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Female Volleyball Players Of The Week And All-Tournament Volleyball Teams Named This Weekend Nov 14 (Week 12)
Big Ten Volleyball Players of the Week
The Big Ten Conference announced its volleyball players of the week on Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:
Volleyball Player of the Week: Blair Brown, Penn State Sr., Opp., Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley
Brown claims Big Ten Player of the Week for the second time this season after leading Penn State into a tie for first-place in the Big Ten with weekend sweeps of No. 9 Illinois and Wisconsin. The senior led the Nittany Lions with 14 kills to go along with five digs and five blocks against the Badgers on Friday, then recorded a team-high 13 kills and seven digs in a three-set win over the ninth-ranked Illini to pull even in the conference race. Brown averaged 4.5 kills on .463 hitting, 2.0 digs and 1.2 blocks on the week, taking home her third career weekly honor. Last Penn State Player of the Week: Blair Brown (Nov. 1, 2010) Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week: Jessica Granquist, Minnesota Jr., LIB, Blaine, Minn./Blaine
Granquist is honored with her third Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award after finishing with back-to-back 22-dig performances in the Gophers’ weekend wins over No. 16 Michigan and Michigan State. The junior was part of the Minnesota defense which held opponents to .143 hitting on the weekend, while her 22 digs in each match, a three-setter versus Michigan and a five-set contest against Michigan State, are tied for the third-most in the conference this season. She averaged 5.5 digs on the weekend and also received 42 of 43 service attempts. Last Minnesota Defensive Player of the Week: Jessica Granquist (Oct. 4, 2010) Freshman of the Week: Deja McClendon, Penn State OH, Louisville, Ky./DuPont Manual Magnet McClendon wins Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the fourth time this season, earning the honor this week after averaging 3.7 kills on .553 hitting and 1.7 digs in Penn State’s weekend sweeps of No. 9 Illinois and Wisconsin. The freshman recorded back-to-back double-digit kill matches, finishing with 10 against the Badgers and 12 versus the Illini. She added three digs and three blocks against Wisconsin, while her seven digs against Illinois gave her 10 for the week. Last Penn State Freshman of the Week: Katie Slay (Nov. 11, 2010)
Nov. 15 Conference USA Volleyball Players of the Week A trio of players earn C-USA weekly honors. Elizabeth Fleming, Marshall
IRVING, Texas - Conference USA has named Kathryn Wilkerson of SMU, Jessica Adams of Tulsa and Marshall's Elizabeth Fleming its weekly volleyball award winners. Wilkerson was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, while leading the Mustangs to a pair of C-USA victories. She averaged a double-double as well as 4.22 kills, 3.33 digs and 0.78 blocks per set, plus produced a .263 hitting efficiency. Adams collects her third C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honor for the season and seventh of her career as No. 25 Tulsa swept UCF and UTEP last weekend. The Oklahoma City, Okla. native accounted for 5.67 digs per set. Fleming averaged 11.88 assists per set and surpassed the 5,000 assist plateau in a three-set sweep of Rice to become the third player in program history and eighth in C-USA history to do so. She currently sits at No. 8 all-time in C-USA in career assists with 5,067. This is Fleming's ninth career Setter of the Week honor but first for this season.
Mountain West Conference Announces New Mexico's Lisa Meeter Volleyball Player of the Week
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of New Mexico outside hitter Lisa Meeter has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. It is the third league weekly honor for Meeter this season and for her career. Meeter, a 5-11 senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., led the Lobos to 3-0 wins over No. 13 Colorado State and Wyoming last week. Meeter recorded double-doubles in each match, starting with a team-leading 15 kills and 15 digs in UNM’s first win over a ranked opponent since Oct. 6, 2007 on Thursday night. Against Wyoming on Saturday, she recorded 12 kills and 10 digs to go along with three blocks.
For the week, Meeter averaged 4.50 kills, 4.17 digs and 4.17 points per set, while hitting .344 (27-6-61) over six sets. She also had four assists and three blocks.
2010 MWC Volleyball Players of the WeekAug. 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, Sr., MB, BYU Oct. 18 Danielle Minch, Sr., OH, Colorado State Oct. 25 Caroline Kurtz, Sr., OH, Air Force Lisa Meeter, Sr., OH, New Mexico Nov. 1 Karolina Bartkowiak, Sr., OPP, Utah Nov. 8 Lauren Whitney, Sr., OH, Wyoming Nov. 15 Lisa Meeter, Sr., OH, New Mexico
Lisa Meeter Earns Third Mountain West Volleyball Player of the Week Award Helped Lobos to seventh straight win
Nov. 15, 2010
Colorado Springs, Colo. - Lisa Meeter just keeps winning awards. For the third time this season, the senior outside hitter has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week.
Meeter, a 5-11 senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., led the Lobos to 3-0 wins over No. 13 Colorado State and Wyoming last week. Meeter recorded double-doubles in each match, starting with a team-leading 15 kills and 15 digs in UNM's first win over a ranked opponent since Oct. 6, 2007 on Thursday night. Against Wyoming on Saturday, she recorded 12 kills and 10 digs to go along with three blocks.
The double-doubles gave her a career-high 13 this year, and 37 in her career, good for a tie for 6th on the MWC charts. She was the player of the match and interviewed on national television after the win over Colorado State, which was shown on the mtn.
For the week, Meeter averaged 4.50 kills, 4.17 digs and 4.17 points per set, while hitting .344 (27-6-61) over six sets. She also had four assists and three blocks. The Lobos head to Utah on Thursday for another match on the mtn., starting at 7:30 p.m., and then the squad travels to BYU for a 7:30 p.m. match on Saturday night.
Meeter previously won the award on Sept. 20, and she was co-player of the week on Oct. 25.
Kelly Svoboda Picks Up Second Straight Mid American Conference Weekly Accolade
BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo volleyball freshman Kelly Svoboda has been named the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week, the Mid-American Conference announced from their offices in Cleveland this morning. The honor is the third straight for UB.
Svoboda finished with 43 digs on the weekend, tying her career high with 25 at Akron on Thursday night in UB’s five-set victory. Svoboda followed that performance up with 18 digs in a three-set loss at Toledo in the regular season finale. Svoboda also had a service ace in the win against the Zips.
Svoboda currently leads the Bulls with 436 digs, which is currently 10th in school history for digs in a single season. Svoboda also has 23 aces on the year and 63 assists. She has 83 digs in the last four matches alone.
Svoboda and the Bulls begin Mid-American Conference Tournament play on Tuesday night at Akron. The 10th-seeded Bulls take on the seventh-seeded Zips at 7:00 pm.
Dayton Volleyball Player Lindsay Fletemeier Named A-10 Volleyball Player of the Week
Fletemier Guided UD To A 15-0 Atlantic 10 Record With .679 Hitting Percentage Over The Weekend
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – After guiding No. 17 Dayton to an undefeated 15-0 conference season senior middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier was named Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday for her fifth A-10 weekly honor of the season.
Fletemier recorded a.697 hitting percentage last weekend with 23 kills and no attacking errors in leading Dayton to a perfect 15-0 conference season and back-to-back undefeated home seasons. The Garden City, Mich., native guided UD to a sweep at Fordham with eight kills on 11 swings, before recording 15 kills (.682 hitting percentage) in another three-set win over Saint Louis to help UD become the second team since 1998 to go undefeated through the A-10 conference slate.
On the defensive side, Fletemier registered seven blocks to help hold weekend opponents to a .132 hitting percentage.
It is the fourth consecutive week that Dayton has featured the A-10 Offensive Player of the Week, represented by three different players (Fletemier, Rachael Krabacher, Jessica Yanz).
It is the 16th Atlantic 10 weekly award in Fletemier’s career and fifth of the season, including four Offensive Player of the Week awards (9/21, 9/28, 11/2, 11/15) and one Defensive Player of the Week honor on Sept. 7. In Fletemier's four seasons with UD, she has been named Offensive Player of the Week eight times, Defensive Player of the Week three times and Rookie of the Week five times.
Charlotte’s Kat Hicks and Amanda Videmsek were named Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively.
The 17th-ranked Flyers will be the top seed in the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship which commences on Friday in Cincinnati, hosted by Xavier at the Cintas Center. With a first round bye, UD will play fourth-seeded Duquesne or fifth-seeded Fordham on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Arkansas State Sweeps SBC Volleyball Player of the Week Honors
NEW ORLEANS – Arkansas State’s Cayla Fielder and Megan Baska have been named the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
The honor is the first of the season for Fielder and the second of her career. Baska has now racked up four Defensive Player of the Week honors to bring the total to five on the year for the Red Wolves.
Junior Cayla Fielder led the A-State squad to a 3-0 week in Sun Belt Conference action, taking wins over UALR, ULM and Louisiana-Lafayette. Fielder tied her career high of 22 kills for the third time this season in the Red Wolves’ four-set win over UALR Tuesday and added another 30 on the weekend, totaling 52 for a 5.20 average last week. In ASU’s three-set sweep over ULL, she hit for .500 and put up 17 kills. The Jonesboro, Ark., native also added 10 digs and six blocks this week, including four unassisted (two against each ULM and ULL). Fielder now owns a total of 326 kills on the year.
Freshman Megan Baska racked up another 51 digs to her credit as the Red Wolves went 3-0 last week in Sun Belt Conference action. She tallied 22 digs for a 5.50 average in ASU’s 3-1 victory over UALR Tuesday. Over the weekend, she chalked up 13 digs in A-State’s 3-0 sweep over ULM and another 16 when the Red Wolves topped Louisiana-Lafayette in three sets. The true freshman now sits seventh on the single-season digs chart with 548 so far this year. Baska also added five assists through the three matches.
Kathryn Wilkerson Named C-USA Offensive Player Of The Week
Senior Outside Hitter Kathryn Wilkerson
SMU Volleyball Player Kathryn Wilkerson Named Conference-USA Offensive Volleyball Player Of The Week
Nov. 15, 2010 IRVING, Texas (SMU) --- SMU outside hitter Kathryn Wilkerson was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week today by the league office. Wilkerson averaged 4.22 kills, 3.33 digs and 0.78 blocks per set in two matches this past week. The senior started the weekend with 20 kills and 13 digs in a win over UTEP and followed with 18 kills and 17 digs at UCF. The Mustangs defeated UTEP, 3-2, and UCF, 3-1, to gain 23 wins this season, which ties a program record for most single-season victories. Wilkerson, who is SMU's all-time career digs leader with 1,521, is one of only two active C-USA student-athletes (teammate Dana Powell is the other) to record over 1,000 career kills and digs. SMU returns home for senior weekend with matches against in-state opponents Houston and Rice at Moody Coliseum. Wilkerson, along with fellow seniors Caitlin Adair and Kenzie Bukolt, will be honored for their contributions to the Mustang volleyball program.
For ticket information, call 214-SMU-GAME (214-768-4263 begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting) or visit www.SMUMustangs.com.
Kolbe, Shaffer Named Southland Volleyball Players of the Week
Kolbe records second season of 400-plus kills, Shaffer receives third consecutive award
FRISCO, Texas – Sam Houston State junior Carli Kolbe and UT Arlington junior Alicia Shaffer were named the Southland Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, the league announced Monday. Shaffer receives her third consecutive award and Kolbe takes home her second honor of the season. Shaffer is the first UTA player and one of four players in conference history to receive three consecutive player of the week awards. Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week – Carli Kolbe, Sam Houston State Kolbe, a native of College Station, Texas, played a huge role in raising Sam Houston’s Southland tournament seed from the No.7 to No.5 by leading the Bearkats in kills in a pair of 3-set wins over Lamar and McNeese State. With 36 kills over the weekend, Kolbe is the first Sam Houston player in since Alisha Fowler in 2004-05 to post more than 400 kills in two consecutive seasons. Kolbe enters the Southland tournament with 401 kills this year ranked third in the league. Honorable Mention: Chloe Smith, Central Arkansas; Amanda Aguilera, UT Arlington; Mo Middleton, Texas State.
Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week – Alicia Shaffer, UT Arlington Shaffer led the Mavericks to two sweeps with her outstanding defensive play last week. In a 3-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Shaffer recorded the most digs (28) in a three-set match by a player against a Southland team this season. A native of Magnolia, Texas, Shaffer led a strong defensive team effort with 80 digs, the most by a league team in a three-set match this year and held the Islanders to a .035 attack percentage. She ended the regular season with 17 digs in a sweep over the West Division champion and No. 2 seed UTSA. Shaffer currently ranks third in the league in digs and is one of only three conference players with more than 500 digs on the year (580). Honorable Mention: Cristin Curl, Central Arkansas; Danielle Daigle, Nicholls; Kim Black, Sam Houston 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. 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Players of the Week - November 15 Offensive: Ilyanna Hernandez, OH, Jr., 5'10 Torrance, Calif. - Austin Peay Hernandez recorded 28 kills and a .472 hitting percentage as Austin Peay went 2-0 to close out the regular season. Against Tennessee State, she recorded 15 kills on 27 attacks to finish with a .556 hitting percentage. She followed that up with 13 kills and a .385 attack percentage against SIU Edwardsville. Defensive: Kayleah Sauer, L, Jr., 5'7 Louisville, Ky. - Murray State Sauer led Murray State with 38 digs on the weekend, including a 21-dig performance against Eastern Kentucky. She recorded 6.33 digs per set which was above her season average of 4.17. She also added four assists and three service aces. Setter: Sarah Alisaleh, S, Sr., 5'8 San Antonio, Texas - Austin Peay Alisaleh recorded 43 assists against Tennessee State and 42 versus SIU Edwardsville. She also led the Lady Govs with five service aces during the week, recording four in the match with SIUE.
Colonial Athletic Association Volleyball Players Of The Week
Co-OFFENSIVE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Britney Brown - Northeastern Edwards, Colo./Battle Mountain, Sr., Setter/Opposite Hitter Brown notched her fifth triple-double of the season on Saturday to send NU past George Mason and into the CAA Tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. After collecting 22 kills and 10 digs on .366 hitting in the Huskies' loss to James Madison on Friday, the senior setter posted 18 kills, 24 assists and 13 digs in the win over the Patriots. She added six blocks and three service aces in the two matches. Co-OFFENSIVE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Paige Erickson - Delaware Tulsa, Okla./Jenks, Sr., Middle Blocker
Erickson was effective on both sides of the ball last weekend as Delaware downed UNC Wilmington and Georgia State to earn its best ever finish in the CAA standings at 13-1. The senior middle blocker totaled 27 kills and averaged 3.38 kills per set on a stellar .449 hitting in the two matches. The Tulsa native also skied for nine blocks and contributed eight digs on the weekend.
DEFENSIVE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lindsay Callahan - James Madison Virginia Beach, Va./Landstown, Sr., Outside Hitter
Callahan displayed an impressive defensive performance as James Madison knocked off Northeatern and Hofstra to secure a spot in the conference tournament for the first time in three years. The senior outside hitter tallied 26 digs and 11 blocks to lead the Dukes defensively, while chipping in 20 kills on the offensive front. Her 21-dig, 10-kill showing against the Huskies marked her ninth double-double of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Katy Buck - Towson Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales, Fr., Outside Hitter
Buck blasted 28 kills and registered 26 digs to help the Tigers trounce Georgia State and UNC Wilmington last weekend. The freshman outside hitter earned her seventh double-double of 2010 with 11 kills and 18 digs against the Panthers and fell just short of a repeat performance with 17 kills and eight digs in a sweep of the Seahawks. Buck also served up a pair of aces and two blocks in the two wins.
Sun Belt’s Cayla Fielder Receives National Recognition NEW ORLEANS – Arkansas State’s Cayla Fielder was named a Top Performer of the Week by Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com), the website announced Tuesday. For the second consecutive week, a Sun Belt player has been recognized as a Top Performer of the Week. Five different players from the league have received the recognition this season. FIU’s Natalia Valentin, Arkansas State’s Fielder and Megan Baska, Middle Tennessee’s Izabela Kozon twice, and Louisiana-Lafayette’s Lindsay Brown all were named Top Performers of the Week in 2010. Kozon and Brown were also both named Player of the Week on two separate occasions by CVU.com this season. Fielder is the reigning Sun Belt Player of the week this week. The junior middle blocker led the A-State squad to a 3-0 week in Sun Belt Conference action, taking wins over UALR, ULM and Louisiana-Lafayette. Fielder tied her career high of 22 kills for the third time this season in the Red Wolves’ four-set win over UALR Tuesday and added another 30 on the weekend, totaling 52 for a 5.20 average last week. In ASU’s three-set sweep over ULL, she hit for .500 and put up 17 kills. The Jonesboro, Ark., native also added 10 digs and six blocks this week, including four unassisted (two against each ULM and ULL). Fielder now owns a total of 326 kills on the year.Full Release from CVU.com
Jordan Haverly Nabs Second Big Ten Volleyball Player of the Week Honor
Jordan Haverly Nabs Second Big Ten Volleyball Player of the Week Honor
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sophomore outside hitter Jordan Haverly has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the second this season, earning the honor today (Nov. 8) and back on Oct. 11.
Haverly led IU to a pair of weekend wins, including a victory over No. 19 Minnesota on Friday. The Cherry Valley, Ill., native recorded a double-double against the Gophers, finishing with 24 kills and 15 digs to guide IU in a four-set triumph. She followed up with 11 kills, six digs and four blocks in a sweep of Iowa the following night.
For the week, Haverly averaged 5.0 kills. 3.0 digs and 0.7 blocks per set while hitting .282 (35-11-85).
Haverly is not new to conference recognition, being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on three occasions last season.
Stanford Volleyball’s Cassidy Lichtman Voted PAC-10 Women's Volleyball Player of the Week
Stanford’s Cassidy Lichtman Voted PAC-10 Women's Volleyball Player of the Week
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - STANFORD’s Cassidy Lichtman was named Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 1-7, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today. The senior setter/outside hitter led the Cardinal to two wins over top-10 teams this past weekend. Stanford’s wins over then-No. 10 UCLA and No. 7 USC put the team back in a tie for first place in the Pac-10 standings.
The Poway, Calif., native averaged 3.29 kills, 7.57 assists, 1.86 digs, 4.07 points and 0.86 blocks in the two matches. Against the Bruins on Friday, Lichtman recorded her team-leading 11th double-double of the season with 17 kills and 29 assists. Her 17 kills were a season high as she also added seven digs and five blocks. Versus the Trojans on Sunday, Lichtman finished with six kills, 24 assists, six digs and two aces as Stanford swept the season series with USC.
It is Lichtman’s first career Pac-10 Player of the Week honor and the 73rd weekly recognition for USC all-time.
The No. 2 Cardinal hit the road for matches with Washington State on Friday and No. 11 Washington on Saturday.
Also Nominated: Kat Brown, CAL; Lauren Plum, ORE; Jill Sawatzky, OSU; Dicey McGraw, UCLA; Kindra Carlson, WASH
Female Volleyball Players Of The Week And All-Tournament Volleyball Teams Named This Weekend Nov 8 (Week 11)
Stanford’s Cassidy Lichtman Voted PAC-10 Women's Volleyball Player of the Week
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - STANFORD’s Cassidy Lichtman was named Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 1-7, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today. The senior setter/outside hitter led the Cardinal to two wins over top-10 teams this past weekend. Stanford’s wins over then-No. 10 UCLA and No. 7 USC put the team back in a tie for first place in the Pac-10 standings.
The Poway, Calif., native averaged 3.29 kills, 7.57 assists, 1.86 digs, 4.07 points and 0.86 blocks in the two matches. Against the Bruins on Friday, Lichtman recorded her team-leading 11th double-double of the season with 17 kills and 29 assists. Her 17 kills were a season high as she also added seven digs and five blocks. Versus the Trojans on Sunday, Lichtman finished with six kills, 24 assists, six digs and two aces as Stanford swept the season series with USC.
It is Lichtman’s first career Pac-10 Player of the Week honor and the 73rd weekly recognition for USC all-time.
The No. 2 Cardinal hit the road for matches with Washington State on Friday and No. 11 Washington on Saturday.
Also Nominated: Kat Brown, CAL; Lauren Plum, ORE; Jill Sawatzky, OSU; Dicey McGraw, UCLA; Kindra Carlson, WASH
South Dakota State libero Shay Birath earns second straight Volleyball Player Of The Week honor
South Dakota State libero Shay Birath earns her second straight Summit League Defensive Player of the Week award, the second of her career, after helping the Jackrabbits upset rival North Dakota State Saturday night.
“I love coaching Shay. She’s a hard-nosed player who’s motivated and determined to get better every day,” SDSU head coach Nanabah Allison-Brewer said. “She told me a few weeks ago at Southern Utah that she would set her career-high and get past the 26-dig mark, and she ended up getting 34 that night. Her commitment to this team got her those digs that night she keeps right on rolling.”
A sophomore from Marshall, Minn., Birath started off the week in non-league action against South Dakota by recording 28 digs, an average of 5.6 per set and then tallied 24 digs averaging 6.0 per set in the 3-1 win over the Bison. On the week, she recorded two matches of 20-plus digs, totaling 52 digs, an average of 5.78 per set.
Birath currently ranks second in The Summit League with 4.91 digs per league set and fourth overall with 4.58 digs per set.
The Jackrabbit volleyball team returns to action on Thursday, when they host Oral Roberts in a crucial Summit League match at 7 p.m., in Frost Arena on Military Appreciation Night.
Third Big 12 Honor for Iowa State libero Ashley Mass
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State libero Ashley Mass earned her third Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor this season the conference office announced Monday. In her strongest performance of the season, Mass collected a season-high 31 digs against the Missouri Tigers on Saturday in the Cyclones' 3-1 loss (25-19, 24-26, 22-25, 24-26). Mass' 31 digs led the Big 12 in digs in a single match last week and is the most digs by an Iowa State player in 34 matches, dating back to Mass' career-high 42-dig performance last season against Baylor. Mass started last week with 19 digs in Iowa State’s sweep of Baylor (25-22, 25-22, 25-14), giving her 50 digs on the week at a clip of 7.14 digs per set. Raising her average to 5.35 from 5.16 in conference play, Mass climbed into first place in digs per set in Big 12 play this season.
In her career, Mass has an Iowa State-record 40 matches with 20-plus digs and 12 performances with at least 30 digs. Mass has posted double-digit dig numbers in 112 of 116 starts at libero in her career with the Cyclones.
With 15 conference awards in her career, Mass is the most decorated Iowa State athlete and leads all active Big 12 volleyball players.
Missouri took home both offensive and rookie honors this week as outside hitter Paola Ampudia earned her second conference honor and freshman setter Molly Kreklow continued her tear through the season, garnering her fourth Big 12 weekly award.
The No. 14 Cyclones are back in action Saturday morning in Norman, Okla. where they will face the Oklahoma Sooners (17-8, 9-5) at 11 a.m. at McCasland Field House.
KELSEY ROBINSON, DEEDEE HARRISON PICK UP WEEKLY AWARDS KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After leading the No. 21 University of Tennessee volleyball team to a pair of sweeps this weekend, freshman Kelsey Robinson and sophomore DeeDee Harrison have both been honored with weekly awards. Robinson has been named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, while Harrison has been tabbed the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week. Robinson is the third player to take home the league’s player of the week accolades on two occasions this season, but is the first to do so from two different positions. She originally claimed the honors on Oct. 11 as the Lady Vol libero before moving winning it from her more natural position at outside hitter this week. Despite the change in position, the reasoning behind the 6-2 rookie’s acknowledgment was the same as she continued her spectacular play defensively. Robinson tallied a total of 32 digs on the weekend, good for a remarkable average of 5.33 per set. She also added weekend totals of 13 kills, three blocks, one assist and an ace, and flawlessly handled all 20 serves that came her way. Against Alabama on Friday, Robinson missed a double-double by the narrowest of margins, recording nine kills with a solid .318 hitting percentage in addition to a match-high 17 digs and three blocks. Her block total tied her career high, while the kill and dig totals both marked her best effort in a three-set match to date. Just two days later, she topped the UT squad in digs for the 15th time this year and 10th time in the last 11 contests with 15 scoops to go along with four kills, a service ace and an assist. Through 16 Southeastern Conference matches, Robinson is averaging 3.95 digs per set which ranks her sixth among all players in the league. For the season, she leads Tennessee with 281 digs and sits in eighth on the conference charts with 3.65 scoops per frame. Robinson is also one of six Lady Vols to reach triple digits in kills with 137, leads the team with 18 service aces and ranks sixth on the team with 26 blocks. Harrison’s award marks the first time in her young career that she has been honored for her play on the court. The 6-3 middle blocker performed her role to a “T” this weekend, putting the volleyball away at an astounding rate, recording kills on 68.2 percent of her swings with 15 putaways on just 22 attempts. Even more impressive was the fact that she had just two hitting errors and finished with a remarkable .591 attack average for the weekend. Harrison added six blocks in the two matches as well. In Tuscaloosa on Friday, she hit at a .556 clip with five kills on nine errorless swings in addition to notching three putbacks, including one of the solo variety. Just two days later, Harrison pounded out a total of 10 kills on just 13 swings against the Bulldogs for a stunning .615 hitting percentage. She served as the team’s “closer” in that contest, saving her best for last as she recorded five kills over UT’s final six points in the third set to close out the Orange and White’s fourth consecutive sweep and 15th of the season. For the season, Harrison ranks third on a team that features six players with over 100 kills, having recorded 191 of her own, while hitting at a stellar .310 clip. She also ranks second on the squad with 82 blocks, including a team-leading 14 solo putbacks. Also nominated for Lady Vol Athlete of the Week were junior golfer Nathalie Mansson, freshman cross country runner Amber Zimmerman, the UT rowing team’s Championship 8+ boat and freshman tennis player Brynn Boren. Mansson led the Lady Vol golf team to an eighth-place finish at the hyper competitive Pac-10/SEC Challenge, finishing with a 72-72-74=217(+4) total and tied for 13th in a loaded field that featured 13 ranked teams. Zimmerman finished 42nd at last week’s SEC Cross Country Championships and just missed making the league’s all-freshman team by one position. The Championship 8+ finished off its fall slate with a silver medal at the Head of the Hooch Regatta, while Boren more than held her own on the big stage this weekend, advancing to the doubles quarterfinals and the consolation singles semifinals of the 2010 USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. The Lady Vol volleyball team will open its final homestand of the season against No. 15 on LSU Friday, Nov. 12, at 3:30 p.m., before hosting Arkansas at 2 p.m. two days later. Prior to the match against the Razorbacks, which will be televised live on Comcast Sports Southeast, UT will honor its three seniors in a “Senior Day” ceremony. For the most up-to-date information on the Lady Vol volleyball team, make sure you follow @UTLadyVols and @UTVolleyball on Twitter. ##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##
Duke Volleyball Players Kellie Catanach & Ali McCurdy Earn ACC Weekly Honor
November 8, 2010
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke junior Kellie Catanach was named ACC Volleyball Player of the Week, and Ali McCurdy was tabbed ACC Freshman of the Week as the Blue Devils swept the ACC’s weekly awards for the second time this season.
Catanach and McCurdy, both former high school teammates at Plant High School in Tampa, Fla., led Duke to back-to-back sweeps over N.C. State and North Carolina last weekend to give the Blue Devils (21-4, 13-2 ACC) sole possession of first place in the ACC. Catanach’s award was her first of the season and the fourth player of the week honor for Duke, while McCurdy’s was her ACC-leading third freshman of the week citation.
Catanach, a 6-foot-2 setter, directed the Duke offense to its best weekend of the season as the Blue Devils posted a season-high .360 hitting percentage on Friday at N.C. State and followed with a .342 clip at North Carolina on Saturday. The Tar Heels entered the weekend holding opponents to an ACC-low .160 hitting percentage, but posed no problem for Catanach and the Blue Devils. For the weekend, Catanach amassed 67 assists, 12 kills, 14 digs and 10 blocks while posting a .476 hitting percentage. She neared a triple-double against the Tar Heels, posting 34 assists, seven digs and a career-high eight kills in only three sets.
While Catanach guided the offense, McCurdy, a 5-foot-7 libero, helped hold N.C. State and North Carolina to a combined .114 hitting percentage. The freshman libero averaged 6.33 digs per set over the two matches with 20 pickups against N.C. State and 18 more against North Carolina. The Tar Heels entered the match as the ACC leader in kills and assists, but managed only 34 kills (and 19 errors) against the McCurdy-led Duke defense.
Catanach and McCurdy represent the ACC-leading sixth and seventh player and freshman of the week selections for Duke this season. Junior middle blocker Amanda Robertson has earned ACC Player of the Week honors a league-leading three times in 2010 while Catanach earned her first citation of the season.
Duke still has five matches remaining in the 2010 regular season with a one-game lead over North Carolina for first place in the ACC. The Blue Devils last won the ACC crown in 2008 and have notched three ACC regular season Championships under 12th-year head coach Jolene Nagel.
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Georgia State University's Ashley Jones Named CAA Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week
RICHMOND, Va. -- Georgia State volleyball senior Ashley Jones has been named CAA Offensive Player of the Week for games played Nov. 1-7, the league office announced Monday.
Jones earned her first CAA accolade of the season after leading GSU to a pair of key victories over James Madison and George Mason this past weekend. The San Diego, Calif., native had a pair of double-doubles on the weekend with 31 kills and 38 digs.
In Friday's 3-2 victory over James Madison, Jones had 16 kills and 13 digs, while providing 15 kills and 25 digs in Sunday's 3-1 win over George Mason.
Both wins were over teams in the top four of the CAA and propelled GSU into a tie for third place with Madison, Mason and Northeastern, with two regular season matches remaining. The top four teams make it to the CAA Tournament that will be hosted by Delaware the weekend of Nov. 21.
The honor is the third of her career after being recognized both as a sophomore and a junior.
Georgia State has three CAA Offensive Player of the Week awards this season as redshirt-junior Vineece Verdun has earned two scrolls. The three awards puts GSU in a tie for second in the conference in Offensive Player of the Week honors.
GSU returns to action this Friday when they travel to Towson for a 7 p.m. match. The following night, the Panthers battle the CAA's No. 1 Delaware at 7 p.m. Live stats of both matches will be available via GeorgiaStateSports.com.
Morgan Potter Earns League Defensive Volleyball Player Of The Week Honors For Third Time Libero helped Panthers clinch league title
MILWAUKEE - Morgan Potter has been named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced today.
Potter led the Panthers to a pair of victories this past weekend, helping Milwaukee clinch the league regular season title and hosting rights for the league tournament.
For the weekend, Potter averaged 5.43 digs per set as Milwaukee's defense limited its opponents to a .137 hitting clip. As a team, the Panthers tallied over 23 digs per frame.
Friday at Wright State, Potter led the way with 14 digs as the Panthers recorded a three-set sweep. Then Saturday, Potter had 24 digs in a four-set victory over Butler.
This is the third time this season Potter has been honored by the league for her defense. It is also the sixth time a Panther has been recognized by the league, with Kerri Schuh winning offensive player of the week honors twice while Jena Berg won the offensive award once.
Potter and the Panthers host UIC Saturday night in the final regular season contest of the season. The match begins at 7 p.m. at the Klotsche Center. UWM will then host the league tournament Nov. 19-21, with the Panthers earning a bye into the semifinal round.
Senior outside hitter Kendra Rowland tabbed Southland Conference Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week
SAN ANTONIO - Senior outside hitter Kendra Rowland has been named the Southland Conference Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday.
Rowland guided UTSA (19-9, 13-1 SLC) to a pair of home wins last week, including a four-set victory over Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, Nov. 6. The Antioch, Calif., native posted her team-leading 12th and 13th double-doubles last week. Rowland posted 16 winners and 16 digs in the Roadrunners’ sweep of Sam Houston State on Thursday, Nov. 4. She ended the week with 19 kills and 15 digs against the Ladyjacks.
For the week, Rowland notched 35 winners and averaged 5.00 kills per set, while hitting at a .242 clip. She also averaged 4.43 digs per frame after tallying 31 digs and helped the Runners hold its two opponents last week to a .142 hitting percentage.
Earlier this season, Rowland became the fourth player in program history to surpass 1,500 kills and 1,300 digs in her career. To date, she ranks fifth all-time in the school's record books with 1,537 winners and ninth all-time with 1,331 digs.
UTSA, which is in the midst of the nation's ninth-longest active winning streak at 12 matches, has clinched the Southland's West Division title and will return to action on Thursday at Texas State. First serve in San Marcos is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Kelly Svoboda Named MAC East Defensive Volleyball Player Of The Week
BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo volleyball freshman Kelly Svoboda has been named the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week, the Mid-American Conference announced from their offices in Cleveland this morning. The honor is the first of Svoboda’s career.
Svoboda had 40 digs on the weekend, including a career-high 25 digs against Ohio. The Cleveland, OH native helped the Bulls to just their second ever win over the Bobcats and their first since 1999. Three of her 25 digs came in the fifth set where Buffalo was able to overcome an 8-4 deficit and take the set 15-12.
Svoboda leads the team with 393 digs and is fourth on the team with 22 service aces. This is also the second straight weekend that a UB freshman has been named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week as Carissa McKenna took home the honor last week. Earlier this season, senior Kristin Bignell was also named Defensive Player of the Week, while junior Abby Niekamp was honored as the Offensive Player of the Week.
The Bulls close out the regular season this week as they head to Akron on Thursday night and Toledo on Saturday.
Jordan Haverly Nabs Second Big Ten Volleyball Player of the Week Honor
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sophomore outside hitter Jordan Haverly has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the second this season, earning the honor today (Nov. 8) and back on Oct. 11.
Haverly led IU to a pair of weekend wins, including a victory over No. 19 Minnesota on Friday. The Cherry Valley, Ill., native recorded a double-double against the Gophers, finishing with 24 kills and 15 digs to guide IU in a four-set triumph. She followed up with 11 kills, six digs and four blocks in a sweep of Iowa the following night.
For the week, Haverly averaged 5.0 kills. 3.0 digs and 0.7 blocks per set while hitting .282 (35-11-85).
Haverly is not new to conference recognition, being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on three occasions last season.
UT Arlington libero Alicia Shaffer Nabs SLC Defensive Player of the Week honors
For the second straight week, UT Arlington libero Alicia Shaffer earned the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week award, the league announced Monday afternoon.
Shaffer continued her recent hot streak last week by posting 18 digs against Southeastern Louisiana and 34 digs against Nicholls.
Shaffer’s 34 digs against the Colonels marked the second-highest total in a four-set Southland match this year. She also owns the highest total as well from when she posted 37 digs in a four-set match at Northwestern State Oct. 23.
Shaffer also led a defensive effort that limited Mavericks’ opponents to a cumulative attack percentage of .137.
The Magnolia, Tex. native became the first UT Arlington player to win back-to-back SLC Defensive Player of the Week awards since Ashley Smith accomplished the feat in 2006.
With two matches to play, Shaffer already ranks fourth on the program’s single-season digs list with 535. If she continues her pace, Shaffer would finish the year second only behind Smith, who recorded 863 in 2006.
She is also 55 digs away from cracking the program’s top-10 all-time digs list.
Alabama’s Kayla Fitterer Named SEC Volleyball Player of the Week
Sophomore Outside Hitter caps off career match with her first SEC accolade
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama sophomore outside hitter Kayla Fitterer was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week for volleyball on Monday after having the match of her career against Kentucky. This is the 31st weekly league award for the Crimson Tide and first for Fitterer.
“Kayla is truly deserving of this honor,” Alabama head coach Judy Green said. “It is the best complete performance by an Alabama outside hitter since Erin Heffner played for us.”
In Sunday’s match against the Wildcats, Fitterer rattled off a career-high 34 kills and 24 digs to help Alabama beat Kentucky for the first time since Oct. 19, 2007. Her 34 kills is the highest total of the season in the Southeastern Conference. In addition, she is the first Tide attacker to reach the 30-kill milestone since four-time All-SEC selection Heffner did so with 33 against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Sept. 11, 2004.
The performance also gave the Edwardsville, Ill. native her eighth double-double of the season, with six of those coming against league opponents. For the weekend, Fitterer averaged a staggering 5.62 kills per set as well as 4.12 digs per frame.
Fitterer, and the rest of the Tide, returns to action on Friday, Nov. 12, when it heads to South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks at 6 p.m. CT.
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UTSA senior Kendra Rowland, UT Arlington junior Alicia Shaffer Named Southland Volleyball Players of the Week
Rowland leads UTSA to first West Division title, Shaffer receives second consecutive award
FRISCO, Texas – UTSA senior Kendra Rowland and UT Arlington junior Alicia Shaffer were named the Southland Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, the league announced Monday. Shaffer receives her consecutive second award and Rowland takes home her first honor of the season tying UTSA with Central Arkansas for the most team awards this season with four.
Offensive Player of the Week – Kendra Rowland, UTSA Rowland, a native of Antioch, Calif., led the Roadrunners to their 12th consecutive win, which is the nation’s 11th-longest active winning streak. She also helped UTSA clinch its first West Division title while notching 35 winners (5.00 k/s) and hitting at a .242 clip. Rowland posted 19 winners in the Roadrunners Senior Day win over Stephen F. Austin. Her performance on the defensive end of the court was just as noteworthy as she collected 31 digs (4.43 d/s) during the week.
Honorable Mention: Chloe Smith, Central Arkansas; Megan McStravick, Lamar; Emma Ridley, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Defensive Player of the Week – Alicia Shaffer, UT Arlington Shaffer continued her recent hot streak last week by posting 18 digs against Southeastern Louisiana and 34 digs against Nicholls. A native of Magnolia, Texas, Shaffer’s 34 digs against the Colonels marked the second-highest total in a four-set Southland match this year. Shaffer also owns the highest total as well from when she posted 37 digs in a four-set match at Northwestern State Oct. 23. Defensively, Shaffer helped the Mavs hold their opponents to a cumulative attack percentage of .137.
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.
Wyoming Volleyball Player Lauren Whitney Named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player Of The Week
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Wyoming outside hitter Lauren Whitney has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. It is the first league weekly honor for Whitney in her career. Whitney is the second Cowgirl to earn MWC Player of the Week honors in 2010. Whitney, a 5-10 senior from Coto de Caza, Calif., led the Cowgirls to wins over Air Force (3-0) and UNLV (3-1) last week, moving Wyoming into fourth place in the league standings at 6-5. Whitney recorded double-doubles in both matches with 10 kills and 18 digs against Air Force and 17 kills and 12 digs against UNLV, leading the team in both categories in each match. The 18 digs against Air Force was a season-high for Whitney.
For the week, Whitney averaged 3.86 kills, 4.29 digs and 4.07 points per set, while hitting .258 (27-10-6) over seven sets. She also had one assist, one service ace and three blocks.
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, Sr., MB, BYU Oct. 18 Danielle Minch, Sr., OH, Colorado State Oct. 25 Caroline Kurtz, Sr., OH, Air Force Lisa Meeter, Sr., OH, New Mexico Nov. 1 Karolina Bartkowiak, Sr., OPP, Utah Nov. 8 Lauren Whitney, Sr., OH, Wyoming
East Division Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week Katie Post, Ohio, Jr., MB/OH, Streamwood, Ill. Post registered a career-high 21 kills and hit .500 in the loss to Buffalo. Led the team in kills, points and blocks (six) ... Second on the team with 12 kills and 18.5 points in a win at Akron. Led the team with two aces and eight blocks. Post has put together three-straight games with double-digit kills.
East Division Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week Kelly Svoboda, Buffalo, Fr., L, Cleveland, OH/Trinity Kelly Svoboda notched 40 digs over the weekend, including a career-high 25 digs in the five-set win over Ohio. Svoboday followed that up with 15 digs on Saturday night against Saturday. She averaged 4.44 digs per set and currently leads the team with 393 digs.
West Division Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week Ashley Turnage, Western Michigan, Jr., MB, Schoolcraft, Mich. (Lawton HS) Turnage led the team with 15 kills, hitting .364, in WMU’s thrilling 3-2 win over Northern Illinois, including the game-winning kill in the final set to hand the Broncos the match 17-15. In Saturday’s 3-1 win over Miami she was second on the team in kills with 14, hitting .370. She also led the team in blocks with 1 solo and four block assists.
West Division Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week Maddie Hughes, Northern Illinois, Sr., L, St. Charles, Ill./North Maddie Hughes (St. Charles, Ill./North) simply had an amazing weekend in the back row, totaling 48 digs in eight sets (6.00/set) and mishandling only one serve in 26 attempts ... In a heartbreaking five-set loss at Western Michigan, the senior tallied a career-high-tying 34 digs and had 13 perfect serve receptions, marking the third time this season that she has had 30 or more digs ... The libero then ended the weekend with 14 digs and one reception error in 13 tries in a 3-0 home win over Bowling Green ... The back-to-back double digit dig efforts marked the 22nd and 23rd times she has done so this season.
UAB’s Michelle Uzoh Tabbed C-USA Defensive Volleyball Player Of The Week Senior middle blocker had 10 blocks in Saturday’s win at Rice
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- On the heels of a career-best blocking performance over the weekend against Rice, UAB volleyball player Michelle Uzoh was named Monday as the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week.
Uzoh posted her first career double-double with 10 blocks to go along with 12 kills Saturday as UAB earned a five-set win over Rice for the second time this season. The 10 blocks tied for the second-most by an individual player in C-USA this season as she helped the Blazers to 18 total blocks, tying for the highest team mark in the league in 2010.
Uzoh finished the weekend with a 1.62 blocks-per-set average over UAB’s league contests with Houston and Rice, and she was also a key contributor on the offensive end. The senior middle blocker from San Antonio, Texas, posted 17 combined kills and hit for a team-best .326 attack percentage in the two matches.
The 2009 C-USA blocks-per-set leader, Uzoh currently ranks second among the Blazers with a 0.95 blocks-per-frame average this year. Her .301 attack percentage also ranks second on the team and 13th in the league.
Uzoh and the Blazers (8-18, 5-9 C-USA) split two matches for the fourth straight weekend and have now won four of their past eight contests after starting the conference season 1-5.
The Blazers will continue a four-match road swing this week, traveling to Southern Miss for a 7 p.m. match on Friday and Tulane for a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.
University of Denver senior libero Kacie Wikierak Voted SBC Defensive Player of the Week This is Wikierak’s first honor of the season, seventh of her career
NEW ORLEANS, La. – University of Denver senior libero Kacie Wikierak (Crystal Lake, Ill.) was voted the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week by the leagues head coaches, it was announced today. Wikierak joins Middle Tennessee’s Izabela Kozon who was named the SBC Offensive Player of the Week.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by the Sun Belt Conference,” Wikierak said. “There is so much talent in this league, so to be honored for my performance is a great feeling. Of course I wouldn’t have been able to perform as well as I did this past weekend if it wasn’t for my teammates so a great deal of the credit needs to go to them.”
Wikierak led the Pioneers defensively with 51 digs through nine sets for a 5.67 digs per set average. The senior turned in a 21-dig performance in a 3-1 win over UALR, after finishing with 30 digs in a 3-2 loss to Arkansas State on the road. For the season, the Crystal Lake, Ill., native has tallied 443 digs and is averaging 4.18 digs per set, bringing her career total to 1,995 digs, 131 shy of the top spot in the DU Record Books. Wikierak was voted as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year at the beginning of the season. The Defensive Player of the Week recognition is the first for Wikierak this season and the seventh of her career as a Pioneer.
For the second consecutive week, Kozon earned the Player of the Week title, marking her fifth honor of the season and a school-record eight times in her career as a Blue Raider. Kozon’s honor also ties the conference record for most Player of the Week honors in a single season, tying FIU’s Yarimar Rosa’s five honors in 2008. It also marks the conference record for most Player of the Week titles by a school in a single season with seven; Middle Tennessee’s Maria Szivos and Ashley Adams were also named Player of the Week this season.
Denver closes out the regular season on Friday, Nov. 12 at the University of North Texas at 6 p.m. MT.
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STACY QUALIZZA IS NAMED MISSOURI VALLEY VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sycamore middle blocker led Indiana State to back-to-back wins for the first time since 2004 ST. LOUIS, MO. – Indiana State junior middle blocker Stacy Qualizza (Crown Point, Ind.) was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week it was announced today by the league office. Qualizza is just the fifth ISU player to receive the honor and the first since 1999. Qualizza led the Sycamores to a pair of victories on the home court this past weekend, recording 45 kills (5.62 per set) in 75 attempts with just three errors for a .560 hitting percentage. She also had two assists, two digs, three blocks, and scored a total of 47.5 points (5.94 per set). The middle blocker was a why ISU defeated Evansville for the first time since 2003 and Southern Illinois for the first time since 2004. The weekend victories were also the first time since 2004 that ISU won back-to-back conference games and back-to-back conference home games. The junior had 26 kills in 44 attempts, and 28 points, all career highs, and a .568 hitting percentage in Indiana State’s 3-0 win over Evansville Friday. She was just four kills short of the Indiana State record for kills in a game but still recorded the fourth best single game kill total in school history. The .568 hitting percentage is the fifth best single game performance in school history. She followed that performance with 19 kills in 31 attempts, a .548 hitting percentage, and 19.5 points in ISU’s 3-2 victory over Southern Illinois Saturday. The .548 hitting percentage is the sixth best single game performance in school history. She is currently tied for fifth on the ISU single season hitting percentage top 10 list at .305 and is currently third on the career hitting percentage list with a .267 average. Only four other Sycamore volleyball players have been named Player of the Week and all four came in the 1990s including Kerri Huffman in 1992, Julie Meshberger in 1995, Karis Kerran in 1997, and Megan Mirs in 1999. Qualizza moved into the national rankings after her outstanding weekend and is now 188th in the country (out of 250 ranked) in hitting percentage with her .305 season average. She is eighth in the Valley in hitting percentage for the season and ranks fifth in the MVC in conference games with a .339 average. Her 26 kills against Evansville on Friday is the third highest number of kills in a single game for the Valley this season and the most for a three-set game this year.
Outside Hitter Caitlin Ledoux honored as Big West Player of the Week
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux was named the Big West Player of the Week as announced by the Big West, earning the honor for the week of Nov. 8. With her selection, Ledoux has now won the award twice during the 2010 season.
Ledoux, a junior from Phelan, Calif., has now won the award four times during her career, after being selected once each as a freshman and a sophomore. She becomes just the eighth 49er player to be selected as the Big West player of the week, and all seven of the previous players were also named the Big West Player of the Year during their careers.
Leading the 49ers to a pair of road victories, Ledoux started the week with a double-double in a four-set win over Pacific, making 15 kills and 13 digs, and also added three blocks. She also passed Christine Romero to join the Long Beach State career top 10 in kills in that match.
The following night, Ledoux led the way for the 49ers in a five-set win on the road at UC Davis, leading all hitters with 23 kills as Long Beach State picked up their second win of the weekend, while just missing another double-double with nine digs.
On the week, Ledoux averaged 4.22 kills and 2.44 digs per set. She is one of three 49ers to earn the award this season, as setter Ashley Lee and middle blocker Haleigh Hampton have also been chosen as the recipient.
Middle Tennessee Izabela Kozon, Denver’s Kacie Wikierak Earn Volleyball Player of the Week Honors
NEW ORLEANS - Middle Tennessee’s Izabela Kozon and Denver’s Kacie Wikierak have been named the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
For the second consecutive week, Kozon earned the Player of the Week title, marking her fifth honor of the season and a school-record eight times in her career as a Blue Raider. Kozon’s honor also ties the conference record for most Player of the Week honors in a single season, tying FIU’s Yarimar Rosa’s five honors in 2008. It also marks the conference record for most Player of the Week titles by a school in a single season with seven; Middle Tennessee’s Maria Szivos and Ashley Adams were also named Player of the Week this season.
The Defensive Player of the Week recognition is the first for Wikierak this season and the seventh of her career as a Pioneer.
Izabela Kozon made sure to keep her remarkable run going during senior weekend, tallying 31 kills and 17 digs and leading the Blue Raiders to two more wins. On Friday against South Alabama, the senior tallied a match-high 18 kills at a blistering .500 rate to propel MT to a 3-1 victory. Defensively, Kozon put up seven digs and four block assists. Less than 24 hours later, Kozon’s start once again shined on senior night with a match high 13 kills at a .370 clip. She also collected 10 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. The Warsaw, Poland native was also named a Global Player of the Week Special Mention by the American Volleyball Scouting Report for Nov. 8.
Senior Kacie Wikierak led the Pioneers defensively with 51 digs through nine sets for a 5.67 digs per set average. The senior turned in a 21-dig performance in a 3-1 win over UALR, after finishing with 30 digs in a 3-2 loss to Arkansas State on the road. For the season, the Crystal Lake, Ill., native has tallied 443 digs and is averaging 4.18 digs per set, bringing her career total to 1,995 digs, 131 shy of the top spot in the DU Record Books. Wikierak was voted as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year at the beginning of the season. The Defensive Player of the Week recognition is the first for Wikierak this season and the seventh of her career as a Pioneer.
Freshman middle hitter Katie Slay Named Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Nov. 8, 2010 – Freshman middle hitter Katie Slay (Raleigh, N.C.) was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, conference officials announced Monday. These are Slay’s first career honors. Indiana’s Jordan Haverly was named the Big Ten Player of the Week. Slay led the Nittany Lion defense to wins on the road against No. 15 Michigan and Michigan State over the weekend. The freshman blocked 10 Wolverine attempts on Friday, which tied for the fifth-highest single-match total in the Big Ten this season, as the Nittany Lions held Michigan to .069 hitting in the three-set match. Her six blocks against Michigan State brought her weekend total to 16 for an average of 2.3 blocks per set. In addition, Slay combined for 17 kills on .593 hitting while on the road. She had seven kills on 10 errorless swings at Michigan and was fourth on the team with 10 kills at Michigan State. Penn State (21-4, 11-3 Big Ten) is back in action Friday, Nov. 12 against Wisconsin at 7 p.m. Penn State then hosts Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. The match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. For more information on the Penn State women’s volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women’s volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.
The Big Ten Conference announced its volleyball players of the week on Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:
Volleyball Player of the Week: Jordan Haverly, Indiana So., OH, Cherry Valley, Ill./Rockford Keith Country Day
Haverly wins Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and in her career after helping the Hoosiers to a pair of weekend wins, including a victory over No. 19 Minnesota on Friday. The sophomore outside hitter recorded a double-double against the Gophers, finishing with 24 kills and 15 digs to lead Indiana to the four-set win. She followed up with 11 kills, six digs and four blocks in a sweep of Iowa on Saturday evening. On the week, Haverly averaged 5.0 kills, 3.0 digs and 0.7 blocks per set.
Last Indiana Volleyball Player of the Week: Jordan Haverly (Oct. 11, 2010)
Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week: Katie Slay, Penn State Fr., MH, Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield
Slay is honored with Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career after leading the Nittany Lion defense to wins on the road against No. 15 Michigan and Michigan State over the weekend. The freshman swatted 10 Wolverine attempts on Friday, tied for fifth-highest single-match total in the Big Ten this season, as Penn State held Michigan to .069 hitting in the three-set match. Her six blocks against Michigan State brought her weekend total to 16 for an average of 2.3 blocks per set.
Last Penn State Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week: Arielle Wilson (Nov. 10, 2008)
Freshman Volleyball Player of the Week: Katie Slay, Penn State MH, Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield
Slay wins Freshman of the Week honors for the first time in her career after leading the Nittany Lion defense to wins on the road against No. 15 Michigan and Michigan State over the weekend. The freshman swatted 10 Wolverine attempts on Friday, tied for fifth-highest single-match total in the Big Ten this season, as Penn State held Michigan to .069 hitting in the three-set match. Her six blocks against Michigan State brought her weekend total to 16 for an average of 2.3 blocks per set.
Last Penn State Freshman Volleyball Player of the Week: Deja McClendon (Oct. 25, 2010)
Nov. 8 Conference USA Volleyball Players of the Week A trio of players earn C-USA weekly honors. Cori Martone, Tulane
IRVING, Texas - Conference USA awarded its weekly volleyball honors to Tulane's Cori Martone, Michelle Uzoh of UAB and Houston's Amber Brooks. Martone, a freshman middle blocker, collects her first career C-USA Offensive Player of the Week accolades after hitting .450 in the Green Wave's two road wins over UTEP and UCF. She's the first freshman to earn this award for the 2010 season. Uzoh was strong at the net for the Blazers as she averaged 1.62 blocks per set, earning her first career Defensive Player of the Week honors. The senior middle blocker posted a double-double with a career-high 10 blocks to go along with 12 kills in UAB's victory at Rice. In a pair of 3-0 home wins, Brooks dished out 11.83 assists per set as she was voted C-USA Setter of the Week for the second time this season and in her career. The junior finished the weekend with a pair of 30-plus assist performances. Complete Release: http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/110810aab.html
University of Houston Volleyball’s Amber Brooks Named C-USA Setter of the Week Junior Earned Second C-USA Weekly Award
HOUSTON – University of Houston volleyball player Amber Brooks was named the Conference USA Setter of the Week on Monday for her performance on the volleyball court last weekend.
Brooks helped the Cougars to sweeps of UAB and Memphis, pushing their win streak to five matches. The Alvin, Texas, nativeaveraged 11.83 assists in the two wins after finishing the weekend with a pair of 30-plus assist performances. She finished with 38 assists against UAB and dished out 33 assists against Memphis.
The junior has 1,030 assists this season and ranks third in C-USA with an average of 10.84 assists per set.
With the two wins, Houston improved to 11-4 in Conference USA and moved into sole possession of third place in the league standings.
This is the second C-USA Setter of the Week. Brooks also took home the award on Oct. 11 when she shared the award with Kelli Becerra of SMU .
Brooks and the Cougars will close out the 2010 home season this weekend when they play host to East Carolina on Nov. 12 and Marshall on Nov. 14.
--UHCougars.com--
Northern Illinois volleyball senior libero Maddie Hughes Receives MAC West Defensive Player of the Week Honor
Senior garners the award for the fourth time in her career
DeKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois volleyball senior libero Maddie Hughes received the Mid-American Conference West Division Defensive Player of the Week honor for her remarkable performance during the week of Nov. 1-7, the league announced Monday.
“It’s nice for Maddie to be recognized like this by the league,” said NIU head coach Ray Gooden, who has seen his Huskies win six weekly MAC awards in 2010. “We are pleased to see her continue to grow, not just as libero, but as a team leader. She has done a nice job of stepping up in a leadership role for this team, being the lone senior. Maddie also continues to be one of the best liberos in the nation.”
The St. Charles High School (Ill.) product took home the award in its first week of existence last season and now adds her third since then and first this season. The reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year simply had an amazing weekend in the back row, totaling 48 digs in eight sets (6.00/set) and mishandling only one serve in 26 attempts. In a heartbreaking five-set loss at Western Michigan (Nov. 4), Hughes tallied a career-high-tying 34 digs and had 13 perfect serve receptions, marking the third time this season that she has had 30 or more digs. The 2009 second team All-MAC selection then ended the week with 14 digs and one reception error in 13 tries in a 3-0 home win over Bowling Green (Nov. 6). The back-to-back double digit dig efforts marked the 22nd and 23rd times she has done so this season.
The program’s all-time second-best digs leader (2,116) ranks 93rd in the nation with an average of 4.55 digs per set (487). Hughes ranks fourth in the MAC in digs.
Riding a five-match home winning streak, Hughes and the MAC West second place Huskies (24-5, 10-4 MAC) put the finishing touches on the league’s regular season this weekend at the NIU Convocation Center’s Victor E. Court. The Huskies will take on MAC West second place Eastern Michigan (23-8, 10-4 MAC) on Friday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. (CT) and MAC West fifth place Central Michigan (13-13, 7-7 MAC) on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m.
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Michelle Matia Named A-10 Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week Second Weekly Honor for the Junior Middle Blocker
Michelle Matia Earned XU's first Offensive Player of the Week honor for the season
Nov. 9, 2010 A-10 Notebook NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Xavier's Michelle Matia has been named the Atlantic 10 Volleyball Co-Offensive Player of the Week as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Nov. 9. This is the second weekly award for the junior middle blocker and the fifth overall for the Musketeers this season. Matia shares the award with Dayton's Rachel Krabacher Matia posted a blistering .564 hitting percentage for the weekend as Xavier picked up two wins on the road. She tallied a career-high 16 kills to one error in 23 attempts (.652) in a 3-1 win at Charlotte on Nov. 5 and followed with a match-high tying nine kills to two errors in 16 swings (.438) in XU's sweep of Rhode Island on Nov. 7. Matia led the team with 3.57 kills per set and 1.29 blocks per set for the weekend, posting a total of 25 kills and nine blocks. The Musketeers return to action on Friday, Nov. 12 for their final home contest of the regular season against Temple. XU and TU will square off at 1 p.m. as part of a "doubleheader" in Cintas Center - the men's basketball team hosts Western Michigan Friday at 7 p.m.
Dayton Volleyball Team's Rachel Krabacher Named Volleyball Player of the Week
Sophomore Outside Hitter Given First Weekly Honor Of The Season
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Dayton volleyball sophomore outside hitter Rachel Krabacher became the third different Flyer in three weeks to be named Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, sharing the award with Xavier’s Michelle Matia.
In two sweeps of La Salle and Charlotte, Krabacher recorded a .486 hitting percentage with 20 kills to help 17th-ranked Dayton clinch the 2010 Atlantic 10 regular season title – its eighth in program history – and remain undefeated in league play.
The Cincinnati, Ohio native had one of the most accurate weekends of her career, starting off with eight kills on 11 attempts without an attacking error for a .727 hitting percentage against La Salle on Friday, Nov. 5. She followed that stellar performance with 12 kills on a .385 hitting percentage against Charlotte, adding two blocks and nine digs to lead the team with 15.0 points. Krabacher was also consistent from the service line with a weekend total of three aces and no service errors.
It is the first Atlantic 10 weekly award for Krabacher since earning Rookie of the Week three times last season.
Matia recorded a .595 hitting percentage and averaged 3.43 kills per set in Xavier’s two road wins over the weekend. Joining Krabacher and Matia on the weekly honor roll are Defensive Player of the Week Ashley Gaillot of Saint Louis, and Rookie of the Week Hannah Kvitle of Duquesne.
For three consecutive weeks Dayton volleyball has had three different student-athletes named Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week. Before Krabacher’s honor on Tuesday, senior setter Jessica Yanz earned the award on Oct. 26 and senior middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier was named Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 2.
No. 17 Dayton (22-3, 13-0 A-10) concludes the conference regular season schedule this weekend with Fordham on the road and Saint Louis at home. This Friday UD travels to the Bronx to face the Rams at 5 p.m. ET, and on Sunday Dayton volleyball will honor six seniors in the last home match of the regular season at the Frericks Center beginning at 2 p.m. ET against the Billikens.
Before the match on Sunday Head Coach Kelly Sheffield will conduct the last ‘Chalk Talk’ of the season in the adjacent Frericks Center PAC Room 201-B.
Duke Volleyball Team: Kellie Catanach Named National Volleyball Player of the Week
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke junior Kellie Catanach, who was named ACC Volleyball Player of the Week on Monday, has been named the National Player of the Week by CollegeVolleyballUpdate.com (CVU.com), the website announced on Tuesday.
Catanach, a 6-foot-2 setter, led Duke (21-4, 13-2 ACC) to back-to-back sweeps over N.C. State and North Carolina last weekend that propelled Duke into first place in the ACC. The junior captain averaged 11.17 assists, 2.00 kills, 2.33 digs and 1.67 blocks for the week while directing Duke to a .342 team hitting percentage.
Catanach was dominant in both matches, tossing up 33 assists on Friday as Duke posted a season-high .360 hitting percentage against N.C. State. She followed that performance with 34 assists, eight kills and a .476 hitting percentage on Saturday against North Carolina, which entered the weekend as the top defensive team in the ACC.
Catanach leads the ACC and ranks 22nd nationally with a career-high 11.26 assists per set. In her third season as Duke’s starting setter, she has Duke ranked 18th in the country with 14.23 kills per set, 21st with 13.21 assists per set and 38th with a .253 hitting percentage. She also ranks third all-time at Duke with 3,733 career assists.
Catanach and the Blue Devils will continue their quest toward the program’s 11th ACC Regular Season Championship this Friday and Sunday, November 12-14, against Boston College and Maryland. Duke currently holds a one- game lead over North Carolina (21-7, 12-3 ACC) for the top spot in the ACC.
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Samford sophomore Alexis Bauer Named SoCon Defensive Player Of The Week --- Bauer is the fourth Bulldog to earn weekly league honors --- Nov. 6, 2010 SPARTANBURG, S.C. ---- Samford sophomore Alexis Bauer has been named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week for her performance last weekend against Western Carolina and Appalachian State, the league office announced Monday evening. The players of the week are voted on by the conference office. Bauer, a native of Floyds Knobs, Ind. posted back-to-back 20-dig matches last weekend. The libero helped lead the Bulldogs to a 1-1 record on the weekend, as they clinched a spot in the Southern Conference Tournament. Bauer leads the team in digs with 399 on the year, already surpassing her total of 396 from last season with one more regular-season match and the conference tournament still to play. She is 18 digs away from second place on the Samford single-season digs record list. Bauer is the fourth Bulldog to earn a weekly honor this season and the first to garner the Defensive Player of the Week award. Hillary Fountain earned the Offensive Player of the Week honor in week two while Elizabeth Neisler earned it last week. Katie Murphy has won the Freshman of the Week honor twice this season, once in week one and then again in week seven. The Offensive Player of the Week award went to Cole Dawley of College of Charleston. Dawley, a senior from Charleston, S.C., helped lead the Cougars to a 3-0 record on the week, including a 3-1 win over division foe Georgia Southern. Against the Eagles, the setter notched 46 assists, four kills, six digs and one block. It was Georgia Southern’s first loss at home all season. In the match, Dawley had a hitting percentage of .398. Also against the Eagles, she passed the 3,500 mark for career assists and now has 3,535. College of Charleston also defeated The Citadel, where Dawley had 34 assists in the sweep, and Davidson, where she averaged 12.3 assists per set. The SoCon’s Freshman of the Week award went to Furman setter Sarah McCarthy. The Villa Park, Ill., native helped the Paladins to a 2-0 record on the week with wins over Wofford and UNC Greensboro. McCarthy had 24 assists and seven digs in Furman’s 3-1 win over the Terriers. She posted a double-double with a team-high 21 assists and 13 digs in the Paladins sweep over UNCG, and is currently second for Furman with 433 assists on the season. She was also named Freshman of the Week in the second week of the season. Also nominated for Offensive Player of the Week were Appalachian State’s Alison Blasingame, The Citadel’s Jessica Maas, Davidson’s Hayley Lawson, Elon’s Caroline Lemke, Furman’s Caroline Adams, Georgia Southern’s Kate Van Dyke, UNCG’s Ariel Newman, Samford’s Casey Garvey, Chattanooga’s Courtney Barnes and Western Carolina’s Amanda Chaparro. Nominated for Defensive Player of the Week were Appalachian State’s Caroline Sedon, College of Charleston’s Paige Johnson, The Citadel’s Rachael Farrell, Davidson’s Jennifer Chamblee, Elon’s Megan McMahon, Furman’s Natalie Braun, Chattanooga’s Paula Passmore and Western Carolina’s Morgan Cochran. Nominated for Freshman of the Week were College of Charleston’s Madelyn McGinnis, The Citadel’s Erin Bucherl, UNCG’s Kellie Orewiler, Samford’s Katie Murphy, Chattanooga’s Andrea Johnson and Western Carolina’s Morgan Cochran. *** SAMFORD BULLDOGS ***
Oregon State Volleyball Team Falls in Four to No. 23 Arizona Tucson, Ariz. – Senior Jill Sawatzky (St. Andrews, Manitoba) recorded her ninth double-double of the season with a match-high 22 kills and 10 digs, but the Oregon State volleyball team (8-19, 1-12) couldn’t stop the No. 23 Arizona Wildcats (18-7, 7-5), falling in four on Saturday evening. Set scores were 17-25, 19-25, 25-22, 24-26. “In sets three and four, we really played well, sustaining our attack and playing in system,” head coach Taras Liskevych said. “We sided out and hit well, and we dug the ball better. We served the ball tough, but had some untimely misses, letting Arizona off the hook in the fourth on missed serves. Great job by Jill Sawatzky and Mona Kressl, and I thought Dre attacked well. And we got the most play out of Martie Massey that we have this season, and Kaitlan Locke did a good job setting while we were running the 6-2.” Senior Kaitlan Locke (West Linn, Ore.) and sophomore Megan McBride (Auburn, Wash.) shared the setting duties through the first two sets before transitioning back to a 5-1 offense. But despite having three front row attackers at all times, the Arizona offense was able to find the floor more than the Beavers to take the 2-0 advantage. Coming out of the break, the change paid off with the Beavers leading by as many as eight at two different times. Despite a late run by the Wildcats, Oregon State held on to win narrow the margin to 2-1 behind Sawatzky’s strong play all around, ending the set with her third ace of the match. Arizona and Oregon State tied things up 15 times in the fourth set, trading seven leads with neither team putting together more than a three point lead. With the score tied at 23 all, the Beavers reached set point first, but Arizona scored the next three straight points to take the fourth set and match, despite Sawatzky’s nine kills in the set alone. Freshman Becky Defoe (Bend, Ore.) dug up a team-high 11 balls, while freshman Mona Kressl (Langenzenn, Germany) posted a team-high three blocks to lead the defense. Arizona’s Tiffany Owens paced the Wildcat offense with 19 kills, while libero Candace Nicholson had a match-high 14 digs. Oregon State returns home to host No. 20 Oregon in the final Civil War match of the season on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The match will be televised via tape delay on FSN. Oregon State Notes – Senior Kaitlan Locke set a new career best for assists with 12 … Senior Jill Sawatzky tied her season best for aces with three; Sawatzky recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 22 kills, 10 digs … Sophomore Martie Massey set a new career-high for digs with six. Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. You can make an “everyday champion.” Follow Beaver Athletics on twitter.
Auburn volleyball team: Tigers Battle No. 1 Florida To Five Sets, But Fall 3-2
AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball team had the nation’s top-ranked team Florida on its heels, but a big Gator push lifted No. 1 Florida to a come-from-behind 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11) win Sunday afternoon at the Student Activities Center. The match marked the second time in the series history that Auburn has taken Florida to five sets.
“I’m really proud of the team,” head coach Wade Benson said. “We really threw ourselves out there, played hard and were consistent. We wanted to play our style of volleyball and we forced Florida to adjust to us. This was a real positive match for us and we hope that people will now recognize that Auburn has become a great volleyball program.”
Auburn (17-11, 8-8 SEC) was led by sophomore Sarah Bullock who finished with a career-best 20 kills. She also tallied 17 digs in the match to record her eighth double-double of the year. Senior Morgan Johns had 14 kills, while classmate Alyssa Davis had six. A trio of Tigers in senior Jonelle Wallace, junior Kelly Fidero and freshman Camila Jersonsky recorded five kills on the day.
Senior libero Liz Crouch had a team-best 18 digs for the Tigers. Junior Christina Solverson had 30 assists and eight digs, while freshman Chelsea Wintzinger tallied 20 assists and six digs. Davis and Johns finished with four blocks each and Bullock and Jersonsky each had three blocks on the day.
Florida (22-1, 15-0 SEC) had three Gators finish with double-digit kills. Callie Rivers had a team-best 15 kills, while Lauren Bledsoe Kelly Murphy had 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Tangerine Wiggs had a match-high 10 blocks and libero Erin Fleming recorded 21 digs for the Gators.
A service ace by Crouch and a Gator attack error gave Auburn a quick 2-0 lead in the first set. A kill by Solverson and by Bullock pushed the Tigers to a 7-5 advantage. A 4-1 Auburn run gave the Tigers a 12-7 lead and another rally gave Auburn its largest lead at 19-13. However, Florida, down four at 22-18, utilized a 7-1 rally to take the set 25-23.
Kills by Johns and Bullock highlighted the start of set two as Auburn took a 4-1 advantage. A Gator kill cut the Tiger lead to one at 10-9, but a 5-2 Auburn rally gave the home team a 15-11 lead. A kill and service ace from Davis and a kill by Katherine Culwell pushed Auburn ahead six points at 19-13. Kills by Johns and Bullock solidified the 25-18 set-two win.
The third set opened with the Tigers taking a 5-2 lead and kills by Johns and Davis put Auburn ahead at 8-4. A 5-2 Tiger run pushed Auburn to a 16-11 advantage, but the Gators fought back to come within a point at 18-17. A pair of kills by Fidero gave the Tigers a 20-17 lead, but once again Florida came back and locked the set at 21-21. Auburn, however, closed out the set on a four-point rally to win 25-21.
Florida held a slim margin at the start of set four until a pair of kills by Davis tied the set at seven. The Gators, however, rallied on an eight-point run to go up 15-7. The Tigers would not go away as the team used a 10-3 run to come with a point a 19-18. A Gator kill put the visitors up at 23-20, but a Florida service error and a service ace from Fidero set the score at 24-23 in favor of Florida. The Gators closed out the set on a kill to win 25-23.
In the fifth and final set, a pair of kills by Bullock put the Tigers up 4-2 early and a Gator attack error gave Auburn a 7-5 advantage. Florida responded with a five-point run to take a 10-7 lead, but a kill by Johns and a service ace from Solverson brought Auburn within a point at 12-11. The Gators pushed to close out the set on a 3-0 run to win 15-11.
Auburn closes out its home schedule on Nov. 14 when SEC West foe Ole Miss comes to town for a 1:30 p.m. match. The Tigers will honor their five seniors prior to the match.
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Alix Klineman had 15 kills Sunday as the No. 3 Stanford Cardinal swept the No. 7 USC Women of Troy (25-19, 25-21, 25-19) in Pac-10 Conference action. Klineman hit .433 to help Stanford complete the two-match season sweep while adding 11 kills to snap USC’s six-match win streak.
Stanford (20-2, 11-2) hit .360 for the match and had strong performances from Cassidy Lichtman (24 assists, six kills, six digs, hitting .312), Hayley Spelman (11 kills, hitting .318) and Carly Wopat (seven kills, hitting .778, two aces).
Sophomore opposite Katie Fuller had nine kills and hit .350 for the Women of Troy (20-4, 9-4) while Lauren Williams posted seven kills and a .385 hitting clip.
In the first set, Stanford snapped a 13-13 tie with a mini 6-2 run with Gabi Ailes putting them ahead by four on a service ace. Williams brought USC within three at 20-17, but Wopat and Klineman chipped in kills as the Cardinal finished the set win. The visiting Trojans hit a match-high .406 in the second set, but it was still the Cardinal that made the key plays for the 2-0 match lead. Klineman and Spelman went back-to-back to break the 14-14 tie as Stanford rattled off seven straight points.
The Cardinal wore down the Trojans with a 10-4 run midway through the third set to finish the sweep and Rachel Williams and Jessica Walker stuffed an attempt from Falyn Fonoimoana.
USC returns home to finish the home portion of its 2010 regular season schedule next weekend. The Women of Troy hosts Arizona on Friday (Nov. 12) and Arizona State on Saturday (Nov. 13) with a 7 p.m. start for both matches and a live video webcast on usctrojans.com.
Team: USC STAN 1 .270 .351 2 .406 .364 3 .077 .367 Match .241 .360
USC head coach Mick Haley’s post-match quotes
“(Stanford) was just better organized and our team didn’t play good volleyball today. We didn’t reduce our errors and we couldn’t do anything in transition. Our defense really hurt us today. We were terrible in the third set with a slew of errors. We couldn’t adjust to their ball movement.”
“We have to keep working to play better volleyball. We just have to be more disciplined. We just need some fresh air and get back to the gym tomorrow and come back next weekend.”
UMKC Volleyball Team Falls To Oral Roberts In Tulsa
Tulsa, Okla. -- The UMKC volleyball (9-19, 6-10) team dropped its match with Oral Roberts (12-12, 10-6) on Sunday afternoon, 3-1, at the Aerobics Center. Offensively, junior Kelsey Knoche finished with a team-high 11 kills, while Kayla Riggs led the 'Roos defensive efforts with 17 digs.
The 'Roos took the early lead in the match with a 25-21 first set win behind a four-kill effort from Knoche. Senior Holly Schmidt added six assists in the set.
The Golden Eagles however, would respond with three straight wins, taking the second set 25-18, the third set 25-14 and the fourth set 25-20.
In the match, Knoche, Elizabeth Beck, Christiana McQuin and Demetria Williams all recorded three blocks, while Schmidt finished with 15 assists and Ella Meier 13.
UMKC will be back in action again on Thursday when they host IPFW at 7 p.m. at the SRC.
BATON ROUGE – Madie Jones racked up 10 of her match-high 18 kills during sets three and four to propel the No. 16 LSU volleyball to a 3-1 triumph over Ole Miss [23-25, 25-15, 28-26, 25-21] Sunday at the Maravich Center. “We moved Madie [Jones] to create a more [opportunities] for her,” head coach Fran Flory said. “She’s getting some nice swings on the right side. She’s able to get some seams because we’re creating more with our middles. Certainly when you have in-system swings, those are the ones you expect to have put away, but those are also the ones Ole Miss did a great job in defending. I think that was a great performance by Madie.” With the victory, LSU (22-2, 13-2 SEC) grabbed the momentum in the SEC Western Division race and extended its lead to 2.5 matches over the Rebels (17-8, 11-5 SEC). The Tigers also won their 11th straight match at home to start the 2010 season. LSU’s defense was all over the court and limited Ole Miss to a paltry .111 hitting percentage. Lauren Waclawczyk secured a match-best 20 digs and pushed her double digit digs streak to 11 matches. The San Antonio, Texas, native also reached the 20-dig plateau for the sixth time in 2010. Meghan Mannari reeled in a career-best 17 digs, while Sam Delahoussaye picked up 15 scoops. The duo has contributed a combined 21 double figure dig efforts for the season. “The fact that we were able to handle, match and better Ole Miss’ defense is great,” Flory said. “They’re the best defensive team in the league. They dig more hard driven balls. I’m really proud of our defensive effort in my mind was the determining factor in this match.” Angela Bensend tallied 16 digs to go along with 14 kills en route to her seventh double-double of the season. Michele Williams chipped in 10 kills followed by Desiree Elliott’s eight kills and six blocks. Tania Schatow continued her strong play and equaled a season-high seven kills on a .538 hitting clip in addition to five stuffs on the defensive end. Brittney Johnson handed out 47 assists and added nine digs to fall just short of her 10th double-double. The first set featured 12 ties and four lead changes as either team could build more than a three-point advantage. Tied at 18-18, the Rebels received back-to-back Whitney Craven and Allegra Wells kills couple with block on Bensend to go ahead 21-18. After a LSU timeout, the Tigers charged back to one point on four separate occasions, the latest at 24-23. Miranda Kitts powered home a critical sideout to hand Ole Miss a 25-23 win. “We were having a really hard time communicating with each other and that’s something we weren’t doing,” Jones said. “We weren’t motivating each other on the court. We weren’t telling each other what we were seeing across the net so I think that’s one big adjustment we really made. We all stepped up in our own way, and we were able to come out and finish the match.” LSU raced out to a 4-0 lead to start set two behind strong defense, which forced Wells into three consecutive attack errors. Ahead 13-10, the Tigers ran off six of the next seven points to take control of the frame sparked by a pair of kills from Bensend and Williams. A Schatow kill up the middle closed out the 25-15 victory and evened the match at a set apiece. Out of the locker room, Ole Miss jumped out a quick 4-1 spread aided by a trio of LSU hitting miscues. The Rebels maintained that lead for a majority of the frame. Down 23-22, Jones cranked consecutive spikes to turn the tables and vault LSU to a 24-23 lead. The two teams traded five sideouts before Elliott belted back-to-back kills that ended long rallies to secure a gritty 28-26 win. “It felt really good because in practice we practice tight games,” Schatow said. “It felt good to be in a tight game situation and finish.” LSU battled back from a 17-15 deficit in the fourth set behind eight quick points on Mannari’s serve. Bensend kickstarted the rally with three kills and Elliott tacked on two blocks to make it 23-17. The Rebels fought back to 24-21, but Williams clinched the 25-21 victory with a sideout spike. “We didn’t have good tempo, we didn’t have good rhythm and Benny [Bensend] managed that really well,” Flory said. “She got really frustrated through the middle [of the match] but then showed great senior leadership in the end and came through when we needed her to.” LSU heads into the home stretch of the regular season and meets No. 22 Tennessee for a rare Friday afternoon tilt in Knoxville. First serve is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT. Live stats are available on LSUsports.net inside the Geaux Zone. Fans also can follow live in-match updates on the team's official blog at http://lsuvolleyball.posterous.com.
Samford University Volleyball Team Falls In Road Battle At Appalachian State
--- Bulldogs’ fight not enough to overtake Mountaineers --- Nov. 7, 2010 BOONE, N.C. ---- The Samford University volleyball team fell in a hard-fought battle Sunday afternoon at Appalachian State in the Bulldogs’ final road match of the 2010 season. Samford dropped the match, 3-1, and moves to 14-15 overall and 8-7 in Southern Conference play. Appalachian State improves to 16-9 overall and 9-5 in league play. The win for Appalachian State moves the Mountaineers into a tie for first place in the North Division with Elon. Samford moves to third place with an 8-7 record above UNC Greensboro who fell to Furman and Elon this weekend. The loss snapped a three-match win streak for Samford, matching the longest streak for the Bulldogs this year. The Bulldogs dropped the first two sets, 25-20, before taking the Mountaineers to extra play in the third set. Samford won the third set, 29-27, but fell in the fourth set, 25-21, after losing a back-and-forth battle. Allie Bettinger led the Bulldogs against the Mountaineers, tallying 16 kills while also grabbing seven digs. Lauren Hutchinson followed with 15 kills, posting two block assists, a solo block, two digs and an assist as well. Lyndsey Holt posted her fourth double-double of the year, tallying 11 kills and 14 digs while also adding three block assists. Katie Murphy led her team in blocks with three solo blocks and five block assists. She also added eight kills. Casey Garvey posted her fourth double-double of the season, her second straight, with 50 assists and 11 digs. Alexis Bauer led in digs with 20 against the Mountaineers, and also added three assists. Hillary Fountain posted four kills and 11 digs while also adding three assists and a block assist. Samantha Bland also added six digs and an assist while Taylor Palmer had two kills and a block assist. Five Mountaineers posted double digits in kills against Samford. Caroline Sedon and Alison Blasingame posted 14 kills each while Maggie Seeds, Lauren Swecker and Anna Wagner each had 10 kills. Seeds hit a team-high .421 attack percentage, committing only two errors on 19 swings. Kasey Sauls dished out 29 assists while Lauren Brown had 23. Swecker, one of three Mountaineers with a double-double, and Courtney Rhein led ASU with 18 digs while Wagner posted 16 digs and Brown had 11. Blasingame led her team in blocks with six block assists and two solo blocks while Seeds grabbed four block assists and Sedon had five block assists. Samford will be back in action this Friday, Nov. 12, as it closes out the regular season at home against Georgia Southern. The match will begin at 6 p.m. in the Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs will honor their three seniors – Bland, Fountain and Gadberry – before the match begins. Appalachian State 3, Samford 1 Appalachian State opened the match with a kill and two blocks to take a quick 3-0 lead in set one. Hutchinson finally got Samford on the board with a kill but the Mountaineers came back with an 8-4 run to take an 11-5 lead and force Samford to take an early timeout. The Bulldogs came back with a kill by Bettinger and Samford fought to cut the lead to two on kills by Bettinger and Hutchinson. With a 14-12 lead, ASU called a timeout. A block out of the break by Hutchinson and Holt got the Bulldogs within one point but a 6-2 run by the Mountaineers pushed the lead back out to five. Trailing 20-15, Samford called a timeout, but ASU extended its lead to seven on a kill and a Samford error out of the break. However, with a kill by Holt, a Mountaineer error and two kills by Bettinger, Samford climbed back within three points. However, ASU called its final timeout and it would be the Mountaineers who would take set one, 25-20. A Samford error got ASU on the board first in set two but Samford answered back with a kill by Hutchinson to even the score. It was a back-and-forth game with the score tied at each point until ASU took a 9-8 lead and Samford took a timeout. Four straight Samford errors out of the break gave the Mountaineers a five-point lead but after serving four straight points, Wagner served up an error and cut the lead to four again. ASU pushed its lead out to as much as six points and Samford fought to get within four twice on a kill by Palmer and a block by Murphy and Garvey, but the Mountaineers went on to win set two, 25-20. Blasingame knocked down a kill to get ASU on the board first in set three but Bettinger answered with a kill of her own to even the score. The score was tied three more times until Samford took a four-point lead on two errors by Swecker and two kills by Bettinger. ASU called a timeout but Samford continued on to extend its lead to seven with two kills by Hutchinson and a block by Murphy. With a 4-0 run, the Mountaineers cut the Samford lead to four and the Bulldogs called a timeout. Samford regained its four-point lead with an ASU error but the Mountaineers fought back to get within one on two Bulldog errors and a kill by Sedon. Samford called another timeout but ASU came back with a kill to tie the score at 19. From then on, it was a tight game with the score tied at each point and the lead changing back and forth. With back-to-back kills from Murphy, Samford took a 26-25 lead and ASU called a timeout. The Mountaineers came back to tie the score at 26 and at 27 but a block by Murphy and Garvey and a kill by Hutchinson gave Samford the 29-27 win of set three. Hutchinson knocked down a kill to give Samford the first point of the fourth set, but ASU came back with four straight points to take a 4-1 lead. Samford called a timeout and the Bulldogs came back to tie the score at four with a kill by Bettinger, a block by Hutchinson and a kill by Fountain. The Mountaineers played Samford close for a while before the Bulldogs took off with a 5-1 run to take a four-point lead. With Samford leading 15-11, ASU called a timeout and came back to cut the lead to two. Samford tried to keep its lead but the Mountaineers came back to tie the score at 20 with a three-point run that included back-to-back kills from Meghann Forshey. Samford called another timeout but ASU came back and took the lead, going on to win the final set, 25-21, on a 5-1 run. *** SAMFORD BULLDOGS ***
NO. 22 University of Tennessee Volleyball Team Lady Vols Collects fourth Straight Sweep With 3-0 Win At Mississippi State STARKVILLE, Miss. – The 22nd-ranked University of Tennessee volleyball team picked up its fourth straight sweep and matched its longest winning streak of the season with its sixth consecutive victory by making quick work of Mississippi State, 25-17, 25-18, 25-15, Sunday afternoon at the Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville, Miss. The victory improves the Orange and White’s overall record to 21-5 this season, including a 12-4 mark in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, fall to 12-14 on the year and 4-11 in league action. “A Sunday match on a long road trip like this is tough, so I’m really proud of our team,” UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. “I told them in the locker room after the match that they played gritty today. It might not have been our prettiest or cleanest match, but I really thought that they were very gritty. “Our serving was really on, which helped us keep Mississippi State off balance and away from what they wanted to do offensively throughout the match. Overall, I was very pleased with how our team competed today, which is what we needed to do on Mississippi State’s home court.” Tennessee’s balanced attack was on full display once again as it had six players record at least four kills for the sixth straight contest and 16th time this season. Junior Kayla Jeter led the way with a match-high 11 kills on .450 hitting, in addition to tallying four blocks, three digs and an ace. Just behind her was sophomore DeeDee Harrison who pounded out 10 putaways on just 13 swings for a stellar .615 attack average to go along with a pair of blocks. Rounding out the offensive effort, seniors Nikki Fowler and Leah Hinkey had six kills each, sophomore Leslie Cikra picked up five and freshman Kelsey Robinson had four. Pacing the offense were setters Emily Steinbeck and Kylann Scheidt who distributed 15 assists each. Defensively, Hinkey topped all players with five blocks in the contest, while Robinson finished with a match-best 15 digs. Fowler scooped up 11 Bulldog attacks as well. The Lady Vols shook off a few rough points to start the match before using a 14-4 run to take full command of the frame which they eventually won, 25-17. Seven different UT players recorded kills, led by three from Cikra as the Big Orange out-hit the Bulldogs, .310 to .088. MSU came out of the corner swinging, scoring the first three points of the contest. The Lady Vols weren’t about to back down from the challenge though, immediately grabbing the lead back with four consecutive points of their own, taking advantage of a pair of State miscues and getting a kill by Cikra and a block by Jeter and Hinkey. Although the Bulldogs stopped that spree with a kill, UT picked up right where it left off with Jeter blasting out a cross-court shot from the outside, Fowler and Hinkey joining forces on a monstrous block and an MSU attack error putting the Orange and White ahead 7-4. Following another State kill, Tennessee continued to extend its lead by winning six of the next seven scores. Fowler kept the momentum on UT’s side of the net with a pair of putaways, sandwiched around a kill by freshman Carly Sahagian. Just seconds later, the Big Orange tallied three more points with a hammer by Harrison, an ace by Fowler and a sharp, cross-court laser by Cikra, to jump out to a 13-6 advantage. Mississippi State would not get closer than four scores the rest of the way as Tennessee cruised to a first-set victory. The Lady Vols closed out the frame strong, finishing on a 4-1 spree that featured kills from Robinson and Harrison and an ace by Robinson on a beautiful jump serve that landed in front of the Bulldog libero. A timeout just two points into the second set served as a wake-up call for the Big Orange which responded in strong fashion, dominating play for the rest of the frame as it took a two-set lead into the intermission with a 25-18 triumph. Jeter was the team’s top offensive weapon during the stanza, hitting .364 with five kills and recording two blocks. After two sloppy plays to open the frame, Patrick decided he had seen enough and called a timeout to get his troops refocused. The tactic worked like a charm, as his squad responded with five consecutive points to take a 6-1 lead. Following the timeout, Jeter notched a kill from the outside to kick-start the run which also included a blast by Hinkey, two MSU attack errors and a block by Hinkey and Jeter. Just a few moments later, Mississippi State would tally a trio of scores to move within two at the 7-5 mark, but the Lady Vols were able to answer with a cross-court laser off the right hand of Fowler, a solo stuff by Cikra and another Bulldog miscue to regain their five-point advantage at 11-6. MSU continued to put forth a strong effort, however, inching its way back into striking distance. With the scoreboard reading 18-16 in UT’s favor, the Orange and White effectively put the frame away by going on a four-point tear that saw Harrison simply take over. After dropping a hammer down the left-side line, the Nashville, Tenn., native recorded a solo block to force Bulldog Head Coach Jenny Hazlewood to burn her second timeout. Following the short break, Jeter opened play back up with a tip over the block on the outside before Harrison crushed out a pair of kills over the next three plays to put Tennessee up 23-17. A kill by Hinkey and a block by Jeter and Hinkey would account for the final two UT scores of the stanza. The Lady Vols wasted precious little time racing out to a quick lead in the third set and never looked back as they led wire-to-wire in a 25-15 triumph to finish off the road sweep. The Big Orange was running at full speed offensively, hitting .500 as a team with 16 kills and just two errors on 28 attacks. Harrison paced the effort with five putaways on six attempts for a .667 attack average. The frame opened with three consecutive UT points, thanks to a Bulldog attack error and back-to-back hammers by Hinkey and Jeter. The Lady Vols kept padding their lead until really putting their foot down with a 4-0 spurt that allowed them to double up MSU at the 14-7 mark. Jeter was all over the court during the run, collecting a pair of kills from the outside and helping Hinkey stuff a right-side attack from State. A Hazlewood timeout would turn the tables momentarily as her team proceeded to rattle off five scores in a seven-play span, but kills by Fowler and Robinson, sandwiched around a Bulldog ball-handling error, effectively thwarted their comeback attempt and put UT up 19-12. Just a few minutes later, following MSU’s second timeout, the match turned into the “DeeDee Harrison Show” yet again as she accounted for five of UT’s final six points with a quintet of kills to bring her match total to 10. Tennessee will now return home for its final two matches of the 2010 campaign. The Lady Vols will open against No. 16 on LSU Friday, Nov. 12, at 3:30 p.m., before hosting Arkansas at 2 p.m. two days later. Prior to the match against the Razorbacks, which will be televised live on Comcast Sports Southeast, UT will honor its three seniors in a “Senior Day” ceremony. For the most up-to-date information on the Lady Vol volleyball team, make sure you follow @UTLadyVols and @UTVolleyball on Twitter.
