-e-

 

No. 2 Texas Women's Volleyball lands three on All-Big 12 squad, 

Destinee Hooker Named Player of the Year 

Senior Destinee Hooker earns Big 12 Player of the Year honors, while Ashley Engle and Juliann Faucette garner All-Big 12 First Team accolades.

 

IRVING, Texas – The second-ranked Texas Volleyball team earned a total of five Big 12 Conference awards, including three All-Big 12 First Team honors, Big 12 Player of the Year honors and one all-freshman team selection, the conference announced Monday.

 

Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker has been unanimously selected the Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Year, becoming the first Longhorn in five years to receive the honor and third overall. Texas (24-1, 19-1 Big 12) landed Hooker, senior setter/opposite hitter Ashley Engle and junior outside/opposite hitter Juliann Faucette on the All-Big 12 First Team, while outside hitter Bailey Webster was named to the all-freshman team. Engle and Hooker were the only four-time All-Big 12 honorees on the 2009 squad and Faucette was the only three-year honoree.

 

The All-Big 12 awards are chosen by the league’s head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.

 

Baylor’s Anna Breyfogle earned defensive player of the year honors, while Nebraska’s Hannah Werth won freshman of the year. Missouri’s Paola Ampudia took home newcomer of the year honors. Iowa State's Ashley Mass was voted libero of the year and Cyclones’ head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch took home coach of the year honors.

 

Hooker led the Longhorns to their first outright Big 12 title since 1997. In 2009, the San Antonio, Texas, native paced the league in points (6.02), kills (5.00) and service aces (0.47) per-set in Big 12 matches. She also finished second in hitting percentage, posting a .355 mark against league opponents. The three-time All-American received Big 12 Player of the Week recognition five times this year to bring her career total to 12.

 

Engle, a two-time AVCA All-American, has split time between setter and opposite hitter in 2009. The Yorba Linda, Calif., native has led Texas to a .335 hitting percentage, the second-best mark in the NCAA. She ranks second in the Big 12 in conference play with a .333 attack mark and has averaged 1.71 kills, 9.25 assists, 1.82 digs and 0.64 blocks per-set in 2009.

 

Faucette, the 2007 AVCA National Freshman of the Year, ranks second on the Texas squad with 3.25 kills per-set and has added 1.71 digs and 60 total blocks in her junior season. The San Diego, Calif., native has produced three kill/dig double-doubles on the year. On the season, she ranks ninth in the league in kills per-set and ranks seventh in points per-set (3.75).

 

Webster, the Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, saw limited action in her inaugural campaign, but still managed to earn a spot on the all-freshman squad. The Baltimore, Md., native hit .287 in Big 12 play, while connecting for 1.00 kill and 0.65 blocks per-set in league action.

 

Head coach Jerritt Elliott and his second-ranked Texas volleyball team return to action on Thursday, Dec. 3 when they host first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gymnasium. UT will face Texas State in the first round on Thursday at 6 p.m. immediately following the TCU/Rice first-round match at 4:30 p.m. Winners of the first-round matches will meet on Friday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA Omaha Regional next weekend.

 

 

OREGON’S NEWCOMBE NAMED PAC-10 VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Commissioner Larry Scott announced today that OREGON senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe has been named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for Nov. 23-29.

A native of Lake Arrowhead, Calif., Newcombe led the 18th-ranked Ducks to their first Pac-10 road sweep of the season, including a 3-2 come-from-behind upset over No. 4 WASHINGTON that ended a 17-match losing streak against the Huskies. Against the Huskies, Newcombe set career-highs in kills (36) and points (36.5). Her previous high in kills was 29. The 36 kills ties for the most by a Pac-10 player this season, while the 36.5 points is the third best total. She hit .382 against the Pac-10’s top defense and registered 21 digs.

In Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over WASHINGTON STATE, Newcombe tallied her 47th career double-double with 17 kills and 12 digs. She also had a season-high five blocks. For the season, she has 13 double-doubles with 12 coming in Conference play.

For the weekend, Newcombe posted 53 kills (5.89 kps), 33 digs (3.67), six blocks and 56.5 points (6.28 pps) while hitting .308. 

Newcombe ranks fourth in the Pac-10 in kills per set (4.34) and fifth in points (504.0) and points per set (4.89).

This is the fourth weekly honor, second of the season (10/19), for Newcombe, and Oregon’s 15th all-time Player of the Week.

Also Nominated: Alix Klineman, STAN; Lainey Gera, UCLA; Alex Jupiter, USC

2009 PAC-10 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Aug. 31 - Tiffany Owens, ARIZ; Sept. 8 - Renee Bordelon, WSU; Sept. 14 - Lauren Cook, UCLA*; Sept. 21 - Rachel Rourke, OSU; Sept. 28 - Tamari Miyashiro, WASH; Oct. 5 -Alix Klineman, STAN*; Oct. 12 - Janet Okogbaa, STAN; Oct. 19 - Sonja Newcombe, ORE*; Oct. 26 - Hana Cutura, CAL*; Nov. 2 - Kaitlin Sather, UCLA; Nov. 9 - Hana Cutura, CAL; Nov. 16 - Lauren Williams, USC; Nov. 23 - Kendall Bateman, USC; Nov. 30 - Sonja Newcombe, ORE

• - AVCA National Player of the Week

Hudson Tabbed MWC Player of the Week

Honor is seventh of the season for TCU

FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU junior right-side hitter Christy Hudson has been named MWC Player of the Week for her performance in the Mizuno Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Long Beach State. The honor is the first of her career and the seventh overall for TCU this season.

Hudson, a 6-2 junior from Yorba Linda, Calif., led the Horned Frogs to four-set wins over Long Beach State and UC Irvine at the Mizuno Thanksgiving Classic in Long Beach, Calif. over the weekend.

Against the 49ers, she knocked down 16 kills for a .517 hitting percentage (one error), while collecting four digs and three total blocks. Against the Anteaters, Hudson tallied 12 kills, while collecting one total block, one assist and one ace.

On the week, Hudson averaged 3.50 kills, 0.50 blocks, 0.50 digs and 3.88 points per set, while hitting .377 (28-5-61).

Kourtney Edwards has earned MWC honors five times (Sept. 8, Sept. 14, Oct. 5, Nov. 2 and Nov. 9), while Megan Munce garnered honors on Oct. 26.

NCAA Women's Volleyball: This Weekend in Texas Longhorn Volleyball News, Quotes and Rankings

No. 2 Texas Volleyball sweeps Kansas in regular-season finale 

The 2009 Big 12 Champions hit .526 for the match and swept past Kansas in their final conference match of the season

AUSTIN, Texas – The second-ranked and Big 12 Champion Texas Volleyball team wrapped up regular-season play with a 3-0 win over Kansas, Saturday night at Gregory Gymnasium. The Longhorns 25-20, 25-15, 25-19 victory on senior night improved UT to 24-1 on the year and 19-1 in Big 12 play, while the Jayhawks dropped to 16-14 overall and 8-12 in league action.

 

On senior night, Longhorn seniors Ashley Engle, Destinee Hooker and Heather Kisner did not disappoint, capping off their four-year home career on an Engle to Hooker kill in the third set.  Texas hit .526 on the night to equal the third-best single match hitting performance in program history.

 

Texas grabbed a 5-1 lead to start the first, but Kansas took advantage of a pair of UT service errors and narrowed the edge to 8-7. The Horns answered with a 5-1 run fueled by two kills from junior All-America outside/opposite hitter Juliann Faucette that put Texas ahead, 13-8. KU tied the set at 15 before two more kills by Faucette keyed a 4-0 run and forced set-point at 24-18. A Kansas service miscue eventually closed out the stanza 25-20.

 

Kansas kept the tally tight to start the second frame before a 7-0 Texas run headlined by three double-blocks by Faucette and sophomore middle blocker Rachael Adams put UT in front 17-8. A triple-block by Faucette, Hooker and junior middle blocker Jennifer Doris pushed the lead to 20-10 and back-to-back kills by freshman utility Sha’Dare McNeal ended the set 25-15.

 

In the third, Texas jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and quickly pushed its lead to 9-3 on a service ace by Doris. Kansas rallied to close the margin to 9-7, but the Horns responded with kills from Engle and Doris to move the lead to 18-12. A solo block by Faucette pushed the tally to 22-15 and an Engle/Hooker hook-up ended the set 25-19.

 

Hooker headlined the Texas attack on the night with 14 kills on .522 hitting, while Faucette added 13 kills on .571 hitting and chipped in six total blocks. Engle dished out 25 assists and added five digs and three blocks in the victory. Doris connected for seven kills on eight swings and posted two service aces and a pair of blocks.

 

Texas now awaits its NCAA fate, which will be announced at 2 p.m. Central on Sunday, Nov. 29 on ESPNNews.

 

POST-MATCH NOTES

·         Texas’ win improves its all-time record against Kansas to 27-4.

·         The Horns’ win extended their home winning streak to 20 matches, dating back to Nov. 1, 2008.

·         UT hit .526 in the match, equaling the third-best hitting mark in Texas history.

·         The Longhorns out-blocked the Jayhawks 8.5-to-1.0 on the night and out-hit KU .526-to-.204.

·         The 2009 senior class picked up its 104^th career win against KU, tying for the most wins by a class during the Jerritt Elliott era.

·         Texas received the 2009 Big 12 Championship trophy following its victory.

 

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Head Coach Jerritt Elliott

On the senior’s performance tonight: It was great to be able to showcase our senior class in front of such a great crowd. They have done so much for this program. They returned the pride of Texas Volleyball. They have performed very well in order to win three Big 12 Championships and get back to the NCAA’s. More importantly they are better people off the court, and the way that they represent this program has set what the standard will be for Texas Volleyball from here on out.

 

On the future for the team: We are going to work hard to reach the goal that we have all set, and that is to win the national championship.

 

On the road to this point: It has been a lot of work to get to this point and there were a lot of great players that bought in prior to them getting here, and I don’t want to forget about those players. They created a path which gave Destinee (Hooker), Ashley (Engle) and Heather (Kisner) the confidence to come here, seeing that this program was on another level. This class was a huge get for us.

 

On this senior class: This class was a huge get for us. Nobody knew about Destinee. Heather we just fell in love with the first time we saw her moving around and throwing her body around. And Ashley everybody knew about, but to get her to come here instead of UCLA or a California school was a real confidence builder for everyone, and it had huge implications for getting Juliann (Faucette) and many of the other players we have. So the result of them was what you see on the court. They won the Big 12 outright and they want to take the final four, and there will be nothing more gratifying for me as a coach. We’ve been before, but this class wants it really bad and they have an opportunity to experience what that is like.

 

On the final match at home: It meant a lot. I have been trying to hold my emotions, trying to be the stronger one, but I sent them some texts and talked to them personally, because you lose that focus early in the season, but I really enjoy being around these seniors, they mean a lot to me. They are just great people and they will always be a part of my family’s life and in a sense I think they have resurrected Texas Volleyball. I want to thank them for choosing Texas, and tell them how lucky myself and the staff have been to be able to coach them on a daily basis. And I want to thank them for how they have represented The University of Texas.

 

Senior setter Ashley Engle

On what the program has become over the last few years: I think the support from the city and the University in general has grown so much. We love playing here. The fact that tonight we had one of the largest crowds just felt great.

 

On winning the Big 12: The victory just shows that our hard work has been paying off, and that it was all worth it, up to this point

 

On the team’s expectations post season: To an extent we have the same goals of ultimately winning the whole thing but with the seasons that we had and the experience that we have gained I think it is a different mentality. We are going to go in there and show everyone what we can do and we are really confident in the way that we’ve been playing so far.

 

Senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker

On going to the NCAA tournament: Going into the tournament is familiar to us because we have been there three times and we know what it feels like to sit in that locker room after a loss. And I think because we have been through that, we are going to be able to step out on the court and really focus on our game.

 

Senior Libero Heather Kisner

On winning the Big 12 outright: It definitely feels great. Knowing that we won the title outright and that we aren’t sharing the title with anyone else is just so much greater.

 

 

 

Hook'em

Volleyball earns a No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament

The second-ranked Texas Volleyball team has earned the No.2 national seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

AUSTIN, Texas -- The second-ranked Texas volleyball team will make its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance this coming weekend when it hosts the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gym.

Texas (24-1, 19-1 Big 12) earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament and the No. 1 seed in the Omaha Regional. The Horns will welcome Rice, TCU and UT’s first-round opponent, Texas State to Gregory Gym on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 3 and 4 as the Horns host for the sixth straight season.

 

TCU will face Rice on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. and the Longhorns will take on Texas State at 6 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match. The winners of the two matches will meet on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets to the NCAA Tournament first and second rounds can be purchased at any Texas Box Office location beginning Sunday, Nov. 29 at 5 p.m. (Central). All-session ticket packages are $6 (students), $12 (reserved general admission) and $20 (reserved seating). Individual session tickets will go on sale beginning Friday.

The winner of the Austin Sub-Regional will advance to the Omaha Regional, where it will face the winner of the Baton Rouge (LSU) Sub-Regional in the NCAA “Sweet 16”. Regional matches will be played Dec. 11-12.

Texas earned the Big 12’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and was one of six teams from the Big 12 Conference to earn an invite. UT, which won the league title outright is joined by seventh-seeded Iowa State, 10^th-seeded Nebraska, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M in the 64-team draw.

The Longhorns have won their last 20 matches on their home floor.

Texas State (21-12, 13-3 Southland) earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Southland Conference championship. TCU (26-6, 13-3 Mountain West) gained an at-large bid to the tournament after finishing second in its conference tourney. Rice (23-8, 11-5 Conference USA) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning its conference tournament.

In 2008, Texas earned its fifth straight bid to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the national semifinals for the first time since 1995.

Texas has been selected to host first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament 20 times and UT is 42-9 all-time in NCAA matches played in Austin. Texas is undefeated in first-round contests at 25-0.

Tickets

Purchase at TexasBoxOffice.com; by calling 800-982-BEVO or 512-471-3333; in person at the UT Athletics Ticket Office in Bellmont Hall (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. CT); and in person one hour prior to game time at the Gregory Gymnasium box office.

 

All Session prices are as follows:
Reserved All-Session Ticket: $20

General Admission Adult All-Session Ticket: $12

General Admission Youth/UT Student All-Session Ticket: $6

 

Single day tickets won't be available until (First Day of Tournament) at 9 a.m. (Central).  These tickets can be purchased either online, by phone or in person.

Tickets will only be available at will call for this event.  Tickets can be picked up at Bellmont Hall beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1.  They will be at Bellmont until one hour prior to the event start time.  At that time, they will be available at will call at Gregory Gymnasium.

 

 

This Week in Texas Volleyball

24-1 overall (19-1 Big 12)

Ranking: No. 2 AVCA Coaches Poll / No. 2 Volleyball Magazine Poll

 

This week:

NCAA Austin Sub-Regional

No.2 seed Texas hosts Texas State on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. Central

with a win against Texas State

Texas hosts winner of TCU/Rice on Friday, Dec 4 at 6:30 p.m. Central

 

Last week:

Texas defeated Oklahoma, 3-0

Texas defeated Kansas, 3-0

 

This week’s media availability: (In advance of the NCAA First & Second Rounds)

This week’s lone media availability is Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 12:45 pm at Gregory Gymnasium. Please contact me if you wish to attend so I can coordinate players and coaches arriving early to do interviews prior to practice. Contact info:spencer.kitley@athletics.utexas.edu or (512) 848-8157. The next availability will be at the post-match press conference on Thursday evening.

 

TOURNEY INFO

The second-ranked Texas volleyball team will make its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance this coming weekend when it hosts the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gym.

 

Texas (24-1, 19-1 Big 12) earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament and the No. 1 seed in the Omaha Regional. The Horns will welcome Rice, TCU and UT’s first-round opponent, Texas State to Gregory Gym on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 3 and 4 as the Horns host for the sixth straight season.

 

 

 

Hook'em

 

NCAA Women's Volleyball: This Weekend in Tennessee Lady Vols Volleyball News, Quotes and Rankings

LADY VOLS SELECTED TO HOST NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS

NCAA Tournament Selection is UT’s Fifth in Last Six Seasons

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the fifth time in six years and 11th time in school history, the University of Tennessee volleyball team (23-7) will be participating in the NCAA Tournament as it has been selected to host the first and second rounds in Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 4-5. The Lady Volunteers will welcome No. 13 and 11th-seeded Minnesota, Duke and Louisville to Rocky Top.

 

The Gophers and Cardinals will open the competition at 5 p.m. Friday afternoon before Tennessee squares off against the Blue Devils in the nightcap at 7 p.m. The winner of both contests will advance to a second-round showdown at 7 p.m. on Saturday night for the right to move on to the NCAA Regional in Minneapolis, Minn.

 

“We are extremely excited about getting the opportunity to host,” UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. “Anytime you are in the NCAA Tournament you know every match is going to be a battle and Duke is no exception to that. They have a really strong team and I expect them to be very tough. Overall, I like our draw, especially because we get to host and we have played pretty well on our home floor.”

 

The Big Orange has hosted six previous times in school history, with three of those coming in consecutive seasons from 2004-06. UT has amassed a 7-1 record in those matches, three of which were contested in Alumni Gym, while the other five took place in Stokely Athletics Center. This year's Tennessee-Duke matchup marks a rematch of the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament when the Blue Devils traveled to Knoxville where they knocked off the host squad in four sets.

 

The Lady Vols hope to benefit from the having the opportunity to host the opening rounds as they have been spectacular on their home court this season, putting together an 12-1 record with victories over three participants in this year's NCAA Tournament in Lipscomb, Florida and Kentucky. UT also defeated Louisville and Notre Dame and Kentucky on the road to give itself a 6-5 record over 2009 NCAA Tournament teams.

 

Tennessee is one of four Southeastern Conference teams selected to host the first and second rounds, as No. 15-seed LSU, 16th-seeded Florida and Kentucky also earned the honors. The Tigers and Gators will host Tulane and the College of Charleston, respectively, while the Wildcats will take on Michigan State in the opening round.

 

The full bracket for the 2009 NCAA Tournament can be found atwww.ncaasports.com.

 

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JETER GIVES LADY VOLS FOUR CONSECUTIVE SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS

Sophomore Earns the Weekly Honors for the First Time in Her Career

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Although Nikki Fowler’s history-making, three-week reign as Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week came to an end on Monday, the award didn’t have to travel far to reach its new recipient as University of Tennessee sophomore Kayla Jeter claimed the honors for the first time in her career. The Solon, Ohio, native was also named Lady Vol Athlete of the Week following a dominating performance in UT’s victory over No. 10 Kentucky last Wednesday.

                                                                                 

The 5-11 outside hitter was nearly unstoppable in the Orange and White’s heart-pounding, 3-2 triumph over the Wildcats, blasting out a career-high 23 kills, while hitting at a scorching .422 clip (23-4-45). She also added a pair of blocks, a dig and an ace to the winning effort.

 

The victory marked the Lady Vols’ second over a top-15 squad in the span of five days and gave them a school record 16 conference wins in 2009. Wednesday's triumph also marked the 750th in program history and gave UT a 12-1 record at home in 2009, tying the 2004 squad for the most home victories during a single season.

 

After not reaching double-digits in kills in the first 26 matches of her career, including the first seven matches of the 2009 campaign, Jeter has now accomplished the feat in 16 of her last 24 contests. Since conference play began on Sept. 18, she has increased her kills per set average by over a kill per frame, going from 1.85 to 2.88, and her hitting percentage by nearly 100 points (.157 to .256).

 

Jeter finished the regular season ranked ninth and 10th in the SEC, respectively, with an average of 3.27 kills per set and a .287 attack average in league matches. She also finished second on the Lady Vol squad with a total of 328 kills this season, trailing only Fowler’s total of 431 putaways.

 

The hard-hitting right-hander becomes the 14th player in school history to take home SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Since its emergence on the volleyball scene in 2004, Tennessee players have won more weekly accolades for their offensive performances than student-athletes from any other school with a grand total of 18. That number is three more than Florida players have claimed during that span and nine more than both Georgia and LSU.

 

The Lady Vols will open up the postseason portion of their schedule this weekend when they host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Thompson-Boling Arena, Dec. 4-5. Following a 5 p.m. meeting between No. 11 and 13th-seeded Minnesota on Friday, the Big Orange will square off with Duke at 7 p.m. in a rematch of a 2006 NCAA Tournament First Round contest. The winners of both matches will then advance to a second-round showdown at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

 

UT VOLLEYBALL RETURNS TO AVCA TOP-25 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2006

Lady Vols Ranked No. 24 in the Nation After Pair of Victories Over Top-15 Squads

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a pair of victories over top-15 squads in the span of just five days, the University of Tennessee volleyball team has earned its first national ranking since the 2006 season, coming in at No. 24 in the most recent edition of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Coaches Poll released on Monday afternoon.

 

The Lady Vols finished the 2009 regular season with an impressive 23-7 record, including a school-record 16 wins in Southeastern Conference action. UT closed out the regular season in impressive fashion, winning 17 of its last 20 contests. The Big Orange finished the season on a four-match winning streak which included eye-opening triumphs over both Florida and Kentucky, ranked 13th and 10th at the time, respectively.

 

Tennessee was last ranked on Oct. 16, 2006, when it came in at No. 25 in the poll, capping off an 11-week stay in the rankings dating back to the middle of the 2005 campaign. That run came shortly after a 17-week reign among the nation’s best, dating from Sept. 13, 2004 through Sept. 12, 2005.

 

This season, the Orange and White has had quite a bit of success against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in this week’s AVCA poll, going 5-5 in such contests with a pair of wins over the Wildcats and one triumph each over the Gators, Notre Dame and Louisville.

 

The Lady Vols will open up the postseason portion of their schedule this weekend when they host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Thompson-Boling Arena, Dec. 4-5. Following a 5 p.m. meeting between No. 11 and 13th-seeded Minnesota and Louisville on Friday, the Big Orange will square off with Duke at 7 p.m. in a rematch of a 2006 NCAA Tournament First Round contest. The winners of both matches will then advance to a second-round showdown at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

 

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NCAA Women's Volleyball: This Weekend in UCLA Bruins Volleyball News, Quotes and Rankings

#9 UCLA Women's Volleyball Team Sweeps Arizona State in Regular-Season Finale

LOS ANGELES - Sophomore Amanda Gil led the Bruins with 11 kills and six blocks, senior Kaitlin Sather posted 10 kills in her final regular-season contest at Pauley Pavilion and sophomore Lainey Gera recorded a match-high 23 digs, as the ninth-ranked Bruins swept Arizona State on Saturday. Scores were 25-19, 28-26, 25-22. 

The Bruins close the regular season with a 23-8 overall record and a 13-5 mark in the Pac-10, tying Washington for second in the conference. Arizona State wraps up its year at 13-17 and 3-15 in league play. 

Freshman Lauren Cook had a double-double with 36 assists and 10 digs, while freshman Bojana Todorovic had double figures in digs with 11. Senior Emily Clements, playing in her final regular-season match in Westwood, had two kills and a service ace. The Bruins hit .244 as a team with 10.5 blocks. 

The Bruins never trailed in the opening set, scoring six of the first eight points to gain a 6-2 lead. Gil and Sather teamed up for a block to start the match and Clements followed with a kill. Arizona State came back with two of the next three, but the Bruins scored three in a row on a kill by sophomore Katie Camp, an ace by Sather and a solo roof by freshman Rachael Kidder. The Sun Devils bounced back to tie it at six, but another 3-0 run on kills by Camp and Sather and a Clements ace made it 9-6 UCLA. 

Arizona State again rallied to even the score at 14, but the Bruins slowly pulled away. Leading 19-17, UCLA netted four of the next five to extend its advantage to five at 23-18. Gil had two kills and a solo block during the run, while Cook also had a spike. The Sun Devils sided out the next point, but a kill by Todorovic and an ASU attack error gave the Bruins a 25-19 victory. Gil had four kills to pace UCLA in the first, while Cook and Sather each posted three kills. The Bruins out-hit the Sun Devils .303 to .182. 

The Sun Devils led throughout most of the second set, but the Bruins rallied late to take a 2-0 match lead. ASU took an early 7-2 lead and had a five-point advantage five more times before the Bruins slowly chipped away at their deficit. Down 15-10, UCLA notched the next six to take a 16-15 lead. After three straight ASU errors, freshman Mari Hole and Kidder had back-to-back kills and a Kidder/Camp combo roof gave the Bruins the lead. The Sun Devils came back with four of the next five to go ahead 19-17, but the Bruins got the next three on kills by Camp and junior Dicey McGraw and an ASU attack error to go up 20-19. 

The lead changes continued as Arizona State was on the verge of closing out the set after a 4-1 run made it 23-21. The Sun Devils earned their first set point at 24-22, but a kill by Sather and a combo block by Camp and Sather evened things at 24. ASU again had set points at 25-24 and 26-25, but UCLA scored the last three of the set on a kill and ace by Hole, followed by a Sun Devil attack error to give the Bruins a 28-26 victory. Sather led the Bruins with five kills, while Gil added three. The Bruins held a .264 to .204 hitting advantage. 

The Bruins didn’t trail in the third set, but not without some nervous moments at the end. UCLA scored the first three on a Gera ace, an ASU attack error and a McGraw kill and had as much as a six-point lead at 9-3 and 10-4. The Sun Devils came back with a 5-1 run to cut their deficit to a pair at 11-9, but the Bruins ran it back up to five at 14-9 following an ASU service error, a Gil solo block and a spike by McGraw. ASU got even closer, getting to within one at 14-13 and 15-14, but four straight by UCLA on kills by Gil and Hole and back-to-back combo blocks by Gil and Sather and Gil and Hole increased the Bruins’ lead to 19-14. 

The Sun Devils wouldn’t quit and eventually drew even for the first time since the set started at 22-all. But the Bruins finished off their guests with a spike by Camp, a Gera ace and a McGraw kill on match point to win it 25-22. McGraw paced the Bruins with four kills, while Gil added three in the closing set. The Bruins out-hit the Sun Devils .178 to .109. 

Sofie Schlagintweit (11) and Sarah Reaves (10) each had double figures in kills for Arizona State, which hit .165 as a team. 

The Bruins find out where their postseason journey begins on Sunday when ESPNEWS airs the NCAA Selection Show at approximately 12:10 p.m. 

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UCLA Bruins Women's Volleyball Team Earns #8 National Seed, Host First and Second Rounds

LOS ANGELES - The UCLA women’s volleyball team received a #8 national seed for the NCAA Tournament and will host the first and second rounds at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins will take on Long Beach State in a first-round matchup on Friday at 8 p.m., with Georgia Tech and Baylor squaring off at 5:30 p.m. The winners of the two first-round matches will play in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m. 

UCLA finished the regular season with a 23-8 overall record and in a tie for second in the Pacific-10 Conference with a 13-5 mark. Long Beach State, champions of the Big West Conference, were 22-8 overall and 12-4 in league play. It will be the second meeting between the Bruins and the 49ers this season, as Long Beach State upset UCLA in three sets on Sept. 19 in Fullerton. 

Georgia Tech earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, finishing the regular season with a 21-9 overall record and a 15-5 conference mark (third place) in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Baylor, also an at-large team, was 22-9 overall and 11-9 (tie for fourth) in the Big 12 Conference. 

The Bruins are 54-19 all-time against Long Beach State and 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA is 2-0 against both Baylor and Georgia Tech and 1-0 against the Yellow Jackets in the postseason. 

UCLA has now hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for six of the last seven years. Since the NCAA field expanded to 64 teams in 1998, the Bruins are 14-0 in first and second round matches at Pauley Pavilion. 

Ticket information for the first and second rounds will become available early next week. 

--- UCLABRUINS.COM ---

NCAA Women's Volleyball Playoff Tournament News, Quotes and Rankings

Big West Awarded Two Bids For NCAA Volleyball Tournament

Irvine, CA - The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee announced today the 64-team field for the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship and Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara each received an invitation to the postseason.

Overall, thirty-one conferences were awarded automatic qualification, and the remaining 33 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket. The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. The teams tabbed as the top four seeds were No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Florida State and No. 4 Stanford.

Winning its 10th Big West Conference championship this season awarded Long Beach State (22-8/12-4) the league's automatic qualifier to the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Tournament for its 23rd consecutive appearance, 24th overall. Only three other teams have participated in 23 or more straight NCAA tournaments - Stanford, Nebraska and Penn State.

The 49ers open the 2009 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament traveling to Westwood, Calif., to face eighth-seeded UCLA (23-8) at Pauley Pavilion Friday, Dec. 4. The two teams met earlier this season at the Brea Embassy Suites Titan Classic in Fullerton, Calif., with the 49ers sweeping the Bruins. UCLA, an at-large selection from the Pac-10, leads the overall series 52-21, but Long Beach State has won three of the previous five contests. The winner of the UCLA-Long Beach State match will face either Georgia Tech (21-9) or Baylor (22-9) Saturday, Dec. 5 in second round action.

Led by 2009 All-Big West First Team members Naomi Washington and Caitlin Ledoux, who rank third and sixth in the Big West Conference in kills, Long Beach State paces the conference with 13.5 kills per set. Washington currently sits third with an average of 4.17 kills per set, while last season's Big West Freshman of the Year, Ledoux, owns a sixth-best 3.60 kill average. The 49ers, paced by Britney Herzog's .288 clip, also own a league-best .245 hitting percentage.

Long Beach State, who enters this weekend's action winning eight of the last 10 contests, holds an impressive 48-20 NCAA record and has earned three national championships (1989, 1993, 1998) and two national champion runner-ups (1991, 2001).

The Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara received an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament after posting an overall mark of 22-7 and a Big West record of 11-5, tying for second place. The Gauchos drew West Coast Champion Saint Marys (22-4) in first round action. The two teams take to the court in Palo Alto, Calif., Dec. 4 with the winner advancing to the second round to face the victor of host and fourth-seed Stanford (21-7) and Long Island (21-13) the following night. The Gauchos and Gaels have only met two other times on the volleyball court with each team winning one contest.

Rebecca Saraceno, the 2009 Big West Player of the Year, leads the Gauchos and Big West with an impressive 4.49 kills per set average, while Stacey Schmidt ranks third in the league with a .333 hitting percentage. As a team, UC Santa Barbara sits second in hitting percentage (.242) and third in kills (13.61).

UC Santa Barbara is making its 27th overall NCAA appearance and first since the 2006 season. The Gauchos hold a 21-26 record in the NCAA Tournament and have advanced to the elite eight in 1999 and 2000.

Mountain West Conference Sends Three Institutions to 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee announced today the field for the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, and Mountain West Conference members Colorado State, New Mexico and TCU were among the 64 teams. The 23^rd-ranked Rams earned the league’s automatic bid after winning the MWC regular season title, while the Lobos and Horned Frogs were at-large selections.

 

The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. The top four seeds are (1) Penn State University; (2) University of Texas; (3) Florida State University; and (4) Stanford University.

 

No. 23 Colorado State (23-5 overall) makes its 21^st overall and 15^th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Rams will host the first and second rounds at Moby Arena, where they will start tournament play vs. Middle Tennessee State (25-9) on Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. MT. Thursday’s first match will see the tournament’s No. 6 seed Washington (23-5) taking on Northern Colorado (21-11) at 5 p.m. MT. The winners of the first two matches will meet in the second round on Friday, December 4, at 7 p.m. MT.

 

New Mexico (20-9 overall) makes its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance overall and first since 1994. The Lobos enter the tournament with a 20-9 record and will travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to open with No. 12 seed Hawai`i (27-2) in the first round at the Galen Center Friday, December 4, at 5 p.m. PT. The winner of the Lobos vs. Rainbow Wahine match will face site host Southern California (21-9) or Oklahoma (18-11) in the second round at 6 p.m. PT on Saturday, December 5.

 

TCU (26-6 overall) is one of five institutions in the field to make its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Horned Frogs open play vs. Rice (23-8) on Thursday, December 3, at 4:30 p.m. CT at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas. No. 2 seed Texas (24-1) will host Texas State (22-12) at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday. The first-round winners will meet in the second-round Friday, December 4 (time TBA).

 

Teams winning both matches will move on to regional play December 11 and 12. The pre-determined regional sites are Stanford, Calif.; Gainesville, Fla.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Omaha, Neb. The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by the University of South Florida and Tampa Bay Sports Commission at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on December 17 and 19.

 

 

CONFERENCE-USA Places Two Teams in NCAA Volleyball Championship

Rice and Tulane makes back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances.

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IRVING, Texas - For the second consecutive year, Conference USA has placed multiple teams in the NCAA Volleyball Championship. The 2009 C-USA Tournament Champion Rice earned the league's automatic bid, while Tulane (24-6) received an at-large bid, marking the second-straight season the two teams have participated in the national tournament.

The Owls will play TCU Thursday, Dec. 3 in the first round in Austin, Texas at 4:30 p.m. inside Gregory Gymnasium. The University of Texas, the host school, plays Texas State, Southland Conference champions, following the Rice-TCU match. The winners of each match face each other on Friday.

Rice enters with a 23-8 record and winners of its last nine matches, while TCU is 26-6 overall and received an at-large bid after placing second in the Mountain West Conference with a 13-3 league record.

Rice head coach Genny Volpe has now led the Owls to three NCAA Championships in six years at the school. Rice previously received two at-large bids to the NCAA Championship. In 2004, Rice lost 3-1 to Michigan in Austin, Texas, and in 2008 the Owls lost 3-1 to Wichita State also in Austin.

The Owls are 8-4 all-time vs. the Horned Frogs after beating TCU 3-1 in 2008 in the first volleyball match in the renovated Tudor Fieldhouse.

The Green Wave will meet LSU for the third time this season on Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. Tulane and LSU split the season series. The Green Wave finished the regular season at 18-9, after a 12-4 in Conference USA season. The Tigers (24-6), the SEC Champion, are the No. 15 national seed.

Tulane has won three out of five against LSU dating back to 2003, with the two teams splitting the series this year. Tulane topped LSU on Sept. 11 at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic in Fogelman Arena, 3-1 (25-21,25-23,20-25,25-21). The Green Wave fell to LSU at the PMAC, 3-0 (25-22,25-16,25-21) on Sept. 5 in the Tiger Classic. Arizona (19-10) will also visit Baton Rouge, squaring off against Big 12 at-large Texas A&M on Friday at 5 p.m. The winners of the two first round contests will play Saturday at 7:30 for a right to advance to the Sweet 16.

Long Island University Women's Volleyball Draws No. 4 Stanford in NCAA Tournament

 

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Long Island University volleyball team will head to the West Coast to take on Stanford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 4. The six-time Northeast Conference champions will travel across country to compete against the fourth seed in the tournament. In the other half of the bracket, St. Mary’s (Calif.) will face UC-Santa Barbara. The winners of those two matches will meet on Dec. 5.

 

Long Island (21-13) went a perfect 16-0 in NEC play this season en route to its sixth straight conference title. The Blackbirds wrapped up the NEC championship on Nov. 22 with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-21) victory over Sacred Heart. Long Island has won a school-record 12 straight matches and 18 of its last 19. The Blackbirds are led by NEC Player of the Year Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia), who averages 3.99 kills and 3.11 digs per set.

 

Stanford captured its fourth straight Pacific-10 title on Nov. 27 with a come-from-behind 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-20 and 15-4) win over 11^th-ranked California. The Cardinal was ranked sixth in the nation at the time, but was awarded the NCAA Tournament’s No. 4 seed when the brackets were announced. Stanford compiled a 21-7 record, going 14-4 in the Pac-10. The Cardinal has won six straight matches and is led by Alix Klineman’s 4.23 kills per set and Gabi Ailes’ 5.32 digs per set.

 

 

UNI and Wichita State Invited to Dance in 2009 NCAA Volleyball Championship

For the sixth time in league history, two Missouri Valley Conference volleyball teams have been selected as part of the field of 64 teams to play for the 2009 national title.  Last season, three MVC teams were invited to the dance, while a conference record four teams were participants in the 2007 NCAA Championship field.

2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship winner and nationally ranked UNI will be joined by at-large selection Wichita State in the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.  First and second round matches will be played from Dec. 3-6.  

UNI (30-2, 18-0 MVC) is making its 15th overall NCAA appearance and fourth consecutive season in the NCAA postseason tournament.  Winners of 28-straight matches, the Panthers will begin against Pac-10's eighth-place finisher, the Washington State Cougars (18-12), in a first-round match in Lincoln, Neb.  Other teams in the pod include host and national No. 10 seed Nebraska (23-6) and Coastal Carolina (20-13).

Last season, UNI fell in the opening round to Iowa State, 3-1, in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Panthers are 11-14 all-time in the NCAA tournament and have advanced to the Sweet 16 on three occasions, most recently in 2002.  

Wichita State will make its third consecutive and fourth overall NCAA appearance, earning an at-large selection after another 25-win season (25-6).  The Shockers will open play in Ames, Iowa, against Saint Louis (24-7), the runner-up in the Atlantic 10.  Host Iowa State (25-4) is the No. 7 national seed and will face George Mason (23-8) in the other match in Ames.

Wichita State is 3-3 all-time in the NCAA tournament.  Last season, the Shockers picked up a first-round win over Rice before falling to host and No. 3 national seed Texas in Austin, Texas.

OMAHA, NEBRASKA REGIONAL 
December 4-5 at Lincoln, Nebraska 
UNI (30-2) vs. Washington State (18-12)
Coastal Carolina (20-13) at No. 10 Nebraska (23-6)

December 4-5 at Ames, Iowa 
Wichita State (25-6) vs. Saint Louis (24-7)
George Mason (23-8) at No. 7 Iowa State (25-4)

Teams winning both matches will move on to regional play December 11 and 12. The pre-determined regional sites are Stanford, California; Gainesville, Florida; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Omaha, Nebraska. The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by University of South Florida and Tampa Bay Sports Commission at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on December 17 and 19.  For more information about the championship, log on towww.ncaa.com/wvb.

Complete NCAA Volleyball Championship bracket and release attached as a PDF and also available online at:  http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7600&ATCLID=204841349.

 

 

FIU Earns Second Straight, Third NCAA Tournament Bid In School History

The Panthers will face Miami in Gainesville on Dec. 3

 

MIAMI - With the announcement of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship bracket on Sunday, FIU received its second straight and third overall bid to the NCAA Tournament in school history.

 

FIU (31-3) will travel to Gainesville, Fla., to face crosstown rival Miami (18-12) in a first round match on Thursday, Dec. 3. Should the Panthers advance, they will face the winner of a contest between Florida (23-5) and College of Charleston (18-12) on Dec. 4 in the second round.

 

"We're very excited to have earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament and we're all grateful for the chance to get to play another match together," said senior Yarimar Rosa. "I'm really looking forward to it."

 

Defending National Champion Penn State received the tournament's overall No. 1 seed with Texas earning the No. 2 seed, Florida State the No. 3 seed and Stanford the No. 4 seed. Regional competition will be held at predetermined sites on Dec. 11 & 12 with the semifinals set for Dec. 17 and the NCAA Championship match slatead for Dec. 19 in Tampa, Fla.

 

Ticket information for the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be available soon.

TCU Women's Volleyball Team Earns First-Ever NCAA Tournament Bid

Frogs travel to Austin; faces Rice in the first round

FORT WORTH, Texas – The TCU volleyball team earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament. The field of 64 was announced Sunday afternoon. The Horned Frogs will travel to Austin and play Rice in the opening round of the tournament on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

“TCU volleyball is so thankful for the boosters, adminstrators, fans and families that came out to support to see us get our first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament,” said head coach Prentice Lewis. “We have had a fantastic season and we look forward to participating in our first NCAA Tournament.

“I am so proud of this team that pushed the extra mile in every set and every match to come out on top. They are fighters and it’s a group I would always want to go to battle with.”

TCU makes its NCAA tournament debut in the Austin Regional. The host school, Texas, is the No. 2 national seed and it will play Texas State in the opening round.

The Horned Frogs are coming off their most successful season in school history with an overall record of 26-6. Picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West, the Frogs exceeded expectations to the tune of a 13-3 record in league play to finish in second place. The Frogs are 9-1 in their last 10 games and 12-1 in their last 13. Four Frogs earned all-conference accolades in Kourtney Edwards, Christy Hudson, Katelyn Blackwood and Megan Munce, who earned Setter of the Year honors.

Lobo Volleyball Plays Hawaii In First Round Of NCAA Tournament

UNM makes return to post-season for first time since 1994

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  --- The Lobo volleyball team did not have to wait too long before it saw ‘New Mexico’ pop up on the big screens in the End Zone Club of the Tow Diehm Building on South Campus on Sunday afternoon.  New Mexico is making its first return appearance to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament since 1994.  The 20-9 Lobos earned an at-large bid on Sunday afternoon.  UNM will play Western Athletic Conference champion Hawaii (27-2) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Dec. 4 in Los Angeles at the Galen Center.  Host Southern California (21-9) and Big 12 foe Oklahoma (18-11) will be the other sub-regional match-up.  First round matches will start at 6 and 8 p.m. (MST).  UNM’s exact match time and ticket information will be posted on GoLobos.com when it becomes available.

 

“First, congratulations to our players,” said Lobo head coach Jeff Nelson at a gathering of family, friends and fans.  “We’re grateful to the NCAA Committee for their hard work and for looking favorably on our performances this year and putting us back in the tournament after a long drought.”

 

It will be the eighth appearance in the national post-season for the Lobo volleyball program.  UNM appeared in the first NCAA Tournament in 1981.  The next time UNM made the tournament was 1988, followed by a string of five consecutive appearances from 1990-94.  New Mexico is 5-7 overall in NCAA Tournament action with five second round appearances.

 

Nelson earned his 300^th collegiate coaching win on Friday, Nov. 27 when the Lobos beat New Orleans, 3-1, on the road.  It was also the 20^th win of the year for UNM, posting consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since a four-year streak from 1988-91.

 

Nelson joins a select group of NCAA Division I coaches who have taken multiple programs to the NCAA Tournament – Texas Tech (1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001), San Francisco (2003) and New Mexico (2009). Current NCAA Division I coaches who have taken more than two programs include Oregon head coach Jim Moore (Kansas State, Texas, Oregon) and Michigan State head coach Cathy George (Texas-Arlington, Western Michigan and Michigan State).

 

More information leading up to the tournament will be posted on GoLobos.com as it becomes available.

 

NCAA Women's Volleyball Playoff Tournament News, Quotes and Rankings II

Baylor Women's Volleyball Team Earns NCAA Tournament Bid

Baylor is 1-2 all-time in two previous trips to the NCAA Tournament

 

INDIANAPOLIS  – Baylor’s volleyball team earned its third-ever bid into the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, and will travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to take on Georgia Tech in the first round on Friday, Dec. 4.

 

Baylor (22-9) will be playing in the tournament for the first time since 2001, and just the third time in program history with the only other appearance in 1999. Baylor is 1-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, winning its first-round match over Temple in 1999 before being swept by site-host Penn State. In 2001, the Bears lost to site-host Colorado State in 2001.

 

The berth is the first for Baylor under sixth-year head coach Jim Barnes, who will be looking for his 100^th win at the helm of the Bears. Barnes has posted a 99-90 record in five-plus seasons at Baylor.

 

Baylor’s first-round opponent, Georgia Tech, enters with an overall record of 21-9 after finishing 3rd in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a league record of 15-5. The meeting will be the first-ever between the two schools.

 

UCLA will serve as the site host, taking on Long Beach State in the first round. The four teams make up one-fourth of the Gainesville, Fla., Regional.

 

Friday’s winner will face the winner of UCLA and Long Beach State in the second round on Saturday, Dec. 5. Check back to BaylorBears.com for start times.

LSU Volleyball Team to Host NCAA Regional; Face Tulane 

 

BATON ROUGE – After winning its first SEC championship since 1991, the LSU volleyball team learned Sunday that it will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the Maravich Center. 

 

“We are thrilled but were a little antsy because of our loss on Friday night [at Rice] might have knock us out [from hosting],” head coach Fran Flory said. “I’m absolutely thrilled for our seniors to get to play in the Maravich Center for one more weekend.”

 

The Tigers (24-6) earned the No. 15 national seed and square off with Tulane (18-9) in the opening round. First serve has been announced for 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams split its regular season meetings in September.

 

Arizona (19-10) and Texas A&M (18-10) will meet Friday at 5 p.m. to open the Baton Rouge Regional. Saturday’s second round match is slated for 7:30 p.m.

 

“We thought if Texas A&M got in that they would end up here, and our prediction was true,” Flory said. “I also thought they would send a Big Ten or PAC 10 team over here, so we are not surprised by having Arizona here. Four great teams in this regional and it will be a great weekend of volleyball in the Maravich Center.”

 

Check back to LSUsports.net for ticket details.  

 

 

Arizona Wildcats Volleyball Team Head To Baton Rouge

 

Arizona returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. It will face Texas A&M on Friday.

 

INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 19 Arizona Volleyball team qualified for its 22nd trip to the NCAA Tournament today where it will meet Texas A&M in Baton Rouge, La. in first round action.

 

LSU, the host site, and Tulane make up the four-team pod in Baton Rouge.  The Wildcats and Aggies will play at 5 p.m. CT Friday, Dec. 4.  If Arizona should advance on to play Saturday, that match will begin at 7:30 p.m. CT.

 

The Wildcats, earning an at-large bid to the tournament, its first since 2005, finished the regular season with a 19-10 overall mark and 8-10 conference record. 

 

The Pac-10 Conference had eight teams advance into the tournament.  Stanford received the automatic berth awarded to the conference, while UCLA, Washington, Cal, USC, Oregon, Arizona and Washington State all received at-large bids.

 

Historically the Wildcats have performed well in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Dave Rubio, posting a record of 22-12 in his teams’ twelve trips to the postseason.    

 

The top four seeds in the tournament are No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Florida State and No. 4 Stanford.

 

Arizona is led by outside hitter Tiffany Owens who recorded a 3.74 kill per set ratio, Paige Weber, the team’s setter, dishing out 10.74 assists per set and opposite hitter Whitney Dosty, connecting on 2.95 kills per set.

 

Last weekend Arizona fell to No. 9 UCLA, 3-0, and No. 16 USC, 3-1, in Los Angeles.  

 

 Kentucky Women's Volleyball Team Hosts Michigan State in First Round of NCAA Tournament

Kentucky will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky volleyball team was selected to host the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Memorial Coliseum for the second consecutive season. Tenth-ranked Kentucky’s first round matchup is against Michigan State at 7 p.m. on Friday. Playing in the 5 p.m. match is No. 18 Oregon and Clemson. The Ducks are the tournament’s 14^th overall seed. The two teams that advance from the first round matches will meet on Saturday at 7 p.m.

 

This marks the second time in three seasons the Wildcats will face the Spartans in the first round of the tournament. UK and Michigan State met in 2008 in Dayton, Ohio, with the Spartans earning a 3-0 win.

 

“We’re excited to be hosting the First and Second Rounds of the tournament again this season,” Kentucky coach Craig Skinner said. “We have an enthusiastic fan base and they will get to see some great volleyball matches this weekend. Michigan State will be a good challenge for us, and we are looking forward to it.”

 

This marks the fifth consecutive season the Wildcats (27-4, 17-3) have been selected to appear in the NCAA Tournament. Last year’s four straight selections was a school record, which makes Skinner the only Kentucky coach to lead his team to post-season play in every season he has coached.

 

Kentucky captured the Southeastern Conference Eastern Divisional title and placed second overall in the league standings. UK’s 27 victories in 2009 are the seventh most in school allure. Under Skinner the Blue and White has increased its win total in each of his five seasons at the helm.

 

Lexington was chosen as a host site for the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. Last season UK took on Michigan in the first round and the Wolverines escaped with a 3-2 victory.  This marks the eighth time in school allure that Memorial Coliseum has played host to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

 

UK’s first round match-up is against Michigan State (17-15, 5-15 Big Ten) which finished 10^th overall in the Big Ten regular season. The Spartans posted impressive early season victories against Southern California and Illinois – both ranked No. 12 in the nation at the time Michigan State handed the squads a loss.   Michigan State is led by four players who average over 2.35 kills per set. Megan Schatzle leads the offense with 2.99 kills per set and Mischelle Nelson holds the top hitting percentage with a .326 clip. Natalie Emro has dished out over 1,260 assists this season while Allyson Karaba leads the team with 4.21 digs per set.

 

The Wildcats and Spartans have faced four times in school history. Michigan State has claimed all four meetings in the series including the last matchup that occurred in 2008. Michigan State earned a 3-0 win over the Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament that season.

 

Also in the Lexington pod is the NCAA Tournament’s 14^th overall seed in Oregon (19-9, 9-9 Pac-10). The Ducks finished sixth overall in the Pac-10 standings, but finished its season strong with wins over No. 7 UCLA and No. 4 Washington in two of its last three matches. Oregon began the season by rattling off 10 consecutive victories including a toppling of No. 9 Minnesota. Oregon owns wins over five top-25 ranked teams this season. The Ducks are paced offensively by Sonja Newcombe who averages 4.34 kills per frame on .286 hitting. Nevena Djordjevic passes out 12.25 assists per frame to a squad that averages 14.59 kills per stanza. Oregon also turns away an average of 2.42 blocks per set.

 

Should both Kentucky and Oregon advance to the second round it will mark the first meeting between the two schools.

 

Clemson won an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament with a 23-9 overall record and a 13-7 clip in ACC action. The Tigers finished fourth overall in the ACC in the regular season standings. Clemson has captured three wins in its last four matches. Clemson is led by Sandra Adeleye’s 3.04 kills per set. Kelsey Murphy passes out 10.57 assists per frame and two Tiger players average over a block per set. Alexa Rand leads the way with an average of 1.29 blocks per frame.

 

A UK and Clemson matchup in the second round would mark the 10^thmeeting in school history. The Wildcats own a 7-2 overall record over the Tigers with the last meeting coming in 2005. UK captured a 3-0 sweep over Clemson at the Big Orange Bash, an early season tournament hosted by the Tigers.

 

Also a potential meeting is between Michigan State and Clemson. The two squads met early in the season with the Spartans capturing a 3-2 win over the Tigers.

 

The SEC had four teams advance to the NCAA Tournament. Florida, Tennessee and LSU are the other SEC members who earned bids. This marks the fifth season in a row that the SEC has had four or more teams advance into the tournament. All four SEC teams were selected as NCAA First and Second Round host sites.

 

A Tournament Central site is available at UKathletics.com with information on all four teams, a seating chart and parking information. Follow along all week at Kentucky’s official homepage for up-to-date information and news regarding the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

 

 

IPFW Mastodons to Travel to No. 5 Illinois

IPFW to play on Thursday, December 3

Fort Wayne, IN - The IPFW Mastodons will travel to Champaign, Illinois, to take on the Illini of Illinois on Thursday, December 3.

The Mastodons are part of the Stanford Regional, as the winner of the Illinois grouping will travel to Palo Alto, California for the regional round.

In the other match-up in Champaign, Dayton, from the Atlantic 10, will face off against Milwaukee, the Horizon League Tournament Champions. The winners of the two games will meet on Friday, December 4 for the right to travel to Palo Alto.

IPFW has played Illinois once, falling 3-0 in 2007, as the teams faced off in the season-opening Dayton University Tournament.

The Mastodons earned their right to play in the NCAA Tournament by virtue of their Summit League Tournament Championship win over top seeded North Dakota State in Fargo, North Dakota. The Mastodons have a 20-11 record this season. IPFW is 0-1 against teams in the current field, falling 3-1 to the Louisville Cardinals at the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge.

Illinois, ranked fifth in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, come into the tournament with a 24-5 record after splitting their regular season-ending weekend with a win at Northwestern, and a loss at Minnesota. All five of their losses this season (Minnesota, Michigan State, Florida State and two to Penn State) come from teams in the current NCAA field, and are 8-5 this season against teams in the current field.

~Dons~

Washington Huskies Women's Volleyball Team Headed To Colorado For NCAA Opener

Washington has reached at least the NCAA Quarterfinals in five of the last six tournaments.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Husky women’s volleyball squad is back in the NCAA Championships for the eighth year in a row, and will be headed to Fort Collins, Colorado for the first two rounds with the opener this Thursday, December 3.

 

Washington (23-5, 13-5 Pac-10) is the sixth seed overall in the tournament, and will take on Northern Colorado (21-11) out of the Big Sky Conference in the first round, hosted by Colorado State at the Moby Arena. UW’s match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. Mountain time.

 

Should the Huskies win their opener, they would face the winner of Colorado State (23-5) versus Middle Tennessee State (25-9) on Friday, Dec. 4, at 7:00 p.m. MST.

 

The Huskies are the second-highest seeded team in the Minneapolis Region. If the seeds held up, they would eventually face Minnesota on its home court in the Round of 16, then potentially take on No. 3 overall seed Florida State in the quarterfinals. The Final Four takes place December 17 in Tampa, Florida with the final on December 19.

 

The Dawgs gathered in the film room in Bank of America Arena to watch the selection show on ESPNews. The team was hoping to stay in Seattle for the first two rounds, but no other northwest teams made the field aside from Pac-10 rivals Oregon and Washington State and NCAA rules must limit travel for as many teams as possible.

 

“We were hoping we’d get to host, but it will be like a normal road trip and we’ll prepare for it as usual,” said head coach Jim McLaughlin. “We’ve just got to prepare and get ready for Northern Colorado and see if we travel well. We’ll keep the routines as normal as possible, take today off, practice tomorrow and then get ready.”

 

The Pacific-10 Conference led all conferences with eight teams selected. Only Oregon State and Arizona State missed out. The Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 Conference garnered six teams each in the field while the Atlantic Coast Conference has five teams in the tournament. Northern Colorado is one of five teams making its first NCAA appearance.

 

Last year Washington advanced to the Regional final before losing in five sets to Nebraska. The Huskies have reached at least the NCAA Quarterfinals in five of the past six years, and made three consecutive Final Fours from 2004-06, including an NCAA Championship in 2005. Of note is the fact that UW started its 2005 and 2006 Final Four runs in the state of Colorado, and were in Fort Collins in 2005.

 

 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers Women's Volleyball Team To Face Dayton In NCAA Tournament: First-round matchup set for Thursday in Champaign

Susie Johnson Audio Interview - https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/kjoc/public/johnsonncaapairings.mp3

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team will face the University of Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Panthers (16-14) and Flyers (29-3) will meet Thursday in Champaign, Ill., at 4:30 p.m. CST.

UWM earned an automatic berth in the tournament by winning the Horizon League Tournament in Cleveland a week ago.

Milwaukee is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance, but the Panthers have never won a postseason contest.

Illinois (24-5), which is the fifth seed nationally, will face IPFW (20-11) in the other first round contest in Champaign. The winners will play a second round match Friday.

The Panthers have won 11-straight matches as part of an amazing turnaround this season. Milwaukee was picked to win its seventh-straight Horizon League regular season title but stumbled out of the gates, losing 14 of its first 19 matches overall and six of its first eight in the league. But, UWM won its final eight matches of the regular season to move into third place in the league standings.

Then, the Panthers rode that momentum through the league tournament, beating Green Bay, Valparaiso and host Cleveland State on successive days to claim a sixth league tournament crown.

"This team is still on a mission," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "We've been on a mission for the last 11 matches, and it's pretty cool because the focus is still there. The focus is there that we have something to prove still. When you are shaken up that much within your season, and you have to snap out of it, you either snap out of it or you don't. We did, and they still don't want to turn back. They're really focused on getting better every day and every match, so let's hope we can continue to get better this week."

Individually, Lauren Felsing was named the Horizon League Tournament Most Valuable Player and was joined on the all-tournament team by Maddie Sueppel and Natalie Schmitting. Over the course of the tournament weekend, Felsing became UWM's all-time leader in digs.

After the regular season, Felsing was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and joined Jena Berg on the all-league team.

The Flyers earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament at home last weekend. Junior middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier was named A-10 Co-Player of the Year, while junior outside hitter Amanda Cowdrey earned Most Outstanding Player of the A-10 Tournament.

Duke Women's Volleyball Team To Face Tennessee In NCAA Tournament

November 29, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. - In its fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Duke volleyball team will travel to Knoxville, Tenn.,  to face first-round host Tennessee on Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

Duke (27-5, 17-3 ACC) is part of a four-team bracket that includes overall No. 11 overall seed Minnesota (24-8, 15-5 Big Ten), Louisville (21-10, 10-4 Big East) and the host Volunteers (23-7, 16-4 SEC). Minnesota will take on Louisville in the Knoxville, Tenn., site's first match with the winner of that facing the winner of Duke and Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 5 in the second round.

The Blue Devils, who have advanced past the first round in each of their past four trips to the NCAA Tournament, were placed in the Minneapolis Regional. Duke has one of the toughest opening two rounds in the entire 64-team NCAA Tournament field. All four teams in Knoxville are among the top 40 in the NCAA RPI, with Minnesota coming in at 13, Tennessee at 19, Duke at 27 and Louisville at 38. Only one of the other 15 opening-round sites has four top-40 teams.

Duke ended the season on a six-match winning streak. The Blue Devils are the best defensive team in the ACC, holding opponents to a .156 hitting percentage.

Duke is one a record five ACC teams to make the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. ACC Champion Florida State earned the No. 3 overall seed and was placed in the Minneapolis Regional while also earning the right to host the opening two rounds in Tallahassee, Fla. Georgia Tech, Clemson and Miami also earned at-large bids to the tournament with Clemson also earning a spot in the Minneapolis Regional along with Duke. The Pac-10 had the most teams make the tournament with eight, while the Big Ten and Big 12 followed with six and the ACC placed five.

Penn State took the No. 1 overall seed, while Texas followed at No. 2, Florida State at No. 3 and Stanford at No. 4. The first matches of the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Tournament begin on Dec. 3.

Washington State Volleyball Selected for 2009 NCAA Championship Tournament

Cougars return to NCAA Tournament for first time since 2002 Elite Eight season.

 

PULLMAN, Wash. -- The Washington State volleyball team received an at-large bid to the 2009 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship Tournament Sunday.

 

The Cougars, 18-12 overall, 6-12 in Pacific-10 Conference (8th), will play Northern Iowa (30-2) in the first round, at 4:30 p.m. CT, Friday, Dec. 4, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska (23-6) and seeded 10th in the tournament takes on Coastal Carolina (20-13) at 7 p.m. CT, Dec. 4. The winners will meet in the second round of the tournament at 5 p.m. CT Saturday, Dec. 5. All matches will be played in 4,030-seat NU Coliseum on the University of Nebraska campus. The NU Coliseum has sold-out the past 133-consecutive Huskers volleyball matches.

 

“Anytime you accomplish something as a team, it is fun for me to see the excitement in the players’ faces,” WSU Head Coach Andrew Palileo said. “Today, seeing the frustration of all the hard work that they have put in over the last two years that I’ve been here go out the window, and seeing all of their smiles and excitement when they saw WSU on the TV screen. That is what is fun for me, at this point right now, before we get started preparing for the match.”

 

This is the 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament for the WSU volleyball program and the first under second-year WSU Head Coach Palileo. This marks the first time Washington State has played in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament since the 2002 season. Ironically, in 2002, the Cindy Fredrick-coached WSU team defeated Northern Iowa 3-0 in the NCAA East Regional Semi-final match in Gainesville, Florida. Another irony is the fact that Palileo ended his highly successful seven-year coaching career at South Dakota State with the Jackrabbits’ first trip to the NCAA Tournament, a 3-0 loss to Nebraska in Lincoln (Nov. 30, 2007).

 

“I actually know quite a bit about Northern Iowa volleyball. While I was coaching at South Dakota State we played Northern Iowa a few times in spring tournaments and twice during the years I was there,” Palileo said. “They are a big team but not any bigger than any team we have already faced. They have a good ball-control team but not any better than what we have already faced in our conference. The preparation will be a little different because we match up with their size but with speed. They are a little more methodical team from the standpoint of they run the high middle two heavy balls and then they set a lot to their outsides. I don’t think we are going to face any better outsides than what we faced this year, night in and night out. I feel good about our match-up. It will be two totally different kinds of systems. I think we are familiar with each other and it will be an exciting match. It will be fun for me to see old friends again.”

 

Eight Pac-10 teams are playing in the tournament - Stanford, Washington, UCLA, California, USC, Oregon, Arizona and Washington State. The Big 12 and the Big 10 Conferences each have six teams playing in the tournament.

 

The Cougars are still finalizing travel plans but are tentatively set to leave Pullman early Wed., Dec. 2. The WSU volleyball NCAA matches can be heard live on KQQQ 1150AM radio and through the Cougars All-Access on the internet. A live video internet streaming webcast of the match will also be available at www.ncaa.com.

 

Quotes from WSU senior volleyball players, all starters:

“This is an awesome payoff for everything that all of us have put in,” outside hitter Jackie Albright said. “It is just awesome to see, not just the past year but the four years of work we have put in. Last year I just worried about game-to-game and if it happened, it happened. Every single one of us are believers this year. (Going to the NCAA) This almost relieves the pressure. I think we will go into the tournament more relaxed than we have been all year.”

 

“At the beginning of the year, when we went 12-0 in preseason, there was a realization that we could do it (advance to the NCAA tournament). Right when the Pac-10 started and we started beating some teams, and beating them well, that is when the team clicked on it,” defensive specialist Kelly Hyder said. “I have a different role (from first three years on team), but we are winning and made the tournament and I am contributing in my own way so it’s still good. I don’t feel like there is any more pressure (to play in NCAA). We play in the Pac-10 so that’s pressure enough every night so playing in the tournament will be the same thing.”

 

“This is a great payback. We have all been through so much together as a team - the highs and the lows. This is really rewarding that we get to show the nation what we a capable of,” middle blocker Cassie Robbins said.

 

“Even though I joined this team last year, this is my group. We have been working hard together the last two years and I am really happy for the other seniors and happy I got to be a part of this and happy that I fit in,” setter Renee Bordelon said. “(More pressure going into NCAA?) No, there is no reason to be stressed. We are going to go out and do what we know how to do.”

 

 

Washington State Volleyball NCAA Championships History

Year               Event                                                                    Results

1991               NCAA First Round                                            New Mexico def. WSU 3-1, at Albuquerque, New Mexico

1993               NCAA First Round                                            WSU def. San Diego 3-1, at Pullman, Washington

                        NCAA Second Round                                      BYU def. WSU 3-0, at Provo, Utah

1994               NCAA First Round                                            New Mexico def. WSU 3-2, at Albuquerque, New Mexico

1995               NCAA Second Round                                      Oral Roberts def. WSU 3-0, at Pullman, Washington

1996               NCAA Second Round                                      WSU def. Kansas State 3-1, at Pullman, Washington

                        NCAA Pacific Regional Semifinals              WSU def. Loyola Marymount 3-1, at Stanford, California

                        NCAA Pacific Regional Final                          Stanford def. WSU 3-0, at Stanford, California

1997               NCAA First Round                                            WSU def. Lehigh 3-0, at Pullman, Washington

                        NCAA Second Round                                      WSU def. Colorado State 3-1, at Pullman, Washington            NCAA Central Regional Semifinals                                                 Florida def. WSU 3-0, at Madison, Wisconsin

2000               NCAA First Round                                            WSU def. Tennessee 3-0, at University Park, Pennsylvania

                        NCAA Second Round                                      Penn State def. WSU 3-1, at University Park, Pennsylvania

2001               NCAA First Round                                            Hawai’i def. WSU 3-0, at Pullman, Washington

2002               NCAA First Round                                            WSU def. Oral Roberts 3-0, at Manhattan, Kansas

                        NCAA Second Round                                      WSU def. Kansas State 3-1, at Manhattan, Kansas

                        NCAA East Regional Semifinals                   WSU def. Northern Iowa 3-0, at Gainesville, Florida

                        NCAA East Regional Final                              Florida def. WSU 3-1, at Gainesville, Florida

 

www.wsucougars.com

 

Billikens Women's Volleyball Team Earns At-Large Bid to NCAA Tournament

SLU faces Wichita State in opening round in Ames, Iowa

ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis (24-7) will make the program’s second straight, and third overall, appearance in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship Friday, Dec. 4, in Ames, Iowa. The Billikens, who were awarded an at-large bid, will face Wichita State (25-6) of the Missouri Valley Conference at 5 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum on the Iowa State University campus.

“We are so excited to continue our season in the NCAA Tournament,” SLU head coach Anne Kordes said. “This is a fair draw for what we did in the regular season. We want to advance deep in the tournament, and now we have the opportunity to build momentum at the end of our season. Wichita State is a great team that is tournament tested. I look forward to a great match on Friday.”    

Joining SLU in Ames, Iowa, as part of the Omaha, Neb. Regional is No. 7 seed overall and host Iowa State (25-4). The at-large selection and Big 12 member Cyclones will face Colonial Athletic Association automatic qualifier George Mason (23-8) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. If SLU wins its first-round match, it would face one of the two aforementioned teams Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

It is SLU’s first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the Atlantic 10 Conference’s automatic bids in 2006 and 2008 by winning the league tournament. The Billikens completed their fourth straight 20-win campaign in 2009, and tied for first in the A-10 with a 14-1 mark. Senior outside hitter and two-time A-10 first-team selection Bridget Fonke leads the club with 3.42 kills per set and 45 service aces, while two-time A-10 Player of the Year Sammi McCloud, a senior right-side hitter/middle blocker, chips in 3.26 kills per set. Three-time A-10 Setter of the Year Whitney Roth directs the offense with 11.24 assists per set. Senior libero Whitney Behrens leads five players with at least 2.45 digs per set with 3.23 digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Alyssa Deno leads the Bills with 54 blocks, while McCloud has compiled 53. Kordes, a three-time A-10 Coach of the Year selection, is 127-61 in her sixth season at Saint Louis.

Wichita State, like the Bills, received an at-large bid after falling in the title match of its conference tournament. Five of the Shockers’ six losses were to teams from its conference. Senior outside hitter Emily Stockman, a three-time MVC first-team pick, paces the squad with team highs of 4.03 kills per set and 35 service aces, while sophomore setter and two-time All-Conference first-team selection Mary Elizabeth Hooper dishes out 11.27 assists per set. Defensively, WSU is led by junior middle blocker Sarah McGee, a two-time MVC first-team honoree, with 1.18 blocks per set and senior libero Melissa Granville with 4.57 digs per set. Head coach Chris Lamb is 218-92 in his 10^th season at the helm of the Shocker volleyball program.

 

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Volleyball Gifts: College Watches: Volleyball Watches

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Volleyball Gifts: Volleyball Equipment: Active Ankle Braces For Volleyball

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