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(Video)Marquette University women's volleyball team Defeats Green Bay
The Marquette University women's volleyball team used double-doubles from junior Ashley Beyer and senior Nikki Klingsporn to defeat Green Bay Wednesday evening at the Kress Events Center, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 25-15.
In addition to Beyer's 17 kills and 19 digs, the Golden Eagles (12-7, 3-2 BIG EAST) were led by 57 assists and 10 digs from Klingsporn. Sophomore Danielle Carlson notched 13 kills and an impressive .545 hitting percentage, while Rabbecka Gonyo and Ciara Jones also recorded 13 kills.
Female Volleyball Players Of The Week And All-Tournament Volleyball Teams Named This Weekend Oct 14
The Big Ten Conference announced its volleyball players of the week on Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:
Volleyball Player of the Week: Kelli Barhorst, Ohio State MB, Jr., Anna, Ohio/Anna
Barhorst wins her first Big Ten Player of the Week honor after the Buckeyes swept Iowa and No. 19 Minnesota over the weekend, where she averaged 4.2 kills on .524 hitting and 2.0 blocks per set. Against Iowa, the junior middle blocker finished with a career-high 14 kills on .619 hitting to go along with seven blocks in a 3-0 victory. Against the nationally ranked Gophers, Barhorst recorded her second double-digit kill effort of the weekend with 11, adding five blocks in the Buckeyes’ 3-0 win.
Last Ohio State Player of the Week: Ashley Hughes (Oct. 26, 2009)
Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week: Ashley Benson, Indiana MB, Sr., Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington H.S. North
Benson claims the second defensive player of the week honor of her career after recording 10 or more blocks in each of the Hoosiers’ two matches last weekend. A middle blocker, Benson finished with 13 blocks against Wisconsin, setting a new school mark for stuffs in a three-set match, helping the Hoosiers hold the Badgers to a negative hitting percentage. She followed that effort with a 10-block, eight-dig effort against No. 8 Illinois, finishing the week averaging 3.3 blocks and 1.1 digs per set.
Last Indiana Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week: Ashley Benson (Nov. 16, 2009)
Co-Freshman of the Week: Jennifer Bonilla, Illinois LIB, Reseda, Calif./Marymount
Bonilla averaged 6.5 digs per set and was 42 of 42 on service receptions to capture freshman of the week accolades for the third time this season. Finishing with 20-plus dig efforts in both Illinois matches this weekend, the freshman totaled 52 digs in eight sets of play. In a pair of four-set wins, Bonilla finished with 24 digs against Purdue, then followed that effort with 28 more versus Indiana. She currently ranks second in Big Ten play with 5.3 digs per set.
Last Illinois Freshman of the Week: Jennifer Bonilla (Oct. 4, 2010)
Jennifer Cross, Michigan MB, Scarborough, Ontario/Birchmount Collegiate
Cross wins the first freshman of the week honor of her career after averaging 3.4 kills on .438 hitting and 1.4 blocks per set to help Michigan to a pair of wins over the weekend. Cross totaled 27 kills and 11 blocks on the weekend, finishing each match with 10 or more kills and five or more blocks. She recorded a career-high 16 kills to go along with five blocks in the win over the Wildcats after posting 11 kills and six stuffs against the Spartans.
Last Michigan Freshman of the Week: N/A
2010 Volleyball Players of the Week Aug. 30 P: Tabitha Love, So., MINN D: Hillary Haen, Sr., ILL F: Ashley Wittman, MINN Sept. 6 P: Michelle Bartsch, Jr., ILL D: Jessica Granquist, Jr., MINN F: Jennifer Bonilla, ILL F: Deja McClendon, PSU Sept. 13 P: Ashley Benson, Sr., IND P: Ashley Wittman, Fr., MINN D: Allie Schwarzwalder, Sr., OSU F: Ashley Wittman, MINN Sept. 20 P: Alex Hunt, Jr., MICH D: Mariah Booth, So., OSU F: Deja McClendon, PSU Sept. 27 P: Colleen Ward, Jr., ILL D: Lexi Zimmerman, Sr., MICH F: Ashley Wittman, MINN Oct. 4 P: Laura DeBruler, Sr., ILL D: Jessica Granquist, Jr., MINN F: Jennifer Bonilla, ILL Oct. 11 P: Jordan Haverly, So., IND Lexi Zimmerman, Sr., MICH D: Sabel Moffett, Sr., NU F: Stephanie Holthus, NU Oct. 18 P: Kelli Barhorst, Jr., OSU D: Ashley Benson, Sr., IND F: Jennifer Bonilla, ILL F: Jennifer Cross, MICH
Oct. 18 Conference USA Volleyball Players of the Week Tulsa, Southern Miss and Rice collect C-USA weekly awards. Tracey Lam, Rice
IRVING, Texas - With a .541 hitting efficiency and three team victories that stretched Tulsa's winning-streak to 18-consecutive matches, senior Hannah Stout was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week. For the second time this season, Setter of the Week accolades went to Southern Miss' Kelsea Seymour who dished out 11.62 assists per set in USM's two home wins. Rice's libero Tracey Lam was named Defensive Player of the Week for an average of 6.44 digs per set.
Maya Schlindwein Named League Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week
Elmhurst, IL - IPFW senior outside hitter #Maya Schlindwein# has been named The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
It was the first Offensive Player of the Week honor for Schlindwein, who helped lead IPFW to a perfect weekend with victories over South Dakota State (3-0) and North Dakota State (3-0), pushing the team into a two-way tie for first place in the league standings.
She opened the weekend with a season-high 26 kills against South Dakota State, hitting .304 for the match while adding a service ace and a half-dozen digs. The 26 kills are just two off of her career-high, set as a freshman, also against South Dakota State, and also at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center.
An evening later she helped propel the team to a season sweep of North Dakota State, the first team in the Summit League to do it since the Bison and Mastodons joined the league in 2008. Schlindwein finished the match with 13 kills and a .314 hitting percentage, while adding 11 digs and a pair of blocks.
She totaled 39 kills (4.88 per set) for the week, while hitting .308 with 17 digs and three service aces. She has reached double-figure kills in 13 consecutive matches, the eighth longest streak in program history, and ranks second in the league in total kills at 3.53 per set.
Schlindwein joins #Tessa McGill# and #Megan Steenhuysen# as Mastodons who have earned the award this season. McGill was named the Defensive Player of the Week on August 30 and September 20, with Steenhuysen earning Offensive Player of the Week honors on September 13.
The Mastodons, now, 14-8 on the season and 9-2 in league play, host the Wright State University Raiders at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center on Tuesday evening, capping off the team's season-long five-match homestand at 7:00 PM.
~Dons~
Lilla Frederick Named West Coast Conference Player of the Week On-Target Hitting and Career Highs Earn Frederick League Honors
MALIBU, Calif. – Junior outside hitter Lilla Frederick of the women’s volleyball team was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week after leading the Waves in back-to-back shut-out wins versus Gonzaga and Portland. Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly) tagged down a career-best 17 kills on a .400 attack percentage against Gonzaga last week Thursday inside Firestone Fieldhouse. She followed that up with 15 put aways on 23 attempts for a career-high .565 clip versus Portland on Saturday. With the 33 total kills, she averaged a scorching 5.33 kills per set. On defense, the junior totaled 19 digs including 11 against the Pilots to tally her third double-double (kills-digs) of the season and 14th of her career. Notably versus the Bulldogs, Frederick recorded a kill on four consecutive points and finished with nine in just the second set alone. She concluded the weekend scoring five of the last six points in the third set against Portland, including three-straight kills to set up match point. This is Frederick’s first Player of the Week honor and second for the Waves this season. Victoria Adelhelm (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS) was named WCC Co-Player of the Week on Sept. 6, 2010. Frederick currently ranks second on the team this season in both kills and digs with 183 and 169, respectively. Up for the Waves this week is a 7 p.m. match at Saint Mary’s on Wed., Oct. 20. The contest will be broadcasted live on ESPNU. Pepperdine concludes the first have of league play at San Diego on Sat., Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. -Pepperdine-
Tulsa’s Stout Wins C-USA Player of the Week Award Stout hit .541 in three wins, earns first weekly award of 2010
TULSA, Okla. – Senior Hannah Stout hit .541 last week, leading The University of Tulsa volleyball team to three wins, including two on the road, and was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. This is the fourth career C-USA weekly award for the Bloomington, Ill., native, and her first award this season. In three, 3-0, wins last week, she grounded 24 kills in 37 attacks, committing just four errors, averaging 2.67 kills per set. She added three blocks and averaged 2.83 points per set. “More than anything, we’re excited about Hannah’s play last week,” Tulsa Head Coach Ed Allen said. “She is returning to the form of her first three years, hitting for a high percentage. She has been a consistent attacker for us throughout her career. We’re excited to see her finish her career on a strong note.”
Wednesday against cross-town rival Oral Roberts, Stout stepped up with perhaps her best offensive performance of the season, coming up with big kills when the Golden Hurricane needed crucial points. She tallied 12 kills, and did so very efficiently, hitting .688 for the match with just one error. She also added a pair of blocks. Friday at Marshall, she hit .500 with seven kills against just one error, adding a block and a dig. Sunday at East Carolina, Stout hit .333 with five kills.
The Golden Hurricane (19-2, 9-0 C-USA) returns to action Friday as it continues a four-match road swing in Houston. TU plays at Houston at 7 p.m. Friday, and at Rice Sunday at 1 p.m. The Hurricane returns home Oct. 29-31, as it plays host to UTEP, Friday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., and UCF Sunday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m.
Ridley, Hawkins Named Southland Volleyball Players of the Week Pair receives first conference honors of the season
FRISCO, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi senior Emma Ridley and Sam Houston State sophomore Kaylee Hawkins were named the Southland Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, the league announced Monday.
Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week – Emma Ridley - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Ridley helped the Islanders to a 2-0 mark on the week, evening the Islanders to 4-4 in Southland play and equaling their conference wins total from the past two seasons combined. Against, Nicholls, the Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunnyslope), native, recorded 25 kills and 20 digs for her second 20-20 match of the season. She added four block assists against the Colonels. Against Southeastern Louisiana, Ridley added a match-high 17 kills and three service aces as the Islanders swept the Lions. She hit .387 in the match and totaled a .279 hitting percentage for the weekend. Honorable Mention: Jessica Hays, Central Arkansas; Carli Kolbe, Sam Houston State; Amanda Aguilera, UT Arlington; Whitney Walls, UTSA; AJ Watlington, Texas State.
Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week – Kaylee Hawkins, Sam Houston State
Hawkins produced a season-best 33 digs in Sam Houston State’s five set victory at UT Arlington on Saturday. In a four set loss to Texas State, the Dickinson, Texas (Dickinson), native, notched 18 digs, bringing her week average to 5.67 dig per set. Honorable Mention: Cristin Curl, Central Arkansas; Alicia Shaffer, UT Arlington; Kelsey Jewasko, UTSA; Micah Nolan, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Danielle Sanchou, Texas State.
Each school’s sports information director nominates and votes for the players of the week, though is not permitted to vote for his own player. To receive honorable mention, a player must receive votes from 25 percent of the Southland sports information directors.
COLORADO STATE’S DANIELLE MINCH NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State outside hitter Danielle Minch has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week, marking the first weekly honor of the season and second of her career. Minch, a 6-3 senior from Sterling, Colo., led the Rams to MWC wins last week over TCU and New Mexico at Moby Arena. Minch, returning from an ankle injury, recorded a season-high 20 kills and had five blocks against the Horned Frogs on Thursday night in the 3-2 victory. The last kill of the match was the 1,000th of her career as a Ram. Minch followed up with a team-high 10-kill, .375 hitting performance against New Mexico on Saturday. For the week, Minch averaged 3.75 kills, 0.75 blocks and 4.25 points per set, while hitting .288 (30-13-59) over eight sets. She also had two digs. MWC Volleyball Players of the Week:Aug. 30 Paije Pearson, Jr., OH, San Diego State Sept. 7 Karolina Bartkowiak, Sr., OPP, Utah Sept. 13 Irene Hester, Sr., OH, TCU Sept. 20 Lisa Meeter, Sr., OH, New Mexico Sept. 27 Megan Plourde, So., MB, Colorado State Andrea Hannasch, So., MB, San Diego State Oct. 4 Jodi Purdy, So., OH, Wyoming Oct. 11 Stephanie Snow, MB, BYU Oct. 18 Danielle Minch, OH, Colorado State
LSU Volleyball Team’s Desiree Elliott Wins Third SEC Freshman of the Week Award
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – LSU middle blocker Desiree Elliott continued her hot streak and picked up her third SEC Freshman of the Week award of the season Monday as announced by the league office. It marked the third time in five weeks that Elliott has won the award. Marina Skender notched the same honor three times over a four-week span en route to SEC Freshman of the Year and All-SEC Second-Team accolades during the 2005 season. “Desiree continues to be an impact player in all facets of the game,” head coach Fran Flory said. “It’s a pretty special accomplishment when you can earn this type of award three times over a five week period. We’re going to need her to continue her strong play if we want to be successful during the second half of the SEC schedule.” Elliott vaulted up the SEC rankings after back-to-back career performances, which saw her rip 3.43 kills per set in addition to 1.71 blocks per set. She used only 15 swings to equal a career-best 11 kills against Arkansas on ESPNU. Her .600 hitting percentage and eight blocks versus the Razorbacks also were career-highs. Elliott posted her third straight double digit kills effort with a career-best 13 spikes at Ole Miss. The Cypress, Texas, native has powered home the SEC’s second-highest hitting clip, a .423 ratio, coupled with a league-high 1.29 blocks per set during conference action. LSU embarks on the second half of the SEC schedule Friday at Georgia. First serve is on-tap for 6 p.m. CT with live stats available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow live in-match updates on the team's official blog at
Monica Potter Earns Horizon League Defensive Volleyball Player Of The Week Honors Libero wins award for second time
MILWAUKEE - Morgan Potter of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has been named the Horizon League Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced today.
Potter averaged 6.25 digs per set in helping the Panthers (12-8, 8-1 Horizon) to a pair of victories.
Friday night against Green Bay, Potter collected a collegiate-best 39 digs in five-set victory. The tally marked the third-highest total in UWM's Division I history. She then added 11 more digs in a three-set sweep of SIU Edwardsville.
For the weekend, Potter helped the defense hold its two opponents to a combined .049 hitting clip. The two opponents made 68 hitting errors as UWM averaged 15.88 digs and 3.38 blocks per set.
Potter leads the team with 351 digs on the season and is averaging 4.65 digs per set in league play.
This is the second time this season Potter has been honored by the league, while setter Jena Berg has also won the league's offensive award once.
UWM returns to action with a pair of league matches this weekend. The Panthers face Youngstown State Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on Cleveland State Saturday at 4 p.m.
[Pac-10] Klineman Voted Pac-10 Women's Volleyball Player of the Week
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - STANFORD’s Alix Klineman was named Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 11-17, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today. The senior outside hitter led the No. 2 Cardinal to wins over then-No. 7 WASHINGTON and WASHINGTON STATE this weekend.
The Manhattan Beach, Calif., native averaged 6.71 kills, 2.57 digs and 7.29 points per set and a .511 hitting percentage in the two matches. Against the Huskies on Friday, Klineman posted 32 kills on 60 attempts with just two errors for a .500 attack percentage. Washington entered the weekend leading the conference in opponent hitting percentage, holding other teams to a .112 hitting percentage. With her 13 digs in the match, Klineman registered her seventh double-double of the season and became just the eighth player in Stanford history to record 1,000 career kills and digs. Versus the Cougars on Saturday, Klineman led all players with 15 kills and tallied five digs and a solo block. In conference matches, she leads the league in kills (6.69), points (7.09) and hitting percentage (.419).
It is Klineman’s sixth career Pac-10 Player of the Week honor, third of the 2010 season and the 72nd weekly recognition for Stanford all-time.
The Cardinal host rival CALIFORNIA in the Big Spike at Maples Pavilion on Friday, Oct. 22. The winner will claim sole possession of first place in the Pac-10.
Also Nominated: Sarah Reaves, ASU; Carli Lloyd, CAL; Lauren Plum, ORE; Lainey Gera, UCLA; Natalie Hagglund, USC.
2010 Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week Aug. 30 - Alix Klineman, Stanford Sept. 6 - Alex Jupiter, USC Sept. 13 - Alix Klineman, Stanford Sept. 20 - Jenna Hagglund, Washington Sept. 27 - Alaina Bergsma, Oregon Oct. 4 - Tarah Murrey, California Oct. 11 - Tiffany Owens, Arizona Oct. 18 - Alix Klineman, Stanford
Elmore, Willey Earn Volleyball Player of the Week Honors NEW ORLEANS - Western Kentucky’s Tiffany Elmore and North Texas’ Sarah Willey have been named the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Monday. The award marks the second consecutive honor for Willey and her third of the season. This is Elmore’s second Player of the Week title this season, having earned her first on Sept. 20. Junior Tiffany Elmore led the Lady Toppers to improve to 8-1 in Sun Belt play with a pair of wins over Florida Atlantic and FIU. Elmore totaled 31 kills in eight sets over the weekend for an average of 3.88 per set. She committed only three errors in 58 total attempts for a .483 hitting percentage over the two games. Elmore is tied for first place in the league in hitting percentage and has led WKU in that category for most of the season. Against Florida Atlantic, Elmore posted a team-high 13 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. She continued her strong play against FIU, leading the team with 18 kills and a .421 hitting percentage. The North Vernon, Ind., native has collected double-digit kills in 11 matches this season. Junior Sarah Willey, the reigning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week, had another stellar week with 65 total digs and an average of 5.0 digs per set, helping the Mean Green strengthen their hold on the league’s West Division. The Wichita, Kan., native posted matches of 26, 25 and 14 digs, and even added 20 assists on the week. Willey had only two reception errors on the week. AROUND THE LEAGUE: FIU handed Middle Tennessee its first conference loss of the season on Friday, snapping MTSU’s 14-match win streak. The Panthers’ victory over MTSU gave Head Coach Danijela Tomic 128 career wins making her the second-winningest coach in FIU volleyball history. Tomic, in her sixth year at the helm of the Panther volleyball squad, currently owns a career record of 128-49. North Texas moved its record to 15-9 and 7-2 in the Sun Belt after the weekend. In the last 22 years, the Mean Green has topped 15 wins only four times. South Alabama’s Juliana Almeida moved into fifth-place on the career kills chart with 1,047 for her career. Samia Salomao also continued to climb a career chart as the junior moved into sixth place in career digs, passing Beverly Ferren with 886 for her career. Middle Tennessee is ranked No. 34 and Western Kentucky is ranked No. 43 nationally in the NCAA RPI rankings as of October 10, 2010. In the pseudo-RKPI poll, MT is ranked No. 37 and WKU follows at No. 43.
Ashley Lee selected as Big West Player of the Week
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Setter Ashley Lee has been named the Big West Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office today. Lee led the 49ers to two wins last week while recording a rare quadruple-double. Lee became the first player in the nation in 2010, as well as the first player in Long Beach State history to record a quadruple-double in a five set win over UC Riverside. She dished out 50 assists and made 13 digs to go with a season-high 10 kills and a career-high 10 block assists. The 10 blocks were six more than her previous high, and her 10 kills was her first double-digit tally in that category since moving to the setter position as a junior. It was also her first triple-double since her freshman year, when she made 12 kills, 18 digs and 10 assists while playing on the right side. In her first match of the week, Lee handed out 39 assists and made 13 digs to record a double-double in a three-set win over UC Irvine. She averaged 13 assists per set while leading the team to a .305 hitting percentage. On the week, Lee averaged 11.12 assists, 3.25 digs, 1.50 kills and 1.25 blocks per set. Lee is a two-time winner of the weekly award, taking the honor in 2009 following the Mizuno Thanksgiving classic. In four matches, Lee had four double-doubles and made 182 assists over four matches. She also joins outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux and middle blocker Haleigh Hampton as Long Beach State players to earn the award this season.
CLEGG BLOCKS HER WAY INTO HISTORY, CAA DEFENSIVE HONOR
RICHMOND, Va. – Three days after she rewrote the record books, Virginia Commonwealth University senior Kelsie Clegg (Boise, Idaho) has been named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Defensive Player of the Week.
On Friday, Oct. 15 during a 3-1 win at James Madison, Clegg recorded the 385th block of her career to become VCU’s all-time leader. Clegg, who set the Rams’ single-season mark in 2009, passed former teammate Ivana Rich, who established the record last season.
Clegg was outstanding in two Rams’ victories over the weekend. At JMU, she hit .444 with 10 kills and registered six blocks. A day later, she spiked 10 more kills and added six blocks in a thrilling, five-set victory at first place George Mason. Clegg averaged 2.22 kills and 1.33 blocks per set, while hitting .326 for the weekend.
The 6-5 middle blocker has been tearing up CAA play. In seven conference matches, Clegg is hitting a league-best .406, while averaging 1.52 blocks and 1.96 kills per set. A second-team All-CAA selection in 2009, Clegg is hitting .313 and averaging 1.60 kills and 1.19 blocks per set overall.
Clegg and VCU will return to the courts on Friday, Oct. 22 when they host Georgia State at the Verizon Wireless Arena at 7 p.m.
Western Michigan Volleyball Player Lena Oliver Wins MAC Award
CLEVELAND -- The Mid-American Conference announced today that Western Michigan freshman libero Lena Oliver (Battle Creek, Mich./St. Philip Catholic Central) is the MAC West Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week. This is the second time this season that Oliver has won the award (9/8).
Oliver recorded her eighth and ninth 20-dig matches of the season as she averaged 7.00 digs per set and had a .969 serve reception percentage (31-of-32). Oliver’s defensive effort helped Western Michigan limit Buffalo and MAC East leader Akron to a combined .122 attack percentage and set up the WMU offense to hit .310. Oliver started the weekend with 20 digs, one kill, one assist and one ace against Buffalo and then added 22 digs, two assists and one kill against the Zips. Oliver increased her season averages to 5.44 digs per set in all matches and 5.93 digs per set in conference matches.
The Broncos (15-6, 6-2 MAC) host Notre Dame (12-7, 5-2 Big East) tomorrow night (Oct. 19) at University Arena for Volleyball Cares. Fans are encouraged to join the Broncos in wearing pink for the contest.
2010 OVC Players of the Week - October 18 Offensive: Leah Meffert, OH, Sr., 6'0 Louisville, Ky. - Tennessee Tech Meffert posted a match-high 17 kills (4.25 kps) in Tennessee Tech's win over Jacksonville State, while hitting .364. She tallied a total of 10 kills through the first three sets before recording seven in the fourth set alone. Meffert also registered eight digs and two aces in the match. Defensive: Kelsey Gray, MB, So., 6'2 Newark, Ohio - Tennessee Tech Gray posted 10 total blocks as Tennessee Tech held Jacksonville State to a .065 hitting percentage during the four-set win. In the second set, Gray recorded eight total blocks, including four solo blocks, while helping hold JSU to a -.306 attack percentage. Gray also recorded 11 kills, three digs and a .385 hitting percentage. Setter: Jade Guo, S, Jr., 5'11 DaTong, Shanxi, China - Murray State Guo averaged 11.86 assists per set in Murray State's two victories, which was well above her season average of 9.70. She also added 17 digs. The Racers hit .270 on the weekend while holding their opponents to a .132 mark.
Rams’ Minch earns Mountain West honor
Senior named MWC Player of the Week
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Colorado State outside hitter Danielle Minch was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, marking the first weekly honor of the season and second of her career. Minch, a 6-3 senior from Sterling, Colo., led the Rams to MWC wins last week over TCU and New Mexico at Moby Arena. Minch, returning from an ankle injury, recorded a season-high 20 kills and had five blocks against the Horned Frogs on Thursday night in the 3-2 victory. The last kill of the match was the 1,000th of her career as a Ram. Minch followed up with a team-high 10-kill, .375 hitting performance against New Mexico on Saturday. For the week, Minch averaged 3.75 kills, 0.75 blocks and 4.25 points per set, while hitting .288 (30-13-59) over eight sets. She also had two digs. Minch’s honor is the second of the season for a CSU player after sophomore middle blocker Megan Plourde earned Co-Player of the Week honors on Sept. 27. • Go Rams! •
No. 2 Cardinal Escape No. 7 Washington Huskies Volleyball Team In Four Washington sees seven set points slip away in the fourth set in just its second defeat.
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Despite a flat-out heroic effort from senior Becky Perry, the seventh-ranked Husky volleyball squad dropped in four sets tonight at No. 2 Stanford. Washington had an incredible seven set points in the fourth set as they tried to force a deciding fifth, but every time Stanford countered and eventually pulled out the set, 32-30. The Cardinal improve to 15-1 on the year and 6-1 in Pac-10 play with the 24-26, 25-17, 25-16, 32-30 win while UW slips to 15-2, 4-2 in league. Perry finished with 24 kills, nine in the fourth set alone to power the Huskies. Washington was outhit for the first time this season, with the Cardinal hitting .383 for the night and UW coming in at .268. Perry’s kill total was a season-high and most by a Husky this year. She hit .388 as well. Senior Jenna Hagglund had 54 assists and Jenna Orlandini posted a career-best 24 digs. Hagglund started the match off with an ace for the Dawgs. Perry got UW’s kill of the night from the right side, but a 3-0 Stanford run got the Cardinal an early 6-3 lead. Carlson broke the run with her first kill off a nice dig from Perry. A 3-0 Husky run evened things back up at 11-11 with two Carlson kills and a Cardinal miscue. Rowland’s first kill of the night tied it again at 12-all, but Stanford went on a 3-0 run to take a 15-12 lead into the mandatory TV timeout. Out of the break, Washington roared back to tie it up on a kill down the line from Perry and their first block of the night provided by Rowland and Perry. The Huskies would take their first lead since the 2-1 mark at 20-19 as Muñoz found space in the back corner for her first kill. The teams traded sideouts, with UW taking a 22-21 lead on a back row kill by Perry. It was Stanford that made the first late charge, however, as UW needed timeout down 24-22 after misplaying a Cardinal serve for an ace. Rowland saved the first set point with a booming kill off the block and out, and then the Huskies sat the crowd back down with a kill down the line. Stanford needed timeout, but couldn’t quell the momentum, as Kelly Holford continued her strong serving. A Stanford attack error gave UW set point, and Perry rocketed her sixth kill of the set down untouched for the win. Carlson also added five kills in the set, as UW wound up outhitting Stanford .323-.250. Stanford used several momentum-building digs early in the second set to get the crowd back into things and post a 3-0 lead. UW took timeout, and Dunaway ended the run with her third kill out of the break, but Stanford moved out to a 5-1 lead, and then extended out to a 12-6 lead. One point symbolized the early run, as a huge Kindra Carlson shot went off Stanford’s Cassidy Lichtman’s face but Hayley Spelman deflected the rebound and it dropped in for a surprising kill. UW battled right back with another big swing from Carlson, this one finding the floor. Rowland banged one down out of the middle, and followed that up with a block assisted by Hagglund. A Stanford attack error cut it to 14-11, but Stanford came back with a 3-0 run to force another UW timeout. The Huskies cut an eight-point deficit down to five at 21-16 after a 4-1 run, forcing a Stanford timeout, but the Cardinal pulled it out 25-17. UW made just three errors in the set but was held to .194 on offense as Stanford hit .432. UW used a 4-1 run to counter an early 2-0 deficit and take a 4-3 lead in set three. Perry slammed down a Cardinal overpass off an Orlandini serve to grab the lead. The teams then traded every other point until a quick Cardinal run netted a 10-8 lead. Carlson responded with her eighth kill of the night, but a 3-0 Stanford run prompted UW to take its first timeout down 13-9. Out of the break, Rowland collected the point out of the middle, but Stanford bounced back with another 3-0 run to force a Husky timeout. Lauren Barfield checked in for the first time and posted her first kill and Perry added two more but UW was unable to string several points together and the Cardinal continued siding out at a high mark. A 3-0 run ended the set 25-16 in Stanford’s favor, as the Cardinal hit .444 with just one error in the set compared to .229 for the Dawgs. The fourth set was one for the recordbooks, but the Huskies may not want to relive it any time soon. Both teams traded huge blows throughout, and Washington earned itself seven set points in a monumental battle. Amazingly, Stanford came up with the goods again and again, especially Klineman, who saved five set points all on her own. Perry was equally fiery in the fourth, dialing up an incredibly nine more kills to get UW chance after chance. But after Stanford evened the match up at 30-all, the Cardinal got two straight blocks to close out the epic 32-30 set. Washington hit .309 in the set but Stanford stayed over .400 once again, hitting .408. The Huskies will have to shake off the tough loss as they have another battle on their hands Saturday, facing 6th-ranked Cal in Berkeley at 7 p.m.
BYU Cougars Volleyball Team Lets It Snow Versus UNLV
PROVO, Utah (Oct. 16, 2010) – Wearing pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, the BYU women’s volleyball team (8-12, 3-3 MWC) defeated the UNLV Rebels (6-14, 2-5 MWC) in Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday. The clean sweep of the Rebels gave the Cougars their fifth-straight sweep.
“I think the difference between now and five matches ago is confidence,” BYU head coach Shay Goulding said following the match. “The skill is there and now the confidence is there - the two go hand-in-hand. The maturity has definitely come especially in our backcourt.”
Stephanie Snow led the Cougars with 11 kills followed by Jennifer Hamson and Christina Measom who both posted nine kills in the victory. Senior setter Kiana Rogers posted her seventh double-double of the season by the end of the second set and finished with 32 assists and 13 digs.
BYU came out strong in the first set as balanced hitting gave the Cougars an early 9-5 lead. A Christie Carpenter block excited the BYU faithful as the Cougars took a 12-7 lead forcing the Rebels to take a timeout. However, BYU continued their strong play and scored two consecutive points off Hamson solo blocks. UNLV would call another timeout with the score 14-7. Coming out of the huddle Carpenter tallied another block followed by a Nicole Warner ace giving the Cougars a nine-point advantage. BYU would go on to win the set 25-14 off .367 hitting and after out-blocking the Rebels 12-2. Hamson recorded five blocks in the first set alone.
On the first play of the second set, Hamson tied her career-high of six blocks. Carpenter posted two kills early in the set to give the Cougars a 7-3 lead but a four-point run by UNLV tied the score at seven-all. The score would be knotted four more times before BYU pulled away due in large part to strong hitting by Snow and Carpenter. A service ace (her second of the night) gave Cougar libero Kendalyn Hartsock a career-high and BYU an 18-14 lead. A Carpenter kill gave the Cougars the set victory with a score of 25-17.
The Cougars found themselves down 3-1 to open the set but a Snow block followed by a Hamson ace tied the score at three-all. Still, the Cougars struggled take the lead in the set falling behind 11-8 at one point in the set but two straight kills by Hamson brought BYU within one of the Rebels. UNLV would pull away once more to take a 14-11 lead but again the Cougars responded tying the game at 14-all and again at 15, 16, 17 and 18-all. A Measom service ace gave BYU their first lead of the set. Three Snow kills late in the set extended the Cougars lead and a Measom kill sealed the deal for the Cougars as they won the set 25-23.
“I think earlier this season we wouldn’t have recovered in the third set like we did,” Goulding said. “So I wasn’t happy with it but I was pleased we were able to pull ourselves out of it.”
The Cougars will travel to New Mexico to take on the Lobos on Thursday at 7 p.m. as they look to keep their streak alive.
VCU Rams Volleyball Team Shakes Up CAA Race, Shock First-Place George Mason, 3-2
FAIRFAX, Va. –Virginia Commonwealth University was a confident squad heading into Saturday’s match against reigning Colonial Athletic Association champion George Mason. Fresh off a win over James Madison on Friday, the Rams rode that momentum to a thrilling, 3-2 win over the first place Patriots at RAC Gymnasium.
With the victory, the Rams (7-16) thrust themselves into the middle of the CAA race. VCU is 5-2 in league play and in the midst of a furious five-team logjam. The loss was Mason’s first in conference action. The Patriots are 11-8 overall and 6-1 in the CAA.
For a while, the match resembled the last meeting between these two squads, a 3-2 come-from-behind victory by the Patriots in the CAA Championship Match last season. However, this time the Rams came away victorious.
Senior Kelsie Clegg (Boise, Idaho) blasted three kills in four swings and tallied a block to lead the Black and Gold to a 15-4 rout in the fifth set tiebreaker. The Rams, who watched a 2-0 match lead disappear, hit .333 in the decisive set and recorded just one hitting error. Sophomore Marisa Low (Carlsbad, Calif.), who provided a match-high 29 digs, dug six balls in the tiebreaker.
Sophomore Jhessica Martins (Uberlanoia, Brazil) smashed home the set’s first point off a high dig from the Patriots. The Rams attacked with at a fast and furious pace to take the final set convincingly.
According to VCU Head Coach James Finley, senior Mariel Frey (Lititz, Pa.) was the catalyst for the fifth set outburst, helping to rally her Ram teammates.
“She was a trooper,” Finley said. “We talked about last night and how she finished that match. She came back and brought it. We got to game five she showed passion. She was screaming and hooping and that emotion from her is critical as a senior. She brought big blocks and she just went after it swinging so hard.”
VCU received major contributions from all over the roster. Four Rams registered double-digit kills, and four Rams also racked up double digit digs. Frey supplied 17 kills and 14 digs, while Martins added 16 kills and 13 digs.
The scoring depth of the match left VCU Coach James Finley nearly speechless at the end of the night. The head coach, known for his conversational skills, simply described the scoring attack as “amazing and great”.
After VCU stormed to a 2-0 advantage, George Mason struck back. The third set saw the Patriots surge to a 21-14 lead behind the duo of Danielle Cook and Noelle Fanella. The Rams rallied to within 23-22, but a timely service ace by the Patriots gave them the set 25-22. The Rams had an opportunity to close out the match in the fourth, but Fernanda Bartels would place a soft attack just over the VCU wall to give Mason the bitterly fought fourth set, 28-26.
Prior to Saturday, George Mason had only lost one set in six conference matches.
The Rams will return to the Verizon Wireless Arena for their first conference home match on Friday, Oct. 22 against Georgia State at 7 p.m.
ASU Volleyball Makes Some HIstory With 3-1 Win Over No. 10 UCLA
TEMPE, Ariz. – In a feat that the ASU Volleyball program has not laid claim to since 1995, the Sun Devils came out to shock and awe a hometown crowd over 1,000 proud Saturday night as they stepped up again to topple the 10th-ranked UCLA Bruins in four sets, winning 28-26, 25-19, 24-26 and 25-20. The program has waited 15 years between sweeps of the storied southern California teams, both of whom are ranked in the top-10 currently. The Sun Devils are now 8-11 on the season and 3-5 in conference play while UCLA falls to 13-5 overall and 3-4 in the Pac-10.
Set one set the pace for the match as it proved to be a scrappy one with 12 tie scores and two lead changes as well as taking into extra points to find a victor. The set was a huge one for Sarah Reaves who plastered 11 kills to push ASU’s .238 attack percentage, while the defense pulled in 35 digs in the set with Sarah Johnson’s leading 13 to stifle UCLA and snake a 28-26 win.
Round two saw both defenses step up to make the difference in the set as UCLA collected three blocks and 12 digs, but couldn’t better the Sun Devils as they posted five blocks and 13 digs to better the Bruins. Sarah Reaves still put four on the floor and Sonja Markanovich hit .667 as well to give ASU just enough breathing room to take off with a 25-19 win and head into the break up 2-0.
With their backs against the wall in set three, the Bruins came out of intermission with a new vigor as Rachael Kidder blasted eight kills while hitting .353. While the Sun Devils out-blocked the Bruins in the set, errors bit them in the end with nine unforced errors and a dismal .091 attack percentage. Even so, ASU hung in it until the end, pushing UCLA to extras points to take a win in the match, 26-24.
Four was all ASU needed Saturday though as they came out to put no question to who was taking this W home as they hit a nasty .344 attack percentage that UCLA just couldn’t stop while slamming four blocks back at the Bruins who stumbled to finish with ASU raking in a 25-20 win to slam the door shut and add some notes to the ASU history books.
The Sun Devils next take to the road again as they set to face Washington and Washington State next Friday and Saturday in Seattle and Pullman, Wash.
University of Arizona Cats Volleyball Team Falls to Trojans in Another Five-Set Heartbreaker No. 25 Arizona drops to 14-6 overall and 3-4 in conference after the five set defeat to No. 5 USC TUCSON, Ariz. – One night after going the distance and falling to No. 10 UCLA, the 25th ranked Wildcats could not close the door on yet another Top 10 team, losing to No. 5 USC in five sets at McKale Center. Set scores: 19-25, 25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 18-16. With the loss, Arizona drops to 14-6 overall and 3-4 in the Pac-10 while the Women of Troy improve to 15-3 and 4-3. “It was an agonizing loss, as the ones we have experienced in this fashion are,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “The statement, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger is certainly appropriate here. It was an extremely close game, and it was decided by one or two contacts. I’m very proud of how we competed, especially to come back in the fifth set. I feel bad for the kids.” After trailing 2-1, UA forced a fifth set by winning the fourth, 25-21. In the fifth, Arizona was down early, but came back yet again to knot the score at 14. The Wildcats then took the lead at 16-15 and were serving for the match but USC wasn’t about to give up. The Trojans went on to notch kills from Lauren Williams and Alex Jupiter and force an attack error to win 18-16 and the match overall. Tiffany Owens led Arizona with 20 kills and 19 digs. Courtney Karst and Cursty Jackson also led the offensive attack with 19 and 17 kills, respectively. Setter Paige Weber had 57 assists while libero Candace Nicholson had 16 digs. Next weekend, UA is back on the road with matches at No. 7 Washington and Washington State.
Colorado State Volleyball Team Sweeps New Mexico Rams keep winning streak alive on alumnae night By Kaitlyn Comiskey Athletic Media Relations FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The CSU football team wasn’t the only team to get a homecoming weekend win. The CSU volleyball team improved to 17-2 overall, 7-0 in the Mountain West, and pushed its winning streak to eight matches, sweeping New Mexico - 25-16, 25-21, 25-19. With the loss, the Lobos fall back to 11-8 overall and 3-2 in the Mountain West. CSU came out strong to start, swinging hard and ending the first set hitting an impressive .400 as a team. Danielle Minch notched a deep cross-court kill early in the set to give the Rams a lead, and teammates Katelyn Steffan and Brieon Paige followed with a solid block-kill on the outside, giving the Rams a two-point lead. Steffan ended the first set hitting .667, contributing two block assists as well. Davisson also helped the Rams to their first set victory, notching three kills and three digs. “I knew we were playing pretty well, but you don’t get the real scope of it until you get to look at these numbers,” commented Head Coach Tom Hilbert. “You will win every match you play if your outside hitters hit that well.” Setter Evan Sanders won a one-handed joust in the beginning of the second set, putting CSU ahead, 7-5. Paige came out swinging hard in the second set, but had her two hard-hit quicks out of the middle dug in a rally. Yet Paige had the final say, going up for a solo-block to end the rally for the Rams. Paige finished the night with two block-assists as well as two solo-blocks. The Lobos served themselves into trouble in Set 3, racking up three service errors, with eight total on the night. Outside hitter Jacque Davisson cranked a big kill to middle back, pushing the Rams to a 20-16 lead. Sophomore Dana Cranston served up an ace the next point, giving CSU a comfortable lead, and allowing them to go on and take Set 3. Minch tied Davisson for the team lead in kills for the night with 10, hitting an impressive .375. Davisson also recorded a team-high seven digs. Steffan contributed to the Rams .372 hitting percentage on the night as well, finishing with five kills and hitting .714. The night was a special one for the Rams not only because of homecoming, but it was also alumnae night. And a crowd of 3,200 packed Moby Arena to welcome back 35 former CSU volleyball players who were recognized on the court during the intermission between Sets 2 and 3. “It was an exciting weekend with everyone here,” said Minch. “It’s good to see all the people that have played here and have been through all this before that we’re going through right now, and just having the crowd there was awesome.” Colorado State continues a four-match homestand, facing in-state foe Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 20, before hosting the “Border War” against rival Wyoming next Friday. Wednesday’s match vs. DU marks CSU’s final non-conference match of the regular season. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. The Rams will be wearing special pink uniforms and the match has been designated CSU’s annual “Dig Pink” event to help raise awareness for breast cancer. • Go Rams! •
JMU Volleyball Team Wins Come-From-Behind Thriller, 3-2, Over William & Mary HARRISONBURG, Va., Oct. 16, 2010 – Three James Madison volleyball players had over 20 kills, including career-highs from senior Lindsay Callahan (Virginia Beach, Va./Landstown), junior Holly Wall (Kaukauna, Wisc./Kaukauna) and redshirt sophomore Natalie Abel (Washington, Pa./Trinity), as the Dukes came from two sets down to win a thriller, 3-2, over William and Mary at Sinclair Gymnasium/Godwin Hall on Saturday night. JMU won by set scores of 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 32-30 and 15-12 to pick up its eighth win in its last nine matches and improve to 16-5 and 5-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes improved to 10-1 at home and 5-0 in five-set matches. The Tribe dropped to 8-11 and 2-5 in conference play. “I’m so proud of [my team],” head coach Lauren Steinbrecher said. “They were so tough. It takes a certain type of kid who’s tough, confident and passionate to win a match like this and we have a team full of them.” The Dukes trailed the match two sets to none and 8-0 in set three before battling back to win. The eight-point deficit was the largest overcome by Madison in a set this season. In addition to her career-high in kills, Abel also added 17 digs for her fourth double-double of the season and her second in as many nights. Callahan added her eighth double-double, finishing with 24 kills and 11 digs. The Virginia Beach, Va. native also recorded her 900th career dig to become just the sixth player in school history to record 1,000 kills and 900 digs. JMU also got a double-double from senior setter Lauren Fanelli (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area), who finished with a season-high 46 assists and 14 digs. Freshman Katie Daorai (Tampa, Fla./Plant) chipped in a career-high 27 digs while junior Kelly Turner (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central) had six blocks and seven kills. Four different W&M players had double-digit kills, including 17 each from Erin Skipper and Ginny Bray. Skipper added 15 digs for one of three Tribe double-doubles. Julia Swalchick also had a double-double, finishing with 12 kills and 10 digs while setter Cassie Crumal had 57 assists, 13 digs and four kills. Bray and Anne Dorff led the team with six blocks apiece. Libero Celine Alasomuka had a team-best 26 digs. The Dukes out-hit the Tribe .283 to .245 while W&M held a 12-9 advantage in blocks. JMU had four service aces to William and Mary’s seven. Facing an 8-0 deficit in set three, the Dukes start work on their comeback, winning five of the next seven points to cut the lead to five. JMU kept chipping away at the lead until eventually tying the score at 19. Madison closed the set on a 6-2 run to cut the Tribe lead in the match to 2-1. The fourth set featured theatrics of its own, with JMU fighting off three match points and W&M winning three set points before the Dukes ultimately took the set 32-30. Madison trailed 23-20 before going on a 3-0 run to even things up. The Tribe won the next point to reach its first match point, but Abel responded with a kill to tie the score. The teams went back-and-forth until the Dukes put the match away with a 3-0 run, including a pair of kills by Abel. JMU took a 2-1 lead in set five and never gave it up, stretching the lead to as much as four at 11-7. The Tribe responded, cutting the lead to 13-12, but back-to-back errors gave the Dukes the match. JMU returns to the court on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at Norfolk State at Joseph G. Echols Hall. # # #
#16 Colorado State Takes Care of University of New Mexico Lobos Volleyball Team 25-16, 25-21, 25-19 Hadfield has 12 kills as Lobos lose to a ranked team for the fourth time Ft. Collins, Colo. --- The University of New Mexico volleyball squad played a ranked team for the fourth time this season. For the fourth time, they came up short. Colorado State hit .349 as a team and had a team sideout percentage of .750 as the Rams cruised to a 25-16, 25-21, 25-19 victory.
The loss dropped UNM to 11-8 on the season and 3-3 in the Mountain West while Colorado State stayed perfect in the league and improved to 17-2 overall. The Rams, ranked 16th in the latest AVCA poll, are the fourth ranked team that UNM has faced, joining Stanford, Hawai’I, and USC, who are all in the current top 10.
The Lobos struggled to score on their serve, a stat that doomed them much of the night. In the opening set, Allison Buck’s service ace made it 6-6 and gave the Lobos their second point off of their serve. They wouldn’t get another. The Rams forced a sideout on UNM’s final 10 serves of the set for a 25-16 win in the opener.
Things went more New Mexico’s way in the second set, but after a 10th tie in the set at 19-19, set up by a Taylor Hadfield kill, CSU outscored the Lobos 6-2 the rest of the way. In the third set, Colorado State cruised in a way to the finish line, as the game was tied just once, at 1-1.
Taylor Hadfield led the Lobos with 12 kills, and Mariah Agre led the team with 11 digs. Jacque Davisson and Danielle Minch each had 10 kills for Colorado State, and Davisson added seven digs.
The Lobos now return home after a grueling three-game conference road swing to take on Utah abd BYU next weekend, with the match against Utah on Thursday night at 7 p.m. and the match against BYU on Saturday at 2 p.m., both in Johnson Center.
Fighting Illini Volleyball Team Fights Off Hoosiers To Remain In First Michelle Bartsch posts 22 kills in four-set victory
Champaign, Ill. – “If there’s anything this team is, it’s resilient,” said Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly of his Illini following another hard-fought Big Ten match Saturday night. “With all the stuff they’ve had to endure, they don’t get flustered, whether we’re behind or even after we drop a set.”
That resiliency helped No. 8 Illinois remain in a tie for first-place in the Big Ten conference following its second straight four-set match victory, posting a 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-19 decision over Indiana. The Illini improve to 15-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten, tied for the conference lead with Michigan. Illinois now has won 18 straight at home, the most since winning 22 straight in 1991 and 1992 and the sixth-longest active streak in Division I.
Illinois had to overcome deficits in the first two sets to pull them out or the match could have been different. In set one, the Illini built an 11-7 lead, only to see Indiana come battling back to take leads of 15-14, 17-15 and 20-18 behind the arm of all-conference middle blocker, Ashley Benson had seven of her 16 kills in that first set. The Illini scored the next four points to take a 22-20 lead and held off the Hoosiers by two.
The deficit in the second set was even more daunting, trailing 12-6, but behind the service arm of Jennifer Bonilla, Illinois rattled off seven straight points following a timeout. Illinois had a pair of blocks in the rally and six total in the second set after failing to post one in set one. Right side hitter Michelle Bartsch had her second straight 20-kill match performance in as many weeks with 22, including seven kills in that second set.
Senior Nicole Kump backed up her seven blocks in Friday’s win over Purdue with five more Saturday night, tied for the team lead with Johannah Bangert. Bartsch and junior outside hitter Colleen Ward were in on four.
“I think our strong blocking can be attributed to tough serving,” Haen said. “We really went out and attacked them from the end line. That is our game plan every night.”
Indiana took its turn in getting its block going in set three, posting eight blocks and limiting Illinois to an .056 attack percentage. Indiana built a 10-5 lead, but after Illinois closed to within 13-12, the Hoosiers regained their form and didn’t allow the Illini to come back once again. Indiana led Illinois in blocks 11-10 overall for the night with Benson in on 10 of those.
Illinois returned the serve well in the fourth set and was able to keep out the Indiana block the entire set in posting nearly a wire-to-wire victory. Trailing 3-1, the Illini scored six straight points to take a 7-3 lead and never really were threatened after that.
Bartsch led a trio of Illini in double figures in kills. Ward hit .250 with 15 kills and a career-best 17 digs. while freshman Jazmine Orozco, making her second straight start in replacement of Laura DeBruler, added 12 kills. Senior setter Hillary Haen joined Ward with a double-double, posting 49 assists and 10 digs.
The teams combined for 168 digs in a match that featured a number of long rallies. Bonilla led all players with 28 digs individually.
“If we get a win, I feel good,” Hambly summed up. “I say that because they are not easy to come by in the Big Ten. The conference is that brutal night in and night out.”
Illinois completes the first half of the Big Ten next weekend with road matches at Iowa and No. 19 Minnesota.
University of Denver Pioneers Volleyball Team Completes Road Trip with 3-1 Win Over Ragin Cajuns Freshmen Brea Muhle and Colleen King led the Pioneers with 14 and 13 kills, respectively
LAFAYETTE, La. – Led by a combined 27-kill effort from the freshmen duo of Brea Muhle (Columbus, Neb.) and Colleen King (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), the University of Denver volleyball team (11-13, 5-5 SBC) defeated the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns (12-10, 3-4 SBC) 3-1 (25-19, 12-25, 25-16, 25-22) on Saturday evening in the Earl K. Long Gym. Also turning in strong numbers for the Pioneers was senior Kresson Vreeman (Raymond, Minn.) who finished with 40 assists, seven kills and 12 digs, while junior Alyssa Bonelli (Superior, Colo.) contributed with nine kills and three blocks. Denver spread out its defensive efforts as senior Kacie Wikierak (Crystal Lake, Ill.) led the Pioneers with 17 digs, followed by 12 from freshman Alex Turgeon (Cherry Hills Village, Colo.) and 11 by sophomore Lyndi Johnson (Flower Mound, Texas). After splitting the first two sets, the Pioneers came out of the break on a mission and used a combined eight-kill performance from King and Muhle to take the third set 25-16. Muhle led the Pioneers to a 25-22 win in the fourth set with a five-kill effort, while Vreeman and King both contributed three kills each. Caroline Dufrene led the Ragin Cajuns with 13 kills, while Taylor Meade added 11 kills to go along with three service aces. The Pioneers remain on the road, playing a non-conference opponent Colorado State on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in Moby Arena. - PIONEERS -
Long Beach State 49ers Volleyball: Lee Records Rare Quadruple-double in Five-set Win Over UC Riverside
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Long Beach State outlasted a game UC Riverside squad, battling past the Highlanders behind a career night from setter Ashley Lee 23-25, 25-17, 25-18, 26-28, 18-16. Lee finished with 50 assists while making season highs in kills and digs with 10 and 13 respectively, while smashing her career blocks record by making 10 block assists. Lee’s quadruple-double was the first in the nation this season, part of a milestone night for the 49ers. Libero Lauren Minkel also passed 1,000 digs in her career, reaching 1,002 to become the 11th 49er to get to the mark with 22 on the night. Minkel’s 22 digs was second to Janisa Johnson, who was one of a number of 49ers to post a double-double, making 13 kills to go with 25 digs on the night, while Caitlin Ledoux led the offense with 21 kills and 18 digs. Haleigh Hampton also made 14 kills and 12 total blocks, with three solos and nine block assists. The 49ers held big advantages in nearly every category on the night, making 74 kills to 52, hitting .226 to UCR’s .133, and digging 91 balls to the Highlanders’ 77. UC Riverside made 10 aces and Long Beach State had nine service errors that helped balance out Long Beach State’s better performance throughout in key moments. Long Beach State blew out to a 6-1 lead early in the first set, and remained in control through the early portion of the set, until the Highlanders began to push with Long Beach State leading 15-11. Two errors from Johnson allowed the Highlanders to get back into the set, and an Amanda Vialpando ace put UCR on top for the first time at 17-16. The Highlanders would hold on from there, retaking the lead and getting a block from Annishia McKoy and Jasmin White to close out the set. Rebounding from their play down the stretch in set one, the 49ers took a big lead in set two and never looked back. Up 11-8, Long Beach State scored four straight points off of a bad set and three Ledoux kills to take a 15-8 lead. That cushion held the rest of the way in a 25-17 win. Again turning on the offense, Long Beach State hit a match-high .478 in set three while again opening up a big lead on the way to a 25-18 win. UC Riverside pulled to within one point of Long Beach State at 11-10, but after picking up a sideout to take a 14-11 lead, Long Beach State picked up four straight points off of strong serving from Megan Johnson. She made her first appearance of the season for the 49ers, coming in as a serving specialist and serving in place of Hampton for the rest of the match after that first substitution. Back-to-back kills from Lee helped Long Beach State take a 17-12 lead, the largest of the set for the 49ers after opening the set 4-1. That lead would hold for the 49ers until 21-16, when UC Riverside pulled back into the set. Five straight points by the Highlanders capped by an Aigner-Swesey error tied the set, and then UC Riverside tied the set once more at 24-24. Long Beach State had a third match point at 26-25, but the Highlanders scored three straight to take set four 28-26. Five 49er blocks in the first part of set five helped Long Beach State storm out to a 9-4 lead, but again the Highlanders were able to hang on to keep things close. Two Highlander blocks and an ace from Katie Meyers tied the set at 9-9, and the teams traded sideouts until the match was on the line. The Highlanders fought off two more match points to tie the set at 14-14, and once more to even the score at 15-15. UC Riverside ended up with a 16-15 lead, reaching match point, but the 49ers got a kill from Hampton to tie the set and scored the next to snag the win. Long Beach State remains on the road next weekend for one match, taking on Cal State Fullerton on the road in Titan Gym at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
NO. 5 USC Women’s Volleyball Team Outlasts No. 25 Arizona In Five Sets
TUCSON, Ariz. – Alex Jupiter had 17 kills, including the critical final kill Saturday, as the No. 5 USC Women of Troy defeated the No. 25 Arizona Wildcats, 3-2 (19-25, 25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 18-16), in a Pac-10 Conference match. USC (15-3, 4-3) won in Tucson for the first time in three years to rebound after losing to Arizona State last evening for the first time since 1995.
Jupiter recorded her sixth double-double out of seven Pac-10 matches this season, adding 12 digs with three aces. Falyn Fonoimoana had 13 kills and 11 digs while junior setter Kendall Bateman had 58 assists and nine digs. The Trojans received strong play from the middle with junior Lauren Williams hitting .565 with 13 kills and no errors (13-0-23) while freshman Alexis Olgard hit .435 with 10 kills, no errors and three solo blocks.
Tiffany Owens led Arizona (14-6, 3-4) with 20 kills and 19 digs with Cursty Jackson hitting .481 on 17 kills (17-4-27). Courtney Karst had 19 kills while setter Paige Weber had 57 assists on the evening.
Arizona took a commanding 16-9 in the first set as USC attempted a rally with a 6-2 run to make it 18-15. Karst and Owens kept the Wildcats ahead and Jackson’s kill gave Arizona the lead in the match.
In the second set, USC broke away from an 11-11 score with a 4-1 run. After a UA service error, Fonoimoana later added an ace as USC took the lead, 19-13. Geena Urango added another ace later and Fonoimoana tied the match for the Women of Troy. USC would break away again in the third set from the 10-10 score. Katie Fuller went back-to-back to make it 20-16 as three more points put USC ahead 23-16 with the Trojans taking the 2-1 lead in the match.
The Wildcats hit .333 in the fourth set to force a fifth and deciding set. Arizona led by six points at 20-14 and kept the Women of Troy from a late rally.
Williams capped a 4-0 run to start the fifth set for the Trojans. Neither team scored two straight as the score worked itself to an 8-4 advantage in favor of USC for the court switch. Jupiter’s attack error helped the Wildcats get within one, 9-8. USC stayed ahead as Olgard gave match point at 14-12. Fonoimoana served long and Jupiter’s attempt went past the endline as Arizona tied it at 14-14. Jupiter then recorded a solo block on Karst, but Bateman’s bad set tied it at 15-15. Danielle Holloway served an ace to give match point to Arizona. After the USC timeout, Williams came back with a kill to tie it. Whitney Dosty hit one off the antenna and Jupiter put the cap on the match as she tooled one of the block for the winner.
USC returns home to host Oregon on Friday (Oct. 22) and Oregon State on Saturday (Oct. 23) with a 7 p.m. start on both nights. Friday’s game will be broadcast by FOX Sports Net with an audio broadcast on usctrojans.com. Saturday’s match will feature a live video webcast on usctrojans.com.
Notes: USC is now 3-1 this season in five-set matches…Falyn Fonoimoana now has 100 kills in conference play…Alexis Olgard is hitting .368 in Pac-10 matches…in Pac-10 play, USC has recorded 36 service aces while allowing only 14…Lauren Williams was one kill off her season-high of 14, set twice this season.
