IRVING, Texas - All eight teams for the 2009 Conference USA Volleyball Championship field is set, as well as the No. 1 seed to Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles also have earned at least a share of the regular season title and enters the week with an opportunity to clinch the crown outright on Friday. Southern Miss will host UCF in its final regular season home match at 7 p.m. The conference crown is a first since the sports inception in 1979 and the team's 25 overall and 13 C-USA wins on the season is a program best.
The tournament field is set but seeding for the 2009 C-USA Volleyball Championship remains up in the air with one weekend of matches to play. Championship week is set for Nov. 20-22 inside Tudor Fieldhouse. The three day event will be hosted by Rice University in Houston, Texas.
CBS College Sports will air a pair of Conference USA volleyball matches this week. On Tuesday, Nov. 10, volleyball fans can watch Memphis battle East Carolina in Greenville, N.C., at 6 p.m. CT.
A day later, tune into the Houston at Tulane on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT.
Jason Knapp and Anne Marie Anderson will be calling all the action for CBS C. Check your local listings for channel information and times.
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION: Rice will serve as host to the 2009 Conference USA Volleyball Championship starting Nov. 20. The three-day event will be hosted inside Tudor Fieldhouse and will feature the league's top eight teams. An All-Session pass, which includes seven matches, is $15 for adults and $10 for youth. Single session ticket prices are $8 for adults and $4 for youth and groups. FREE admission to all C-USA members with a valid university ID. Sunday's championship match (Nov. 22) will be televised live on CBS College Sports at 1 p.m.
UPCOMING MATCHES (All times Central)
Thu., Nov. 12
Houston at Rice 7 p.m.
SMU at Tulsa 7 p.m.
Marshall at UAB 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 13
UCF at Southern Miss 7 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 14
Marshall at East Carolina 11 a.m.
UTEP at Tulane 1 p.m.
Tulsa at SMU 7 p.m.
Memphis at UAB 7 p.m.
Nov. 20-22
2009 C-USA Volleyball Championship (Houston, Texas)
This Week in Pac-10 Women's Volleyball
WITH THREE WEEKS REMAINING IN PAC-10 PLAY, RACE TIGHTENS
WASHINGTON, UCLA TO BATTLE ON FSN WITH FIRST PLACE ON THE LINE
The league race gets interesting, and for the first time in Pac-10 history the Conference champion will have at least three losses. In 23 years of Pac-10 play, there have been eight undefeated champions, 12 one-loss champions (including one co-championship), and five two-loss champions (including one co-championship)... For the fourth time this season, eight Pac-10 teams are ranked among the AVCA Top 25, and it’s the 10th straight week with at least seven teams ranked - No. 4 WASHINGTON, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 STANFORD, No. 12 CALIFORNIA, No. 16 OREGON, No. 17 USC, No. 18 ARIZONA, and tNo. 25 WASHINGTON STATE. Also receiving votes was OREGON STATE (No. 39)... This week’s FSN televised match features No. 4 Washington at No. 6 UCLA with the lead in the Conference race at stake.
PAC-10 NOTES
• Around the League... ARIZONA sophomore MB Courtney Karst excelled in the win at No. 14 Oregon as she hit .483 with a career-high 16 kills (4.00 kps) and a pair of blocks. Junior OHTiffany Owens continued her consistent play with 17 kills/15 digs at Oregon and 17 kills/17 digs at Oregon State. She now has 13 double-doubles on the season, and five in a row... ARIZONA STATE won its first road match in league play this season with a four-set win at Oregon State. Senior OH Paige Mittelstaedt posted 10 block assists in the win - the second time this season she has posted 10 blocks in a match. The win also provided coach Jason Watson with his 100th career victory... After opening league play 1-3, CALIFORNIA has climbed back into the Conference race by winning six of its last seven matches. With a career-high 33 kills in the win at Washington, senior OH Hana Cutura has now claimed the top spot for career kills (1,825) in school history... OREGON freshman L Kellie Kawasaki has tallied 54 digs over the last four matches (4.91 dps) and has moved into the top ten in conference only matches, where she’s eighth with 3.65 dps... In the upset win over No. 18 Arizona, OREGON STATE senior OH Rachel Rourke recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 31 kills and 12 digs. Freshman S Megan McBride saw her most extensive playing time of the season as she posted 38 assists and seven kills in leading the Beavers to a .299 hitting percentage against Arizona. She had a total of 37 assists and four kills for the entire season before entering the Arizona match... STANFORD junior L Gabi Ailes averaged 9.00 digs per set over the weekend. She totaled 29 digs in the loss to No. 4 Washington on Friday, moving her into second place on Stanford’s career digs list. She is 65 digs away from breaking the single-season digs record at Stanford, which she set her freshman season with 533 digs in 2007... UCLA posted its ninth victory in league play with its win over USC last Friday, assuring the Bruins of finishing at least .500 in Pac-10 play. UCLA has never had a losing record in 24 seasons of Conference play. Sophomore MB Amanda Gil hit an impressive .560 to tally 16 kills and posted seven blocks in the five-set win at USC. Gil leads the nation in blocks at 1.60 bps.. USC will need to win five of its final six matches to avoid its first losing season in Pac-10 play since the league’s inaugural season in 1986. It will help that the Women of Troy will finish Conference play with four of its last six matches at Galen Center where they are 9-2 this season... With 3,650 assists for her career, WASHINGTON junior S Jenna Hagglund needs 58 assists to move into second on the school’s all-time list. Junior OH Kindra Carlson has led the team in kills in each of the last four matches, posting a total of 80 kills (5.33 kps)... WASHINGTON STATE senior MB Cassie Robbins picked up 11 blocks over the weekend to move into the top ten on WSU’s all-time total blocks list with 323. She’s third in the Pac-10, averaging 1.28 bps.
Southland Volleyball Weekly Release - Central Arkansas Wins First Southland Regular Season Title
Central Arkansas has won nine consecutive and 24 of its last 25 matches to claim its first Southland regular season title.
UCA recorded its league-leading 16th shutout win of the season with consecutive sweeps over McNeese State and Stephen F. Austin.
The Sugar Bears are the only unbeaten team in conference play with a 14-0 mark against league opponents marking the best start by the Sugar Bears as a member of the Southland. If undefeated at season's end UCA will join Stephen F. Austin, UT Arlington and Texas State as the only Southland programs to go undefeated.
During conference play the Sugar Bears have outscored league members by a combined 42-11 with six sweeps.
Senior Evaree Franklin ranks third in hitting percentage (.342) and junior Chloe Smith leads the league with 229 kills and in kills per set with 4.32.
Senior Robyn Smith leads the conference with 599 assists and with 11.30 per set in league play. Sophomore Cristin Curl ranks second with 252 digs and 4.75 per set.
Against conference opponents, UCA ranks second with a .240 team hitting percentage, first in assists per set (12.28) and second overall with 651.
Robyn Smith on Verge of Southland Record
Central Arkansas senior Robyn Smith is the current league leader in assists with 1,057 overall and in per set at 11.37. She is now the new school career-leader with 5,071 career assists and is one of 11 players in league history with over 5,000 career assists.
Smith has led the Southland in assists in each of the last two seasons with 1,387 (12.50) in 2007 and 1,255 (11.11) in 2008, receiving setter of the year honors last season.
If Smith continues on her current pace she will be the first player in Southland history to lead the league in assists for three consecutive seasons.
Carli Kolbe Leads Southland With 17 Double-doubles
Sam Houston State sophomore Carli Kolbe leads the Southland with 17 double-doubles. The league's current kills leader (408), Kolbe has recorded a double-double against 13 different opponents this season with two coming against Lamar, McNeese State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in conference play. In those 17 matches, Kolbe has 26943 kills and 223 digs for a 15.82 kills and 13.11 digs average. Kolbe's 28 kills vs. Texas State are the most by a player in a conference match this season.
Adrianne Meengs Records Third Triple-Double
Lamar senior setter Adrianne Meengs leads the Southland with three triple-doubles and is one of just seven players in NCAA Division I with three or more triple-doubles this season.
A native of Friendswood, Texas, two of three triple-doubles this season have come against league opponents.
Meengs leads the Lady Cardinals in assists (811) and ranks sixth overall in the conference and fourth in assists per set (8.82). Her .282 hitting percentage ranks eighth in the Southland.
Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Report - Nov. 9
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee State* - 6:00 p.m.
Southeast Missouri at Murray State* - 7:00 p.m.
SIU Edwardsville at UMKC - 7:00 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13
Jacksonville State at Eastern Kentucky* - 6:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
Tennessee Tech at Morehead State* - 6:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
UT Martin at Austin Peay* - 7:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
Murray State at Tennessee State* - 7:00 p.m.
Southeast Missouri at Eastern Illinois* - 7:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14
UT Martin at Tennessee State* - 1:00 p.m.
Murray State at Austin Peay* - 2:00 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Eastern Kentucky* - 3:00 p.m.
Jacksonville State at Morehead State* - 4:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
SIU Edwardsville at Eastern Illinois* - 7:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
* - OVC Games
ALL TIMES CENTRAL
2009 OVC Players of the Week - November 9
Offensive:
Logan Su, OH, So., 6'1
A La Shan Zuo Qi, Inner Mongolia, China - Murray State
Su hit .488 for the week with just one error in five of Murray State's six sets. She also added three digs and four blocks. Su recorded a season-best 17 kills against UT Martin and hit a career-high .607, marking the best hitting percentage for a Racer with 25 or more attempts.
Defensive:
Katie Kenline, L, Sr., 5'8
Ossian, Ind. - Tennessee Tech
Kenline led all players in digs in both matches last week. She had 19 digs in three sets against Tennessee State and 30 digs in four sets against Austin Peay. She extended her streak with 10 or more digs to 23 matches. Kenline did not commit a reception error in 52 attempts.
Setter:
Jade Guo, S, So., 5'11
DaTong, Shanxi, China - Murray State
Guo helped pace the team to the two best single match hitting percentages of the season and a .408 mark in two matches. Murray State hit .396 against UT Martin and .421 versus SIU Edwardsville. The .421 mark was the fifth-best team hitting percentage in a three-match set at home for the Racers. Guo dished out 81 assists over the two matches.
2009 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Team Notes
Austin Peay (13-3 OVC; 20-8 overall): Austin Peay fell to Lipscomb (13-25, 21-25, 21-25) and Jacksonville State (25-21, 25-11, 26-28, 16-25, 13-15) before defeating Tennessee Tech (26-24, 21-25, 25-20, 27-25). With the win at Tech, the Lady Govs clinched the second seed in the upcoming OVC Tournament. It marks the best finish for APSU since winning the regular-season corwn in 1992. Senior Stephanie Champine ran her double-digit kill streak to 24 matches. She picked up 13 versus Lipscomb, 16 against Jacksonville State and 20 versus Tennessee Tech. Junior Jessica Mollman and sophomore Ilyanna Hernandez each had 27 kills over the three matches. Austin Peay closes out the regular-season with contests against UT Martin on Friday and Murray State on Saturday. The match with the Skyhawks can be seen on OVCSports.TV.
Eastern Illinois (3-12 OVC; 10-18 overall): Eastern Illinois' two contest last week were postponed after the death of assistant women's basketball coach Jackie Moore. The Panthers will return to action this week as they host Southeast Missouri on Friday and SIU Edwardsville on Saturday. Both matches can be seen on OVCSports.TV.
Eastern Kentucky ( 5-9 OVC; 6-18 overall): Eastern Kentucky fell to Southeast Missouri (15-25, 25-19, 14-25, 22-25) in its only match of the week. The Colonels contest with EKU was postponed. Lindsey Loescher led the team with a match-best 18 kills. She added a .312 attack percentage and nine digs in the match. Amanda Fago posted 11 kills while Kate Hendle tallied a double-double with 39 assists and 19 digs. Lauren Snyder posted nine kills and 14 digs as Abby O'Connor had 19 digs. Eastern Kentucky will travel to Tennessee State on Tuesday before returning home to host Jacksonville State on Friday and Tennessee Tech on Saturday. The match with Jacksonville State can be seen on OVCSports.TV.
Jacksonville State (16-0 OVC; 23-5 overall): Jacksonville State defeated Austin Peay (21-25, 11-25, 28-26, 25-16, 15-13) and Tennessee State (25-28, 25-15, 32-34, 25-18) to clinch the regular-season title and the right to host the OVC Tournament. Freshman Jen Meyer tallied 16 kills in the come-from-behind win over Austin Peay. She finished the week with 25 kills on 45 attempts for a .467 hitting percentage. Sophomore Lauren Harkins tallied 47 digs over the two matches to run her digs total to 544 for the season, which set a new school-single season mark. She also became the eighth player in JSU history to tally 1,000 digs in her career. JSU will travel to Eastern Kentucky on Friday and Morehead State on Saturday. Both matches can be seen on OVCSports.TV.
Morehead State (10-5 OVC; 18-9 overall): Morehead State fell to Southeast Missouri (18-25, 25-21, 25-18, 18-25, 11-15). The Eagles' match with EIU was cancelled. Junior Kaitlin Craven and freshman Ellie Roberson led the Eagles with 18 kills each while senior Kristina Schoo had 19 digs. Morehead State hit over .300 in sets two and three - both wins - but was limited to less than .100 effort in the three sets it dropped. The Eagles host Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State this weekend to conclude the regular-season. Morehead State is looking to secure its fourth straight 20-win season. The matches with Tech and JSU can be seen on OVCSports.TV.
Murray State (9-6 OVC; 10-16 overall): Murray State defeated UT Martin (25-20, 25-17, 27-25) and SIU Edwardsville (25-15, 25-19, 25-20) last week. Sophomore Logan Su committed just one error last week while tallying 22 kills for a .488 hitting percentage. She also added three digs and four blocks over the two matches. Sophomore Kayleah Sauer tallied 20 digs in the match with UT Martin and has now recorded double-digit digs in 25 straight matches this season. Sauer is now just 14 digs away from 1,000 in her career. Sophomore Jade Guo helped pace the team to the two best single-match hitting percentages of the season for a .408 combined mark. She dished out 81 assists over the two matches. Murray State will host Southeast Missouri on Tuesday before traveling to Tennessee State on Friday and Austin Peay on Saturday.
Southeast Missouri (8-8 OVC; 13-15 overall): Southeast Missouri picked up wins over SIU Edwardsville (25-18, 25-14, 22-25, 25-20), Morehead State (25-18, 21-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-11) and Eastern Kentucky (25-15, 19-25, 25-14, 25-22). Senior Karleigh DeLong recorded a pair of double-doubles last week to give her 10 on the season. She averaged 2.69 kills and 3.08 digs per set over the three matches. Freshman Emily Maher tallied six digs and 12 blocks to go with 1.31 kills per set last week. Senior Sarah Barth dished out 117 assists last week. She also averaged 3.15 digs per set. Barth recorded a pair of double-doubles to give her five for the season. Molly Davis led the team with 3.55 digs per set. Southeast Missouri will travel to Murray State on Tuesday and Eastern Illinois on Friday. The match with EIU can be seen on OVCSports.TV.
SIU Edwardsville ( 1-26 overall): SIU Edwardsville dropped matches to Southeast Missouri (18-25, 14-25, 25-22, 20-25), UT Martin (19-25, 25-23, 28-26, 23-25, 12-15) and Murray State (15-25, 19-25, 20-25) last week. Karie Downing tallied 29 kills over three matches, including 15 versus UT Martin. Sammi Minton led the defense with 52 digs, posting a pair of 20-dig performance against UT Martin and Southeast Missouri. The Cougars will travel to UMKC on Tuesday and Eastern Illinois on Saturday. The match with EIU can be seen on OVCSports.TV.
Tennessee State (2-13 OVC; 3-24 overall): Tennessee State fell to Tennessee Tech (23-25, 17-25, 15-25) and Jacksonville State (18-25, 15-25, 34-32, 18-25). Freshman Naomi Wells posted double-digit kills in both matches to finish with 29 on the week. Junior Kamille King led the team in digs last week. She posted 10-plus digs for the 10th time this season with 21 against Jacksonville State. Senior Yamri Padilla-Collazo dished out 60 assists over the two matches, including posting a double-double of 32 assists and 13 digs against JSU. Tennessee State will host Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday, Murray State on Friday and UT Martin on Saturday.
Tennessee Tech (9-7 OVC; 10-15 overall): Tennessee Tech defeated Tennessee State (25-23, 25-17, 25-15) and fell to Austin Peay (24-26, 25-21, 20-25, 25-27). Junior Leah Meffert recorded a double-double in each match to finish the week with 28 kills and 26 digs to become the ninth player in Tech history to record 1,000 digs and 1,000 kills in a career. She also posted two service aces and five blocks. Senior Katie Kenline recorded 49 digs, including 30 digs versus Austin Peay. Junior Melanie Culp dished out 43 assists against Tennessee State and followed that up with 37 in the match with Austin Peay. Tennessee Tech will travel to Morehead State on Friday and Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. The match with Morehead State can be seen on OVCSports.TV.
UT Martin (2-14 OVC; 8-19 overall): UT Martin fell to Murray State (25-20, 25-17, 27-25) before defeating SIU Edwardsville (25-19, 23-25, 26-28, 25-23, 15-12). Junior Lauren Montague led the Skyhawk offense with 35 kills on 77 attempts for a .273 hitting percentage. Against SIU Edwardsville, Montague posted 26 kills and a .400 attack percentage to tie a single-match record for kills. Freshman Kasey Elswick recorded 11 digs versus Murray State and followed that up with a team-leading 23 versus SIUE. Sophomore Jenna Miller dished out 43 assists for the Skyhawks on the weekend. UT Martin will travel to Austin Peay on Friday and Tennessee State on Saturday. The match with the Lady Govs can be seen on OVCSports.TV.
OVC News and Notes
OVCSPORTS.TV: All home matches for Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin will be available on OVCSports.TV. Other select matches will also be web streamed throughout the season. Volleyball packages are available for $24.95 which includes all matches that are streamed and the OVC Championship. For more information and to sign up visit www.ovcsports.com.
Weekly Volleyball Notebook: Two Weeks Remaining, Three Spots Up for Grabs in MVC Tournament
With just two conference weekends remaining, positions and seeding for the 2009 State Farm MVC Volleyball Championship are still to be determined as three teams have secured spots in the tournament with five teams alive for the final three slots. UNI (14-0 MVC), Wichita State (11-3 MVC) and Missouri State (11-3 MVC) have already punched their tickets to the MVC Championship, while Drake (7-7 MVC), Creighton (7-7 MVC), Southern Illinois (7-8 MVC), Evansville (6-9 MVC) and Illinois State (6-9 MVC) will duke it out in the final two weeks for entrance into the league's championship event.
On the conference calendar this weekend, the top three teams will square off as No. 22 UNI will hit the road to take on Missouri State and Wichita State. Four other matches take place between teams vying for tournament positions, as Creighton and Drake welcome Evansville and Southern Illinois.
In this week's AVCA Coaches' Poll, UNI moves up three spots to the No. 22 position after collecting league wins over Illinois State and Indiana State last weekend, improving its Valley record to a perfect 14-0 (24-2 overall) on the season. .
This week, just two matches line the non-conference slate, as Drake makes the trip to Vermillion, S.D., to take on South Dakota, Monday, Nov. 9, while Creighton welcomes No. 20 Saint Louis to Omaha on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
This week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week is UNI's Bre Payton, the Defensive Player of the Week is Allie Oelke of Creighton and the Freshman of the Week is UNI's Amy Braun.
VALLEY NEWS & NOTES:
Three Tickets Scanned In
Weekend victories by Missouri State, UNI and Wichita State ensured their spots at the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship, Nov. 26-28, in Omaha, Neb. UNI can lock up the No. 1 position and sole possession of the MVC regular-season title with just two more wins in its final four matches. If the Panthers can secure the No. 1 seed, Missouri State and Wichita State will battle for the second and third seeds, while Creighton, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State and Southern Illinois are in a dogfight for the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds.
Familiar Faces
Earning their spot at the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship, current league-leader UNI will play in the conference championship for the 26th time in 28 opportunities. Missouri State will participate in the championship for the 25th time in school history. Wichita State will also make a seventh-straight trip to the championship.
Complete release attached as a PDF and also available online at: http://www.mvc-sports.com/
NEC Volleyball Homepage:
NEC Player of the Week
Martina Racic, Long Island
Sr., MB, Pula Croatia/School of Arts
Racic averaged 3.86 kills and 3.14 digs per set as the Blackbirds won two more matches to extend their winning streak to eight and stay unbeaten in Northeast Conference action at 14-0. In a 3-1 win at Saint Francis (PA), Racic tallied 18 kills, adding 14 digs, five blocks and two aces while hitting .342. She hit .222 in a sweep at Robert Morris, notching nine kills, eight digs, four blocks and an ace. For the week, she totaled 27 kills, 22 digs, nine blocks and three aces while hitting .292. Racic was also selected as the NEC Volleyball Player of the Week two weeks ago. This honor marks the fourth for a Blackbird in five weeks.
NEC Rookie of the Week
Emily Cochran, Central Connecticut State
Fr., OH, Adel, IA/Adel-Desoto-Minburn
Cochran led CCSU with 19 kills and 18 digs in an important 3-1 win over Sacred Heart on Friday. The freshman also recorded a team-high 14 digs in the Blue Devils' sweep of FDU on Saturday, leading to a 2-0 week for Central and a 10-3 Northeast Conference record. The Adel, IA native finished with 3.57 kills and 4.57 digs per set on the week and recorded a hitting percentage of .222. This NEC Volleyball Rookie of the Week accolade is the third for the outside hitter this season.
Around The League:
NEC Tournament Time: With still one week left in the regular season, the top four teams have already clinched their spots for the conference tournament set to start Nov. 21 and 22. Long Island will be hosting the event in Brooklyn, NY and Sacred Heart is the second seed. Central Connecticut State will be the third seed and Robert Morris nabbed the last spot at No. 4. These teams advance to the single elimination tournament. The winner of the NEC Championship will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. NEC Individual Statistical Leaders: Bryant’s Maria Scocca (Melrose, MA/Arlington Catholic) currently leads the NEC in blocks with 16 solo and 124 assisted for a total of 140 (1.21/s). Central Connecticut seniorJamie Baumert (Elkhorn, NE/Elkhorn) has the top spot with a .375 hitting percentage. Long Island senior Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia/Commercial School) owns the board for kills per set (3.91/s) while Fairleigh Dickinson’s Megan Wheeler (Chatsworth, CA/Chaminade College Prep) has the most total kills (410). Sacred Heart senior Courtney Kidd-Kadlubek (Santa Barbara, CA/Santa Barbara) holds the lead for assists with 1,077 (10.77/s), and sophomoreAshlyn Trimble (Temecula, CA/Temecula) leads a category of her own with 56 service aces (0.57/s). Liliana Rodriguez (Linden, NJ/Linden) of St. Francis (NY) leads the final category with 4.85 digs per set (407) on the season so far, while FDU sophomore Kelsey Semler (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) leads the league in total digs with 523. NEC Team Statistical Leaders: Sacred Heart continues to lead the league in all but one statistical category. They have the best hitting percentage so far this season with a team total of .210. SHU also leads in assists (1,222) and assists per set with 12.34. Furthermore, the Pioneers have the most service aces at 234 (2.36/s) and kills per set (13.03) with Bryant holding the No. 1 position for total kills at 1,335. Central Connecticut is No. 1 in blocks with a team total of 266.5 and 2.42 per set.
Team-by-Team Notes:
Bryant (10-21, 5-8 NEC)
The Bulldogs ended their 2009 home schedule over the weekend, falling to Sacred Heart, 3-0, before dropping a hard-fought five-set match to Fairleigh Dickinson. Freshman Jadith Lorenzo (Lawrence, MA/Lawrence International) recorded double-doubles in both matchups, now having earned three-consecutive double-doubles dating back to Nov. 1. Lorenzo set a new career high with her match-leading 43 assists against FDU, also chipping in 15 digs and eight kills. She posted 18 assists and 12 digs against SHU and led the team with three aces on the week. Sophomore Jazmin Stoner (Durango, CO/Durango) passed the 300-kill mark on the season, recording a team-best 29 kills on the week. She collected a match-high 18 kills against the Knights and a team-best 11 against the Pioneers. Rookie Macy Mitravich (Waimanalo, HI/Sacred Hearts Academy) earned a double-double of her own against the Knights, collecting 12 kills and a team-best 20 digs while leading the team in digs (30) and blocks (9) on the week. Senior Julie Geonnotti (Eden Prairie, MN/St. Margaret’s-Benilde) also collected a double-double against FDU (10 assists, 14 digs). Sophomore Maria Scocca (Melrose, MA/Arlington Catholic) chipped in nine blocks on the week, adding 21 kills and two aces. The Bulldogs earned 28 blocks despite the loss to SHU on Saturday and out-dug and out-killed FDU on Sunday, 87-65 and 67-48, respectively.
Central Connecticut (16-13, 10-3 NEC)
CCSU clinched a berth in the NEC Tournament with a 2-0 record this week. The Blue Devils avenged two earlier season losses with a 3-1 home victory over Sacred Heart on Friday. Central then swept Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday. Jamie Baumert (Elkhorn, NE/Elkhorn) led CCSU with 14 kills (2.0 per set) and 18 blocks (2.57 per set) while recording a hitting percentage of .282 during the two matches of the week. The senior captain totaled six kills and nine blocks in the 3-1 victory over SHU and then had eight kills and another nine blocks in the sweep of FDU. With 18 blocks on the weekend, Baumert now leads the Blue Devils with 132 on the season and moved into second place in CCSU history for career blocks with 467. She passed former Blue Devil star Sarah Haase, who tallied 463 from 1998-01. Emily Cochran (Adel, IA/Adel-DeSoto-Minburn) led CCSU with 19 kills and 18 digs in the important win over SHU. The freshman also recorded a team-high 14 digs in the Blue Devils’ sweep of FDU. Cochran finished with 3.57 kills and 4.57 digs per set on the week and recorded a hitting percentage of .222. Junior Kaitlin Petrella (Stratford, CT/Bunnell) added 10 digs in the victory over the Knights. Her team-leading 479 digs this season are the second most ever by a Blue Devil in a single season. Petrella holds the record, tallying 594 during her freshman year. CCSU has won three straight matches and will next play host to Bryant on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Fairleigh Dickinson (7-23, 4-10 NEC)
The Knights were 2-1 this week, defeating Quinnipiac for the second-straight match and winning at Bryant on Sunday. FDU fell in three to Central Connecticut State. Against the Bobcats, FDU won in five sets, led by freshman Meaghan Wheeler’s (Chatsworth, CA/Chaminade College Prep) 19 kills. Sophomore Sarah Berkland (Newton, MA/Newton North) added 14 kills and freshman Violeta Slabakova (Shelby Township, MI/Utica) had 12. Versus the Blue Devils, Wheeler had 12 kills and sophomore Kelsey Semler (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) had 19 digs. In the win against BU, senior Ali Philbrick (Lanham, MD/Elizabeth Seton) and Wheeler each had 12 kills, while Berkland added 10 kills and six blocks. Sophomore Meghan Alger (Cheltenham, MD/Bishop McNamara) added six blocks and Slabakova had five. Semler had 23 digs and Philbrick had 20. Over the three matches this week, sophomore Sarah Willey (Abingdon, MD/Bel Air) dished out 114 assists. Semler led the squad with 60 digs, while Wheeler’s 43 kills were the high. Berkland, Alger and Slabakova each registered nine kills. The Knights wrap up the regular season this weekend, hosting Saint Francis (PA) on Friday and Robert Morris on Saturday. The Knights’ lone senior, Philbrick, will be honored prior to the match on Saturday.
Long Island (17-13, 14-0 NEC)
The Blackbirds locked up the top seed in the Northeast Conference Tournament with a pair of road victories this week. LIU has won eight straight matches and 14 out of their last 15. On Nov. 7, LIU defeated Saint Francis (PA) 3-1. The Blackbirds were led by 18 kills from seniorMartina Racic (Pula, Croatia/School of ARts) who was one of three players to reach double figures. In a 3-0 win at Robert Morris on Nov. 8, LIU was paced by 13 kills and 15 digs from senior Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia/Commercial School). The Blackbirds will wrap up the regular season with home matches against Central Connecticut State on Nov. 14 and Bryant on Nov. 15.
Quinnipiac (3-25, 2-13 NEC)
The Bobcats dropped three NEC matches this week, sandwiching a pair of 3-0 home losses to Robert Morris and Sacred Heart, Monday and Sunday respectively, around a five-set defeat at Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday. Kelby Carey (Surfside, CA/Los Alamitos) had a team-high 24 kills on the week and compiled her team-leading 11th double-double with 10 kills and 18 digs against FDU. Chelsey Pachoud (Riverview, FL/Riverview) nearly matched Carey’s kill total with 22 despite playing just the final two matches of the week. Included in the total was a career-high 19 kills at FDU. Alyssa Naylor (San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch) also tallied 22 kills while adding a team-high five blocks. Kayla Lawler (Richmond, IN/Centerville) contributed 77 assists, while Logan Riker (Bowling Green, OH/Bowling Green) had a team-best 44 digs. The Bobcats conclude the 2009 campaign at home with a Sunday afternoon match against Saint Francis (PA). Prior to the 1:00 p.m. match, the Bobcats will honor their two seniors,Kristen Corinaldesi (Sands Point, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) and Erin Overdevest (Bridgeton, NJ/Tatnall), as part of Senior Day ceremonies.
Robert Morris (12-19, 9-5 NEC)
Robert Morris finished the week with a 2-1 record, capturing 3-0 wins over Quinnipiac and St. Francis NY but falling to Long Island in three sets. Freshman Amanda Craig (Houston, TX/St. Agnes Academy) led the Colonials throughout the week with 28 kills and was second on the team with 25 digs. Craig captured 13 kills on a .375 hitting percentage against SFNY and finished with 11 digs against LIU. Sophomore setter Alyssa Bennett (Ramona, CA/Ramona)finished the week with 90 assists, averaging 10.0 assists per game and also recorded a .423 hitting percentage. In RMU’s loss to LIU freshman Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, MD/Rising Sun) registered a career-high with 12 kills on a .407 hitting percentage and also added two blocks. In RMU’s win over QU Hannah Veith (Columbus, OH/Worthington) hit perfect with seven kills on seven attempts. In that contest, Craig led the Colonials with eight kills andAmanda Graham (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie) led the squad with five blocks. Veith tallied another strong performance against the Blackbirds when she captured nine kills, a .375 hitting percentage and three blocks. Junior libero Corinne Moser (Meyersdale, PA/Meyersdale)finished the week with a team-high 36 digs and added two service aces. The Colonials hit the road this week to take on Fairleigh Dickinson at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. They face Sacred Heart the following day in their final regular-season contest at 12:00 p.m.
Sacred Heart (21-9, 11-3 NEC)
The Pioneers went 2-1 last weekend and ran their record to 21-9 – a school Division I best. Going into the week, SHU led the Northeast Conference and nation in service aces with 211 and now sit second in national rankings. The serve cooled off a little last week, as the Pioneers managed just 23 of them. In a 3-1 loss at Central Connecticut State, the Pioneers lost the final two sets in overtime – including a 32-30 thriller in set three. The Pioneers actually led that set 19-13 and again at 24-21, but the Blue Devils climbed back in and eventually handed the Pioneers their third conference loss of the season. Sophomore Maile Hetherington (Thousand Oaks, CA/Thousand Oaks) returned from an elbow injury last week after missing the previous ten matches. She recorded 16 kills and seven digs in her return. Sophomore Jessica Colberg (Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Poly) returned to her normal libero position with Hetherington’s return and didn’t miss a beat, recording 42 digs in three matches, including 22 against CCSU. SHU will close out the regular season with a pair of home games next weekend against Saint Francis (PA) and Robert Morris.
St. Francis (NY) (4-20, 3-11 NEC)
St. Francis (NY) went 1-1 last week. Their four wins this season are the most since the Terriers went 5-27 in 2002. The Terriers were swept at Robert Morris on Saturday despite Anisa Lila’s (Thessaloniki, Greece/Palm Beach CC) double-double of 11 kills and 10 digs. Junior Liliana Rodriguez (Linden, NJ/Linden) contributed 17 digs. SFNY responded with one of its best wins in recent years as they pulled off a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Saint Francis (PA). The Terriers dropped the first two sets in heartbreaking fashion, each by identical 28-26 scores, but won the final three frames. Lila hit .326 en route to 22 kills and 17 digs and senior Detelina Dimitrova (Sofia, Bulgaria/Jacksonville University) added 14 kills. Junior Gina Giles(Brooklyn, NY/Beach Channel) added career highs of 10 kills and 6 block assists. SetterMaria Kashavelova (Sofia, Bulgaria/University of South Alabama) distributed 40 assists and added seven aces and four block assists, while Rodriguez came up with 24 digs. SFNY will host Bryant and Central Connecticut State to complete the season.
Saint Francis (PA) (7-22, 4-9 NEC)
SFPA was mathematically eliminated from NEC Tournament contention after dropping two matches over the weekend to Long Island and St. Francis (NY). Sunday was Senior Day and the final home match in the careers of Rikki Myers (Noblesville, IN/Westfield) and Shirley Miller (Fairless Hills, PA/Pennsbury). Miller produced her 11th double-double of the season on Saturday (12 kills, 15 digs) and narrowly missed on Sunday (12 kills, nine digs). Lizzy Williams (North Bend, OH/Saint Ursula) has 10 or more kills in seven of her past 10 matches after she recorded 12 in both weekend matches. The Red Flash concludes their 2009 campaign this weekend with matches in Connecticut where they’ll face Sacred Heart on Saturday and Quinnipiac Sunday.
MAC Volleyball Weekly Release: Week 13
This Week in the MAC...
Thursday, November 12
Toledo at Ball State, 7:00 PM
Buffalo at Akron, 7:00 PM
Kent State at Bowling Green, 7:00 PM
Friday, November 13
Western Michigan at Central Michigan, 7:00 PM
Ohio at Miami, 7:00 PM
Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan, 7:00 PM
Saturday, November 14
Ohio at Bowling Green, 3:00 PM
Kent State at Miami, 5:00 PM
Toledo at Buffalo, 6:00 PM
Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan, 7:00 PM
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan, 7:00 PM
Ball State at Akron, 7:00 PM
West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Kassie Kadera, Toledo, So., Setter, Aurora, IL/Waubonsie Valley
Kassie Kadera tallied a .421 attack percentage and averaged 11.50 assists per set in the Rockets' wins over Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan this weekend. She helped UT overcome 2-1 deficits against both opponents. Against the Chippewas, she dished out 55 assists to go along with five kills and a .250 hitting. She then topped that performance with 60 assists, five kills and a .714 ATK%. Kadera also registered double-digit dig totals in each match with 19 vs. CMU and 12 vs. EMU, for an average of 3.10 per set.
East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Megan Griffin, Miami, Sr., OH, Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton
Hit an incredible .659 for the weekend, as Miami defeated both Bowling Green and MAC West Division leading Western Michigan. Recorded 29 kills against only 2 errors. Against Bowling Green, she had 14 kills and hit .824 for the match. She followed that up with 15 more kills in big win against WMU and hit .542 for the match. She is now only 25 kills away from 1,000 for her career.
West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Alyssa Rio, Ball State, Jr., Libero, Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.
BSU junior libero Alyssa Rio led the Cardinals with a 6.62 digs-per-set average last week, after posting a season-high 34 digs versus Eastern Michigan, while tallying 19 in the three-set sweep of Central Michigan. Rio's defense versus the Chippewas helped limit the CMU attack to a -.133 (21-36-113) hitting mark for the day, including a -.412 (2-16-34) rate of success in the final set. Rio, who entered the week ranked second on the team with a 2.94 digs-per-set average, is now the team-leader with a 3.47 digs-per-set average. In addition, Rio climbed to fourth in program history with 1,365 career digs.
East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Michele Metzler, Miami, Jr., MB, Lawrenceburg, Ind./Lawrenceburg
Held the defense to a low .196 hitting percentage for the week. Patrolled the middle, assisting on 12 blocks while adding two solo for 14 total. Averaged 1.56 blocks per set during the weekend. Also recorded five digs despite being a majority front court player.
MAC News and Notes...
• Akron lost two tough three-set matches to Kent State and Ohio University over the weekend in its final 2009 regular-season road swing. Now 13-16 on the year, the win total marks two more than the Zips 2008 record and ties for the most victories the Zips have posted since the 2004 season.
• In Sunday's win over Central Michigan, the Ball State defense limited the Chippewas to a season-low -.133 (21-36-113) attack percentage. The mark was the lowest for a BSU opponent in the rally-scoring era, bettering the previous mark of -.055 (13-17-73) versus Chicago State earlier this year (Sept. 11). In the third set alone, the Ball State defense held CMU to a -.412 (2-16-34) hitting mark. The mark is the worst single-set hitting mark for an opponent in the rally-scoring era as well, with the previous worst mark being a -.325 (4-17-40) performance by Central Michigan in a 30-10 third-set loss at Worthen Arena Oct. 5, 2001. In Sunday's defensive lockdown of Central Michigan, the Cardinals collected a season-high 16 total blocks, including nine in the final set. The nine blocks in the final set were more blocks than BSU has posted in 16 whole matches this season.
• Bowling Green split its weekend MAC matches for the fourth week in a row, losing to Miami and defeating Northern Illinois in an improbable comeback ... Bowling Green lost the first two sets to Northern Illinois, including 25-5 in the second, before bouncing back for a dramatic 22-25, 5-25, 25-21, 25-13, 15-7 win ... Corey Domek had 31 kills, 17 digs and five aces on the week, including a double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs in the loss to Miami ... Alex Zlabis had 24 digs in the win over Northern Illinois ... Head Coach Denise Van De Walle picked up her 498th career victory, leaving her two shy of 500 ... After losing its first six conference games, Bowling Green has clawed back into the race for a MAC Tournament first round home game and is just one game out of eighth.
• For the first time in her career setter Lindsey Schlegel went over the 1,000-assist mark this past weekend. Schlegel is currently fourth in school history in career assists. Marisa Hornbaker became the first UB player named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team since 2005. Hornbaker is currently second on the team in kills and digs and has a 3.97 GPA as a Pharmacology and Toxicology major.
• The Chippewas enter the final weekend of MAC play tied with Toledo and Northern Illinois for the final bye in the first round of next week's MAC tournament. CMU hosts West Division leader Western Michigan and NIU to close out the league slate.
• Eastern Michigan returns home for the final time in the regular season this weekend, Nov. 13-14. Northern Illinois University invades the Convocation Center Friday, Nov. 13, before the West Division leading Broncos of Western Michigan University come calling Saturday, Nov. 14. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. start. Following the WMU match, head coach Kim Berrington will honor her two seniors Randolph and Kim Jarzynka (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Baldwin). Despite a sluggish start for the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team, the Eagles regrouped to post a 3-2 (13-25,25-20,25-21,25-27,19-
• Kent State got off to a quick starts in the first sets this weekend with a combined 35 kills and two errors on 61 total attempts (.541) against Akron and Buffalo. The Kent State front line defense enjoyed seeing Akron in 2009, out-blocking the Zips 31-8 this season in seven sets played. Against the Zips on Friday, Kent State recorded eight unassisted kills on over passes and four triple blocks. With 15 kills and 11 digs on Saturday in her final regular season home match, senior Arjola Prenga has recorded a double-double in kills and digs 15 times in 22 matches this season. The Golden Flashes on Saturday also recognized senior setters Katie Veatch and Jenny Keck, who will conclude their time at KSU fourth and fifth in career assists.
• RedHawks improved to 11-3 on the MAC season with their two wins. They clinched a bye to the MAC quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. Miami will be no worse than the third seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament, and could move up to the first seed if it can win its final two games (including a match with Ohio on Friday) and Ohio drops its final two matches (to Miami and Bowling Green the next night). For the first time this season, the RedHawks are ahead of last year's pace as they were 10-4 in MAC play at this point in 2008.
• The Huskies dropped a pair of close road matches to Western Michigan and Bowling Green over the weekend ... Kristin Hoffman led the Huskies with a pair of double-doubles, averaging 10.67 assists per set and 3.00 digs per set ... Maddie Hughes led the defense with 43 digs (4.78/set) and has now had double-digit digs in all but two matches this season, including a current streak of 20 in a row.
• Ohio senior Ellen Herman entered last week in the top 10 nationally in kills per set (4.61) and points per set (5.19). This week, Herman improved upon those numbers with 5.0 kills and 5.58 points per set. Ohio also entered the week seventh in blocks per set (2.85). This week, the Bobcats registered a 3.17 clip. With Ohio's sweeps last weekend and Western Michigan's loss at Miami, the Bobcats have clinched at least a share of the regular season title. Ohio's Sarah Petrulis posted 20 digs this week, moving her to within 46 of 1,000 for her career. Under head coach Ryan Theis, the Bobcats are 40-3 when hitting .200 or better, and 33-4 when holding opponents under the .200 mark. The Bobcats have amassed a conference record of 102-6 (.944) since the start of the 2003 season, including three perfect 16-0 seasons.
• Toledo finished its regular season with a 9-2 win-loss mark in Savage Arena. The Rockets' .818 home winning percentage is the best in school history. The Rockets possess a 7-2 ledger in five-set contests this season, including a pair this weekend over CMU and EMU. UT is currently tied for second place in the MAC's West Division. The highest finish for the Rockets since the conference went to a division format in 1997 was fourth place on three different occasions. Junior Katie Westerfeld averaged 5.80 digs per set in the Rockets' two five-set wins over Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. Westerfeld helped UT rally from 2-1 deficits in both contests and she finished one short of tying UT's school record with 38 against the Eagles.
• Western Michigan clinched its third consecutive Mid-American Conference West championship with its victory over Northern Illinois on Thursday. In head coach Colleen Munson's five seasons leading the Brown and Gold, WMU has finished second, second, first, first and first in the MAC West standings. The Broncos are guaranteed of a first round bye and no lower than the No. 2 seed at the MAC Tournament in Toledo, Ohio. With the Broncos' victory over NIU on Thursday, WMU finished 8-0 in MAC home matches for the second season in a row. WMU has a streak of 19 consecutive home wins over MAC opponents dating to October of 2007. Junior outside hitter Allyson Doyle had a team-high eight block assists last week to move into ninth in career block assists at WMU with 249. She also set a career high with 20 kills against Miami on Saturday.
