Utah Volleyball Wraps Up MWC Slate at SDSU and Air Force
Utes can earn at least at tie for third place in MWC with two wins.
The University of Utah volleyball team brings its Mountain West Conference schedule to a close with matches at San Diego State and Air Force this weekend. The Utes take on the Aztecs Thursday at 6:30 p.m. PT., then will face the Falcons Saturday at 1 p.m. MT.
The Mountain West Sports Network will air a live telecast of Thursday’s match at SDSU. Anne Marie Anderson will have the play-by-play call and Amy Gant will provide the color analysis.
Last Time Out: Chelsey Sandberg (West Jordan, Utah) and Cinthia Silva (San Paulo, Brazil) both had impressive performances on Senior Day to help Utah sweep Wyoming (25-17, 25-18, 25-20) in the final regular-season home match of the 2009 regular season Saturday at Crimson Court. Utah hit for a .231 percentage while limiting Wyoming to a .028 mark, the lowest percentage for a Utah opponent this season. The Utes also came up with a season-high 12 blocks for a three-set match this season.
Karolina Carries the Utes: Junior opposite hitter Karolina Bartkowiak (Aurora, Ill.) tied for match-high honors with nine kills in Saturday’s sweep of Wyoming at Crimson Court. Bartkowiak took 18 swings against the Cowgirls and only committed two errors for a team-high .389 hitting percentage. She also added eight digs and two blocks. The Aurora, Ill., native currently ranks sixth in the MWC with 3.05 kills and 3.60 points per set and stands sixth with a .281 hitting percentage. In conference matches only, Bartkowiak is fourth with 3.79 points per set and fifth with 3.23 kills per set.
Sandberg in Utah Record Books: Sandberg is eighth in school history with 314 block assists and is 38 away from Whitney Webb (2004-07), who is seventh place in Utah history with 352 in her career. Sandberg is also ninth in the Utah record book with 334 total blocks.
Lanting Living Large: Sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Lanting (Corcoran, Calif.) posted a career-high six blocks and helped the Utes post a season high for a three-set match with 12 Saturday against the Cowgirls. Lanting has led or tied for the team lead in blocks twice this season.
- UU -
Texas Volleyball preview: Kansas State
The second-ranked Longhorns look to push their home winning streak to 19 matches when they host Kansas State on Wednesday, Nov. 18. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
Match 22: No. 2/2 TEXAS (20-1, 15-1 Big 12) vs. Kansas State (10-16, 4-12 Big 12)
When: Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6:30 pm Central
Where: Austin, Texas (Gregory Gymnasium)
Television: Time Warner Cable’s Texas Channel in select markets around the state
Internet Video: Watch Texas Volleyball home matches FREE on TexasSports.TV
Live Stats: GameTracker
SERIES INFO
All-Time Series Record: Kansas State, 22-7 (H: 11-3, A: 10-4, N: 1-0)
Last meeting with Kansas State: Texas defeated KSU, 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-21) on Oct. 2, 2009
Current Streak: Texas has won the last 12 meetings
TEXAS IN THE AVCA POLL
The Longhorns are ranked No. 2 in the most recent AVCA Division I Coaches Poll (Nov. 16) ... Texas’ No. 2 preseason ranking was its highest ranking in the AVCA poll since UT finished the 1995 season ranked second ... UT has now been ranked in the Top 10 for 55 straight weeks ... UT opponents in the poll include, No. 3 Hawaii, No. 8 Iowa State, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 11 California, No. 20 Saint Louis and No. 24 Baylor.
HORNS IN THE VOLLEYBALL MAGAZINE POLL
Texas holds the No. 2 spot in the current Volleyball Magazine Poll (Nov. 10) ... the Horns trail two-time defending NCAA Champion Penn State in the poll by 20 points 280-to-260 ... Big 12 foes Iowa State and Nebraska hold the No. 7 and No. 9 positions, respectively ... three of Texas’ non-conference opponents are ranked (No. 3 Hawaii, No.13 California, No. 20 Saint Louis).
TEXAS AND THE BIG 12
In the Big 12 stats, Texas is the best hitting team by a large margin ... the Horns are hitting .324 overall and .323 in Big 12 play, while Nebraska ranks second, hitting .249 overall and .257 in league action ... UT leads Baylor in blocking 2.93-to-2.62 overall and leads Iowa State 2.72-to-2.68 in Big 12 play.
STREAKING AT HOME
Texas currently owns an 18-match home winning streak at Gregory Gym dating back to Nov. 1, 2008 ... in 2009 Texas has dropped just one set at home, posting a 24-1 sets won record on its home floor.
UT, No. 1 in NCAA RPI
In the most recent release of the NCAA RPI (Nov. 16), Texas ranks No. 1 ... No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Illinois and No. 5 Washington round out the top five ... Big 12 rivals Iowa State and Nebraska rank No. 9 and No. 12, respectively.
TEXAS IN THE NCAA STATS
In the most recent addition of the NCAA statistics (Nov. 16), Texas ranks No. 2 in the country with its .324 hitting percentage ... UT ranks No. 4 in blocks per-set, averaging 2.93 stuffs each set ... senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker ranks third with 5.75 points and sixth with 4.83 kills per-set.
Hook'em
Loyola Marymount University Volleyball Lions Conclude WCC Play at San Francisco, Santa Clara
BRIEFLY...
Having completed its home schedule for the season, LMU (12-14, 3-9) will hit the road for its final three matches, beginning with the final two matches of WCC play this week in Northern California. The Lions will square-off against San Francisco (12-13, 6-6) on Thursday night before meeting Santa Clara (15-12, 5-7) on Saturday afternoon. Both matches this week will be provided via Gametracker and video stream at LMULions.com.
TOP OF THE CLASS...
Redshirt-freshman Alaina Bergsma has not only held her own in the competitive and extremely talented West Coast Conference, she is also making a name for herself on the national level. Bergsma enters the week ranked 14th in the nation, and first amongst her freshmen counterparts, in kills per set at 4.47. The closest freshman player in that category this year is Tulsa’s Tyler Henderson at 4.45. The national leader is Siena senior Burgandy McCurty at 5.47 kills per set. Bergsma is also tied for sixth in the nation amongst freshmen players in aces per set with 37 aces at a rate of .40 per set. The native of Chandler, Ariz. is the LMU team-leader in attacks (1,092), kills (416), service aces (37), block solos (17), and points (487). So far this year, she has been named a CVU.com National Top Performer twice, a WCC Co-Player of the Week on November 9, the 2009 TCU Nike/Molten Invitational Tournament MVP, and an All-Tournament selection four times.
LION TRACKS...
LMU dropped its final home match of the season, and its only match last week, on Friday night to cross-town rival Pepperdine in Gersten Pavilion. The Waves earned the 3-1 victory, and 1.5 points for a road win in the PCH Challenge standings, by a count of 25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 25-11. Freshman Alaina Bergsma once again led the Lion attack with 12 kills on 53 attacks. Her best mark came in LMU's third-set victory, as she posted five kills on 18 swings. The native of Chandler, Ariz. teamed the kills mark with 16 digs to record another double-double. Sophomore Ariana Covington and freshman Kenna Crouse chipped-in 11 kills in their own right, but it was not enough for the Lions over the course of the match. Covington joined Bergsma as one of two Lions with a double-double, collecting 10 digs to accompany the 11 kills. Freshman Nikki Lane made her first collegiate appearance, starting at setter for the Lions and dishing-out 28 assists. LMU hit just .133 as a team over the course of the four sets, allowing a .285 mark on the other side of the net.
Kim Hill led all players with an efficient 14 kills on just 28 attacks for a stellar .464 hitting percentage for Pepperdine. Even better in terms of percentage, Victoria Adelhelm connected at a .476 clip with 10 kills on 21 attacks and no errors. Rachel Grochmal added 12 kills of her own to help Pepperdine to the win. Senior Kiah Fiers continued her solid play at the setter position, collecting 40 assists, six digs and two block assists. Grochmal (12 kills and 14 digs) and Caitlin Racich (10 kills and 12 digs) each collected double-doubles in the win.
DiG PiNK...
For the past several years, NCAA women's volleyball programs across the country have done their part in the battle against breast cancer. LMU continued its involvement with its "DiG PiNK" match on Saturday, October 24 against San Francisco in Gersten Pavilion. This year marked the third consecutive year that LMU hosted a match to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer. Donations, which will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, can be made on-line by visiting LMU's team page atwww.side-out.org/application/
PCH CHALLENGE...
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine have come together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Challenge. The series will serve as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference. LMU and Pepperdine will be represented by 12 of their intercollegiate athletic teams through both regular and post-season competitions over the course of the academic calendar. Teams scheduled to compete head-to-head during the regular season include baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis (if scheduled) and women's volleyball. Any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur. The remaining programs (men's and women's cross country, women's swimming and diving, men's golf) - in addition to women's tennis (if the teams do not meet head-to-head at any point) will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships. The next scheduled meeting between the two schools is slated for Saturday, January 9 as the Lions travel to Pepperdine for a women’s basketball game at 4 p.m. The Waves currently lead the Lions in the standings, 4-3.5, after earning 1.5 points for a road victory in volleyball on November 13. To learn more about the PCH Challenge and view the current scorecard, please visithttp://www.lmulions.com/trads/
FOLLOW THE LIONS ONLINE...
Log on to www.LMULions.com for all the latest info on the Lions, including updated schedules, rosters, player bios, and more. Don't forget to also sign up to follow the Lions on Facebook (Facebook.com/LMULions) and Twitter (Twitter.com/LMULions). All LMU home matches, and the majority of the matches on the road, will be broadcast live via Gametracker. In addition, in conjunction with Stretch Internet and Lions' All-Access, all LMU home matches will be broadcast with both audio and video live online atwww.LMULions.com. Just visit the Lion volleyball page, click on schedule, and click on the links located on the right side of the schedule for that particular match. All broadcasts will be archived within 72 hours of their original airing and will include both the pre-game and post-game shows.
INSIDE THE LIONS...
“Inside the Lions” is a special look into LMU Athletics and its student-athletes in a 10 to 15 minute show hosted by a student-athlete, sophomore men's basketball guard Jarred DuBois. Airing roughly twice a month, the show highlights a student-athlete and gives an inside look to why LMU is such a special place. In addition, highlights from top games and other game day features are within the show. Take a look at the newest show or past shows at LMULions.com. It's all here thanks to Lions' All-Access.
LMU SPORTS WEEKLY...
LMU’s weekly podcast show, LMU Sports Weekly, is hosted by Jesse Kass. The show features radio highlights and recaps from recent games, interviews with student-athletes and coaches, and previews of upcoming events. All shows are now online at LMULions.com. Fans can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes. Just search "LMU" in the iTunes Store.
COMING TO A GAME?...
Fans, come cheer on the Lions this year in Gersten Pavilion. LMU will host 14 home matches this season, including six matches during LMU's Crowne Plaza LAX Tournament from September 11-12. To reserve your tickets today, please contact the LMU Ticket Office at (310) 338-LION. Tickets are also available at the Ticket Office prior to the start of the match. When traveling to the venue, please remember that the Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester at One LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport. Fans traveling to LMU must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive. Those seeking handicap parking must also use the main entrance, where they can get directions from the guard at the front gate. Gersten's doors open one hour before the start of the match.
ACE, ACE, BABY...
LMU enters the week ranked first in the WCC in aces per set (1.29) and total number of aces (124). Leading the charge for LMU is freshman Alaina Bergsma, who leads the WCC in total aces (37) and is tied for first in aces per set with .40. Collecting a season-high 11 aces against Gonzaga on November 5, the Lions have posted 10 or more aces in a single match on four different occasions this year, including the match against the Bulldogs, back-to-back matches against TCU (10) and Idaho (10) on August 29 and September 4, and September 15 versus Cal State Northridge (10). The Lions have managed three or more aces in 20 of their 26 matches this season, and have been held to no aces just twice, at Pepperdine on October 17 and at Saint Mary’s on October 29.
TEAM LMU…
Wednesday’s men’s basketball game versus UC Irvine and Friday’s women’s basketball game versus UC Irvine are this week's "Team LMU" events. "Team LMU" was created to generate awareness and excitement for LMU sporting events on game days. Staff and students are encouraged to wear LMU gear on designated "Team LMU" days and to attend the games. To view more information about the current and future "Team LMU" events, please visit www.LMULions.com/teamlmu.
LIONS IN THE RECORD BOOKS…
Junior Becky Stehling already pervades the LMU Record Books as she closes in on completing her third full year at LMU. Stehling’s .369 hitting percentage a year ago placed her fourth in the books for a single season, and also set the sophomore record in that category. Nearly as strong this season, she totes a .335 hitting percentage so far, fifth in the West Coast Conference. Over a longer span of time, her .347 career hitting percentage entering this week places third in LMU history. Only Kelli Nerison (2001-04) and Mardell Wrensch (1992-95) have posted better marks in a career, finishing with percentages of .356 and .355, respectively. Freshman Alaina Bergsma has a shot to finish this year in the single season book for a few categories. She averages 4.47 kills per set, which would place her 10th if the season ended prior to this week, has accumulated 37 service aces (42 is 10th), and has averaged .40 aces per set, which would put her tied for 10th in the books if the season ended prior to this week. Sophomore Alesha Young is also trying to place her name in the books, averaging 6.85 assists per set in her career. That mark would place her sixth in the record books at this point, but a player must have two full years of competition completed to qualify, so Young will have to wait until the season is over to enter the books.
REMEMBER...IT'S JUST A NUMBER...
LMU will play 12 matches this year against teams that qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament. With success comes a ranking, and the Lions should see their fair share of ranked opponents this season. So far, LMU is 0-4 against ranked foes this year, falling in three sets to then-No. 9 UCLA on September 5, then-No. 20 UC Irvine in four on September 12, then-No. 20 San Diego in a five-set thriller on October 1, and then in three sets to the same Toreros on October 31, this time as USD carried a No. 19 ranking. Rankings have been nothing short of perfect in the recent past when predicting LMU's fate against ranked opponents, as the Lions have dropped 22 consecutive matches against those teams. The last Lion victory against a ranked opponent came on October 5, 2006 at Santa Clara, as the Lions earned a sweep of the then-No. 12 Broncos.
SCOUTING SAN FRANCISCO…
San Francisco enters the week toting a 12-13 overall record and a 6-6 mark in the WCC, having lost four of its last six matches. Most recently, San Francisco defeated Portland on Thursday before dropping a five-set contest to Gonzaga on Saturday on the road. Despite a 2-5 record in WCC matches on the road this year, USF has extreme success on its home turf during WCC play, posting a 4-1 mark. Sarah Mandala guides the Don offense with 463 kills at a rate of 4.77 per set, good for first in the WCC. Her 505.5 points at a rate of 5.21 per set rank second only to LMU’s Alaina Bergsma in that category. She is also second on the team with 16 service aces, trailing only Haley Carroll with 26. Carroll is the team’s leading defensive player, notching 484 digs at a rate of 4.99 per set, tops in the WCC. Erin Bragg and Hadley Simmons lead the Don block, collecting 98 and 80 total blocks, respectively. Bragg, who owns 88 block assists and 10 block solos, averages 1.01 blocks per set. Alaina Sully and Leanna Ludes split time at the setter position, with Sully passing-out 614 assists to Ludes’ 416. LMU leads the all-time series against the Dons, led by third-year Head Coach Gilad Doron, 39-10. The Lions have won six of the last 10 matches between the two teams overall, and three of the last five. The two teams last met on October 24 of this year at LMU, as the Lions earned a victory in four sets.
BRONCO BANTER…
Santa Clara, which entered the season ranked 25th in the nation and then received votes over the following three weeks in the AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, enters the week toting a 15-12 overall record and a 5-7 mark in the WCC, having dropped three of its last four matches overall. Sporting a balanced attack, Lindsy Davigeadono, Katherine Douglas and Dana Knudsen pace the Bronco attack with 276, 261 and 237 kills, respectively. Emily Burke sets the offense with 568 assists, while Douglas owns 20 service aces to lead the team in that category. Samantha Selsky also finds time at the setter position, dishing-out 371 assists in 38 sets played. Knudsen and Tanya Schmidt are the most active on the block, collecting 87 and 86 total blocks, in that order. Davigeadono adds 83 blocks of her own to help Santa Clara defensively. LMU has split the all-time series against the Broncos, led by 11th-year Head Coach Jon Wallace, 28-28. The Broncos have won seven of the last 10 matches between the two teams, including four of the last five. The two teams last met on October 22 of this year at LMU, as the Lions fell in four sets.
BEST IN THE WEST…COAST CONFERENCE…
Freshman Alaina Bergsma was named West Coast Conference Co-Player of the Week, it was announced by the conference office on November 9. The Lions earned a five-set victory over Gonzaga on November 5 before sweeping the Pilots on November 7. Bergsma shared the accolade with San Francisco’s Haley Carroll. The selection was the first for Bergsma in her career, and was the first for the Lions this season. Bergsma collected 60 kills over the two matches played, averaging 7.50 kills per set and hitting .368 with only 17 errors in 117 attacks. Not only a threat on the attack, she also served-up three aces, posted one block solo, a block assist, 29 digs and five assists. The 6’3 outside hitter collected a double-double in both matches, running her total to 10 double-doubles on the season to match teammate Alesha Young for most in the West Coast Conference to that point in the schedule. She also totaled 64.5 points (8.06 per set) over the eight sets played, while averaging .38 aces per set and 3.62 digs per set. Bergsma notched a career-high 32 kills against Gonzaga on Thursday, five short of the LMU record for a freshman in a single match set by Amy Moeller on October 16, 1992 versus San Francisco. She hit .268 (32-13/71) over the course of the five sets, teaming the kills with two service aces, 17 digs and a block solo for a double-double. On Saturday against Portland, Bergsma had 28 kills and hit a blistering .522 (28-4/46) to lead LMU to the sweep of the Pilots. She teamed that mark with five assists, a service ace, one block assist and 12 digs for another double-double.
STARS IN STOCKTON...
Sophomore Alesha Young and freshman Alaina Bergmsa were each named to the 2009 Hilton Stockton Invitational All-Tournament team following LMU's run to the Tournament Championship match. Young, LMU's primary setter this season, finished the three matches, sweeps over Nevada and Cal State Bakersfield, and a loss to Pacific, with 95 assists as the Lions hit .270 as a team. Not only helping LMU on the set, Young also notched seven kills on 15 attacks for a .400 hitting percentage, teaming that mark with three service aces and 18 digs. The native of Costa Mesa, Calif. posted 36 assists in both of the Lion sweeps. The All-Tournament selection marked the second time this year that Young was lauded, earning the honor at the 2009 TCU Nike/Molten Invitational. Bergsma, who earned All-Tournament honors at each of the four tournaments this year for LMU, collected a team-best 38 kills on 90 swings for a .311 hitting percentage over the three matches in Stockton. The native of Chandler, Ariz. also posted three service aces, three assists and 16 digs. Showing her skills on the defensive side of the net, Bergsma also collected a block solo and four block assists. Her best performance came in the Championship match against Pacific, where she notched 18 kills on 38 swings for a .395 hitting percentage, three assists, a block solo and a block assist.
QUEENS OF CROWNE PLAZA...
Freshman Alaina Bergsma and junior Becky Stehling were each named to the 2009 Crowne Plaza LAX All-Tournament team following the conclusion of the weekend tournament on September 12. The Lions reached the Tournament Championship match on their home floor, but could not defeat then-No. 20 UC Irvine, falling in four sets. Bergsma finished the Crowne Plaza Tournament with 56 kills, four service aces, five block solos and four block assists for a total of 67 points. The native of Chandler, Ariz. connected for 20 kills in each of the first two matches before posting 16 against the Anteaters in the Championship. In addition, Bergsma collected a double-double against Houston and Boise State, narrowly missing a third straight against Irvine by two digs. Stehling earned her first All-Tournament nod this season after posting 30 kills on 58 attacks with only nine errors for a .362 hitting percentage. She added a service ace and six block solos en route to helping guide LMU to the Championship match. Stehling's best match was the first of the tournament, resulting in a season-best 18 kills on 30 attacks for a .433 hitting percentage. Three of her six total block assists also came against Houston that first day.
THE HOT-HAND IN VEGAS...
Freshman Alaina Bergsma made it two-for-two in terms of earning a spot on an All-Tournament team after claiming a spot at both the TCU and UNLV tournaments. The native of Chandler, Ariz. played in eight sets and two matches at the UNLV Tournament, collecting 32 kills at a rate of 4.00 per set. Bergsma also notched three assists, a service ace, 11 digs, a block solo, four block assists and 36 total points. She collected 19 kills in the five-set loss to Idaho on Friday before posting 13 more in the finale on Saturday night, a sweep of host UNLV. In that match against the Rebels, Bergsma managed 13 kills on 27 attacks for a .444 hitting percentage, making just one error along the way.
LeBRON, PEYTON, ALAINA...
Freshman Alaina Bergsma garnered Tournament MVP honors after excelling at the 2009 Nike/Molten Invitational hosted by Texas Christian University. Bergsma collected 46 kills over the three matches played, averaging 4.60 kills per set and hitting .375 with only 10 errors in 96 attacks. Not only a threat on the attack, she also served-up seven aces while posting seven block assists. The 6'3" outside hitter also finished second on the team in digs over the tournament, notching 24 at a rate of 2.40 per set. Bergsma's best match of the weekend was against Arkansas on Saturday morning, collecting a match-high 20 kills on 30 attacks for an incredible .600 hitting percentage. Enjoying a stellar match across the board, Bergsma collected three service aces, eight digs and teamed with Megan Nash for two block assists to total 24 points. She managed 11 of her 20 kills in the final set alone, hitting .625 on 16 attacks. She had double-digit kills in each of the three matches, hit above .400 while taking at least 20 swings in both of the first two matches, recorded at least two service aces in each match, and recorded a double-double in the Championship Match against TCU, teaming 15 kills with 10 digs.
TEXAS CHRISTIAN TRIO...
Three Lions were recognized for their achievements after helping LMU to finish 3-0 at the 2009 Nike/Molten Invitational. The Lions swept Grambling State in the opener on Friday night before earning a second consecutive sweep against Arkansas on Saturday morning. Playing host TCU for the Tournament Championship on Saturday night, the Lions took the match in four sets. Freshman Alaina Bergsma led the trio, garnering Tournament MVP honors. Sophomore Ariana Covington and Alesha Young each earned a spot on the All-Tournament squad following the conclusion of the championship match. To read about Bergsma's stellar weekend, please see the "LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Alaina Bergsma" portion of this release. Covington finished the tournament with 24 kills at a rate of 2.40 per set. She hit .321 while making just eight errors in 56 attacks. Getting it done on the defensive side of the ball, she collected 21 digs at a rate of 2.10 per set, and also notched seven block assists for a total of 27.5 points during the three days. Covington's best match was her first, where she collected 10 kills and hit .529 against Grambling State, committing just one error in 17 attacks. Serving as the team's setter for the majority of the tournament, Young dished-out 103 assists at a rate of 10.30 per set. The native of Costa Mesa, Calif. also took it upon herself to record a few kills, collecting 12 on 18 attacks with no errors for a .667 hitting percentage. On the defensive side of the ball, Young recorded 15 digs and one block assist. Her lone ace in the tournament resulted in the final point of the Championship Match, handing LMU the title.
GET OFF ON THE RIGHT PAW...
History repeated itself in a big way this year, as LMU defeated Grambling State in the season-opener, sweeping the Tigers in three sets. The Lions have now won 12 of their last 13 season-openers, with the only loss coming in 2007 to St. John's. Over that span, LMU has recorded seven sweeps and won by a count of 3-1 on four occasions.
LIONS IN THE PRESEASON POLL...
According to the 2009 Coaches Preseason Poll, the LMU volleyball team is picked to finish sixth this year in the competitive West Coast Conference. San Diego, which has won four of the last five WCC Championships, was a unanimous selection to finish first once again in the WCC, earning seven of the eight first-place votes (a team cannot vote for itself) to earn 49 points. Saint Mary's, picked to finish third, received the only other first-place vote, falling just one point short of second-place Pepperdine in the preseason poll, collecting 37 to the Waves' 38. Santa Clara was right in the thick of things as well, claiming 35 points and the fourth spot on the list. San Francisco (24 points) and LMU (21 points) hold the fifth and sixth spots, respectively, while Gonzaga and Portland each earned 10 points to share seventh overall.
THE STATS ON STRAT...
Steve Stratos has led the Lions to 18 winning seasons in his 19-year tenure at the helm of the program. In his time at LMU, Stratos has led the Lions to nine 20-win seasons and 11 postseason appearances. He has posted a career record of 384-209, the most victories in LMU volleyball history and second-most among current WCC coaches. His .656 winning percentage entering the year placed him in the top-50 (47th) among active Division I coaches, while his 372 victories placed him 48th among the same group. In conference play, he owns a record of 176-102, good for a .633 winning percentage. With 176 career conference victories, Stratos again ranks second among active coaches in the WCC.
Washington State University Women's Volleyball Hosts Eastern Washington, Crosses Cascades for No. 4 Washington
COUGAR VOLLEYBALL LOOKING FOR IN-STATE WINS: The Washington State volleyball team (16-10 overall, 5-10 Pac-10) hosts its final non-conference match of the season Tuesday, Nov. 17, when Eastern Washington Eagles (17-9) come to Pullman…Cougars then head across the Cascade Mountain Range to Seattle to take on the Pac-10 leaders, No. 4 Washington (21-4, 11-4) in a 7 p.m. contest Saturday, Nov. 21, at Bank of America Arena…Dawgs will be looking to avenge the 3-1 loss the Cougars handed them Oct. 23 in Pullman…this match is the Fox Sports Net Pac-10 Match of the Week and will be televised, tape-delayed, nationwide (check local listings for day and time)…Paul Sunderland and Karch Kiraly are the announcers for the broadcast…the UW match will be broadcast on KQQQ 1150 AM and on the internet via subscription on Cougars All-Access.
COUGAR COACHING STAFF: Head Coach Andrew Palileo is in his second season at WSU after a highly successful tenure at South Dakota State…Palileo has a 26-29 overall record at WSU, and a 13-year career record of 265-170…associate head coach Brian Lamppa and assistant coach TeAna Tramel complete the coaching staff...Kara Kiefer is the coordinator of operations.
AVCA TOP 25 POLL: Washington State dropped out of the top 25 in the Nov. 16 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Div. I Coaches Top 25 Poll…Pac-10 schools ranked this week include No. 4 Washington, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 UCLA, No. 11 California, No. 15 UCS, No. 18 Oregon, and No. 19 Arizona…also receiving votes in this week’s poll is Washington State (29th)…defending national champion Penn State is ranked No. 1…for the weekly poll, go towww.avca.org.
PAC-10 2009 STANDINGS (as of 11/16/09)
(Nat. Ranking) Conference Overall Streak
Washington (4) 11-4 21-4 Won 1
Stanford (6) 11-4 18-7 Won 3
UCLA (7)
California (11) 10-5 17-8 Won 8
Arizona (19) 7-7 18-7 Won 1
Oregon (18) 6-8 16-8 Lost 2
USC (t-15)
Washington State 5-10 16-10 Lost 6
Oregon State 3-11 12-14 Lost 2
Arizona State 3-11 13-13 Lost 2
ACADEMIC HONOR FOR ALBRIGHT: Senior OH Jackie Albright (Lake Forest, Calif.) was named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII first team for University Division as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)…Albright has a 3.56 GPA, majoring in civil engineering.
MEET THIS WEEK’S WSU VOLLEYBALL OPPONENTS:
ABOUT THE EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES (17-9): EWU is located less than 80 miles to the north of WSU…members of the Big Sky Conference with an 11-4 record for second place…only ranked matches have been to Pac-10 teams, all losses - at Oregon, at Arizona and at California…Eagles’ leaders are 5-11 Sr. OH Haley Hills (3.65 kps), 6-1 Jr. MB Chenoa Covaire (2.90 kps, 1.30 bps), 5-6, Sr. DS JaNae Mortensen (3.22 dps), 6-0 Sr. setter Ashley Hamilton (9.60 aps), and 6-5 Jr. MB Sara Todorovich (1.80 kps, 1.11 bps)…Todorovich, a transfer from Arizona State, is the old sister of WSU freshman Rachel Todorovich…Head Coach Myles Kidd (35-0 / 2 years at EWU)…LAST TIME - Sept. 8, 2008, EWU defeated WSU 3-1 in Moscow…SERIES RECORD - WSU leads 27-9…WSU’s last win over EWU was Oct. 11, 1994, 3-0, in Pullman.
ABOUT THE NO. 4 WASHINGTON HUSKIES (21-4, 11-4): The Dawgs’ are in a battle for first place in the Pac-10 with Stanford and UCLA…coming off a 3-2 loss at No. 17 USC and a 3-0 win at No. 6 UCLA…leaders include 6-1 Jr. MB/OH Kindra Carlson (3.95 kps - 7th Pac-10, 4.58 pps - 7th Pac-10), 5-10 Sr. OH Jill Collymore (2.86 kps, 0.52 aces per set - 1st Pac-10, 10th NCAA), 6-0 So. MB/OH Bianca Rowland (.431 hpct - 1st Pac-10, 4th NCAA, 1.04 bps - 8th Pac-10), 5-7 Sr. libero Tamari Miyashiro (5.12 dps - 2nd Pac-10), and 5-9 Jr. setter Jenna Hagglund (10.99 assists per set - 5th Pac-10, 2nd NCAA)…in NCAA team standings - 9th in hitting percentage, 17th in assists per set, 21st in kills per set, 35th in aces per set…Head Coach Jim McLaughlin (218-58 in 9 years at UW; 432-176 in 19 years career)…LAST TIME: Oct. 23, 2009, WSU won 3-1 in Pullman…SERIES RECORD: Washington leads the series 52-22 (WSU streak +1)…last WSU win in Seattle came Nov. 16, 2001 (3-0)…at UW, UW leads 19-4.
NCAA VOLLEYBALL RPI: In the NCAA Ratings Performance Index (RPI) for matches through Nov. 15, Washington State is ranked 50th…among Pac-10 schools listed above WSU are: Washington 5th, California 6th, Stanford 7th, UCLA 8th, Arizona 17th, USC 26th, and Oregon 27th…Texas has the No. 1 ranking...RPI comes from a combination of a team’s winning percentage, its opponents’ winning percentages, and it’s opponents’ opponents’ winning percentages, with home and road contests figured into the formula.
MORE VOLLEYBALL POLLS: In the Nov. 16 Rich Kern (richkern.com) poll, Washington State is 27th…in the Pablo Rankings, the Cougars are 39th.
NOTEWORTHY FACTS ABOUT THE 2009 WASHINGTON STATE VOLLEYBALL TEAM:
Ø NCAA Statistics (for matches played through 11/15) - Renee Bordelon’s 11.55 assists per set is 13th-best nationally; Cassie Robbins is 35th with 1.26 blocks per set
Ø Diggin’ it UP! - WSU has two players in the Pac-10 top 10 for digs per set - Oceana Bush is 3rd (4.77 dps), and Jackie Albright is 10th (3.15 dps)…as a team, WSU is 2nd (15.76 dps)
Ø Five Conference Wins - first time since 2003
Ø Looooong time since - first time WSU has had more wins than losses at end of 1st half of Pac-10 since 1998
Ø National news - The 2009 success of WSU volleyball was featured in a story on ESPN.com’s College Sports page Oct. 14-15 (two titles - Team Unexpected or Senior Helpers)
Ø More National love for Cougs - Nice blurb about the Cougars at this website -www.ncaa.com/blog/2009d1wvb/
Ø Gains by Ganzer - WSU’s sophomore MB Meagan Ganzer leads the team in Pac-10 matches with 3.42 kps which is 10th-best in league rankings…she is also the team overall leader with 3.16 kps
Ø Racking up the points - In the 3-0 win over No. 18 Arizona, WSU came from a 24-19 deficit in the third set to win 26-24
Ø That’s service - Senior Jackie Albright served the set/match-winning ace against both Arizona and Arizona State Oct. 2&3
Ø Triples and Doubles - WSU is 5-4 in matches where three players are in double-figure kills and 2-1 in matches where four hitters have double-digit kills
Ø Five years between wins over ranked Pac-10 teams - Before the Oct. 2 sweep of No. 18 Arizona, the last time WSU defeated a ranked Pac-10 team was in November 2004 (3-2 win over No. 6 USC in Pullman)
Ø Memorable Pac-10 Start - WSU 3-0 win over Oregon State in Corvallis was first time Cougs opened Pac-10 play with a win since 2003 when WSU defeated No. 16 Arizona, 3-1 in Pullman….last time WSU opened Pac-10 play with a road win was in 1997, a 3-2 win over Oregon State in Corvallis
Ø Season record - WSU’s 2009 start of 12-0 equaled the best start since 1997 (16-0, adv. to NCAA Sweet 16)
Ø National Poll Rankings - the 2003 preseason Coaches Top 25 poll was the last time Washington State volleyball was ranked or received votes in the poll…Cougs were 19th in that poll
Ø Five-set Matches - WSU is 2-0 in five-set matches in 2009…in 2008 the Cougs were 5-0 in five-set matches
Ø Another School Record - WSU hit .478 in the win over No. 17 Utah
Ø Win Streak stopped at 14: Cougars won the final 2 matches of the 2008 season and won first 12 this season
Ø Team Breakdown by State - 9 players from Washington, 4 from California, 1 from Idaho, 1 from Minnesota
Ø VolleyBlog - updated on the official Washington State website, www.wsucougars.com, every week
MARCIA SANEHOLTZ COURT AT BOHLER GYM COUGARS HOME: The Cougars’ home court is called Marcia Saneholtz Court at Bohler Gym in honor of the 28-year administrative veteran of Cougar Athletics who retired Oct. 1, 2007…Sr. Associate Athletics Director/SWA is a long-time proponent of gender equity and a champion for all sports at WSU as well as in the Pac-10 and the nation…NACWAA president (1992-93), on the board of directors (1987-94), and named 1997 Administrator of the Year…also NAGWS Pathfinder Award in 2001 and WSU Woman of Distinction in 2003…she was added to the Inland Empire Scroll of Honor in 2009.
PAC-10 COACHES 2009 PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Washington (90 points) was selected by the Pac-10 volleyball coaches to be the league champions in the 2009 preseason poll…poll order shows California (80), Stanford (74), UCLA (62), USC (60), Oregon (48), Arizona (42), Arizona State (34), Oregon State (31) and WSU (19)…the Pac-10 coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own teams (point system is 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2), have successfully predicted the league champion 13 of the last 20 years.
ATTENDANCE NUMBERS GROWING: Hawai’i leads the nation with an average of 6,423 fans (20 matches)…Washington is top Pac-10 school at 7th (3,089/8 matches)…WSU is 37th, averaging 1,146 fans in 13 home matches…UW match had 2,724 fans, 10th-best crowd in history and largest volleyball crowd since 1997.
ABC PINK CAMPAIGN & BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MATCH: For the eighth consecutive year, the Washington State University women’s volleyball team conducted the Attacking Breast Cancer (ABC) Pink Campaign Pledge Drive to raise fund for the Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse, known as the Bosom Buddies…players gathered pledges for WSU team kills landed during the home matches in the month of October…donors pledged an amount per kill or a flat amount…in Oct. 2009 home matches, WSU tallied 239 kills with sophomore Meagan Ganzer the team leader with 70 kills…the amount raised this year was over $2600, bringing the total to more than $11,405 donated to Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse and its educational programs.
TUNE IN FOR COUGAR VOLLEYBALL ON RADIO: Cougar volleyball fans can listen to all theroad contests during the 2009 season LIVE in the Palouse on KQQQ-AM radio (1150 on the AM dial)…veteran area broadcaster Steve Grubbs is the voice of Cougar volleyball for the fifth season...these road matches are also available for listening on the internet by purchasing a subscription through the Cougars All-Access button on the wsucougars.com website.
COUGAR VOLLEYBALL ON TELEVISION: The Pacific-10 Conference will once again have LIVE broadcasts of conference volleyball matches on the FOX Sports Network throughout the 2009 season…WSU is scheduled to have one match televised this season, the Nov. 21 match at Washington…ALSO, the Oct. 10 match at California was broadcast by Comcast SportsNet West in Northern California from Fresno to the Oregon border.
BORDELON PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AUG. 31-Sept. 7: Cougar senior Renee Bordelon (Coeur d’Alene) was named the Pacific-10 Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7, after earning MVP honors at Utah Valley Invite…led WSU to three sweeps, including an upset victory over Missouri, No. 17 Utah, and Utah Valley…WSU also defeated Weber State, 3-0 Monday evening…led the WSU offense to a combined .311 hitting percentage in the four victories, including a School Record .478 attack percentage in the win over Utah…for the week, Bordelon tallied 153 assists (12.75 assists per set), 11 kills and four service aces…in upset win over No. 17 Utah, registered 36 assists and five kills…this is the first weekly honor of Bordelon, WSU’s 20th Pac-10 Player of the Week and the first time a Cougar has been honored since Sept. 15, 2003 (Zanda Bautre).
HYDER BUILDS ON SCHOOL DIGS RECORD: Kelly Hyder (senior, Huntington Beach, Calif.) owns the WSU career digs record with 1,700 digs (116 matches, 391 sets, 4.35 digs per set average)…Hyder owns WSU single-season record with 565 digs during the 2006 season and her 2007 total of 524 digs is second-best in single-season standings…she is the seventh Cougar in school history to reach 1,000 digs in a career.
BUSH BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD FOR MATCH DIGS: Libero Oceana Bush (freshman, Spokane, Wash.) had a school record 39 digs in WSU’s 3-2 win over Arizona State Oct. 3 in Pullman…she wiped out the school record of 35 digs set by Jalen Pendon in 2005, ironically, also against Arizona State (Oct. 27, 2005 in Tempe)…the 5-5 Bush layed outside hitter on her state championship high school team, Lewis & Clark HS…she is averaging 5.04 dps in Pac-10 matches and 4.77 dps for the season.
CURRENT COUGARS CLIMBING INTO WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL RECORDS:
Career Kills
1. Sarah Silvernail (1993-96)
10. Jennifer Stinson (1995-98)
Jackie Albright (2006-09)
Career Digs
1. Kelly Hyder (2006-09)
2. Shannon Wyckoff (1994-97)
8. Carrie Couturier (188-91)
9. Jackie Albright (2006-09)
Career Assists
1. Keri Killebrew (1990-92)
7. Maureen Perez (2005-07)
8. Renee Bordelon (2008-09)
Career Solo Blocks
1. Carrie Couturier (1988-91)
9. Carrie Gilley (1990-93)
10. Cassie Robbins (2006-09)
Career Block Assists
1. Carrie Couturier (1988-91)
9. Carrie Gilley (1990-93)
10. Kelly Rosin (2003-06)
Cassie Robbins (2006-09)
Career Total Blocks
1. Carrie Couturier (1988-91)
9. Carrie Gilley (1990-93)
10. Cassie Robbins (2006-09)
Single Season Digs
1. Kelly Hyder (2006)
2. Kelly Hyder (2007)
3. Jalen Pendon (2005)
4. Kortney Jamtaas (2002)
5. Oceana Bush (2009)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):
Individual Overall Matches - rank in conference, WSU player (conf. leader)
Kills - no WSU player (Hana Cutura, California 5.14 kps)
Hitting Percentage - 9th Brittany Tillman .321 (Bianca Rowland, Washington .431)
Assists - 3rd Renee Bordelon 11.55 aps (Kendall Bateman, USC 12.23 aps)
Service Aces - no WSU player (Jill Collymore, Washington 0.52 saps)
Digs - 3rd Oceana Bush 4.77 dps, 10th Jackie Albright 3.15 dps (Gabi Ailes, Stanford 5.44 dps)
Blocks - 3rd Cassie Robbins 1.26 bps (Amanda Gil, UCLA 1.57 bps)
Points - no WSU player (Hana Cutura, California 5.64 pps)
TEAM STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):
Team Overall Matches (Leader)
Kills - WSU is 6th with 13.77 kps (USC 14.83 kps)
Hitting Percentage - WSU is 7th at .232 (Washington .286)
Opponent Hitting Pct - WSU is 8th at .215 (Washington .158)
Assists - WSU is 6th at 12.78 aps (USC 14.00 aps)
Service Aces - WSU is 10th at 0.69 saps (Washington 1.62 saps)
Digs - WSU is 2nd at 15.76 dps (UCLA 16.53 dps)
Blocks - WSU is 7th at 2.44 bps (Oregon State 2.90 bps)
CONFERENCE ONLY INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):
Individual Conference Matches - rank in conference, WSU player (conf. leader)
Kills - 10th Meagan Ganzer 3.42 kps (Rachel Rourke, Oregon State 5.26 kps)
Hitting Percentage - no WSU player (Bianca Rowland, Washington .383)
Assists - 5th Renee Bordelon 11.35 aps (Kendall Bateman, USC 12.67 aps)
Service Aces - no WSU player (Jill Collymore, Washington 0.48 saps)
Digs - 4th Oceana Bush 5.04 dps (Gabi Ailes, Stanford 6.23 dps)
Blocks - 5th Cassie Robbins 1.22 bps and 10th Brittany Tillman 1.02 bps (Amanda Gil, UCLA 1.67 bps)
Points - 9th Meagan Ganzer 3.75 pps (Rachel Rourke, Oregon State 5.79 pps)
CONFERENCE ONLY TEAM STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):
Team Conference Matches (Leader)
Kills - WSU is 8th with 13.18 kps (USC 14.91 kps)
Hitting Percentage - WSU is 8th at .197 (California .278)
Opponent Hitting Pct - WSU is 9th at .245 (UCLA .190)
Assists - WSU is 7th at 12.31 aps (USC 14.07 aps)
Service Aces - WSU is 10th at 0.58 saps (Washington 1.46 aps)
Digs - WSU is 6th at 15.75 dps (UCLA 17.70 dps)
Blocks - WSU is 6th at 2.54 bps (UCLA 2.90 bps)
MEET THE 2009 COUGARS:
#6 Annie Adams (OH, 6-3, Rs-SO, Crosby, Minn.) - Transferred from South Dakota State…2008 redshirt season…began 2009 season with right foot in boot after suffering a sprain in practice…played in 20 sets this season including starting at Arizona…played in 2 sets at Oregon 9/27 and had two block assists…also tallied 2 kills at No. 15 Cal…3 kills and 2 blocks at Arizona…2 kills, hit .400, 2 digs and 1 block vs. No. 13 Cal.
#2 Jackie Albright (OH, 6-1, SR, Lake Forest, Calif.) - 2009 tri-captain…named to Nike Cougar Invite all-tournament team…named to ESPN The Magazine Dist. VIII All-Academic first team with 3.56 GPA in civil engineering…second on team with 2.91 kps and with 3.15 dps - 10th-best in Pac-10…this season, 13 matches with double-digit kills, 17 matches with double-figure digs…third on team with 3.26 points per set average…career numbers are 920 kills (86 from 10th on career list), 954 digs (10th on career list and 35 digs from 9th), and 48 aces in 369 sets (113 matches).
#16 Renee Bordelon (S, 5-10, SR, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) - 2009 tri-captain…named MVP of Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite…named to Nike Cougar Invite all-tournament team…named Pac-10 Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7…had 5 kills and hit .833 vs. No. 17 Utah…career-high 12 digs vs. Idaho…12 service aces second team…3rd in Pac-10 and 14th nationally with 11.55 assists per set…two-year total assists in 1894, 8th on school assists career record list, 86 away from No. 7 spot…hitting .278, third-best on team, and contributed 40 blocks…has 12 matches where three or more hitters have double-figure kills.
#1 Oceana Bush (DS/L, 5-5, FR, Spokane, Wash.) - Named top libero at Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite…in first three matches of season played left front, defensive specialist and libero…set school record 39 digs in five-set match win over Arizona State 10/3 in Pullman…leads team and 3rd in Pac-10 with 4.77 digs per set…in 93 sets has landed 10 kills…double-digit digs in 24 of 26 matches this season with 9 digs in the other two matches…445 digs for the season is 5th in WSU single season rankings, just 25 away from 4th.
#3 Alex Diemer (S, 5-8, SO, Rocklin, Calif.) - Transferred from Boise State in January 2009…played in 15 sets to date with 17 assists…6 assists vs. Montana State…3 assists, 1 dig and 1 block at Weber State…seven digs at No. 6 UCLA.
#9 Meagan Ganzer (OH, 6-3, SO, Black Diamond, Wash.) - Missed 7 sets after injuring ankle in early practice but bounced back strong…leading hitter on team with 3.16 kps…leads team in Pac-10 matches with 3.42 kps (10th-best in Pac-10 only matches)…leads team with 3.47 pps…had career-high 20 kills vs. Arizona State…had 19 kills against No. 7 Oregon and hit .457 in match…hit career-high .517 against Missouri with 12 kills and 0 errors on 21 attacks…had 15 kills and hit .458 in 3-0 win over No. 16 USC.
#18 Liz Haskey (DS/L, 5-2, FR, Puyallup, Wash.) - Newcomer from Puyallup High…has played in 7 sets with total of 6 digs…3 digs vs. UC Davis.
#5 Faith Hutcherson (DS, 5-3, JR, Redmond, Wash.) - Comes off the bench to provide tough serves and play defensively…played in 73 sets with 81 digs and three aces…high of 9 digs vs. No. 18 Arizona
#8 Kelly Hyder (DS/L, 5-9, SR, Huntington Beach, Calif.) - 2009 tri-captain…school record-holder for single season digs (565 digs, 2006) and career digs (1,720 digs)…moved into defensive specialist role this season…3.05 dps average…vs. Idaho tallied 21 digs and equaled career-best of 3 aces…14 matches with double-digit digs this season.
#4 Silver Keck (DS, 5-5, JR, Clinton, Wash.) - Joined team in Spring 2009…previously played at Edmonds CC.
#19 Conley Kipp (MB, 6-4, FR, Newport Beach, Calif.) - High touted freshman middle blocker from Southern California…seen action in 5 sets with 3 kills to date…landed attack at No. 6 UCLA.
#12 Cassie Robbins (MB, 6-3, JR, Yakima, Wash.) - Named MVP of Nike Cougar Invite where she tallied 13 blocks (1.18 bps) and 29 kills (2.64 kps)…second on team .304 hitting percentage…blocks per set average of 1.26 leads team, third-best in Pac-10 and 35th in NCAA…second on team with 3.37 points per set…117 total blocks this season…tallied 16 kills and hit .464 vs. Cal State Northridge…vs. Idaho 11 kills and career-high 11 blocks…has hit below .300 in only 7 matches this season…career numbers include 651 kills, .240 hpct., 46 solo blocks (10th all-time WSU career list), 285 block assists (3 away from 10th on WSU career list), 331 total blocks (10th on WSU career list, 30 away from 9th) in 347 sets and 107 matches played.
#10 Kimika Rozier (OH, 5-10, SO, Murrieta, Calif.) - Played in 6 sets to date with 3 kills…left team in November.
#21 Brittany Tillman (MB, 6-1, JR, Tacoma, Wash.) - Named to Nike Cougar Invite and Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite all-tournament teams…leads team and 9th in Pac-10 with .321 hitting percentage…fourth on team with 2.44 kps…had career-high 17 kills, 19.0 points and hit .481 vs. Idaho…hit .533 against No. 17 Utah with 9 kills and one error in 15 attacks…vs. Gonzaga hit .632 (12-0-19) with 4 blocks…has 78 total blocks, second-best on team…landed seven blocks at No. 6 UCLA and next day at No. 17 USC.
#7 Rachel Todorovich (RS, 6-2, FR, Walla Walla, Wash.) - High school setter who has found a spot as a left-handed right side hitter…named to Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite all-tournament team…against No. 17 Utah had 9 kills, 0 errors on 16 attacks for .562 hitting percentage…same day had 12 kills, 1 error, 27 attacks for .407 hpct against Utah Valley…13 kills and 5 blocks vs. Idaho…contributed 12 kills and hit .450 at No. 7 Stanford…season totals 2.13 kps (fifth on team) and .230 hpct (fourth on team).
#14 Tangerine Wiggs (OH, 6-2, Rs-FR, Seattle, Wash.) - Coming off redshirt season…played in 8 sets with 8 kills and 2 blocks….landed three kills at No. 15 California 10/10 with no attack errors.
WASHINGTON STATE VOLLEYBALL 2009 SUPERLATIVES Season Highs [Career Highs]
#1 OCEANA BUSH, DS/L
Kills: 4 vs. Montana 8/29
H.Pct: .444 vs. Montana State 8/29
Aces: 2 vs. No. 16 USC 10/16
Digs: 39 vs. Arizona State 10/3 SR
Total Blocks: 1 vs. UC Davis 8/28
Points: 4.0 (twice)
#2 JACKIE ALBRIGHT, OH
Kills: 18 vs. UC Davis 8/28 &
vs. Oregon State 9/25
[19, 2007]
H.Pct: .429 vs. Portland 8/29
[.469, 2006 & 2007]
Aces: 2 vs. Utah 9/5 & vs. CSUN 9/11
[3, 2006 & 2007]
Digs: 22 vs. No. 4 UW 10/23 &
vs. No. 6 UCLA 11/13 [24, 2008]
Total Blocks: 4 vs. Gonzaga 9/15 &
vs. No. 7 Oregon 9/27
[4, 2007 & 2008]
Points: 19.5 vs. UC Davis 8/28
[20.0, 2007]
#3 ALEX DIEMER, S
Sets: 15
H.Pct: 0
Assists: 6 vs. Montana State 8.29
Aces: 0
Digs: 7 at No. 6 UCLA 11/13
Total Blocks: 1 vs. Weber State 9/7
Points: 1.0 at No. 6 UCLA 11/13
#5 FAITH HUTCHERSON, DS
Sets: 73
Aces: 1 (three times)
Digs: 9 vs. Arizona 10/2
#6 ANNIE ADAMS, OH
Sets: 20
Kills: 3 at No. 18 Arizona 10/31
Aces: 0
Digs: 2 vs. No. 5 Stanford 0/31 &
vs. No. 13 Cal 11/7
Total Blocks: 2 (three times)
Points: 4.5 at No. 18 Arizona 10/31
#7 RACHEL TODOROVICH, MB
Kills: 13 vs. Idaho 9/11
H.Pct: .562 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5 &
vs. Gonzaga 9/15
Aces: 1 (six times)
Digs: 7 (three times)
Total Blocks: 5 (three times)
Points: 15.5 vs. Idaho 9/11
#8 KELLY HYDER, DS/L
Sets: 92
Kills: 1 vs. Utah Valley 9/5
Aces: 3 vs. Idaho 9/11 [3, 2007]
Digs: 21 vs. Idaho 9/11 [34, 2006]
#9 MEAGAN GANZER, OH
Kills: 20 vs. Arizona State 10/3
H.Pct: .571 vs. Missouri 9/4
Aces: 0 [2, 2008]
Digs: 5 vs. Utah Valley 9/5
Total Blocks: 5 vs. No. 5 Stanford 11/6
Points: 20.5 vs. Arizona State 10/3
#10 KIMIKA ROZIER, OH
Sets: 6 [6]
Kills: 1 (twice) [1, 2008]
Aces: 0
Digs: 0 [1, 2008]
Total Blocks: 0 [1, 2008]
Points: 1.0 (twice) [1.0, 2008]
#12 CASSIE ROBBINS, MB
Kills: 16 vs. Cal St. Northridge 9/11
H.Pct: .571 at No. 17 USC 11/14
[.615, 2008]
Digs: 3 (three times)
Total Blocks: 11 vs. Idaho 9/11
Points: 20.0 vs. Arizona State 10/3
# 14 TANGERINE WIGGS, OH
Sets: 8
Kills: 3 vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10
Aces: 0
Digs: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29 &
vs. Gonzaga 9/15
Total Blocks: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29 vs. Cal State Northridge 9/11
Points: 3.0 vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10
#16 RENEE BORDELON, S
Kills: 5 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5 &
vs. Arizona State 10/3
[5, 2008]
H.Pct: .833 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5
Assists: 55 vs. Idaho 9/11
[64, 2008]
Aces: 2 (twice) [2, 2008]
Digs: 12 vs. Cal St. Northridge 9/12
Total Blocks: 5 vs. Idaho 9/11
Points: 7.0 vs. Arizona State 10/3
#18 LIZ HASKEY, DS
Sets: 7
Aces: 0
Digs: 3 vs. UC Davis 8/28
#19 CONLEY KIPP, MB
Sets: 5
Kills: 2 vs. Montana 8/29
H.Pct: .250 vs. Montana State 8/29
Aces: 0
Digs: 0
Total Blocks: 0
Points: 2.0 vs. Montana State 8/29
#21 BRITTANY TILLMAN, MB
Kills: 17 vs. Idaho 9/11
H.Pct: .632 vs. Gonzaga 9/15
Aces: 0
Digs: 3 vs. Utah Valley 9/5
[3, 2007]
Blocks: 9 vs. No. 7 Stanford 10/9
Points: 19.0 vs. Idaho 9/11
WSU TEAM HIGHS 2009
Kills: 69 vs. Arizona State 10/3
Pct. .478 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5
School Record
Assists: 64 vs. Arizona State 10/3
Aces: 6 vs. Missouri 9/4
Digs: 95 vs. Arizona State 10/3
Total Blocks: 15 vs. Idaho 9/11
Points: 83 vs. Idaho 9/11
OPPONENT TEAM HIGHS 2009
Kills: 70 No. 17 USC 11/14
H.Pct: .396 No. 15 California 10/10
Assists: 66 No. 17 USC 11/14
Aces: 8 Arizona State 10/3
Digs: 94 Arizona State
Total Blocks: 19 Idaho 9/11
Points: 86 Idaho 9/11 &
No. 7 Oregon 9/27
Kansas
Looks to Extend Win Streak, Travels to No. 8 Iowa State WednesdayFollowing two straight victories at home, including an upset over then-No. 21 Baylor in its last outing, the University of Kansas volleyball team hopes to continue its winning ways on Wednesday, Nov. 18 when it travels to No. 8 Iowa State to take on its second of three straight top 25 foes. KU’s contest with the Cyclones is slated for 6:30 p.m.
Free live stats as well as Iowa State’s video feed (for a fee) will be available on the KU Athletics website at www.KUAthletics.com.
Quick Hits
» The Jayhawks defeated No. 21 Baylor on Saturday for their first win versus a ranked opponent since 2007.
» Senior Katie Martincich became the 11th Jayhawk in program history to record 1,000 career digs following Saturday’s match with the Bears.
» Kansas has its most victories and Big 12 wins since 2005 when the Jayhawks recorded 15 victories and had seven conference wins. 2005 was also the last time KU earned a postseason bid to the NCAA Tournament.
» KU is 3-1 in its last four road matches.
» Defeating K-State on Nov. 11 gave Kansas its first series sweep over KSU since 1993.
About Kansas
Kansas is coming off its first win versus at top 25 foe since 2007 and riding a two-match win streak heading into Wednesday’s contest. At 15-11 overall and 7-9 in Big 12 action, Kansas is led by the offensive duo of sophomore Allison Mayfield and junior Karina Garlington. The pair rank fourth and sixth in the conference with 3.67 kps and 3.45 kps, respectively. Senior Brittany Williams has also been productive for the KU offense in league matches hitting a team-best .293, 10th in the Big 12. Sophomore Nicole Tate continues to guide the offense as her 11.02 aps rank third in the league. In the back court, junior Melissa Manda is tops on the team with 3.85 dps. In the last six outings, Manda has received defensive support from senior Melissa Grieb. Grieb leads the Jayhawks averaging 4.90 dps over the last five matches.
Time Change
The Kansas volleyball match scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21 versus No. 9 Nebraska has been moved to a 3 p.m. start time. The match was originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. but was pushed up so as not to interfere with the KU-Texas football game being played that evening at 7 p.m.
Up Next
The Jayhawks play their third consecutive ranked foe on Saturday, Nov. 21 when they host No. 9 Nebraska at 3 p.m. Kansas will then hold its last home match of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 24 versus Texas Tech. That match, also scheduled for 6:30 p.m., will be the final contest in the Horejsi Family Athletics Center for seniors Melissa Grieb, Katie Martincich, Paige Mazour and Brittany Williams.
-Go Jayhawks!-
Up Next In Lobo Volleyball
Match 28
at TCU • Nov. 20 • 6 p.m. (mt)
University Recreation Center • Fort Worth, Texas
Tape Delayed on The Mtn at 7:30 p.m.
This Week ... The Lobos (19-8, 10-5 MWC) take a single-match trip to Fort Worth, Texas to play TCU on Friday night at the University Recreation Center. The match will be televised for a tape delay broadcast on The Mtn. at 7:30 p.m. (MT). It is the final MWC match of the season for UNM.
If You Can’t Make It To Texas ... Fans can follow along on the internet at GoLobos.com with Gametracker. Assistant media relations director Judy Willson will twitter during the match atwww.twitter.com/jwillson10 (Tweets may be reduced since there is a cutoff for too many during one time frame; sorry for missing the UNLV fifth set due to tweet limits). Chuck LaMendola and Sydney Ackerly will call the broadcast for the TCU student broadcast production that will be delayed on The Mtn.
Next Week ... The Lobos play one last regular season match on Friday, Nov. 27 at the University of New Orleans. With a possible NCAA at-large bid on the line, fans can watch the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. (MT) on ESPNews.
QUICK HITS
• Lobos Among Tops In Attendance ... New Mexico is currently ranked 24th in the nation with a final 2009 home attendance average of 1,677 fans this season. It is the only time that the Lobos have had over 1,000 fans at every match during a single season. The 1996 team started the season with seven consecutive matches over 1,000. The Lobos’ season-high for 2009 was 2,613 vs. BYU on Nov. 7, the final home match of the regular season. MWC member Colorado State is ranked 19th overall with an average of 1,819 fans per match. Rankings are updated on Monday mornings, courtesy of Diane Nordstrom at the University of Wisconsin Athletics Communications Office.
• Official NCAA RPI ... New Mexico is currently ranked 37th in the nation in the NCAA’s official RPI, as of Monday, Nov. 16. The Lobos have the second-highest RPI ranking in the Mountain West Conference behind Colorado State (16). TCU is currently ranked 44th.
• Okay, We’re One Away ... The next win for the Lobos will mark a couple of milestones. The first ... it will be head coach Jeff Nelson’s 300th coaching victory in the college ranks, his 58th at UNM. Win No. 299 was an interesting 3-2 victory at UNLV on Nov. 12. The second milestone ... it will be the first time the Lobo volleyball program has posted consecutive 20-win seasons since 1991. From 1988-91, UNM had four consecutive 20-win seasons – 1988 (25-5), 1989 (22-5), 1990 (22-7), 1991 (23-6).
About New Mexico (19-8, 10-5 MWC) ... UNM went 5-0 on breast cancer awareness nights during the 2009 season, 4-0 when wearing the new pink Nike jerseys. UNM hosted Utah on Nov. 5 for the Lobos’ Think Pink Night in conjunction with UNM Hospital and the UNM Cancer Center. The Lobos won three big road matches wearing their new pink Nike jerseys on opponents’ breast cancer awareness matches - at Utah, at New Mexico State and at Air Force - and one without the jerseys at UNLV ... Another losing streak came to an end on Oct. 13 as the Lobos beat New Mexico State, 3-0 in Las Cruces, 10-match overall and 8-match road losing streaks ... The Lobos beat Utah, 3-1, on Saturday, Oct. 10, the first win for UNM on Crimson Court since 1996 and with the home win on Nov. 5, swept the home-and-home series for the first time since 1996 ... UNM picked up its first MWC win of the season at Wyoming on Sept. 26 (3-1) and won three straight after an 0-2 start ... Senior Rose Morris made her return to the court after a finger injury on Oct. 3 against Air Force with 11 kills over two sets. Morris missed seven matches, during which the Lobos were 3-4 ... Junior Taylor Hadfield leads the team with 2.77 kills per set, one of five players with 2.16 or more kps on the season ... Junior Jade Michaelsen leads UNM in assists with 10.28 per set ... Junior Lisa Meeter has the most service aces this season with 29 ... On defense, sophomore Allison Buck leads the Lobos with a 4.04 digs per set average, while senior Anna Lehne and sophomore Ashley Rhoades lead UNM in blocking with 1.11 and 1.06 per set, respectively ... UNM placed third at the Arizona Invitational. Jade Michaelsen was named to the all-tournament team ... UNM finishes second at the 2009 Comcast Lobo Challenge to Baylor. Michaelsen and Morris were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 Nike Portland Invitational with wins over American and Portland. Michaelsen was named MVP of the tournament, while Meeter and Buck were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 MCM Elegante Lobo Classic to begin the season. It is the third season in a row the Lobos have started the season 3-0 and won the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. Lehne was named the tournament MVP, and joined by Michaelsen and Buck on the all-tournament team ... The Lobos were picked third in the 2009 Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll, the same place they finished the 2008 season. The big difference this season is UNM earned three first-place votes from the voting panel of coaches and media ... Junior setter Jade Michaelsen was named MWC Preseason Co-Player of the Year by the same voting group ... Michaelsen and Morris are the team captains for 2009.
About TCU (23-6, 12-3 MWC; UNM leads the series 7-4) ... TCU and New Mexico have a lot on the line Friday night as the two teams battle for at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. TCU won the early season meeting, 3-1, in Albuquerque on Sept. 16. It was the first match of seven that Lobo team captain Rose Morris missed with a finger injury. It was also the first time the Horned Frogs had won in Albuquerque in six tries. TCU is led by five-time MWC Player of the Week Kourtney Edwards, a senior middle blocker. Edwards leads the MWC in attack percentage at .374 and is fifth in kills with 3.30 per set. She also sneaks in at 10th in blocks per set with 1.05, which combined with her kills places her fourth on the league points list.
Current RPI rankings ... The official NCAA RPI rankings have the Lobos are sitting at 37, second among MWC schools. RichKern.com releases its RKPI rankings on Monday nights. The unofficial RPI rankings, that are close to the NCAA’s system, has the Lobos ranked 36 and the Lobos’ Pablo ranking is 43. The Lobos ended the 2008 season ranked 66th in the NCAA RPI report.
Setting Records ... Junior setter Jade Michaelsen has moved into the Top 5 on the UNM career assists list. Michaelsen cracked the Top 10 on the UNM career assists list during the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. Michaelsen, from Tucson, Ariz., took over fifth place on the list in the first set of the Utah match on Nov. 5, passing Monica Meihack (2,840; 2002-04) and former Lobo All-American Karen Saavedra-Warnock (2,845; 1985-88). Moving into fourth place will take 188 assists to pass Jocelyn Funk (3,153; 1983-86). She needs 34 to reach the 3,000 career assist mark.
UNM Career Assists
1. Janelle Torres 3,794 1996-99
2. Alicia Bergmann 3,283 1992-95
3. Sharon Browning 3,214 1989-92
4. Jocelyn Funk 3,153 1983-86
5. Jade Michaelsen 2,966 2007-present
6. Karen Saavedra-Warnock 2,845 1985-88
7. Monica Meihack 2,840 2002-04
8. Sarah Kwasigroch 2,634 2005-09
9. Gretchen Gegenfurtner 2,193 1993-96
10. Kelly Griffin 2,096 1999-01
Lisa Is Aces ... For the second time in three seasons, Lisa Meeter is leading the team in services aces. The junior from Colorado Springs, Colo. currently has 29 on the season and 83 for her UNM career. As a freshman, Meeter recorded 38 aces during the 2007 season, tying for eighth on the UNM Top 10 season aces list. She is 12 aces away from cracking the UNM Top 10 career aces list.
Winning Ways ... In 2008, New Mexico’s 22 overall wins were the highest total by a Lobo team since 1991. UNM finished the season 11-5 in MWC action, the most conference wins by the Lobos since the MWC formed in 1999 and most in any conference since 1996.
UNM Most Overall Wins
1. 1983 28
2. 1981 26
3. 1988 25
4. 1991 23
5. 2008 22
1990 22
1989 22
8. 1982 21
9. 1994 20
10. 2009 19
UNM Most Conference Wins
1. 1996 13
2. 1991 12
3. 2008 11
4. 1988 10
2009 10
6. 1994 9
1989 9
8. 1993 8
1981 8
10. 2007 7
1992 7
1990 7
GAME CENTER: GAME 29
MEDIA INFORMATION
Date: Sat., Nov. 18, 2009
Start Time: 7 p.m. CST
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Arena: Nebraska Coliseum (4,030)
Television: NET TV
Internet Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Talent: Todd Zeidler (pxp)
Series: Nebraska leads series, 28-0
Last BU Win: n/a
Last NU Win: Oct. 14, 2009, 3-0
Live Stats: www.BaylorBears.com
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS
• Husker head coach John Cook entered 2009 with a 281-19 career record at Nebraska, including two national championships and five Final Four appearances in his first nine seasons.
• Four Huskers have racked up at least 200 kills, lead by 263 by freshman Hannah Werth and 255 by Tara Mueller. Lindsey Licht has 244, while Brooke Delano has 203 kills.
• Junior setter Sydney Anderson sets the offense, averaging 11.26 assists per set.
• On defense, Nebraska is led by libero Kayla Banwarth, who is one of four Huskers averaging at least 2.49 digs per set, with 4.71 per set. Werth is next at 2.90, Andersion is averaging 2.51, and Mueller is at 2.49.
• Middle blockers Brooke Delano and Lindsey Licht provide a formidable blocking duo at the net for NU, averaging 1.18 and 1.04 blocks per set.
• The Husker defense has held opponents to similar numbers as BU, with a .159 hitting percentage and 10.96 k/s.
LAST TIME AGAINST NEBRASKA
After losing a narrow first set, No. 19 Baylor couldn't recover against seventh-ranked Nebraska in a Husker sweep (28-26, 25-17, 25-17) inside the Ferrell Center. The Bears took the Huskers to the brink of the first set having set-point on three separate occasions, but were unable to close out. From that point, NU controlled the match, with Baylor's last lead coming at 8-7 in the second set.
On offense, the Huskers racked up 53 kills to just 36 for Baylor, including three in double digits. Baylor hit just .169 in the match, compared to .320 for Nebraska. Husker freshman Hannah Werth had a match-high 13, while Kori Cooper and Brooke Delano each had 10. Senior Katie Sanderswas the only Bear in double-digit kills with 12, while adding 10 digs for her 10th double-double of the season.
On defense, Allison King joined Sanders in double figures in digs with a team-high 15. Caitlyn Trice added 10. The Huskers out-dug Baylor 56-46, led by a match-high 22 from Kayla Banwarth.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite a triple-double by setter Taylor Barnes, No. 21 Baylor couldn't find its stride in a 3-1 loss (18-25, 25-19, 20-25, 20-25) to the University of Kansas at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center in Lawrence, Kan. The Baylor attack struggled through the first set, but pieced together the offense in the second set for their only win of the day, then reverted in sets three and four as KU got theirs rolling.
Barnes had 40 assists and 10 kills to go along with 12 digs on defense to lead the Bears. Senior Katie Sanders and freshman Torri Campbell each had a team-high 12 kills on the match, but Baylor hit just .176 (51-24-153) on the match, compared to KU's .252 (60-21-155).
On the other side, the Jayhawks were led by Karina Garlington's match-high 19 kills and Allison Mayfield's 16 kills. Libero Melissa Grieb had 19 digs and setter Nicole Tate had 16 digs to go along with her 45 assists.
UCLA Women's Volleyball
Friday, Nov. 20
#7 UCLA at Oregon State 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21
#7 UCLA at #18 Oregon 7 p.m.
Gametracker and free video (Friday) and live stats (Saturday) on UCLABruins.com
