Volleyball Voices

No. 9 UCLA Volleyball Deals No. 8 Penn State a 3-0 Loss in NCAA Regional Semifinal

 

No. 9 UCLA Volleyball Deals No. 8 Penn State a 3-0 Loss in NCAA Regional Semifinal

 

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.., Dec. 9, 2011 – The No. 8 seed Penn State women’s volleyball team (25-8) saw its season come to an end Friday night in the NCAA Regional Semifinals with a 3-0 (20-25, 22-25, 21-25) loss to ninth-seeded UCLA. The Nittany Lions postseason winning streak came to an end after 26 straight wins, a record in Division I NCAA women’s volleyball.

 

Penn State is 74-26 overall in NCAA Tournament play. This was the team’s ninth consecutive trip to the NCAA Regional Semifinals. The Nittany Lions are one of just two programs to have participated in every NCAA postseason event since its inception in 1981.

 

Three Nittany Lions tallied double-digit kills with freshman Aiyana Whitney (Norwood, N.J.) leading the way with 12. She has just one error in 24 swings for a .458 attack percentage. Sophomore Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) was secodn on the team with 11, while sophomore Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) posted 10. Freshman Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.), the AVCA Mideast Region Freshman of the Year, dished out 38 assists and sophomore Ali Longo (Littleton, Colo.) posted 10. Scott, freshman Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio), Hancock and sophomore Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) each had three blocks.

 

Penn State hit .248 against the Bruins (26-6) and finished the match with 43 kills, two aces, 31 digs and 7.0 total team blocks. The Bruins posted a .310 attack percentage and had 46 kills, four aces, 47 digs and 6.0 team blocks.

 

The Nittany Lions opened the match taking a 4-1 lead after two kills from Scott and one each from Martin and McClendon. The Bruins fought to within one, 4-3, but Penn State held on to the lead, eventually moving ahead by three, 9-6, with kills from Grant and McClendon. By midway through the set two consecutive kills from UCLA’s Rachael Kidder and a PSU error had the score knotted at 12-12. Scott put one away to push Penn State back into the lead, but a 4-0 run by UCLA had the Bruins in the lead, 16-13. The Nittany Lions were unable to recover as UCLA’s lead grew to five, 21-16. Penn State came within four on three occasions, but the Bruins tallied a kill for a 25-20 first set win.

 

Penn State trailed for the entirety of the second frame. Trailing by one, 11-10, nearing the halfway point of the set, a 5-1 UCLA run gave the Bruins a comfortable 16-11 advantage. Whitney sparked a 4-0 Nittany Lions run to tie the set at 16-16. The Bruins took the lead with a kill from Mariana Aquino, but another Whitney kill at the score at 17 all. A PSU service error and a kill from UCLA’s Kelly Reeves moved the Bruins ahead by two, 19-17. After a Penn State timeout, UCLA’s lead grew to four forcing another Penn State timeout. Another Reeves kill increased the Bruins’ lead to five, 22-17. Penn State used kills from Slay and McClendon and a block to come within three, 23-20. UCLA called a timeout and despite an ace from Hancock and a UCLA error, the Bruins closed out set two, 25-22.

 

UCLA jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the third stanza. A Penn State timeout slowed the Bruins enough to allow Slay to pound to kills to close the gap to five, 8-3. The teams traded points with Penn State unable to come any closer than five until a kill by Hancock and two straight from Slay had Penn State trailing by only three, 14-11. A McClendon ace put the Lions within two, 14-12, but a kill from Kidder put the ball back in UCLA’s control. Kidder’s kill was part of a 5-1 run that pushed the Bruins ahead by six, 19-13. Whitney and Scott each put down a kill bringing Penn State within four, 19-15, but a putdown by Tabi Love and two straight aces gave UCLA a six-point lead, 22-16. A UCLA error and a McClendon kill started to pull momentum to Penn State and sent the Bruins to the bench. Another Bruin error brought Penn State within three, 22-19. McClendon managed two final kills for Penn State, but the Bruins maintained the lead to secure a 25-21 victory.

 

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.

 

 

Colorado State Volleyball Adds Another Pair to Roster

 

Colorado State Volleyball Adds Another Pair to Roster
Colaizzi, Koutchouk sign as Rams

By Leah Sakdol
Athletic Media Relations

FORT COLLINS, Colo.—The Colorado State volleyball team recently added two more players to its 2012 roster, after Jaime Colaizzi and Anastassia Koutchouk each joined the Rams. Both will enroll in the fall.

Colaizzi won’t have to travel far to wear a Ram uniform. She currently is a senior libero at Windsor High School in Windsor, Colo., just six miles down I-25 from Fort Collins. Colaizzi’s high school team was the conference, district and regional champion during the 2011 season, and finished the year in the state semifinals. As an individual, she was the Tri-Valley Athlete of the Year and was named first-team all-conference, first-team all-state, and academic all-state. And when the high school season ends, Colaizzi stays dedicated to volleyball by playing with the NORCO club volleyball program.

Colaizzi was born in Littleton, Colo. Her parents are Donna McWhorter and John Colaizzi. At Windsor High School, she is the senior class vice president, in addition to being involved with the student council community outreach team. At CSU, she hopes to study something relating to the medical field.

Head Coach Tom Hilbert plans to have Colaizzi competing for a regular spot in the rotation as soon as she’s on campus.

“Jaime is fast,” he said. “She sees the game really well. She’s a good ball-handler. I see her immediately stepping into our program and competing for a defensive specialist spot.”

Koutchouk, who goes by Nastia, is an outside hitter and middle blocker. Originally born in Minsk, Belarus, Koutchouk grew up in Calais, France, and attends high school at Lycée Saint Pierre in Calais.

Her high school team won the2011 national championship in the second division, and two years ago she assisted her team to the European Cup. Just 16 years old, Koutchouk competed with the French young national team over the summer. During the offseason, she also plays for the club team Stella ES Calais.

Over the years, Koutchouk has received various accolades, including “the youngest player” and “the better hope,” given annually to the player most likely to perform at a higher level. Koutchouk used to swim and play judo, but gave up both activities to fully devote herself to volleyball.

Her parents are Lilia Narouchevitch and David Dangleant. It is easy to see where Koutchouk got her athletic ability, as her mother played with the Belarus national team for many years and was once named “best blocker” at the European championship. Koutchouk is excited to enroll at CSU where she can attend school and play volleyball, something that is not possible in France. She first heard about CSU through former Ram volleyball player Katherine Whitney.

“Nastia is a physical player and has a really good volleyball background,” Hilbert said. “She’s played a lot of good volleyball with people her age and older. She’s young for her grade. With any foreign athlete, your biggest concerns are about her adjusting to a different culture. In terms of her as a volleyball player, though, I don’t worry about her.”

Colaizzi and Koutchouk join Acacia Andrews and Dri Culbert, who both also joined with the Rams last month.

 

 

Volleyball Video: Tulsa Volleyball Postmatch NCAA Tournament

 

 

Volleyball Video: Tulsa Volleyball Postmatch NCAA Tournament

 

Tulsa women's volleyball head coach Steven McRoberts, senior outside hitter Kelsey Hancock, sophomore outside hitter Kellie Culbertson and junior defensive specialist/libero Jessica Adams talk about Saturday's 3-0 loss to USC in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament in Los Angeles.

 

 

Volleyball Video: USC Volleyball Postmatch NCAA Tournament

 

 

 

 

 

Volleyball Video: USC Volleyball Postmatch NCAA Tournament

 

 

USC women's volleyball head coach Mick Haley, sophomore libero Natalie Hagglund and senior All-America outside hitter Alex Jupiter talk about Saturday's 3-0 sweep of Tulsa in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament.

 

 

Illinois Volleyball Returns To Sweet 16 After Defeating Marquette, 3-0 in NCAA Volleyball Second Round

 

 

Illinois Volleyball Returns To Sweet 16 After Defeating Marquette, 3-0 in NCAA Volleyball Second Round

 

Illinois uses size advantage in three-set win over Marquette

 

Champaign, Ill. – Illinois set the tone early. Recording five blocks in the first six points of the match, the Illini were going to use their size and physicality to theiradvantage against Marquette in the NCAA second round Saturday night at HuffHall. Although Marquette recovered to score from the pins in the second andthird sets, third-seeded Illinois made big plays down the stretch in those sets to down the Golden Eagles 25-13, 25-23, 25-22. The Illini will take a 29-4 record into the Sweet 16 where they’ll meet Ohio State.

 

The Illini reach that round for the fourth straight year and the 13^th time in school history. Illinois hopes to make it a lucky 13^th after having their run halted at that round the last three years. The Illini play at 4 p.m. CT on Friday,Dec. 9 in Gainesville, Fla., against the Buckeyes, a team the Illini beat both in Columbus and Champaign this season. This will mark the third meeting between the teams in NCAA Tournament play with Illinois winning both, in the 1989 Regional Semifinal at Nebraska and the 1992 first round at Huff Hall.

 

On playing Ohio State for a third time this season, Illini head coach Kevin Hambly said, “We will have plenty of stuff to look at and the adjustments that they have made. The important thing is that we can’t assume that it is going to be the same team. I expect them to do something different, and we need to approach it like we have never played them before.” 

 

A night after out-blocking Central Michigan 12-2 in the first round, the Illini had a 13.5-3 advantage in blocks against Marquette. Both middle blockers, Erin Johnson (6 blocks) andAnna Dorn (5 blocks) were also strong on the offensive end. Johnson hit .500 with six kills while Dorn hit .375 with four kills.

 

 

 

“They’re pretty good at defending and blocking” Marquette head coach Bond Shymansky said. “It was funny to me that the first five of six points were blocks. I thought we better change something quick or they’re going to end up with 25 blocks in the first set, and we’ll just go home.”

 

“They had a complicated system and we did a nice job of preparing for them in practice, and executed very well,” Hambly said. “You want to get teams outside of their comfort zone, and I felt that we did that.”

 

Illinois started and ended strong, committing just three attack errors while hitting .370 in the opening set and just one attack error while hitting .364 in the third set.

 

Senior Michelle Bartsch (9 kills) started Saturday’s match the way she ended it on Friday. After amassing seven kills in nine attacks to help Illinois pull away from CMU, she led the team with five kills in eight attacks in helping the Illini jump to leads of 10-5 and 18-8 in the first set vs. Marquette. Bartsch’s service rotation has been one of the strongest for Illinois this year and it proved to again in a 5-0 run early in the set, which ended in an ace.

 

Marquette found its rhythm at times in the second set as the Illini dipped to six attack errors in the frame. The set had 12 ties and two lead changes. The Eagles were able to get the slide working with Danielle Carlson, who hit .571 with four kills in the set.

 

Illinois setter Annie Luhrsen (31 assists, 3 blocks, 7 digs), meanwhile, was able to set middle to Johnson, who had four kills in four attacks in the set while tallying three kills for herself. With the set tied at 23-23, Johnson and Collen Ward came up big with back-to-back kills to claim the set for the Illini.

 

“Our team does really well when we get the middles and the outsides going early,” Luhrsen said. “They were ready and we got it to them. Ward and Bartsch are always reliable, so it’s good to have them on the outside. We just had everyone going.”

 

While Carlson continued to spray the ball for kills on the Marquette side (six to be exact), Bartsch reemerged offensively and so did the Illinois block in set three. Both wereinstrumental in a 6-2 run that gave Illinois a 21-17 lead and the crowd of 2,075 could sense a trip to Gainesville was imminent.

 

Ward was efficient, pacing Illinois with 10 kills and hitting .360. Sophomore Jennifer Beltran (13 digs) and Bartsch helped stabilize a strong passing night.

 

For Marquette, it ended the best season in school history that resulted in a 24-11 record and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance.

 

“Overall, it was a proud moment for us,” Shymansky said. “It’s a hard moment to take losing, but the season is done now, and we’ve really accomplished something special this year. We’re really proud of our group, and I know they’re really proud of how far we’ve come.

 

Illinois, on the other hand will be looking for its third national semifinal appearance and the first trip to the Elite Eight since 1992. No doubt, Hambly and the rest of the Illini will be asked about getting past the Sweet 16. In that realm, Hambly likes the approach his team is taking.

 

“Our team has a great mentality, and they just want to focus on what’s next,” Hambly said. “They have really taken to that and I could see that in how calm they were in the big moments tonight. We can’t focus on being in the Sweet 16 or the NCAA tournament. We just need to focus on competitive toughness. We are going to do our best and whatever comes will come.”

 

Tulsa Volleyball Season Ends at USC with 3-0 Defeat Saturday

 

 

 

 

Tulsa Volleyball Season Ends at USC with 3-0 Defeat Saturday

 

Golden Hurricane finishes with 28-7 record and in NCAA Second Round

 

LOS ANGELES – Tyler Henderson and Kellie Culbertson combined for 22 kills to lead the Tulsa volleyball team, but the Hurricane fell at USC 3-0 (10-25, 20-25, 19-25) in the second round of the NCAA Volleyball championship Saturday evening at the Galen Center.

 

The Golden Hurricane ends its season a 28-7 after winning its second straight Conference USA Championship and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years. USC (27-4) will advance to the regional round where it will face Hawaii in Honolulu.

 

 

 

Culbertson tallied her second straight double-double and 14^th of the season with 12 kills and 13 digs, hitting .257, while Henderson recorded 10 kills in the match. Diana Silva had 19 digs and Jessica Adams 13 digs for the Hurricane. Jordan Clampitt and Bailey Clampitt recorded 22 and 14 assists, respectively.

 

Tulsa fought back from a 25-10 loss in the first set and kept each of the next two frames much closer, losing by five and six points, 25-20 and 25-19. The Hurricane kept the Women of Troy on their toes, particularly in the final frame, when it stayed as close as three points until the end when USC pulled away.

 

 

 

UW VB: Huskies Drop Five Setter At Minnesota In Second Round NCAA Volleyball Tournament

 

 

 

 

UW VB: Huskies Drop Five Setter At Minnesota In Second Round NCAA Volleyball Tournament

 

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Husky volleyball season came to a heartbreaking end tonight as the Dawgs lost a 2-0 lead to 13^th-seeded Minnesota, falling in five sets at the Sports Pavilion in front of 1,325 fans in the second round of the NCAA Championships. It was the first time this season that the Huskies (24-8) lost a match after winning the first set, and their first five set loss of the year after three previous wins. Minnesota (20-11) advances to the round of 16 with the 18-25, 20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 15-11 victory, and will stay at home next week to face Iowa State.

 

Washington was led by the 22 kills of Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Krista Vansant, who hit .327. Senior Bianca Rowland played valiantly in her final match as a Husky with 13 kills, a .323 attack percentage and eight block assists. It was also the final match for seniors Lauren Barfield, and Evan Sanders. Barfield had five kills and six block assists tonight and Sanders had a double-double with 22 assists and 11 digs. Rowland finishes third in school history with 492 career blocks and second in career attack percentage at .387, while Barfield will rank in the Top-10 in attack percentage and blocks per set.

 

The Huskies were solid all-around in the first two sets, but their offensive production waned as the match went on, and Minnesota was rejuvenated after switching setters to start the third set, bringing in Mia Tabberson. The Gophers wound up outhitting the Huskies, .249 to .227, led by 29 kills from Katherine Harms. The Dawgs had a big edge in blocks, 14.0 to 6.0, but Minnesota dug up 95 balls to UW’s 74, and Minnesota landed 78 kills to UW’s 58, but made 15 more errors than UW.

 

Head Coach Jim McLaughlin was appreciative of the level of play from both sides, saying “It was good volleyball. It was a tough match to come up on the short end of the thing. Just in terms of effort, I was awful proud of what our team did. Minnesota played great; when Tabberson came in she changed the rhythm of the whole match. She got her key hitters hot, then they dug 95 balls, so it was tough for us to put the ball away.

 

It was the 10^th consecutive tourney appearance for UW under McLaughlin, with the Huskies dropping to 27-9 in NCAA play in the current run. The Huskies had advanced to the Elite Eight in six of the past eight seasons and last lost in the second round in 2009 at Colorado State. Washington had overcome an 0-2 deficit in the regular season finale at Washington State, their first such comeback since 2007, but UW gave up a 2-0 lead tonight for the first time since 2009. The Gophers also had a five set win over the Huskies in the 2003 Elite Eight.

 

“Our team made a ton of progress from start to finish,” McLaughlin said. “It’s not a good season, the way we lost, but we did make a lot of progress. As well as (Minnesota) played it was still about us. For some reason we weren’t a good road team this year. We were good at home. So we’ve got to search for those answers and figure out why. Our girls showed some composure, but they were better than we were tonight.”

 

Minnesota served to start the match, and after a great save, Tori Dixon got a kill just off the block. Rowland came back with a kill to the middle on the next point. UW overpassed a serve from Kellie McNeil and Katherine Harris got a kill for a 5-2 Minnesota lead. But the Huskies came right back to get even at 5-5 on an Evan Sanders serving run. They then took their first lead at 6-5 on a block by Barfield and Parker against Wittman. Barfield and Summer Ross then roofed Cowles for an 8-6 edge, capping a 6-1 run. Muñoz tipped over the block for a 10-7 lead, then another Barfield/Ross rejection extended it another point. The Gophers closed within one with a block of Rowland on the slide attempt, but Vansant came back with a booming kill for 14-12. A Rowland finish from the middle brought up the media timeout with the Dawgs up 15-13. Two consecutive Vansant kills out of the break pushed the Dawgs up 17-13 and forced another timeout, this one called by the Gophers. Another Sanders serve put UM in trouble, and Vansant finished the next one for 18-13. The same scenario played out again on the next rally, as Vansant put down a free ball. The Gophers were then caught in the net and UW was up 20-13. Harms ended the 6-0 run on the next point with a kill up the line.

 

 

The Gophers came back with three straight to make it 21-17 and the Huskies called timeout. Parker broke the run emphatically with a right side blast. Her serve was then overdug on the next rally and Ross jumped up to punch it down for the 23-17 lead and UM took its last timeout. The Huskies got to set point at 24-18 as Ross hit off the block and out. Rowland put it away, 25-18, after UM passed the Nogueras serve to tight to the net. The Huskies outhit the Gophers, .318 to .109, in the first frame, led by seven kills from Vansant, and four from Ross as she hit .444. Orlandini had 10 digs in the frame.

 

Rowland and Muñoz stuffed Dixon on the first point of the second set and then UM hit long, followed by a Rowland finish for a 3-0 lead before Dixon put one off the block. The teams traded sideouts, with Parker getting a kill off the block for a 6-3 lead as Sanders and Barfield rotated in. Minnesota missed wide, and two points later Barfield hit one quick for 9-5. Muñoz and Rowland blocked Dixon in the middle for an 11-6 edge, but Minnesota went on a 3-0 run to force the Huskies to call timeout at 11-9. Muñoz got a key finish on the left on the next point to stop the run. Nogueras fed Rowland for a quick smash and 13-10. A tough Orlandini serve led to a UM free ball and again Rowland hammered it for 14-10 and a Minnesota timeout. Harms got her 12^th kill out of the timeout for the Gophers, but Rowland got serve right back with a kill before rotating out. Barfield reached  back for a kill from on high and a 18-14 edge. The crowd got fired up after a long rally ended in a Vansant error sending over a free ball to cut it to two, but Barfield answered on quickly on the next point, and then Muñoz and Rowland roofed Harms for 20-16 and another Gophers timeout. The Dawgs put one more on the board before UM’s setter dumped the tight pass down for a kill. The Gophers blocked Rowland for 21-18, but Muñoz put one off the defense and out, and the Dawgs won a joust at the net for 23-18. The Gophers dug Rowland but Vansant connected on the left to get to set point at 24-20. Parker then put it down on the right on the next rally to take it, 25-20, and send the Dawgs to intermission up 2-0. Washington hit .244 in the second set to .100 for the Gophers with four kills from Rowland, three from Parker and three more from Vansant. The Huskies also had five blocks in the set compared to two for the Gophers.

 

The Gophers served out of intermission and got the first point on a kill from Harms. Vansant  hit a sharp angle for a kill to tie it at two. But the Gophers went on a 3-0 run to take a 6-3 lead capped by an ace, forcing the Huskies into an early timeout to settle down. Nogueras found Vansant on the right to end the run. Barfield was the first Husky aside from Vansant to pick up a kill, hitting off the block for 6-8.  UW then put up a block comprised of Barfield and Muñoz to trim it to one at 7-8. But UW could not get back even. The Gophers extended back to a three point lead at 11-8. Vansant used the block effectively to make it 10-12. The teams continued trading sideouts, with Barfield putting away a Sanders set for 12-14. The Gophers got a disputed out call on a Vansant serve, and then another baffling call against Barfield who tapped down a ball the Huskies thought was clearly in play, but the ref ruled was on UM’s side. The avalanche of questionable calls led to a 17-12 Minnesota lead and a Husky timeout. The Gophers continued riding the momentum, however, to three more points and a 20-12 lead on a 6-0 run before UM missed serve. The Huskies stabilized but could not trim much off the lead as the Gophers continued to roll on offense behind new setter, Mia Tabberson. Kills from Muñoz and Vansant got it to 17-23 and the Gophers took time. Cowles got the kill out of the break for a number of set points, and she finished the next rally for the 25-17 set win. Minnesota hit a red-hot .486 in the third set behind Tabberson, while UW hit .205.

 

A kill from Harms opened up a 5-2 lead for Minnesota early in the third set, and the Gophers then got a block on Vansant on the right side for a 6-2 lead and a Husky timeout. Vansant and Rowland had a huge block out of the break after two great Gopher digs, and then Minnesota fired long for 4-6. Sanders then scored the first ace of the night for UW, and the Dawgs tied it right back up with another booming block, this one by Barfield and Vansant against Dixon, and Minnesota countered with its first timeout. The setter Tabberson dumped for a kill out of the break, but Parker retied it with a left side kill. The Dawgs took their first lead, 8-7, on a Harms miss, but the Gophers evened it on the next point, then reclaimed the lead with an ace. The Huskies tied it at nine but then UM went on a 3-0 run for 12-9 and the Huskies called their last timeout. Vansant terminated on the back row set out of the break for 10-12. A UM miscue got it back to a one-point set. Muñoz found the back corner for a kill and 12-13. UW missed a chance on an overpass as Vansant’s attempt was dug, and then the Huskies made an error to drop back 13-16 before Rowland finished one. Again the lead shrunk to one at 15-16 but Minnesota answered with a pair for an 18-15 lead. The Gophers went on a big run late on Tabberson’s serve as UW lost its composure, falling back 16-23 before Tabberson served one long. Two big Parker serves kept hope alive and UM took timeout at 23-19. The Gophers got the touch call on the next point for set point. Vansant saved the first of five with a back row kill. Minnesota then missed wide on its next swing for 24-21. But after a long rally, Cowles hit off the block and out for the kill and the 25-21 set win, sending things to a fifth. The Huskies dropped to .073 on offense in the fourth, while Minnesota cooled but still hit .244.

 

Rowland started the Huskies off on the right foot in the fifth with a kill on the first swing. Vansant tipped one in for a 2-1 lead. Energetic digs from Minnesota were rewarded with a Harms kill and a 3-2 UM lead, but Vansant tied it up with a right side finish off the block. The Gophers took two for a 5-3 lead and UW called timeout. The run extended to three until Vansant hit from the back row for 4-6. Rowland and Ross got a much-needed block of Wittman to cut the deficit to 6-7 and force Minnesota’s first timeout. Harms missed the next attempt after a tough Nogueras serve and the teams were tied, 7-7. Filho put on through the block in the middle for 8-7 UM and the teams swapped sides. The Huskies then did not talk on the serve receive and it fell to the floor for an ace and UW needed timeout again, down 7-9. Muñoz was dug on the next point and Wittman converted for 10-7. That played out again for 11-7, until Rowland crushed down a kill on the slide. But Wittman tooled off the block for 12-8. Rowland converted again to keep UW in the mix. Rowland and Vansant then stuffed Harms on the weak side for 10-12 and a Gophers timeout. Cowles was able to get her next swing down through the block for 13-10. The Gophers earned match point by digging Rowland twice and then converting their first try. Vansant saved one with a right side kill, sending Sanders to serve down 11-14. But UW could not stop the next rally, as Cowles completed the comeback with a left side kill, ending it, 15-11.

 

 

Top-seeded Texas Volleyball downs Michigan State to advance to the NCAA Volleyball Regional Semifinals

 

 

 

 

Top-seeded Texas Volleyball downs Michigan State to advance to the NCAA Regional semifinals

The Longhorns used a 16-block effort to advance the NCAA Lexington Regional where they will meet Kentucky on Friday, Dec. 9.

AUSTIN, Texas – The top-seeded Texas Volleyball team used a stellar 16-block performance to notch its second sweep in as many days and knock off Michigan State in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Championship, Saturday night. The25-11, 25-18, 25-22 victory improved the Longhorns to 24-4 on the season and advanced UT to the NCAA Lexington Regional semifinals.

 

National freshman of the year candidate Haley Eckerman registered a match-best 12 kills to lead a Texas offense that hit .379 on the night. Sophomore outside hitter Bailey Webster connected for nine kills on .571 hitting, while Texas’ middle blocker tandem of senior All-America middle blocker Rachael Adams and freshman middle blocker Madelyn Hutson combined for 11 kills on 20 swings. Adams led the Horns’ blocking effort with eight total blocks and three solos and Hutson chipped in seven total blocks.

 

In the first, Texas took advantage of seven team blocks to cruise to a 25-11 set victory. Three block assists by sophomore setter Hannah Allison fueled a 9-2 Texas run that gave UT a quick 15-6 lead. The Horns went on to close out the frame with another 9-2 run headlined by two block assists and a kill by Hutson.

 

Michigan State (22-12) kept the tally tight early in the second and led the Horns at the 10-9 mark. Texas bounced back with a 7-2 rally capped by an Adams/McNeal block that put UT in front 16-12. Michigan State stayed close down the stretch before a 5-1 set-closing run capped by a Hutson ace clinched a 25-18 set win for the Longhorns.

 

After leading to open the third, Texas surrendered a 6-1 Michigan State rally that gave the Spartans a two-point lead at the 12-10 mark. The Longhorns responded with a 7-0 run highlighted by six consecutive points that Eckerman had a hand in (four kills, two block assists) to claim a 17-12 lead. Down the stretch, Texas had to withstand a 5-1 Michigan State rally, but eventually captured the set 25-22 on Eckerman’s 12^th kill of the night.

 

 

 

Texas returns to action on Friday, Dec. 9 when it takes on Kentucky in the NCAA Lexington Regional semifinals. 

 

POST-MATCH NOTES

Texas

-Texas is making its 28th NCAA Championship appearance, including the eighth in a row.

-Texas is now 64-26 all-time in the NCAA Championship.

-Texas will make its 24^th NCAA Championship Regional Semifinal appearance.

-Texas improved to 15-0 at Gregory Gym this season and won its 35^th consecutive home match.

-Texas improved to 14-2 in three-set matches.

-Rachael Adams moved into fifth place on Texas career list for block assists (375).

-Rachael Adams moved into ninth place on Texas career list for total blocks (410).

-Rachael Adams played in her 18^th postseason match to move into fifth place on the Texas career list.

-Rachael Adams equaled Lauren Paolini’s Texas postseason career record for block assists with 56.

-Rachael Adams moved into third place on the Texas postseason total blocks list with 59.

-Rachael Adams’ eight total blocks is tied for eighth on the Texas postseason single-match list.

-Rachael Adams’ three solo blocks is tied for sixth on the Texas postseason single-match list.

-Madelyn Hutson’s seven block assists is tied for ninth on the Texas postseason single-match list.

 

Michigan State

-Michigan State is making its 14^th NCAA Championship appearance.

-Michigan State is 14-14 in NCAA Championship action.

-Jenilee Rathje played in her 142^nd career match to set the Michigan State school record.

-Jenilee Rathje moved into 10^th place on Michigan State’s single-season list for kills with 505.

-Jenilee Rathje reached the 1,500-plateau for career kills with 1,504.

-Natalie Emro moved into third place on Michigan State’s career assists list with 3,784.

-Alexis Mathews moved into sixth place on Michigan State’ single-season list for total blocks with 155.

 

 

 

 

South Dakota State Jacks Volleyball Team Hangs On To Beat Western Illinois

 

 

 

 

South Dakota State Jacks Volleyball Team Hangs On To Beat Western Illinois

 

MACOMB, Ill. – South Dakota State sophomore Chad White hit a pair of free throws with less than a second on the clock in Saturday’s Summit League game at Western Illinois to put the Jackrabbits up 67-64. Good thing for the Jacks he did, because Western Illinois’ Ceola Clark banked in a three-pointer from three-quarter court as time expired to make the final score 67-66, and an SDSU win.

 

The Jackrabbits, who played their last eight games away from Frost Arena, improve to 6-3 overall and remain perfect in Summit League play at 2-0. Western Illinois falls to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.

 

“We just played eight straight on the road and we looked like this was our eight game on the road because we didn’t have our legs, we didn’t shoot the ball well, but 5-3 on the road shows that we’re going to have a pretty good team,” head coach Scott Nagy said. “We’re not playing great, but we’re battling and we’re competing and fighting through that.”

 

The Jackrabbits and Fighting Leathernecks played to nine ties and 16 lead changes in the game, with seven ties and three lead changes in the first half before Western Illinois took a 25-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.

 

Each team led by as many as four points in a back-and-forth battle in the second half, before the Jacks went up for good at 59-58 on a White put back with two and a half minutes left to play. 

 

The Leathernecks would cut the lead to one point with 30 seconds left, but White’s free throws sealed the win with less than a second left, despite the desperation heave from Clark.

 

White finished the game with 12 points off the bench, as did Zach Horstman, which marks a season-high for the true freshman from Winner, S.D. Jordan Dykstra added 11 points off the bench, as the Jackrabbits got 41 points from their reserves, compared to 19 from the home team.

 

Nate Wolters tied for game-high honors with 17 points, adding seven rebounds and seven assists in the win. Griffan Callahan also tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds, but with five points, failed to score in double figures for a sixth straight game.

 

Obi Emegano led WIU with 17 points, Remy Roberts-Burnett added 16 and Ceola Clark an even 10 points in the loss. Clark also added a game-high nine rebounds.

 

The Jackrabbits return home on Tuesday to host Southwest Minnesota State at 7 p.m., and then take on North Dakota on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., following the SDSU women’s basketball game against Kansas State at 5 p.m.

 

NOTES: The Jackrabbits improve to 8-3 all-time against Western Illinois, with wins in each of the last five games ... The Jacks and Leathernecks played on Waste Management Court at Western Hall in front of an announced crowd of 1,038 ... Horseman’s 12 points tops his previous high mark of eight points vs. Sam Houston State on Nov. 22 ... White’s 12 points marks a season-high, topping his 11 points at Minnesota on Nov. 14 and at Mercer on Nov. 23 ... Wolters’ 17 points gives him 1,099 for his career, moving him from 30th on the all-time SDSU scoring list to 25th

Minnesota Gophers Volleyball: NCAA Volleyball Sweet 16 Press Conference

 

 

Minnesota Gophers Volleyball: NCAA Volleyball Sweet 16 Press Conference

 

Get the inside scoop on Minnesota's thought on the 2011 Sweet 16. Head coach Laura Bush, senior Jessica Granquist and sophomore Tori Dixon talk about their upcoming match against Iowa State, as well as, the rest of the NCAA field.

 

 

 

Iowa State Volleyball: NCAA Volleyball Sweet 16 Press Conference

 

 

 

 

Iowa State Volleyball: NCAA Volleyball Sweet 16 Press Conference

Get the inside scoop on the Iowa State volleyball team's thoughts before the Sweet 16 match against Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn. Head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch, senior Carly Jenson and junior Jamie Straube talk about Friday night's match and the expectations for the rest of the NCAA Tournament.

 

 

Florida State Seminole Volleyball Team Advances to NCAA Volleyball Tournament Sweet 16

 

 

 

Florida State Seminole Volleyball Team Advances to NCAA Volleyball Tournament Sweet 16

Florida State wins thrilling five-setter over Cincinnati to reach the round of 16 for the second time in school history

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – With their backs against the wall late in the match, the 12^th-seeded Florida State University indoor volleyball team managed to overcome a five-set struggle with Cincinnati and win a highly entertaining bout, 3-2 (25-23, 16-25, 25-20, 20-25, 15-13), to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 on Saturday night at Tully Gym.

 

The exciting victory is another significant milestone for a program that has achieved so much not just in 2011 but since the arrival of head coach Chris Poole and his staff in 2008. FSU advances to the NCAA Regional Semifinals for the second time in the last three seasons, and has won six of their seven NCAA postseason matches under the guidance of Poole.

 

Opposite the Seminoles (26-6) on Saturday evening was an athletic, relentless Bearcats (27-10) squad that set their tempo for nearly the entire match and jeopardized FSU’s undefeated streak in Tully Gym. FSU, which finishes with a 14-0 mark this season at its historic facility, overcame several deficits throughout the match before emerging victorious.

 

“That’s the great thing about the game of volleyball, it’s that you can play very bad at times and you can have very bad sets but you’ve got to win three,” Poole said following the match. “We certainly didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked to, some of that is a credit to Cincinnati. They played hard, kept digging the ball and they forced us to have to rally and our girls kept fighting and we’re very proud of that fight because it put us back into the Sweet 16, which was a goal we had coming into this season.”

 

The fifth set was a wild affair that included several runs that swayed momentum noticeably. An attack error by Cincinnati outside hitter Jordanne Scott gave FSU an early 4-1 lead in the final frame, but following a timeout the Bearcats stormed back with three consecutive points before being stalled by a service error from Missy Harpenau. However, Cincinnati won the next two points to build a 6-5 lead before Elise Walch’s kill tied the set once again.

 

The contest turned quickly into Cincinnati’s favor when it won four of the next five points, capped by a kill from Megan Turner, to take a 10-7 lead. However, FSU bounced right back with the crowd fiercely behind it by winning four consecutive points, as a critical block by Sareea Freeman and Rachael Morgan gave the Seminoles an 11-10 lead. FSU built a 13-11 advantage on a clutch kill by Visnja Djurdjevic, but Cincinnati struck back with two straight points.

 

The match would then be decided over the next two rallies as Djurdjevic put down a kill to make it 14-13. Jekaterina Stepanova, who has shouldered much of the offensive burden down the stretch, ended the match after another long rally resulted in a short kill from the Latvia native at the net, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

 

 

The Seminoles hit .226 as a unit compared to Cincinnati’s .277, but one of the key points going into the match was how well it could block. FSU exploited its size at the net and came away with 16 team blocks compared to Cincinnati’s six, as sophomore Ashley Neff led the way with 10 to mark her fifth double-digit blocking performance of the season. The Kennesaw, Ga., native is second nationally in blocks and shows a 1.61 per set average.

 

Walch was a major contributor throughout the evening, adding 11 kills and a .370 hitting percentage for the Seminoles. Stepanova finished with 11 kills and 12 digs for her 15^th double-double of the year, while Djurdjevic came through with some critical points and added 12 kills and 12 digs for her 14^th double-double. Stepanova and Djurdjevic each recorded five blocks apiece.

 

Redshirt freshman libero Katie Mosher padded her single-season digs record with 21 on Saturday night, helping tame a Bearcats group that was aggressive at the service line and mobile through each rally. Mosher now has 536 digs this season.

 

Duygu Duzceler recorded 28 assists, while Sarah Wickstrom chipped in with 21. Each setter aided FSU with two service aces apiece.

 

While the victory is another significant step for Seminole volleyball, it also added another individual accolade for Poole. The 25-year head coach won his 650^th career match as well as his 100^th match at FSU.

 

A tight battle in the first set foreshadowed how the rest of the match would be played as FSU squeaked away with a 25-23 win. The Seminoles tried to pull away through the middle of the frame after leading 14-7, but Cincinnati would not quit and evened the set at 19-19 on a kill from Missy Harpenau. FSU used a 3-0 run to get its lead to 23-20, and a kill by Stepanova ended a close set.

 

Cincinnati took control of the second set, and seemingly forced the tempo for much of the third frame until FSU bounced back with a large run. Turner’s kill for the Bearcats created a 13-7 lead, but FSU won seven of the next eight points which included one of Morgan’s six kills. The Seminoles began to break away late, winning the final four rallies to go up 2-1 in the match. Although Cincinnati responded well by taking a hard-fought fourth set, it wasn’t enough to stop FSU from ending its season prematurely.

 

The Seminoles will now face fifth-seeded Purdue in the NCAA regional semifinals at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn, on Friday, Dec. 9. The time of the match will be announced once all second-round matches have been played.

 

 

Iowa State Cyclones Volleyball Team Sweeps Into Sweet 16

 

 

 

Iowa State Cyclones Volleyball Team Sweeps Into Sweet 16

AMES, Iowa – Fourth-seeded Iowa State (24-5) earned its fourth berth to the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 in six years on Saturday, marching past Miami (FL) in straight sets, 25-21, 25-10, 25-14.

Iowa State rode the serve of Rachel Hockaday to open up an early 7-1 lead in the third game, which they never lost grasp of. The Cyclones were led by four third-set kills each from Victoria Hurtt and Jamie Straube.

Straube led the Iowa State offense with 12 kills at a .357 hitting percentage. The junior also led the Cyclones in blocking with one solo block and two block assists. Hurtt posted 10 kills at a career-best .429 hitting clip. It was the fourth time in 2011 the freshman had double-figure kills. Hurtt was also a presence at the net with two block assists. Kristen Hahn led the Iowa State defense with 18 digs, nine coming in the first set.

 

Miami held leads of 4-1, 10-5 and 16-12 in game one but Straube put the Cyclones on her back and notched three kills during an 11-3 run by Iowa State to take a 23-19 lead. Carly Jenson smashed the final two kills for Iowa State as the Cyclones took the 1-0 lead. Both Straube and Jenson collected a game-high five kills.

Picking up where they left off at the end of set one, the Cyclones jumped out to a 12-0 lead in game two on Hockaday’s serve. Straube, Jenson and Hurtt each posted four kills in the set and Landwehr added 11 assists in the 25-10 set win to give the home team the 2-0 lead heading to the locker rooms. Iowa State hit an outstanding .552 in the second and only committed one error.

The Hurricanes were led by nine kills from Alex Johnson at a .350 hitting percentage. Johnson also contributed three block assists. ACC Player of the Year Lane Carico added seven kills but posted seven attacking errors on the evening. Taylor Hollins led Miami with nine digs and Emani Sims led the Hurricanes on the blocks with one solo and three block assists.

Next Friday, the Cyclones will play either 13^th-seeded Minnesota or Washington at 7 p.m. CDT at the Sports Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis, Minn.

University of Kentucky Volleyball: 16th-Ranked Wildcats Sweep Their Way to Sweet 16

 

 

 

University of Kentucky Volleyball: 16th-Ranked Wildcats Sweep Their Way to Sweet 16

 

 

Billings notches season-high 17 kills, UK returns home for Sweet 16

 

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The 16^th-ranked Kentucky volleyball team rolled to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-19) sweep of Texas A&M to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons under the direction of Craig Skinner. Kentucky garnered a season-high 17 kills from sophomore Whitney Billings and the 2011 senior class charted its 100^th career victory in dominating-fashion.

 

“We’re just really excited, not just because we won the match, but because of how we performed tonight,” Skinner said. “It was a heck of a team effort. For whatever reason I had a feeling on the way over here on the bus that we were pretty focused and ready to go, and the team definitely proved that thought right.”

 

Kentucky advances to the Sweet 16 and will return home to the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum Dec. 9-10 as Lexington is a designated host site for the NCAA Regionals. UK’s opponent is yet to be determined, but the opening round matches begin on Friday night at 5 p.m. ET. Kentucky has notched 17 consecutive victories in its home gym.

 

UK improves to 28-5 on the season with the victory, while Texas A&M’s season ends with a 23-8 mark.

 

Billings led the charge with a season-high 17 kills on a .400 hitting clip. Junior Ashley Frazier contributed 14 kills on a sizzling .522 percentage. Senior Becky Pavan totaled eight kills and posted a team-high eight blocks in the win. Junior setter Christine Hartmann dished out 44 assists and added six digs.

 

Freshman Lauren O’Conner tallied seven kills and a career-high five blocks, while senior Ann Armes added four and four digs in the winning effort.

 

Junior Stephanie Klefot recorded 17 digs and now has achieved the new single-season UK record for digs in a season with 587 on the season. Freshman Jackie Napper and sophomore Jessi Greenberg totaled six and five digs, respectively in the winning cause.

 

Texas A&M opened the match by scoring the game’s first point, but UK responded immediately with consecutive kills from Billings and O’Conner. Kentucky then quickly claimed a four-point lead fooling consecutive kills from Billings at 10-6. It was all the breathing room the Blue and White would need as it rolled to a 25-18 opening set victory.

 

Billings and Frazier both notched five kills in the set to lead the attack. Frazier posted her kills on a .714 clip with Billings totaling a .625 percentage. Kentucky combined for 17 kills on .441 hitting, while also recording a trio of blocks.

 

 

The Aggies began the second set in much the same fashion by scoring the set’s first point, but UK once again scored two quick points to answer. Billings had a kill and then teamed with Pavan for a rejection. Texas A&M responded by grabbing a 14-11 lead in the middle portion of the frame, but UK would chart a 14-7 run to close out the frame and take a 2-0 lead into the locker room following a 25-21 second set win.

 

Billings posted eight kills in the set to lead the charge as the Wildcats notched 17 kills on .244 hitting. UK limited the home team to 11 kills on a mere .114 hitting with 4.5 blocks in the stanza.

 

Kentucky came out clicking on all cylinders in the third frame to jump out to an early 10-4 advantage. UK charted seven kills in the early going and picked up an ace from Frazier in the run to force the Aggies into an early timeout.

 

Out of the break the Aggies scored two straight points, but Kentucky responded with back-to-back kills from O’Conner to go up 13-8. In the run, Klefot recorded her 11^th dig of the match to set the new single-season standard. Texas A&M did not quit and turned back three straight UK attacks to pull back to within two at 13-11 and Kentucky chose to use a timeout.

 

The Aggies tied the score at 15 and from there the teams would exchange points back and forth until UK broke loose for three straight points to capture a 22-19 lead. In the run, Pavan and O’Conner teamed up for a block and then O’Conner crushed a kill. Billings capped the run with an ace and A&M opted to use its final timeout.

 

That would be all the closer the home squad would get as UK scored the final three points of the match to grab a 25-19 final set win. UK closed the set with consecutive blocks to end the match in thrilling fashion.

 

Kentucky again succeeded both offensively and defensively. UK notched 17 kills on .273 hitting and posted three blocks in the final frame.

 

Kentucky's Memorial Coliseum will play host to the NCAA Regionals Dec. 9-10. UK is one of four sites selected for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups with one team advancing to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, from the Lexington Region. Opening night matches are scheduled for 5 and 7 p.m. ET. Saturday’s final is set for a 4:30 p.m. ET first serve.

Tickets are now on sale through the UK Ticket Office. All-Session Tickets are reserved for all ages at $14. General Admission tickets for adults are priced at $12 and students or seniors' general admission is slated for $8.

Single session tickets are priced at $8 for reserved for all ages. General admission for adults is priced at $7, with students and seniors priced at $5. Youth single session tickets are $4.

For tickets or more information feel free to call, 1-800-928-CATS.

Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the UK volleyball team and all of Kentucky’s 22 teams.