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Indiana State Volleyball Team Wins Akron Invitational Volleyball Tournament Title;
DALL NAMED MVP
Sycamores defeat Appalachian State 3-1 to claim first tournament title since 2004
ARKON, OHIO – The Indiana State volleyball team captured their first tournament title since the 2004 season by defeating Appalachian State 3-1 (17-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-15) Saturday afternoon in the final game of the Second Annual Akron Invitational.
Three Sycamores were named to the All-Tournament team including sophomore outside hitter Morgan Dall who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. She was joined on the all-tournament team by junior defensive specialist Kiya James and freshman setter Loni Mackinson.
Dall scored 59 kills (4.54 kills per set) during the tournament while hitting at a .262 pace. She also had four assists, 10 aces, 36 digs, and three blocks. Seven of those 10 service aces came in the final game against Appalachian State which is the sixth best single game performance in ISU history, tying her with Carolyn O’Brien who had seven against Evansville in 1995.
James had 61 digs (4.69 digs per set) in the tournament to go along with four assists and one ace. She now has 911 career digs which moves her into 10th place on the all-time career list at Indiana State. James moved past Jennifer Marx who had 884 from 1997-2000 and is just behind Annette Runge who had 924 from 1988 to 1991.
Mackinson was the top set-up artist for the Sycamores with 115 assists (8.85 assists per set) in the three games. She also had seven kills, one ace, 32 digs, and six blocks.
The last tournament title for ISU came at the 2004 Central Michigan Tournament when the Sycamores topped IUPUI, Central Michigan, and Wisconsin-Green Bay to claim the title.
The outcome did not look good for the Sycamores in the opening set of today’s game against the Mountaineers as Appalachian State pulled away from a 13-all tie with a 12-5 run that secured a 25-18 first set victory.
The tide turned in favor of Indiana State early in the second set as the Sycamores jumped out to a 4-0 lead off of two kills by senior Ana Maira Charun and one from sophomore Shea Doran. The Mountaineers rallied to go up 8-7 but two kills by Dall and an ASU error put ISU up for good at 10-8. Indiana State maintained the lead and closed out the set behind two aces and a kill from Dall who also had an assist on a kill by junior Stacy Qualizza that gave ISU a 25-18 set win.
Both sides had rallies early in the third set but the Sycamores were able to move out in front for good at 8-7 on a kill by sophomore Christie Fullenkamp off a Mackinson set. Indiana State started to pull away but stumbled midway through the set as the Mountaineers rallied with four straight points to cut the deficit to one at 13-12. The Sycamores regained the momentum and outscored ASU 12-6 the rest of the way to take the set 25-18.
There was never a question of who was going to win the fourth set as the Sycamores roared out to a commanding 19-4 lead. The Mountaineers did stage a seven point rally late in the set but Indiana State fought off the charge and reclaimed control of the set. Two kills from Fullenkamp along with one each from Dall and Qualizza sealed the deal for the Sycamores as ISU won the set 25-15 and took the game 3 sets to one.
Dall recorded her seventh double-double of the season in 11 games as she led the team with 21 kills and added 10 digs. She also had seven aces, an assist, and one block. Fullenkamp had a career high 11 kills. Mackinson had 38 assists, eight digs and a team high five blocks in the game. James had 12 digs while junior Shelbi Fouty also had 10 digs.
The Sycamores had 48 kills in the game while hitting at .209 and held the Mountaineers to 44 kills and a .131 hitting percentage.
Indiana State improves to 7-4 on the season which is the third best start in school history and ties the 2010 squad with the 1995 and 1986 teams that also went 7-4 after the first 11 games. Only the 1989 team that was 8-3 and the 1982 team that went 10-1 had better records after the first 11 contests.
Appalachian State fell to 8-2 with the loss.
The Sycamores will be on the road to Chicago Tuesday night where they will go up against the Loyola Ramblers in an 8 p.m. (ET) game. Indiana State returns home to host Chicago State Thursday night (7 p.m.) and then opens the Missouri Valley Conference season Friday night by hosting Illinois State (7 p.m.).
UMKC Volleyball Team Falls To NDSU, 3-1, In Volleyball Action
Fargo, N. D. – The UMKC volleyball team (3-8, 0-2) dropped its match on Saturday night, 3-1, to North Dakota State at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. Offensively, Elizabeth Beck recorded a team-high 15 kills, while on the defensive side, junior Nicole Kerkman finished with 27 digs, one shy of her career-high.
The ‘Roos fell behind in the match 2-0 after the first two sets, dropping set one 25-9 and set two 25-15. In the first set, the Bison used a 9-0 run with the score tied at one to put the set out of reach early, while building a six point lead at 8-2 in the second set. UMKC closed the gap to as little as three in the set but could not complete the comeback.
The ‘Roos would not go quietly though, fighting back to take the third set, 25-23. In the set, UMKC jumped out to a 3-1 lead, before twice falling behind by three. With the Bison leading 10-7, however, the ‘Roos recaptured the lead with a 8-1 run, highlighted by two Kelsey Knoche kills and an ace by setter Ella Meier. The squad would never trail in the set again and would go into the fourth set trailing 2-1 in the match.
In the fourth set, the ‘Roos took an early 3-1 lead, but it would not be enough as the Bison closed out the match with a 25-21 win. The two squads battled back-and-forth throughout the match with UMKC holding a lead as late as 11-10. NDSU though, would recapture the lead and end the set on a 3-1 run to win the match.
In the match, Meier registered a team-high 21 assists, while Knoche added eight kills and nine digs.
The ‘Roos will be back in action again on Thursday when they take on Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. in their Summit League home opener.
Virginia Volleyball Team Closes Out West Coast Trip With Three-Set Loss to No. 23 Long Beach State Cavaliers return home to host Marriott Cavalier Classic next weekend
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Virginia volleyball team saw a tough west coast trip come to a close Saturday event, dropping a three-set match to No. 23 Long Beach State in the Walter Pyramid by scores of 26-24, 25-16, 25-18.
Virginia (5-4) was led offensively by junior Simone Asque and sophomore Jess O’Shoney, who landed eight and seven kills, respectively. Senior AJ Cushman led the defense with 10 digs, while freshman Emily Rottman contributed eight. At the net, freshman Mallory Woolridge blocked a team-high four attacks.
Sophomores Beth Wildermuth and Rachel Gray shared setting duties, with Wildermuth distributing 16 assists, while Gray dished out 14.
Long Beach State (6-2) was led by Janisa Johnson’s 16 kills and 10 digs. Caitlin Ledoux and Lauren Minkel also reached double figures in digs, recording 15 and 14, respectively, while Michelle Osunbor had a match-high six blocks.
A string of errors at the beginning of the first set saw the Cavaliers fall behind 4-1, but Virginia hung around and eventually managed to even the score at 22-22. The game was again tied at 23, before a kill from the 49ers gave Long Beach State its first set-point opportunity. Virginia fought back, with a kill from Clark, to force extra points, but a kill and block from the 49ers provided LBSU the two-consecutive points it needed to win the set, 26-24.
The opening of the second frame remained tight as well, but the 49ers used a 10-4 run to break open an even 10-10 contest and never looked back. Up 20-14, Long Beach State scored five of the next seven points to earn a 25-16 victory.
Virginia lost momentum toward the end of the third set. Down two, at 19-17, the Cavaliers saw Long Beach State call a timeout. But out of the intermission, the 49ers rallied for four-straight points to take a 23-17 lead, en route to a 25-18 win.
The Cavaliers will return home next weekend to host the Marriott Cavalier Classic. Virginia will open ACC play on Friday, hosting Virginia Tech, before facing George Mason on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Long Beach State 49ers Volleyball Team Falls To No. 25 San Diego in Four Sets
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State clawed to a tough first set win, but dropped the next three as San Diego topped the 49ers 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 Friday night at the Walter Pyramid. Caitlin Ledoux led the 49ers with 16 kills.
San Diego was the first team on the season to hit over .250 against the 49ers, finishing at .281, topping a .242 effort from Long Beach State, led by Haleigh Hampton at .389. San Diego answered with a career night from senior Amy DeGroot, who finished with 18 kills on .351 hitting with 12 digs while middle blocker Chloe Ferrari finished with 11 kills.
Long Beach State capitalized on a rotation error by USD and pushed to take a 10-9 lead. The Toreros answered back, part of 16 ties in a tight-knit, exciting set. The first time that either team had a two-point lead after 5-3 was a 23-21 edge by the 49ers on an Ashley Lee kill. Another dump led to an error from the Toreros, and a Laura Schuck ace allowed the 49ers to close out the set with a 25-21 win.
After stellar .520 hitting in the first set against the Toreros, Long Beach State’s early hitting success began to slip away behind a solid Torero block and errors of their own. Meanwhile, San Diego continued to play with consistency hitting .273 in set two on the way to a 17-12 lead, which would hold the rest of the way to a 25-21 lead with no real 49er challenge.
Out of the break, a quick Ashley Lee kill sparked a 49er push to a 5-1 lead. San Diego recovered quickly though, scoring eight out of nine points to regain the lead at 9-7. The Beach briefly came back on top with an attack error from Ali Troost, but the Toreros pushed out to a 20-16 lead. One final rally for the 49ers, capped by a block from Lee tied the set at 20-20, but that tie was the last at the Toreros scored three straight points to pave the way to a 25-22 win.
With the momentum firmly on the side of San Diego, the Toreros took a 15-12 set four lead on an Oliveira’s second ace. Swapping out Ashley Lee for Ashley Vazquez at setter with the score in the Toreros favor 21-15, the 49ers mounted a small rally returning to their original lineup from the season, cutting the lead to two at 23-21. The damage was done however, as San Diego picked up a crucial sideout to maintain a three-point lead, and closed out the match with a 25-21 victory.
Long Beach State returns to action Saturday night in the Walter Pyramid as the 49ers host Virginia. That match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Virginia Volleyball Team Swept by No. 8 Southern California Cavaliers close out west coast trip at Long Beach State tomorrow night
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The No. 8 Southern California volleyball team defeated the Virginia Cavaliers, 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-16), Friday evening in front of 1,832 fans at the Galen Center.
Junior Simone Asque led Virginia (5-3) with eight kills, while sophomore Jess O’Shoney had seven and freshman McKenzie Adams contributed six.
Defensively, senior AJ Cushman picked up a team-high eight digs, while Adams posted seven. Senior Sydney Hill earned a match-high three blocks.
For USC (7-0), Katie Fuller and Alex Jupiter each reached double-digit kills, with Fuller landing 11 and Jupiter adding 10. Natalie Hagglund led the defense with 10 digs, while Kendall Bateman dished out 41 assists.
USC quickly gained control of the opening set. Thanks to an 11-2 run early in the frame, the Trojans built a 16-6 advantage and proceeded to trade points with the Cavaliers up until they won, 25-15.
Another early run in the second stanza plagued the Cavaliers. With the score tied at four all, USC strung together five-straight points before increasing its lead to 11 at 23-12. Virginia rallied to score four of the next five points, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Trojans would eventually win the set, 25-16.
The Cavaliers couldn’t hold off another early run by the Trojans in the third frame – as USC used a 6-1 run to pull ahead 12-6 and went on to win the frame 25-16.
Virginia will look to rebound tomorrow, as the Cavaliers head back to Long Beach State to face the 23rd-ranked 49ers. First serve is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
September 10, 2010 NO. 8 USC WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Team SWEEPS VIRGINIA, 3-0
LOS ANGELES – Sophomore opposite Katie Fuller (Olivenhain/La Costa Canyon HS) had a team-high 11 kills Friday as the No. 8 USC Women of Troy swept the Virginia Cavaliers, 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-16), in a non-conference match at the Galen Center. Fuller and junior All-America outside hitter Alex Jupiter hit .500 in the match as the Trojans improved to 7-0 on the season.
Fuller recorded 10 kills in the first set alone, adding a service ace and five digs. Jupiter had 10 kills, one ace, five digs and one solo block. Junior setter Kendall Bateman had 41 assists (13.67 aps) with nine digs while freshman middle blocker Alexis Olgard added four kills and three aces.
Simone Asque led the Cavaliers (5-3) with eight kills, two digs and two blocks.
Fuller’s kill forced Virginia to take a timeout, down 10-5 in the first set. Williams pushed an overpass down and Fuller later added another one as the 8-1 run gave a 15-6 advantage of the Trojans. O’Shoney hit a couple of kills for the Cavs, but Fuller kept the pressure on with two more kills for the 21-10 score. She would close it out with three more kills for the Trojans took the set.
After Virginia scored the first two points of the second set, USC unleashed a 9-2 run with Alexis Olgard serving up two aces to lead, 9-4. McKenzie Adams came out of a UVA timeout with a kill, but the Women of Troy came back with a 5-1 run for the 14-6 score. Kirby Burnham had two kills late in the set as USC took the 2-0 lead in the match.
Burnham’s kill started the third set to spark a 5-1 run. Jupiter started another 5-1 run for the 11-5 score. A Virginia service error on match point handed USC its fifth 3-0 sweep of the season.
USC travels to the Fresno State Invitational next weekend (Sept. 17-18) to face Fresno State, Cal State Bakersfield and Sacramento State.
Notes: This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools in women’s volleyball…freshman Alexis Olgard had a season-high three service aces…Alex Jupiter has recorded double-digit kills in five matches…Jupiter needs 40 kills to become the 17th player in USC history to record 1,000 career kills.
Victoria Henson Leads Iowa State Cyclones Volleyball Team Past Iowa, 3-0
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Victoria Henson had 12 kills and hit .545 as No. 11 Iowa State swept Iowa, 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-14), Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Cyclones, who won their sixth straight over Iowa, improve to 7-1 this season.
Henson, who had 17 kills and hit .405 in Wednesday’s win over UNI, was again the Cyclones go-to player. The senior connected on 12 kills and made no errors for the Cyclones, who hit .326 as a team.
“I didn’t feel like we were maybe as sharp as we could have been, but I’m pleased to come out with the win,” Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said. “Victoria is in a zone for us right now, where it seems like no matter how good the set, everything she touches gets down for a kill.”
Jamie Straube followed Henson’s lead, finishing with nine kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Kelsey Petersen also had a mistake free night, connecting on six kills.
The Cyclones were dominant at the net, tallying 11 blocks to just one for the Hawkeyes (5-2). Straube had six block assists and Petersen added a solo stuff and four block assists.
The Cyclones rolled in the first set, winning 25-15 behind seven kills from Henson. Iowa State trailed briefly at 9-8 before scoring seven of the next nine points to break open the set. The Cyclones hit .314 in the set.
Iowa State controlled the second set from the beginning and cruised to a 25-12 win to head into the break up 2-0. The Cyclones had just one error in the set en route to a .458 hitting percentage.
The Cyclones left no doubt in the third set, holding the Hawkeyes to a -.182 hitting percentage in the frame to win 25-14 and earn their fourth-straight sweep.
Carly Jenson was the only player in double-digits for the Cyclones with 10 digs.
Iowa was led by Mallory Husz’s eight kills.
The Cyclones return to Wednesday evening against Nebraska at Ames High School. The match, which will start at 7 p.m., will be shown live on ESPNU.
No. 20 Dayton Flyers Volleyball Team Gives No. 7 Nebraska Huskers Flyers Take First Set From Huskers, But Lose In Four
LINCOLN, Neb. – After an impressive comeback to win the first set, No. 20 Dayton fell to seventh-ranked Nebraska in four sets to open the 2010 Ameritas Players Challenge in front of a sold-out crowd at the Nebraska Coliseum on Thursday night (26-24, 20-25, 16-25, 17-25).
Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Krabacher finished the night with her third double-double in four matches with 12 kills and 15 digs. Senior setter Jessica Yanz also finished with a double-double, notching 35 assists and 17 digs in facing her former Nebraska teammates of the last two seasons. Senior Amanda Cowdrey tied a season-high of 13 kills.
The Huskers used the momentum of its first home crowd of the season to start with a 20-12 lead in the first set. The eight-point advantage didn’t last long before the Flyers strung together a 10-2 run which tied the opening set at 22. Krabacher’s four kills, eight digs and one service ace down the stretch helped lead UD to a 26-24 extra-point win.
In the next three sets, the Huskers held Dayton to a combined .105 hitting percentage, led by libero Kayla Banwarth’s match-high 24 digs and Jordan Wilberger’s seven blocks
“Defensively, Nebraska is just really, really elite – they were making some great plays,” Head Coach Kelly Sheffield said. “When you are taking a lot of swings out of system against an elite defensive team you are going to have some problems.”
It was the second time the Flyers and Huskers have met on the court with Nebraska leading 2-0. Dayton was eliminated by Nebraska from the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament in Lansing, Mich.
Dayton (5-2) will face its third straight top-10 opponent tomorrow in the Ameritas Players Challenge against No. 3 Illinois, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Virginia Volleyball Team: Cavaliers Swept by No. 25 San Diego O’Shoney shares match-high honors with 10 kills
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Virginia volleyball team opened its west coast swing Thursday evening by dropping a three-set match to No. 25 San Diego at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. Set scores were 25-19, 25-20 and 27-25.
Eight Cavaliers tallied kills for Virginia (5-2), led by sophomore Jess O’Shoney, who knocked down 10, and junior Simone Asque, who tallied eight.
Defensively, senior AJ Cushman led the way with 14 digs, while freshman Emily Rottman contributed 11. At the net, O’Shoney had a match-high five blocks.
For San Diego (3-3), Amy Degroot and Ali Troost landed 10 kills each, while C’era Oliveira picked up a match-high 21 digs.
The Cavaliers opened the first set hanging with the Toreros. It wasn’t until a gradual 10-5 run midway through the frame that San Diego was able to take control of the contest. Ahead only one, at 11-10, the Toreros built their lead to 21-15 before back-to-back kills from Troost secured the 25-19 set win for San Diego.
Behind kills and a double block from Asque and O’Shoney, the Cavaliers scored the first four points of the second stanza and then increased their lead to 8-2 before San Diego came storming back. From there, the Toreros scored 12 of the next 16 points to take their first lead of the game, 14-12. The rally wasn’t enough to quiet the Cavaliers, though. Virginia worked to regain a brief lead, at 18-16, but San Diego eventually knotted the score at 20 and went on to win the next five points to take the set, 25-20.
The third frame came down to the wire, as the Cavaliers forced extra points on their nationally ranked opponent. With the score tied at 16 all, the Toreros pulled ahead 20-17, forcing Virginia to call a timeout. The Cavaliers built some momentum following the short break and cut San Diego’s lead to one, at 23-22, forcing the Toreros to call a timeout of their own. A kill from Asque knotted the score at 23, before a kill and an attack error by San Diego forced extra points. The squads again traded serves to keep the score even, but the Cavaliers committed a service error and the Toreros landed a kill, giving San Diego the win, 27-25.
Virginia will return to action tomorrow, heading to Los Angeles to face No. 8 Southern California. Opening serve is slated for 10 p.m. ET.
Meagan Ganzer’s 30 Kills Leads Washington State Volleyball Team to Sweep over Eastern Washington
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Junior Meagan Ganzer had her second consecutive 30-kills match to lead the Washington State Cougars volleyball team to a 25-20, 25-23, 28-26, at the Nike Cougar Challenge tournament Thursday night before 639 fans at Bohler Gym.
Ganzer, from Maple Valley, Wash., had 30 kills with four errors in 53 attacks for a .491 hitting percentage. Ganzer had 30 kills in the WSU 3-1 win at San Francisco last Saturday night.
WSU’s Brittany Tillman and Vanessa Murray each had five kills while Marcelina Glab had a match-high six blocks. Sara Biondi had 37 assists and 10 digs. Jordan Levenseller and Oceana Bush also had 10 digs each.
The Eagles’ Chenoa Covaire had 10 kills (.350) and Shelby Puckett led the team with 9 digs. Setter Lindsay Niemeier and Laney Brown combined for 33 assists. EWU hit .215 for the match and WSU hit .359.
“For having some young kids starting for the first time and knowing they were going to have to play for the whole match, I thought they did a good job in the first two sets,” WSU Head Coach Andrew Palileo said. “In the last set you could really see the inexperience of some of our young kids and not so much from the mistakes but from the way they were reacting to situations. A win is a win but we are working towards being able to compete in the Pac-10 and we have to sharpen things up on our side of the net in order to do that in the next couple weeks. Ganzer is carrying us right now but we have to create some more balance or she is not going to make it through the rest of this year.”
The first set began with a change in the line-up that found talented sophomore libero Oceana Bush in the front row as sophomore right side hitter Rachel Todorovich is out with an abdominal pull. Freshman Jordan Levenseller played libero for the entire match. The opener belonged to the 6-3 Ganzer who landed 12 of WSU’s 19 kills with a .750 hitting percentage, even as Cougars had to battle back at the end of the set to take the 25-20 win.
The Cougars had more than one scare in the second set as they couldn’t mount more than a two-point lead in the set. WSU was up 23-21, when EWU tied it up but served into the net to put the Cougs at set point. Glab and Murray combined on a block of Jacque Brown’s attack to end the set in the crimson jersey’s favor for the 25-23 win.
The Eagles took a 19-14 lead in the third set as the wheels came off the bus for the Cougs. EWU pushed to a 22-17 lead but the Cougars battled back and capitalized on miscues across the net to tie the set at 22. After attack errors by both sides, the score was tied at 23. A long rally resulted in a point for the visitors and Cougar coach Andrew Palileo took a timeout. An attack error tied the score at 24 but Ganzer’s monster kill, her 30th, tied the set at 25.Biondi served an ace for the 26th point but EWU slammed one down the middle to knot the set again. A mishandled ball by Laney Brown put Ganzer at the baseline where she aced the serve and the Cougars took the 28-26 win.
“I’m not keeping track of my kills so it pretty much comes as a surprise,” Ganzer said. “I’m 6-2 so if I’m not swinging like that it’s a problem. Right now we are not strong and our setter is a freshman and inexperienced so we can’t connect well in the other positions and why I am getting so many sets. Ideally we should be getting even sets across the board. But it is my responsibility right now to put the ball down. The passing and Sara’s sets to the outside are good so I’m working hard for my team.”
Friday’s tournament action begins at 1 p.m. in Bohler Gym when EWU meets Cal Poly followed by the 7 p.m. match between WSU and Montana State.
UCLA Women's Volleyball: #13 UCLA Runs Bakersfield Off the Road in Sweep
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Senior Dicey McGraw joined a grand club on Thursday, becoming the 25th Bruin to surpass 1,000-career kills, as #13 UCLA swept CSU Bakersfield on Thursday at the Icardo Center. Set scores were 25-14, 25-17, 25-22.
The Bruins improve to 7-1 with the win, while the Roadrunners fall to 0-8.
McGraw had six kills and no errors in 12 attacks for a .500 hitting percentage in just two sets of action, giving her 1,001 kills as a Bruin. Sophomore Mari Hole led the Bruins with 13 kills, also hitting .500 with three errors in 20 swings. Freshman Meg Norton came off the bench to post 10 kills in the last two sets, including nine in the third, while freshman Kelly Reeves notched eight kills and one error in 14 attempts for a .500 percentage. The Bruins hit .411 for the match.
The Bruins scored the first three points of the match on back-to-back kills by Reeves and a McGraw ace, but the Roadrunners came back with seven of the next nine to take a 7-5 advantage. UCLA responded with the next eight to go up by six at 13-7. The run started with consecutive kills from sophomore Rachael Kidder and McGraw, which was followed by a Bakersfield attack error to give UCLA an 8-7 edge. McGraw then added another kill and a solo block to make it 10-7, back-to-back spikes by juniors Lauren Van Orden and Sara Sage made it 12-7 and a CSUB attack error finished off the run to increase the margin to 13-7.
UCLA’s advantage never dipped below five for the rest of the set. Leading 17-10, the Bruins netted five straight on two kills apiece by Kidder and Reeves and one from McGraw to give UCLA a set-best advantage of a dozen. A Reeves kill and a Kidder solo block marked the final two points in a 25-14 victory in the opener. Kidder and Reeves each had five kills, while McGraw added four. The Bruins out-hit the Roadrunners .424 to .037 in the opener.
The Bruins led from start to finish in the second set, scoring the first four points on kills by Reeves and freshman Mariana Aquino, a Bakersfield attack error and a Van Orden ace. Up 6-2, UCLA went on a 4-1 run thanks to pair of kills by Hole, one from Reeves and a Sage/Van Orden combo roof to make it 10-3. McGraw recorded her 1,000th-career kill midway through the second set on a spike that put the Bruins up 12-7.
The Roadrunners closed to within three at 13-10, but the Bruins went on a 4-1 run on a Bakersfield service error and three kills by Hole to make it 17-11. UCLA’s biggest lead of the set was eight on a few occasions. A kill by sophomore Bojana Todorovic on the Bruins’ second set point gave the visitors a 25-17 victory. Hole posted six kills in the second, while Reeves added three. The Bruins were out-hit in the set .370 to .353.
The Bruins saw some reserves get some action in the third set. Bakersfield scored two of the first three points of the third set, but the Bruins got the next two on kills by Todorovic and Norton and never trailed for the rest of the set. Tied at three, the Bruins scored three in a row and eight of the next nine to take an 11-4 advantage. Norton had two kills during the 3-0 run, while Todorovic had one. One sideout later, UCLA recorded five in a row on two kills by Hole, a spike by freshman Jenna Scilacci, an ace by senior Amber McBenttez and a Bakersfield attack error.
UCLA’s largest lead of the set was eight at 15-7. The Roadrunners made things interesting towards the end of the third, cutting their deficit to a pair at 23-21. But Norton had two of the match’s final three points on kills, as UCLA won the third 25-22. Norton had nine kills in the third, Hole added seven and Todorovic posted four. The Bruins out-hit the Roadrunners .450 to .286.
The Bruins return to the court on Tuesday with a non-conference match at Cal State Northridge at 7 p.m. Gametracker and live audio will be available at UCLABruins.com.
No. 7 Nebraska Huskers Volleyball Team Holds Off No. 20 Dayton
Lincoln – The No. 7 Nebraska Huskers prevailed with four-set win (24-26, 25-20, 25-16, 25-17) over the No. 20 Dayton Flyers on Thursday night in front of a sold-out crowd at the NU Coliseum to kick off the 2010 Ameritas Players Challenge.
Tara Mueller was one of three Huskers to net a double-double, as the senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., netted 13 kills and 13 digs, while hitting .375 or better in three of the four sets, including .400 in set three. Hannah Werth added her third double-double of the season (11 kills and 14 digs), while Lauren Cook notched the first double-double of her Husker career with a team-high 28 assists and 10 digs. Kayla Banwarth continued to pilot the Nebraska defense with a match-high 24 digs, while adding three assists.
Mueller started set one on fire for the Huskers with three of Nebraska’s first five points, while Banwarth served five consecutive points and Sydney Anderson chipped in four assists to fuel an 8-3 run to start the match for Nebraska, forcing Dayton to take a timeout.
The break would fail to stop the Husker momentum, as Nebraska continued to play solid offense and defense to build a 20-12 lead. Dayton then dug deep and put up a 10-2 run to tie the set at 22 apiece and force Head Coach John Cook to take a time out of his own. During the run, Dayton got an ace, at least one kill from three players and Nebraska committed four errors.
Following the timeout, a Jordan Wilberger kill regained the lead for Nebraska, but Becky Novacek answered for Dayton with back-to-back kills to put the Flyers up 24-23. Werth would again tie the set for Nebraska with a kill, but it was not enough as Dayton put away two straight kills to finish off a dramatic comeback and take set one, 26-24.
The Flyers continued to feed off their first-set momentum to open a 4-1 lead in set two, before Brooke Delano strung together two kills and Cook added an ace to even the score. The teams would split the next four points before Dayton put up a 4-0 run to take a 10-6 lead, resulting in a Nebraska timeout.
The Huskers responded out of the break with a 4-0 of their own to even the score, powered by two kills from Mueller and another from Wilberger, with Anderson assisting on all three. The two squads would split the next seven points, before an attack error from former Husker Jessica Yanz and a kill from Lindsey Licht would give Nebraska its first two-point lead of the set and force Dayton to take its first timeout.
The Flyers came back with a kill from Yvonne Martin, but Nebraska swung right back with three straight points from Licht, including two kills and a block, resulting in another quick timeout from Dayton Coach Kelly Sheffield. The stop in play did little to slow the Husker attack as the Werth continued to roll with an ace, while Mueller, Delano and Licht added consecutive kills to build a 22-14 lead, before a net violation on Nebraska ended the 7-0 run.
Just like set one, Dayton made a late run to get back in the set at 24-20, but a service error from Paige Vargas ended the Flyers’ hopes of a second straight comeback and the Huskers took set two, 25-20, with Cook adding 10 assists in the set.
Nebraska took advantage of two Dayton errors and a block from Wilberger to start set three with a 3-0 lead, before the Flyers got on the board with a block from Lindsay Fletemier. After Dayton got back within one point at 4-3, Nebraska took eight of the next 11 points to take a 12-6 lead, with Mueller adding three kills over the run.
Dayton again responded to get within three points (13-10), but the comeback quickly ended with a 4-0 Nebraska run, capped by a solo stuff from Wilberger to extend the Nebraska lead to 17-10. Unlike the first two sets, the Flyers failed to make a late run, as the Huskers ran away with set three, 25-16. Mueller continued to power the Husker attack with four kills in the set.
For the second straight set the Huskers took an early lead, 5-2, behind two kills each from Licht and Delano, along with an ace from Anderson. Dayton responded with a 4-0 run to take the lead, but a 7-0 Nebraska run shut down the Flyers and created some separation at 12-6, as Mueller knocked in an ace, Delano added a kill and two blocks, while Dayton committed three errors during the run.
The two teams would exchange points until another Nebraska run extended the Husker lead to 18-10, with Gina Mancuso and Werth adding kills, while Wilberger stuffed another Flyer attack.
The Flyers attempted to make one final run on the night as they got within five at 21-17, but 4,180 fans at the Coliseum would fuel a 4-0 Husker run to end the set and push Nebraska to victory with a fourth set score of 25-17.
Nebraska will be back at the Coliseum tomorrow at 7 p.m. for the second day of the Ameritas Players Challenge to take on Western Michigan. The Huskers then conclude the tournament on Saturday night at 7 p.m. with a match against the No. 3 ranked Fighting Illini of Illinois at the Devaney Center.
Tomorrow’s action will start with Illinois and Western Michigan at 11 a.m., followed by Illinois and Dayton at 4:30 p.m.
No. 8 USC Women's Volleyball Team Hopes to "White Out the Cavs" with Home Match on Friday Against Virginia
Upcoming Match
Friday, September 10 - Galen Center Virginia (5-1) vs. No. 8 USC (6-0) - 7 p.m. All-time series: First meeting
All times local to game site Live video webcast on usctrojans.com (subscription required) - home matches only
USC Probable Starters
No. Name Yr. Pos. Ht. kps pct. dps bps pps 3 Natalie Hagglund Fr. L 5-9 --- --- 3.76 --- --- 7 Alex Jupiter Jr. OH 6-3 4.33 .282 0.56 0.67 5.56 8 Lauren Williams Jr. MB 6-4 3.11 .533 0.56 1.17 3.81 12 Kendall Bateman Jr. S 5-11 0.19 .071 2.38 12.19 aps 13 Falyn Fonoimoana Fr. OH 6-4 2.44 .180 0.88 0.44 3.09 22 Katie Fuller So. OPP 6-2 2.24 .267 1.12 0.71 2.74 32 Zoe Garrett Sr. MB 6-3 1.88 .429 0.12 0.50 2.19
LOS ANGELES -- The No. 8 USC women's volleyball team (6-0) hosts Virginia (5-1) in a non-conference match on Friday (Sept. 10) at 7 p.m. The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a free "White Out The Cavs" t-shirt.
Virginia Notes Virginia is 5-1 on the season after earning 3-0 sweeps last weekend to North Florida and Liberty and losing in five sets to George Washington. Head coach Lee Maes is 16-24 in his third season at Virginia. The Cavaliers are led by junior outside hitter Simone Asque who has 112 kills (4.67 kps), 63 digs (2.62 dps) and 16 blocks (0.67 bps). This is the first-ever meeting between USC and Virginia in women's volleyball.
On The Net All USC home matches this season will be broadcast on usctrojans.com, courtesy of SC TV. There is a monthly subscription fee in order to watch the webcast.
Galen Center Promotions The 2010 season features many promotions at the Galen Center for home matches. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets to any home match for only $3 per ticket by calling (213) 740-4170. Fans can call that number or go online at usctrojans.com to sign their children up for a Trojans Kids Club membership, good for free admission to all home matches (ages 12 and under).
This season, if USC records a 3-0 sweep, all fans in attendance will receive a coupon for free admission to the next home match (except the UCLA match).
For more information on the 2010 promotions schedule, go online at usctrojans.com under the women's volleyball page.
The Power of the Pac-10 Seven Pac-10 teams are ranked in the current AVCA poll, including No. 2 Stanford, No. 8 USC, No. 9 Washington, No. 10 California, No. 13 UCLA, No. 19 Oregon and No. 24 Arizona.
Thousand Points of Light Head coach Mick Haley registered his 1,000th women's collegiate victory as a head coach on August 27 against Loyola Marymount. Along with his combined NCAA wins at USC and Texas (1980-1996), Haley had 251 wins as the women's head coach at Kellogg Community College (1973-79).
Lock and Reloaded USC's incoming recruiting class for the 2010 season was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Prep Volleyball. The players are 6-2 outside hitter Kirby Burnham (Newport Beach/Newport Harbor HS), 6-4 outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana (Hermosa Beach/Mira Costa HS), 5-9 libero Natalie Hagglund (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS), 5-10 outside hitter Sam Hirschmann (Manhattan Beach/Marymount HS), 6-5 middle blocker Alexis Olgard (Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) and 6-3 outside hitter Sara Shaw (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS).
The class includes five players ranked in the Top 100 nationally by Prep Volleyball, including three players in the top 11 spots and the No. 1 player in the nation (Fonoimoana).
“This class gives us a group of players that will add firepower to our lineup and make immediate contributions,” said USC head coach Mick Haley. “These kids can play the game and we will have immense depth on the squad. There are no kids in this class that are ‘projects’ and it’s evidenced by what they are doing for their high school and club teams. I think these kids want to compete and win a championship.”
Court of Dreams The dream finally became reality on Oct. 12, 2006 as the brand-new Galen Center made its debut. The 10,258-seat arena is located on the corner of Figueroa St. and Jefferson Blvd., adjacent to the USC campus. The arena is named after Lou and Helene Galen, who generously donated $50 million towards the project.
USC mourned the loss of Lou Galen, who passed away on Nov. 12, 2007, at the age of 82.
Statapalooza-- USC is 55-7 all-time at the Galen Center. -- USC has 10 players on its roster this season who are 6-2 or taller. -- Alex Jupiter needs 50 kills to become the 17th player in USC history to record 1,000 kills in her career. -- As of September 9, Alex Jupiter is second among all Pac-10 Conference players in service aces (0.67 saps), third for points (5.56 pps) and fifth for kills (4.33 kps). -- Kendall Bateman is first among Pac-10 players for assists (12.19 aps). -- Lauren Williams is first among Pac-10 players for hitting percentage (.533) and seventh for blocks (1.17 bps). -- Zoe Garrett is tied for ninth for hitting percentage (.429). -- Natalie Hagglund is sixth for digs (3.76 dps). -- Geena Urango is seventh for service aces (0.47 saps). -- Alexis Olgard is 10th for hitting percentage (.417). -- As of September 9, USC are second among all conference teams in kills (14.33 kps), assists (13.33 aps) and blocks (2.74 bps). The Women of Troy are third for digs (13.71 dps). -- USC has made 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. -- The Women of Troy made five NCAA Final Four appearances in an eight-year span (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007). -- USC became the 22nd program in the nation to record 800 wins. The Women of Troy recorded its 800th win on Nov. 15, 2008, against Arizona State. -- Head coach Mick Haley earned his 200th victory as USC's head coach on Nov. 1, 2008, against Oregon State at the Galen Center.
Out Of This World Junior outside hitter Alex Jupiter (Paris, France/Redondo Union HS) became the 31st All-American in USC women's volleyball history after earning AVCA All-America third team honors in 2009. This season, she has 78 kills (4.33 kps), 12 service aces (0.67 saps), 43 digs (2.39 dps) and 100.0 points (5.57 pps).
As of September 9, she is second among all Pac-10 Conference players in service aces, third for points and fifth for kills.
She became the sixth player in USC history to earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Sept. 6 after earning most outstanding player honors at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu (Sept. 3-5). She also was named Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week, the first time she earned that honor. She posted 49 kills (4.45 kps) in three matches against three teams that were receiving votes in the coaches' poll with four aces, 26 digs (2.36 dps), 10 blocks (0.91 bps) and 61.0 points (5.55 pps). She did not have one reception error in 58 attempts on the weekend. Against New Mexico, she had 10 kills, seven digs and three solo blocks in a 3-0 sweep. In another 3-0 sweep, this time against Michigan State, she had 17 kills and six blocks while hitting .483 (17-3-29). In the tournament finale against No. 4 Hawai'i, she had 22 kills and 16 digs in a five-set win over the Rainbow Wahine.
She posted her first double-double of the season on Aug. 28 in a four-set win over Cal State Fullerton with 23 kills and 10 digs against the Titans. She earned Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament team honors after posting 29 kills (4.14 kps) with eight aces (1.14 saps), 17 digs (2.43 dps) and 39.0 points (5.57 pps).
She led the Women of Troy in 2009 with 522 kills (4.54 kps) with 33 aces (0.29 saps), 308 digs (2.68 dps), 73 blocks (0.63 bps) and 608.0 points (5.29 pps). She also earned her first All-Pac-10 Conference honor as well as being named AVCA All-Pacific Region. Her 522 kills were the fourth-most in school history, along with her 5.29 points per set average.
She finished seventh in the nation for points per set and 12th for kills per set during her sophomore season and recorded 15 double-doubles. She was third among all Pac-10 Conference players in points and kills and fourth for service aces. She tallied 23 kills in a 3-0 sweep over Oklahoma on Dec. 4, 2009, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She posted 22 kills and a season-high .514 clip (22-3-37) with 10 digs, four blocks and 24.5 points in a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 20 at No. 18 Oregon.
On Sept. 26 at Arizona State, Jupiter posted career-highs with 31 kills and 20 digs in a four-set win while hitting .433 (31-5-60). She earned Holiday Inn LA City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament team honors after recording 41 kills, 21 digs and seven blocks (five solo) in three 3-0 sweeps.
During her 2008 freshman season, she registered 350 kills (3.24 kps) with 12 service aces (0.11 saps), 122 digs (1.13 dps), 59 blocks (0.55 bps) and 403.0 points (3.73 pps). She was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team. Jupiter recorded double digit kills in 20 matches and became the third freshman at USC since 1981 to lead the team in kills (Tracy Clark in 1982 and April Ross in 2000).
Out Of This World (cont.) She had her coming-out party at the Runza/AVCA Showcase against No. 4 Texas and No. 7 Nebraska. Jupiter, who was a 2008 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, led the Trojans in kills for both matches with 17 against the Longhorns and 12 against the Huskers. She also had 13 digs and four service aces on the weekend.
Take The Bait Junior setter Kendall Bateman (Manhattan Beach/Mira Costa HS) has 256 assists (12.19 aps) this season with 50 digs (2.38 dps) and 15 blocks (0.71 bps).
She earned all-tournament honors at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu after leading USC to a 3-0 mark with wins over No. 4 Hawai'i, New Mexico and Michigan State. She had 126 assists (11.45 aps), 17 digs (1.55 dps) and 11 blocks (1.00 bps) as she guided the team to a .302 hitting percentage on the weekend. She had a career-high six blocks in the five-set win on Sept. 5 against No. 4 Hawai'i, adding 53 assists and six digs. She posted 41 assists and guided the Women of Troy to a .407 hitting night in a 3-0 sweep of Michigan State.
She registered career highs on Aug. 28 in a four-set win against Cal State Fullerton with 66 kills and 18 digs to earn Luxe City Center Trojan Invitation most valuable player honors after recording 130 assists (13.00 aps) and 33 digs (3.30 dps) as the Women of Troy won the tournament title.
She earned 2009 Pac-10 Conference honorable mention and Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition last season after leading the nation with a 12.41 assists per set average. She recorded 227 digs (1.97 dps) and 48 blocks (0.42 bps) on the season and handled an offense that hit .248, ranking 35th in the nation. USC also finished second in the nation for assists per set and kills per set.
She posted 49 assists and 12 digs against Oklahoma in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at the Galen Center and finished the regular season by registering career highs with 62 assists (15.5 aps) and 15 digs in a four-set win on Nov. 28 against No. 19 Arizona. She earned her first-ever Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week honor on Nov. 23 after recording 80 assists and 10 digs in two 3-0 sweeps. She had 57 assists, seven digs and three block assists against No. 4 Washington on Nov. 13 in a five-set win and then posted 60 assists (15.00 aps) with eight digs in a four-set win against No. 25 Washington State.
Bateman appeared in 24 matches in her freshman season and recorded 117 assists on the season (2.72 aps) with two aces (0.05 saps), 32 digs (0.74 dps) and seven blocks (0.16 bps). She had two assists and one dig in her collegiate debut on Aug. 29 against No. 3 Texas at the Runza/AVCA College Showcase in Omaha, Neb. She recorded 10 assists and two digs on Sept. 5 against Hofstra at the Holiday Inn LA City Center Trojan Invitational. She recorded 10 assists in two sets on Oct. 4 at No. 11 Oregon. At No. 10 UCLA on Nov. 28, she came into the third set and tallied 14 assists, two digs and one block assist. She made her first collegiate start in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 5 against No. 15 San Diego, recording season-highs in the four-set victory with 25 assists, 10 digs and four blocks. She got the start the next night in the second round against No. 6 Hawai'i and had 16 assists and three digs.
During the summer of 2008, Bateman played for the U.S. Junior National Team, playing at the FIVB World Championship in Mexico. She was a two-time member of the U.S. Girls' National Team, part of the squad that finished 10th at the 2007 FIVB Girls' World Championship in Mexico and a member of the squad that won the 2006 NORCECA championship.
She was a two-time Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine All-American at Mira Costa and led the Mustangs to a perfect 37-0 record and the school's fourth straight state championship in her senior season. She was part of the mythical national championship squads in her junior and senior seasons as named by prepvolleyball.com and named CIF most valuable player in her senior season.
Where There's A Will, There's A Way Junior middle blocker Lauren Williams (Houston, Texas/Stratford HS) has 25 kills (3.57 kps) with a .622 hitting percentage, six digs (0.86 dps) and three blocks (0.43 bps) this season.
She earned all-tournament honors at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu after leading USC to a 3-0 mark with wins over No. 4 Hawai'i, New Mexico and Michigan State. She was second on the team with 31 kills (2.82 kps) while hitting .473 with 18 blocks (1.64 bps). She had 12 kills and six blocks while hitting .450 (12-3-20) in a 3-0 sweep of New Mexico and followed that up with 14 kills and six blocks while tying her career high of five assists in the five-set win over No. 4 Hawai'i.
She garnered Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament honors after registering 25 kills (3.57 kps) in three matches while hitting .622 (25-2-37).
Where There's A Will, There's A Way (cont.) Last year, she made 30 starts in 31 matches as a sophomore. She finished fourth among Pac-10 Conference players with a .371 hitting percentage and third on the team with 281 kills (2.55 kps). Last season, she recorded 15 assists (0.14 aps), 19 digs (0.17 dps) and 343.5 points (3.12 pps) while leading the team with 105 total blocks (0.95 bps) with 20 solo blocks. She finished the season with double-digit kills in four consecutive matches.
She had a team-high 14 kills and hit .407 (14-3-27) with a career-high eight block assists against No. 3 Hawai'i on Dec. 5, 2009, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and recorded 10 kills and no errors for a season-high .714 clip (10-0-14) against Oklahoma on Dec. 4 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
She earned her first-ever Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week honor on Nov. 16 after registering 33 kills while hitting .462 with 11 blocks and 41.0 points in wins over No. 4 Washington and No. 25 Washington State. She had 14 kills and eight blocks (four solo) while hitting .364 against Washington. She followed that with a career-high 19 kills against Washington State without a single error for a .559 night (19-0-34).
In her first collegiate season, Williams earned Pac-10 Conference honorable mention recognition and was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team. She had 209 kills (2.11 kps) with a .323 hitting percentage and a team-leading 103 blocks (1.04 bps) with 15 solo blocks and 88 block assists. She recorded 11 blocks (two solo, nine assisted) in her first two collegiate matches at the Runza/AVCA Showcase against No. 4 Texas and No. 7 Nebraska. On Oct. 11, 2008, in a five-set loss to No. 10 Washington, Williams recorded a season-high 16 kills with six block assists while hitting .462 (16-4-26). She hit .550 (12-1-20) on Nov. 21 at No. 2 Stanford and followed it with a .455 match (11-1-22) with four blocks at No. 7 Cal.
She played on the 2008 U.S. Women's A2 National Team and played on the 2007 Junior National Training Team.
The Pattern Is Full Sophomore outside hitter Katie Fuller (Olivenhain, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS) has 38 kills (2.24 kps) this season with 19 digs (1.12 dps) and 12 blocks (0.71 bps).
On Sept. 5 in a five-set win at No. 4 Hawai'i, she posted career highs with 17 kills, six digs, six blocks and 20.5 points while hitting .382. She had eight kills and hit .312 in a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 4 against Michigan State.
She filled in admirably during the Portland and Fresno State matches (Sept. 18-19) as a freshman last season. She led the team with 10 kills against Portland with two digs and one block while hitting .471 (10-2-17) in the 3-0 sweep. The following night against Fresno State, she had five kills with seven digs and two service aces.
No Harm, No Foul Freshman outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana (Hermosa Beach/Mira Costa HS) was ranked as the No. 1 high school senior in the nation by Prep Volleyball and has been regarded by some as one of the best players ever at the high school level.
This season, she has 39 kills (2.44 kps) with five aces (0.31 saps), 14 digs (0.88 dps), seven blocks (0.44 bps) and 49.5 points (3.09 pps).
Fonoimoana was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and a 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection. She earned 2009 All-CIF Southern Section first team honors and was named Daily Breeze Player of the Year after recording 664 kills and 311 digs on the season with 63 blocks and 34 aces. She was named 2007 National Sophomore of the Year by Prep Volleyball after teaming with current USC setter Kendall Bateman to lead Mira Costa to the CIF-Southern Section I-AA title with 17 kills in the final over Redondo Union.
Her mother, Debbie, played beach volleyball and trained with her sister, Lelei, who swam in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, placing seventh in the 100m Butterfly at 17 years old. Her uncle, Eric, won a gold medal in 2000 in Sydney for beach volleyball and was a longtime standout on the AVP Tour.
Surf's Up Freshman libero Natalie Hagglund (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS) was rated the top incoming libero by Prep Volleyball and 27th overall recruit. Along with her volleyball prowess, Hagglund is an accomplished surfer, winning the 2007 San Diego County High School Girls' Long Board Surfing championship.
She has 79 digs (3.76 dps) this season for the Women of Troy. She had a season-high 22 digs in a five-set win on Sept. 5 at No. 4 Hawai'i. Her previous high of 21 digs came on August 28 against Cal State Fullerton (4 sets).
She earned 2009-10 Under Armour All-America first team honors and played for the La Costa Canyon High squad that won the San Diego Section Division I championship in four sets. Hagglund played for the 2009 U.S. Under-19 Beach Volleyball squad as part of the No. 2 team and was part of the youngest team ever to qualify for the main draw of the AVP Manhattan Beach Open (2009). In high school, she was a member of the 2008 La Costa Canyon High squad that was named national champions by Prep Volleyball and Max Preps. It's Greek To Me Senior middle blocker Zoe Garrett (Laguna Beach/Laguna Beach HS), whose first name is derived from a Greek word meaning "life", has 30 kills (1.88 kps) this season white hitting .429 with eight blocks (0.50 bps).
Garrett made 16 starts in 24 matches as a junior last season for the Women of Troy. She recorded 81 kills for a 1.27 kps average and a .288 hitting percentage with 16 assists (0.25 aps), six service aces (0.09 saps), 27 digs (0.42 dps), 45 blocks (0.70 bps) and 112.0 points (1.75 pps). She received 2009 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition
She earned all-tournament team honors at the 2009 Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 11-12) at Utah Valley after getting 20 kills and seven blocks while hitting .474. She had nine kills while hitting .500 at Utah Valley (9-1-16) on Sept. 11 with four block assists and had nine kills with four blocks while hitting .571 (9-1-14) on Aug. 29 against North Carolina.
As a sophomore in 2008, Garrett started in all but one match during the season, recording 171 kills (1.71 kps) for a .305 hitting percentage with 19 service aces (0.19 saps), 61 digs (0.61 dps), 90 blocks (0.90 bps) and 241.5 points (2.41 pps). She tied her previous best of nine blocks on Sept. 18 against Hartford with one solo block and eight block assists in the 3-0 victory at the West Point Challenge, also tied a season high with three service aces. In the Pac-10 opener against No. 4 UCLA, she had nine kills and hit .400 (9-1-20) in the five-set win with six digs and five blocks. In a 3-0 sweep of Washington State on Oct. 10, she tied her career high with 13 kills, hitting .476 (13-3-21) in the process. She tied her season and career highs with 13 kills and nine blocks on Dec. 5 in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament against No. 15 San Diego and hit a season-high .478 (13-2-23) against the Toreros in the four-set win.
Garrett received All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention honors in 2007 after recording 210 kills (1.81 kps) and 118 blocks (1.02 bps) while hitting .262. A 10-kill performance came on Oct. 18 at Washington State where she also registered a season-high nine blocks (one solo, eight assisted).
That's G Senior defensive specialist/outside hitter Geena Urango (Los Alamitos/Los Alamitos HS) has six kills (0.40 kps) and seven service aces (0.47 saps) this season.
Urango made seven starts in 30 matches last season, recording 69 kills (0.74 kps), seven assists (0.08 aps), 20 service aces (0.22 saps), 107 digs (1.15 dps) and 93.5 points (1.01 pps). She earned 2009 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic second team honors, posting a 3.69 grade-point-average in communications. Her best match came on Sept. 11 vs. Idaho State, leading the Trojans with a season-high 17 kills while hitting .469 on Sept. 11 against Idaho State at the Wolverine Invitational in Orem, Utah.
That's G (cont.) She played in every match during her 2008 sophomore season, recording 36 kills (0.35 kps), 11 assists (0.11 aps), 13 aces (0.12 saps), 158 digs (1.52 dps), five blocks (0.05 bps) and 52.0 points (0.50 pps). She had a season-high nine kills and added two aces and two digs against Hartford on Sept. 18 and posted eight kills and a season-high 14 digs on Oct. 3 at Oregon State.
Urango recorded 112 kills (0.90 kps) and 347 digs (2.80 dpg) in her freshman season, earning All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention honors. She finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10 Conference with 40 service aces (0.32 saps) and recorded four aces in a match twice (Sept. 1 vs. Mercer and Sept. 15 vs. Purdue).
She recorded 21 digs on Sept. 7 at Utah in a four-game victory and posted a season-high 31 digs in a five-game win on Sept. 14 at No. 20 Ohio State. On Oct. 11 against Oregon State, she tallied a season-high 10 kills, hitting .304 in the match and adding nine digs. She recorded a season-high 21 kills, taking 47 swings against No. 9 Cal in a 3-2 win on Oct. 26 at the Galen Center. Urango posted her first collegiate double-double on Nov. 2 against No. 9 UCLA with 17 kills and 12 digs in the 3-1 victory.
She was on the 2008 U.S. Beach Volleyball Training Team for the SWATCH FIVB World Championship. She also played two years for the U.S. Youth National Team (2005-06) and also played on the Junior National Team.
Burn Notice Freshman outside hitter/opposite Kirby Burnham (Newport Beach/Newport Harbor HS) was rated as the No. 49 incoming recruit in the nation by Prep Volleyball and was a 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, along with earning All-America honors by Prep Volleyball.
This season, she has 20 kills (1.33 kps) while hitting .304 with 15 digs (1.00 dps).
She was the team captain for the Newport Harbor squad that won the 2009 CIF-SS Division 1-AA championship as Burnham earned 2009 All-CIF Southern Section first team honors. She was named most valuable player in the CIF Division I state championship match after posting 12 kills in the 3-0 sweep of Salinas. Burnham was a member of the National Charity League where she completed 50-100 hours of community service a year and created her own neighborhood food drive in her community while she was in high school.
The Shawshank Redemption Freshman outside hitter Sara Shaw (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS) has 10 kills (0.91 kps) this season with 28 digs (2.55 dps) and four blocks (0.36 dps).
She was rated No. 11 nationally by Prep Volleyball and played for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team. She also was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection. Shaw earned 2009-10 Under Armour All-America first team honors after leading Westlake to its third straight Class 5A state final and was named 2009 Gatorade State Player of the Year.
Standing Guard Freshman middle blocker Alexis Olgard (Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) has 17 kills (1.42 kps) this season while hitting .417 with five digs (0.42 dps) and 12 blocks (1.00 bps).
She was rated as the No. 5 recruit in the nation by Prep Volleyball and played for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team while being an alternate for the 2008 squad. She was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection. At the 2009 FIVB Junior World Championship in Mexico, she finished fourth in blocks among all players and 20th in scoring. She was an integral part of three state championship squads (2006, 2007 and 2009) and was named 2009 Gatorade State Player of the Year as well as 2009 Inland Northwest Junior Female Athlete of the Year.
Injury Report Senior outside hitter Kimmee Roleder injured her right knee during spring practice and will be out for the entire 2010 season.
UMKC Volleyball Team: 'Roos Set To Open Summit League Play At The Dakotas
This Week The UMKC volleyball team (3-6) will kick-off the 2010 Summit League schedule when it heads north to take on South Dakota State (3-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. inside Frost Arena. The squad will then continue on to Fargo, N.D., on Saturday night to face off against North Dakota State (2-4) in the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse at 7 p.m.
Follow The ‘Roos Online All UMKC volleyball home and select road matches can be heard online at www.UMKCKangaroos.com during the 2010 season with all home matches being video streamed. The “Voice of UMKC Volleyball” T.J. Jackson, who is in his fifth season with the program, will provide all the play-by-play commentary for the broadcast. Check out Roo Vision for more details. You can also follow live stats for the ‘Roos online at www.UMKCKangaroos.com.
The Opponents South Dakota State comes into the match with a 3-3 record, opening the season with three straight wins over Boise State, Air Force and Long Island in the Air Force Invitational before dropping all three of its matches in the Iowa State Challenge last weekend. The Jackrabbits are led by Ellyce Youngern who has posted 95 kills this season and was named The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week during the opening week of the season. Kelli Fiegan, meanwhile, took home the honor this week after posting a .545 hitting percentage against FIU and Iowa State. Thyele Rechatiko leads the team with 210 assists, while Fiegen has 38 blocks. North Dakota State enters the week with a 2-4 record, picking up wins over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Florida International in the Iowa State Challenge last weekend. The Bison are led by the two-time Summit League Player of the Year, Chrissy Knuth, while Lauren McLaughlin has a team-high 58 kills. McLaughlin also tops the team with 89 digs, while Jennifer Lopez has a team-high 186 assists.
Series Record The ‘Roos will be squaring off with South Dakota State for the ninth time and with North Dakota State for the 10th time. The Jackrabbits lead the series 7-1, as the two teams split their matches last season with the ‘Roos winning 3-2 at home and SDSU winning 3-0 in Brookings. North Dakota State, meanwhile, won all three matches a season ago, including a 3-0 victory in The Summit League Tournament.
Last Time Out The ‘Roos dropped their home opener, 3-0, to Drake (9-0) on Tuesday night at the Swinney Recreation Center. Chloe Jarema led the ‘Roos in the match, as the freshman finished with a team-high nine kills, while hitting .412. Kelsey Knoche and Elizabeth Beck notched seven kills each, while Christiana McQuin and Emily Lucas each finished with six. Ella Meier, meanwhile, had 28 assists, while Nicole Kerkman and Kayla Riggs registered 16 and 10 digs, respectively.
Meier’s Move This season, sophomore Ella Meier is making the switch from the right side to setter, and thus far the results have been positive. Through the first nine games of the season, the Lancaster, Pa., native has led the team in assists in six matches, reaching double figures in eight matches. She has eclipsed the 20-assist mark in four-of-her-last-five matches, including a career-high 30 assists against South Dakota. On the season, Meier leads the team with 168 assists.
Beck Named To Arkansas Invitational and Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Teams Junior Elizabeth Beck was named to the Arkansas Invitational all-Tournament team after posting team-highs of 38 kills and six service aces in the three matches, while also notching 30 digs, six assists and four blocks with a .252 hitting percentage. Beck was also selected to the Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado Volleyball Classic all-Tournament team after leading the team with 52 kills and a .308 hitting percentage, while finishing with 20 digs and nine blocks. Strong D Against Fairfield In the match with Fairfeild on Sep. 4, the ‘Roos displayed impressive defense finishing the match with a Summit League season-high 15 blocks in only three sets. Individually, seven different ‘Roos had at least one block, while six had at least two. Christiana McQuin (8) and Ella Meier (7) led the way, while Kelsey Knoche (5) and Demetria Williams (5) also chipped in.
Dominant in Wins In the ‘Roos three wins this season over Grambling, Fairfield and South Dakota, the squad has been extremely dominant, beating the three teams a combined 9-1. In each match, meanwhile, UMKC has out-dug, out-killed, out-aced, out-hit and out-assisted each opponent.
New Career-Highs Several ‘Roos have already set new career-highs this season, led by Emily Lucas. Lucas, in her sophomore season, notched 13 kills against Grambling, besting her previous high of 10, while Ella Meier’s 30 assists against South Dakota were also a new high. Elizabeth Beck’s 18 kills against Georgia and four aces against Grambling and Brittney Robers’ seven kills and eight digs against the Tigers, meanwhile, were also career-highs.
Out-Digging UMKC has out-dug its opponent in seven of its first nine matches to begin the season. The ‘Roos are averaging 14.6 digs per set thus far in the 2010 season, while allowing only 14.0 digs per set. Individually, Nicole Kerkman leads the way as the junior as finished with 10 or more kills in five straight matches, while leading the team in seven of the first nine matches.
Double-Doubles This season, juniors Elizabeth Beck and Kelsey Knoche have each notched two double-doubles. Against Arkansas, Knoche registered 10 kills and 17 digs for her 18th career double-double, while Beck finished with 11 kills and 12 digs against Stamford and 15 kills and 10 digs against Grambling for her third and fourth career double-doubles. Knoche, meanwhile, picked up her 19th career double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs against Fairfield.
Summit League Individual Leaders Junior Elizabeth Beck leads a quartet of ‘Roos among The Summit League stat leaders, as the outside hitter sits fourth in the league with 3.40 kills per set. Christiana McQuin, meanwhile, ranks fifth in blocks (1.00 b/s), while Nicole Kerkman is sixth in digs (3.60) and Ella Meier is ninth in assists (6.00 a/s).
Summit League Team Leaders Through the two weeks of the season, the UMKC volleyball team sits in the top half of five of the seven categories in The Summit League, including sitting second in the league with an average of 2.05 blocks per set. The ‘Roos also sit third in opponent hitting percentage (.195), fourth in hitting percentage (.183) and fifth in service aces (1.23 a/s) and kills (11.53 k/s).
Summit League Individual Match Highs A trio of ‘Roos lead the squad’s on the Summit League’s match high ranking, as Emily Lucas (.435), Elizabeth Beck (.429 and .351) and Kelsey Knoche (.393) are all ranked in the top-20 for attack percentage. Beck’s 18 kills against Georgia, meanwhile, are the ninth most in the league this season, while her four aces against Grambling State are tied for fifth best. Christiana McQuin (8) and Ella Meier (7) also make the rankings as the duo sit fourth and fifth in blocks for all matches and first and second in blocks for a 3-set match.
Team Match Highs The ‘Roos sit among the ranking as a team in several categories, including leading the league first with 15 blocks in the match with Fairfield and sitting 10th in the league with 10.5 against Georgia. The squad also sits fifth and 15, respectively in attack percentage with their wins over Grambling State (.303) and Fairfield (.248), while the 12 aces, 72 digs, 60 kills and 57 assists against the Tigers are second, 10th, eighth and seventh best, respectively.
‘Roos Picked Third In Summit League Preseason Poll The ‘Roos were picked to finish third in The Summit League preseason poll. UMKC, who returns five starters from its 2009 squad, finished with 54 points in a voting of a league’s 10 head coaches. North Dakota State was the unanimous vote as the preseason favorite for the second straight season, earning nine first place votes and finishing with 81 points. 2009 Summit League Tournament champion IPFW earned the final first place tally and finished second with 64 points. Oakland was fourth, behind UMKC, with 53 points, followed by South Dakota State (49), IUPUI (47), Oral Roberts (39), Southern Utah (35), Western Illinois (19) and Centenary (9).
Captains Schmidt and Knoche Senior Holly Schmidt and junior Kelsey Knoche were chosen as captains for the 2010 squad. Schmidt, who is entering her fourth season in the Blue and Gold, has played all over the court in her three seasons, including serving as one of the team’s two setters in 2009, amassing 446 assists. Knoche, meanwhile, enters her second season at UMKC after transferring from the University of Memphis. Last year, the junior registered a team-high 312 kills, while finishing second on the team with 355 digs.
‘Roo Newcomers This season, the ‘Roos will welcome two newcomers to the squad in junior Demetria Williams and freshman Chloe Jarema. Williams joins the squad out of Butler Community College where she was an NJCAA all-American honoree last season after registering 231 kills, while also tying her own school record of a .304 hitting percentage. Williams was also named to the all-Jayhawk Conference team in both of her seasons as a Grizzly, while finishing her career at BCC as the record holder in career blocks with 316 and hitting percentage at .304. Jarema, meanwhile, was a two-time all-state honoree at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah, where she helped lead her team to the 5A State Championship and Region IV title in 2007 and 2008 and runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2009.
Senior Leaders Three seniors will look to lead the way on this year’s squad in their final season at UMKC. Holly Schmidt, Kayla Riggs and Christina McCarthy are each entering their final seasons with the Blue and Gold after combining for 464 assists, 279 digs, 87 kills, 57 blocks and 12 aces in 2009. Schmidt and McCarthy, who are both three year members of the squad, have been part of 32 wins in their three seasons at UMKC. Last season, Schmidt split the setting duties, posting a career-high 28 assists vs. South Dakota State, while leading the team in assists in six matches. Riggs, registered the third most digs on the team with 241 as the team’s top defensive specialist, finishing with 10 or more digs in 10 matches. McCarthy, meanwhile, recorded the best game of her career against Big 12 foe Kansas, finishing with team and career-high in kills (seven) and hitting percentage (.375).
Junior Power The junior class at UMKC is by far the biggest, featuring six returning letterwinners, including four starters and the libero, and one newcomer for a total of seven players in the class. Last season as sophomores, the group featured the team leader in most major categories, including kills, attacks, assists, service aces, digs and blocks. As a group, the junior class combined for 60% of the team’s kills, 56% of the assists, 80% of the aces, 61% of the blocks and 67% of the digs. Individually, Kelsey Knoche topped the team with 312 kills in her first season, while Erin Wellwood’s 617 assists and 33 aces were both team-highs. Nicole Kerkman finished 2009 with a team-high 460 digs, while Christiana McQuin’s 119 blocks were the most on the team. Brittany Fossier and Elizabeth Beck round out the returning juniors, as the duo combined for 301 kills, 133 digs and 126 blocks last season.
Looking To Take The Next Step in Year Two The UMKC roster will feature three sophomores who will be looking to take a big step forward in year 2 of their careers at UMKC. Ella Meier, Emily Lucas and Brittney Robers combined for 20 starts a season ago and will be heavily relied on again this season as all three will see significant playing time and at least one will be in the starting lineup during this weekend’s action. In 2009, Meier registered her first career double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs against Iona en route to being named to Sacred Heart Invitational all-Tournament team, while picking up her second against Oakland with 12 kills and 16 digs. Lucas and Robers, meanwhile, each notched their best games against Holy Cross where Lucas finished with a career-high 10 kills and Robers a career-high 12 assists.
Last Season The UMKC volleyball team had one of its best seasons in 2009, finishing the year with a 15-16 overall record and a 10-8 mark and fourth place finish in The Summit League. The 15-16 record was the second highest winning percentage in school history, while also being only the third time in school history that the team has reached the 15 win mark. The fourth place finish was good enough to put the ‘Roos in The Summit League Tournament for the first time since 2003. The 10 league wins tied the school record for the most league wins in a season, while the squad’s 7-3 mark in home matches was the best in school history. During the season, UMKC also swept Oral Roberts for the first time ever, snapping a 34-match losing streak and giving the ‘Roos only their third and fourth wins over the Golden Eagles, while also taking their first set from Kansas State since 1993.
Changes in the Coaching Staff Heather Adams joined the UMKC volleyball program as an assistant coach after serving as an assistant coach at Brush Middle School in Brush, Colo. Before her time at Brush, Adams worked as the junior varsity head coach and assistant varsity coach at Clear Creek High School in Idaho Springs, Colo. Adams played collegiate volleyball at Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison, Colo., for five seasons, where she served as the team captain during her senior year. The middle hitter closed out her career as a Mountaineer by being named First Team all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and Second Team all-Region honors. This came on the heels of earning second team all-conference honors as a junior. Additionally, assistant coach Joan Rickert was promoted to associate head coach after helping guide the ‘Roos to The Summit League Tournament for the first time since 2003.
Second Team All-League Honorees 2009 marked the first time since Vanessa Portela earned First Team all-Summit League honors in 2005, that the ‘Roos put a player on either the first or second all-league teams, as last year both Jamie Hagerman and Christiana McQuin were selected as Second Team all-Summit League honorees. Last season also marked the first time since 2003 that two ‘Roos were honored in the same season, as Lindsey Zerr was named First Team all-Mid-Con and Sara Foster was named Second Team all-Mid-Con that year. Hagerman, meanwhile, was also named to The Summit League all-Tournament team, marking the first time UMKC has had a representative since Noe Perreira was honored in 2002.
UMKC Career Records Christiana McQuin leads a quartet of UMKC juniors who have already etched their names into the UMKC career record books with two more years of eligibility left, as the junior ranks sixth all-time with a .250 hitting percentage, and eighth all-time with 217 block assists. Nicole Kerkman and Kelsey Knoche each rank among the top-10 in digs per set, with Kerkman sitting third with a mark of 3.37 digs per set and Knoche sixth at 3.13 digs per set. Knoche also sits fourth all-time at 9.03 attacks per set and seventh all-time with 2.86 kills per set. Erin Wellwood, meanwhile, ranks eighth all-time in assists, as the setter as registered 1,201 in over two seasons in the Blue and Gold.
NCAA Public Recognition Award The UMKC volleyball team was one of 841 Division I sports teams to receive NCAA Public Recognition Awards for their exceptional work in the classroom as part of the organization’s Academic Performance Program. The awards are handed out annually to teams scoring in the top-10 percent in each sport with their APRs. High-performing teams receiving public recognition awards this year posted APR scores ranging from 978 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on how many achieved perfect scores. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic year.
‘Roos in The Classroom Last season, 11 ‘Roos were named to The Summit League Academic all-Conference team, including current ‘Roos Elizabeth Beck, Brittany Fossier, Nicole Kerkman, Kelsey Knoche, Christina McCarthy, Christiana McQuin, Ella Meier and Erin Wellwood. In order to be named to academic all-League team, each student-athlete must post a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the semester in which they compete. Additionally, three ‘Roos were named distinguished scholars for posting a GPA above 3.6, including Beck. Meanwhile, five current player and six total were named to the Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence, including McCarthy, Beck, Fossier, Kerkman and Wellwood, for posting a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
Ball State Women's Volleyball Team Travels To Wright State Saturday
►CARDINALS HIT THE ROAD: The Ball State women’s volleyball team opens a seven-match road swing Saturday with a 4 p.m. non-conference match up at Horizon League member Wright State . . . Next week, the Cardinals travel to IPFW (Tuesday) and to North Carolina (Friday & Saturday) for the Tar Heel Classic.
►FOLLOW THE ACTION: Ball State fans have a new way to follow the women’s volleyball team this season, with Ball State All-Access streaming video . . . All of Ball State’s home matches will be streamed live through ballstatesports.com starting with the Active Ankle Challenge . . . A subscription to Ball State All-Access is needed to watch the matches, with prices starting at $9.95 a month . . . Fans can also watch Saturday’s match at Wright State through The Horizon League Network. ►BALL STATE VS. WRIGHT STATE: The Cardinals have a 12-6 edge in the all-time series versus Wright State, despite a 3-0 (30-24, 30-28, 30-22) setback in the latest match Sept. 19, 2006 . . . Prior to the loss, the Cardinals had won the previous three meetings between the two programs . . . Ball State is 3-4 all-time in matches played in Dayton, Ohio, with its last road win in the series coming Sept. 1, 2004.
►BALL STATE VS. IPFW: The Cardinals hold an 8-3 advantage in the all-time series versus IPFW, including a 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-23) home win in the most-recent meeting Sept. 4, 2009 . . . The Cardinals have won two straight over the Mastodons, and three of the last five contests overall . . . Ball State is 3-2 in matches played in Fort Wayne, Ind., despite losses in its last two trips up I-69 . . . BSU’s last win at IPFW was Sept. 30, 2003.
►PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF: Ball State head coach Steve Shondell picked up right where he left off at Burris Laboratory School, winning his first seven matches with the Cardinals . . . As the head coach for Burris, Shondell racked up an 1183-95 record over his 34-year career from 1976-2009 . . . He coached the Owls to 21 state championships, including 13 straight Indiana Class 2A titles . . . The Owls won four national championships (1990, 1992, 1997 and 2004), and finished with undefeated records seven times (1985, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2004 and 2009).
►SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State picked up its seventh straight win of the 2010 season Tuesday, with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-11) victory over IUPUI to improve to 7-0 on the year . . . Kylee Baker and Kelsey Brandl led the Ball State attack with 13 and 10 kills, respectively, while Alyssa Rio added a match-best 19 digs . . . Entering Saturday’s match, Baker leads the Cardinals with 82 kills and a 3.90 kills-per-set average . . . Brandl is BSU’s top attacker based on percentage, at .438, and ranks second in kills (70) and kills-per-set average (3.33) . . . Rio enters the week with 107 digs and a 5.10 digs-per-set average . . . As a team, the Cardinals are out-hitting their opponents .290 to .116 on the year, while holding a 14.81 to 9.52 advantage in kills per set.
►SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE: The Raiders suffered a 2-3 (18-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-18, 9-15) setback at Miami Wednesday evening to drop to 3-5 on the year . . . Last Saturday, WSU ended play in the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational with a 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-21, 15-13) win over IUPUI . . . Jessica Woods provides a bulk of the Raiders’ offense with 115 kills for a 3.59 kills-per-set average . . . Heidi Splinter is second on the squad with 78 kills and a 2.44 kills-per-set average . . . In the backcourt, Woods also has a team-best 133 digs, while Kenzie Egan is second with 119 . . . As a team, the Raiders are out-hitting their opponents .199 to .194 on the season, despite trailing 12.16 to 12.28 in kills per set.
►SCOUTING IPFW: The Mastodons entered the week with a 2-5 overall record after losing all three matches in last weekend’s Xavier Invitational . . . IPFW opens Summit League play Friday versus Oakland, before competing in the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational Saturday . . . Mayara Schlindwein leads the team with 81 kills and a 3.38 kills-per-set average, while Taryn Parker is second with 57 kills and a 2.38 kills-per-set average . . . Muncie Central graduate Tessa McGill leads the Mastodons’ backcourt with 130 digs and a 5.42 digs-per-set average . . . As a team, IPFW is being out-hit .159 to .244 on the season, with opponents averaging 15.17 kills per set compared to 10.62 for the Mastodons.
►BAKER LEADING THE CHARGE: Freshman outside hitter Kylee Baker tallied a match-high 13 kills in Tuesday’s win over IUPUI to mark the fourth time this season she has led the BSU offense in kills . . . Last Saturday in the championship match of the 2010 Active Ankle Challenge, Baker posted her first career double-double with career highs of 16 kills and 11 digs . . . The effort earned her a spot on the all-tournament team. ►MORE ON BAKER: Kylee Baker entered the week ranked fourth in the Mid-American Conference with her team-leading 3.83 kills-per-set average, having amassed 82 kills in 21 sets . . . Her 4.53 points-per-set average is also fourth in the league.
►LOOK BACK TO 2002: Through her first seven matches with the Cardinals, BSU’s and the MAC’s all-time kill leader (1,975 kills) Sarah Obras (2002-05) had tallied 99 kills and a 3.67 kills-per-set average in 27 sets.
►BRANDL EARNS MVP: Junior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 Active Ankle Challenge after turning in a .444 (27-3-54) attack percentage in the event, while blasting 3.00 kills per set . . . Tuesday versus IUPUI, Brandl added 10 kills and a match-best .529 (10-1-17) attack percentage.
►SPREADING THE WEALTH: Junior setter Brittany McGinnis continues to keep opponents guessing, as she has led the Cardinals to a .290 hitting mark so far this season . . . In the championship match of the 2010 Active Ankle Challenge versus Oakland, McGinnis guided BSU to a season-high .339 rate of success, with the team committing just eight total attack errors (six errors and two blocks) . . . BSU’s best team hitting percentage during the rally scoring era (2001-pres.) came in 2001, when the team combined for a .240 rate of success.
►TOPPING 1,500: With her second dig versus Robert Morris, senior libero Alyssa Rio became just the fourth player in program history to reach 1,500 career digs . . . Rio enters Saturday’s match at Wright State with 1,557 career digs after collecting a match-best 19 versus IUPUI Tuesday . . . She needs 23 more digs to pass Amanda McCormick’s (2005-06) career total of 1579 for third on BSU’s all-time list . . . Rio also ranks third in program history with 75 career matches with double-figure digs.
►DEFENSIVE DOMINATION: BSU’s defense continued to dominate Tuesday, limiting the Jaguars to a .112 (30-17-116) hitting mark . . . BSU has held six of its opponents below .170 this season, including a -.084 (14-21-83) mark from Tennessee State . . . For the season, BSU is limiting its opposition to a .116 rate of success, while connecting at a .290 clip on offense.
►GOOD START: Ball State’s 7-0 start is the second-longest winning streak to open a season in program history . . . The longest season-opening winning streak came in 1973, when the Cardinals collected victories in their first 10 matches.
►SET STREAK: Ball State is a perfect 21-for-21 in sets played this season . . . The 21-set winning streak ties as the second-longest in program history, as BSU won 21-straight sets from 10/9/2004 - 10/30/2004 . . . The longest set winning streak in program history was 23 straight from 11/3/1993 - 11/27/1993.
