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Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Web Video: Huskers.com (Free)
Live Stats: Huskers.com
The No. 3 Nebraska volleyball team (27-2, 19-1 Big 12) will open the NCAA Tournament at home for the seventh straight season on Thursday night when it hosts the Sacred Heart Pioneers (29-6, 14-2 NEC) at the NU Coliseum. The match is set to start at 7 p.m., or 30 minutes after the first match of the day ends between Auburn and Missouri State.
Nebraska, who recently won its 12th Big 12 title, will be making its 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers enter the tournament on a eight-match winning streak, including sweeps in all eight matches.
Sacred Heart will be making its first appearance in the national tournament after winning its first Northeast Conference title in program history. The Pioneers are winners of four straight matches and are coming off a sweep of Robert Morris in the NEC Championship match.
Not only will Thursday night’s match will be the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Sacred Heart, but it will be the first time the Huskers have ever played a team from the Northeast Conference.
Along with TV coverage by NET, the match will be shown live on Huskers.com for free. Fans can also listen to all of the action with John Baylor and Dianne Mendenhall on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha. Fans outside the network will also be able to catch the live audio feed for free on Huskers.com.
Scouting the Sacred Heart Pioneers
• The Pioneers enter Thursday’s nights match with a 29-6 overall record and a 14-2 record in the Northeast Conference.
• Senior captain Courtney Kidd-Kadlubek is the key to the Pioneer’s offense as she ranks eighth in the NCAA with 11.89 assists per set. Already the school-record holder in assists, Kidd-Kadlubek was named both the Northeast Conference Player and Setter of the Year this season.
• Sacred Heart won its first NEC Tournament title this season, which earned them the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
• Sophomore middle blocker Elise Sage has put away 402 kills on the season while hitting .383, which ranks her 22nd in the NCAA. Sage’s 3.19 kills per set are second on the team to freshman Mercado Dianis’ 3.42 per set, but Mercado is hitting just .174 (393-207-1,066).
• The Pioneers were also the regular-season NEC champions, the first in school history.
• Since Head Coach Rob Machan arrived for the 2007 season, Sacred Heart has compiled a 79-50 record. In 2006, the Pioneers were 2-23. Machan was an assistant coach on Southern Cal’s 2002 and 2003 national championship teams.
• Sacred Heart was tough at home this season as they were a perfect 16-0 at the William H. Pitt Center. They recorded sweeps in 10 contests and were pushed to a fifth set just once.
• After dropping its first three matches of the season at the Long Beach State Baden Classic to St. Mary’s (Calif.), Long Beach State and Rutgers, the Pioneers lost only three matches the rest of the season to Ohio State, Robert Morris and Saint Francis (Pa.).
• The Pioneers struggle at the net with only 1.44 blocks per set. Only Johanna Ovsenek (0.66) and Ashlyn Trimble (0.61) average more than 0.60 blocks per set.
Scouting the Nebraska Huskers
• The Huskers are ranked No. 3 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll after being ranked fifth for the past four weeks. The Huskers received one first-place vote in the polls and were one of four teams to receive a first-place vote.
• The Huskers are 23-0 this season when holding opponents below .200 hitting after the Huskers held Texas A&M to .099 hitting. Nebraska is 4-2 when opposing teams hit above .200.
• After hitting .320 against Texas A&M, the Huskers are 184-0 under Head Coach John Cook when they hit .300 or better.
• The Huskers are 13-0 at home the season and have dropped just three sets all season at the NU Coliseum. During Big 12 play the Huskers ended the year a perfect 10-0.
• Nebraska is 11-1 in true road matches this season and was 9-1 in Big 12 play, with its lone loss coming at Texas.
• After posting double-digit blocks in nine of their first 14 matches of the season the Huskers have hit double figured just four times in their last 15 matches.
• Junior middle blocker Brooke Delano enters the week ranked seventh nationally in blocks with 1.45 per set and has eight-best hitting percentage in the NCAA at .418.
• The Huskers have never played the Sacred Heart Pioneers and are facing a team from the Northeast Conference for the first time.
• The Huskers enter the week ranked in the top-five nationally in three categories, including blocks (2.99-4th), assists (14.12-4th) and kills (15.15-5th).
• Nebraska is making its 29th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Only Penn State and Stanford have made more trips with each making their 30th appearance this year.
• Only five times this season has a team hit .200 or better against the Husker defense, including Florida (.270), Illinois (.216), Texas twice (.272 & .252), Colorado (.239) and Oklahoma (.216). In those five matches the Huskers are 3-2.
• Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers improved to 301-8 when winning the first set of the match after their 3-0 win over Texas A&M. The last time Nebraska won the first set and then lost the match was during the 2009 NCAA Regional Final, when Texas won 3-1 after NU took set one, 25-21.
• Four Huskers have combined for 18 double-doubles on the season, including nine from Hannah Werth, five from Tara Mueller, three from Lauren Cook and one from Sydney Anderson.
• Three Huskers have earned four All-America honors, including Sydney Anderson (2), Tara Mueller (1) and Brooke Delano (1).
It’s Routine
A trip to the NCAA Tournament goes along with breathing at Nebraska and this year is no different as the Huskers will be making their 29th straight trip to the national tournament as the No. 2 overall seed.
2010 also marks the seventh straight season that the Huskers have opened the NCAA Tournament at home. In 28 previous appearances the Huskers have started the postseason on the road just twice, as they played in Kalamazoo, Mich. in 1983 and were sent to East Lansing, Mich. in 2003.
Nebraska, Hawaii and UCLA are all making their 29th trip this season, while only Stanford and Penn State have longer resumes with 30 appearances each.
Tournament Tough
The Huskers have been hard to beat in the NCAA Tournament and their 80-25 record proves it. Nebraska’s .762 winning percentage and 80 wins are second to only Stanford in each category as the Cardinal have a winning percentage of .797 and an overall record of 94-24. Including Nebraska and Stanford, only seven teams have an all-time winning percentage in the tournament over .700. The other five teams include UCLA (.737, 73-26), Hawaii (.734, 69-25), Penn State (.725, 66-25), Florida (.718, 51-20) and USC (.707, 58-24).
Husker Hardware
After the completion of the Big 12 schedule the Huskers were all over the conference honors list. Sophomore Hannah Werth was tabbed as the Defensive Player of the Year, while Lauren Cook was picked as Newcomer of the Year and Head Coach John Cook was named Co-Head Coach of the Year along with Texas’ Jerritt Elliott.
Werth was also one of three Huskers picked to the All-Big 12 first team, as she was joined by senior right side hitter Lindsey Licht and junior middle blocker Brooke Delano, who was a unanimous selection by the Big 12 coaches. Senior Kayla Banwarth was an honorable-mention selection for the second straight year, while freshman Morgan Broekhuis was a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 Freshman team.
Fear the Coliseum
The Huskers have been making quick work of their opponents of late with 12 sweeps in their past 13 matches, including six straight entering Thursday night’s match with Sacred Heart.
Nebraska has swept the last three NCAA Tournament matches its played at the NU Coliseum since Liberty took the Huskers in four sets in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
In 37 all-time first or second round matches in the Lincoln the Huskers have posted 28 sweeps. Nebraska has been taken to four sets six times and five sets just three times. The last time NU was forced to play five sets was 2000 against South Carolina. Prior to 2000, Weber State took NU to five in 1988 and Penn State did so as well in 1986.
During Big 12 play at the NU Coliseum the Huskers lost just two sets all season, with Kansas and Texas both winning a set in a pair of 3-1 Husker wins.
Haven’t We Been Down this Road Before?
If the Huskers make it out of the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament they will be back on the same floor where they earned a trip to the 2008 Final Four.
The 2008 regional final against Washington was one of the most memorable matches in NU history as the Huskers battled back from a 0-2 deficit to win the match in five. Nebraska also needed a comeback in the fifth set as the Huskies jumped out to a 9-3 advantage before current senior Kayla Banwarth served eight straight points during a 9-0 NU run.
If the Huskers make it to Seattle their first round opponent would be Washington, Michigan, Portland State or the No. 15 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Hawaii. The other half of the regional includes No. 7 Cal, No. 10 Minnesota, Utah State, Mississippi, North Carolina, Iowa State, Creighton and North Dakota State.
Filling Both Hands
With the Huskers winning their 31st conference title and 12th in the Big 12 era, Head Coach John Cook now has 10 Big 12 Championship rings. Cook earned his first as an assistant coach in 1999 under Terry Pettit and has guided the Huskers to nine league titles during his tenure as head coach. Cook won three straight titles from 2000-02 and then another five in a row from 2004-08.
November Repeat
For the second straight season the Huskers put up a perfect 7-0 record in the month of November. Nebraska is now looking to change what happened last season when the Huskers fell one win shy of the Final Four with its loss to Texas in the regional final.
Since Head Coach John Cook took over in 2000, the Huskers have posted a perfect record in November seven times, including three straight seasons from 2000-02.
Turning the Corner
While most true freshman are breaking down at the end of the season, Nebraska’s Morgan Broekhuis is getting better with every match.
The Huskers’ 6-5 lefty is hitting .363 and averaging 2.58 kills per set over her past eight matches. She has hit .300 or better in seven of the eight matches, including four matches where she has hit over .400 and one match where she hit .538.
In her first 12 conference matches this season she was hitting .179 with 2.02 kills per set. During the run she had hit .300 or better just twice, with the top performance coming at home against Texas when she hit at a .333 clip.
Tara-ing it Up
Senior Tara Mueller is hitting a groove at just the right time of the season. An All-American in 2008, Mueller had struggled to find constancy at the net early in the year and was hitting just .194 entering the month of November with 2.16 kills per set.
Mueller has found new life since the start of the year’s 11th month as she is hitting .368 and is averaging 2.58 kills per set along with 2.84 digs. She has also been the Huskers’ most dangerous server with 0.47 aces per set. She has hit over .300 in all but one match in November as has topped .400 four times.
In her final regular-season home match at the NU Coliseum on Wednesday, Nov. 24 against Baylor, Mueller put up a match-high 12 kills on .409 hitting and added 11 digs to record her fifth double-double of the season.
In Need of an Assist?
Entering the season ranked ninth on Nebraska’s career chart with 2,683 assists, senior Sydney Anderson’s 593 assists this season have already moved her to fifth place on the career list with 3,276 dishes.
Against Texas Tech on Nov. 6 Anderson took over the No. 5 spot from Christy Johnson, who had totaled 3,183 assists from 1991-95.
On her way up the charts Anderson also passed Rachel Holloway (2,861), Dani Busboom (2,873) and Lori Endicott (3,117). All together the four setters she has passed this season combined for six All-America honors.
Next up for Anderson is Val Novak, who sits fourth on NU’s all-time charts with 3,303 assists.
Road Ready
The Huskers were nearly flawless on the road this season during Big 12 play as they dropped just one match all season. Not including its 3-1 loss to Texas in Austin, the Nebraska volleyball team was 9-0.
Fantastic Four
The 2010 senior class has been the latest group to continue Nebraska’s winning tradition. The team held Senior Night on Wednesday, Nov. 24 during the final regular-season match of the season when the Huskers hosted Baylor and the class improved its overall record to an impressive 112-14 (Now 113-14).
The group of Sydney Anderson, Kayla Banwarth, Lindsey Licht and Tara Mueller has won three Big 12 titles, made one Final Four appearance and led the Huskers to two trips to the NCAA Regional final.
No Place Like Home
The Huskers hold a home-court advantage at the Coliseum due to the Huskers’ passionate fan base.
Nebraska currently holds a streak of 148 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum, the longest sellout streak across all NCAA women’s athletics. Including the Devaney Center match this season against Illinois, the Huskers have averaged 4,712 fans per home contest.
Nebraska and Hawaii are the only two programs in the country to average more than 4,000 fans per home contest, with Hawaii leading the nation with 6,136 fans per home match. Wisconsin sits third behind Nebraska with 3,737 fans per home match.
Hard to Stop
Junior middle blocker Brooke Delano has been the Huskers’ most efficient attacker all season with a .418 hitting percentage. Even though Delano ranks No. 8 in the NCAA, she only ranks third in the Big 12 as she trails Texas’ Rachael Adams (.436-1st) and Jennifer Doris (.427-3rd).
An All-American in 2009, Delano has hit .500 or better 11 times in 2010, including two matches where she hit over .700.
Delano is looking to become just the fourth Husker in school history to hit .400 or better in a season. Tracy Stalls was the last Husker to do so when she set the NU single-season record in 2007 when she hit .473. Stalls also hit .400 in 2006.
Top Digger
With her second dig of the match against Texas Tech on Saturday, Nov. 6, senior libero Kayla Banwarth took over the top spot on the NU career digs chart with the 1,569th dig of her career. Banwarth broke Jennifer Saleaumua’s record of 1,568 digs.
Not only is Banwarth the top digger in NU history, but she is also one of the top diggers in Big 12 history. Entering Thursday’s match the senior ranks sixth all-time on the Big 12 charts with 1,665 digs. Banwarth is one of four active liberos on the Big 12 top-10 list, including Iowa State’s Ashley Mass, who hold the top mark at 2,259 digs.
Last season, Banwarth compiled 570 digs, which nearly broke Dani Busboom’s 2006 single-season record of 580.
Double-Dipper
Coming off a freshman season that saw her earn Big 12 Freshman of the Year, honorable-mention All-America and honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors, Hannah Werth has continued to put up solid numbers in 2010.
Through 28 matches, the 2010 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year leads the team with nine double-doubles, including six in Big 12 play.
One on the Court
It is all about the team at Nebraska and it shows this season as the Huskers enter the NCAA Tournament ranked in the top-20 nationally in four categories, including three top-five rankings.
What makes the feat even more impressive is the fact that Nebraska only has one player that ranks in the top 50 of any individual national category as Brooke Delano enters the week ranked seventh in blocks per set (1.45) and eighth in hitting percentage (.418).
As a team the Huskers are fourth in blocks (2.99) and assists (14.12), fifth in kills (15.15) and also rank 16th in hitting percentage (.284).
Head of the CLASS
Nebraska senior setter Sydney Anderson was named one of 10 finalists for the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award on Monday, Oct. 11 for women’s volleyball.
A two-time AVCA All-American, Anderson was named to the preseason All-Big 12 list and is a two-time captain for the Huskers.
The fan vote, which accounts for 1/3 of the final vote, ended on Nov. 23 and Anderson secured nearly 25% of the ballots. The win over the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award will be announced at the Final Four in Kansas City.
Mighty Middles
Nebraska’s middle blockers have been a force both offensively and defensively this season. Brooke Delano, Jordan Wilberger and Allison McNeal all average nearly one block per set and each is hitting .300 or better.
Huskers Add Three for 2011
Nebraska Head Volleyball Coach John Cook announced the addition of three high school players to the Huskers’ 2011 roster on Thursday, Nov. 11, including two Prepvolleyball.com’s top-100 Senior Aces.
The class includes outside hitter/right side hitter Taylor Simpson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), libero/outside hitter Lara Dykstra (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and libero/defensive specialist Shelby Winkelmann (Rhineland, Mo.).
Simpson is rated as the No. 9 player in the country by Prepvolleyball.com, while Dykstra ranks 52nd. Winkelmann led her prep squad to two state titles and holds the school record in kills (1,453).
The Great Wall
The Husker defense has shutdown opposing hitters all season and for it the Huskers enter the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 4 in the country in blocks with 2.99 per set. Nebraska has posted double-digit stuffs in 13 matches this season, including 15 or more three times. It is an impressive feat as the Huskers have played more than three sets only nine times this year and to a fifth set just twice.
Along with Brooke Delano’s conference-best 1.45 blocks per set, which ranked seventh nationally, Jordan Wilberger and Lindsey Licht join Delano on the Big 12 top-10 list with 1.09 (7th) and 1.08 (8th) blocks per set, respectively.
Since Head Coach John Cook took over at Nebraska in 2000, the Huskers have earned the NCAA blocking title five times, including 2000, ‘01, ‘02, ‘04 and ‘05.
Kills Keep Coming
The 2010 Huskers ranked first in the Big 12 Conference and fifth nationally with 15.15 kills per set, but Nebraska doesn’t have one player on the individual Big 12 top-10 list or national top-50 list.
Nebraska spreads the wealth as five Huskers average at least two kills per set, including Lindsey Licht, (2.94), Brooke Delano (2.90), Hannah Werth (2.80), Tara Mueller (2.26) and Morgan Broekhuis (2.16).
During Big 12 play, Licht led the Huskers with 3.03 kills per set.
Huskers Volleyball: NET to Broadcast NCAA Volleyball Tournament Matches
Lincoln – Fans who are unable to make it to Lincoln on Thursday night to watch the Huskers open the 2010 NCAA Tournament will be able to watch the match live on NET. NET Television and the Nebraska Athletic Department announced Tuesday that the Huskers’ Thursday night match will air statewide on NET-1 and NET-HD. If the Huskers advance to Friday night’s 7 p.m. second-round match against Auburn or Missouri State, that match will also be broadcast live on NET-1 and NET-HD.
Larry Punteney and Kathi Weiskamp will call the action from the NU Coliseum, as Nebraska will open NCAA Tournament play against the Sacred Heart Pioneers at 7 p.m. Huskers.com will also have a live video stream of all the matches, including Thursday’s 4:30 p.m. match between Auburn and Missouri State.
All of Nebraska’s matches will also be available on selected Husker Sports Network stations, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com.
USC Volleyball Team Hosts First Two Rounds of 2010 NCAA Volleyball Tournament at the Galen Center
2010 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament
First and Second Rounds - Galen Center (hosted by USC)
Friday, December 3 - First Round
Long Beach State (25-7) vs. San Diego (23-5) - 5 p.m.
New Mexico (20-9) vs. No. 6 seed USC (25-4) - 7 p.m.
Saturday, December 4 - Second Round
Long Beach State/San Diego winner vs. New Mexico/USC winner - 7 p.m.
All times local to game site
Live video webcast for all three matches on usctrojans.com
LOS ANGELES -- The USC women's volleyball team (25-4) will host first and second round matches for the 2010 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament this Friday and Saturday (December 3 and 4) at the Galen Center. USC has won 11 of its last 12 matches heading into this weekend.
San Diego (23-5), the West Coast Conference champion, will face Long Beach State (25-7) from the Big West Conference on Friday at 5 p.m. while USC, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, plays New Mexico (20-9), out of the Mountain West Conference, at 7 p.m. The winners of both matches will meet in second-round action on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Ticket Information
Fans can order tickets by calling the USC ticket office at (213) 740-GO SC (4672) or online at usctrojans.com. All-session tickets (for all three matches this weekend) will be $15 for adults and $12 for children, students and seniors. Single-session tickets for an individual match will be $10 for adults and $6 for children, students and seniors.
USC In The Postseason
USC is making its 33rd postseason appearance since the program's inception in 1976 with the Women of Troy winning six national championships (1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 2002 and 2003). This is USC's 20th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. USC is 59-23 (.720) in NCAA tournament play and 103-30 (.774) overall in postseason play.
New Mexico Notes
New Mexico is 20-9 overall with a 12-4 record in the Mountain West Conference. Head coach Jeff Nelson is 78-39 in his fourth season at New Mexico with a 320-186 career record (16th season). Senior outside hitter Lisa Meeter has 348 kills (3.38 kps) this season while hitting .242 with 23 aces (0.22 saps), 319 digs (3.10 dps), 37 blocks (0.36 bps) and 395.5 points (3.84 pps). USC leads the all-time series with New Mexico by a 4-1 margin. USC swept New Mexico on Sept. 3 in Honolulu, Hawaii (25-19, 25-19, 25-20). The only previous meeting in the postseason between the two schools was 1994 when USC swept New Mexico in a second round match.
Long Beach State Notes
Long Beach State is 25-7 overall with a 12-4 record in the Big West Conference. Head coach Brian Gimmillaro is 681-163 in his 26th season at Long Beach State. Junior outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux has 451 kills (3.79 kps) while hitting .242 with 23 aces (0.19 saps), 297 digs (2.50 dps) and 64 blocks (0.54 bps). USC leads the all-time series with Long Beach State by a 28-10 margin with a 2-1 advantage in postseason play. The Women of Troy defeated the 49ers in five sets for the second round match of the 2007 NCAA Tournament at the Galen Center.
No. 18 San Diego Notes
San Diego is 23-5 overall and won the West Coast Conference with a 12-1 record. Head coach Jennifer Petrie is 233-86 in her 12th season at San Diego. Senior right side Ali Troost has 384 kills (4.22 kps) while hitting .322 with 24 aces (0.26 saps), 213 digs (2.34 dps) and 45 blocks (0.49 bps). USC leads the all-time series with San Diego by a 7-0 margin. The Women of Troy is 4-0 in postseason play against the Toreros with the last meeting taking place in the first round in 2008 when USC swept San Diego at the Galen Center.
The Power of the Pac-10
Six Pac-10 teams have qualified for the postseason and are ranked in the current AVCA poll, including No. 2 Stanford, No. 4 California, No. 5 USC, No. 9 UCLA, No. 11 Washington and No. 20 Arizona.
Thousand Points of Light
Head coach Mick Haley registered his 1,000th women's collegiate victory as a head coach on August 27 against Loyola Marymount. Along with his combined NCAA wins at USC and Texas (1980-1996), Haley had 251 wins as the women's head coach at Kellogg Community College (1973-79).
It's All Academic
Senior Geena Urango became the first USC women's volleyball player to earn Pac-10 Conference All-Academic first team honors this year since Emily Adams did so in 2003. Urango earned the honor after posting a 3.74 grade-point-average in communications. She will work on her master's degree in communication management at USC.
Junior Kendall Bateman earned Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition with a 3.06 GPA in business.
Lock and Reloaded
USC's incoming recruiting class for the 2010 season was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Prep Volleyball. The players are 6-2 outside hitter Kirby Burnham (Newport Beach/Newport Harbor HS), 6-4 outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana (Hermosa Beach/Mira Costa HS), 5-9 libero Natalie Hagglund (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS), 5-10 outside hitter Sam Hirschmann (Manhattan Beach/Marymount HS), 6-5 middle blocker Alexis Olgard (Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) and 6-3 outside hitter Sara Shaw (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS).
The class includes five players ranked in the Top 100 nationally by Prep Volleyball, including three players in the top 11 spots and the No. 1 player in the nation (Fonoimoana).
“This class gives us a group of players that will add firepower to our lineup and make immediate contributions,” said USC head coach Mick Haley. “These kids can play the game and we will have immense depth on the squad. There are no kids in this class that are ‘projects’ and it’s evidenced by what they are doing for their high school and club teams. I think these kids want to compete and win a championship.”
Court of Dreams
The dream finally became reality on Oct. 12, 2006 as the brand-new Galen Center made its debut. The 10,258-seat arena is located on the corner of Figueroa St. and Jefferson Blvd., adjacent to the USC campus. The arena is named after Lou and Helene Galen, who generously donated $50 million towards the project.
USC mourned the loss of Lou Galen, who passed away on Nov. 12, 2007, at the age of 82.
Statapalooza
-- This is the ninth straight year that USC has hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament and the fifth straight year at the Galen Center.
-- Alex Jupiter moved into second place on USC's career list for points the weekend of Nov. 20, passing Jessica Gysin (1,514.0 points) and Bibiana Candelas (1,512.0 points). She trails Keao Burdine (1,689.5 points) for first place and currently has 1,544.5 points in her career.
-- Kendall Bateman moved into sixth place on USC's career list for assists the weekend of Nov. 20, passing Tracy Lindquist (2,766 assists) and Monika Cavaliere (2,747 assists). Bateman currently has 2,891 career assists.
-- USC is 64-8 all-time at the Galen Center.
-- USC has 10 players on its roster this season who are 6-2 or taller.
-- As of November 29, USC is ranked No. 8 nationally in the latest NCAA RPI rankings.
-- Alex Jupiter became the 17th player in USC history to record 1,000 kills in her career on September 24 against UCLA.
-- As of November 29, USC is ninth in the nation for hitting percentage (.292), 14th for assists (13.48 aps) and 20th for kills per set (14.28 kps).
-- Kendall Bateman is third in the nation for assists (12.32 aps).
-- Alex Jupiter is 11th in the nation for points (5.18 pps) and 17th for kills (4.36 kps).
-- Lauren Williams is fourth in the nation for hitting percentage (.426).
-- Alexis Olgard is 24th in the nation for hitting percentage (.379).
-- As of November 29, USC is third among all conference teams in assists (13.48 aps), kills (14.28 kps), hitting percentage (.292) and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.181) and aces (1.30 saps).
-- Alex Jupiter is second among all Pac-10 Conference players in service aces (0.34 saps), fourth for points (5.18 pps) and kills (4.36 kps).
-- Kendall Bateman is first among Pac-10 players for assists (12.32 aps).
-- Lauren Williams is first among Pac-10 players for hitting percentage (.426).
-- Alexis Olgard is fourth among Pac-10 players for hitting percentage (.379).
-- Natalie Hagglund is seventh among Pac-10 players for digs (3.96 dps).
-- The nine points scored by Arizona in the second set of the Nov. 12 match at the Galen Center were the fewest points allowed by a USC squad in a non-fifth set since Nov. 20, 2001, when the Women of Troy allowed a similar nine points in a set at Oregon State.
-- USC has made 20 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
-- The Women of Troy made five NCAA Final Four appearances in an eight-year span (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007).
-- USC became the 22nd program in the nation to record 800 wins. The Women of Troy recorded its 800th win on Nov. 15, 2008, against Arizona State.
-- On October 23, 2010, head coach Mick Haley was at the helm of the USC women's volleyball program for his 300th match with his win over Oregon State giving him an 81% winning percentage during that time.
-- Mick Haley earned his 200th victory as USC's head coach on Nov. 1, 2008, against Oregon State at the Galen Center.
Out Of This World
Junior outside hitter Alex Jupiter (Paris, France/Redondo Union HS) became the 31st All-American in USC women's volleyball history after earning AVCA All-America third team honors in 2009. This season, she has 449 kills (4.36 kps) while hitting .298 with 35 service aces (0.34 saps), 257 digs (2.50 dps), 68 blocks (31 solo, 0.66 bps) and 533.5 points (5.18 pps). For Pac-10 Conference matches this season, Jupiter recorded 326 kills (4.47 kps) while hitting .298 with 19 aces (0.26 saps), 182 digs (2.49 dps), 50 blocks (19 solo, 0.68 bps) and 379.5 points (5.20 pps).
Jupiter has 15 double-doubles this season and 12 in 18 Pac-10 Conference matches.
She finished the regular season with 17 kills and 15 digs at No. 9 UCLA on Nov. 26 in a five-set win. She had 20 kills and 12 digs on a .347 night (20-3-49) with an ace and two blocks in a five-set win on Nov. 20 at No. 23 Oregon. She had 34 kills in two win at home against No. 20 Arizona and Arizona State (Nov. 12-13). Against the Wildcats, she had 16 kills while hitting .308 with five blocks (two solo) and followed up with 18 kills while hitting .424 with 12 digs and four blocks (two solo). On Nov. 5 at No. 2 California, Jupiter posted 17 kills, 11 digs and five blocks (two solo) in a four-set win over the Golden Bears.
She was named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week and Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season on Nov. 1 after she recorded 42 kills in wins at home against Washington State and then-No. 7 Washington. She became the first player in the history of the USC women's volleyball program to earn national player of the week honors twice in a season.
She had 12 kills and seven digs while hitting .318 in the 3-0 sweep of Washington State on Oct. 29 and followed with a spectacular match on the FOX Sports Net Game of the Week against Washington. She had 30 kills (one away from her personal best) in the five-set win over the Huskies with 14 digs and a .414 hitting percentage (30-6-58). After getting only three kills in the first set, she came back with eight kills in the second set and nine kills in the third with no errors for a .607 hitting clip in those two sets. Her effort against Washington moved her into fifth place on USC's all-time list for career points.
She posted 20 kills and 10 digs with three solo blocks on Oct. 22 in a five-set win over No. 16 Oregon while hitting .429 (20-2-42). During the fifth set against the Ducks, she had two kills and two solo blocks. On Oct. 16 at No. 25 Arizona, she had 17 kills, 12 digs, three aces and a key solo block in the fifth set as USC defeated the Wildcats.
She had a season-high 26 kills and 18 digs in a five-set win on Oct. 9 against No. 7 California and 19 kills with 10 digs on Oct. 8 in a four-set loss to top-ranked Stanford. She recorded a team-high 23 kills with 14 digs, two aces and three blocks in a five-set loss on Oct. 1 at No. 10 Washington and followed with 19 kills and a .516 clip (19-3-31) in a 3-0 sweep at Washington State the next evening.
On Sept. 24 against No. 11 UCLA, she registered her 1,000th career kill and became just the 17th player in USC history to accomplish the feat. She posted a team-high 21 kills to go with 12 digs in the four-set win against the Bruins. She had 14 kills and nine digs in a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 17 at Fresno State. On Sept. 10 against Virginia, she had 10 kills and hit .500 (10-2-16) with an ace, five digs and a solo block in the 3-0 sweep.
She became the sixth player in USC history to earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Sept. 6 after earning most outstanding player honors at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu (Sept. 3-5). She also was named Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week, the first time she earned that honor. She posted 49 kills (4.45 kps) in three matches against three teams that were receiving votes in the coaches' poll with four aces, 26 digs (2.36 dps), 10 blocks (0.91 bps) and 61.0 points (5.55 pps). She did not have one reception error in 58 attempts on the weekend. Against New Mexico, she had 10 kills, seven digs and three solo blocks in a 3-0 sweep. In another 3-0 sweep, this time against Michigan State, she had 17 kills and six blocks while hitting .483 (17-3-29). In the tournament finale against No. 4 Hawai'i, she had 22 kills and 16 digs in a five-set win over the Rainbow Wahine.
She posted her first double-double of the season on Aug. 28 in a four-set win over Cal State Fullerton with 23 kills and 10 digs against the Titans. She earned Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament team honors after posting 29 kills (4.14 kps) with eight aces (1.14 saps), 17 digs (2.43 dps) and 39.0 points (5.57 pps).
She led the Women of Troy in 2009 with 522 kills (4.54 kps) with 33 aces (0.29 saps), 308 digs (2.68 dps), 73 blocks (0.63 bps) and 608.0 points (5.29 pps). She also earned her first All-Pac-10 Conference honor as well as being named AVCA All-Pacific Region. Her 522 kills were the fourth-most in school history, along with her 5.29 points per set average.
She finished seventh in the nation for points per set and 12th for kills per set during her sophomore season and recorded 15 double-doubles. She was third among all Pac-10 Conference players in points and kills and fourth for service aces. She tallied 23 kills in a 3-0 sweep over Oklahoma on Dec. 4, 2009, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She posted 22 kills and a season-high .514 clip (22-3-37) with 10 digs, four blocks and 24.5 points in a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 20 at No. 18 Oregon.
On Sept. 26 at Arizona State, Jupiter posted career-highs with 31 kills and 20 digs in a four-set win while hitting .433 (31-5-60). She earned Holiday Inn LA City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament team honors after recording 41 kills, 21 digs and seven blocks (five solo) in three 3-0 sweeps.
During her 2008 freshman season, she registered 350 kills (3.24 kps) with 12 service aces (0.11 saps), 122 digs (1.13 dps), 59 blocks (0.55 bps) and 403.0 points (3.73 pps). She was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team. Jupiter recorded double digit kills in 20 matches and became the third freshman at USC since 1981 to lead the team in kills (Tracy Clark in 1982 and April Ross in 2000).
She had her coming-out party at the Runza/AVCA Showcase against No. 4 Texas and No. 7 Nebraska. Jupiter, who was a 2008 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, led the Trojans in kills for both matches with 17 against the Longhorns and 12 against the Huskers. She also had 13 digs and four service aces on the weekend.
Take The Bait
Junior setter Kendall Bateman (Manhattan Beach/Mira Costa HS) is putting up numbers worthy of All-America consideration with 1,343 assists (12.32 aps) this season with 236 digs (2.17 dps) and 43 blocks (0.39 bps).
With Bateman handling the team's offense, USC is ninth in the nation this season for hitting percentage (.295).
She posted 63 assists with seven digs and four blocks on Nov. 26 in a five-set win at No. 9 UCLA. She had 61 assists with 13 digs and three blocks on Nov. 20 in a five-set win at No. 23 Oregon as the Women of Troy hit .360 as a team. Against No. 20 Arizona on Nov. 12, she steered the Trojans to a .365 hitting night in the 3-0 sweep with 34 assists and eight digs. In a four-set win on Nov. 13 against Arizona State, the team hit .348 as she had 49 assists with two kills, 13 digs and two blocks.
She posted a career-high 5.0 points on Nov. 5 against No. 2 California, tying her career bests with three kills and two service aces. In the four-set win against the Golden Bears, she registered 58 assists and eight digs. Against Washington State on Oct. 29, the Women of Troy hit .373 in the three-set sweep with Bateman getting 38 assists. The next day against then-No. 7 Washington, she recorded 57 assists and 12 digs in the five-set win against the Huskies.
She recorded a career-high 71 assists (14.20 aps) in a five-set win on Oct. 22 against No. 16 Oregon and orchestrated an offensive attack that hit .392 against the Ducks. The following night, she had 41 assists in a 3-0 sweep of Oregon State as the Trojans hit .370 for the match.
On Oct. 9 in a five-set win against No. 7 California, she had 64 assists and 12 digs. She had 53 assists and 13 digs in a five-set loss on Oct. 1 at No. 10 Washington and recorded 39 assists in a 3-0 sweep the next night at Washington State. In a four-set win on Sept. 24 against No. 11 UCLA, she had 49 assists and 12 digs.
She was named most outstanding player for the Fresno State Invitational (Sept. 17-18) after recording 102 assists (11.33 aps) in three 3-0 sweeps against Fresno State, Cal State Bakersfield and Sacramento State. She had 17 digs (1.89 dps) and five blocks (0.56 bps). She had 41 assists and nine digs in a 3-0 sweep of Virginia on Sept. 10 at the Galen Center.
She earned all-tournament honors at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu after leading USC to a 3-0 mark with wins over No. 4 Hawai'i, New Mexico and Michigan State. She had 126 assists (11.45 aps), 17 digs (1.55 dps) and 11 blocks (1.00 bps) as she guided the team to a .302 hitting percentage on the weekend. She had a career-high six blocks in the five-set win on Sept. 5 against No. 4 Hawai'i, adding 53 assists and six digs. She posted 41 assists and guided the Women of Troy to a .407 hitting night in a 3-0 sweep of Michigan State.
She registered a then-career high 66 assists and career-high 18 digs on Aug. 28 in a four-set win against Cal State Fullerton to earn Luxe City Center Trojan Invitation most valuable player honors after recording 130 assists (13.00 aps) and 33 digs (3.30 dps) as the Women of Troy won the tournament title.
She earned 2009 Pac-10 Conference honorable mention and Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition last season after leading the nation with a 12.41 assists per set average. She recorded 227 digs (1.97 dps) and 48 blocks (0.42 bps) on the season and handled an offense that hit .248, ranking 35th in the nation. USC also finished second in the nation for assists per set and kills per set.
She posted 49 assists and 12 digs against Oklahoma in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at the Galen Center and finished the regular season by registering career highs with 62 assists (15.5 aps) and 15 digs in a four-set win on Nov. 28 against No. 19 Arizona. She earned her first-ever Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week honor on Nov. 23 after recording 80 assists and 10 digs in two 3-0 sweeps. She had 57 assists, seven digs and three block assists against No. 4 Washington on Nov. 13 in a five-set win and then posted 60 assists (15.00 aps) with eight digs in a four-set win against No. 25 Washington State.
Bateman appeared in 24 matches in her freshman season and recorded 117 assists on the season (2.72 aps) with two aces (0.05 saps), 32 digs (0.74 dps) and seven blocks (0.16 bps). She had two assists and one dig in her collegiate debut on Aug. 29 against No. 3 Texas at the Runza/AVCA College Showcase in Omaha, Neb. She recorded 10 assists and two digs on Sept. 5 against Hofstra at the Holiday Inn LA City Center Trojan Invitational. She recorded 10 assists in two sets on Oct. 4 at No. 11 Oregon. At No. 10 UCLA on Nov. 28, she came into the third set and tallied 14 assists, two digs and one block assist. She made her first collegiate start in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 5 against No. 15 San Diego, recording season-highs in the four-set victory with 25 assists, 10 digs and four blocks. She got the start the next night in the second round against No. 6 Hawai'i and had 16 assists and three digs.
During the summer of 2008, Bateman played for the U.S. Junior National Team, playing at the FIVB World Championship in Mexico. She was a two-time member of the U.S. Girls' National Team, part of the squad that finished 10th at the 2007 FIVB Girls' World Championship in Mexico and a member of the squad that won the 2006 NORCECA championship.
She was a two-time Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine All-American at Mira Costa and led the Mustangs to a perfect 37-0 record and the school's fourth straight state championship in her senior season. She was part of the mythical national championship squads in her junior and senior seasons as named by prepvolleyball.com and named CIF most valuable player in her senior season.
No Harm, No Foul
Freshman outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana (Hermosa Beach/Mira Costa HS) was ranked as the No. 1 high school senior in the nation by Prep Volleyball and has been regarded by some as one of the best players ever at the high school level. She is garnering attention as a possible National Freshman of Year candidate, as well as a possible Freshman All-American.
This season, she has 331 kills (3.28 kps) with 20 aces (0.20 saps), 152 digs (1.50 dps), 45 blocks (0.45 bps) and 386.5 points (3.83 pps). She has recorded 20 kills in a match six times this season, all in Pac-10 Conference play.
She tied her previous season high with 23 kills in her final regular season match at No. 9 UCLA with nine digs and four blocks. In the third set against UCLA, she registered seven kills and two solo blocks. She had a team-high 22 kills in a five-set win on Nov. 20 at No. 23 Oregon, hitting .392 (22-2-51) with seven digs and two blocks. On Nov. 13, she registered a season-high 23 kills in a four-set win over Arizona State while hitting .442 (23-4-43) with two aces, five digs and three blocks. In the match, she was a perfect 7-for-7 in the first set alone.
She had 20 kills with a then-season-high 13 kills on Nov. 5 in a four-set win at No. 2 California, hitting .359 and adding two solo blocks. On a televised match against No. 7 Washington on Oct. 30, she registered 21 kills and hit .311 (21-7-45) with two aces, eight digs and two blocks including a key four kills in the fifth set of the victory.
She posted 20 kills and 21.0 points in a four-set loss on Oct. 15 at Arizona State, following up with a double-double in a five-set win on Oct. 16 at No. 25 Arizona (13 kills, 11 digs).
She had 15 kills, eight digs and two solo blocks in a five-set win against No. 7 California on Oct. 9 at the Galen Center. On Oct. 1 at No. 10 Washington, she had 16 kills, nine digs and two solo blocks in a five-set loss. She had 17 kills, hitting .371 (17-4-35) on Sept. 24 in a four-set win against No. 11 UCLA.
She posted her first collegiate double-double on Sept. 18 against Sacramento State with 10 kills and 11 digs in a 3-0 sweep, hitting .381 (10-2-21) with two aces and one block. She hit .800 (8-0-10) on Sept. 17 at Fresno State and for the weekend at the Fresno State Invitational (Sept. 17-18), she led the Trojans with 32 kills and 17 digs.
Fonoimoana was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and a 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection. She earned 2009 All-CIF Southern Section first team honors and was named Daily Breeze Player of the Year after recording 664 kills and 311 digs on the season with 63 blocks and 34 aces. She was named 2007 National Sophomore of the Year by Prep Volleyball after teaming with current USC setter Kendall Bateman to lead Mira Costa to the CIF-Southern Section I-AA title with 17 kills in the final over Redondo Union.
Her mother, Debbie, played beach volleyball and trained with her sister, Lelei, who swam in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, placing seventh in the 100m Butterfly at 17 years old. Her uncle, Eric, won a gold medal in 2000 in Sydney for beach volleyball and was a longtime standout on the AVP Tour.
Where There's A Will, There's A Way
Junior middle blocker Lauren Williams (Houston, Texas/Stratford HS) has 240 kills (2.38 kps) with 28 digs (0.28 dps) and 95 blocks (0.94 bps) this season.
As of Nov. 29, Williams is fourth in the nation with a .426 hitting percentage.
She finished the regular season with 12 kills and seven blocks in a five-set win on Nov. 26 at No. 9 UCLA.
She recorded 26 kills in two matches (Nov. 19 and 20) at Oregon State and No. 23 Oregon while hitting .590 for the weekend with nine blocks. In the five-set win at No. 23 Oregon, she tied her career highs with 19 kills and eight blocks while hitting .533 (19-3-30). The previous night, she hit .778 (7-0-9) in the 3-0 sweep against Oregon State. She had nine kills with six blocks while hitting .615 (9-1-13) on Nov. 12 in a 3-0 sweep of No. 20 Arizona. In a four-set win on Nov. 5 at No. 2 California, she had 11 kills with five blocks while hitting .429 (11-2-21).
She tied her personal best with eight blocks (the fifth time she did so in her career) on Oct. 30 against Washington. She had one of her best matches of the season on Oct. 22 in a five-set win at home against No. 16 Oregon when she had a season-high 17 kills and hit .640 (17-1-25) against the Ducks. On Oct. 16 at No. 25 Arizona, she had 13 kills and no errors while hitting .565 (13-0-23).
Williams registered all-tournament honors at the Fresno State Invitational (Sept. 17-18) after hitting .421 on the weekend with five blocks (1.00 bps).
She earned all-tournament honors at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu after leading USC to a 3-0 mark with wins over No. 4 Hawai'i, New Mexico and Michigan State. She was second on the team with 31 kills (2.82 kps) while hitting .473 with 18 blocks (1.64 bps). She had 12 kills and six blocks while hitting .450 (12-3-20) in a 3-0 sweep of New Mexico and followed that up with 14 kills and six blocks while tying her career high of five assists in the five-set win over No. 4 Hawai'i.
She garnered Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament honors after registering 25 kills (3.57 kps) in three matches while hitting .622 (25-2-37).
Last year, she made 30 starts in 31 matches as a sophomore. She finished fourth among Pac-10 Conference players with a .371 hitting percentage and third on the team with 281 kills (2.55 kps). Last season, she recorded 15 assists (0.14 aps), 19 digs (0.17 dps) and 343.5 points (3.12 pps) while leading the team with 105 total blocks (0.95 bps) with 20 solo blocks. She finished the season with double-digit kills in four consecutive matches.
She had a team-high 14 kills and hit .407 (14-3-27) with a career-high eight block assists against No. 3 Hawai'i on Dec. 5, 2009, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and recorded 10 kills and no errors for a season-high .714 clip (10-0-14) against Oklahoma on Dec. 4 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
She earned her first-ever Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week honor on Nov. 16 after registering 33 kills while hitting .462 with 11 blocks and 41.0 points in wins over No. 4 Washington and No. 25 Washington State. She had 14 kills and eight blocks (four solo) while hitting .364 against Washington. She followed that with a career-high 19 kills against Washington State without a single error for a .559 night (19-0-34).
In her first collegiate season, Williams earned Pac-10 Conference honorable mention recognition and was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team. She had 209 kills (2.11 kps) with a .323 hitting percentage and a team-leading 103 blocks (1.04 bps) with 15 solo blocks and 88 block assists. She recorded 11 blocks (two solo, nine assisted) in her first two collegiate matches at the Runza/AVCA Showcase against No. 4 Texas and No. 7 Nebraska. On Oct. 11, 2008, in a five-set loss to No. 10 Washington, Williams recorded a season-high 16 kills with six block assists while hitting .462 (16-4-26). She hit .550 (12-1-20) on Nov. 21 at No. 2 Stanford and followed it with a .455 match (11-1-22) with four blocks at No. 7 Cal.
She played on the 2008 U.S. Women's A2 National Team and played on the 2007 Junior National Training Team.
Surf's Up
Freshman libero Natalie Hagglund (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS) was rated the top incoming libero by Prep Volleyball and 27th overall recruit. Along with her volleyball prowess, Hagglund is an accomplished surfer, winning the 2007 San Diego County High School Girls' Long Board Surfing championship.
She has 424 digs (3.96 dps) this season for the Women of Troy.
She recorded 27 digs in a five-set win on Nov. 26 at No. 9 UCLA. On Nov. 20 at No. 23 Oregon, she had 20 digs in the five-set win against the Ducks. She had 16 digs in a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 12 against No. 20 Arizona. She posted 23 digs on Oct. 30 against No. 7 Washington and had a season-high 28 digs (7.00 dps) in a four-set loss at Arizona State.
On Sept. 24 against No. 11 UCLA, she had 19 digs in the four-set win against the Bruins. She had a season-high 22 digs in a five-set win on Sept. 5 at No. 4 Hawai'i. Her previous high of 21 digs came on August 28 against Cal State Fullerton (4 sets).
She earned 2009-10 Under Armour All-America first team honors and played for the La Costa Canyon High squad that won the San Diego Section Division I championship in four sets. Hagglund played for the 2009 U.S. Under-19 Beach Volleyball squad as part of the No. 2 team and was part of the youngest team ever to qualify for the main draw of the AVP Manhattan Beach Open (2009). In high school, she was a member of the 2008 La Costa Canyon High squad that was named national champions by Prep Volleyball and Max Preps.
Standing Guard
Freshman middle blocker Alexis Olgard (Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) has 167 kills (1.76 kps) this season while hitting .379 with 25 digs (0.26 dps), 10 aces (0.11 saps) and 75 blocks (0.79 bps).
She had a season-high nine blocks to go with eight kills in a five-set win on Nov. 26 at No. 9 UCLA. In two wins at Oregon State and No. 23 Oregon (Nov. 19-20), she had 14 kills combined and hit .583 (8-1-12) against Oregon State with four blocks and .417 (6-1-12) against Oregon.
She had 15 combined kills with no errors for a .625 hitting clip in wins against Washington State and No. 7 Washington (Oct. 29-30). She had seven kills on 10 swings (.700) with two digs and two blocks against WSU and eight kills on 14 swings (.571) with three blocks (two solo) against Washington.
On Oct. 22 against No. 16 Oregon, she had 10 kills and six blocks and followed it up the next night with eight kills and a .636 night (8-1-11) in a 3-0 sweep of Oregon State. She had 10 kills and no errors with three solo blocks on Oct. 16 in a five-set win at No. 25 Arizona.
She posted season highs for kills in successive nights on Oct. 8 and 9. Against No. 1 Stanford on Oct. 8, she had nine kills with no errors and three blocks for a .450 night and recorded 12 kills in a .500 night with two blocks against No. 7 California. Her block, along with teammate Alex Jupiter, while USC was down 14-12 in the fifth set against the Golden Bears sparked a 5-1 run as the Women of Troy pulled out the victory. She was third on the team with 26.0 points during the Fresno State Invitational (Sept. 17-18) with 16 kills and a team-high five service aces.
She was rated as the No. 5 recruit in the nation by Prep Volleyball and played for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team while being an alternate for the 2008 squad. She was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection. At the 2009 FIVB Junior World Championship in Mexico, she finished fourth in blocks among all players and 20th in scoring. She was an integral part of three state championship squads (2006, 2007 and 2009) and was named 2009 Gatorade State Player of the Year as well as 2009 Inland Northwest Junior Female Athlete of the Year.
The Pattern Is Full
Sophomore outside hitter Katie Fuller (Olivenhain, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS) has 195 kills (1.95 kps) this season with 120 digs (1.20 dps) and 51 blocks (0.51 bps).
She had seven kills and a career-high seven blocks on Nov. 26 in a five-set win at No. 9 UCLA. She posted seven kills with no errors in a .467 performance against No. 20 Arizona on Nov. 12, adding four blocks in the 3-0 sweep. She tied for the team high with nine kills in a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Stanford on Nov. 7 and hit .350 (9-2-20) with eight digs. She hit .368 (8-1-19) against Washington State in a three-set sweep on Oct. 29.
On Oct. 22 against No. 16 Oregon, she posted 10 kills and hit .529 (10-1-17) in the match. She had a team-high 11 kills in a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 10 against Virginia, including 10 in the first set alone. She hit .500 on the evening (11-2-18) with an ace and five digs. On Sept. 5 in a five-set win at No. 4 Hawai'i, she posted career highs with 17 kills, six digs, six blocks and 20.5 points while hitting .382. She had eight kills and hit .312 in a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 4 against Michigan State.
She filled in admirably during the Portland and Fresno State matches (Sept. 18-19) as a freshman last season. She led the team with 10 kills against Portland with two digs and one block while hitting .471 (10-2-17) in the 3-0 sweep. The following night against Fresno State, she had five kills with seven digs and two service aces.
That's G
Senior defensive specialist/outside hitter Geena Urango (Los Alamitos/Los Alamitos HS) has eight kills (0.09 kps) and 20 service aces (0.22 saps) this season. She has a 3.74 grade-point-average in communications, earning 2010 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic first team honors. She became the first Trojan to earn first team honors since Emily Adams in 2003.
She is second on the team with 22 service aces this season (0.23 saps).
She had a season-high 11 digs on Sept. 24 in a four-set win against No. 11 UCLA.
Urango made seven starts in 30 matches last season, recording 69 kills (0.74 kps), seven assists (0.08 aps), 20 service aces (0.22 saps), 107 digs (1.15 dps) and 93.5 points (1.01 pps). She earned 2009 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic second team honors, posting a 3.69 grade-point-average in communications. Her best match came on Sept. 11 vs. Idaho State, leading the Trojans with a season-high 17 kills while hitting .469 on Sept. 11 against Idaho State at the Wolverine Invitational in Orem, Utah.
She played in every match during her 2008 sophomore season, recording 36 kills (0.35 kps), 11 assists (0.11 aps), 13 aces (0.12 saps), 158 digs (1.52 dps), five blocks (0.05 bps) and 52.0 points (0.50 pps). She had a season-high nine kills and added two aces and two digs against Hartford on Sept. 18 and posted eight kills and a season-high 14 digs on Oct. 3 at Oregon State.
Urango recorded 112 kills (0.90 kps) and 347 digs (2.80 dpg) in her freshman season, earning All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention honors. She finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10 Conference with 40 service aces (0.32 saps) and recorded four aces in a match twice (Sept. 1 vs. Mercer and Sept. 15 vs. Purdue).
She recorded 21 digs on Sept. 7 at Utah in a four-game victory and posted a season-high 31 digs in a five-game win on Sept. 14 at No. 20 Ohio State. On Oct. 11 against Oregon State, she tallied a season-high 10 kills, hitting .304 in the match and adding nine digs. She recorded a season-high 21 kills, taking 47 swings against No. 9 Cal in a 3-2 win on Oct. 26 at the Galen Center. Urango posted her first collegiate double-double on Nov. 2 against No. 9 UCLA with 17 kills and 12 digs in the 3-1 victory.
She was on the 2008 U.S. Beach Volleyball Training Team for the SWATCH FIVB World Championship. She also played two years for the U.S. Youth National Team (2005-06) and also played on the Junior National Team.
The Shawshank Redemption
Freshman outside hitter Sara Shaw (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS) has 35 kills (0.44 kps) this season with 109 digs (1.38 dps) and 10 blocks (0.13 dps).
She had a season-high 10 digs in a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 23 against Oregon State.
She was rated No. 11 nationally by Prep Volleyball and played for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team. She also was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection. Shaw earned 2009-10 Under Armour All-America first team honors after leading Westlake to its third straight Class 5A state final and was named 2009 Gatorade State Player of the Year.
It's Greek To Me
Senior middle blocker Zoe Garrett (Laguna Beach/Laguna Beach HS), whose first name is derived from a Greek word meaning "life", has 54 kills (1.64 kps) this season white hitting .345 with 20 blocks (0.61 bps).
Garrett made 16 starts in 24 matches as a junior last season for the Women of Troy. She recorded 81 kills for a 1.27 kps average and a .288 hitting percentage with 16 assists (0.25 aps), six service aces (0.09 saps), 27 digs (0.42 dps), 45 blocks (0.70 bps) and 112.0 points (1.75 pps). She received 2009 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition
She earned all-tournament team honors at the 2009 Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 11-12) at Utah Valley after getting 20 kills and seven blocks while hitting .474. She had nine kills while hitting .500 at Utah Valley (9-1-16) on Sept. 11 with four block assists and had nine kills with four blocks while hitting .571 (9-1-14) on Aug. 29 against North Carolina.
As a sophomore in 2008, Garrett started in all but one match during the season, recording 171 kills (1.71 kps) for a .305 hitting percentage with 19 service aces (0.19 saps), 61 digs (0.61 dps), 90 blocks (0.90 bps) and 241.5 points (2.41 pps). She tied her previous best of nine blocks on Sept. 18 against Hartford with one solo block and eight block assists in the 3-0 victory at the West Point Challenge, also tied a season high with three service aces. In the Pac-10 opener against No. 4 UCLA, she had nine kills and hit .400 (9-1-20) in the five-set win with six digs and five blocks. In a 3-0 sweep of Washington State on Oct. 10, she tied her career high with 13 kills, hitting .476 (13-3-21) in the process. She tied her season and career highs with 13 kills and nine blocks on Dec. 5 in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament against No. 15 San Diego and hit a season-high .478 (13-2-23) against the Toreros in the four-set win.
Garrett received All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention honors in 2007 after recording 210 kills (1.81 kps) and 118 blocks (1.02 bps) while hitting .262. A 10-kill performance came on Oct. 18 at Washington State where she also registered a season-high nine blocks (one solo, eight assisted).
Burn Notice
Freshman outside hitter/opposite Kirby Burnham (Newport Beach/Newport Harbor HS) was rated as the No. 49 incoming recruit in the nation by Prep Volleyball and was a 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, along with earning All-America honors by Prep Volleyball.
This season, she has 38 kills (1.06 kps) while hitting .213 with 38 digs (1.06 dps).
She was the team captain for the Newport Harbor squad that won the 2009 CIF-SS Division 1-AA championship as Burnham earned 2009 All-CIF Southern Section first team honors. She was named most valuable player in the CIF Division I state championship match after posting 12 kills in the 3-0 sweep of Salinas. Burnham was a member of the National Charity League where she completed 50-100 hours of community service a year and created her own neighborhood food drive in her community while she was in high school.
From Serbia With Love
Sophomore middle blocker Nataša Šiljkovic (Uzice, Serbia/School of Economy) saw her first action in late October and is working her way into the rotation.
She had a season-high four kills in a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 12 against No. 20 Arizona.
While going to the School of Economy, she also played in the Serbian National Team program on the youth, junior and senior squads. She was a member of the 2008 and 2009 squads that finished fourth at the European Championships and a member of the 2007 squad that finished second at the European Championships. She was the fourth-ranked blocker at the 2007 World Championships in Mexico.
All-Time Great Night
Since the Galen Center's opening, the USC women's volleyball program has honored its former players with a banner ceremony with the individual having their number and name listed in the rafters for a full year.
On October 30 against Washington State, the Women of Troy honored Terry Place (1976-77), who was a two-time All-American and two-time Olympian (1980 and 1984). During the September 24 match against UCLA, Dana Smith (1980-83) was honored. She was a three-time first team All-American. She was a member of two national championship squads (1980 and 1981). Her best season came in 1982 when she had 385 kills with 24 aces and 30 digs. Smith is one of only four USC women's volleyball players to earn an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship (1984).
Injury Report
Senior outside hitter Kimmee Roleder injured her right knee during spring practice and will be out for the entire 2010 season.
Dayton Flyers Volleyball Team Enters NCAA Volleyball Tournament Ranked No. 13 In AVCA Coaches Poll Flyers Are Highest Ranked Team From A One-Bid Conference
***NCAA TOURNAMENT TIME CHANGE NOTE: ***Friday, Dec. 3 - Frericks Center - Dayton, Ohio ***Ohio State vs. Lipscomb, 6 p.m. ET ***Dayton vs. Butler, 8 p.m. ET
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Dayton volleyball will enter the NCAA Championship ranked No. 13 in the in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll released on Monday.
Ranked for 18 consecutive weeks, the Flyers are on the cusp maintaining a top 25 national ranking through the entire season for the first time in program history. UD began the season ranked No. 21 in the preseason and last week tied the highest ranking in program history at No. 12 for the second time since the week of Oct. 15, 2007.
Dayton (27-3, 15-0 Atlantic 10) finished the regular season on a 22 match winning streak after sweeping Mid-American Conference Tournament Champion Ohio on the road last Friday. On Sunday UD earned the program’s highest seed (No. 14) in the NCAA Championship and will host the First Round through the Regional Final. As the Atlantic 10’s only representative in the field of 64, the Flyers are the only seeded team from a one-bid league.
Florida (27-1) remains the top seed in this week’s top 25 with 55 of the 60 first-place votes. Dayton has played four top 15 teams in this week’s poll, including No. 3 Nebraska, No. 14 Illinois, No. 10 Northern Iowa, and No. 12 Minnesota.
The back-to-back Atlantic 10 Regular Season and Tournament Champions begin the NCAA Championship by hosting Butler at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at the Frericks Center. The winner will face Ohio State or Lipscomb on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes and Lady Bisons will play on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
Tickets for the NCAA Championship First and Second Rounds go on sale tomorrow. For more information visit the NCAA First & Second Rounds page (http://www.daytonflyers.com/womens/volleyball/firstrounds/) or call the Dayton Ticket Office at (937) 229-4433.
Iowa State Cyclones Volleyball Team: Cyclones Headed to Minnesota; Play Creighton
AMES, Iowa – No. 16 Iowa State (20-8) will play Creighton (20-11) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday Dec. 3 in Minneapolis, Minn.
“We are thrilled, wherever we are going,” Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said. “It’s a fun time of year; there’s extra excitement.”
The 10th-seeded Gophers (24-8) and North Dakota State (20-10) round out the Cyclones’ corner of the draw.
The Bluejays, who are making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament, advanced to the Missouri Valley Conference championship match before falling to No. 11 Northern Iowa on Saturday.
Creighton is led by right side and outside hitter Alicia Runge who is averaging 3.83 kills per set this season and hitting. 222. The Bluejay defense is anchored by defensive specialist Julianne Mandolfo, averaging 4.47 digs per set.
The last time Iowa State played at Minnesota during postseason was in 2008, when the Cyclones advanced to the Elite Eight.
“It’s a great place to play a volleyball match,” Johnson-Lynch said.
Other Big 12 teams that will play in the tournament are second-seeded Nebraska, ninth-seeded Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Friday’s match will start at 4:30 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus.
NCAA Volleyball Tournament:Join the Iowa State Cyclones Volleyball Team in Minnesota
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State is inviting all Cyclone volleyball fans to purchase tickets for a trip to Minneapolis, Minn. on Saturday Dec. 4 to see the Cyclones (20-8) play in the second round of the NCAA tournament, should the team advance Friday against Creighton (20-11).
The price of a ticket, which will depend on the number of fans going on the trip, will include travel and a ticket to the match on Saturday night at 6 p.m. at the Spirit Pavilion. If the travel party includes 28 people, the price of a ticket is $55 per person. The price drops to $40 a person if 46 people travel north for the match.
If you and your family/friends are interested in joining the Cyclones in Minneapolis, please complete the form at this link (click here). If enough fans commit, we will reserve the bus and tickets. Please complete the fields at the link above by 10 a.m. Tuesday Nov. 30. (Iowa State is required to notify Minnesota at that time if it will use the tickets and how many are needed.)
All fans that complete the questionnaire will be emailed Tuesday afternoon with an update. If the bus trip meets the requirements, you will have until Thursday at 5 pm to commit financially to the trip. (Should the Cyclones not advance to Saturday's match, you will not be charged for the trip.)
Tentative Schedule (should Iowa State advance)
Saturday, December 4
1 p.m. - Depart from the Jacobson Athletic Building in Ames (a lunch will NOT be provided, but you may bring food on the bus)
4:30/ 5 p.m. - Arrive at the Sports Pavilion in Minnesota
6 p.m. - Cyclones vs. Winner of NDSU/Minnesota match
8 p.m. (or whenever match is over) - Depart for Jacobson Athletic Building in Ames
12 a.m. - Arrive at the Jacobson Athletic Building in Ames
In the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Cyclones will play the Creighton Bluejays, Friday Dec. 3 at 4:30 p.m. at the Spirit Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus.
