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College Volleyball Team News
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Nebraska Head Volleyball Coach John Cook issued the following statement regarding junior Lauren Cook.
Statement from Nebraska Volleyball Coach John Cook:
“I have made the decision that Lauren Cook will not play in our matches this weekend against Michigan and Michigan State. As the legal system continues to progress, we will make further determination on Lauren’s playing status. Lauren is still a member of our program and will continue to train and practice with our team.”
In this undated photo provided by the Lincoln Police Department, Lauren Cook is shown. Nebraska star volleyball player Lauren Cook was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an injury accident and ticketed for driving under suspension after an accident that left a motorcyclist with a broken leg. Lincoln, Nebraska police say Cook clipped a motorcyclist who was stopped at the side of a road shortly before noon Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011. Police found Cook about a half-mile away, her 2007 Toyota
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska star volleyball player Lauren Cook was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an injury accident and ticketed for driving under suspension after a motorcyclist broke a leg. This was the sixth time she has been ticketed in Nebraska for speeding since 2007.
Fighting Illini Volleyball: No.1 Illini Get Physical In Win Over Michigan
Anna Dorn, Liz McMahon lead strong blocking match
Champaign, Ill. – In most years the teams that have set atop the Big Ten standings have been the most physical, an imposing force at the net. For the second straight match, the Illini were that team in posting 17 blocks, this time stopping another team with a physical reputation, Michigan. The Illini were dominant in the early sets, then had to reach back to close out the 20th-ranked Wolverines, 25-14, 25-19, 21-25, 25-20 in front of a midweek crowd of 2,347 at Huff Hall. Illinois moves to 18-0 overall and 7-0 in the Big Ten, a half game ahead offifth-ranked Nebraska in the conference standings.
“I think we came out and played pretty physical like we ended at Penn State,” Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly said. “We really focused on defense and worked really hard to close blocks."
Freshman middle blocker Anna Dorn, the most recent Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, posted double digits in blocks for the second straight match, finishing with 10 block assists, one shy of her freshman teammate Liz McMahon who connected on a lethal block on numerous occasions. Illinois out-blocked the Wolverines, 17-3 on the night and limited Michigan (14-5, 2-5) to a .182 attack percentage.
“Before every game, we talk about being competitive,” Dorn said. “The defense is definitely the cornerstone of our team; when we have a strong defense, I feel like everything else falls into place. We’re just focusing a lot on that every game.”
Offensively, Illinois posted an impressive .305 attack percentage thanks to a steady performance in which the Illini hit between .273 and .333 in each set individually. Junior setter Annie Luhrsen, who engineered the offense, finished with 44 assists and eight digs. Senior Michelle Bartsch played like an All-American, hitting .341 from the outside with 20 kills and six digs. Senior Colleen Ward was potent as well, belting all 14 of her kills in the last three sets while also finishing with a double-double thanks to 10 digs.
“The last three teams have been the toughest serving matches,” Hambly said. “Michigan puts a lot of pressure on you. I think we’re starting to match that and I thought it was a good serving battle tonight.”
Illinois carried the defensive momentum from the last two sets at Penn State into Wednesday’s match with six blocks in the first set. The Orange and Blue broke open a 5-5 set with five straight points, the last four off the serve of Rachel Feldman. Erin Johnson (6 kills, 6 blocks, .455) scored three straight times on the backslide then teamed with Bartsch for the block. Hunt had six of the 11 Michigan kills in the opening frame. Dorn continued her effort at the net with three blocks in the first set. The lead reached as big as 21-10 before Bartsch finished it off with a couple of explosive kills.
Teams traded side outs to start the second set. The Illini used a 6-1 run to build a 12-7 advantage and extended it to 18-11 after an ace from Bartsch. The Wolverines closed to within 21-18 forcing Illinois to call a timeout. Then the Illini used another 6-1 run capped off by a kill off the block from McMahon.
While Illinois was the team to break out in front of a tie score in sets one and two, Michigan took charge in set three. The first part of the set saw several first ball side outs asboth teams hit over .400. With the score tied at 15-15, play became much more defensive with longer rallies. Michigan went in front 17-15 and 21-17 and the Illini could get no closer. The Wolverines got a balanced attack with threekills each from Alex Hunt and Courtney Fletcher and four kills from Claire McElheny. The Wolverines sided out a strong 76 percent and finished the set hitting .355. The Illini hit a respectable .294, but couldn’t slow down the Michigan attack.
For the most part, Illinois was able to slow down the Michigan big hitting lefty Hunt, who had 13 kills, but hit just .083. The Illini had four more blocks in the third set and thedefense dropped the Wolverine attack percentage down to .139. Several times in the set, it looked as if the Illini were going to pull away. Dorn and McMahon closed on a block after the media timeout, making it 16-13 Illinois. Michigan’s Jennifer Cross (10 kills, .400) teamed with freshman setter Lexi Dannemiller for a block to tie it at 16-16. The Illini finally went up for good as Ward hit a couple cross court shots to make it 24-19 Illini.
Illinois hosts Michigan State (14-4, 3-3) at Huff Hall Saturday night.
No. 1 Illinois Volleyball Team Outlasts No. 8 Penn State, 3-2
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Oct. 8, 2011 – The No. 8 Penn State women’s volleyball team (11-5, 4-2 Big Ten) suffered a 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 12-15) setback to top-ranked Illinois Saturday night. More than 5,200 fans packed Rec Hall to support the Lions. The match will air on the Big Ten Network on Monday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. ET.
Several Nittany Lions posted career-highs in a number of statistical categories. Sophomore Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) put down a career-best 27 kills on a personal-high 74 attacks. Freshman Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.) had career-highs in aces with seven, which ties the individual single-match program record, and digs with 19. Freshman Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) tallied a personal-best 14 digs, while sophomore Ali Longo (Littleton, Colo.) had a career-best 24 digs to lead the team.
Scott’s 27 kills were a match-high. Sophomore Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) was second on the team with 12 kills, while both sophomore Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) and freshman Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio) had 10 apiece. McClendon also contributed in the back row on defense finishing fourth on the team with 11 digs. Hancock dished out 45 assists to pace the Nittany Lion offense. Slay led the team with seven total blocks, while Grant was second on the team with four.
Penn State hit .134 against the Illini (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten) and posted 68 kills, nine aces, 99 digs and 12.5 total team blocks. The Nittany Lions’ nine aces ties for second in rally-scoring era records for five set matches. The Illini finished the match hitting .184 with 55 kills, eight aces, 93 digs and 17.0 team blocks.
The first set started out close, but Penn State grabbed a two-point lead, 8-6, on a Scott kill and an Illini error. A 6-3 PSU run increased the gap to five, 14-9, by midpoint of the set. After an Illinois timeout, the Fighting Illini fought to come within two, 18-16. Penn State called a timeout, but the Illini managed to tie it up at 20-20. A Scott kill and a Hancock ace pushed Penn State back into the lead, 22-20. Despite a second Illinois timeout, another Hancock ace had the Lions ahead by three, 23-20. Michelle Bartsch pounded a kill for the Illini, but a Grant kill and an Illini attack error secured set one for PSU, 25-21.
The Illini dominated set two from the start, taking a 7-2 lead. Penn State closed the gap to three, 10-7, but a 5-1 Illini run had Illinois ahead by seven, 15-8. The Nittany Lions would trail by seven for much of the remainder of the set, using a timeout to attempt to slow Illinois’ momentum with the score at 19-12. It wasn’t until a kill by Colleen Ward and an ace from Annie Luhrsen put Illinois at set point, 24-15, that the momentum shifted. The Nittany Lions held the Illini at set point for six straight points to be within three of the Illini, 24-21. Illinois called a timeout and Liz McMahon tallied a kill to win set two for Illinois, 25-21.
Despite trailing for much of the third set, the Nittany Lions rallied midway through the frame to take a 14-13 lead and force an Illinois timeout. The score tied twice more before two Scott kills and one from Slay pushed Penn State up by three, 18-15. Illinois called a second timeout and used a 3-0 run to knot the score at 18-18. Scott put Penn State back in the lead before an Illini error gave the Lions a two-point cushion, 20-18. Back-to-back Illinois kills made it 20 all and sent Penn State to the bench. McClendon put down a kill to move the Lions back in front once again. Illinois tied it up one last time, but kills from Slay, Grant and Scott helped Penn State sneak away with the set, 25-23.
The Nittany Lions took control early in the fourth set, but saw their lead slip away as the set began to wind down. With a 17-14 lead, a 5-1 Illinois run moved the Illini into the lead, 19-18. Penn State called a timeout, but Illinois’ lead continued to grow with a block and a kill. The Nittany Lions burned its second timeout with the score at 21-18 in favor of Illinois, but it wasn’t enough to slow the Illini. Illinois’ lead grew to four, 23-19, before an Illini service error and a Hancock ace had the Lions within two, 23-21. Illinois called a final timeout and managed to close out the set swiftly, 25-21.
The Illini hopped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth and final frame, but a 5-1 Penn State run had the Lions out in front, 6-4. Illinois called a timeout and used a 5-1 run of its own to take a 9-7 lead. After a Penn State timeout, the Illini’s lead grew to three, 11-9, before three straight PSU points had the score tied at 11-11. Illinois used its final timeout and allowed the Nittany Lions just one final point before winning the set, 15-12.
Penn State is back in action on Oct. 14 at Purdue before taking on Indiana on Oct. 15. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2011 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.
Volleyball Video: Inside IU Volleyball 2011 - Episode 6
In this episode, Coach Dunbar and Cody talk about IU's first matches in Big Ten play and the upcoming trip to Illinois and Northwestern. In this week's player spotlight, Cody introduces you to freshmen Morgan Leach and Chanté George.
No. 5 Penn State Opens Big Ten Play at No. 10 Nebraska
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Sept. 20, 2011 –The four-time defending national champion and fifth-ranked Penn State women’s volleyball team opens the Big Ten slate at No. 10 Nebraska on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The match is set for 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Nittany Lions improved to 7-3 overall after going 3-0 in the Hampton Inn Classic held at Rec Hall on Sept. 16-17. Penn State swept both Long Island and Rutgers before defeating Florida Gulf Coast, 3-1. Sophomore ArielScott (Ridgewood, N.J.) led the team offensively averaging 3.40 kills per set (kps), while sophomore KatieSlay (Raleigh, N.C.) was second on the team with 2.70 kps. Freshman setter MichaHancock (Edmond, Okla.) paced the offense with 9.20 assists per set. In addition she had a team-high 0.70 aces per set and 2.80 digs per set. Sophomore libero AliLongo (Littleton, Colo.) was second behind Hancock with 2.70 digs per set. Slay was unbeatable at the net with 1.90 blocks per set, while freshman NiaGrant (Warren, Ohio) and Hancock each averaged 0.90 blocks per set.
For the weekend, Penn State hit .345 as a team and averaged 13.70 kills per set, 12.00 assists per set, 2.10 aces per set, 11.30 digs per set and 3.20 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Nebraska
Nebraska leads the series with Penn State 11-6. The Nittany Lions have won four of the last six meetings, including the most recent on Dec. 18, 2008 in the NCAA National Semifinals. Five of Penn State’s six wins vs. Nebraska have been on a neutral court.
Scouting the Huskers
No. 10 Nebraska owns a 7-1 record this season. The Huskers returned five starters, including two AVCA All-Americans from the 2010 squad. Nebraska’s only loss this season was to Colorado State on Sept. 2 and the Huskers have won five matches since, including sweeping nationally-ranked Iowa State on Sept. 17.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions continue conference play on Sept. 24 at Iowa before hosting Wisconsin on Sept. 30 and Minnesota on Oct. 1 at Rec Hall.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2011 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.
Volleyball Video: IU Volleyball Player Here's Something From Mary - Season 3, Episode 5
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In this week's episode, Mary takes you on the team's trip to San Diego, where the Hoosiers visit Mission Beach and stay in a not-so-modern hotel. The team talks about Las Vegas during a layover on the way back to Indiana.
Volleyball Video: Iowa State Volleyball Freshman Orientation: Victoria Hurtt
Victoria Hurtt (6-2, OH) is in the spotlight. From Kansas City, Mo., Hurtt is already making her presence known on the court, playing in all seven of the Cyclones' matches this season. Hurtt is averaging 2.68 kills per set coming off the bench with seven total blocks (2 solo, 5 assists) and ranks third on the team in points with 63.5. In Monday's 3-2 win over the No. 9 Florida Gators, Hurtt came up big for Iowa State, recording the winning kill in the first set
