Volleyball Voices

Women's College Upcoming Volleyball Game Information Week 11

Maryland Volleyball Women to Play Host to Clemson, Georgia Tech

Maryland welcomes two of league’s top four teams.

 

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland volleyball team is home at Comcast Pavilion this weekend for a pair of matches against two of the top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Clemson and Georgia Tech.

 

The Terrapins (11-15, 3-10 ACC) will play host to the Clemson Tigers at 7 p.m. Friday and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets visit at 1 p.m. Sunday.

 

Maryland is led by senior middle blocker Katie Usher. Usher leads the Terps and ranks eighth in the ACC in hitting percentage at .339 and currently ranks 10^th on the school’s all time hitting percentage and points lists.

 

Freshman Sam Rosario has produced a solid first season with the program, leading the ACC in service aces with 42, while recording an average of 4.00 digs per set to place sixth in the league.

 

Clemson has won three straight conference matches and seven of its last nine to improve to 18-7 and 8-5 in the ACC to move into fourth place in the conference standings. The Tigers have defeated the Terps seven straight times to take a 31-27 lead in the all-time series.

 

Georgia Tech also comes into the weekend playing well. The Yellow Jackets have won four of their last five contests and currently sit in third place in the ACC at 16-7 and 10-3 in the ACC. Maryland has lost five of its last six matchups against Georgia Tech, but still owns a slim lead in the all-time series, 25-24.

 

– TERPS –

 

Texas Women's Volleyball preview: Missouri

 

Second-ranked Texas looks to get back to its winning ways when it travels to Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 7. First serve is set for 5 p.m. Central.

 

Match 20: No. 2/2 TEXAS (18-1, 13-1 Big 12) vs. Missouri (15-10, 6-7 Big 12)

When: Saturday, Nov. 7 at 5 pm Central

Where: Columbia, Mo. (Hearnes Center)

Internet Video: CBSSports All-Access (subscription based)

Live Stats: GameTracker

All-Time Series Record: Texas leads Missouri, 17-10 (H: 11-3, A: 6-7, N: 0-0)

Last meeting with Missouri: Texas defeated MU, 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-20) on Oct. 21, 2009

Current Streak: Texas has won the last six meetings

 

TEXAS IN THE AVCA POLL

The Longhorns are ranked No. 2 in the most recent AVCA Division I Coaches Poll (Nov. 2) ... UT received 10 first-place votes (the most of 2009) ... 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 53 straight weeks ... UT opponents in the poll include, No. 3 Hawaii,  No. 8 Iowa State, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 13 California, No. 20 Baylor, No. 21 San Diego, No. 22 Saint Louis and No. 23 Texas A&M.

 

HORNS IN THE VOLLEYBALL MAGAZINE POLL                   

Texas holds the No. 2 spot in the current Volleyball Magazine Poll (Nov. 3) ... the Horns trail two-time defending NCAA Champion Penn State in the poll by nine points 258-to-249 ... Big 12 foes Iowa State and Nebraska hold the No. 7 and No. 9 positions, respectively ... three of Texas’ non-conference opponents are ranked (No. 3 Hawaii, No.14 California, No. 20 Saint Louis).

 

STREAK SNAPPED

Texas loss to No. 8 Iowa State (Nov. 4) snapped its 18-match winning streak that marked the second-best start in UT history ... the loss also snapped Texas’ 27-match regular-season winning streak which stands as the longest all-time at UT.

 

HOW THE HORNS STACK UP

The Longhorns rank atop the Big 12 and rank second in the nation with their .316 team hitting percentage ... UT ranks No. 4 in the NCAA in blocking with 2.91 blocks per-set ... senior All-America setter Ashley Engleranks No. 3 in the conference in hitting with a .342 attack mark, while senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker ranks sixth in hitting (.337) and leads the league with 4.83 kills and 5.74 points per-set.

ACADEMIA

Three Longhorns were named to the 2009 CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District squad ... senior libero Heather Kisner earned a spot on the first team and claimed the third all-district honor of her career (2007: first team, 2008: second team) ... junior middle blocker Jennifer Doris was named second team for the second straight year and sophomore middle blocker Rachael Adams earned her first career second team honor.

 

ROAD WARRIORS

Texas is 18-1 on the season with 11 of its wins coming on the road ... the Horns are 8-1 at away games and 3-0 at neutral sites in 2009 ... the Horns own victories at Hawaii and Nebraska, which perennially rank in the top-two on the NCAA Volleyball attendance charts ... Texas is playing better on the road than it is at home in 2009, hitting .316 as a team and blocking 3.05 balls per-set on the road and hitting .314 and notching 2.69 blocks per-set at home.

 

HOOKER EARNS FOURTH BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD

Senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker anchored No. 2 Texas’ attack in a pair of sweep victories over No. 8 Nebraska (10/30) and No. 25 Texas A&M (10/28) ... she connected for 6.08 points and 5.33 kills per-set, while hitting at a .333 clip for the week ... Hooker posted 19 kills on .400 hitting and added 10 digs against NU ... she helped the Longhorns rally back from a 10-4 deficit in the third set for the match victory ... Hooker paced a set-ending 10-1 run with six kills, including the final three points of the match.

 

TEXAS No. 1 in NCAA RPI

In the most recent release of the NCAA RPI (Nov. 2), Texas ranks No. 1 ... No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Illinois and No. 5 Washington round out the top five ... Big 12 rivals Iowa State and Nebraska rank No. 12 and No. 16, respectively.

 

 THIBODAUX - Sitting one game out of the 2009 Southland Conference Tournament field, the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team (10-16, 4-8 Southland) open their final and, arguably, one of their most important homestands of the season when they host the University of Texas-San Antonio (10-16, 5-7 Southland) on Senior Night at Stopher Gym on Friday.

The Colonels will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 3-2 loss at the hands of Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday. The loss put Nicholls in a tie with the Lions for the eighth spot in the conference tournament, but the Lions own the head-to-head tiebreaker leaving the Colonels a game out of their second consecutive trip to the conference tournament.

A win over UTSA (currently tied with Texas-Arlington for sixth in the league standings) on Friday would put the Colonels back in the mix by pulling even with the Roadrunners in the conference standings and giving Nicholls the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the only head-to-head matchup between the two schools.

Entering the penultimate regular season weekend, the field for the Southland Conference Tournament remains crowded. In addition to Southeastern, UTSA and UT Arlington, the Colonels are hot on the heels of fifth-place McNeese State (1.5 GB). Just 3.5 games separates fourth through ninth place in the conference tournament.

After Friday, the Colonels will have three more matches to begin trying to climb back into the tournament picture. Nicholls will close the home portion of their 2009 schedule by facing a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team that has gone 0-12 thus far in conference play then hit the road in hopes of concluding the regular season with season sweeps of McNeese State on Nov. 13 and Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 14.

Friday will also see the Colonels celebrate Senior Night. Nicholls will honor its 2009 volleyball class with a prematch ceremony celebrating the careers of Colonel seniors Amy Beshir, Manieka Golden, Rachel Spreen, Michelle Waguespack and Amy Whitehead.

First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Stopher Gym. Live stats will be available atwww.geauxcolonels.com.

William and Mary Volleyball Women Host 

George Mason, James Madison on Final Home Weekend

Tribe to Honor Four Seniors Before Saturday's Match

WILLIAMSBURG - The William and Mary volleyball team brings the home portion of its schedule to a close this weekend, hosting George Mason and James Madison in two key late-season Colonial Athletic Association matches. The Patriots visits Williamsburg at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 6th, before the Dukes arrive Saturday, November 7th, also at 7 p.m. 

Live Video 
Live Stats 

The Seniors 
Saturday's match against James Madison will be the final home appearance for the College's four members of the class of 2010, who have led W&M to a 15-9 record this season and the brink of qualifying for the CAA Tournament for the third year in a row. If they achieve that goal, then they will be the first class to make three consecutive championships since the CAA ceased inviting all teams in 2001. With two more wins, they will also be the 25th class to reach at least 60 wins in their four years. 

Bryana Carey is an outside hitter from Balboa Island, California, and ranks in the Tribe's all-time top-16 in four categories, including sixth in career serve attempts with 1,028. A history and government double-major, she served out eight aces against Air Force in 2006, the second-best total in school history. 

Katie McCarney ranks 16th or better in four career categories at William and Mary, including 11th in points scored with 556. A native of Dallas, Texas, McCarney has used her position in the middle of the net to make 227 blocks in her career. 

Lindsay Pflugner began her career at W&M as one of the team's top outside hitters, and made the switch to libero last fall to become an all-time great on defense. The Sarasota, Florida, native holds five entries in the Tribe's all-time top-16, including second in digs per set with 3.48, and fourth all-time with 1,241 digs. 

Lauren Powell has been one of the Tribe's top offensive players for the past three years, and in her final campaign is setting career-highs for kills, points, attack percentage, service aces, and digs. An outside hitter from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Powell ranks in the all-time top-16 in six categories, including fifth all-time in points scored at 947.5. 

Scouting the Tribe 
William and Mary is 1.5 games behind first in the conference standings at 15-9 overall, 7-3 in the CAA, and on-pace to make the conference tournament for the third year in a row. Last weekend, the Tribe swept Towson 3-0 on Friday night, and took conference-leading Delaware to five sets before falling 2-3. Junior Erin Skipper (Yorktown, Va.) leads the team at 2.89 kills per set, and Pflugner ranks first in the CAA, 24th in the nation at 5.10 digs per set. 

Scouting the Patriots 
George Mason is half-of-a-game ahead of the Tribe in the CAA standings at 19-7, 8-3 CAA after sweeping Georgia State and UNC Wilmington at home last weekend. Holly Goode leads the Patriots with 3.24 kills per set, and Kelsey Bohman (younger sister of Tribe alumna Molly '08) is the conference leader at 1.39 blocks per set. 

Scouting the Dukes 
James Madison comes into the weekend on a hot streak, winning four straight conference matches at home to improve to 11-16 overall, 4-7 CAA. Freshman Danielle Erb leads her team at 3.07 kills per set, and Natalie Abel is the defensive leader at 3.26 digs per set. 

The Series 
William and Mary has already faced GMU and JMU on the road this season, winning 3-2 contests on the first weekend of October. The all-time series against the Patriots is 38-27 in favor of W&M, and the Tribe also leads against the Dukes, 42-33. 

News and Notes 
- Lauren Powell averaged 5.13 digs per set last weekend, a very impressive performance for a libero. What makes it even more amazing is that Powell is an outside hitter, and not primarily a defensive player. 

- W&M’s 21-block performance at American on Oct. 13 tied the school record for blocks in a four-set match, last set against Arkansas State on November 14, 1992. 

- Freshman Shaylin O’Connell (Leesburg, Va.) played a major part in the Tribe’s night, assisting on 12 blocks. The performance matched the 12-block total of junior Ginny Bray (Cary, N.C.) almost exactly one month ago, in the 3-2 win over Georgetown. Coincedentally, both matches took place in the nation’s capital. 

- O’Connell’s performance earned her Rookie of the Week honors in the CAA, and set the W&M freshman records for both block-assists and total blocks in a match. 

- Freshman setter Jordyn Moloney (Whitby, Ontario, Canada) posted a career-high four service aces in the win over Georgia State, with all four coming in the deciding fourth set. Even more spectacular was the fact that all four aces came on consecutive points for the Tribe. 

- Both Ginny Bray (Cary, N.C.) and Katie McCarney recently surpassed 200 block-assists in their careers, becoming the 14th and 15th players in school history to reach that level. 

- Bryana Carey needs five service aces to reach 100 in her career. She would become just the 18th player in Tribe history to reach that mark. 

- Erin Skipper scored the 1,000th kill of her career early in the first set at Delaware on Saturday night, becoming the eighth player in school history to reach that milestone. She is just the third to reach 1,000 kills as a junior, joining Jennifer Torns '92 and just ahead of Heidi Erpelding '89.

Houston Volleyball Women Begin Countdown to Regular Season Finale

Matches at UTEP and Tulane on Tap, Cougars to Appear on CBS C Sunday

HOUSTON – With only three matches remaining in the 2009 regular season, the University of Houston volleyball team will decide two of those contests this weekend when they travel to UTEP and Tulane. 
 
UH opens the weekend against UTEP at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Cougars swept the Miners earlier this season to improve to 9-3 in the all-time series. Senior Erin Rice and sophomore Ingrida Zauere combined for 18 kills, while junior Amanda Carson had 12 digs. 
 
The Miners enter the weekend with a 10-16 overall record and a 3-10 mark in league action. They lost matches against Tulsa and SMU last weekend. 
 
The weekend series will continue on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Tulane. The Cougars will be looking for a sweep in the series this season after notching a 3-2 win over the Green Wave at the Athletics/Alumni Center earlier this season. The win was the Cougars’ Conference USA home opener and it preserved a 14-0 overall record in C-USA home openers. Senior Kinsey Cave finished with a team-high 18 kills in the match. 
 
The Green Wave stands at 15-7 and 10-3 this season after winning a match against SMU and falling to Tulsa last weekend. 
 
Houston is 9-19 and 6-7 on the season after recording wins over Marshall and East Carolina in the final two games of their home slate. 
 
Sunday’s match against Tulane will air on tape delay on CBS C. Check your local listings for channel information and times. Jason Knapp and Anne Marie Anderson will be calling all the action.  
 
Gametracker and live video streaming will be available for both matches by going to the volleyball schedule page at UHCougars.com. 
 
Following the weekend action UH will return to Houston for the regular season finale at Rice on Nov. 12. The Conference USA Championship is scheduled for Nov. 20-22 at Rice University. 

UCF Volleyball Hosts Final Home Series of the Season

The Knights will battle SMU Sunday in front of a regional audience on Bright House Sports Network.

               

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – With only three Conference USA matches left in the regular season, the UCF volleyball team is set to host its final home series this weekend when it welcomes Tulsa and SMU to The Venue at UCF. The Knights will take on the Golden Hurricane Friday at 7 p.m., before challenging the Mustangs Sunday at 1 p.m. on Bright House Sports Network.

 

The match, which is also designated as Senior Day, will be aired on tape delay on BHSN Sunday at 7 p.m. on Bright House channel 47 for digital cable subscribers. 

 

With an 11-15 overall mark and 3-10 league-clip, the Black and Gold sits at No. 9 in C-USA standings heading into the weekend. Though six league-squads have already secured a spot in the eight-team C-USA Championship, the Knights still have a chance to claim one of the final two positions with a sweep of the weekend and a win on the road against Southern Miss on Nov. 13.

 

Knight fans will be able to help head coach Todd Dagenais and the rest of the volleyball squad honor their two seniors, Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) and Andee Youngblood (Castle Rock, Colo.) on Senior Day which is set for Sunday afternoon following the conclusion of the team’s match-up with SMU.

 

Campbell enters the weekend 60 digs shy of becoming the third player in program-history to total 300 kills and 300 digs in three-consecutive seasons. The senior climbed to fourth on the UCF career-register with 3,695 attempts, 9.01 attempts per set and 2.66 digs per sets. She sits in sixth with 1,146 kills, seventh with 1,089 digs and eighth with 410 sets played.

 

Earlier in the season, the outside hitter became only the fourth Knight in program-history to register both 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs on Sept. 25 at East Carolina and also became the first Knight to be named to the Preseason All-C-USA Team prior to the start of the season.

 

Youngblood is also climbing up the UCF career-record charts. The setter improved to fourth all-time with 2,174 career assists.

 

Tulsa, the Black and Gold’s Friday-night opponent, travels to Orlando second in league standings with a 10-2 C-USA record and a 21-5 overall mark. UCF is 2-3 in the all-time series with the Golden Hurricane. In the teams’ last meeting, the Knights stunned the defending C-USA regular-season champions with a 3-0 sweep of Tulsa on the road.

 

SMU enters the weekend fourth in C-USA standings with an 8-4 league record and an 18-8 overall record. The Knights are 1-4 all-time when facing the Mustangs after defeating the squad in the opening round of the C-USA Championship last season.

 

For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com – the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF’s new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.

 

-UCF-

 Volleyball Hosts Final Two Home Matches

Parents Night Slated for Friday; Senior Night Scheduled for Sunday

 

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The MU volleyball team plays its final two home matches of the season, with the first being against UAB on Friday night at 7 p.m.  The home finale will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday vs. Memphis.

 

The Herd has protected the Cam Henderson Center in 2009, posting a 6-1 home record on the season.  The lone loss came on Oct. 16, 2009, to the hands of the Tulane Green Wave. Since 2002, the MU volleyball team has collected an impressive 62-16 (.795) record under head coach Mitch Jacobs.

 

Marshall (19-7, 7-5 C-USA)

MU secured a spot in the eight-team Conference USA tournament last weekend and is now playing for its playoff seed.  The Herd volleyball squad has made the C-USA tournament all five seasons since joining the league in 2005.  MU captured the regular season championship in 2005 and 2007, winning the C-USA tournament in ‘05.  This year the league takes its top eight teams to Houston, Texas for a Nov. 20-22 championship. The three-day event will be hosted by Rice University.

 

This weekend will be the final two home matches for seniors Kristin Marcum and Emily Sullivan. 

 

Marcum surpassed the 1,000 dig plateau and ranks seventh all-time in Marshall history with 1,055 digs during her four-year career. She has totaled double-doubles in nine matches in 2009, including a 12-kill, 11-dig outing in a four-set victory against WVU on Sept. 23, 2009. Marcum collected a career-high 24 digs at SMU on Oct. 3 and has produced 14 matches of 10-or-more kills and 18 matches of 10-or-more digs.  In 2009 C-USA statistics, Kristin ranks seventh in service aces, 14th in digs and 19th in kills per set. 

 

Sullivan has registered a .355 attacking percentage this season, which ranks second in C-USA and is the fourth-best single-season hitting percentage in MU volleyball  history.  Her career attacking percentage of .260 places Sullivan third all-time at Marshall.  A two-time C-USA Player of the Week recipient, her most recent honor came on Oct. 26, 2009 by leading the offense in sweeping league opponents Southern Miss and UCF.

 

UAB (14-14, 6-6 C-USA)

The Blazers are fighting to stay in the C-USA playoff picture, currently sitting sixth in league standings.  The top-five teams in the conference, including Marshall, have all qualified for the tournament.   The Herd will play UAB again in Birmingham, Ala., next Thursday.

 

Heather Thomas patrols the defensive side for UAB, averaging 4.86 digs/set, which ranks third in the conference.  Andrea Lalic connects for 2.92 kills/set to lead the team and is second on the Blazers in service aces with 31.

 

MU trails 4-5 in the all-time series against the Blazers, with the first meeting taking place in 2005.

 

Memphis (6-22, 2-11 C-USA)

MU swept the Tigers earlier in the season, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-20) and Kelley Bugler had a break-out match.  Bugler totaled seven block assists and five kills in the victory.

 

The Tigers are led offensively by Altrese Hawkins, who tops Memphis with 2.95 KPS and 307.5 points on the season.

 

Memphis has struggled on the road this season, dropping all eight matches away from home.  MU holds a 7-2 all-time series advantage against the Tigers, dating back to 2005. 

 

GameTracker will be available for both matches by logging onto www.HerdZone.com.

 

www.HerdZone.com

TENNESSEE VOLLEYBALL WOMEN RETURN TO ROCKY TOP FOR SHOWDOWNS WITH MISSISSIPPI STATE, ALABAMA

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee volleyball team (17-6, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) will look to build on a pair of hard-fought road victories from last weekend when it welcomes Mississippi State to Rocky Top at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 and takes on Alabama at 1:30 p.m. two days later. Both matches will take place in Thompson-Boling Arena with live video and stats available at UTLadyVols.com.

 

The first 200 fans to arrive on Friday will receive a free Lady Vol reusable grocery tote as UT hosts a Turn Big Orange Green Night. Representatives from the Knoxville Recycling Coalition, Ijams Nature Center and Make Orange Green will be in attendance. Fans can also receive free admission on Friday if they donate a book for the Pi Beta Phi Sorority and Tennessee Athletics Department Book Drive. All books donated will go to either Beaumont Elementary School or the Knox County Public Library and all monetary donations will be given to the First Book Organization.

 

Following its first home loss of the season to No. 20 LSU on Oct. 26, the Big Orange returned to its winning ways with a weekend sweep of a pair of important conference road matches. The Lady Volunteers opened with a four-set triumph over Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 6, riding the right arm of sophomore Kayla Jeter to victory.

 

The Solon, Ohio, native finished the contest with a stellar .342 hitting percentage with 17 kills and just four errors on 38 swings. She also added a pair of digs and two blocks in the win. In addition to Jeter’s offensive outburst, junior Nikki Fowler notched her sixth consecutive double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs, while freshman Natalie Guerra paced the UT attack with a career-high 25 assists and five digs in the most extensive action of her career.

 

Just two days later and 400 miles away in Fayetteville, Ark., the Big Orange outlasted a spirited Arkansas effort, winning in five set, to improve to 17-6 overall and 10-3 in SEC play. Once again, it was a two-person show for the Lady Vols, as Fowler and Jeter notched kill totals of 24 and 20, respectively. Fowler set a season high with her effort, while Jeter tied her career high, set earlier this season at Louisville. Fowler also registered her seventh consecutive double-double with 10 digs.

 

After its two matches this weekend, Tennessee will close out the road portion of its schedule with contests at Auburn and Georgia. The Orange and White will first take on the Tigers at 4 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 13 in Auburn, Ala., before making the trek to Athens, Ga., for a 1:30 p.m. showdown against the Bulldogs on Sunday, Nov. 15.

                                                           

##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##

 

www.utladyvols.com

www.utsports.com

UAB Volleyball On The Road This Weekend At Marshall, East Carolina
Blazers to play final two road matches of regular season

UAB Volleyball Women On The Road This Weekend At Marshall, East Carolina

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- With the 2009 regular season winding down, the UAB volleyball team heads East for its final road weekend in conference play.

The Blazers will travel to Huntington, W. Va., to face Marshall on Friday at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) and then move on to Greenville, N.C., to meet East Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT).

UAB (14-14, 6-6 C-USA) and Marshall (19-7, 7-5 C-USA) have locked up spots in the 2009 Conference USA tournament and are now playing for positioning. The Blazers enter the weekend seventh in the league standings, one spot behind the Thundering Herd. East Carolina (9-16, 2-11 C-USA) has been eliminated from contention for a tournament spot.

The Blazers were scheduled to meet Marshall earlier this season on Oct. 9, but the match was postponed because several Thundering Herd players were exhibiting flu-like symptoms. That contest has been rescheduled for Nov. 12, meaning the teams will meet twice in a six-day period.

UAB and East Carolina met on Oct. 11 with the Blazers earning a 3-0 sweep in Birmingham. Andrea Lalic had 15 kills in the match as UAB hit for a season-best .348 percentage.

UAB enters the weekend with wins in three of its past four matches and coming off a 3-1 win Tuesday in a midweek road contest at Troy. Jordan McDonald recorded her fourth straight double-double in the victory over the Trojans with 12 kills and 15 digs.

The Blazer lineup also features reigning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week Patty Paniagua, who averages 1.06 blocks per set to rank fifth in the league. Teammate Michelle Uzoh leads the Blazers and ranks first in the conference with 1.22 blocks per frame.

Marshall dropped a pair of league matches on the road last weekend against Houston and Rice. Emily Sullivan leads the Thundering Herd offensively with 3.42 kills per set, while Ryanne Milligan paces the squad with 3.81 digs per frame.

East Carolina is also coming off losses last weekend at Rice and Houston. Stephanie Turner tops the Pirate attackers with a 2.54 kills-per-set average, and Amanda Lutzow owns a team-best 2.41 digs-per-frame average.

UAB leads in the all-time series against both programs, holding a 5-4 edge over Marshall, including three wins last season, and a 10-5 advantage over East Carolina.

As always, fans can follow this weekend’s action through Gametracker at uabsports.com.


-- CALL US UAB --

Jayhawks Women's Volleyball Team Travels to Oklahoma For Saturday Volleyball Action

 

For a complete set of notes go to http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/110509aad.html.

 

LAWRENCE, Kan. - In search of its fourth consecutive Big 12 Conference road win, the Kansas volleyball team (13-10, 5-8 Big 12) travels to Oklahoma (16-7, 9-5 Big 12) Saturday, Nov. 7 for a 2 p.m. match.

 

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

 

About Kansas

Kansas notched a 3-0 sweep at Colorado Wednesday night to improve its conference road record to 3-4. Overall, KU is 5-8 in the Big 12 and 13-10 on the season and has won four of its last six contests. Sophomore Allison Mayfield recently took over as the offensive leader for the Jayhawks averaging 3.58 kps (fifth in the conference) and 3.84 kps during conference matches. Junior Karina Garlington is right behind with 3.45 kps on the season. Sophomore Nicole Tate is guiding the KU offense with the league’s second-most assists at 11.15 aps. Junior Melissa Manda is tops on the team from the back row digging up 4.13 balls per set. Senior Melissa Grieb has made a big impact on the defensive end recently leading KU with 5.50 dps over the last three matches and is averaging 2.50 dps in conference action.

 

Notes From the Road

Kansas volleyball has had a lot of success on the road this season. Following the Jayhawks’ win at Colorado on Wednesday...

• KU has its most consecutive Big 12 road wins in program history with three.

• The Jayhawks currently have their most Big 12 road victories since 2005 (three in 2005).

• Kansas recorded its first back-to-back road wins since 2005 and first consecutive road sweeps in program history.

• KU collected its most total road wins since 2004 (six in 2004).

 

Academic All-America Nominees

For the fifth-straight year, Kansas volleyball has placed at least one player on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team. Senior Paige Mazour was named to the District 7 first team, while senior Katie Martincich earned second team honors.

 

Mazour has maintained a 3.94 cumulative GPA as a human biology major and earns academic all-district honors for the first time in her career. After serving in a reserve role for the Jayhawk volleyball team the past three seasons, Mazour is one of two Jayhawks to start all 23 matches in 2009 and ranks 10th in the Big 12 Conference with a .307 attack percentage. As a first team all-district honoree, Mazour is now in the running for Academic All-America. The All-America team will be announced on Nov. 23.

 

Martincich earns her second academic all-district honor having been named to the third team as a sophomore in 2007. A sport management and business marketing double major, Martincich has recorded a 3.98 GPA throughout her college career. Martincich ranks in the top 10 of KU’s career assists list and is on pace to break into the KU career digs list as well.

 

Up Next

Kansas returns to Lawrence to host in-state rival Kansas State on Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. The Jayhawks then play host to nationally-ranked Baylor on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m.

 

 

 

 

-Go Jayhawks!-

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 11

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Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 11

College Volleyball Team News 

from the following teams:

LSU

Ole Miss

Alabama

Kentucky

Auburn

South Carolina

Florida

Southern Mississippi

Arizona State

 

No. 19 LSU Volleyball Women Open Stretch Run at Ole Miss

 

BATON ROUGE – The No. 19 LSU volleyball team heads into the home stretch of the regular season Friday at Ole Miss. First serve against the Rebels is slated for 7 p.m. at the Gillom Sports Center.

 

The Tigers (18-5, 12-2 SEC), winners of 11 of their last 12 matches, have opened up a 5.5 match lead over Auburn in the SEC Western Division race. LSU’s magic number is down to one to clinch its fifth straight division crown as the Tigers embark on a string of five of their last seven matches on the road.

 

“We were fortunate in the first half of the SEC schedule to have a lot of home matches,” head coach Fran Flory said. “Our team has done an excellent job throughout the season on the road. We’ve been more focused and determined away from home. When you have a senior group, that’s the best time that you could end up with this type of schedule.”

 

Reigning SEC Offensive and CVU National Player of the Week Brittnee Cooper fuels the offense. She has powered home 287 kills and her 3.42 per set average ranks sixth in the SEC. The Houston, Texas product also paces the SEC and ranks 20th nationally with a crisp .384 hitting percentage.

 

Cooper continues to be a force on defensive side of the net where she paces the SEC and ranks 14th nationally with 1.39 blocks per set.  

 

“Cooper continues to get better as the season goes on,” Flory said. “When you receive those types of honors, it’s easy to sit back and relax a little. Brittnee hasn’t done that. She is gaining confidence and has been a sponge learning in the gym.”

 

Marina Skender has contributed 282 kills and her 3.36 per set average is seventh in the SEC. She also has tallied 2.64 digs and 0.54 blocks per set. The Croatia native recently moved into seventh place on the program’s career digs list and heads into the Ole Miss match two kills away from reaching that feat.

 

A big part of why LSU headlines the SEC and ranks 12th in the nation with 2.80 blocks per set are Lauren DeGirolamo and Michele Williams. The duo joins Cooper in the SEC’s Top Six in blocks per frame in league matches.

 

DeGirolamo has popped 50 kills on a .311 hitting percentage over her last seven matches and corralled seven or more digs in 16 of 23 matches highlighted by a trio of 16-dig performances.  

 

Sam Dabbs ranks second in the SEC and dispersed 11.06 assists per frame. She has set the Tigers to over a .300 hitting percentage in 10 matches, including four of LSU’s last seven outings. Dabbs also has notched a double-double in three of her last five matches. 

 

Angela Bensend has tallied over a .400 hitting clip six times in LSU’s last 11 matches. The Tigers are 13-1 over the last three seasons when Bensend reaches double-digit kills. Madie Jones has chipped in eight kills over last weekend. 

 

 

“The key is to be balanced and not one-dimensional on offense,” Flory said. “We’ve become more difficult to defend as the season has progressed. Madie has had two great weeks of practice and is back to being at a high level. I don’t know if teams usually add a lot of versatility late. Usually, you are what you are at this point in the season. It’s fun as coaches to watch this continue to develop.”

 

Lauren Waclawczyk and Sam Delahoussaye spark the back row. Waclawczyk has reeled in double-digit digs in 11 of her last 14 matches, while Delahoussaye has tallied a perfect reception percentage over nine of her last 12 outings.  

 

Ole Miss (8-16, 2-12 SEC) has lost five consecutive but three of the decisions have come against Top 25 opponents, including a 3-0 sweep by LSU back on Oct. 18. Five Rebels have produced 150 or more kills headlined by Katie Norris, who is fourth in the SEC with 3.74 kills per set. Morgan Springer leads the defense and is eighth in the SEC with 4.01 digs per set.

 

“Ole Miss at home is a tough go,” Flory said. “Their fans are very enthusiatic and they have a great homecourt advantage. Katie Norris, one of the staples in their lineup, should be back into their lineup. We’re going to have to be ready because they’re going to be prepared for us, and we’re going to have to excecute at a high level.”

 

Live stats for the Ole Miss match are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow in-match updates of the four-time defending SEC Western Division champions via www.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.

 

 

Alabama Volleyball Women's Team set to Take on No. 11 Kentucky

 

Crimson Tide looks to build on last weekend’s improvements when it faces the Wildcats

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama volleyball team (7-17, 5-9 SEC) hits the road this weekend, beginning Friday, Nov. 6 with a trip to Lexington, Ky. where the Crimson Tide will take on the No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats (22-2, 12-1 SEC) in Memorial Coliseum at 6:00 p.m. (CST).

 

“This is obviously going to be a challenging road weekend for us,” said head coach Judy Green. “With that being said, I think we made strides last weekend and hope to build on those improvements when we hit the courts Friday.”

 

Alabama will be looking to make it two wins in a row after claiming a 3-1 victory over South Carolina last Sunday at the CAVE, completing the season sweep of the Gamecocks. Sophomore Ashley Frazier collected a career-high 20 kills against South Carolina, with junior Alyssa Meuth (17) and senior Brooks Webster (15) also registering double-digit kills on the night. Junior Kayla Schmidt had an outstanding performance, dishing out a career-best 48 assists and posting a team-high 11 digs. Freshman Kelsey Anderson also scooped up 10 digs, while sophomore Sarah Machen totaled a match-best eight block assists.

 

Kentucky enters the match having won three straight after suffering just its second defeat of the season against Tennessee on Oct. 21. The Wildcats are coming off a sweep of Mississippi on Sunday, the first time they have won in Oxford since 2005. Kentucky has recorded an impressive seven sweeps in SEC play. The offense has been solid all season long for the Wildcats, as Kentucky three players with over 200 kills on the season, led by Sarah Mendoza’s 384. Sarah Rumley leads the team in assists with 1,049 and is averaging an impressive 11.79 per set. Gretchen Geisler is the leader in blocks, stuffing 93 total attempts this season

 

Next up, Alabama continues its road trip by heading to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Lady Volunteers Sunday. The match is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. (CST).

 

Live scoring and video will be available for both matches and can be found on Rolltide.com.

 

Auburn Volleyball Team Travels To South Carolina And Florida

AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team takes to the road and travels
to South Carolina and Florida for a pair of SEC weekend matches. The
Tigers face the Gamecocks on Friday at 6 p.m. CT and will take on No.
9/11 Florida on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT. Auburn’s match against the
Gators will be televised by SportsSouth.

“South Carolina is a team that we match up evenly with,” Wade
Benson, head volleyball coach, said. “It will be anybody’s win and
we’re ready to have a great match against them.”

“We want to go into Florida and play our very best volleyball,”
Benson added. “We’re excited for another opportunity to play against
a top-ranked team and will use it to see where we stand this late in the
season.”

AUBURN WOMEN"S VOLLEYBALL TIGERS DROP TO 14-10 ON SEASON

Auburn dropped two SEC matches this past week, falling to 14-10 overall
and 6-7 in conference play. The Tigers traveled to Georgia on Oct. 28
and fought the Bulldogs to five sets but fell 3-2.

Junior Morgan Johns tied a season-best with 14 kills, while freshman
Katherine Culwell finished with 12 kills and seven digs against Georgia.
Libero Liz Crouch had 20 digs on the night, while Sarah Bullock recorded
her fifth double-double on the season with 10 kills and 10 kills. Setter
Sara Shanks picked up her second double-double of the year, finishing
with 20 assists and a season-best 15 digs. Junior Alyssa Davis led the
squad with six blocks.

Auburn then traveled to LSU a dropped a 3-0 match in Baton Rouge.
Sophomore Kelly Fidero led the squad with eight kills, while Johns and
Culwell each had six on the day. Culwell finished with a match-high 21
digs, while Crouch recorded 14 digs.

CONFERENCE LEADERS
Entering the weekend, the Auburn volleyball team remains in the Top 5
in a handful of conference statistics categories. The Tigers are fourth
in the SEC in hitting percentage, having a .234 attack percentage. The
team has 1099 kills on 2851 attempts. Auburn is also fifth in overall
kills, having a 13.08 kills per set average.

With help from team leaders Katherine Culwell and Liz Crouch, Auburn is
fifth in service aces per set with 1.18. Katherine Culwell is ninth
overall in the SEC with a 0.29 average and a team-best 24 aces.

Auburn setters rank fifth with a 12.39 assist per set average. Leading
the way is sophomore Christina Solverson, averaging 5.43 assists per
set.

Other top 10 leaders in the conference are juniors Alyssa Davis and Liz
Crouch. Davis is sixth overall in attack percentage, recording a .325
hitting percentage with 124 kills on 283 attacks and just 32 errors.
Crouch is seventh in digs with a 4.04 dig per set average.

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
The Gamecocks enter the weekend with a 12-11 overall record and a 4-10
mark in the SEC. South Carolina is coming off a pair of conference
losses, being swept at Mississippi State and falling 3-1 to Alabama last
weekend.

Ivana Kujundzic leads the squad with a .225 attack percentage and 280
total kills on the season. Hannah Lawing follows with 242 kills and has
a .182 attack percentage. Libero Sarah Cline leads the squad with a 4.59
digs per set average.

FLORIDA GATORS
The Gators are currently ranked No. 9/11 in the country and sit at 18-3
overall and 12-2 in the SEC. The squad picked up a pair of sweeps last
weekend on the road, defeating both Alabama and Mississippi State in
three sets.

A trio of Gators lead the squad offensively. Colleen Ward has a
team-best 236 kills, while Kristy Jaeckel has 235 kills and Kelly Murphy
has 233 kills and a team-best .357 attack percentage. Elyse Cusack
recorded 4.38 digs per set and leads the squad with 472 total digs.

LAST TIME...
Florida traveled to Auburn on Oct. 16 and came away with a
well-contested 3-0 win. Freshman Sarah Bullock finished with a team-high
10 kills and 11 digs, while junior Morgan Johns added nine kills.

The Tigers rebounded from the loss to Florida with a 3-1 win over South
Carolina on Oct. 18. Katherine Culwell and Kelly Fidero each finished
with 18 kills on the day, while Bullock finished with 10 kills. Culwell
had a team-best 12 digs and Alyssa Davis tallied a match-high seven
blocks.

UP NEXT
Auburn returns to the Student Activities Center for two SEC matches
next weekend. The Tigers take on Tennessee at 4 p.m. on Nov. 13 and then
host No. 11 Kentucky at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 15.

Southern Mississippi Women's Volleyball Team Readies for SMU and Tulsa

 

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss women's volleyball team looks to extend its winning streak this weekend when it hosts SMU and Tulsa. USM’s match with SMU is set for Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., while the Golden Eagles will meet the Golden Hurricane on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.

Southern Miss improved to 23-4 and 11-2 in conference play with two C-USA victories on Oc. 30 and Nov. 1. The Golden Eagles defeated Memphis in straight sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-14) and UAB in five sets (25-21, 14-25, 24-26, 25-16, 15-12).

Southern Miss averaged 13.38 kills, 12.50 assists, 1.25 aces, 18.62 digs and 2.75 blocks per set for the weekend. Redshirt sophomore Ashley Mell the squad totaling 28 kills (3.50 kps) to go with 34 digs (4.25 dps) and sophomore Kelsea Seymour setter posted 86 assists (10.75 aps). Senior Angela Hlavaty, who missed the two matches prior to last weekend, totaled 25 kills (3.12 kps) while attacking at a .271 clip. She also led the squad with 10 total blocks (1.25). Senior libero Maia Ivanova led the team with 32 digs (4.0) and had on ace.

Mell continues to lead the team in kills with 325 (3.39 kps), while Seymour has totaled 1042 assists (10.53 aps). Ivanova, who topped the 1,800-dig mark this season, has 452 (4.48 dps). SJ Bowden leads the team in total blocks with 96.

SMU is coming off a weekend where it lost to Tulane in four sets, but defeated UTEP in three sets. The Mustangs own an 18-8 record and 8-4 in league play.  Dana Powell leads the Mustangs offensively with 382 kills (3.90 kps), while Sidney Stewart patrols the back row with a team-leading 467 digs (4.58 dps). At the net, Kendra Kahanek and Courtney Manning are averaging over 1.10 blocks per set. Setter Kelli Becerra is averaging 10.45 assists per set.

Tulsa is on an 11-match winning streak after dropping its first two C-USA matches to Tulane and UTEP to open its conference slate. Tyler Henderson, the current C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, leads the Hurricane in kills with 397 (4.27 kps), while Jessica Adams has a team-best 471 digs (5.01 dps).

The Golden Eagles Volleyball Team concludes the regular season when 

they host UCF at 7 p.m. in Reed Green Coliseum, Nov. 13.

Georgia State Volleyball Women Set for Final Road Contests

ATLANTA - The Georgia State volleyball team will travel to the
northeast this weekend for one final road trip of the year. It will
conclude a tough six-match road stretch for the Panthers who have not
played a home match since October 18th.
State (16-10, 3-7 CAA) opens the weekend at Hofstra on Friday night at
7 p.m. The Pride are 10-18 and 4-6 in the CAA and have won two of their
last three.
The Panthers will travel north on I-95 on Saturday night to face
Northeastern at 7 p.m. to conclude the road trip. The Huskies are still
in the hunt for one of four spots to the CAA Championship, owning a
12-11 overall record, standing at 5-5 in the CAA.
Junior Ashley Jones continued her stellar play, scoring her sixth
triple-double of the season against James Madison last Friday night and
following it up with a double-double on Saturday against George Mason.
Jones leads the CAA with six triple-doubles this season and is second in
the conference with 3.34 kills per set.
Redshirt-junior Audrey Cantrell continued to put together one of the
best defensive seasons in Georgia State history. Cantrell enters the
weekend just four digs shy of April DeCoste (2001-04) for fifth place on
the all-time digs list. The Rockwall, Texas native also moved just four
digs shy of fifth on the single season list and now has 446 this season,
just 67 behind Kumi Ishiyama with four matches to play. She has already
surpassed her total of 417 digs from last season.
The Panthers need just one more win to give head coach Mike Webster his
most successful season during his six year tenure at State. Already this
season, the Panthers have surpassed last year’s win total by 13, tied
for the second biggest turnaround in program history.
In the latest NCAA rankings released on Tuesday, the Panthers rank
fifth in the nation with 1.93 service aces per set. Sophomores Chelsea
Perry and Muki Kangwa rank among the top 25 in the nation, both
averaging 0.46 service aces per set. Cantrell is currently third in the
CAA and 62nd in the nation, averaging 4.60 digs per set.
Georgia State will return home for Senior Weekend on November 13th, for
the final weekend of the regular season, as the Panthers will take on
VCU at 5:30 p.m. State will conclude the 2009 season on Sunday, November
15th against William & Mary.

---www.GeorgiaStateSports.com---

Arizona State Women's Volleyball Team Heads Due North To Face Oregon State and No. 14 Oregon This Weekend

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Sun Devil Women’s Volleyball Team (12-11 overall, 2-9 Pac-10) will take to the friendly skies again this week as they set to head north to face Oregon State
(11-11, 2-8 Pac-10) and No. 14 Oregon (15-5, 5-5 Pac-10) this Friday and Saturday night. the Sun Devils will take on the OSU Beavers Friday night in Corvallis before facing the 14th-ranked Ducks on Saturday in Eugene. Both matches are set to kickoff at 7 p.m. PT.

Tulsa Women's Volleyball Team Hits the Road to Play UCF and Southern Miss

Golden Hurricane plays at UCF Friday at 7 p.m., and at Southern Miss Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa volleyball team hits the road again for the first time in almost a month when it travels to UCF Friday at 7 p.m. and league-leader Southern Miss Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

Live stats via Gametracker will be available at www.TulsaHurricane.com. UCF is fighting for a spot in the Conference USA Championship, while Tulsa is battling Southern Miss for the regular season championship and top seed in the tournament. The Hurricane is one half-game behind Southern Miss entering the weekend.

 

Tulsa (21-5, 10-2 C-USA), is hitting .275 as a team (1334 kills-437 errors-3265 attempts), with 1,334 kills (14.19 k/set), 1,240 assists (13.19 a/s), 108 service aces, 1,499 digs (15.95 dig/s) and 193.0 total blocks (2.05 per set).

 

UCF (11-15, 3-10 C-USA) enters the weekend hitting .182 (1198-556-3523) with 1,198 kills (12.22 k/s), 1,108 assists (11.31 a/s), 92 service aces, 1,435 digs (14.64 dig/s) and 200.5 total blocks (2.05 b/s).

 

Southern Miss (23-4, 11-2 C-USA) enters the weekend with a .227 attack percentage (1341-534-3558), 1,341 kills (13.28 k/s), 1,233 assists (12.21 a/s), 113 service aces, 1,614 digs (15.98 dig/s) and 230.0 total blocks (2.28 b/s).

 

Tulsa is led by the on the outside by senior Jennifer Eichler, who has 366 kills (3.89 kills per set), a .305 attack percentage, 2178 digs, 69 total blocks and 418.0 points for the Hurricane. Freshman Tyler Henderson has 397 kills (4.27 k/s), hits .284, has 31.0 blocks and has scored 416.0 points.

 

At middle blocker, junior Hannah Stout hits .432 with 241 kills and 74 blocks, while senior Julia Kenealy is hitting .310 with 130 kills, and leads the team with 97 total blocks (1.05 per set). Freshman libero Jessica Adams leads the Hurricane with 471 digs (5.01 d/s) and has 15 service aces. Setters Rachel Vukson and Jordan Clampitt have 602 (6.40 a/s) and 523 assists (5.56 a/s), respectively, and Clampitt adds 165 digs.

 

UCF is led by Erin Campbell, who has 335 kills (3.64 k/s), 12 service aces, 240 digs and 49 blocks, and Sara Rex who has 100 kills, and leads the team with 62 blocks. Andee Youngblood leads the Knights with 907 assists (9.26 a/s), while Meredith Murphy paces UCF with 417 digs (4.26 dig/s).

 

Southern Miss is led by Ashley Mell, who has 325 kills (3.39 k/s), 16 service aces, 263 digs and 62 blocks, Caitlin Clarke, who has 271 kills (2.79 k/s), and Sarah Jane Bowden leads the team with 96 blocks (0.99 per set). Kelsea Seymour leads the Golden Eagles with 1,042 assists (10.53 per set) and has 284 digs, while Maia Ivanova paces USM with 452 digs (4.48 dig/s).

 

Tulsa and UCF have played four times; TU leads the series, 3-1. The Golden Hurricane won the first three meetings of the series that dates to 2005. UCF won last season in Tulsa. The Hurricane has a 2-0 record against UCF in Orlando, and a 1-1 record at home.

 

Tulsa and Southern Miss have played four times; TU leads the series, 3-1. The Golden Hurricane has won the last three matches, all in C-USA play, while the Golden Eagles won on a neutral site in 1999. TU has a 2-0 record in Hattiesburg, and a 1-0 record at home.

 

Admission to all TU home volleyball matches is free. For all Tulsa volleyball news and information, visit www.TulsaHurricane.com. Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane. Become a fan of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane page on Facebook – search “Tulsa Golden Hurricane.”

  

-TulsaHurricane.com-

 

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Week 11: Clemson Volleyball Women Travel to Maryland, Boston College this Weekend

Clemson Volleyball Women Travel to Maryland, Boston College this Weekend

Tigers in search of fourth consecutive 20-win season. 

Clemsontigers.com

The Clemson volleyball team will travel to College Park, MD and Chestnut Hill, MA for matches with the Terrapins and Eagles on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The trip will mark the final two road matches for the Tigers (18-7, 8-5 ACC) in the 2009 season, as their final five matches are at home. Clemson will play Maryland at 7:00 pm on Friday, and BC at 12:00 pm on Sunday. Both matches will have live scoring available. 

The team will try to win their 19th and 20th matches of the season, and in doing so would be the fourth consecutive season reaching that mark, a first in Jolene Jordan Hoover’s career. Hoover has put together three straight 20-win seasons three time in her career, but this could be the first senior class to win 20 or more matches in each of their four years since the 1995 class. 

Senior Didem Ege is closing in on the ACC record in career digs with 2,166. She needs just 35 more to move into second all-time and 72 to set the mark. She has no fewer than seven matches to accomplish the feat. She is also the ACC’s all-time leader in career digs/set at 4.90. 

Setter Kelsey Murphy can become the second setter in Clemson history to surpass 5,000 assists with 158 more. She is already the only player in ACC history with 4,000 assists, 1,000 digs, and 400 blocks. 

Freshman Sandra Adeleye has come into her own lately, leading the Tigers in kills in each of the past three matches, including a career-high 19 at North Carolina. She is now averaging 2.58 kills/set, third among all league freshmen. 

Clemson defeated both Maryland and Boston College earlier this season in Jervey Gymnasium by 3-0 margins. On October 9, Alexa Rand’s career-high 16 kills and Kelsey Murphy’s 37 assists led Clemson past the Eagles. Didem Ege had 28 digs in only three sets, and held the Eagles to .145 hitting. The next day, the Tigers took advantage of 11 service errors by Maryland to win their fourth match in five outings. Natalie Patzin had 10 kills to lead Clemson, and Ege had 21 digs as the Tigers held Maryland to .133 hitting. 

Maryland has won two of their past twelve matches, and have been swept seven times during that stretch. The Terps did pick up a key victory on October 25 against Virginia Tech, who beat the Tigers in five sets. 

Maryland has a balanced attack, with three players averaging more than 2.40 kills per set. Maddi Lee led all attackers with 15 kills in the last match against the Tigers. Lia Scott averages more than a block per set defensively. Libero Sam Rosario is one of the top servers in the conference, averaging 0.44 aces/set, second in the ACC. 

Boston College has struggled lately, as Clemson’s victory on Oct. 9 was the first of a current eight-matching losing streak. The Eagles, who started 10-1, are now 1-12 in ACC play with a 3-0 victory against NC State. 

Taylor Williams leads the team with 267 kills, and is averaging 2.84 kills per set. The Eagles register 2.24 blocks/set as a team, among the best in the conference. 

After the trip up north, the Tigers will return home for their final five matches. Clemson will play host to #16 Florida State on Friday at 7:00 pm and Miami on Saturday at 6:00 pm. 

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: Duke Volleyball Women Face First-Place Florida State, Miami This Weekend

November 5, 2009

 

DURHAM, N.C. – In a showdown of the top two teams in the ACC, Duke will take on No. 16 Florida State this Friday, Nov. 6, in Tallahassee, Fla., as part of a two-match road trip that also includes a Sunday bout against Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.

 

Only one game separates Duke (21-4, 11-2 ACC) and Florida State (21-2, 12-1 ACC) in the ACC standings. The Seminoles, who jumped to No. 16 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, hold a slight edge after besting Duke 3-2 in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Oct. 10.

 

Duke is red hot entering the weekend, however, bringing a five-match win streak into the Florida road trip. That streak includes back-to-back 3-0 sweeps over Maryland and Boston College and a pair of tough 3-2 road wins over Clemson and Georgia Tech. This weekend, however, will be one of Duke’s toughest trips of the year as Florida State and Miami are both two of the top offensive teams in the conference. The Seminoles rank fourth nationally with a .303 team hitting percentage, while Miami boasts a .239 clip which ranks fourth in the ACC.

 

Duke, however, is more than capable of shutting down both teams with a defense that has held opponents to an ACC-low .150 hitting percentage. The Blue Devils have held all but two opponents – No. 1 Penn State and No. 16 Florida State – to a sub-.300 hitting percentage this season and have not allowed any of their past five opponents to hit over .180.

 

In the last meeting between Duke and Florida State, the Seminoles – led by 19 kills from Jordana Price – squeaked past Duke 3-2 with a 15-10 fifth-set victory. Florida State, then ranked No. 19, became just the second team to hit over .300 against Duke, posting a .301 clip. Despite the final number, however, the Blue Devils eventually caught on to Florida State’s offensive patterns and held the Seminoles to a .083 hitting percentage in the final game. Duke will have to draw that performance out over the entire match this Friday to have a chance against the Seminoles, who are on a nine-match win streak of their own.

 

Duke had little trouble getting past Miami in their last meeting, however, rolling the Hurricanes 3-0. The offensive duo of Rachael Moss and Becci Burling combined for 33 of Duke’s 53 kills in that sweep, which saw Duke hold Miami to a .156 hitting percentage. Burling gave the Hurricanes fits at the net, totaling four blocks, while Moss, libero Claire Smalzer and defensive specialist Alex Sall all contributed on the floor with a combined 45 digs. Coral Gables, Fla., proved to be a difficult environment for the Blue Devils last season, however, as the Hurricanes upset Duke 3-0 on their home court in 2008.

 

With just seven matches remaining in the regular season, Duke’s opportunity to make a run at the second straight ACC title begins this weekend. The Blue Devils finished strong in 2008, winning seven of their final eight, but will need to be even better this year to catch Florida State. If Duke gets past Florida State and Miami this weekend, another tough road trip to Virginia Tech and Virginia awaits the following weekend before the Blue Devils close out the season with home matches against NC State, North Carolina and Wake Forest.

 

-d-u-k-e-

 

Week 11: UK Volleyball: No. 11 Kentucky Volleyball Women Welcome Alabama Friday

Week 11: UK Volleyball: No. 11 Kentucky Volleyball Women Welcome Alabama Friday

UK set to host a pair of SEC Western foes this weekend

 

LEXINGTON, Ky.  –  The 11^th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats return home to host Alabama Friday night at Memorial Coliseum. The match with the Crimson Tide marks the beginning of the final four regular season home matches of the season for the Blue and White. First serve is set for 7 p.m. ET.

 

UK has racked up a 49-8 record at home in its last four seasons and are in search of its 50th win at home in that span. In 2009, UK holds a 9-1 record in the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum.

 

Sophomore Becky Pavan achieved a career-high .818 attacking percentage in UK’s win over Ole Miss on Sunday. Pavan posted nine kills with zero errors on the afternoon. Her classmate and fellow middle blocker, Gretchen Giesler matched a career-high with seven blocks as the UK squad was spectacular in all phases of the game in the victory over the Rebels.

 

Furthermore, in a victory over Arkansas last Friday the Wildcats had four players record over 10 or more kills in a match. It was the first time since Nov. 28, 2008 that UK had four different players have 10 or more kills in a match. Junior Sarah Mendoza posted a team-best 16 with Pavan notching 13. Junior Lauren Rapp and Giesler each had 10.

 

This marks the second meeting of the season between Kentucky and Alabama. The squads previously met on Oct. 18 with UK taking a 3-0 victory in Tuscaloosa. The Wildcats' hot-hitting continued in SEC play as the squad registered its 18th match hitting above .200 and UK's defensive effort at the net enabled the Wildcats to roll to its ninth-consecutive victory. Kentucky used a .381 attacking clip and forced Alabama into 19 hitting errors to earn its second straight sweep. Mendoza, Rapp and Blaire Hiler led the way offensively for the Wildcats. Mendoza charted a team-best 14 kills and Rapp chipped in with 11 on a .550 attack percentage. Hiler tallied eight on the day with an impressive .538 hitting clip.

 

The Crimson Tide holds a 7-17 overall record and a 5-9 clip in SEC action. Alabama has played a number of tough matches, including pushing Florida to a 33-31 third set in a loss to the Gators last weekend. The Tide is entering the matchup with Kentucky following a 3-1 victory over South Carolina on Sunday. Alabama is led by Brooks Webster who averages 2.27 kills per set and 0.58 blocks per frame after moving to her current middle blocker position.

 

For the most up-to-date news, highlights and features about the Kentucky volleyball team please visit UKathletics.com.

 

Match Promotions:

• UK Alumni Association Night
• FREE blue & white wigs for the 1st 50 UK Students

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 11: UT Arlington Volleyball Hosts Sam Houston State Thursday

UT Arlington Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 11

Mavs Volleyball Hosts Sam Houston State Thursday

November 4, 2009

 

ARLINGTON, Texas –

 

FIRST SERVE

UT Arlington and Sam Houston State enter Thursday’s match heading in opposite directions with the Mavericks on a three-match losing streak and Sam Houston State riding an 11-match win streak. UTA finishes it home schedule this week with its match against the Bearkats on Thursday and their home finale against Lamar on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m.

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

Thursday marks the 63rd all-time meeting between UT Arlington and Sam Houston State with UTA holding a 45-17 lead in the series. The Mavericks own a 19-3 advantage in matches played in Arlington, which includes winning 12 of the last 13 matchups at Texas Hall dating back to 1995. The Bearkats have won three in a row over the Mavs. Sam Houston State won the first match this season in four sets in Huntsville and swept the series last year. Despite the Bearkats recent success, the Mavericks have won 14 of the last 19 meetings.

 

First Serve:  ____________ 7 p.m.

All-Time Series_ UTA leads, 45-17

Last Meeting SHSU defeated UTA, 3-1

    Huntsville, Texas (10/3/09)

Arena________ Texas Hall (3,600)

Live Stats____ www.utamavs.com

Press Row       (817) 272-3795

 

UT ARLINGTON MAVERICKS

Overall Record: 9-15

Conference Record: 5-7

    Home Record: 7-4

    Away Record: 0-9

    Neutral Record: 2-2

    Last 5/Last 10: 2-3/3-7

Streak: Lost 3

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.utamavs.com

Head Coach: Diane Seymour

    Career Record: 90-87 (6th year)

    Record at UTA: 90-87 (6th year)

 

SAM HOUSTON STATE BEARKATS

Overall Record: 19-10

Conference Record: 11-1

    Home Record: 15-2

    Away Record: 4-4

    Neutral Record: 0-4

Last 5/Last 10: 5-0/10-0

Streak: Won 11

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.gobearkats.com

Head Coach: Brenda Gray

    Career Record: 542-380 (26th year)

    Record at SHSU: 542-380 (26th year)

 

TAKING A LOOK BACK

The Mavericks lost their first home conference match of the season on Tuesday in three sets against Texas State. More went into the match than what meets the eye, as UTA and Texas State combined scored 80 points (41-39) in the second set which marked school records for both programs. The Mavericks had five set points and the Bobcats had a total of nine set points before putting away a kill for the set’s final point. Tara Frantz led the way for UTA with 15 kills and Eld-hah Kaswatuka put up career-highs with nine kills and nine digs.

 

ON THE HORIZON - SENIOR NIGHT

UT Arlington plays its final home match of the season on Saturday, Nov. 7, taking on Lamar for a 4 p.m. first serve at Texas Hall. The Mavericks will recognize Teena Sobczak - UTA’s only senior - prior to the match, who will play her final match at Texas Hall. Sobczak is a four-year letterwinner for the Mavs and has played in 114 matches and 396 sets entering Thursday.

 

UTA TIED FOR FOURTH IN THE WEST; TIED FOR SEVENTH BEST RECORD IN SLC

The race for the postseason continues as UTA is currently tied with UTSA for the seventh best record in the SLC. If the playoffs started today, UT Arlington and UTSA would be tied for the sixth seed, as both programs own a 5-7 league record. UTA is just behind McNeese State (5-6) and has Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana on their heels with a 4-8 SLC mark.

 

UT ARLINGTON VOLLEYBALL HISTORY - MOST POINTS SCORED IN A SINGLE SET

Entering the night, the most points ever scored in a set in a UT Arlington volleyball match was 72, that record was demolished Tuesday, Nov. 3, with a record-setting 80 points scored in the second set between UT Arlington and Texas State with the Bobcats winning the frame 41-39. The previous record was in a match at Huntsville where Sam Houston State defeated the Mavs 37-35 in the fourth set of a Bearkats victory on Oct. 5, 2004. Nine times the Mavericks have had either 66 points or 68 points scored in a set. It is believed that the SLC record is 82 points in a set with Northwestern State defeating Lamar, 42-40, on Sept. 23, 2006 in Beaumont. Earlier this season on Friday, Oct. 23, Manhattan defeated Rider in a set that included 88 points (45-43), which is an NCAA all-time record.

 

UTA History - Most Points Scored in a Set

Pts          Date                      Teams    Result

80 11/3/09 Texas State (41) @ UTA (39)        UTA lost in 3

72 10/5/04 UTA (35) @ Sam Houston State (37)           UTA lost in 4

70 9/23/06 Texas State (34) @ UTA (36)        UTA won in 4

68 9/9/05    Iowa (35) @ UTA (33)    UTA lost in 4

68 10/15/04 Texas State (35) @ UTA (33)      UTA lost in 5

68 10/25/03 UTA (35) @ McNeese State (33)            UTA won in 4

68 11/1/03 UTA (35) @ Nicholls (33) UTA lost in 5

66 9/7/07 UTA (34) vs. Georgia State (32)      UTA won in 3

66 10/28/05 UTA (32) @ Sam Houston St. (34)           UTA lost in 4 sets

66 9/24/04 UTA (34) @ McNeese State (32)  UTA lost in 4

66 10/19/02 UTA (34) at Louisiana-Monroe   UTA won in 3

66 11/16/02 UTA (34) @ Lamar (32)  UTA lost in 5

 

MAVS’ HOME WIN STREAK SNAPPED AT FIVE

UT Arlington started the season with a five-match home winning streak in SLC matches. That streak came to an end in a three-set loss against Texas State on Tuesday night. The Mavericks started 7-0 at home in SLC competition in 2006.

 

SOBCZAK NEARS 14TH PLACE ON ALL-TIME DIGS LIST

Senior Teena Sobczak needs only three digs to move into 14th place on the all-time digs list at UT Arlington. Sobczak, who is averaging 2.99 digs per set in her career, led all players on Tuesday night with 15 digs and now has 1,183 for her career. Former Maverick Kisha Tucker (1,185 - 1997-2000) currently sits in 14th place. Last season Sobczak became the 16th member of the UTA career 1,000-dig club.

 

KASWATUKA HELPING THE CAUSE

UT Arlington sophomore Eld-hah Kaswatuka recorded a career-high nine kills and nine digs against Texas State. She entered the match during the first set and finished third on the team in kills and digs. Kaswatuka is averaging 1.37 kills per set and has a .195 hitting percentage.

 

FIVE-SET SUCCESS

UTA improved 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

 

 

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

 

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 11: Wake Forest Volleyball Looks To Continue Rolling Into Sunshine State

November 4, 2009

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 11: 

Wake Forest Volleyball Looks To Continue Rolling Into 

Sunshine State

*WINSTON-SALEM**, NC –* The Wake Forest volleyball team will look to continue rolling as it heads to the Sunshine State for matches against Miami and Florida State this weekend. The Demon Deacons will be in Miami, Fla., Friday night for a 7 pm match and then head to Tallahassee, Fla., for a 1 pm match against the 16^th -ranked Seminoles.

Wake is coming off a pair of victories last weekend at home over Maryland and Boston College. With the wins, the volleyball program recorded its 500^th victory, moving to 500-466 for a .518 winning percentage in this its 30^th year of action.

In the win over Maryland, Wake Forest recorded a total of 61 digs and raised over $8,000 in its fourth annual Dig For A Cure match. Junior libero Megan Thornberry  led the Deacs with a match-high 21 digs. It was her fourth match this season with 20 or more digs. She leads the team with an average of 4.43 digs per seton the year.

It was only fitting that in Wake's Dig For a Cure match, senior Abby Miller would reach a milestone, recording her 1,000th career dig in the third set. She is just the seventh Demon Deacon to reach that plateau and is currently sixth all-time with 1,007 career digs.

Sophomore Carlin Salmon and Kadija Fornah lead the Deacons offensively, as Salmon has put away 200 kills and is hitting a solid .222 while Fornah tops the squad with 224 kills and 2.77 kills per set. Freshman Andrea Beck has also had a solid rookie campaign offensively, hitting a team-best .271 with 195 kills.

Salmon and Beck have also been forces at the net defensively, leading the team with 87 and 68 total blocks, respectively. Salmon is averaging 0.98 blocks per set and has notched seven or more blocks three times this year.

Junior setter Kelsey Jones has really had a remarkable year for missing the entire summer after recovering from hip surgery. Jones did not even know if she would be ready to start the season but she was, and has had a solid season. She is averaging 10.08 assists per set, which is fifth-best in the conference and her nine double-doubles are tied for fourth-most in the ACC.

Two weeks ago, Jones dished out her 3,000^th career assist, becoming just the fourth Demon Deacon to do so. She is also averaging 2.31 digs per set this season. If she stays on that pace next year, she will record 1,000 career-digs as well, and will be just the second player in school-history to accumulate over 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs.

Miami comes into the weekend with a 14-9 overall record and a 7-6 mark in the conference. UM got off to a 7-2 start before dropping four of its next six matches to fall to 9-6. Miami is on a trend over the last month where after losing a match, it will turn around and win two-straight. That doesn’t bode well for Deacs as the ‘Canes are coming off a five-set loss at Virginia last Sunday.

Lane Carico leads the team and the conference in kills at 4.44 per set. She has notched a total of 382 kills on the year and is hitting .263. Carico also gets it done defensively, averaging 3.40 digs per set, which is 11^th -best in the ACC. Coupled with libero Cassie Loessberg’s 433 digs for an average of 5.03 per set, the ‘Canes lead the conference with 15.93 digs per set.

Lici McGee and Ali Becker have stepped-up in the front to help Carico offensively as McGee has recorded 178 kills on the year while Becker is right behind her with 176. Becker also leads the team in blocks with a total of 81 while McGee is second with 79.

Setter Nrithya Sundararaman has stepped in nicely at that position after the injury to Katie Gallagher to dish-out a team-high 624 assists while also averaging better than a 1.10 digs per set. Maria Anderson is averaging 1.86 digs per set and leads the team with 28 service aces.

UM leads the all-time series with Wake Forest 6-4 after winning the first match between the two schools this season in Reynolds Gym. Wake swept both matches last season for the first time in the series while Miami has won three of the five matches played in Coral Gables.

The Seminoles have ascended to No. 16 in the latest AVCA poll, which is the highest ranking in school-history. FSU is 21-2 and is currently riding a nine-match win-streak. The ‘Noles lead the ACC by one match over Duke with a record of 12-2. Duke and FSU hook-up in a huge conference match in Tallahassee on Friday night.

Both of Florida State’s losses came in five sets with the first coming at the hands of then No. 5 Florida in the fourth match of the season. The second loss came in a hard-fought match with Georgia Tech on Oct. 2. Outside of the two losses, the ‘Noles have dropped just 12 sets in their 21 victories.

The Seminoles are led by senior Brianna Barry, who is hitting a remarkable .527 on the year which is tops in the league and second in the entire nation. She has totaled 222 kills for an average of 2.64 per set and is also second on the team with 1.01 blocks per set.

Fellow senior Mira Djuric tops the squad with 232 kills and leads the ACC in service aces per set at 0.45. Stephanie Neville (193 kills) and Jordana Price (192 kills) have also had good seasons offensively for the ‘Noles. Price is hitting at a team-high .377 clip, which is third-best in the conference.

FSU leads the conference in assists at 12.86 per set thanks in part to the duo of Duygu Duzceler and Nikki Baker. Duzceler is averaging 5.41 assists per set while Baker has dished out 517 assists for an average of 6.08 per set.

Defensively, the Seminoles are second in the conference in blocks at 2.51 per set led by Price’s 102 total blocks. Libero Jenna Romanelli tops the team in digs with 225 while Fatma Yildirim is close behind with 213.

FSU has dominated the all-time series with Wake, holding a 22-6 advantage. The Seminoles have also won the last eight meetings in the series with the last Wake win coming in Winston-Salem on Oct. 21, 2005.

Both matches this weekend will be available through CSTV’s Gametracker. Check back to www.WakeForestSports.com  for complete match recaps.

Week 11: Oregon State Beavers Women's Volleyball Wraps Up Home Season vs. Portland, Gonzaga

Oregon State Beavers Volleyball to Host Arizona Schools

 

LOOKING AHEAD — The Oregon State Beavers (11-11, 2-8 Pac-10) host the Arizona schools this weekend. The Beavers will face the Arizona State Sun Devils (12-11, 2-9 Pac-10) first on Friday before the No. 18 Arizona Wildcats (16-6, 5-6 Pac-10) on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.

 

TRACKING THE BEAVS — Full results from this weekend’s matches can be found through the newly redesigned osubeavers.com. Gametracker will be available for all three matches and can be found by clicking on the ‘Gametracker’ link located on the volleyball schedule page.

 

TWITTER AND BLOGS — Follow the Oregon State volleyball program this season on Twitter. “Beavsvolleyball” provides updates throughout matches and the week. And follow the team on road trips through daily blogs on osubeavers.com, where different players will give their insight on the team and what goes on when they travel.

 

MATCH 23: ARIZONA STATE (12-11, 2-9 PAC-10) — Friday, Nov. 6 (7:00 p.m.): Oregon State is 15-33 all-time against the Sun Devils. The Beavers took the first meeting in five in Tempe.

 

The Sun Devils split at home last weekend, taking a four-set win over No. 21 Washington State but falling in three to No. 5 Washington. Junior outside hitter Sarah Reaves leads the Arizona State offense with 371 kills (4.52 kps), good for third in the conference. And junior libero Sarah Johnson is seventh in the conference for digs with 301 (3.72 dps), while senior middle blocker Paige Mittelstaedt is fifth in the conference for blocks with 101 (1.19 bps). A tough serving team, Johnson and sophomore Sofie Schlaintweit are seventh and ninth in the conference for service aces. Sophomore setter Cat Highmark has 633 assists on the season, averaging 10.05 per set. Head coach Jason Watson is in his second season at Arizona State.

 

MATCH 24: NO. 18 ARIZONA (16-6, 5-6 PAC-10) — Saturday, Nov. 7 (7:00 p.m.): Oregon State is 12-36 all-time against Arizona. The Wildcats took the first meeting in Tucson in a five-set thriller.

 

The Wildcats are coming off a split at home against the Washington schools, playing a pair of four-set matches resulting in a win over No. 21 Washington State but a loss to No. 5 Washington. Junior outside hitter Tiffany Owens continues to lead the Wildcats offensively with 285 kills (3.61 kps). She currently ranks eighth in the conference for kills per set. Defensively, Owens and senior libero Alanna Resch both have 234 digs (2.96 dps). And at the net, senior middle blocker Jacy Norton has 76 blocks (1.00 bps), good for 10th in the conference this week. Junior setter Paige Weber has 836 assists (10.58 aps) and is sixth in the conference directing her team’s offense. Head coach David Rubio is in his18th season.

 

REWIND TO LAST WEEK — Despite a marathon first set that culminated in a 37-39 loss, the Beavers lost to No. 15 Oregon at McArthur Court in four.

 

Senior Rachel Rourke hit the mark that Beaver Nation has been waiting for all volleyball season, breaking the all-time career kills record with a career-best 36 kills. Rourke had 15 kills in just the first set alone.

 

Also having a solid all-around match was senior Lexie Rathgeber with 10 kills, six blocks and five digs. Junior Kiersten Sambrailo had a career-high nine blocks and freshmanAlyssa O’Neil, playing as libero, dug a career-best 18 balls.

 

ODDS & ENDS — The first set of the Civil War match in Eugene, resulting in a 37-39 final score, is the longest set ever played in the country since the current scoring system has been implemented.

 

Oregon State’s 76 kills is the second most to date in a single match in the conference. Senior Rachel Rourke currently has scored the most points in a single match in the Pac-10 with 38.0 at Oregon. And she also has the most kills in a single match with 36 at Oregon.

 

It is believed that this is the first season that Oregon State has defeated three ranked opponents since 1995.

 

Oregon State is 3-6 against ranked opponents this season, defeating No. 24 Colorado State, No. 6 Michigan and No. 7 Oregon.

 

The Beavers snapped a six-match series winning streak by Oregon on Friday, Oct. 2, defeating the seventh-ranked Ducks in five. Oregon State snapped another six-match series winning streak on Oct. 10, defeating Arizona State in Tempe in five.

 

The Civil War match on Friday, Oct. 2, set a new school record for attendance with 3,576 in legendary Gill Coliseum. The previous record of 3,547 was set at the last Civil War in 2008.

 

Oregon State snapped Michigan’s 52-match non-conference regular season winning streak with the sweep on Saturday, Sept. 19. The win also ended the Wolverines’ perfect 13-0 season starts that date back to the 2005 season.

 

The win over sixth-ranked Michigan marks the first win over a top 10 opponent since No. 4 USC in 2008 on October 3 at home, and the first win on the road since No. 4 UCLA on October 12, 2007. It is believed that this win is over the highest ranked non-conference opponent on the road in school history.

 

Senior Rachel Rourke was the first ‘everyday champion’ of the 2009-10 school year. Rourke, a sociology major and the volleyball program’s first ever All-American, was on the KJOE 1240 AM Joe Beaver Show with hosts Mike Parker and Jon Warren. And she was featured on the first episode of Beavers All Access for the school year, while also being interviewed by KPAM 860 AM out of Portland. Senior Lexie Rathgeber is currently the ‘everyday champion’ the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 2.

 

The Beavers are a perfect 5-0 in their season openers under head coach Taras Liskevych. The team has won its season opener in seven of the last eight years.

 

In home openers, Oregon State has won its last three, defeating Seattle this season, Wyoming last season and Washington State in 2007.

 

Senior Rachel Rourke earned three All-Tournament nods this season, including one Most Valuable Player honor at the Michigan ADIDAS Invitational, and junior Jill Sawatzky was named to two All-Tournament teams with Most Valuable Player honors at the Active Ankle Challenge.

 

PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK — Senior Rachel Rourke was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for Sept. 15-21. It marks the second time in her career that she’s received the honor. And she is the eighth player in school history to earn it, 12th overall school honor.

 

NATIONAL ATTENTION — The Beavers received 16 votes in this week’s top 25 poll, good for 32nd. The Beavers were tied for 34th last week with 15 votes, as well. The Beavers reached as high as 24th in the 2008 season after not being ranked in the top 25 since 1996.

 

COUNTDOWN IS OVER, IT’S FINALLY BROKEN — Senior Rachel Rourke broke the school record in kills and is still close in attacks and possibly total points. She currently boasts 1,773 career kills. She currently has 384 on the season. As a freshman she racked up 387 kills, 505 as a sophomore and 497 as a junior.

 

FACING OFF AGAINST THE NATION — Two Oregon State players are ranked in the top 50 in the nation for their stats in blocks, kills and points, as of November 2. Junior Kiersten Sambrailo is the 37th best blocker in the country, averaging 1.25 blocks per set, while senior Rachel Rourke is seventh for kills per set (4.74) and fifth for points per set (5.35 pps). As a team, Oregon State is sixth for blocks (2.89).

 

IT’S FINALLY OFFICIAL — The NCAA released its first official RPI on October 12 with the Oregon State volleyball team ranked 28th. In the RPI released on November 2, the Beavers dropped to 53rd. All 10 conference teams are in the top 67 with Washington leading the way at No. 5. Arizona State trails the Beavers. In the Rich Kern Power Index (RKPI), the Beavers are ranked 52nd. The Beavers finished the 2008 season ranked 82nd.

 

ATTENDANCE AVERAGE — The Beavers are currently averaging 1,596 on the season, unofficially 24th in the country. The team is currently only behind Stanford and Washington, and the Civil War ranks 64th in single-match attendance. Oregon State finished the 2008 season 36th in the country for attendance, averaging 1,037 per match. The Beavers were fifth in the conference behind Stanford, Washington, USC and Oregon. The Civil War in Corvallis ranked the 86th highest single-match attendance of the season.

 

SPIKE OUT CANCER — The Beavers are proud to host the second annual Spike Out Cancer, in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The event will take place on Friday, Oct. 16, against the Stanford Cardinal in legendary Gill Coliseum at 7:00 p.m. Admission is only $1, and mini pink volleyballs are available for purchase for $12 with part of the proceeds going to the Corvallis Clinic. Overall, approximately $1,000 was donated to the Corvallis Clinic’s Project H.E.R.

 

GET YOUR TICKETS — Season tickets are on sale now for the 2009 Oregon State volleyball season. The adult price is $63 and the youth/senior price is $40 for all 12 home matches, including all of the tough Pac-10 matches. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-GOBEAVS or by visiting osubeavers.com.

 

Single-match tickets are also available for purchase. The cost is $7 for adults, $5 for children and seniors and $2 each for groups of 20 or more.

 

CAN’T MAKE IT TO A MATCH? — Oregon State was televised once this season on the road. The Civil War in Eugene aired live nationally on FSN on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:00 p.m., via tape delay.

 

All home matches will be webcast for free through Beaver Nation Online (BNO), the audio/visual service of osubeavers.com.

 

BRING OUT THE WELCOME WAGON — The Beavers welcome six freshmen to the 2009 roster, including athletic legacies Dianni Freeman and Megan McBride. Freeman’s father, Shawn, played basketball at Oregon State in 1987-88, while McBride’s father, Kevin, played football for the Beavers for a pair of seasons. Adding to the mix is Camille Saxton, whose parents Don and Mylène both played on the Canadian National Team. Rounding out the freshmen are Alyssa O’Neil, Ashley Eneliko and Tami Brown, who is from Eugene and was highly recruited for basketball, being named a McDonalds All-American nominee as a senior in high school.

 

OREGON STATE VS. RANKED OPPONENTS — Oregon State will face eight opponents this season ranked in the AVCA Coaches Division I Top 25 Preseason Poll with its first test coming in the ASICS Classic against No. 24 Colorado State. The Pac-10 boasts six teams, Stanford, USC, California, UCLA, Washington and Oregon, in the top 25 with all six in the top 14. Other top teams the Beavers will face this season are Pepperdine, Wisconsin, Cal Poly and Arizona, who fell just outside the top 25 with substantial votes.

 

PAC-10 PRESEASON POLL — The Beavers were voted to finish ninth in the Pac-10 Preseason Volleyball Poll with 31 total points ahead of Washington State. Washington was voted to finish first receiving nine first place votes and 90 total points.

 

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST SEASON — The 2008 season started with high hopes as the Beavers got off to their best start since 1996. Oregon State easily cruised through its first five matches, sweeping the first four. After a pair of tough losses to No. 17 Colorado State and Pepperdine in the ASICS Classic, the team recovered with a six-match winning streak, defeating tough opponent, No. 13 Wisconsin, on the road. The stretch earned the program individual and team accolades beginning with junior Rachel Rourke becoming 11th honoree in school history to earn Pac-10 Player of the Week honors for her three 20-plus kill matches in the Marquette Cheese Bowl. Additionally, the Beavers received votes in the top 25 for the first time during the season.

 

The season continued to progress in successful fashion with a huge upset over No. 4 USC in Oregon State’s conference home opener, leading to the program’s first top 25 ranking since 1996. Oregon State climbed to as high as No. 24 during the season. The Beavers nearly stunned No. 5 UCLA the following evening, falling to the Bruins in a five-set heartbreaker. The rise of the program’s talent boosted home attendance, setting a new school record against No. 8 Oregon in the second Civil War match of the season with 3,547 spilling into legendary Gill Coliseum.

 

But the Beavers didn’t stop as they picked up a win on the road over Washington State before hosting Arizona for Spike Out Cancer Night on October 24. The team shut down the Wildcat attack to tally the sweep. However, despite strong showings at No. 12 USC and Arizona State and at home against Washington State, Oregon State was unable to muster another win, falling just three matches shy of its goal of its first NCAA berth since 2001.

 

That didn’t stop Rourke from accumulating a handful of firsts for the program. The 6-foot-5 outside hitter from Queensland, Australia first earned the program’s inaugural All-Pacific Region selection, being named to the honorable mention squad. She then went on to earn 2008 Under Armour/Volleyball Magazine All-America Honorable Mention accolades. She added these two honors to her All-Pac-10 First Team recognition, the first for Oregon State since 2000.

 

60TH ANNIVERSARY OF LEGENDARY GILL COLISEUM — Legendary Gill Coliseum is the home to Oregon State’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, gymnastics and wrestling teams. The arena seats 10,400 for competitions on Ralph Miller Court. The building which opened in the winter of 1949-50 has seen several refurbishment projects in recent years and is on the docket for a major renovation. Gill has seen over 3,000 victories, 150+ All-Americans and more than 25 individual and team titles. The Oregon State Athletic Department is celebrating the 60th anniversary of legendary Gill Coliseum.

 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BEAVERS — Oregon State takes it to the road, heading to the Bay Area. The Beavers will take on the No. 13 California Golden Bears on Friday and the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal on Saturday. Both matches are slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.

 

Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund.  For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. You can make an “everyday champion.”  Follow Beaver Athletics on twitter.

 

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. 

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 11: No. 22 Baylor Volleyball Aims for 20th Win vs. Oklahoma Sooners Volleyball Team

Baylor Women's College Volleyball Team Game Information: 

MATCH 25

vs. (rv) OKLAHOMA  •  Nov. 4, 2009  •  Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas)

INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast stream at BaylorBears.com

INTERNET VIDEO: live broadcast stream at BaylorBears.com

LIVE STATS: Live GameTracker stats at BaylorBears.com

SCOUTING THE SOONERS
• Oklahoma is led by sixth-year head coach Santiago Restrepo, who has amassed an 81-71 record in his first five seasons at the helm of the Sooners. Restrepo led OU to the Sweet Sixteen in 2006.
• The Sooners feature a balanced attack with five players with more than 150 kills. Suzy Boulavsky leads the way with 225, while Francie Ekwerekwu has 199 and Sarah Freudenrich has 191. 
• Sophomore setter Brianne Barker runs the offense averaging 9.68 assists per set, while also holding the team's third-highest dig average at 3.46 per set. • The Sooners are ranked second in the Big 12 in digs per set at 17.81, led by Maria Fernanda's 4.70 and Bridget Laplante's 3.48. Caitlin Higgins also avearges 3.00 digs per set.
• As a team, OU has hit just .208 on the season, but solid defense has held opponents to a .152 attack percentage, the third best in the Big 12.

LAST TIME AGAINST OKLAHOMA
Then-No. 19 Baylor battled back from down a set twice against Oklahoma, but fell short in a 3-2 (13-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-19, 12-15) loss at Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon. Baylor came out sluggish, dropping a 25-13 first set, but found some offense in the second and fourth sets.
Led by right side Suzy Boulavsky's 21 kills and 20 digs, Oklahoma also got 11 kills and nine blocks by Sarah Freudenrich to get its first win of the season over ranked opponent. Baylor, meanwhile, had four players in double figures led by Katie Sanders' 12 kills. Anna Breyfogle and Torri Campbell each had 11 kills, while Ashlie Christenson had 10. SetterTaylor Barnes had a solid match for BU with a double-double of 50 assists and 12 digs to go along with seven kills. Baylor hit just .166, frustrated by Oklahoma's block and back row play. The Sooners had 14 blocks and 93 digs, while Baylor managed nine blocks and 76 digs.

LAST TIME OUT
No. 22 Baylor got at least 10 kills from four different player, including a match-high 12 byKatie Sanders to sweep (25-17, 25-20, 25-23) Texas Tech at the Ferrell Center on Saturday night.
Sanders added 14 digs for her 13th double-double of the season, and Torri Campbell, Anna Breyfogle and Elizabeth Graham each had 10 kills for the Bears. Setter Taylor Barnes had 41 assists to go along with a career-high six service aces, seven digs and five kills. She led the offense to a .281 hitting percentage (51-17-121) on the evening.
On defense, Allison King continued her trend of double-digit digs with 13 of Baylor's 48. At the net, Big 12 blocking leader Anna Breyfogle had four block assists, and one solo block, while Barnes and Ashlie Christenson each had two block assists. Baylor held Texas Tech to a .184 hitting percentage (32-13-103). Amanda Dowdy led the Red Raiders with 11 kills.

 

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 11: UNLV VOLLEYBALL FACES IN-STATE RIVAL UNR THURSDAY

Rebels have won three straight over the Wolf Pack and own 10-7 edge in head-to-head series. 

LAS VEGAS – The UNLV Rebels (6-14 overall) will stay on the road for their third straight contest away from Las Vegas with a test against in-state rival Nevada, Reno (8-16) Thursday night at 7:00 pm. The Rebels sit seventh overall in the MWC with a 4-8 record, while UNR is sixth in the Western Athletic Conference with a 4-7 mark. 

UNLV's Erin Greenwood keeps moving up the career record book with each match and set played. Greenwood has participated in every match possible that she has suited up for as a Rebel and played in all but 10 sets. Currently, she ranks third in hitting efficiency (.284) and fourth in total blocks (328) and assisted blocks (271). She also sits within the top 10 in solo blocks, kills and total attempts. 

Scouting Nevada, Reno: 
The Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack sit 8-16 on the year. The Wolf Pack split its last two matches in sweeping fashion, as they defeated San Jose State 3-0, but fell to Hawai’i 3-0. The team has lost four of its last five and has owned four different losing streaks of at least three matches. 

Historically speaking, UNLV owns a 10-7 edge in the head-to-head series dating back to 1979. The Rebels ride a three-match winning streak into Thursday night’s affair. UNR won the initial meeting in 1979, but watched as UNLV rattled off seven wins in the next eight meetings to claim a 7-2 lead in the series. The Wolf Pack countered by winning five straight from 2001-05. UNLV owns a 3-2 advantage in matches played in Reno. 

-UNLV- 


  

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 11: Texas Volleyball preview: No. 8 Iowa State

Volleyball preview: No. 8 Iowa State

 

The second-ranked Longhorns face their third straight ranked opponent when they travel to Iowa State on Wednesday, Nov. 4. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.

 

Match 19: No. 2/2 TEXAS (18-0, 13-0 Big 12) vs. No. 8/8 Iowa State (19-3, 11-2 Big 12)

When: Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 pm Central

Where: Ames, Iowa (Hilton Coliseum)

Internet Video: www.cyclones.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?&id=359577&catid=0&KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=10700 (subscription based)

Live Stats: http://www.cyclones.com/fls/10700/STATS/LiveStats/VB/091104/xlive.htm

 

SERIES INFO

All-Time Series Record: Texas leads Iowa State, 27-3 (H: 16-0, A: 11-2, N: 0-0)

Last meeting with Iowa State: Texas defeated ISU, 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-17) on Sept. 218, 2009

Current Streak: Texas has won the last eight meetings

 

TEXAS IN THE AVCA POLL

The Longhorns are ranked No. 2 in the most recent AVCA Division I Coaches Poll (Nov. 2) ... UT received 10 first-place votes (the most of 2009) ... 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 53 straight weeks ... UT opponents in the poll include, No. 3 Hawaii,  No. 8 Iowa State, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 13 California, No. 20 Baylor, No. 21 San Diego, No. 22 Saint Louis and No. 23 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).

 

TEXAS IN THE NCAA STATS

In the most recent addition of the NCAA statistics (Nov. 2), Texas ranks No. 2 in the country with its .329 hitting percentage ... UT ranks No. 4 in blocks per-set, averaging 2.97 stuffs each set ... senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker ranks second with 5.70 points and fifth with 4.78 kills per-set.

 

HOOKER EARNS FOURTH BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD

Senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker anchored No. 2 Texas’ attack in a pair of sweep victories over No. 8 Nebraska (10/30) and No. 25 Texas A&M (10/28) ... she connected for 6.08 points and 5.33 kills per-set, while hitting at a .333 clip for the week ... Hooker posted 19 kills on .400 hitting and added 10 digs against NU ... she helped the Longhorns rally back from a 10-4 deficit in the third set for the match victory ... Hooker paced a set-ending 10-1 run with six kills, including the final three points of the match.

 

TEXAS No. 1 in NCAA RPI

In the most recent release of the NCAA RPI (Nov. 2), Texas ranks No. 1 ... No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Illinois and No. 5 Washington round out the top five ... Big 12 rivals Iowa State and Nebraska rank No. 12 and No. 16, respectively.

 

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 is the longest in program history ... Texas currently owns a 17-match home winning streak at Gregory Gym dating back to Nov. 1, 2008.

 

ROAD WARRIORS

Texas is 17-0 on the season with 11 of its wins coming on the road ... the Horns are 8-0 at away games and 3-0 at neutral sites in 2009 ... the Horns own victories at Hawaii and Nebraska, which perennially rank in the top-two on the NCAA Volleyball attendance charts ... Texas is playing better on the road than it is at home in 2009, hitting .337 as a team and blocking 3.14 balls per-set on the road and hitting .314 and notching 2.69 blocks per-set at home.

 

 

 

Hook'em

 

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