Volleyball Voices

Week 11: No. 4 Washington Huskies Volleyball Women Host No. 5 Stanford, No. 13 Cal

Week 11: No. 4 Washington Huskies Volleyball Women 

Host No. 5 Stanford, No. 13 Cal

SETTING THE SCENE
It's a battle for first place in the Pac-10 as 5th-ranked Stanford visits the 4th-ranked Washington volleyball team this Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. Saturday night features another critical match-up with UW hosting 13th-ranked California, also at 7 p.m. Both matches are at Bank of America Arena and Friday's match will be televised on a delayed basis by FSN.

The Huskies (19-2, 9-2 Pac-10) have a one-game lead over the Cardinal (15-6, 8-3) in the conference standings, but Stanford took the first meeting between in the teams last month in Palo Alto, coming back from 2-1 down for a 3-2 victory that was UW's first loss of the season.

Washington will be televised in each of the next three weeks by FSN. After the Stanford match, UW's Nov. 14 road match vs. UCLA will be broadcast, as will the Nov. 21 home match against WSU.

 

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
Washington got back to its road warrior ways with two big wins over the Arizona schools last weekend. Friday night, UW went up against the 18th-ranked Wildcats, and after stumbling in the first set, the Huskies rallied for a 18-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-19 victory that snapped a two-match road skid. Jill Collymore had a great all-around effort with 14 kills, 13 digs, four blocks and an ace. Kindra Carlson had 18 kills and Airial Salvo had her seventh double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs. With a team-high 18 digs, Tamari Miyashiro passed Oregon's Katie Swoboda for second on the Pac-10 career digs list with 2,213. The Huskies then completed a season-sweep over the Arizona schools with a 3-0 win at Arizona State on Sunday afternoon. Washington pulled out two close first sets then rolled in the third, 25-23, 28-26, 25-18. Carlson had a career-day with 24 kills over just three sets. Her kills total was two more than her previous career-best and the most by a Husky this year. Salvo also notched a season-high 18 digs.

 

ALL HOME MATCHES ARE ONDEMAND
If you miss any of Washington's home matches this year, or just want to relive the action or a particular play, remember that every match is available to watch on Comcast OnDemand. The video is taken from the GoHuskies.com live stream with all the accoutrements of your typical television broadcast. To find the Huskies, start under "Get Local" or "Sports & Fitness" then "Local Sports" followed by "UW" and then "Volleyball."

 

THE RACE HEATS UP
Now just seven matches remain in the regular season and the Pac-10 slate, and the race for the conference crown continues to escalate with each passing week. At 9-2, the Huskies currently have a one game advantage over Stanford and UCLA, both at 8-3. The Bruins moved to second with a 3-2 win at Stanford last weekend. California is alone in fourth with a 6-5 mark and Oregon is fifth at 5-5. The Huskies are seeking their first Pac-10 title since 2005. Stanford has won the past three titles with UW as runner-up each year. Washington has not lost more than three Pac-10 matches since 2003.

 

UW WINS IN AND OUT OF CONFERENCE
With a 10-0 run through its non-conference schedule, the Huskies ran their record against non-conference foes to 86-5 since the beginning of the 2003 season. That adds up to a .945 winning percentage out of the Pac-10. All five losses have been five-set nailbiters as well. Though its not as if UW has been shabby in league play either. Starting in 2004 when the Huskies won their first Pac-10 title, they have gone a combined 87-14 (.861) in conference matches and finished no worse than a tie for second.

 

SCOUTING THE CARDINAL
Stanford had its three-match win streak snapped in a 3-2 home loss to UCLA last Saturday. It was the Cardinal's first home loss and dropped them into a tie with the Bruins for second in the Pac-10. Stanford gave UW its first set losses and first loss of the year back in Palo Alto, pulling out a five-set thriller. Senior middle blocker Janet Okogbaa did the most damage in the match, with 21 kills on a .528 hitting percentage. Okogba ranks third in the Pac-10 in hitting with a .379 mark and is second in blocks with 1.33 per set. Junior libero Gabi Ailes has also been playing at a very high-level with 5.87 digs per set in conference play. She had 25 vs. UW. Two-time All-American junior Alix Klineman ranks sixth in the Pac-10 with 3.96 k/s and her 358.0 points lead the Cardinal. Freshman setter Karissa Cook has taken over the starting job and averages 8.57 assists/set. Stanford won the serve/receive battle in Palo Alto, out-acing UW, 4-3, and committing just four serve errors while UW had 17. The Cardinal rank fourth in the conference with a .263 hitting percentage and have allowed opponents to hit .207, ranking eighth. Stanford is just 3-4 in true road matches thus far.

 

ABOUT THE SERIES
The Cardinal have taken the last four meetings against the Huskies, and lead the all-time series, 45-9. Stanford took the first match this year in five sets, coming back from 2-1 down. The Dawgs' last win came in Palo Alto back in 2007, when they pulled out a five-set thriller. Washington's last home win over Stanford came in 2006 in three sets.

 

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
The Bears split its home matches last weekend against the L.A. schools, falling to UCLA in four sets but bouncing back to defeat USC in four sets. At 6-5 in conference Cal is alone in fourth-place. The Bears are leading the Pac-10 in hitting percentage in Pac-10 matches, one percentage point ahead of UW at .278. Senior Hana Cutura is the Pac-10 leader in kills and points per set with 5.03 and 5.52 respectively. Senior middle blocker Mindi Wiley is fourth in the league with a .379 attack percentage and averages 1.10 blocks. She hit .538 vs. UW with nine kills in the first meeting in Berkeley. Washington swept Cal earlier this year with both offenses firing on all cylinders. UW hit .490 while Cal was at .349 for the match. Cal's Correy Johnson had seven kills on 10 swings and no errors. The Bears are 1-3 in Pac-10 road matches but did earn a 3-2 win over No. 3 Hawai'i on the road back in early September.

 

ABOUT THE SERIES
Home court has not meant much to the Huskies and Bears over the last two years, though UW hopes to change that this weekend. The visiting team has swept the home team in the last three meetings. Cal spoiled UW's Pac-10 home opener last year with a 28-26, 25-22, 25-23 win, but Washington turned the tables in Berkeley, winning 25-17, 27-25, 25-29, and then posted a 25-16, 25-22, 25-23 win in Berkeley in October. The Huskies lead the all-time series, 29-23 and has won nine of the last 11 meetings.

 

HUSKIES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Huskies moved back up into the No. 4 spot in this week's AVCA poll, trading places with Stanford which was 1-1 last week while the Dawgs were 2-0. UW was third for much of the year until suffering its first loss at Stanford. Penn State remains No. 1 and Texas No. 2, with Hawai'i third and Stanford and Illinois tied for fifth. Washington is also fourth in the Volleyball Magazine poll this week. The Huskies are now 8-1 against ranked opponents. Nine Pac-10 teams are currently in the Top-25 or receiving votes. After UW and Stanford, UCLA continues to climb up to No. 7 this week, followed by No. 13 California, No. 14 Oregon, No. 17 USC, No. 18 Arizona, and No. 24 Washington State. Oregon State is receiving votes. One impressive rankings-related note is that Washington, Penn State, and Nebraska are the only three teams to have been ranked in the Top-10 by the AVCA every week for the past five years. All three teams were last out of the Top-10 in December of 2003.

 

RECORDS WATCH
Senior libero Tamari Miyashiro took down the Washington record for digs at Oregon State, surpassing All-American Candace Lee (2,038; 2002-05) in the first set. The Kaneohe, Hawai'i native is now up to 2,233 career digs and just passed Oregon's Katie Swoboda (2005-08) for second in Pac-10 history. Only Arizona State's Sydney Donahue (2004-07) owns more digs with 2,385. Miyashiro succeeded Lee at the libero position, giving Husky fans eight-straight seasons of historically outstanding defensive play. A two-time National Defensive Player of the Year, Miyashiro broke the digs record despite the switch to 25-point sets last season. She also continues to lead the digs per set career list with 5.42. Miyashiro has also moved up to sixth all-time in sets played with 412, having just surpassed Makare Desilets (404; 1994-97) and former National Player of the Year Sanja Tomasevic (393; 2002-05). Also climbing the career Top-10 list is junior setter Jenna Hagglund, who at the Tampa Twice Tournament became the fourth setter in school history to pass 3,000 career assists, and passed the 3,500 mark last weekend. Hagglund passedGretchen Maurer (1999-02) for third on the Husky all-time list and now has 3,586. Also worth keeping an eye on is the impressive hitting of sophomore middle blocker Bianca Rowland. Currently hitting .451, Rowland is on pace to surpass the season attack percentage mark set last year by Jessica Swarbrick at .427. Senior Jill Collymore also cracked the Top-10 in career aces this season, and is now ninth with 110 service winners. Senior Airial Salvo also recently became a member of the exclusive 1,000 kills-1,000 digs club adding in her two years at Utah. Salvo now has 1,343 kills and 1,093 digs.

 

NEXT UP
Washington makes its final road trip of the regular season, heading to Los Angeles to take on 17th-ranked USC and 7th-ranked UCLA. The Huskies will battle the Trojans first on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m., then face the Bruins on Saturday, also at 7 p.m. The UCLA match will be televised by FSN.

 

Week 11: Saint Louis Billikens Women's College Volleyball News: Five Seniors to be Honored Prior to Billiken Blue Out vs. Xavier

Saint Louis Billikens Women's College Volleyball News

This Week: No. 21 Saint Louis continues its Atlantic 10 Conference schedule with a 6 p.m. (CT) match at Charlotte Friday, Nov. 6, followed by the “Billiken Blue Out” against Xavier Sunday at 1 p.m. at Chaifetz Pavilion. The Billikens (17-6, 10-1 A-10) will don blue jerseys on Sunday and fans are encouraged to wear blue as well. During Senior Day festivities prior to Sunday’s match, SLU will honor Whitney Behrens, Bridget Fonke, Sammi McCloud,Whitney Roth and Sally Warning.       

For Tickets: Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Chaifetz Arena box office, by phone at (314) 977-4SLU or online at www.slubillikens.com. On match days, tickets will be available only at the entrance to Chaifetz Pavilion. Ticket prices are $7 for adults, $5 for youth. Groups of 20 or more receive discounted tickets for $3 apiece. Students with a valid SLU ID card receive free admission. All seating is general admission.  

Following the Action: SLU’s home matches will be video streamed live through Billiken All-Access at www.slubillikens.com. Subscriptions are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month. Gametracker for all home matches will also be available free of charge on Saint Louis’ web site. 

Last Week: Saint Louis swept Duquesne on the road last Thursday before returning to Chaifetz Arena, where it swept Fordham approximately 24 hours later. The Billikens, who have posted sweeps in 15 matches this season, moved into a tie with Dayton atop the A-10 standings by virtue of the Flyers’ loss at Xavier last weekend.  

Seniors Leave Lasting Mark: SLU’s five seniors have piloted the Billiken volleyball program to numerous milestones over the last four seasons. As freshmen in 2006, they led SLU to its first Atlantic 10 volleyball regular-season title, A-10 Championship crown and NCAA Tournament appearance. They helped christen Chaifetz Arena with a win over No. 3 Stanford on Sept. 6, 2008. That team went on to win A-10 regular-season and tournament titles en route to a second NCAA Tournament berth. SLU also went 13-0 in league play in 2008, earned the program’s first national ranking, was awarded the 13th seed overall in the NCAA Tournament and won the program’s first NCAA Tournament match. Additionally, the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association recognized the 2008 squad as the “All-Sports Trophy Champion”, designating it as the top I-AAA women’s volleyball program in the country during the 2008-09 academic year. In 2009, the squad has been in the AVCA Top 25 all season.         

About the Billikens: Saint Louis has won 13 of its last 14 matches. Senior right-side hitter Sammi McCloud leads the Bills and is tied for second in the A-10 with 3.59 kills per set, while senior outside hitter Bridget Fonke has a team-high 30 service aces in addition to 3.23 kills per set, the fifth most in the league. Senior setter Whitney Roth directs the offense with a league-best 11.01 assists per set and is second on the team with 2.75 digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Deno and McCloud are tied for the team lead with 44 blocks apiece. Five Billikens are averaging at least 2.35 digs per set, with senior liberoWhitney Behrens leading the way with 3.14 digs per set.

About the 49ers: Charlotte (15-12, 6-5 A-10), which SLU swept at Chaifetz Pavilion Oct. 11, has dropped five of its last seven matches heading into Friday’s contest against the Billikens. Freshman outside hitter Jenna Litoborski, who did not play in the Oct. 11 tilt, paces the 49ers with 2.50 kills per set, while fellow rookie outside hitter Bianca Rouse adds 2.45 kills per set. Meanwhile, sophomore setter Sheri Davis dishes out a team-high 8.50 assists per set. Senior libero Kaitlin Knight leads the squad and ranks fifth in the A-10 with 3.88 digs per set in addition to contributing a league-best 0.45 service aces per set. Three 49ers add nearly 1.00 block per set apiece. Junior middle blocker Kara Raker paces the club with 0.94 blocks per set, while senior middle blocker Jennifer Webb and junior right-side hitter Kat Hicks each contribute 0.89 blocks per set as Charlotte leads all A-10 teams with 2.25 blocks per set. The 49ers also lead the league with 1.59 aces per set. Head coach Chris Redding is 42-42 in his third season at Charlotte, 86-121 in seven seasons overall. Saint Louis, which leads the series 14-7, has won all five meetings since both schools joined the A-10 in 2005.       

   

About the Musketeers: Xavier (16-10, 8-3 A-10), which the Billikens swept in Cincinnati Oct. 16, hosts Fordham Friday before traveling to St. Louis for Sunday’s match. The Musketeers, who are holding league foes to an A-10-low .148 hitting percentage, have won their last three matches, including a 3-2 win against Dayton last week. A pair of seniors lead the XU offense, with outside hitter Kelly Ruth posting 2.61 kills per set and right-side hitter Hillary Otte chipping in 2.49 kills per set. Junior setter Claire Paszkiewicz collects a team-high 9.76 assists per set and is second on the team with 24 service aces, while junior outside hitter Shannon Voors paces the club with 25 service aces. Freshman libero Stephanie Vorherr, a three-time A-10 Defensive Player of the Week, ranks second in the league with 4.45 digs per set. Xavier’s top defender at the net is sophomore middle blocker Michelle Matia, who compiles 0.89 blocks per set. Floyd Deaton is 407-244 in 20 seasons at the helm of the Musketeer program. SLU, which has won the last four meetings between the teams, leads the series 15-10.  

A-10 History: The Bills have been extremely successful in conference play since joining the A-10 in 2005. Saint Louis, which captured regular-season crowns in 2006 and 2008, owns a 50-13 (.794) conference ledger. Saint Louis’ winning percentage is tops among current A-10 programs. Last season’s 13-0 record marked the first time since 1997 that a team had finished the league slate unbeaten.    

Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes is in her sixth season at Saint Louis with a 120-60 (.667) career ledger. The 1998 Louisville graduate enjoyed her winningest campaign as a head coach in 2008 when she guided the Bills to their second A-10 West regular-season crown, their second A-10 Championship title and NCAA Tournament bid, and the first unbeaten conference slate since 1997. Kordes earned CVU.com (Collegiate Volleyball Update) National Coach of the Year honors and was named AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year last season. In 2006, she led SLU to its first NCAA Volleyball Tournament appearance after her squad captured its first A-10 Championship crown and tied for the A-10 West regular-season title. Kordes is only the second coach in program history to earn more than 100 victories at SLU. The 2006 and 2008 A-10 Coach of the Year is joined on the sideline by assistant coaches Kyle Walton and Angela Powers, volunteer assistant Corey Arbini and director of volleyball operations Andy Halaz. 

Roth & Roll: Against Temple Oct. 25, senior Whitney Roth, two-time A-10 Setter of the Year, became just the fourth player from a current A-10 program to compile 5,000 career assists. Roth, whose 11.01 assists per set rank 29th in the NCAA, is the only setter in school history ranked among SLU’s career top 20 in assists, service aces, digs and block assists. Early last season, she became the program’s all-time assist leader and has nearly 2,000 more assists than the player in the No. 2 spot. She is 16th on the career digs list (914), tied for 16th on the career block assists chart (155) and tied for 20th with 78 career aces.  

She’s a 10: Senior Sammi McCloud, the reigning A-10 Player of the Year, has worked her way into SLU’s career top 10 in five statistical categories. She ranks sixth with 1,348 kills, ninth with 236 block assists and 257 total blocks, and 10th with 1,067 digs and 110 service aces. The only other players in Billiken history ranked among the top 10 in each of those five categories are Colleen Hunter (1999-2002) and Julie Tretten (1994-97). Additionally, McCloud is just the fifth player in program history who is a member of the 1,000-kills and 1,000-digs clubs.   

Can You Dig It?: Senior Whitney Behrens became the program’s career digs leader at Fordham Sept. 26. SLU’s digs standard is 1,570 and counting. Behrens eclipsed Irene Haugh’s mark of 1,474 career digs, which had stood since 1990.  

Bridget’s Breakthrough: Senior Bridget Fonke, a 2008 A-10 first-team selection and a two-time A-10 Offensive Player of the Week this season, became the 11th member of SLU’s 1,000-kill club Sept. 19. On the Billikens’ career charts, she is ninth with 1,149 kills, fifth with 140 service aces and 14th with 40 block solos. Fonke needs just six aces to move up to the No. 2 spot on the career aces list.

20-20 Vision: Seniors Sammi McCloud and Whitney Roth became members of SLU’s 20-20 club at Dayton Oct. 17. McCloud posted a season-high 20 kills to go with a career-best 21 digs. Roth turned in a season-high 66 assists along with her career-best 26 digs. Senior Bridget Fonke is the only other current Billiken who has achieved the feat. In the 2008 NCAA Tournament vs. Michigan, Fonke collected 26 kills and a career-high 25 digs. 

Around the A-10: As of Nov. 1, Saint Louis ranks first among A-10 teams with a .273 hitting percentage, 13.89 kills per set and 12.52 assists per set. SLU’s hitting percentage is 12th in the nation. The Bills are also third in the A-10 with 1.51 aces per set and have held their foes to the third-lowest hitting percentage (.184). Individually, four players rank among the top 10 in the league statistically. Whitney Roth leads the league with 11.01 assists per set, while Whitney Behrens is 10th with 0.26 service aces per set. Sammi McCloud is tied for second with 3.59 kills per set, third with 4.28 points per set, tied for fifth with a .313 hitting percentage and tied for sixth with 0.30 service aces per set. Bridget Fonke is third with 0.40 aces per set and fifth with 3.87 points and 3.23 kills per set.   

Conference Call: In A-10 matches, the Billikens are hitting at a league-high .317 rate with conference bests of 14.61 kills, 13.00 assists and 1.56 service aces per set. SLU is also holding its opponents to the second-lowest hitting rate in the league (.150). Three starters and libero Whitney Behrens rank among the top 10 in the A-10 statistically. Whitney Roth leads all players with 11.73 assists per set,  while Behrens is tied for fourth with 0.36 aces per set. Sammi McCloud is second with 4.06 kills and 4.91 points per set, fourth with a .379 hitting percentage, sixth with 0.33 aces per set and seventh with 0.85 blocks per set.Bridget Fonke is second with 0.47 aces per set, fifth with 4.17 points and 3.47 kills per set and seventh with a .320 hitting percentage.

A Formidable Foe: After playing one of the toughest schedules in the country in 2008, Saint Louis is at it again in 2009. The Billikens took on five teams ranked among the nation’s top 15 in the first three weeks of the season. SLU faced top-ranked Penn State in the Active Ankle Challenge during the season-opening weekend. At the Hawaiian Airlines Classic Sept. 3-6, the Bills battled No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Hawai’i and No. 10 California. Saint Louis played No. 14 Illinois Sept. 12 in the State Farm Classic. All five of those teams are among the Top 20 in the latest NCAA RPI report released Nov. 2. SLU is No. 32 on that list, while A-10 foe Dayton is listed at No. 28.   

On the Go with Gaillot: Sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Gaillot will keep a blog this season called “On the Go with Gaillot” at www.slubillikens.com. Her blog will provide fans with a weekly behind-the-scenes look at the 2009 Billiken volleyball team. 

Week 11: UC Irvine Women's College Volleyball News

UCI ENTERTAINS REDHAWKS, MATADORS: UC Irvine (17-6, 7-4
Big West) hosts Seattle in a midweek, non-conference match Tuesday
(Nov. 3) and then resumes Big West action against Cal State Northridge
Saturday (Nov. 17). Both matches will be played at Crawford
Court and are slated to start at 7:00 p.m.

ANTEATERS IN THE STANDINGS: After losing a pair of Big West
matches last weekend, the Anteaters slipped to fourth in the conference
standings at 7-4. UC Davis is the league leader at 9-2 with UC
Santa Barbara sitting second at 8-3. Long Beach State is third with a
7-3 mark while Pacific is fifth in the conference at 6-5. Cal State Fullerton
is 4-6 (6th) while Cal State Northridge is a win behind the Titans in
seventh (3-6). UC Riverside (2-9) and Cal Poly (2-10) round out the
standings at eighth and ninth, respectively.

WINKLER DIGS INTO MATCH RECORDS: Libero Kristin Winkler
(Los Altos/St. Francis HS) amassed a career-high 30 digs against Pacific
last week, tying the No. 5 spot in the UCI match records. Winkler,
who shares the spot with Devon Sutherland (2007), totaled a personalbest
for the second straight week, erasing her previous high of 26 digs.
Winkler then added a team-high 17 digs against UC Davis and now
tops the team with 357 and a 3.97 average. She also had a pair of service
aces and is tied for second on the team with 24.
Winkler needs six scoops to take over the No. 10 spot in the season
annals. Former Anteater Alison Bantel totaled 362 digs in 1993.

HAUSER REGISTERS CAREER-HIGH: Alexandra Hauser (Chino
Hills/Ayala HS) also recorded a career-high mark for the second consecutive
week as the sophomore totaled eight block assists against
the Tigers Saturday. Hauser also put away seven of 16 attempts with
no errors for a .438 average. Against UC Davis, Hauser tied for the
team-high with five blocks and now tops the team with 84 block assists
on the season and is three shy of breaking into the UCI season records.
Alumna Kris Roberts currently holds the No. 10 spot with 87
block assists.
Hauser is currently averaging 0.99 blocks on the season and is fourth
on the team with 123 kills.

PESTOLESI, PIGGOTT LEAD ANTEATERS IN KILLS: Kari Pestolesi
(Huntington Beach/Edison HS) and Juliane Piggott (Newport Beach/
UCLA) led the Anteaters offensively last weekend. Pestolesi pounded
22 kills against the Aggies, hitting .228 for the match to go with two
service aces and eight digs.
Pestolesi and Piggott each had 14 kills in the loss to the Tigers. Pestolesi
added 10 digs for her 38th double-double of the season while
Piggott registered a service ace and chipped in a pair of
blocks and three digs in the effort.
Pestolesi tops the team with 339 kills and a 3.85 average.
She is also first in aces with 33 and second in digs with
317. Piggott is second in kills with 261 and sits fourth in
blocks (43), aces (19) and digs (155).

CROPPER PUT IN ERROR-LESS EFFORT: Riley Cropper
(Seal Beach/Alamitos) recorded her fifth match of the
season without an error Friday. The junior middle blocker
totaled seven kills on 20 attempts for a .350 hitting percentage
and was her second straight match without a
miscue.
Cropper is hitting .321 to sit second on the team and is
third in kills (139) and second in blocks with 55.

PESTOLESI IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Pestolesi’s two
aces against UC Davis gave the outside hitter 108 on the
season, moving her to eighth in the career annals and
overtaking Brooks Witt’s (1997-2000) four-year total of
107. Alumna Devon Sutherland (2005-08), who is currently
playing professionally in Switzerland, is seventh
with 115.
Pestolesi also combined for 18 digs in two matches to
take over the eighth spot in career digs with 1,014 to surpass
Scotleen Risley’s mark of 1000 digs, set from 1989-
92.

BUMP IN THE ROAD: The Anteaters lost two straight
matches for the first time this season and have dropped
to 4-5 in road contests. Last season, UCI experienced a
similar bump during the conference schedule, losing
back-to-back matches against Cal State Fullerton and
Pacific but responded by going on a 10-2 tear to finish
out the year.

ALL ABOUT SEATTLE: UC Irvine will meet Seattle University
for the first time this season Tuesday. The
Redhawks are 6-19 overall and snapped a four-match
losing streak with a 3-2 win over Montana State before
falling to Cal State Bakersfield, 3-1.
Seattle is led by Cristina Richards, who has 307 kills on
the season and a 3.49 average. Richards also tops the
team with 58 blocks and 21 aces. Emily Deleissegues is
the team-leader in digs with 344 while Jamie Mellies
paces the team in assists with 749.

ABOUT THE MATADORS: Cal State Northridge is 7-16
overall and 3-6 in the Big West. The Matadors play host
to UC Santa Barbara in league action Tuesday prior to
traveling to UCI Saturday.
Angela Hupp leads the team with 294 kills and a 3.20
per-game average. She is also second in assists with
223, third in digs with 201 and third in blocks with 79.
Tela Burnett owns the team-high in blocks with 95 while
Sam Orlandini has 26 aces to lead the team. Monica
McFarland has 332 digs and is averaging 3.73 per set to pace
the Matadors.

THE SERIES: The two teams are tied at 19-19 in the series
records. UCI came away with a 3-1 win against the Matadors
earlier in the season.

UCI IN THE BIG WEST: UC Irvine is second in aces (1.45) and
third in hitting percentage (.237). The team is also third in digs
(15.25), fifth in assists (12.15) and climbed to No. 6 in blocks at
1.96.
Alexandra Hauser (Chino Hills/Ayala HS) moved one spot up to
No. 2 in hitting percentage at .344 while Cropper is fifth with
a .321 hitting percentage. Pestolesi is fourth in kills (3.85), aces
(0.38) and ninth in digs (3.60). Robertson is sixth in assists at
9.84 and 10th in aces at 0.27. Winkler, one of two freshmen in
Big West’s top 10 in digs, is fifth with a 3.97 average.

ANTEATERS IN THE NATION: The Anteaters are 41st in the
country with a .739 win-loss percentage. UCI is 57th in hitting
percentage, 74th in aces per set, 86th in assists and 95th in kills.
Pestolesi is ranked 48th in points average (4.49), 64th in kill average
and 76th in aces per set.

WEEKLY WRAPUP: The Anteaters went 0-2 on the road last
week, falling 3-1 to both UC Davis and Pacific. Pestolesi led the
team against the Aggies with 22 kills and two aces while Piggott
chipped in nine kills, an ace and tied for the team-high with
five block assists as UCI out-blocked UC Davis, 9.5-6. Robertson
had 45 assists, eight digs and three blocks while Hauser
put up five blocks and six kills.
Pestolesi and Piggott put away 14 kills apiece in the effort
against the Tigers with Pestolesi and Larissa Nordyke
(Honolulu, HI/Punahou HS) each registering 10 digs. Hauser
had another solid effort with seven kills and a career-high eight
blocks while Winkler led all players with a personal-best 30
digs. Robertson handed out 40 assists to go along with five
kills, six digs and three blocks.


Paula Weishoff
1st season
Three-time Olympian
Paula Weishoff is in her
first season as the head
coach of the UC Irvine
women‘s volleyball program.

Prior to joining UC Irvine, Weishoff served the past five
seasons as head coach at Concordia University, Irvine,
where she was the winningest coach in school history,
boasting a 146-33 (.816) record. She guided the Eagles
to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) national finals twice and the semifinals on two
other occasions in her five years at the university. Weishoff
was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 2008 after
leading Concordia to a 31-6 overall record and the national
championship match.

She coached 10 NAIA All-Americans, including 2008 firstteam
selections Traci Weamer and Stephanie Scheele,
and 16 of her players were named to the All-Golden State
Athletic Conference team during her tenure at Concordia.
This past summer, Weishoff joined head coach Hugh
McCutcheon’s staff, serving as an assistant coach on the
U.S.A. Women‘s National Team for the Pan American
Cup.
She was part of three Division I national titles at USC -
one as a player in 1980 and two as an assistant coach
(2002 and 2003). She coached at USC from 1997-04,
serving as the primary recruiting coordinator before being
promoted to associate head coach in 2003. Weishoff was
inducted into the USC Hall of Fame in 2005.

Weishoff competed for the U.S. Olympic women‘s volleyball
team in 1984, 1992 and 1996. She led the team to a
silver medal and was named Most Valuable Player with
the ’84 team in Los Angeles. She was also voted the
USOC Female Volleyball Athlete of the Year. Weishoff
captured a bronze at the `92 Games in Barcelona where
she was voted the MVP of the Olympic Games.
Weishoff was inducted into the USA Volleyball Hall of
Fame in 1998 and received the All-Time Great Player
Award that same year. She was named to the USA Volleyball
75th Anniversary All-Era (1978-2002) Team in
2003.

Following her competitive career, Weishoff returned to
USC and graduated in 2000 with a bachelor‘s degree in
humanities and a minor in business.

BY THE NUMBERS
DOUBLE-DIGIT KILLS
2009 CAREER
Kari Pestolesi 19 70
Juliane Piggott 13 13
Riley Cropper 3 3
Larissa Nordyke 3 6
Alexandra Hauser 2 2
Taylor Smith 1 1
Alexandra Filkins 1 10
Taryn Robertson 1 1
McCall Miller 21

20+ KILL MATCHES
2009 CAREER
Kari Pestolesi 5 13
Juliane Piggott 1 1
McCall Miller 1

DOUBLE-DIGIT DIGS
2009 CAREER
Kari Pestolesi 18 61
Kristin Winkler 18 18
Taryn Robertson 5 23
McCall Miller 3 20
Juliane Piggott 5 5
Larissa Nordyke 2 4
Lauren Souto 1 1
Alexandra Filkins 7

20+ DIG MATCHES
2009 CAREER
Kristin Winkler 4 4
Kari Pestolesi 2 5
Taryn Robertson 1
McCall Miller 1

50+ ASSIST MATCHES
2009 CAREER
Taryn Roberson 2 26

3+ SERVICE ACE MATCHES
2009 CAREER
Kari Pestolesi 4 13
Taryn Robertson 2 6
Kristin Winkler 2 2
Juliane Piggott 2 2
Larissa Nordyke 1
McCall Miller 1
Riley Cropper 1

DOUBLE-DOUBLES
2009 CAREER
Kari Pestolesi 17 57
Taryn Roberson 6 24
Juliane Piggott 4 4
Larissa Nordyke 1 1
McCall Miller 11
Alexandra Filkins 3

.400+ HITTING PERCENTAGE (MIN. 10 TA)
2009 CAREER
Riley Cropper 7 10
Alexandra Hauser 6 8
Taryn Robertson 6 15
Juliane Piggott 3 3
Alexandra Filkins 1 9
Larissa Nordyke 1 2
Taylor Smith 1 1
Kari Pestolesi 1 4

09 Women’s Volleyball 09 3 NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES Women’s Volleyball
A Look At The Record Book

Career Assists
1. Ashlie Hain (2001-04)................................5698
2. Taryn Robertson (2006-present) ..............4632

Career Kills
1. Kelly Wing (2001-04).................................2267
2. Popi Edwards (1992-95)............................1590
5. Kim Collins (1987-90)................................1280
6. Kari Pestolesi (2007-present)....................1203

Career Attempts
1. Kelly Wing (2001-04).................................5596
2. Lauren Kellerman (2005-08) .....................4612
5. Brooke Witt (1997-2000) ...........................3298
6. Kari Pestolesi (2007-present)....................3292

Career Aces
1. Kelly Wing (2001-04)...................................172
2. Gina Elchuck (1981-84)...............................142
7. Devon Sutherland (2005-08) .......................115
8. Kari Pestolesi (2007-present)......................108

Career Digs
1. Devon Sutherland (2005-08) .....................1756
2. Kelly Wing (2001-04).................................1280
7. Kim Collins (1987-90)................................1026
8. Kari Pestolesi (2007-present)....................1014

Week 11: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Women's College Volleyball News: Panthers Start Stretch Run By Hosting Wright State, Cleveland State

Panthers Start Stretch Run By Hosting Wright State, Cleveland State
UWM looks to extend four-match winning streak

WEEK #11
Nov. 6 - Wright St. - 7 pm
Nov. 7 - Cleveland St. - 4 pm


Weekly Coach Johnson Podcast -
https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/kjoc/public/johnsonshow112.mp3

Panther Points
. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team returns to
the Klotsche Center for its final four matches of the regular season. This
weekend, UWM hosts Wright State Friday night before facing league-leader
Cleveland State Saturday afternoon.

. UWM extended its winning streak to four matches with a four-set win at
Youngstown State Saturday afternoon. The Panthers avenged an earlier loss to
the Penguins and have now beaten YSU in 19 of the last 20 meetings between
the two schools.

. Milwaukee stands in fifth place in the league standings, in position to
clinch a spot in the league tournament and within two matches of third
place. The top six teams make the league tournament, which will be hosted by
the regular season champion.

Here's The Latest
. What's Up
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team begins the
month of November with home matches against Wright State and Cleveland
State.

. About The Opponent
UWM will play its final four regular season matches at home, beginning with
contests against two Ohio foes this weekend.

Wright State dropped a pair of five-set matches in Chicago this past weekend
to see its losing streak extended to seven, and the Raiders are on the verge
of being eliminated from tournament contention. But, WSU beat UWM the first
time around behind Shaunda Sandifer, who averages 3.54 kills per set while
hitting .314

Cleveland State saw its 12-match winning streak snapped in a five-set loss
at UIC Saturday but the Vikings still hold down first place in the league
standings with just two weeks to play. CSU is hitting .255 as a team and
averaged 13.86 kills per set. Individually, Beth Greulich is making a strong
case for player of the year honors, averaging 3.33 kills while hitting .343.

. The First Time Around
UWM dropped a pair of matches on its trip to Ohio in October. At Cleveland
State, Liz Fazio had 13 kills and Beth Greulich added 11 as the Vikings
captured a three-set win. Natalie Schmitting had 12 kills for Milwaukee,
which hit just .083 and committed 26 hitting errors. Then at Wright State,
Shaunda Sandifer and Becca Awaa collected 17 kills to lead the Raiders to a
four-set win. Kerri Schuh led UWM with 15 kills and a .375 hitting clip.

. Happy To Be Home
After spending nearly the entire first half of the league season on the
road, UWM is getting to enjoy its home court late in the year. Friday's
match starts a run of four-straight home contests to end the regular season
for the Panthers, who will wind up having played seven of their final eight
league matches at home. UWM was home for three days over the first seven
weeks of the season, playing four home matches in two days at the Panther
Invitational and a single home match with Youngstown State in early October.
UWM saw its 37-match home league winning streak snapped in that match with
the Penguins, but the Panthers have still won 131 of their last 150 home
matches.

. Looking Around The League
With just two weeks to play in the regular season, a lot remains up in the
air in the Horizon League. Cleveland State is in good position to win the
regular season league title but must still hold off Valpo and Butler.
Meanwhile, UIC continues to hold on to fourth place while UWM has
established itself in the fifth spot. That leaves at least three teams
fighting for the sixth and final league tournament spot, with Youngstown
State clinging to a slight edge over Green Bay and Loyola.

. About Last Week
Jena Berg had 17 kills to lead three players in double figures as UWM
claimed a four-set win at Youngstown State Saturday. Kerri Schuh added 13
kills and Maddie Sueppel 10 for Milwaukee.

. The Winning Numbers
UWM's four-match winning streak has been marked by improved play both
offensively and defensively. UWM is averaging more than 14 kills per set in
the last four matches, nearly two kills above its season average.
Defensively, the Panthers have limited their opponents to a .116 hitting
clip while averaging 22 digs per set.

. More On That Defense
UWM has always relied heavily on its defense to trigger success and the
Panthers' defense keeps getting better as the season goes along. In league
matches, Milwaukee is tops in digs per set while standing second in opponent
hitting percentage and third in blocks. Individually, Lauren Felsing leads
the league in digs with Maddie Sueppel and Natalie Schmitting ranking in top
10 in blocks.

. A Few More Notes
UWM's .206 hitting clip Saturday marked its best since the Panthers hit .216
at Loyola in September. Milwaukee's season hitting percentage is back up to
.166 ... Jena Berg has now reached double figures in kills in 16 of her last
21 matches and has 14 double-doubles in that stretch ... Kerri Schuh has
reached double figures in kills in five-straight matches, including a
collegiate-best 17 in the win over UIC Oct. 16.

On Background
. What An Opening Challenge
UWM opened the 2009 season with a pair of matches against #13 Iowa State. It
marked the first time the Panthers have ever opened a Division I season with
two-straight matches against a ranked foe. The Cyclones were able to avenge
their five-set loss to the Panthers last season in Milwaukee with a pair of
three-set victories in Ames. Iowa State has since moved into the top 10 in
the country and the Cyclones own a win at Nebraska.

. Record-Setter
One of UWM's wins this year came in impressive fashion, as the Panthers
opened the first set on a 10-0 run en route to a three-set sweep of Alcorn
State. Milwaukee hit a school-record .474 in the match, besting a .471
effort against Seneca in 1990. The win was also the 50th UWM head coaching
win for Susie Johnson.

. Block Party
Maddie Sueppel and her team each set new school records for blocking in
UWM's loss to Marquette Sept. 12. Sueppel's record-setting performance
included 19 total blocks (2 solo, 17 assists), the most by a Panther in a
match of any length in the school's Division I history. The previous high
was 17, set by Liz House during a five-set match in 1990. It also set a new
Horizon League record, and earned Sueppel league defensive player of the
week honors. UWM's 23 total blocks against Marquette was also a
school-record for a four-set match.

. Snapping A Long Streak
The one down side to the dominance of Alcorn State was the lack of dig
opportunities for libero Lauren Felsing, who saw her 61-match double-figure
dig streak snapped when she had just five digs in the contest. In fact, no
Panther reached double figures in the category and Alcorn State had just 58
attack opportunities. Felsing has been back in double figures in digs in 16
of 18 matches since.

. And More About Lauren
Lauren Felsing's defensive efforts continue to sparkle. She had 26 more digs
in the win over Youngstown State and is leading the league in digs per set
during league play.She has also passed 1,700 digs in her career, pushing her
up to second on UWM's all-time list. Becky Peters tops that list at 1,875
digs. At Green Bay in September, she collected 40 digs, a collegiate high
and a UWM record for a four-set match. She also continues to extend her
league-only streak for double-figure dig efforts. Felsing has now reached
double figures in digs in 43-straight regular season league contests. She
has also reached double figures in digs in her last five league tournament
outings, meaning she has hit double-digits in her last 48 matches against
league foes. Her play earned her Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week
honors a month ago, the fifth time in her career she has collected those
honors.

. Not Used To Being Swept
This season's three-set losses by UWM has brought to mind just how dominant
the Panthers have been in the Horizon League over the years. The sweep at
the hands of UIC Sept. 19 marked the first three-set sweep UWM had suffered
in league play since 2005, when Loyola claimed a 3-0 win over Milwaukee.
Then, the sweep Oct. 2 at the hands of Youngstown State marked the first
home sweep by a league opponent since 1995, when Butler claimed a 3-0 win
over the Panthers. And, dating back to 2002, UWM has still been swept just
five times in league contests.

. Big Crowd
The Oct. 17 win over Loyola came as part of the annual "Pink Out," with the
Panthers doing their part to raise awareness and money for breast cancer
research. Panther fans came out in big numbers for the event, with 1,037 in
attendance for the contest. That is the second-largest volleyball crowd in
school history and just the third time UWM has drawn over 1,000 fans for a
volleyball match. The other two times both came in contests with Wisconsin,
first in 1999 and again in 2007.

. Dominating The In-State Rival
The win over Green Bay Oct. 23 added to UWM's stellar record against its
in-state league rival. Milwaukee has now won 32 of the last 35 meetings
between the two schools. The run has included UWM winning streaks of nine
and 18 matches.

. Saving The Best For Green Bay
Sophomore Mary Beth O'Brien has saved her best performances for contests
against UWM's in-state rival. O'Brien tallied a collegiate-best 13 kills in
the Oct. 23 win over Green Bay, adding to the nine kills she tallied in the
win at Green Bay in September. Those two tallies mark her highest offensive
outputs of the season.

. Defense ... Defense ... Defense
UWM has been known for its tremendous defensive efforts over the years, and
the Sept. 25 win in Green Bay was no different. Milwaukee's 110 digs marked
a season high, but fell short of the school-record of 123 (set at Eastern
Illinois in 1990). Still, the tally was the most for the Panthers since
collecting 114 in a five-set win over Syracuse in 2007. Meanwhile, UWM
limiting Green Bay to a .144 hitting clip.

. High Expectations
UWM was picked to win the 2009 Horizon League championship. The Panthers,
who have won the last six regular season titles, received seven of nine
first-place votes and totaled 63 points in the poll. Valparaiso, which
finished just behind the Panthers in last year's standings, was picked
second in the poll. The Crusaders, who return league player of the year
Angie Porche, received a pair of first-place votes. Cleveland State, which
was picked to win in 2008, finished third in the poll.

. Senior Leadership
Milwaukee has a pair of seniors on its 2009 roster. Lauren Felsing has
gained a reputation of being one of the best liberos in the Midwest. In
addition to her all-league recognition, Felsing claimed honorable mention
all-region honors from the American Volleyball Coaches' Association. She was
also a three-time winner of the Horizon League's Defensive Player of the
Week award a season ago and she set a new single-season UWM digs record. She
is second on Milwaukee's all-time list, though she has closed to within 100
digs of all-time leader Becky Peters. Meanwhile, Kellye Zaporski has been a
regular at both setter and in the back row throughout her career. She began
the 2009 season with nearly 1,600 assists and also now has over 850 career
digs.

Week 11: Utah Utes Women's College Volleyball News: Utah Volleyball Prepares for Crucial MWC Road Trip

Utes have won nine of last 11 matches.

 

The University of Utah volleyball team will play a pair of crucial Mountain West Conference road matches this week. The Utes play against New Mexico on Thursday at 7 p.m., then will face TCU Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.

 

Utah has won nine of its last 11 matches and is 15-7 overall. The Utes stand third in the MWC with an 8-2 conference record and are tied with TCU in the loss column. New Mexico is 16-8 overall and 7-5 in the MWC. TCU is on a six-match win streak and is 21-5 overall and 10-2 in the MWC. The Horned Frogs host BYU Thursday at 7 p.m. CT.

 

Last Time Out: Utah earned a 3-0 win (25-16, 25-19, 26-24) against UNLV Saturday at Crimson Court. The Utes outhit the Rebels, .203 to .053, and held an 8-3 advantage in team blocks. Utah has now won 18 of its last 19 conference matches at Crimson Court.

 

Comeback Kids: The Utes have needed to stage some dramatic comebacks to claim their last two victories. In the third set of Saturday’s match against UNLV, the Rebels took the first five points and got out to a 7-1 advantage and eventually inched out to a seven-point lead at 18-11. The Utes were facing a 22-17 deficit before ending the match with a furious 9-2 rally to clinch the match with a 26-24 third-set win. Utah was down 2-0 on Oct. 23 at BYU when the third set tied at 20 points apiece. BYU scored three of the next four points to assume a 23-21 advantage, but Utah then scored four unanswered points to seize a 25-23 win. The Utes managed to hold off a Cougar rally in the fourth set to get the win and improve to 5-0 in five-set match this season and earned their first victory in 2009 after dropping the first set.

 

‘Barto’ Brings It: Junior opposite hitter Karolina Bartkowiak (Aurora, Ill.) is seventh in the MWC with 3.00 kills per set and is 10th in the league with a .286 hitting percentage. She also has 2.49 digs, 0.78 blocks, and 0.16 service aces per set.

 

Aces in the Hole: Junior libero Keisha Fisher (Ririe, Idaho) tripled her previous career high with six service aces Saturday against UNLV. Fisher now ranks 10th in the MWC with 0.23 aces per set. As a team, the Utes served a season-high nine aces Oct. 23 at BYU. Utah’s previous season high was eight, a feat it matched three times this season.

 

- UU -

Week 11: Nicholls State Colonels Women's College Volleyball News: Colonels Head to Hammond Looking to Keep Pace in Conference Standings

THIBODAUX - The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team (10-15, 4-7 Southland Conference) will look to keep pace in a crowded race for the 2009 Southland Conference Tournament when they head to Hammond to take on in-state rival Southeastern Louisiana (7-15, 3-8 Southland) for a midweek contest on Tuesday night.

The Colonels enter this week's competition currently tied for seventh in the Southland Conference standings. With five matches left in the regular season, the Colonels remain tied with Texas-San Antonio for the seventh spot for the eight-team league tournament in San Antonio two weeks from now.

Just four games separate second through eighth place in the league standings, and Southeastern remain just one game behind the Colonels, giving Nicholls a golden opportunity to help solidify a return trip to the league championship.

However, the Colonels will face a tough challenge from their nearest conference rival. The Lions came to Thibodaux on Sept. 25 and claimed a straight-set 3-0 win over the Colonels in the Southland Conference opener for both teams. This time, Nicholls will look to pick up its third win in four matches against Southeastern, and win their second match in their last three tries overall.

The Colonels head into the contest as one of the best serving teams in the league with seniors Rachel Spreen (0.43 aces/set) and Manieka Golden (0.39 aces/set) holding the first and second spots, respectively, in the league in aces.

Following Tuesday's contest, the Colonels will return to Thibodaux to host Texas-San Antonio on Friday and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday to wrap up the 2009 home schedule.

First serve for Tuesday night's match is set for 7 p.m. at the University Center in Hammond. Live stats will be available online at www.LionSports.net.

Week 11: Kansas Jayhawks Women's College Volleyball News

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Following a three-match homestand, the Kansas volleyball team (12-10, 4-8 Big 12) will hit the road for the first time in two weeks when it travels to Colorado (6-16, 1-12 Big 12) on Wednesday, Nov. 4. First serve is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. CST and will be televised regionally on FSN Rocky Mountain. Drew Gooden will be calling the action, while former Colorado volleyball coach Pii Aiu will be the color analyst and Alanna Rizzo is the sideline reporter.

 

Free live stats will be available on the KU Athletics website at www.KUAthletics.com.

 

Quick Hits

» KU is 2-0 in its last two conference road matches.

» The Jayhawks are 6-3 in matches following a loss this season.

» Kansas has hit over .200 in each of its last five matches and is averaging a .258 attack percentage in its last three contests.

» The Jayhawks are coming off their third 60-plus kill game of the season after collecting 62 versus Texas A&M. KU had a season-best 76 kills vs. Oklahoma on 9/23 and 60 vs. Creighton on 9/5.

» Following back-to-back sweeps at Kansas State and Texas Tech, Kansas recorded its first consecutive Big 12 Conference road sweeps in program history.

 

About Kansas

Kansas is 12-10 overall and 4-8 in the Big 12 following a four-set loss to then-No. 25 Texas A&M on Saturday. Junior Karina Garlington continues to pace the Jayhawk offense with the league’s fifth-best average of 3.48 kps. Since the start of conference play however, sophomore Allison Mayfield has been the team’s go-to hitter as she averages 3.62 kps, fifth in the league. Also stepping up play during Big 12 action has been senior middle blocker Brittany Williams, whose .353 attack percentage ranks third among conference players. Working behind the scenes to guide the KU offense, which is sixth in Big 12-only contests in attack percentage, assists and kills, is sophomore setter Nicole Tate. Her season average of 11.12 aps is third-best in the league and also ranks 24th nationally. Defensively, the Jayhawks are led by junior libero Melissa Manda’s 4.16 dps. Since the start of conference play, Manda is even better at 4.48 dps.

 

Up Next

The Jayhawks are next in action on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Oklahoma. Match time has been rescheduled for a 2 p.m. start. From there, Kansas returns to Lawrence to host in-state rival Kansas State on Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m.

 

 

-Go Jayhawks!-

 

Week 11: Washington State Cougars Women's College Volleyball News

No. 24 WSU Volleyball Hosts No. 13 California and No. 5 Stanford

COUGAR VOLLEYBALL PLANNING A WHITE-OUT: The No. 24 Washington State volleyball team (16-6, 5-6), coming off a pair of conference losses in the desert looks to jump back into the win column with home matches against No. 13 California (13-8, 6-5) Friday, Nov. 6, and No. 5 Stanford (15-6, 8-3) Saturday, Nov. 7…both matches begin at 7 p.m. in Bohler Gym…both matches will be webcast online live on Cougar All-Access.

 

FREE T-SHIRTS FOR WHITEOUT BOHLER THIS WEEKEND: All fans are encouraged to wear white shirts to both matches in Bohler this weekend…the first 250 fans reporting to the contest area inside Bohler Gym each night will receive a white Cougar Volleyball t-shirt…the first 1000 fans to the contest area wearing a white shirt will receive a Cougar rally towel.

 

COUGAR COACHING STAFF: Head Coach Andrew Palileo is in his second season at WSU after a highly successful tenure at South Dakota State…Palileo has a 26-25 overall record at WSU, and a 13-year career record of 265-166…associate head coach Brian Lamppa and assistant coach TeAna Tramel complete the coaching staff...Kara Kiefer is the coordinator of operations.

 

AVCA TOP 25 POLL: Washington State dropped to 24th in the Nov. 2 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Div. I Coaches Top 25 Poll…Pac-10 schools ranked this week include No. 4 Washington, t-No. 5 Stanford, No. 7 UCLA, No. 13 California, No. 14 Oregon, No. 17 USC, and No. 18 Arizona…also receiving votes in this week’s poll is Oregon State (33rd)…defending national champion Penn State is ranked No. 1…for the weekly poll, go to www.avca.org.

 

PAC-10 2009 STANDINGS (as of 11/2/09)

(Nat. Ranking)       Conference    Overall          Streak

Washington (4)                 9-2             19-2            Won 2

UCLA (7)                              8-3             18-6            Won 5

Stanford (t-5)                    8-3             15-6            Lost 1

California (13)                    6-5             13-8            Won 4

Oregon (14)                        5-5             15-5            Won 1

Washington State (24)   5-6             16-6            Lost 2

Arizona (18)                        5-6             16-5            Won 1

USC (17)                               4-7             15-8            Lost 2

Oregon State                     2-8           11-11            Lost 5

Arizona State                     2-9           12-11            Lost 1

 

WSU VOLLEYBALL WEBCASTS: WSU Sports Video Deptartment is live-streaming seven home matches this season as webcasts through the subscription service Cougar All-Access on the official WSU website, wsucougars.com…webcasts also feature exclusive audio play-by-play and color commentary from students at the renowned Edward R. Murrow College of Communication…Cougar All-Access subscribers will also be able to hear the radio broadcasts of all Cougar road matches online.

 

MEET THIS WEEK’S WSU VOLLEYBALL OPPONENTS:

ABOUT THE NO. 13 CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (13-8, 6-5): The Bears split over the weekend, losing at home to No. 11 UCLA 3-1, and defeating No. 16 USC 3-1…all eight Cal losses this season have been to teams ranked in the current poll except the opening loss to UC Irvine…California is led by 6-4 Sr. OH Hana Cutura (5.03 kps, 1st Pac-10 & 3rd NCAA; .312 hpct., 9th Pac-10, 5.52 pps, 1st Pac-10 & 4th NCAA), 6-3 Sr. MH Mindi Wiley (2.54 kps, .379 hpct., 4th Pac-10, and 1.10 bps, 8th Pac-10), 5-11 Jr. setter Cari Lloyd (11.23 aps, 4th Pac-10), and 5-6 Sr. DS/L Kristen Kathan (3.72 dps, 6th Pac-10)…Head Coach Rich Feller (204-123, 11 years at Cal; 503-290, 25 years career)…LAST TIME - Oct. 10, 2009, Cal won 3-0 in Berkeley…SERIES RECORD - California leads 31-21-1 (WSU streak -13)…in matches played in Pullman, WSU leads 13-9…last WSU defeat of Cal was Nov. 15, 2002 (3-0).

 

ABOUT THE NO. 5 STANFORD CARDINAL (15-6, 8-3* pending 11/6 match vs. No. 4 Washington): Coming off a split weekend with a win over No. 16 USC (3-1) and a loss to No. 11 UCLA (3-2)…the Cardinal are six-time national champions and 2007 and 2008 NCAA runners-up…SU is led by 6-4, Jr. OH Alix Klineman (3.96 kps, 6th Pac-10, 4.59 pps, 6th Pac-10), 6-1 Jr. OH/S Cassidy Lichtman (3.30 kps), 6-3 Sr. MB Janet Okogbaa (1.33 bps, 2nd Pac-10, and .379 hpct., 3rd Pac-10), and 5-7 Jr. libero Gabi Ailes (5.12 dps, 2nd Pac-10)…Head Coach John Dunning (254-43, 9 years at SU; 691-145, 25 years career)…LAST TIME - Oct. 9, 2009, Stanford defeated WSU 3-1 at Stanford…SERIES RECORD - Stanford leads 44-3 (WSU streak -13)…Stanford leads 20-3 in Pullman…last WSU win was Nov. 16, 2002 in Pullman (3-1).

 

COUGARS 38TH IN LATEST NCAA VOLLEYBALL RPI: In the NCAA Ratings Performance Index (RPI) for matches through Nov. 1, Washington State is ranked 38th…among Pac-10 schools listed in the top 40 are: Washington 5th, UCLA 7th, Stanford 9th, California 11th, Arizona 13th, Oregon 15th, and USC 33rd…Texas has the No. 1 ranking...RPI comes from a combination of a team’s winning percentage, its opponents’ winning percentages, and it’s opponents’ opponents’ winning percentages, with home and road contests figured into the formula.

 

MORE VOLLEYBALL POLLS: In the Nov. 2 Rich Kern (richkern.com) poll, Washington State is 25th…in the Pablo Rankings, the Cougars are 28th…the Volleyball Magazine rankings from Oct. 27 had WSU at 20th.

 

NOTEWORTHY FACTS ABOUT THE 2009 WASHINGTON STATE VOLLEYBALL TEAM:

Ø  NCAA Statistics (for matches played through 10/11) - Renee Bordelon’s 11.40 assists per set is 11th-best nationally; Cassie Robbins is 29th with 1.26 blocks per set; WSU team is 21st in kills per set (13.82), 24th in assists per set (12.74)

Ø  Diggin’ it UP! - WSU has two players in the Pac-10 top 10 for digs per set - Oceana Bush is 3rd (4.74 dps), and Kelly Hyder is 9th (3.13 dps)…as a team, WSU is 4th (16.25 dps)

Ø  Five Conference Wins - first time since 2003

Ø  Looooong time since - first time WSU has had more wins than losses at end of 1st half of Pac-10 since 1998

Ø  National news - The 2009 success of WSU volleyball was featured in a story on ESPN.com’s College Sports page Oct. 14-15 (two titles - Team Unexpected or Senior Helpers)

Ø  More National love for Cougs - Nice blurb about the Cougars at this website -www.ncaa.com/blog/2009d1wvb/2009/10/highlights-from-the-weekend-oc-2.html

Ø  Gains by Ganzer - WSU’s sophomore MB Meagan Ganzer leads the team in Pac-10 matches with 3.38 kps…she is also the team overall leader with 3.08 kps

Ø  Racking up the points - In the 3-0 win over No. 18 Arizona, WSU came from a 24-19 deficit in the third set to win 26-24

Ø  That’s service - Senior Jackie Albright served the set/match-winning ace against both Arizona and Arizona State Oct. 2&3

Ø  Triples and Doubles - WSU is 5-2 in matches where three players are in double-figure kills and 2-1 in matches where four hitters have double-digit kills

Ø  Five years between wins over ranked Pac-10 teams - Before the Oct. 2 sweep of No. 18 Arizona, the last time WSU defeated a ranked Pac-10 team was in November 2004 (3-2 win over No. 6 USC in Pullman)

Ø  Memorable Pac-10 Start - WSU 3-0 win over Oregon State in Corvallis was first time Cougs opened Pac-10 play with a win since 2003 when WSU defeated No. 16 Arizona, 3-1 in Pullman….last time WSU opened Pac-10 play with a road win was in 1997, a 3-2 win over Oregon State in Corvallis

Ø  Season record - WSU’s 2009 start of 12-0 equaled the best start since 1997 (16-0, adv. to NCAA Sweet 16)

Ø  National Poll Rankings - the 2003 preseason Coaches Top 25 poll was the last time Washington State volleyball was ranked or received votes in the poll…Cougs were 19th in that poll

Ø  Five-set Matches - WSU is 2-0 in five-set matches in 2009…in 2008 the Cougs were 5-0 in five-set matches

Ø  Another School Record - WSU hit .478 in the win over No. 17 Utah

Ø  Win Streak stopped at 14: Cougars won the final 2 matches of the 2008 season and won first 12 this season

Ø  Team Breakdown by State - 9 players from Washington, 5 from California, 1 from Idaho, 1 from Minnesota

Ø  VolleyBlog - updated on the official Washington State website,www.wsucougars.com, every week

 

PAC-10 COACHES 2009 PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Washington (90 points) was selected by the Pac-10 volleyball coaches to be the league champions in the 2009 preseason poll…poll order shows California (80), Stanford (74), UCLA (62), USC (60), Oregon (48), Arizona (42), Arizona State (34), Oregon State (31) and WSU (19)…the Pac-10 coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own teams (point system is 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2), have successfully predicted the league champion 13 of the last 20 years.

 

ATTENDANCE NUMBERS GROWING: Hawai’i leads the nation with an average of 6,363 fans (16 matches)…Washington is top Pac-10 school at 10th (2,460/6 matches)…WSU is 40th, averaging 1,049 fans in 11 home matches…UW match had 2,724 fans, 10th-best crowd in history and largest volleyball crowd since 1997.

 

MARCIA SANEHOLTZ COURT AT BOHLER GYM COUGARS HOME: The Cougars’ home court is called Marcia Saneholtz Court at Bohler Gym in honor of the 28-year administrative veteran of Cougar Athletics who retired Oct. 1, 2007…Sr. Associate Athletics Director/SWA is a long-time proponent of gender equity and a champion for all sports at WSU as well as in the Pac-10 and the nation…NACWAA president (1992-93), on the board of directors (1987-94), and named 1997 Administrator of the Year…also NAGWS Pathfinder Award in 2001 and WSU Woman of Distinction in 2003…she was added to the Inland Empire Scroll of Honor in 2009.

 

TUNE IN FOR COUGAR VOLLEYBALL ON RADIO: Cougar volleyball fans can listen to all the road contests during the 2009 season LIVE in the Palouse on KQQQ-AM radio (1150 on the AM dial)…veteran area broadcaster Steve Grubbs is the voice of Cougar volleyball for the fifth season...these road matches are also available for listening on the internet by purchasing a subscription through the Cougars All-Access button on the wsucougars.comwebsite.

 

COUGAR VOLLEYBALL ON TELEVISION: The Pacific-10 Conference will once again have LIVE broadcasts of conference volleyball matches on the FOX Sports Network throughout the 2009 season…WSU is scheduled to have one match televised this season, the Nov. 21 match at Washington…ALSO, the Oct. 10 match at California will be broadcast by Comcast SportsNet West in Northern California from Fresno to the Oregon border.

 

BORDELON PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AUG. 31-Sept. 7: Cougar senior Renee Bordelon (Coeur d’Alene) was named the Pacific-10 Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7, after earning MVP honors at Utah Valley Invite…led WSU to three sweeps, including an upset victory over Missouri, No. 17 Utah, and Utah Valley…WSU also defeated Weber State, 3-0 Monday evening…led the WSU offense to a combined .311 hitting percentage in the four victories, including a School Record .478 attack percentage in the win over Utah…for the week, Bordelon tallied 153 assists (12.75 assists per set), 11 kills and four service aces…in upset win over No. 17 Utah, registered 36 assists and five kills…this is the first weekly honor of Bordelon, WSU’s 20th Pac-10 Player of the Week and the first time a Cougar has been honored since Sept. 15, 2003 (Zanda Bautre).

 

HYDER BUILDS ON SCHOOL DIGS RECORD: Kelly Hyder (senior, Huntington Beach, Calif.) owns the WSU career digs record with 1,680 digs (114 matches, 384 sets, 4.38 digs per set average)…Hyder owns WSU single-season record with 565 digs during the 2006 season and her 2007 total of 524 digs is second-best in single-season standings…she is the seventh Cougar in school history to reach 1,000 digs in a career.

 

BUSH BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD FOR MATCH DIGS: Libero Oceana Bush (freshman, Spokane, Wash.) had a school record 39 digs in WSU’s 3-2 win over Arizona State Oct. 3 in Pullman…she wiped out the school record of 35 digs set by Jalen Pendon in 2005, ironically, also against Arizona State (Oct. 27, 2005 in Tempe)…the 5-5 Bush played outside hitter on her state championship high school team, Lewis & Clark HS…she is averaging 5.07 dps in Pac-10 matches and 4.74 dps for the season.

 

CURRENT COUGARS CLIMBING INTO WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL RECORDS:

Career Digs                                        

1.  Kelly Hyder (2006-09)                                   1680

2.  Shannon Wyckoff (1994-97)                       1254

 

Career Assists                                  

1.  Keri Killebrew (1990-92)                               4553

7.  Maureen Perez (2005-07)                           1980

8.  Renee Bordelon (2008-09)                          1709

 

Career Solo Blocks                         

1.  Carrie Couturier (1988-91)                             196

10. Jen Barcus (2002-05)                                         43

     Cassie Robbins (2006-09)                                  42

 

Career Block Assists                      

1.  Carrie Couturier (1988-91)                             421

10. Kelly Rosin (2003-06)                                      288

     Cassie Robbins (2006-09)                               270

 

Career Total Blocks                        

1.  Carrie Couturier (1988-91)                             617

10. Kelly Rosin (2003-06)                                      315

     Cassie Robbins (2006-09)                               312

 

Single Season Digs                         

1.  Kelly Hyder (2006)                                            565

2.  Kelly Hyder (2007)                                            524

10. Kristen Hovde (1991)                                      385

     Oceana Bush (2009)                                          370

 

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):

Individual Overall Matches - rank in conference, WSU player (conf. leader)

Kills - no WSU player (Hana Cutura, California 5.03 kps)

Hitting Percentage - 8th Brittany Tillman .332 and 10th Cassie Robbins .318 (Bianca Rowland, Washington .451)

Assists - 3rd Renee Bordelon 11.40 aps (Kendall Bateman, USC 12.23 aps)

Service Aces - no WSU player (Heather Meyers, Oregon 0.52 saps)

Digs - 3rd Oceana Bush 4.74 dps, 9th Kelly Hyder 3.13 dps (Tamari Miyashiro, Washington 5.26 dps)

Blocks - 3rd Cassie Robbins 1.26 bps (Amanda Gil, UCLA 1.61 bps)

Points - no WSU player (Hana Cutura, California 5.52 pps)

 

TEAM STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):

Team Overall Matches (Leader)

Kills - WSU is 6th with 13.82 kps (USC 14.84 kps)

Hitting Percentage - WSU is 6th at .244 (Washington .301)

Opponent Hitting Pct - WSU is 7th at .203 (Washington .148)

Assists - WSU is 6th at 12.74 aps (USC 14.04 aps)

Service Aces - WSU is 9th at 0.74 saps (Oregon 1.70 saps)

Digs - WSU is 2nd at 15.65 dps (UCLA 16.33 dps)

Blocks - WSU is 8th at 2.34 bps (Oregon State 2.89 bps)

 

CONFERENCE ONLY INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):

Individual Conference Matches - rank in conference, WSU player (conf. leader)

Kills - 9th Meagan Ganzer 3.38 kps (Rachel Rourke, Oregon State 5.21 kps)

Hitting Percentage - no WSU player (Bianca Rowland, Washington .396)

Assists - 6th Renee Bordelon 10.98 aps (Nevena Djordjevic, Oregon 12.82 aps)

Service Aces - no WSU player (Jill Collymore, Washington 0.45 saps)

Digs - 4th Oceana Bush 5.07 dps (Gabi Ailes, Stanford 5.87 dps)

Blocks - 3rd Cassie Robbins 1.20 bps (Amanda Gil, UCLA 1.77 bps)

Points - no WSU player (Rachel Rourke, Oregon State 5.70 pps)

 

CONFERENCE ONLY TEAM STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):

Team Conference Matches (Leader)

Kills - WSU is 9th with 13.05 kps (Oregon 14.97 kps)

Hitting Percentage - WSU is 8th at .208 (California .278)

Opponent Hitting Pct - WSU is 7th at .235 (UCLA .187)

Assists - WSU is 8th at 12.05 aps (Oregon 14.26 aps)

Service Aces - WSU is 10th at 0.65 saps (Washington 1.52 aps)

Digs - WSU is 7th at 15.52 dps (UCLA 17.62 dps)

Blocks - WSU is 7th at 2.39 bps (UCLA 2.90 bps)

 

MEET THE 2009 COUGARS:

#6 Annie Adams (OH, 6-3, Rs-SO, Crosby, Minn.) - Transferred from South Dakota State…2008 redshirt season…began 2009 season with right foot in boot after suffering a sprain in practice…played in 9 sets this season including starting at Arizona…played in 2 sets at Oregon 9/27 and had two block assists…also tallied 2 kills against No. 15 Cal…3 kills and 2 blocks at Arizona.

 

#2 Jackie Albright (OH, 6-1, SR, Lake Forest, Calif.) - 2009 tri-captain…named to Nike Cougar Invite all-tournament team…second on team with 2.88 kps and adds 2.99 dps - 10th best in Pac-10…this season, 10 matches with double-digit kills, 14 matches with double-figure digs…third on team with 3.23 points per set average…career numbers are 874 kills, 894 digs and 47 aces in 354 sets (109 matches).

 

#16 Renee Bordelon (S, 5-10, SR, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) - 2009 tri-captain…named MVP of Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite…named to Nike Cougar Invite all-tournament team…named Pac-10 Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7…had 5 kills and hit .833 vs. No. 17 Utah…career-high 12 digs vs. Idaho…12 service aces second team…3rd in Pac-10 and 10th nationally with 11.40 assists per set…two-year total assists in 1709, 8th on school assists career record list, 271 away from No. 7 spot…hitting .322, second-best on team, and contributed 34 blocks…has 10 matches where three or more hitters have double-figure kills.

 

#1 Oceana Bush (DS/L, 5-5, FR, Spokane, Wash.) - Named top libero at Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite…in first three matches of season played left front, defensive specialist and libero…set school record 39 digs in five-set match win over Arizona State 10/3 in Pullman…leads team and 3rd in Pac-10 with 4.74 digs per set…in 78 sets has landed 10 kills and 370 digs…double-digit digs in 20 of 22 matches this season with 9 digs in the other two matches…370 digs for the season, just 15 away from 10th spot on WSU season records.

 

#3 Alex Diemer (S, 5-8, SO, Rocklin, Calif.) - Transferred from Boise State in January 2009…played in 10 sets to date with 17 assists…6 assists vs. Montana State…3 assists, 1 dig and 1 block at Weber State…two digs for season.

 

#9 Meagan Ganzer (OH, 6-3, SO, Black Diamond, Wash.) - Missed 7 sets after injuring ankle in early practice but bounced back strong…leading hitter on team with 3.08 kps…leads team in Pac-10 matches with 3.38 kps, 9th best in Pac-10…second on team with 3.33 pps…had career-high 20 kills vs. Arizona State…had 19 kills against No. 7 Oregon and hit .457 in match…hit career-high .517 against Missouri with 12 kills and 0 errors on 21 attacks…had 15 kills and hit .458 in 3-0 win over No. 16 USC.

 

#18 Liz Haskey (DS/L, 5-2, FR, Puyallup, Wash.) - Newcomer from Puyallup High…has played in 7 sets with total of 6 digs…3 digs vs. UC Davis.

 

#5 Faith Hutcherson (DS, 5-3, JR, Redmond, Wash.) - Comes off the bench to provide tough serves and play defensively…played in 61 sets with 74 digs and three aces…high of 8 digs vs. Montana State.

 

#8 Kelly Hyder (DS/L, 5-9, SR, Huntington Beach, Calif.) - 2009 tri-captain…school record-holder for single season digs (565 digs, 2006) and career digs (1,680 digs)…moved into defensive specialist role this season…3.13 dps average is 9th-best in Pac-10…vs. Idaho tallied 21 digs and equaled career-best of 3 aces…12 matches with double-digit digs.

 

#4 Silver Keck (DS, 5-5, JR, Clinton, Wash.) - Joined team in Spring 2009…previously played at Edmonds CC.

 

#19 Conley Kipp (MB, 6-4, FR, Newport Beach, Calif.) - High touted freshman middle blocker from Southern California…seen action in 4 sets with 3 kills to date.

 

#12 Cassie Robbins (MB, 6-3, JR, Yakima, Wash.) - Named MVP of Nike Cougar Invite where she tallied 13 blocks (1.18 bps) and 29 kills (2.64 kps)…third on team and 10th-best in Pac-10 with .318 hitting percentage…blocks per set average of 1.26 is third-best in Pac-10 and 36th in NCAA…leads team with 3.36 points per set…98 total blocks this season…tallied 16 kills and hit .464 vs. Cal State Northridge…vs. Idaho 11 kills and career-high 11 blocks…has hit below .300 in only 5 matches this season…career numbers include 612 kills, .240 hpct., 42 solo blocks, 270 block assists, 312 total blocks in 332 sets and 103 matches played.

 

#10 Kimika Rozier (OH, 5-10, SO, Murrieta, Calif.) - Played in 6 sets to date with 3 kills.

 

#21 Brittany Tillman (MB, 6-1, JR, Tacoma, Wash.) - Named to Nike Cougar Invite and Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite all-tournament teams…leads team and 8th in Pac-10 with .332 hitting percentage…third on team with 2.47 kps…had career-high 17 kills, 19.0 points and hit .481 vs. Idaho…hit .533 against No. 17 Utah with 9 kills and one error in 15 attacks…vs. Gonzaga hit .632 (12-0-19) with 4 blocks…has 57 total blocks, second-best on team.

 

#7 Rachel Todorovich (RS, 6-2, FR, Walla Walla, Wash.) - High school setter who has found a spot as a left-handed right side hitter…named to Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite all-tournament team…against No. 17 Utah had 9 kills, 0 errors on 16 attacks for .562 hitting percentage…same day had 12 kills, 1 error, 27 attacks for .407 hpct against Utah Valley…13 kills and 5 blocks vs. Idaho…contributed 12 kills and hit .450 at No. 7 Stanford…season totals 2.21 kps (fifth on team) and .247 hpct (fourth on team).

 

#14 Tangerine Wiggs (OH, 6-2, Rs-FR, Seattle, Wash.) - Coming off redshirt season…played in 8 sets with 8 kills and 2 blocks….landed three kills at No. 15 California 10/10 with no attack errors.

 

 

WASHINGTON STATE VOLLEYBALL 2009 SUPERLATIVES Season Highs [Career Highs]

 

#1 OCEANA BUSH, DS/L

Kills: 4 vs. Montana 8/29

H.Pct: .444 vs. Montana State 8/29

Aces: 1 (three times)

Digs: 39 vs. Arizona State 10/3 SR

Total Blocks: 1 vs. UC Davis 8/28

Points: 4.0 (twice)

 

 

#2 JACKIE ALBRIGHT, OH

Kills: 18 vs. UC Davis 8/28 &

        vs. Oregon State 9/25

        [19, 2007]

H.Pct: .429 vs. Portland 8/29

        [.469, 2006 & 2007]

Aces: 2 vs. Utah 9/5 & vs. CSUN 9/11

        [3, 2006 & 2007]

Digs: 22 vs. No. 4 UW 10/23

        [24, 2008]

Total Blocks: 4 vs. Gonzaga 9/15 &

        vs. No. 7 Oregon 9/27

        [4, 2007 & 2008]

Points: 19.5 vs. UC Davis 8/28

        [20.0, 2007]

 

 

#3 ALEX DIEMER, S

Sets: 10

Kills: 0

H.Pct: 0

Assists: 6 vs. Montana State 8.29

Aces: 0

Digs: 1 vs. Weber State 9/7 &

        vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10

Total Blocks: 1 vs. Weber State 9/7

Points: 0.5 vs. Weber State 9/7

 

 

#5 FAITH HUTCHERSON, DS

Sets: 61

Aces: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29 &

        vs. No. 7 Oregon 9/27

Digs: 9 vs. Arizona 10/2

 

 

#6 ANNIE ADAMS, OH

Sets: 9

Kills: 3 at. No. 18 Arizona 10/31

Aces: 0

Digs: 1 at No. 18 Arizona 10/31

Total Blocks: 2 vs. No. 7 Oregon 9/27

        & at No. 18 Arizona 10/31

Points: 4.5 at No. 18 Arizona 10/31

 

 

#7 RACHEL TODOROVICH, MB

Kills: 13 vs. Idaho 9/11

H.Pct: .562 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5 &

        vs. Gonzaga 9/15

Aces: 1 (three times)

Digs: 7 (three times)

Total Blocks: 5 (three times)

Points: 15.5 vs. Idaho 9/11

 

 

#8 KELLY HYDER, DS/L

Sets: 77

Kills: 1 vs. Utah Valley 9/5

Aces: 3 vs. Idaho 9/11 [3, 2007]

Digs: 21 vs. Idaho 9/11 [34, 2006]

 

 

#9 MEAGAN GANZER, OH

Kills: 20 vs. Arizona State 10/3

H.Pct: .571 vs. Missouri 9/4

Aces: 0 [2, 2008]

Digs: 5 vs. Utah Valley 9/5

Total Blocks: 4 vs. Weber State 9/7 &

        Vs. No. 4 UW 10/23 [4, 2008]

Points: 20.5 vs. Arizona State 10/3

 

 

#10 KIMIKA ROZIER, OH

Sets: 6 [6]

Kills: 1 (twice) [1, 2008]

Aces: 0

Digs: 0 [1, 2008]

Total Blocks: 0 [1, 2008]

Points: 1.0 (twice) [1.0, 2008]

 

 

#12 CASSIE ROBBINS, MB

Kills: 16 vs. Cal St. Northridge 9/11

H.Pct: .562 vs. Weber State 9/7

        [.615, 2008]

Digs: 3 vs. UC Davis 8/28 [2, 2006]

Total Blocks: 11 vs. Idaho 9/11

Points: 20.0 vs. Arizona State 10/3

 

 

# 14 TANGERINE WIGGS, OH

Sets: 8

Kills: 3 vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10

Aces: 0

Digs: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29 &

        vs. Gonzaga 9/15

Total Blocks: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29            vs. Cal State Northridge 9/11

Points: 3.0 vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10

 

 

#16 RENEE BORDELON, S

Kills: 5 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5 &

        vs. Arizona State 10/3

        [5, 2008]

H.Pct: .833 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5

Assists: 55 vs. Idaho 9/11

        [64, 2008]

Aces: 2 (twice) [2, 2008]

Digs: 12 vs. Cal St. Northridge 9/12

Total Blocks: 5 vs. Idaho 9/11

Points: 7.0 vs. Arizona State 10/3

 

 

#18 LIZ HASKEY, DS

Sets: 7

Aces: 0

Digs: 3 vs. UC Davis 8/28

 

 

#19 CONLEY KIPP, MB

Sets: 4

Kills: 2 vs. Montana 8/29

H.Pct: .250 vs. Montana State 8/29

Aces: 0

Digs: 0

Total Blocks: 0

Points: 2.0 vs. Montana State 8/29

 

 

#21 BRITTANY TILLMAN, MB

Kills: 17 vs. Idaho 9/11

H.Pct: .632 vs. Gonzaga 9/15

Aces: 0

Digs: 3 vs. Utah Valley 9/5

        [3, 2007]

Blocks: 9 vs. No. 7 Stanford 10/9

Points: 19.0 vs. Idaho 9/11

 

 

WSU TEAM HIGHS 2009

Kills: 69 vs. Arizona State 10/3

Pct. .478 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5

        School Record

Assists: 64 vs. Arizona State 10/3

Aces: 6 vs. Missouri 9/4

Digs: 95 vs. Arizona State 10/3

Total Blocks: 15 vs. Idaho 9/11

Points: 83 vs. Idaho 9/11

 

 

OPPONENT TEAM HIGHS 2009

Kills: 66 No. 7 Oregon 9/27

H.Pct: .396 No. 15 California 10/10

Assists: 63 No. 7 Oregon 9/27

Aces: 8 Arizona State 10/3

Digs: 94 Arizona State

Total Blocks: 19 Idaho 9/11

Points: 86 Idaho 9/11 &

        No. 7 Oregon 9/27

 

Week 11: UT Arlington Women's College Volleyball News: UTA Opens Three-Match Homestand Tuesday

November 2, 2009

 

ARLINGTON, Texas -

 

FIRST SERVE

UT Arlington starts a three-match homestand - its final home matches of the season - on Tuesday, Nov. 3, against one of the hottest teams in the Southland Conference, Texas State. The defending regular season champs enter on a five-match winning streak, which includes winning their past three on the road. The Mavericks will continue to rely on their steady play at Texas Hall as they dropped to 0-9 on the road with a pair of losses this past weekend. UTA is 5-0 at home during Southland play and 7-3 at home overall this season.

INSIDE THE SERIES

UT Arlington and Texas State meet for the 62nd time on Tuesday with the Mavericks holding a 39-22 all-time lead in the series. The Bobcats have won the past three meetings, including the Oct. 9th matchup earlier this season in San Marcos (3-0). Last season, UTA almost pulled off the upset in Arlington, but Texas State held on for a 15-12 fifth-set victory. The Mavs hold a 15-10 lead in matches played in Arlington while UTA and Texas State have split the past four matches at Texas Hall. The Mavs are 4-8 against Texas State in the Diane Seymour head coaching era.

First Serve:  ____________ 7 p.m.

All-Time Series_ UTA leads, 39-22

Last Meeting TXST defeated UTA, 3-0

    San Marcos, Texas (10/9/09)

Arena________ Texas Hall (3,600)

Live Stats____ www.utamavs.com

Press Row       (817) 272-3795

UT ARLINGTON MAVERICKS

Overall Record: 9-14

Conference Record: 5-6

    Home Record: 7-3

    Away Record: 0-9

    Neutral Record: 2-2

    Last 5/Last 10: 2-3/4-6

Streak: Lost 2

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.utamavs.com

Head Coach: Diane Seymour

    Career Record: 90-86 (6th year)

    Record at UTA: 90-86 (6th year)

TEXAS STATE BOBCATS

Overall Record: 14-12

Conference Record: 8-3

    Home Record: 9-2

    Away Record: 3-6

    Neutral Record: 2-4

Last 5/Last 10: 5-0/7-3

Streak: Won 5

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.txstatebobcats.com

Head Coach: Karen Chisum

    Career Record: 689-446-3 (30th year)

    Record at TXST: 689-446-3 (30th year)

 

TAKING A LOOK BACK

UTA continued its struggles on the road last weekend with a pair of losses - both in three-sets - against McNeese State and Stephen F. Austin. The Mavericks are 0-9 in road contests and 2-11 in all matches played away from Texas Hall (2-2 in neutral site matches). Tara Frantz led the Mavs in kills during both matches, with 11 against McNeese State and eight against the Ladyjacks. In both matches combined, UTA allowed its opponent a .269 hitting percentage compared to its meager .134 clip.

ON THE HORIZON

The Mavericks will close their home schedule this week with matches against Sam Houston State (Nov. 5 - 7 p.m.) and Lamar (Nov. 7 - 4 p.m.). Sam Houston State enters the week on a 10-match win streak while Lamar is 7-3 in its last 10 matches.

UTA SITS FOURTH IN THE WEST; TIED FOR SIXTH IN THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE

Despite two losses over the weekend, UTA remains in fourth place in the SLC West and tied for sixth place in the 12-team SLC. It looks to be a race between Central Arkansas (12-0) and Sam Houston State (11-1) for the SLC crown, while Texas State (8-3) and SFA (7-4) are next in line.

 

HOW THE WEST WILL BE WON

UT Arlington has five regular season matches remaining, all coming against Southland Conference Western Division opponents. The Mavs went 3-3 against SLC Eastern Division teams, with a 3-0 record at home and a 0-3 record on the road. UTA went 2-3 against West opponents the first time through, with victories at home over UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and will losses against their next three home opponents (Texas State, Sam Houston State, Lamar). If the playoffs started today, UTA would be the sixth seed in the SLC Tournament. The Mavs and McNeese State are currently tied at 5-6, but with the Cowgirls victory over the Mavs they would be the fifth seed. In addition, Central Arkansas, the league leader (12-0), will not be eligible for postseason play due to its last season of NCAA Division I transition period.

HOME SWEET HOME

It isn’t difficult to find where the Mavs have had success this season - AT HOME. UTA is 5-0 at home during SLC play and 0-6 on the road. The Mavericks have their toughest homestand coming up this week as Texas State, Sam Houston State and Lamar - the top three teams in the SLC West - have a combined 27-8 SLC record and 46-32 overall record. Those three teams also have a respectable 10-14 combined record on the road.

 

MAVERICKS 5-0 AT HOME IN SLC PLAY FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2006

UT Arlington continued its winning ways at home with a five-set victory over Nicholls on Saturday, Oct. 24. The win made the Mavericks 5-0 at home during SLC play - which is the first time UTA has accomplished that feat since 2006, when the Mavs started 7-0 at home against SLC opponents.

 

FIVE-SET SUCCESS

UT Arlington improves to 3-1 this season in five-set matches with a victory over Nicholls. The Mavericks are now 17-6 in five-set matches since 2006. UT Arlington is 21-11 during the Diane Seymour head coaching era, which began in 2004.

5-SET RESULTS (since 2004)

Years         5-Set Record

2009........................... 3-1

2008........................... 3-4

2007........................... 4-0

2006........................... 7-1

2005........................... 1-3

2004........................... 3-2

 

 

SHEARIN HAS STREAK SNAPPED, HITTING .321 IN SLC

Emily Shearin had her streak of nine consecutive matches with at least a .200 hitting percentage snapped last Friday against McNeese State in Lake Charles. Shearin hit .083 (5 kills - 4 errors - 12 attacks) against the Cowgirls but then bounced back hitting a team-high .357 (7 kills - 2 errors - 14 attacks) against SFA. Shearin is now hitting .321 in SLC play to lead the Mavs. In SLC play, Shearin currently ranks second in the league in blocks per set (1.33) and fifth in hitting percentage (.321).

 

MAVS SET SCHOOL RECORD WITH ONE ATTACK ERROR - 4TH TIME IN NCAA HISTORY

UT Arlington made school history on Wednesday night committing just one attack error in a three-set victory over Northwestern State. It is also a Southland Conference record and is the only one-attack error match this season in the NCAA. The previous school record was three attack errors, set by the 1985 Mavericks in a three-set win over North Texas (Sept. 25, 1985). In addition, it is only the fourth time in NCAA history that a team has had only one attack error in a match.

FEWEST ATTACK ERRORS IN A MATCH - NCAA HISTORY

Date          Team vs. Opponent                        Pct.                   (K-E-TA)

10/14/09    UT Arlington vs. Northwestern State                                .507   (38-1-73)

11/3/99      Fairfield vs. Iona                             .709                    (40-1-55)

12/3/98      Long Beach State vs. Southern       .615                    (25-1-39)

10/10/86          Oregon vs. Fresno State          .661     (40-1-59)

 

For more information on Mavericks Volleyball check out their new official website @ http://www.utamavs.com/sports/w-volley/txar-w-volley-body.html

Week 11: Texas Longhorns Women's College Volleyball Game Information: This Week in Texas Volleyball

18-0 overall (13-0 Big 12)

Ranking: No. 2 AVCA Coaches Poll / No. 2 Volleyball Magazine Poll

 

This week:

At Hilton Coliseum

Texas travels to No. 9 Iowa State on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 pm Central

At Hearnes Center

Texas travels to Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 5 pm Central

 

Last week:

Texas defeated No. 25 Texas A&M, 3-0

Texas defeated No. 8 Nebraska, 3-0

 

This week’s media availability:

This week’s media availability is Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 12:45 pm at Gregory Gymnasium. Please contact me if you wish to attend so I can coordinate players and coaches arriving early to do interviews prior to practice. Contact info: spencer.kitley@athletics.utexas.edu or (512) 848-8157.

 

Fast Facts:

 

TEXAS No. 1 in NCAA RPI

In the most recent release of the NCAA RPI (Oct. 26), Texas ranks No. 1 ... No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Illinois and No. 5 Minnesota round out the top five ... Big 12 rivals Iowa State and Nebraska rank No. 10 and No. 12, respectively.

 

TEXAS IN THE AVCA POLL

The Longhorns are ranked No. 2 in the most recent AVCA Division I Coaches Poll (Oct. 26) ... UT received eight first-place votes ... Texas’ No. 2 preseason ranking was its highest ranking in the AVCA poll since UT finished the 1995 season ranked second ... UT has now been ranked in the Top 10 for 52 straight weeks ... UT opponents in the poll include, No. 3 Hawaii,  No. 8 Nebraska, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 14 California, No. 19 San Diego, No. 22 Baylor, No. 24 Saint Louis and No. 25 Texas A&M.

 

HORNS IN THE VOLLEYBALL MAGAZINE POLL                   

Texas holds the No. 2 spot in the current Volleyball Magazine Poll (Oct. 27) ... the Horns trail two-time defending NCAA Champion Penn State in the poll by 10 points 278-to-268 ... Big 12 foes Iowa State and Nebraska hold the No. 8 and No. 9 positions, respectively ... two of Texas’ non-conference opponents are ranked (No. 3 Hawaii, No.15 California).

 

HOT START

Texas is off to the second-best start in UT history ... its 18-0 start is the best since 2004 when the Horns began the year with 16 straight wins ... the Texas record was set in 1990 when UT opened 26-0.

 

STREAKING

Texas is currently riding a 27-match regular-season winning streak that dates back to Nov. 1, 2008 against Texas A&M ... the regular-season streak is the longest in program history, besting a 26-match run in 1990 ... Texas currently owns a 17-match home winning streak at Gregory Gym dating back to Nov. 1, 2008.

 

 

 

Hook'em

 

Week 11: Ohio State Buckeyes Women's College Volleyball News

Buckeyes Travel to Iowa Friday and Wisconsin Saturday




COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State (18-7 overall, 6-6 Big Ten, tied for fifth) women's volleyball team is on the road this week with matches at Iowa (11-13, 3-9, tied for ninth) and Wisconsin (11-10, 6-6, tied for fifth). The Buckeyes face the Iowa Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. CT Friday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and play the Wisconsin Badgers at 7 p.m. CT Saturday in the Wisconsin Field House. Last week, the Buckeyes lost at top-ranked Penn State, 3-0 (21-25, 11-25, 20-25) and defeated seventh-ranked Minnesota, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-15) at home.

TIME AND DATE ADJUSTMENTS FOR NEXT HOME STAND
After matches at Iowa and Wisconsin this weekend, the Buckeyes return home to face Northwestern and Illinois. The Northwestern match will start at 8 p.m. ET, Friday, Nov. 13 as part of a women's basketball/volleyball doubleheader in St. John Arena. The women's basketball team will open the season by hosting Eastern Illinois in a 5 p.m. ET preseason WNIT game. Friday seating is general admission but ticket prices for basketball ($11 for adults, $6 for students and $8 for seniors) will be charged until halftime then volleyball prices ($5 for adults and $3 for students) will be used. OSU students are free for both events with a valid BUCK ID.

The Illinois volleyball match has been moved to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 because of the 3:30 p.m. start of the Ohio State-Iowa football game Saturday. The Illinois match will be delayed telecast by the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. that night.

BUCKEYES EARN THEIR FIRST VICTORY OVER A RANKED TEAM IN 26 MATCHES
Ohio State's 3-0 victory over seventh-ranked Minnesota was the first Buckeye victory over a ranked team in 26 matches dating back to Oct. 27, 2007 when OSU won 3-2 (24-30, 23-30, 30-27, 31-29, 15-10) at Minnesota. In the history of the program, Ohio State has 36 wins (five later forfeited) over higher ranked teams. Fourteen of the 35 wins (one later forfeited) came when Ohio State was not ranked.

BUCKEYES RECEIVE VOTES IN THE AVCA DIVISION I COACHES TOP 25 POLL
After the 3-0 victory over seventh-ranked Minnesota last Saturday, Ohio State received 14 votes in the weekly AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll released Nov. 2. This is the first time the Buckeyes have received votes in the poll since Sept. 24, 2007 when OSU received 46 votes. Ohio State was last ranked in the top 25 the week before, Sept. 17, when they were 23rd in the poll.

A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Geoff Carlston is the head coach of the Buckeyes. Ohio State is 18-7 overall and is 6-6 in the Big Ten Conference (tied for fifth). Last week, the Buckeyes lost at top-ranked Penn State, 3-0 (21-25, 11-25, 20-25) and defeated seventh-ranked Minnesota, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-15) at home. Katie Dull has a team-high 4.53 points and 3.91 kills per set average. Kristen Dozier ranks second in points (2.87) and kills (2.37) per set. Kelli Barhorst is hitting a team-high .308 with Emily Danks second at .293. At setter, Ashley Hughes is averaging 9.68 assists per set with Amanda Peterson at 8.90 and Betsy Honeat 8.13. Peterson has a team-high .49 aces per set with 25. Danks ranks second at .39 with 34. Defensively, Chelsea Noble leads the squad with a 3.75 digs per set average. Dull ranks second at 2.49. At the net, Dozier has a .71 blocks per set average to lead the team. She has 13 solos and 58 assists. Dull is second at .58 with 14 solos and 38 assists. Barhorst is third at .50 with two solos and 48 assist blocks. Ohio State is hitting .268 and is averaging 16.75 points, 13.26 kills and 12.19 assists per set. The Buckeyes average 1.55 aces, 13.23 digs and 1.93 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .186 and average 14.23 points, 11.23 kills and 10.26 assists per set. Buckeye opponents average 1.21 aces, 11.78 digs and 1.79 blocks per set.

A LOOK AT IOWA
Sharon Dingman is the head coach for the Hawkeyes. Iowa has an 11-13 overall record and is 3-9 in the Big Ten Conference (tied for ninth). Last week in road matches, the Hawkeyes lost 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-20) at Michigan State and 3-1 (16-25, 25-12, 25-20, 25-13) at 13th-ranked Michigan. Megan Schipper is the team leader in points per set with a 3.70 average. Becky Walters ranks second at 2.86. Schipper has a team-high 3.13 kills per set average with Aimee Huffman second at 2.61. Huffman leads the team in attack percentage at .267. Katie Kennedy ranks second at .248. At setter, Mara Hilgenberg has a 9.72 assists per set average. Schipper has a team-high .30 aces per set average with 25. Walters ranks second at .22 with 14. Defensively, Christina Meister leads the team with a 4.42 digs per set average. Schipper ranks second at 3.10. At the net, Walters is the team leader in blocks per set at 1.02. She has 16 solos and 50 assists. Huffman, at .70, ranks second with seven solos and 50 assists. Iowa is hitting .191 and averages 15.58 points, 12.35 kills and 11.46 assists per set. The Hawkeyes average 1.12 aces, 15.48 digs and 2.11 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .193 and average 15.72 points, 12.58 kills and 11.78 assists per set. Iowa opponents average 1.30 aces, 15.36 digs and 1.84 blocks per set.

IOWA-OHIO STATE SERIES 
The Buckeyes have a 49-9 lead in the series with Iowa. The Buckeyes are 21-4 in Iowa City and 25-5 in Columbus. OSU is 3-0 in neutral-site matches. The Buckeyes have won 16 of the last 17 matches against the Hawkeyes. Earlier this season in Columbus, Ohio State defeated Iowa, 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-22). Last season, Iowa won, 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-15, 25-22) in Columbus with Ohio State winning, 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-22) in Iowa City.

A LOOK AT WISCONSIN
Pete Waite is the head coach for the Badgers. Wisconsin is 11-10 overall and has a 6-6 record in the Big Ten Conference (tied for fifth). In road matches last week, Wisconsin defeated 13th-ranked Michigan, 3-1 (26-24, 25-21, 20-25, 25-20) and lost to Michigan State, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-22). Prior to Friday's home match against Penn State, Brittney Dolgner is the team leader in points per set with a 3.87 average. Kirby Toon ranks second at 2.80. Dolgner has a team-high 3.45 kills per set average with Toon second at 2.28. Elle Ohlander leads the squad in attack percentage at .272. Janelle Gabrielsen ranks second at .219. At setter, Gabrielsen has a 9.67 assists per set average. Caity DuPont leads the team in aces per set with a .24 average (14 aces). Toon ranks second at .22 (16 aces). Defensively, Kim Kuzma has a team-high 3.58 digs per set average. Dolgner ranks second at 2.86. At the net, Kelsey Maloney has a team-high .79 blocks per set average with one solo and 25 assist blocks. Ranking second at .69 per set is Alexis Mitchell with six solo and 35 assist blocks. Wisconsin is hitting .197 and averages 16.40 points, 13.32 kills and 12.44 assists per set. The Badgers average 1.13 aces, 13.24 digs and 1.96 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .229 and average 16.92 points, 12.84 kills and 12.10 assists per set. Wisconsin opponents average 1.14 aces, 12.99 digs and 2.94 blocks per set.

WISCONSIN-OHIO STATE SERIES 
Wisconsin has a 31-28 lead in the series with Ohio State. The Badgers are 16-12 in Madison while the Buckeyes are 14-13 in Columbus. The squads are 2-2 in neutral site matches. Wisconsin has won the last six matches against Ohio State. Earlier this season in Columbus, Wisconsin defeated Ohio State, 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-19, 25-21). Last season, the Badgers won, 3-0 (28-26, 25-16, 25-17) in Madison and 3-1 (25-23, 13-25, 25-19, 26-24) in Columbus.

DULL NEARS 1,000 CAREER KILLS
Katie Dull, with 11 kills at Penn State and 10 against Minnesota, has 996 career kills and needs four to reach 1,000 and become the 17th Buckeye to reach that mark. She added six digs and two assist blocks, totaling 12 points against the Nittany Lions. Dull recorded her ninth double-double (kills-digs) of the season against Minnesota with 10 kills and 13 digs. She added two ace serves and one assist block against the Gophers. Dull has recorded double-figure kills in her last 23 matches for the Buckeyes. A starter in all 25 matches, she is the team leader in points (4.53) and kills (3.91) per set. Dull is averaging .26 aces, 2.49 digs and .58 blocks per set.

BARHORST POSTS THIRD CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE-FIGURE POINTS MATCH
Kelli Barhorst had double-figure points in both matches last week. She has posted double-figure points in the last three matches and has seven on the season. Barhorst had 10 points at Penn State with nine kills (.529) and two assist blocks. She added one dig and an assist against the Nittany Lions. In the Minnesota match, Barhorst recorded 11 points with nine kills (.250), two assist blocks and one ace serve. She added three digs and an assist against the Gophers. A starter in the 23 matches she has played, Barhorst is averaging 2.35 points, 1.86 kills, .15 aces, .56 digs and .64 blocks per set.

SZERSZEN RECORDS DOUBLE-FIGURE POINTS AGAINST MINNESOTA
Anna Szerszen, with 10 points against Minnesota, was one of four Buckeyes to record double-figure points against the Golden Gophers. She had eight kills (.462), one ace serve and two assist blocks against Minnesota. Earlier in the week, Szerszen had four kills and a solo block at Penn State. She has played in every match this season and has five starts. Szerszen is averaging 2.24 points, 1.89 kills, .18 aces, .57 digs and .26 blocks per set.

DANKS RANKS THIRD ON THE SQUAD IN POINTS AND KILLS
Emily Danks ranks third for the Buckeyes in points (2.82) and kills (2.14) per set. She has a team-high 34 aces (.39 per set) and averages .64 digs and .56 blocks per set. Last week she had three kills, three digs and one assist block at Penn State. Danks recorded nine kills (.381), one ace serve, one assist block and one dig in the upset victory over Minnesota. A starter in 20 matches this season, she has played in all 25 matches.

DOZIER, THE BUCKEYE LEADER IN BLOCKS 
Kristen Dozier is averaging a team-high .79 blocks per set this season. She has 13 solos and a team-high 58 assist blocks. Last week Dozier had three kills, a solo block and one assist block in the Penn State match. She recorded five kills (.444) and two assist blocks against Minnesota. Dozier has started all 25 matches this season and is averaging 2.87 points, 2.37 kills and .79 blocks per set.

HUGHES KEY TO UPSET VICTORY OVER MINNESOTA
Ashley Hughes, at setter, directed the Buckeye offense to the upset victory over seventh-ranked Minnesota. Hughes assisted on 37 of 45 kills against the Gophers, adding five kills and two assist blocks. The Buckeyes posted a team attack percentage of .294 in the match, well above the Minnesota opponent average of .150. Hughes had 22 assists against top-ranked Penn State, adding five digs and one kill. She directed the Buckeyes to a .196 attack percentage as opposed to Penn State's opponent average of .091. Hughes has started the last nine matches for Ohio State and has 10 starts on the season while playing in 14 matches. She is averaging 9.68 assists per set on the season and averages 1.95 digs, .32 blocks, .77 kills and 1.05 points per set.

NOBLE LEADS THE DEFENSE WITH A TEAM-HIGH DIGS PER SET AVERAGE
Chelsea Noble is averaging a team-high 3.75 digs per set this season. She has 341 digs on the year. Last week, Noble had nine digs at Penn State, adding an assist and one ace serve. She handled 20 of 24 Nittany Lion serves for an .833 serve reception percentage. Noble had nine digs against Minnesota and handled 24 of 25 reception attempts for a .960 percentage. She has started all 25 matches this season at libero and has a .953 serve reception percentage handling 751 of 788 serve receptions.

MIGNIN COLLECTS NINE DIGS AGAINST MINNESOTA
Sarah Mignin had nine digs against Minnesota for her second best total of the season. Her season high was 10 at Michigan. Mignin added two assists in the match and handled 10 serve receptions without an error. At Penn State, she had two digs and handled 12 of 13 serve reception attempts. Mignin has played in 22 matches this season and has started five times as a defensive specialist. She is averaging 1.51 digs per set and has a .952 serve reception percentage handling 238 of 250 serve attempts.

HALVERSON HAS STARTS AGAINST PENN STATE AND MINNESOTA
Susan Halverson, as a defensive specialist, started the matches against Penn State and Minnesota last week. She recorded eight digs and two assists against Penn State and handled 13 of 16 serve reception attempts. Against Minnesota, Halverson posted four digs and two assists while handling nine serve reception attempts without an error. She has played in all 25 matches this season and has 20 starts. Halverson is averaging 1.54 digs per set and has a .941 serve reception percentage handling 272 of 289 serve attempts.

OHIO STATE IN THE BIG TEN STATISTICS
In Big Ten Conference only statistics, Katie Dull ranks third at 4.45 points per set. She ranks second in kills per set at 3.95. At setter, Ashley Hughesranks fifth in assists per set at 10.16. Emily Danks is second in aces per set at .34. Kelli Barhorst, with a .312 attack percentage, ranks ninth in the conference. Chelsea Noble, with a 3.77 digs per set average, ranks fifth.

In conference only team statistics, the Buckeyes rank third in attack percentage at .235 and are fourth in aces per set at 1.14. OSU ranks sixth in kills (13.25), assists (12.18) and digs (13.25) per set and ranks 10th in blocking at 1.68. The Buckeyes are eighth in opponent attack percentage at .240.

In Big Ten statistics for all matches, Katie Dull ranks fourth in points per set at 4.53 and in kills at 3.91. Amanda Peterson, in aces per set, ranks second at .49 and is 10th in assists at 8.90 per set. Emily Danks ranks fifth in aces per set at .39 and Dull is ninth at .26. Chelsea Noble is eighth in digs per set at 3.75.

In all matches, Ohio State ranks second in attack percentage at .268 and is third in aces per set at 1.55. The Buckeyes are sixth in kills at 13.26 and eighth in assists at 12.19. OSU ranks eighth in digs per set at 13.23 and is 10th in blocks at 1.93 per set. Ohio State ranks sixth in opponent attack percentage at .186.

OHIO STATE IN THE NCAA STATISTICS
In the current (Nov. 1) NCAA statistics release, Katie Dull ranks 45th in points (4.53) and 57th in kills (3.91) per set. Emily Danks is 67th in aces per set at .39. In digs per set, Chelsea Noble ranks 203rd at 3.75. Kelly Barhorst ranks 166th in attack percentage at .308 with Danks 221st at .293 and Kristen Dozier, 239th at .290.

In team statistics, Ohio State ranks 19th nationally in attack percentage at .268. The Buckeyes are 52nd in aces per set at 1.55. OSU ranks 73rd in kills (13.26), 83rd in assists (12.19), 160th in blocks (1.93) and 252nd in digs (13.23) per set.

ASHLEY HUGHES NAMED THE BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Oct. 26)
Setter Ashley Hughes was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week by the conference office. She shared the honor with Minnesota's Tabitha Love. Hughes directed the Buckeyes to 3-1 victories over Purdue (25-19, 23-25, 26-24, 25-18) and Indiana (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23). Against Purdue, Hughes posted 48 assists against the Boilermakers, adding seven digs, five kills (.667) and a solo block. In the Indiana match, she posted career-highs of 53 assists and 19 digs against the Hoosiers. Hughes added three kills (.429), one ace serve and three assist blocks in the match. Hughes has started at setter in the last seven matches for the Buckeyes and has eight starts overall, playing in 12 matches. For the season, she is averaging 9.65 assists and 2.03 digs per set.

EMILY DANKS NAMED BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (Sept. 21)
Ohio State's outside hitter Emily Danks has been named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week (with Purdue's Ariel Turner). Danks was named to the all-tournament team at the Sports Imports Classic, hitting .592 and averaging 3.1 kills per set as the Buckeyes went 3-0 over the weekend with wins against Bowling Green (25-19, 25-20, 25-13), Cleveland State (24-26, 25-20, 25-11, 25-15) and Xavier (27-25, 25-18, 25-6). The freshman opened the tournament by hitting a career high .714 against Bowling Green with 10 kills in 14 attempts. She also added an ace serve, an assist block and a dig. The following day against Cleveland State, she tallied 14 kills on .565 hitting with another ace and a pair of blocks (one solo, one assist) before adding on seven kills on .500 hitting with four digs and two assist blocks in the tournament finale vs. Xavier.

OHIO STATE HAS THREE MATCHES ON THE BIG TEN NETWORK
Ohio State will have three Big Ten matches telecast live on the Big Ten Network this season. Both Penn State matches and OSU's home match with Illinois will be broadcast. The Buckeyes hosted Penn State Oct. 7 and return the trip to Penn State Oct. 28. Ohio State will host Illinois at 2 p.m., ET Sunday, Nov. 15 in St. John Arena in a match that will be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET that night.

HEAD COACH GEOFF CARLSTON
Geoff Carlston is in his second season at Ohio State. He came to Ohio State after spending five years as head coach of Ohio University where he built an outstanding program. His squads played in five NCAA tournaments, reaching regional play in 2005. At Ohio, Carlston guided the Bobcats to five-consecutive Mid American Conference championships with an overall record of 144-22. He had a MAC conference record of 78-2 and was 14-1 in the conference tournament, winning four of five. 

Carlston was named the MAC Coach of the Year four times and was twice named the Mideast Region Coach of the Year.

He began collegiate coaching with three years at Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) where he posted a 49-42 record. His career record is 222-90.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Ohio State returns home to host Northwestern (13-11, 4-8, tied for ninth in the Big Ten) Friday and Illinois (18-3, 10-2, second) Sunday. The Friday, Nov. 13 match with the Northwestern Wildcats is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET as part of the women's basketball/volleyball doubleheader in St. John Arena. At 5 p.m. ET, the women's basketball team will open the season by hosting Eastern Illinois in the preseason WNIT. Sunday's, Nov. 15 match against the Illinois Fighting Illini is a 2 p.m. start and will be delayed telecast by the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. ET, that night.

***OhioStateBuckeyes.com***

Week 11: New Mexico Lobos Women's College Volleyball News

Week 11: New Mexico Lobos Women's College Volleyball News

Up Next In Lobo Volleyball

Matches 25-26

vs. Utah • Nov. 5 • 7 p.m. (mt)

Think Pink Night

vs. BYU • Nov. 7 • 7 p.m. (mt)

Senior Night

Johnson Center • Albuquerque, N.M.

This Week ...  The Lobos (16-8, 7-5 MWC) host Utah and BYU in the final two home contests of the 2009 season.

** Think Pink, breast cancer awareness night, is set for Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. against Utah.  If fans wear pink, adults get in for $3 and kids, ages 2-18, get in for $2.  There will also be a silent auction with lots of great items throughout the night.  It will be the fourth match this season that the Lobos have worn their pink jerseys - at Utah, at New Mexico State, and at Air Force.

** Nov. 7 is Senior Night ... It will be the final home match for seniors Anna Lehne, Rose Morris and Allie Suiter.

  

If You Can’t Make It To The Johnson Center ...  Fans can follow along on the internet at GoLobos.com with Gametracker and live video and audio.

Next Week ...  The Lobos play one match on the road at UNLV on Thursday, Nov. 12.

QUICK HITS

• Lobos Among Tops In Attendance ... New Mexico is currently ranked 26th in the nation with an attendance average of 1,548 fans this season.  It is the only time that the Lobos have had over 1,000 fans at the first 11 matches of the season.  The 1996 team started the season with seven consecutive matches over 1,000.  The Lobos’ season-high so far in 2009 is 2,338 vs. San Diego State on Oct. 1.  MWC member Colorado State is ranked 20th overall with an average of 1,819 fans per match.  Rankings are updated on Monday mornings.

• Official NCAA RPI ... New Mexico is currently ranked 48th in the nation in the NCAA’s official RPI, released on Monday afternoons.  The Lobos have the third-highest RPI ranking in the Mountain West Conference behind Colorado State (19) and TCU (44).

• Lehne Named MWC Co-Player of the Week ... Senior Anna Lehne became the second Lobo to earn Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honors in 2009.  Lehne earned her first MWC accolade for her performances at Air Force and San Diego State.

About New Mexico (16-8, 7-5 MWC) ... Lobo fans will see UNM sporting a lighter shade of Cherry on the court.  UNM will be wearing its pink Nike jerseys for the fourth time this season on Thursday night when UNM hosts Utah for the Lobos’ Think Pink Night in conjunction with UNM Hospital and the UNM Cancer Center. The Lobos have won three big road matches wearing their new pink Nike jerseys on opponents’ breast cancer awareness matches ... Another losing streak came to an end on Oct. 13 as the Lobos beat New Mexico State, 3-0 in Las Cruces, 10-match overall and 8-match road losing streaks ... The Lobos beat Utah, 3-1, on Saturday, Oct. 10, the first win for UNM on Crimson Court since 1996 ... UNM picked up its first MWC win of the season at Wyoming on Sept. 26 (3-1) and won three straight after an 0-2 start ...  Senior Rose Morris made her return to the court after a finger injury on Oct. 3 against Air Force with 11 kills over two sets ... Junior Taylor Hadfield leads the team with 2.79 kills per set, one of five players with 2.11 or more kps on the season ...  Junior Jade Michaelsen leads UNM in assists with 10.25 per set ... Junior Lisa Meeter has the most service aces this season with 24 ... On defense, sophomore Allison Buck leads the Lobos with a 4.08 digs per set average, while senior Anna Lehne and sophomore Ashley Rhoades lead UNM in blocking with 1.10 and 1.07 per set, respectively ... UNM placed third at the Arizona Invitational.  Jade Michaelsen was named to the all-tournament team ... UNM finishes second at the 2009 Comcast Lobo Challenge to now-No. 22 Baylor.   Michaelsen and Morris were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 Nike Portland Invitational with wins over American and Portland.  Michaelsen was named MVP of the tournament, while Meeter and Buck were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 MCM Elegante Lobo Classic to begin the season. It is the third season in a row the Lobos have started the season 3-0 and won the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic.  Lehne was named the tournament MVP, and joined by Michaelsen and Buck on the all-tournament team ... The Lobos were picked third in the 2009 Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll, the same place they finished the 2008 season.  The big difference this season is UNM earned three first-place votes from the voting panel of coaches and media ... Junior setter Jade Michaelsen was named MWC Preseason Co-Player of the Year by the same voting group ... Michaelsen and Morris are the team captains for 2009.

About Utah (15-7, 8-2 MWC; Utah leads the series, 43-26) ... The Utes are currently in 3rd place in the MWC standings at 8-2 in league play.  UNM won the first meeting of the season in Salt Lake City on Oct. 10, 3-1.  Utah was led by Cinthia Silva with 11 kills, while four Lobos recorded double-digit kills, led by Rose Morris with 17.  Karolina Bartkowiak leads Utah with 3.00 kills per set.

About BYU (12-10, 6-4 MWC; BYU leads the series, 62-11, UNM has won 4 of the last 7 meetings; play TCU on Thursday night) ... The Cougars are in 4th place in MWC standings at 6-4.  BYU won the first meeting between the two teams in Provo, 3-0, on Oct. 8.  Kayla Walker led BYU with 14 kills, while Ashley Rhoades and Anna Lehne recorded 11.5 points each.  Walker, the top hitter in the league with 4.04 kills per set, missed the next few matches with an ankle sprain suffered during practice the following day, but is back in action.

About Senior Anna Lehne (3L; Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo County HS; Accounting) ... Anna Lehne is a front row starter for the Lobos and three-plus years of hard work is paying off.  Lehne recently moved into second place on the UNM career total blocks list and has 344 going into this week’s matches.  Lehne was named MWC Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 2, her first MWC career honor, and earned tournament MVP honors at the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic on Aug. 28-29.  For more about Anna Lehne, see her full bio on page 9 of the release.

About Senior Rose Morris (3L; Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS; Education) ... Rose Morris is a 2009 team captain and a front row starter at L1 for the Lobos.  Morris has been a steady player during her career and posted a career match against Baylor earlier this season.  Earlier this season, Morris earned Comcast Lobo Challenge All-Tournament team honors.  Her senior leadership became stronger off the court after a seven-match hiatus due to a finger injury.  The setback made Morris work hard in rehab to get back on the court.  For more about Rose Morris, see her full bio on page 10 of the release.

About Senior Allie Suiter (3L; Littleton, Colo./Chatfield HS; Exercise Science) ... Allie Suiter has been a key role player for the Lobos at middle blocker over her career.  Suiter also has had a strong showing in the classroom, earning the team’s Scholar-Athlete Award for three consecutive seasons.  Suiter has been a three-time ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America nominee, three-time Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-Mountain West Conference honoree.  For more about Allie Suiter, see her full bio on page 11 of the release.

Current RPI rankings ... The official NCAA RPI rankings were released Monday afternoon and the Lobos are sitting at 48, third among MWC schools.  RichKern.com releases its RPI rankings on Monday nights.  The unofficial RPI rankings, that are close to the NCAA’s system, has the Lobos ranked 48 and the Lobos’ Pablo ranking is 56.  The Lobos ended the 2008 season ranked 66th in the NCAA RPI report.

Injury Report ... Lobo sophomore middle blocker Ashley Rhoades missed the Air Force and San Diego State road matches with a sprained ankle.  Rhoades is day-to-day ... Senior outside hitter Rose Morris returned to action on Saturday, Oct 3 against Air Force with 11 kills and three blocks in two sets.  Morris missed seven matches with a finger injury suffered in the Pitt match on Sept. 12.  Morris suffered the injury on a block in the fourth set with the score tied at 22-22.

Lehne Named MWC Co-Player of the Week (Nov. 2) ... New Mexico middle blocker Anna Lehne and TCU middle blocker Kourtney Edwards have been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Co-Players of the Week. This is the fourth weekly award of the season (fifth career honor) for Edwards and the first career accolade for Lehne.

Lehne, a 6-1 sophomore from Pueblo, Colo., led New Mexico to Conference wins over Air Force (3-0) and San Diego State (3-1) last week. Against Air Force, Lehne tallied 12 kills with only two errors for a .400 hitting percentage, while also collecting four total blocks. Lehne’s four blocks vs. the Falcons put her in second place on the UNM career blocks list. Against San Diego State, she posted a .370 efficiency (12-2-27) and seven total blocks. On the week, Lehne averaged 3.43 kills, 1.57 blocks and 4.29 points per set, while hitting .385 (24-4-52).

Blocking Into The Books ...  Senior Anna Lehne moved into second place on the UNM career total blocks list with four blocks at Air Force on Oct. 29.  Earlier this season, in addition to picking up the first all-tournament MVP honor of her career, Lehne moved onto the UNM career Top 10 lists for blocking - total blocks and block assists - during the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic.  On Sept. 16 against TCU, Lehne added the career solo blocks Top 10 list as well.  She is working her way into the top 5 in all three lists.  Lehne, a senior from Pueblo, Colo., had a Top 10 season mark with 101 block assists in 2008.

UNM Career Total Blocks

1. Chelsea Sondrup 433 2002-05

2. Anna Lehne 344 2006-present

3. Kelly Therkelsen 336 2003-06

4. Linda Archuleta 326 1980-82, ‘84

5. Laurel Luman 320 1990-93

6. Robyn Wentworth 313 1992-94

7. Tammy Lansford 299 1987-90

    Pauline Manser 299 1988-91

    Zhao Lu 299 1995-96

10. Amber Smith 258 1996-99

UNM Career Block Solos

1. Linda Archuleta 120 1980-82, ‘84

2. Terri Nelson 107 1980-83

3. Tammy Lansford 86 1987-90

4. Pauline Manser 76 1988-91

5. Sue Guinn 73 1983-84

6. Anna Lehne 72 2006-present

7. Robyn Wentworth 68 1992-94

    Shannon Vessup 68 1981, ‘83

    Laurel Luman 68 1990-93

10. Kelly Knowles 62 1980-82

UNM Career Block Assists

1. Chelsea Sondrup 433 2002-05

2. Kelly Therkelsen 326 2003-06

3. Anna Lehne 272 2006-present

4. Laurel Luman 252 1990-93

5. Zhao Lu 249 1995-98

6. Robyn Wentworth 245 1992-94

7. Pauline Manser 223 1988-91

8. Vanessa Shields 216 1998-99, 2001-02

9. Tammy Lansford 213 1987-90

10. Kristine Butler 207 1993-96

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