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Miami begins season on August 26 in Baton Rouge, La.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Miami volleyball team received votes in the AVCA preseason poll released this week, marking the first time since 2003 the school has received votes in the association’s preseason poll.
Under the direction of head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch, the Canes finished last year with a record of 23-9, marking the program’s second 20-win season in the last three years. Miami returns five starters from last year’s team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in the Bloomington [Ind.] Regional. The starting libero, Ryan Shaffer, is also back for the Canes after setting a school record for digs by a freshman in a single-season. Miami also appeared in the 2009 NCAA Tournament in the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional, marking the first time in school history UMiami has been in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
A total of 11 letterwinners return for the 2011 slate, including the school’s first AVCA Third Team All-American in Lane Carico.
The Canes will open their 2011 season on Friday, August 26 versus Jacksonville State as part of the Tiger Classic hosted by LSU in Baton Rouge, La. They will continue the weekend against Louisiana-Lafayette and homestanding LSU a day later.
For more information on the University of Miami volleyball team, please log on to HurricaneSports.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, stats and information regarding the Hurricanes volleyball program.
DURHAM, N.C. – The reigning ACC Champion Duke volleyball team is ranked No. 17 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday.
The Blue Devils, who advanced all the way to the NCAA Round of Eight last season, are coached by 2010 ACC and East Region Coach of the Year Jolene Nagel and five starters from last season’s ACC Championship team. Included in that group are ACC Player of the Year Kellie Catanach, NCAA All-Regional selection Sophia Dunworth and All-ACC selections Christiana Gray, Ali McCurdy and Amanda Robertson.
Duke, which upended High Point, Ohio and Missouri on the way to the NCAA Regional Final last season, was ranked No. 18 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll last season. The Blue Devils ended their season with a 3-1 loss to eventual NCAA Champion Penn State in University Park, Pa., but were the only team in the entire NCAA Tournament to win a set from the reigning national champions.
Duke opens the 2011 season at the Duke Invitational on Friday, August 26, against Furman in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils will look to earn their seventh straight NCAA Tournament berth while pursuing their fourth ACC Championship of the past six seasons.
Lincoln - The Nebraska volleyball team will enter the 2011 season ranked fifth in the AVCA Coaches Poll, which was released Monday afternoon. The Huskers (1,1221 points) were one of Big Ten three teams earn a spot in the top 10, joining No. 1 Penn State and No. 8 Illinois.
The Huskers welcome back a strong team in 2011 that returns All-Americans Brooke Delano and Hannah Werth, while Werth was also the 2010 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Nebraska finished the year with a 29-3 record, captured its 12th Big 12 title during its final season in the league and made a trip to the NCAA Regional round for the 17th straight season.
The rest of the preseason top 10 was rounded out by No. 2 USC, No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Washington, No. 9 Florida and No. 10 Hawaii. Along with the three teams in the top ten, four other Big Ten teams secured a spot in the top-25, including No. 12 Minnesota, No. 13 Purdue, No. 21 Ohio State and Michigan, who tied for the No. 24 spot with Tennessee.
Nebraska and Stanford have been the two most consistent teams in the AVCA's 416 all-time polls, as each has been ranked in every poll dating back to 1982. Nebraska's 81 weeks in the No. 1 spot is still tops on the list, while Penn State sits second at 67 weeks. When it comes to being ranked in the top-10, Stanford holds a one-week advantage over the Huskers, 383-382.
During the non-conference season, the Huskers are set to meet two top-25 teams. The Huskers will visit No. 15 Colorado State on Friday, Sept. 2, before ending their non-conference schedule on Saturday, Sept. 17, with a match against No. 18 Iowa State ath the Devaney Center. Nebraska will play its first Big Ten Conference match on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the NU Coliseum when the Huskers welcome Penn State.
Fans will have their first opportunity to see the Huskers at the Red/White Scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available online at Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIGRED.
Penn State Women’s Volleyball Tops 2011 AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Aug. 16, 2011 – The four-time defending national champion Penn State women’s volleyball team heads into the 2011 season as the preseason favorite in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll, the organization announced today. The eight-time defending Big Ten Champions earned 1,486 total points and 54 of 60 first place votes.
USC is ranked second heading into 2011 having garnered 1,424 points and five first place votes. Following the Trojans is California (No. 3), who Penn State defeated in the 2010 National Championship match, Texas (No. 4) and Nebraska (No. 5).
Penn State will face 13 teams listed in the 2011 AVCA poll, including nine ranked in the top 25 in the nation. The Nittany Lions take on USC (No. 2) in their first weekend of preseason play in the AVCA Showcase. The squad will then take on Stanford (No. 6) and either Florida (No. 9) or Texas (No. 4) the weekend of Sept. 9-10 at the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic in Palo Alto, Calif. During Big Ten play, Penn State will challenge Nebraska (No. 5), Illinois (No. 8), Minnesota (No. 12), Purdue (No. 13), Ohio State (No. 21) and Michigan (T-No. 24). In addition, Penn State will take the court against Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Northwestern who all received votes in the poll.
Head coach Russ Rose in his 33rd season at the helm of the Penn State program, welcomes the return of four starters from the 2010 National Championship team, including AVCA Division I National Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-American Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) and NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team member Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.). The 2010 squad finished with a 32-5 record and secured its 14th overall and eighth straight Big Ten Championship. The Nittany Lions also welcome back seniors Katie Kabbes (Raleigh, N.C.) and MeganShifflett (Falls Church, Va.), junior Marika Racibarskas (Chatham, N.J.), redshirt sophomore Darcy Dorton (Muncie, Ind.) sophomores Ariel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.), Maddie Martin (Tampa, Fla.), Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) and Ali Longo (Littleton, Colo.), and redshirt freshmen Erica Denney (Aurora, Colo.) and Maggie Harding (State College, Pa.).
The Nittany Lions boast the addition of five freshmen to this year's squad, including 5-6 libero Dominique Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas), 6-4 outside hitter Aiyana Whitney (Norwood, N.J.), 6-2 outside hitter Nia Grant (Warren, Ohio), 5-6 libero Lacey Fuller (San Diego, Calif.) and 5-11 setter/outside hitter Micha Hancock (Edmond, Okla.).
Penn State opens the 2011 season at home in the AVCA Showcase on Aug. 26-27 facing Oregon and USC. The Lions travel to Pittsburgh on Sept. 2-3 to play Miami (Ohio), Pittsburgh and New Hampshire.From there, Penn State travels to Stanford on Sept. 9-10 for the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic before closing out the preseason at home on Sept. 16-17. The Lions host Long Island, Florida Gulf Coast and Rutgers at Rec Hall in the Penn State Classic.
The Nittany Lions open the Big Ten slate onWednesday, Sept. 21 at Nebraska. The Big Ten home opener is set for Sept. 30 against Wisconsin.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn Statewomen's volleyball 2011 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.
USC women's volleyball ranked No. 2 in AVCA Preseason Poll
The USC women’s volleyball team has been ranked No. 2 in the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) preseason poll for the 2011 season. USC is coming off its sixth NCAA Final Four appearance in the last 11 years after posting a 29-5 record.
This is the first time since 2004 that USC will have at least three All-Americans returning on its roster with seniors Alex Jupiter, Kendall Bateman and Lauren Williams.
The Women of Troy were picked to finish first in the Pac-12 Conference preseason coaches’ poll.USC begins the 2011 season by playing in the AVCA Showcase (Aug. 26-27) in University Park, Pa. against No. 1 Penn State and No. 12 Minnesota. This season’s schedule includes matches against six of the top 12 teams ranked in the poll (No. 1 Penn State, No. 3 California, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Washington, No. 11 UCLA and No. 12 Minnesota).
UW VB: Huskies Ranked Seventh Nationally In Preseason Poll
The Pac-12 features five conference teams among the top-11 in the preseason voting.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association unveiled its preseason rankings today, and the Huskies will begin the 2011 season ranked seventh in the country. Washington ended the 2010 season sixth in the final AVCA poll after beginning the year ranked eighth.
The Huskies have finished in the Top-10 in the AVCA poll in seven of the past eight years, including last season. Penn State, which has won four consecutive NCAA titles, starts at No. 1 again this year. The Nittany Lions received 54 of 60 first place votes. Preseason Pac-12 favorites USC are ranked second, receiving five first place votes, and the last vote went to California, ranked third to start the season after its NCAA finals loss to Penn State last December.
The Big-12 checks in with Texas and Nebraska in the four and five spots, then it is Stanford at No. 6 and the Huskies at No. 7. Washington was slotted ahead of the Cardinal in the Pac-12 coaches poll which came out last week.
Number eight Illinois, No. 9 Florida, and No. 10 Hawai’i round out the Top-10. Pac-12 rival UCLA also comes in at No. 11, giving the Pac-12 four of the top-seven teams nationally and five in the top-eleven. Oregon and Arizona are also receiving votes.
Washington will face its first ranked opponent in the third match of the year, as Long Beach State checks in at No. 22. The Huskies will visit Long Beach for the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational on the season’s first weekend, and will face LBSU on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m.
Rank School (First-Place Votes) Total Points 2010 Record 2010 Final Poll
1 Penn State (54) 1486 32-5 1
2 Southern California (5) 1424 29-5 3
3 California (1) 1354 30-4 2
4 Texas 1313 27-6 4
5 Nebraska 1221 29-3 7
6 Stanford 1150 27-4 5
7 Washington 1112 24-9 6
8 Illinois 1066 24-9 9
9 Florida 1031 29-2 8
10 Hawai’i 976 29-3 13
11 UCLA 903 22-9 12
12 Minnesota 810 26-9 10
13 Purdue 739 24-11 11
14 Northern Iowa 619 30-3 14
15 Colorado State 533 26-5 16
16 Oklahoma 485 23-11 21
17 Duke 465 27-7 18
18 Iowa State 430 20-9 25
19 Dayton 334 28-4 15
20 San Diego 315 24-6 17
21 Ohio State 256 24-12 19
22 Long Beach State 234 25-8 NR
23 Tulsa 193 31-3 20
T-24 Michigan 170 23-10 NR
T-24 Tennessee 170 15-7 24
Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more ballots: Pepperdine 125; LSU 86; Oregon 85; Missouri 68; Florida State 61; Indiana 41; St. Mary’s (Ca.) 35; Louisville 33; Arizona 29; Kentucky 24; Cincinnati 22; Miami (FL) 13; Clemson 11; Wichita State 11; Wisconsin 11; North Carolina 10; Notre Dame 9; Cal Poly 8; Michigan State 8; Northwestern 4; Western Kentucky 4
Fighting Illini Volleyball: David Kniffin Named AVCA Asst Coach Of The Year
DAVID KNIFFIN NAMED AVCA ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR Ward named All-Tournament at US Volleyball Open Championships
Champaign, Ill. – New Illinois women’s volleyball assistant coach David Kniffin brings with him much respect around the volleyball world. The American Volleyball Coaches Association honored Kniffin as its Division I-II Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Kniffin spent the last five years as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of California-Irvine.
In, 2011 Kniffin helped the Anteaters to a 19-12 record, a 14-8 mark in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and a ranking among the top seven teams in the country all season. UCI ranked second in the country in kills (13.81) and third nationally in hitting percentage (.346). Kniffin has also been active in the volleyball and Irvine community.
Kniffin was a setter for UC-Irvine in 2002 and 2003, helping the Anteaters to their first number one ranking. He holds the school single-season record for assists with 1,632 in 2003.
Kniffin will be formally presented his award at the 2011 Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon in San Antonio, Texas, as part of the AVCA Annual Convention and the Women’s National Semifinals.
Ward, Bartsch win title in Dallas Colleen Ward was named to the All-Tournament Team at the USA Volleyball Open National Championship. Ward along with fellow Illini Michelle Bartsch led the USA A2 Blue team to the title, coming back from the consolation bracket to defeat USA A2 Red twice in the championship round.
Bartsch tied for the team lead with 14 points in a 19-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-23 victory, forcing a Golden Set to determine the championship. Down 24-22, Blue rallied to score four straight points to win it 26-24 and the title. The USA A2 Red team included Illinois’ Jennifer Bonilla who led the title match with 25 service receptions.
Ward, Bartsch and Bonilla were among 36 players in this year’s A2 program, which started training at University of Texas-Dallas on May 23 before beginning the USA Volleyball Open National Championships on May 28.
Three Sun Belt Female Volleyball Players Named to AVCA All-America Team
NEW ORLEANS – Middle Tennessee’s Izabela Kozon and Stacy Oladinni, and Western Kentucky’s Melanie Stutsman were named to the 2010 All-America Team as announced on Wednesday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. With the trio of players on the squad, the Sun Belt has placed players on the All-America Team for the eighth consecutive season. All three players were also named to the All-South Region Team, and Stutsman was named the Region Freshman of the Year. Since 2000, the Sun Belt has produced at least one player on the AVCA All-Region team, and multiple players from the league have earned the accolades every year since 2002. Kozon, winner of both the Sun Belt Player of the Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player award, is coming off one of the best individual seasons in Sun Belt history. She's just the third player since 2000 to earn the highest individual honors in both the regular season and tournament. Over the course of the year, Kozon also racked up five Sun Belt Player of the Week awards, tying a conference record. The senior led the league with 4.00 kills per set and chipped in 2.19 digs per set, which ranked second on the team. Oladinni, an All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree who earned All-South accolades last season, is taking home the award again this year despite switching to a new position. The junior, who is one of the most efficient attackers in program history, averaged 2.04 kills per set at a blistering .335 clip. She was also a force at the net, tallying 1.13 blocks per set, which ranked second in the Sun Belt, and helped lead a Blue Raider defense that ranked among the top 30 in the country in blocks per set for much of the season. Stutsman has had an impressive freshman campaign, having been named SBC Freshman of the Year and a member of the All-Conference Second Team in addition to her Region Freshman of the year honor. The freshman set her team to a .294 hitting percentage which ranks seventh in the country and first in the Sun Belt. Stutsman has seen action in all 121 sets this season at the setter position. The freshman has collected 1,289 assists for an average of 10.65, which ranks third in the conference and 52nd in the nation in assists per set.
UAB Volleyball Player Sam Serley Tabbed For All-American Status By AVCA Middle blocker is fourth honorable mention selection for UAB in five years
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Dec. 15, 2010)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Sam Serley was recognized as an honorable mention All-American on Wednesday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, a week after being named to the AVCA All-Midwest Region Team.
The sophomore middle blocker becomes the fourth honorable mention All-American in UAB’s program history, joining two-time honoree Ivana Bozic (2006 and 2008) and Nevena Stefanov (2008). All four have come within the past five seasons.
Serley’s All-Region selection last week made her eligible for All-America voting. The Nashville, Tenn., product was also an All-Conference USA Second Team performer and a member of the C-USA All-Academic Team this fall.
“We are proud of what Sam accomplished this season,” UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. “She was good as a freshman last year but really came into her own as a sophomore as a player we could count on for consistently strong performances. It means a lot for our program to have another player recognized as an All-American.”
Serley’s versatility as both an offensive and defensive threat in the middle distinguished her on the court this season. She finished the year as UAB’s leader in attack percentage (.318), blocks per set (1.08) and kills (333), ranking in the top 12 in C-USA in all three categories.
Her most dominant play came during October when she posted double-digit kills in seven straight matches, hitting better than .420 in five of them and posting at least five blocks in four. On the season, she tallied 16 double-figure kill performances, including a career-best 23 Sept. 11 versus Arkansas, and managed 13 matches with five or more blocks.
Serley helped UAB win its final five matches and eight of its last 11 to finish 13-19 overall and 10-10 in conference play. She was part of a young Blazer team that loses only two seniors as it looks to build on its strong finish next year.
For a complete listing of the All-America teams, visit www.avca.org.
UNLV VOLLEYBALL NEWS: Allison Keeley's Contract Will Not Be Renewed
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jim Livengood announced Wednesday that women's volleyball head coach Allison Keeley’s contract will not be renewed and a national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
“First, I want to thank Allison for her guidance of our volleyball program for the past seven years,” said Livengood. “She has shown leadership and great care for our young ladies. Change is always difficult, but in thinking about our program and its direction, I believe we need to go in a new direction and this is the reason we will head into a national search.”
Keeley spent seven years at the helm of the volleyball program, compiling a record of 108-96, including a 10-20 overall mark this past season. She became the winningest head coach in UNLV history during the 2008 season. The Rebels put together back-to-back 20-plus win seasons in 2006 and ’07. Her 2007 squad was the most successful of her seven, as it went 24-6 en route to winning the school’s first-ever conference championship and only trip to the NCAA Tournament, which earned her AVCA West Region Coach of the Year and Mountain West Conference’s Co-Head Coach of the Year awards. During her time in Las Vegas, Keeley coached 14 all-conference honorees, two conference freshmen of the year and two student-athletes that earned national recognition by the AVCA. Besides the on-court accolades, her student-athletes excelled in the classroom, as well. She produced 45 Academic All-Mountain West Conference selections and had two student-athletes earn ESPN The Magazine All-District honors.
“I appreciate the opportunity I was given at UNLV,” Keeley said. “I had a great seven years at the university. I have had an opportunity to work with and for some great women and wish all of them the best in their future.”
Lobos Volleyball Team Close to Top 25; No. 3 In Attendance
Up Next in 2010 Lobo Volleyball Matches #4-6 - Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic Sept. 2 - vs. RV Michigan State, 6 p.m. Sept. 3 - vs. No. 10 USC, 9 p.m. Sept. 4 - vs. No. 4 Hawai’i, 11 p.m. Stan sheriff Center • Honolulu, Hawai’i
Follow Along ... Live stats will be available for all three matches through links on GoLobos.com. Matches against USC and Hawai’i will be available on the web through uhstreaming.oceanic.com. Both matches will be televised in Hawai’i on KFVE-TV.
Against RV Michigan State (3-0) ... This will be just the second meeting between the Lobos and Michigan State. It has been 20 years since the two last faced each other on the volleyball court. UNM won the first meeting, 3-0, on Aug. 31, 1990 in Tucson, Ariz.
Against No. 10 Southern California (3-0) ... The Women of Troy lead the series, 3-1. Although UNM travelled to the Galen Center for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, it did not play USC. The last time the two met was Dec. 3, 1994 in a 3-0 USC win in the Second Round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament.
Against No. 4 Hawai’i (3-0) ... The Rainbow Wahine lead the series, 7-0. The two teams faced each other in the First Round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles. It is the Lobos first trip to the islands since Oct. 4, 1998 when the teams were members of the Western Athletics Conference.
Next Week ... The Lobos will play three matches in the Comcast Lobo Challenge. SMU, Sacramento State and UC Santa Barbara come to Albuquerque for the Sept. 10-11 tournament at the Johnson Center.
LOBOS 2010 SEASON TIDBITS
• The Lobos are receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the second week in a row. UNM jumped from 40th in the voting to 27th with their strong performance last week against Pepperdine, Tulane and now-No. 3 Stanford. 2010 opponents in the poll include - #3 Stanford, #4 Hawai’i, #10 USC, #15 Colorado State, RV UC Santa Barbara, RV Utah, RV Pepperdine, RV New Mexico State, RV San Diego State, RV SMU and RV Michigan State.
• Senior Taylor Hadfield and junior Kelly Williamson were named to the MCM Elegante All-Tournament Team over the weekend.
About New Mexico (2-1, 0-0 MWC; RV) ... The Lobos earned second place in the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic with wins over Pepperdine and Tulane and a loss to No. 4 Stanford. Kelly Williamson and Taylor Hadfield were named to the all-tournament team ... New Mexico is receiving votes in the 2010 AVCA Preseason Poll ... UNM will face 10 teams receiving votes in the preseason poll this seaosn ... The Lobos were picked fourth in the 2010 Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll, eight points out of second ... Senior setter Jade Michaelsen was named to the All-MWC Preseason Team ... Michaelsen and senior outside hitter Lisa Meeter are the team captains for 2010.
About Michigan State (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten; RV) ... The Spartans captured their seventh consecutive MSU Showcase title during the opening weekend of the 2010 season. Redshirt junior Jenilee Rathje earned MVP honors in the tournament for her three-match performance. Rathje averaged 2.50 kills and 1.00 blocks per set, while hitting .424 against Bowling Green, IUPUI and Evansville. Joining her on the all-tournament team were Allyson Karaba and Megan Schatzle. Head coach Cathy George is in her sixth season at MSU and 23rd overall.
About USC (3-0, 0-0 Pac-10; No. 10) ... The Women of Troy won the Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational on opening weekend. Junior setter Kendall Bateman earned MVP honors after posting career-highs with 66 assists and 18 digs against Cal State Fullerton. Bateman averaged 13 assists per set as USC beat Loyola Marymount, Bucknell and CSF. Alex Jupiter led the attack for USC with 4.14 kills per set, while hitting . 254 over the weekend. Head coach Mick Haley is in his 10th season at USC and his 34th as a collegiate head coach.
About Hawai’i (3-0, 0-0 WAC; No. 4) ... The Rainbow Wahine defeated No. 16 UCLA to take the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational championship on opening weekend. Junior Kanani Danielson had 17 kills in the match and earned Most Outstanding Player honors. Elizabeth Ka’aihue and Brittany Hewitt joined Danielson on the all-tournament team. Danielson leads the UH attack with 4.33 kills per set and a .355 hitting percentage. Head coach Dave Shoji is entering his 36th season as the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine. Shoji earned his 1,000 collegiate victory on Oct. 17, 2009 against New Mexico State.
Aiming For New Attendance Marks ... The Lobos have pumped up their numbers in several areas over the past three seasons under head coach Jeff Nelson. A big one is the jump in attendance at Lobo volleyball matches in the Johnson Center. During the first weekend of action in 2010, the Lobos averaged 2,371 fans, including a season-high 3,831 against No. 4 Stanford on Jam Johnson Day, Aug. 29. The mark ranks seventh on the single match attendance record list. The largest crowd of 2009 was when 2,613 fans showed up at the Johnson Center on Nov. 7 to bid farewell to the three Lobo seniors - Anna Lehne, Rose Morris and Allie Suiter - and watch the Lobos beat BYU. It passed the mark of 2,338 fans who showed up for Jam Johnson 2009 on Oct. 1 vs. San Diego State. UNM averaged 1,677 fans over 14 home matches in 2009, ranking 23rd in the nation. It is the only time the Lobos have recorded over 1,000 fans at every match of the season. The mark of 2,613 fans against BYU on Nov. 7 ranks ninth on the all-time UNM single match attendance list at Johnson Center and 14th overall including the years in The Pit.
2010 National Attendance Rankings (courtesy of Diane Nordstrom, University of Wisconsin Athletics Communications) School Avg. Total # 1. Hawai’i 5,296 18,889 3 2. Colorado State 3,829 7,658 2 3. New Mexico 2,371 7,113 3 4. Texas 2,310 6,929 3 5. Minnesota 2,051 6,154 3 6. North Carolina 1,911 5,734 3 7. Missouri 1,529 4,587 3 8. Texas A&M 1,272 3,817 3 9. Fresno State 1,145 3,434 3 10. Long Beach State 1,139 4,556 4 11. Georgia Tech 1,005 3,014 3 12. Creighton 977 2,931 3
Iowa State Volleyball Team Up To No. 11 In AVCA Poll
AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State volleyball team moved up a spot to No. 11 in this week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.
The Cyclones went 4-0 last week and will face No. 18 Northern Iowa on Wednesday at Ames High School. Iowa State also faces Iowa this week in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series matchup in Iowa City on Friday.
AVCA Top-25 Poll 1. Penn State (55) 6-0 2. Stanford (4) 5-0 3. Illinois 5-0 4. Florida (1) 5-0 5. Texas 5-1 6. Hawai’I 5-1 7. Nebraska 5-1 8. Southern California 5-1 9. Washington 5-0 10. California 4-0 11. Iowa State 5-1 12. Minnesota 5-1 13. UCLA 5-1 14. Tennessee 6-0 15. Colorado State 5-1 16. Kentucky 4-2 17. Florida State 5-1 18. Northern Iowa 5-1 19. Oregon 4-0 20. Dayton 5-1 21. LSU 6-0 22. Michigan 5-1 23. Long Beach State 5-1 24. Arizona 5-1 25. San Diego 2-3
Others Receiving Votes: Ohio State, Missouri, St. Mary’s (Calif.), Michigan State, Duke, Cincinnati, Utah State, Baylor, Missouri State, New Mexico State, Cal Poly.
BARTSCH, BONILLA EARN CONFERENCE HONORS Illini move to No. 3 in latest AVCA Coaches Poll
Park Ridge, Ill. -- Illinois junior right side hitter Michelle Bartsch, the MVP of the Time Warner Cable Invitational over the weekend in Austin, Tex., has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week. Illinois libero Jennifer Bonilla earned the conference’s co-Freshman of the Week after helping lead Illinois to a perfect 2-0 weekend, which included a 3-0 sweep at No. 2 Texas.
Illinois moved up two spots to No. 3 in the latest AVCA Coaches poll following the victories, marking the highest ranking for Illinois since Sept. 6, 1988, when the Illini began the year at No. 2. Penn State remains atop the rankings followed by Stanford, Illinois, Florida and Texas. Two of this weekend’s opponents are also in poll – Nebraska at No. 7 and Dayton at No. 20.
Bartsch wins her first Big Ten Player of the Week honor after hitting .514 to help the Illini to the team title. The junior was 10-for-19 hitting and chipped in three blocks on Friday against second-ranked Texas, guiding Illinois to a three-set win over the Longhorns, ending Texas’ 25-match home court winning streak. The following day against Florida A&M, Bartsch finished with nine kills and two blocks in a sweep. On the weekend, she averaged 3.8 kills and 1.0 blocks per set for the third-ranked Illini.
Bonilla anchored the Illinois serve-pass game over the weekend. The freshman libero averaged 5.2 digs per set in Illinois’ three-set wins over No. 2 Texas and Florida A&M in the tournament. On Friday against the Longhorns, Bonilla finished with 18 digs and added 13 digs against Florida A&M and was 23-for-23 in service receiving attempts last weekend.
LADY VOLS JUMP THREE SPOTS TO NO. 14 IN AVCA POLL
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following its perfect weekend at the Houston Invitational, the University of Tennessee volleyball team jumped to No. 14 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released Monday afternoon. The Lady Volunteers are off to one of the best starts in program history, with a school-record six consecutive sweeps to kick off the 2010 campaign.
Tennessee is one of just four teams in the AVCA Top-25 that has yet to drop even a single set this year. Top-ranked Penn State (6-0), No. 9 Washington (5-0) and 10th-rated Cal are the other three teams with a flawless start to the season.
Last weekend, the Big Orange traveled to the Lone Star State where it took out Big 12-foe Oklahoma, then-No. 13 Florida State and host Houston in impressive fashion. In the opening week of play, UT downed Xavier, Chattanooga and Virginia Tech while hosting the Comcast Lady Vol Classic, Aug. 27-28.
This week’s ranking is the highest for the Orange and White since it was rated No. 13 on Sept. 11, 2006 and marks the 28th time in program history that it has been voted among the top-15 schools in the nation.
The Lady Vols will close out the tournament portion of their schedule this weekend when they hit the road to take part in a two-day competition hosted by Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Tennessee will first take on Northwestern and Ohio at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, on Friday, Sept. 10, before squaring off against Pittsburgh the following day at noon in its final tune-up before the beginning of Southeastern Conference action.
Duke Volleyball Team Receives AVCA Team Academic Award
DURHAM, N.C. – For the fourth straight year, the Duke volleyball team received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for maintaining a team grade point average of at least 3.00 for the entire 2009-10 academic year.
The Blue Devils have earned the academic recognition every year since 2006-07 and six times over the past seven seasons.
Duke’s academic success in 2009-10 was bolstered by ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team selection Rachael Moss, who graduated with a 3.95 GPA . Also included on Duke’s roster were Academic All-District III selections Rachael Moss and Sophia Dunworth and All-ACC Academic Team members Christiana Gray, Amanda Robertson and Claire Smalzer.
First instituted in 1992, the AVCA Team Academic Award goes to collegiate and high school volleyball programs that maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00 for the academic year. Duke also received the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 academic years.
Duke was one of 94 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball programs to receive the honor this season and one of an AVCA-record 450 teams overall. The 450 awards were the most in the 18-year history of the AVCA Team Academic Award.
