Volleyball Voices

Week 12: Top Two McNeese State Women's Volleyball Team Stories This Week

Week 12: Top Two McNeese State Women's Volleyball Team Stories This Week

• Cowgirls Women's Volleyball Team Travels To Stephen F. Austin Tonight
  
• Cowgirls Fall To Stephen F. Austin In Four Sets
  

Cowgirls Travel To Stephen F. Austin Tonight

     McNeese State's volleyball team (17-10, 5-8 SLC) will attempt to snap their three match losing streak tonight when the Cowgirls travel to Nacogdoches, Texas to face Stephen F. Austin (19-12, 8-5 SLC) in a 7 p.m. Southland Conference match.  The Ladyjacks defeated the Cowgirls in four sets in Lake Charles earlier this season.

     McNeese enters the final week of the regular season in third place in the East Division and eighth overall.  Stephen F. Austin is in second place in the East Division behind division leader Central Arkansas.  Next week's Southland Conference Tournament will consists of the top eight teams.  Central Arkansas has won the regular season title but is not eligible for the Southland Conference Tournament.

     McNeese will conclude its regular season this weekend by hosting Nicholls at 7 p.m. Friday and Southeastern La. at 2 p.m. Saturday. 

Cowgirls Fall To Stephen F. Austin In Four Sets

NACOGDOCHES, Tx.-- McNeese State's senior outside hitter Chanel Tyler moved into fifth place on the school's all-time kills list with 1,170 by leading the Cowgirls with 14 kills in a losing cause here tonight to Stephen F. Austin.  Tyler moved into the fifth spot in the Cowgirls' first set victory by collecting eight kills, surpassing Kim Newman who played for the Cowgirls from 1991-94).  

     McNeese dropped the overall match in four sets after winning the first set 29-25 to take a 1-0 lead.  McNeese would go on to drop the next three sets 14-25, 19-25 and 21-25 to fall to 17-11 overall and 5-9 in conference play.  

     Tyler was the only Cowgirl to record double figure kills but the Cowgirls had four players that recorded double figure digs. Freshman Priscilla Massengale led the way by tying her career high with 20.  Sarah Cartie was credited with 16, Whitney Ellisor had 15 and Becky Bekelja dug a career high 13.  Cartie also led the Cowgirls with 36 assists.

     McNeese will conclude the regular season this weekend by hosting Nicholls at 7 p.m. Friday night and Southeastern La. at 2 p.m. Saturday which will also be Senior Day.  Tyler, Cartie and Deanna Sanchez will be honored prior to the match.

-30-

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Week 12: Utah Utes In The News

Utah Volleyball Concludes Regular Season Home Slate

Utes face Colorado State and Wyoming this weekend.

 

The University of Utah volleyball team will conclude its regular season home slate by hosting a pair of Mountain West Conference matches at Crimson Court. The Utes face Colorado State Thursday at 7:30 p.m., then take on Wyoming Saturday at 1 p.m.

 

The Mtn. will provide a live telecast of Thursday’s match against the Rams from Crimson Court. Anne Marie Anderson will have the play-by-play call and Amy Gant will be the color analyst. A live webcast with Dan Clayton’s play-by-play call as well as live stats will be available for both matches at utahutes.com.

 

Utah has split its last four matches and is 15-9 overall. The Utes stand third in the MWC with an 8-4 conference record and are three matches behind second-place TCU. CSU has won its last four matches and 16 of its last 17 matches. The Rams begin play this weekend with a 20-4 record and currently lead the MWC with 12-1 mark in league play, a half match ahead of TCU. Wyoming has won two of its last three matches and is 12-16 overall this season. The Cowgirls occupy eighth place in the MWC with a 2-11 conference mark and will play BYU Thursday at 7 p.m.

 

Follow Utah Volleyball on Twitter at http://twitter.com/utahvolleyball and watch highlights from the Utes’ historic five-set victory Sept. 25 over BYU at Crimson Court on the Utah Volleyball Blog at http://utahvolleyball.blogspot.com.

 

Last Time Out: Utah dropped a four-set decision Saturday at TCU (21-25, 26-24, 20-25, 7-25) in the University Recreation Center. The Utes held an 8-7 advantage in team blocks but could only hit for a .170 mark, compared to .313 for the Horned Frogs.

 

Utes Love the Small Screen: Utah is 7-0 on television since 2008, including a 4-0 mark in televised matches at Crimson Court.

 

‘Barto’ Banter: Junior opposite hitter Karolina Bartkowiak (Aurora, Ill.) led the way last week for the Ute attack in matches at New Mexico and TCU this weekend with 3.50 kills per set and was second on the squad with a .239 hitting percentage. She also had 2.12 digs per set, a mark that tied for second place on the team. Bartkowiak came up with her 10th career double, all coming this season, Saturday at TCU. She had 11 kills and 10 digs to go along with a pair of blocks. She hit for 17 kills at New Mexico on Thursday for her third straight double-figure-kill match and 16th this season. Bartkowiak also added seven digs and three blocks. She stands sixth in the MWC with 3.06 kills per set, ranks sixth with 3.61 points per set and is 10th with a .281 hitting percentage. In conference matches, Bartkowiak is fifth with 3.84 points and sixth with 3.24 kills per set.

 

- UU -

Week 12: Washington State Women's Volleyball Ready To Pounce On UCLA and USC This Week

No. 25 WSU Volleyball Travels to No. 6 UCLA and No. 17 USC

 

COUGAR VOLLEYBALL LOOKING TO BE STARS IN LA: The No. 25 Washington State volleyball team (16-8 overall, 5-8 Pac-10) hits the road for a pair of conference matches against ranked teams…Cougars play No. 6 UCLA (19-6, 9-3) Friday, Nov. 13 (7 p.m.) at Pauley Pavilion, and No. 17 USC (15-9, 4-8) Saturday, Nov. 14 (5:30 p.m.) at the Galen Center…matches will be broadcast on KQQQ 1150 AM and on the internet via Cougars All-Access.

 

COUGAR COACHING STAFF: Head Coach Andrew Palileo is in his second season at WSU after a highly successful tenure at South Dakota State…Palileo has a 26-27 overall record at WSU, and a 13-year career record of 265-168…associate head coach Brian Lamppa and assistant coach TeAna Tramel complete the coaching staff...Kara Kiefer is the coordinator of operations.

 

AVCA TOP 25 POLL: Washington State dropped to a tie at 25th in the Nov. 9 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Div. I Coaches Top 25 Poll…Pac-10 schools ranked this week include No. 4 Washington, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Stanford, No. 12 California, No. 16 Oregon, No. 17 USC, and No. 18 Arizona…also receiving votes in this week’s poll is Oregon State (39th)…defending national champion Penn State is ranked No. 1…for the weekly poll, go to www.avca.org.

 

PAC-10 2009 STANDINGS (as of 11/9/09)

(Nat. Ranking)       Conference    Overall          Streak

Washington (4)                 10-3           20-3            Lost 1

UCLA (6)                              9-3             19-6            Won 6

Stanford (7)                        9-4             16-7            Won 1

California (12)                    8-5             15-8            Won 6

Oregon (16)                        6-6             16-6            Won 1

Arizona (18)                        6-7             17-7            Lost 1

Washington State (t-25)                     5-8            16-8 Lost 4

USC (17)                               4-8             15-9            Lost 3

Oregon State                     3-9           12-12            Won 1

Arizona State                     3-10        13-12            Lost 1

 

ALBRIGHT HONORED: Senior OH Jackie Albright (Lake Forest, Calif.) was named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII first team for Univ. Div. as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)…has a 3.56 GPA, majoring in civil engineering.

 

MEET THIS WEEK’S WSU VOLLEYBALL OPPONENTS:

ABOUT THE NO. 6 UCLA BRUINS (19-6, 9-3): UCLA is riding a six-match win streak…last loss was to No. 4 Washington (Oct. 16 in Seattle)…is 10-3 against ranked teams this season…Bruins’ leaders are 5-11 Jr. OH Dicey McGraw (3.14 kps), 6-6 So. MB Amanda Gil (1.60 bps, 1st Pac-10 & 2nd NCAA, .372 hpct, 5th Pac-10), 5-7 Fr. setter Lauren Cook (10.36 aps, 7th Pac-10), and 5-7 So. libero Lainey Gera (4.56 dps, 4th Pac-10)…Head Coach Andy Banachowski (1101-298, 43 years UCLA/career)…LAST TIME - Oct. 17, 2009, No. 12 UCLA defeated WSU 3-0 in Pullman…SERIES RECORD - UCLA leads 40-7 (WSU streak -13)…WSU’s last win over UCLA was Oct. 25, 2003, 3-2, in Pullman…in matches in Los Angeles, UCLA leads 21-2.

 

ABOUT THE NO. 17 USC TROJANS (15-9, 4-8 * pending 11/13 match vs. No. 4 Washington): The Women of Troy are coming off three consecutive losses…Pac-10 wins have come at Arizona State, vs. No. 9 California, vs. Oregon State and No. 12 Oregon…USC leaders are 6-3, So. OH Alex Jupiter (4.45 kps - 4th Pac-10 & 17th NCAA, 5.25 pps - 4th Pac-10 & 8th NCAA, 0.34 ace per set, 3rd Pac-10), 6-1 Sr. OH Jessica Gysin (3.33 kps), 6-4 So. MB Lauren Willliams (.325 hpct, 8th Pac-10), 5-11 So. setter Kendall Bateman (12.15 aps, 2nd Pac-10 & 2nd NCAA), and 5-8 Sr. L Alli Hillgren (4.24 dps, 5th Pac-10)…USC leads the Pac-10 in team kills (14.75 kps) and assists (13.95 aps)…Head Coach Mick Haley (219-53, 9 years at USC; 992-241-1, 33 years career)…LAST TIME - Oct. 16, 2009 WSU defeated No. 16 USC 3-0 in Pullman…SERIES RECORD - USC leads 36-12 (WSU streak +1)…USC leads 21-2 in Los Angeles…WSU’s last win at USC was Oct. 16, 1998 (3-0).

 

NCAA VOLLEYBALL RPI: In the NCAA Ratings Performance Index (RPI) for matches through Nov. 8, Washington State is ranked 53rd…among Pac-10 schools listed above WSU are: Washington 5th, California 6th, UCLA 8th, Stanford 9th, Arizona 17th, Oregon 19th, USC 33rd, and Oregon State 52nd…Texas has the No. 1 ranking...RPI comes from a combination of a team’s winning percentage, its opponents’ winning percentages, and it’s opponents’ opponents’ winning percentages, with home and road contests figured into the formula.

 

MORE VOLLEYBALL POLLS: In the Nov. 9 Rich Kern (richkern.com) poll, Washington State is 26th…in the Pablo Rankings, the Cougars are 38th…the Volleyball Magazine rankings from Nov. 2 had WSU at 27th.

 

NOTEWORTHY FACTS ABOUT THE 2009 WASHINGTON STATE VOLLEYBALL TEAM:

Ø  NCAA Statistics (for matches played through 11/8) - Renee Bordelon’s 11.46 assists per set is 14th-best nationally; Cassie Robbins is 30th with 1.28 blocks per set

Ø  Diggin’ it UP! - WSU has two players in the Pac-10 top 10 for digs per set - Oceana Bush is 3rd (4.76 dps), and Kelly Hyder is 9th (3.11 dps)…as a team, WSU is 2nd (15.74 dps)

Ø  Five Conference Wins - first time since 2003

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

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

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

Ø  Gains by Ganzer - WSU’s sophomore MB Meagan Ganzer leads the team in Pac-10 matches with 3.36 kps…she is also the team overall leader with 3.10 kps

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

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

Ø  Triples and Doubles - WSU is 5-3 in matches where three players are in double-figure kills and 2-1 in matches where four hitters have double-digit kills

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

ATTENDANCE NUMBERS GROWING: Hawai’i leads the nation with an average of 6,423 fans (20 matches)…Washington is top Pac-10 school at 6th (3,089/8 matches)…WSU is 36th, averaging 1,146 fans in 13 home matches…UW match had 2,724 fans, 10th-best crowd in history and largest volleyball crowd since 1997.

 

ABC PINK CAMPAIGN & BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MATCH: For the eighth consecutive year, the Washington State University women’s volleyball team conducted the Attacking Breast Cancer (ABC) Pink Campaign Pledge Drive to raise fund for the Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse, known as the Bosom Buddies…players gathered pledges for WSU team kills landed during the home matches in the month of October…donors pledged an amount per kill or a flat amount…in Oct. 2009 home matches, WSU tallied 239 kills with sophomore Meagan Ganzer the team leader with 70 kills…the amount raised this year was $2,600, bringing the total to $11,405 donated to the Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse and its educational programs.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

HYDER BUILDS ON SCHOOL DIGS RECORD: Kelly Hyder (senior, Huntington Beach, Calif.) owns the WSU career digs record with 1,700 digs (116 matches, 391 sets, 4.35 digs per set average)…Hyder owns WSU single-season record with 565 digs during the 2006 season and her 2007 total of 524 digs is second-best in single-season standings…she is the seventh Cougar in school history to reach 1,000 digs in a career.

 

BUSH BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD FOR MATCH DIGS: Libero Oceana Bush (freshman, Spokane, Wash.) had a school record 39 digs in WSU’s 3-2 win over Arizona State Oct. 3 in Pullman…she wiped out the school record of 35 digs set by Jalen Pendon in 2005, ironically, also against Arizona State (Oct. 27, 2005 in Tempe)…the 5-5 Bush  layed outside hitter on her state championship high school team, Lewis & Clark HS…she is averaging 5.06 dps in Pac-10 matches and 4.76 dps for the season.

 

CURRENT COUGARS CLIMBING INTO WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL RECORDS:

Career Digs                                        

1.  Kelly Hyder (2006-09)                                   1700

2.  Shannon Wyckoff (1994-97)                       1254

 

Career Assists                                  

1.  Keri Killebrew (1990-92)                               4553

7.  Maureen Perez (2005-07)                           1980

8.  Renee Bordelon (2008-09)                          1794

 

Career Solo Blocks                         

1.  Carrie Couturier (1988-91)                             196

9. Carrie Gilley (1990-93)                                        50

10. Cassie Robbins (2006-09)                                44

 

Career Block Assists                      

1.  Carrie Couturier (1988-91)                             421

10. Kelly Rosin (2003-06)                                      288

     Cassie Robbins (2006-09)                               279

 

Career Total Blocks                        

1.  Carrie Couturier (1988-91)                             617

9.  Carrie Gilley (1990-93)                                     361

10.  Cassie Robbins (2006-09)                            323

 

Single Season Digs                         

1.  Kelly Hyder (2006)                                            565

2.  Kelly Hyder (2007)                                            524

3.  Jalen Pendon (2005)                                        514

4.  Kortney Jamtaas (2002)                                  469

5.  Beth Welch (1988)                                            419

6.  Cindy Baker (1988)                                            413

7.  Oceana Bush (2009)                                         405

 

 

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

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

Kills - no WSU player (Hana Cutura, California 5.10 kps)

Hitting Percentage - 9th Brittany Tillman .325 and 10th Cassie Robbins .316 (Bianca Rowland, Washington .458)

Assists - 3rd Renee Bordelon 11.46 aps (Nevena Djordjevic, Oregon 12.16 aps)

Service Aces - no WSU player (Jill Collymore, Washington 0.55 saps)

Digs - 3rd Oceana Bush 4.76 dps, 9th Kelly Hyder 3.11 dps (Gabi Ailes, Stanford 5.39 dps)

Blocks - 3rd Cassie Robbins 1.28 bps (Amanda Gil, UCLA 1.60 bps)

Points - no WSU player (Hana Cutura, California 5.59 pps)

 

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

Team Overall Matches (Leader)

Kills - WSU is 6th with 13.76 kps (USC 14.75 kps)

Hitting Percentage - WSU is 7th at .236 (Washington .294)

Opponent Hitting Pct - WSU is 9th at .210 (Washington .158)

Assists - WSU is 6th at 12.74 aps (USC 13.95 aps)

Service Aces - WSU is 9th at 0.71 saps (Washington 1.71 saps)

Digs - WSU is 2nd at 15.74 dps (UCLA 16.19 dps)

Blocks - WSU is 8th at 2.38 bps (Oregon State 2.90 bps)

 

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

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

Kills - no WSU player (Rachel Rourke, Oregon State 5.35 kps)

Hitting Percentage - no WSU player (Bianca Rowland, Washington .413)

Assists - 5th Renee Bordelon 11.15 aps (Nevena Djordjevic, Oregon 12.76 aps)

Service Aces - no WSU player (Jill Collymore, Washington 0.52 saps)

Digs - 4th Oceana Bush 5.06 dps (Gabi Ailes, Stanford 6.24 dps)

Blocks - 3rd Cassie Robbins 1.26 bps (Amanda Gil, UCLA 1.73 bps)

Points - no WSU player (Rachel Rourke, Oregon State 5.86 pps)

 

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

Team Conference Matches (Leader)

Kills - WSU is 9th with 13.06 kps (Oregon 14.93 kps)

Hitting Percentage - WSU is 8th at .199 (California .280)

Opponent Hitting Pct - WSU is 7th at .243 (UCLA .187)

Assists - WSU is 8th at 12.15 aps (Oregon 14.20 aps)

Service Aces - WSU is 10th at 0.60 saps (Washington 1.58 aps)

Digs - WSU is 7th at 15.70 dps (Stanford 17.35 dps)

Blocks - WSU is 7th at 2.46 bps (Oregon State 2.88 bps)

 

MEET THE 2009 COUGARS:

#6 Annie Adams (OH, 6-3, Rs-SO, Crosby, Minn.) - Transferred from South Dakota State…2008 redshirt season…began 2009 season with right foot in boot after suffering a sprain in practice…played in 14 sets this season including starting at Arizona…played in 2 sets at Oregon 9/27 and had two block assists…also tallied 2 kills at No. 15 Cal…3 kills and 2 blocks at Arizona…2 kills, hit .400, 2 digs and 1 block vs. No. 13 Cal.

 

#2 Jackie Albright (OH, 6-1, SR, Lake Forest, Calif.) - 2009 tri-captain…named to Nike Cougar Invite all-tournament team…named to ESPN The Magazine Dist. VIII All-Academic first team with 3.56 GPA in civil engineering…second on team with 2.92 kps and adds 3.02 dps…this season, 12 matches with double-digit kills, 15 matches with double-figure digs…third on team with 3.27 points per set average…career numbers are 897 kills, 918 digs and 48 aces in 361 sets (111 matches).

 

#16 Renee Bordelon (S, 5-10, SR, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) - 2009 tri-captain…named MVP of Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite…named to Nike Cougar Invite all-tournament team…named Pac-10 Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7…had 5 kills and hit .833 vs. No. 17 Utah…career-high 12 digs vs. Idaho…12 service aces second team…3rd in Pac-10 and 14th nationally with 11.46 assists per set…two-year total assists in 1794, 8th on school assists career record list, 186 away from No. 7 spot…hitting .291, third-best on team, and contributed 37 blocks…has 11 matches where three or more hitters have double-figure kills.

 

#1 Oceana Bush (DS/L, 5-5, FR, Spokane, Wash.) - Named top libero at Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite…in first three matches of season played left front, defensive specialist and libero…set school record 39 digs in five-set match win over Arizona State 10/3 in Pullman…leads team and 3rd in Pac-10 with 4.76 digs per set…in 85 sets has landed 10 kills and 405 digs…double-digit digs in 22 of 24 matches this season with 9 digs in the other two matches…405 digs for the season is 7th in WSU single season rankings, just 8 away from 6th spot.

 

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

 

#9 Meagan Ganzer (OH, 6-3, SO, Black Diamond, Wash.) - Missed 7 sets after injuring ankle in early practice but bounced back strong…leading hitter on team with 3.10 kps…leads team in Pac-10 matches with 3.36 kps…second on team with 3.38 pps…had career-high 20 kills vs. Arizona State…had 19 kills against No. 7 Oregon and hit .457 in match…hit career-high .517 against Missouri with 12 kills and 0 errors on 21 attacks…had 15 kills and hit .458 in 3-0 win over No. 16 USC.

 

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

 

#5 Faith Hutcherson (DS, 5-3, JR, Redmond, Wash.) - Comes off the bench to provide tough serves and play defensively…played in 67 sets with 76 digs and three aces…high of 8 digs vs. Montana State.

 

#8 Kelly Hyder (DS/L, 5-9, SR, Huntington Beach, Calif.) - 2009 tri-captain…school record-holder for single season digs (565 digs, 2006) and career digs (1,700 digs)…moved into defensive specialist role this season…3.11 dps average is 9th-best in Pac-10…vs. Idaho tallied 21 digs and equaled career-best of 3 aces…13 matches with double-digit digs.

 

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

 

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

 

#12 Cassie Robbins (MB, 6-3, JR, Yakima, Wash.) - Named MVP of Nike Cougar Invite where she tallied 13 blocks (1.18 bps) and 29 kills (2.64 kps)…second on team and 10th-best in Pac-10 with .316 hitting percentage…blocks per set average of 1.28 is third-best in Pac-10 and 30th in NCAA…leads team with 3.41 points per set…109 total blocks this season…tallied 16 kills and hit .464 vs. Cal State Northridge…vs. Idaho 11 kills and career-high 11 blocks…has hit below .300 in only 6 matches this season…career numbers include 632 kills, .242 hpct., 44 solo blocks, 279 block assists, 323 total blocks in 339 sets and 105 matches played.

 

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

 

#21 Brittany Tillman (MB, 6-1, JR, Tacoma, Wash.) - Named to Nike Cougar Invite and Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite all-tournament teams…leads team and 9th in Pac-10 with .325 hitting percentage…fourth on team with 2.42 kps…had career-high 17 kills, 19.0 points and hit .481 vs. Idaho…hit .533 against No. 17 Utah with 9 kills and one error in 15 attacks…vs. Gonzaga hit .632 (12-0-19) with 4 blocks…has 64 total blocks, second-best on team.

 

#7 Rachel Todorovich (RS, 6-2, FR, Walla Walla, Wash.) - High school setter who has found a spot as a left-handed right side hitter…named to Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite all-tournament team…against No. 17 Utah had 9 kills, 0 errors on 16 attacks for .562 hitting percentage…same day had 12 kills, 1 error, 27 attacks for .407 hpct against Utah Valley…13 kills and 5 blocks vs. Idaho…contributed 12 kills and hit .450 at No. 7 Stanford…season totals 2.15 kps (fifth on team) and .239 hpct (fourth on team).

 

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

WASHINGTON STATE VOLLEYBALL 2009 SUPERLATIVES Season Highs [Career Highs]

 

#1 OCEANA BUSH, DS/L

Kills: 4 vs. Montana 8/29

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

Aces: 1 (three times)

Digs: 39 vs. Arizona State 10/3 SR

Total Blocks: 1 vs. UC Davis 8/28

Points: 4.0 (twice)

 

 

#2 JACKIE ALBRIGHT, OH

Kills: 18 vs. UC Davis 8/28 &

        vs. Oregon State 9/25

        [19, 2007]

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

        [.469, 2006 & 2007]

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

        [3, 2006 & 2007]

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

        [24, 2008]

Total Blocks: 4 vs. Gonzaga 9/15 &

        vs. No. 7 Oregon 9/27

        [4, 2007 & 2008]

Points: 19.5 vs. UC Davis 8/28

        [20.0, 2007]

 

 

#3 ALEX DIEMER, S

Sets: 10

H.Pct: 0

Assists: 6 vs. Montana State 8.29

Aces: 0

Digs: 1 vs. Weber State 9/7 &

        vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10

Total Blocks: 1 vs. Weber State 9/7

Points: 0.5 vs. Weber State 9/7

 

 

#5 FAITH HUTCHERSON, DS

Sets: 67

Aces: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29 &

        vs. No. 7 Oregon 9/27

Digs: 9 vs. Arizona 10/2

 

 

#6 ANNIE ADAMS, OH

Sets: 14

Kills: 3 at No. 18 Arizona 10/31

Aces: 0

Digs: 1 at No. 18 Arizona 10/31 &

        vs. No. 13 Cal 11/7

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

        & at No. 18 Arizona 10/31

Points: 4.5 at No. 18 Arizona 10/31

 

 

#7 RACHEL TODOROVICH, MB

Kills: 13 vs. Idaho 9/11

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

        vs. Gonzaga 9/15

Aces: 1 (three times)

Digs: 7 (three times)

Total Blocks: 5 (three times)

Points: 15.5 vs. Idaho 9/11

#8 KELLY HYDER, DS/L

Sets: 84

Kills: 1 vs. Utah Valley 9/5

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

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

 

 

#9 MEAGAN GANZER, OH

Kills: 20 vs. Arizona State 10/3

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

Aces: 0 [2, 2008]

Digs: 5 vs. Utah Valley 9/5

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

        Vs. No. 4 UW 10/23 [4, 2008]

Points: 20.5 vs. Arizona State 10/3

 

 

#10 KIMIKA ROZIER, OH

Sets: 6 [6]

Kills: 1 (twice) [1, 2008]

Aces: 0

Digs: 0 [1, 2008]

Total Blocks: 0 [1, 2008]

Points: 1.0 (twice) [1.0, 2008]

 

 

#12 CASSIE ROBBINS, MB

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

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

        [.615, 2008]

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

Total Blocks: 11 vs. Idaho 9/11

Points: 20.0 vs. Arizona State 10/3

 

 

# 14 TANGERINE WIGGS, OH

Sets: 8

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

Aces: 0

Digs: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29 &

        vs. Gonzaga 9/15

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

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

 

 

#16 RENEE BORDELON, S

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

        vs. Arizona State 10/3

        [5, 2008]

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

Assists: 55 vs. Idaho 9/11

        [64, 2008]

Aces: 2 (twice) [2, 2008]

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

Total Blocks: 5 vs. Idaho 9/11

Points: 7.0 vs. Arizona State 10/3

 

 

#18 LIZ HASKEY, DS

Sets: 7

Aces: 0

Digs: 3 vs. UC Davis 8/28

 

 

#19 CONLEY KIPP, MB

Sets: 4

Kills: 2 vs. Montana 8/29

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

Aces: 0

Digs: 0

Total Blocks: 0

Points: 2.0 vs. Montana State 8/29

 

 

#21 BRITTANY TILLMAN, MB

Kills: 17 vs. Idaho 9/11

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

Aces: 0

Digs: 3 vs. Utah Valley 9/5

        [3, 2007]

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

Points: 19.0 vs. Idaho 9/11

 

 

WSU TEAM HIGHS 2009

Kills: 69 vs. Arizona State 10/3

Pct. .478 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5

        School Record

Assists: 64 vs. Arizona State 10/3

Aces: 6 vs. Missouri 9/4

Digs: 95 vs. Arizona State 10/3

Total Blocks: 15 vs. Idaho 9/11

Points: 83 vs. Idaho 9/11

 

 

OPPONENT TEAM HIGHS 2009

Kills: 66 No. 7 Oregon 9/27

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

Assists: 63 No. 7 Oregon 9/27

Aces: 8 Arizona State 10/3

Digs: 94 Arizona State

Total Blocks: 19 Idaho 9/11

Points: 86 Idaho 9/11 &

        No. 7 Oregon 9/27

 

 

Week 12: This Week's Top Duke Women's Volleyball Stories ..So Far

• Duke Volleyball Sets Match Time For North Carolina Showdown
• Duke’s Burling Honored With Academic Momentum Award

 

 

Duke Volleyball Sets Match Time For North Carolina Showdown

 

November 10, 2009

 

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke volleyball team's showdown against rival North Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Cameron Indoor Stadium will begin at 7:30 p.m., the Duke coaching staff announced.

 

The match's start time will now follow the men's basketball home game against Radford. The start time had previously not been set.

 

North Carolina won the first match of the season 3-1 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Blue Devils will get a shot at evening the 2009 series in their second-to-last match of the regular season.

 

-d-u-k-e-

Duke’s Burling Honored With Academic Momentum Award

 

November 11, 2009

 

DURHAM, N.C. – The National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) awarded Duke junior volleyball player Becci Burling its “Academic Momentum Award” in conjunction with its Scholar-Baller® Initiative, which is a program that recognizes collegiate student-athletes who display excellence off the court in the community and classroom.

 

Burling was one of 10 female student-athletes selected for the national award and represented the Southeast Region along with NC State basketball player Amber White. A 6-1 junior middle blocker, Burling majors in Psychology and Biological Anthropology & Anatomy and has emerged as one of the ACC’s best at her position in 2009. A native of Monument, Colo. (Lewis-Palmer), Burling has made tremendous strides on the court and in the classroom since enrolling in 2007.

 

Established in 1995, the Scholar-Baller® movement evolved in response to concerns that the student-athlete’s athletic role increasingly superseded the student role.  In order to address this issue, the founding members of Scholar-Baller® developed a groundbreaking program to bridge the gap between education and sport utilizing student-athletes’ passion for entertainment and athletics. As a result, the Scholar-Baller® program has produced unprecedented outcomes in student retention and academic achievement.

 

Winning nominations included stories of: improving from a 0.5 GPA to a 3.14 GPA while actively committing to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program; making the Dean’s list with 18 hours and increasing GPA by 2.09 points; raising thousands of dollars for a non-profit for families with children with pediatric brain tumors while steadily improving GPA each term; and battling a learning disability, breaking a school record, and balancing two summer jobs to cover financial obligations not included in the scholarship package.

 

The NCAS is an ever-growing organization of colleges and universities that provides opportunities for current and former student-athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education, while working in the community with children to address social issues.  Established in 1985, the overall mission of the NCAS is “to create a better society by focusing on educational attainment and using the power appeal of sport to positively affect social change.”

 

The names, schools, majors, sports, hometowns and NCAS regions of the female Academic Momentum Award winners are: Nicole Haines (tied), West Chester University, Health & Physical Education, Lacrosse, West Chester, PA, Mid-Atlantic; Jenifer Anzivino (tied), Rutgers University, Communication, Soccer, Belford, NJ, Mid-Atlantic; Erin Clark, University of Illinois at Chicago, English, Track & Field, Forrest, IL, Midwest;Jaclyn Lyons, University of Massachusetts, Sociology, Rocky Point, NY, New England;Nicole Kerrison, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Biology, Track & Field, Yonkers, NY, Northeast; Aysha Jamani, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Business Administration, Soccer, Calgary, Alberta, Rocky Mountain; Jazmyn Shorter, University of Kentucky, Kinesiology & Health Promotion, Track & Field, St. Petersburg, FL, South Central; Becci Burling (tied), Duke University, Psychology/Biological Anthropology & Anatomy, Volleyball, Monument, CO, Southeast; Amber White (tied), North Carolina State University, Parks, Recreation & Tourism Program Management, Basketball, Cartesville, PA, Southeast; and Clarissa Andrews, Oklahoma State University, Management, Track, Rockwell, TX, Southwest.

 

The names, schools, majors, sports, hometowns and NCAS regions of the male Academic Momentum Award winners are Adrian Cannon (tied), University of Maryland, American Studies, Football, Pontiac, MI, Mid-Atlantic; Sekou Yansane (tied), Lehigh University, Sociology/Social Psychology, Football, Potomac, MD, Mid-Atlantic; J.P. Gavinski, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Community and Nonprofit Leadership, Basketball, Wisconsin, Dells, WI, Midwest; Jovan Belcher, University of Maine, Child & Family Development, Football, West Babylon, NY, New England; Daniel Benedetti, St. John’s University, History, Baseball, Long Beach, CA, Northeast; Syd’Quan Thompson, University of California at Berkeley, Social Welfare, Football, Sacramento, CA, Pacific West; Kirkland Thornton, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Economics, Track & Field, South Holland, IL, Rocky Mountain; Tone Belt, University of Louisville,  Communication, Track & Field, Berkeley, WV, South Central; Tyler Grant Zimmerman, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Management & Society, Lacrosse, Cockeysville, MD, Southeast; Adron Tennell (tied), University of Oklahoma, Multidisciplinary Studies, Football, Irving, TX, Southwest; Marcus McGraw (tied), University of Houston, Health, Football, Arlington, TX, Southwest; and, Earl Mitchell, University of Arizona, Interdisciplinary Studies, Football, Houston, TX, Western.

 

Each honoree will receive a recognition certificate and authentic Scholar-Baller® patch.  In addition, the winners of each region will receive a Thinkman™ and Thinkwoman™ Trophy for their academic performances.

 

-d-u-k-e-

 

Week 12: This Week In Baylor Women's Volleyball

MATCH 27

vs. COLORADO  •  Nov. 11, 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 BUFFALOES
• Colorado is led by first- year head coach Liz Kritzka, who came to CU after a stint at Tulane.
• The Buffalo offense is led by Becah Fogle's 3.29 kills per set. Fogle is 10th in the league in that category, and ninth in points per set at 3.65. Option No. 2 is Rosie Steinhaus, who is averaging 2.83 kills per set.
• Setter Kaitlyn Burkett has seen most of the action, recording 558 assists for 7.75 per set, while Megan Cyr has seen limited action at the position with 162 assists for 3.24 per set. 
• On defense, Fogle leads the team in the back row with 2.47 digs per set, while Kerra Schroeder is next at 2.08 digs per set.
• Nikki Kinzer leads the team with 61 total blocks on the season, 0.79 per set. Steinhaus has 47 and Schylur Edelman has 28 in limited action.
• Colorado enters the match, fresh off of its second conference win of the season. Both have come against Texas Tech, with the most recent a road sweep in Lubbock. • The Buffaloes started the year 5-4 in non-conference play, but are 2-13 since beginning the Big 12 schedule.

LAST TIME AGAINST COLORADO
No. 19 Baylor continued its torrid start in Big 12 play with its fifth-straight conference victory in a sweep (25-14, 25-19, 25-15) of Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Coors Events Center.
Senior Katie Sanders led the Bears with 12 kills, recording ninth double-double of the season, also posting 13 digs. Ashlie Christenson also recorded double-digit kills with 10 on the night. Anna Breyfogle added eight, and Torri Campbell and Taylor Barnes each had seven. Barnes tallied 41 set assists.
On defense, Baylor had three players in double digits in digs, led by Allison King's 18. The match marked the 14th consecutive match that King has recorded at least 10 digs. Sanders' 13, as well as 11 from Caitlyn Trice rounded out the back row for the Bears.

LAST TIME OUT
No. 20 Baylor fought back from down a set to take down No. 23 Texas A&M 3-2 in a five-set thriller (18-25, 25-13, 27-25, 25-23, 18-16) in College Station, Texas on Saturday night. The win marked the first win over a ranked team on the road since Oct. 20, 1999, when Baylor defeated Kansas State 3-1.
Senior Anna Breyfogle and freshman Torri Campbell each had one of the best nights of their careers. Both racked up 17 kills and nine blocks. Breyfogle hit .472 with zero errors in 36 attempts, while Campbell hit .417 with only two errors in 36 attempts. At the net, both were a force that helped hold the nation's kills leader Texas A&M to a .167 hitting percentage (70-36-203) on the night.
Baylor's back row defense, led by libero Allison King's 28 digs, was equally as spectacular in forcing A&M into hitting errors and zero attacks. Along with King, Katie Sanders and Caitlyn Trice each had 14 digs.

 

VB: Barnes Breaks All-Time Record in Win

Setter Taylor Barnes broke Dana Chuha’s career assists record

 

WACO, Texas – Setter Taylor Barnes broke an BU’s all-time assists record, leading Baylor to a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-15, 25-14) over visiting Colorado on Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center.

 

“We went out there, had leads, and extended them instead of letting them back in the sets,” head coach Jim Barnes said. “That’s a good sign that we kept playing hard to the end.”

 

Barnes, who entered the night 19 assists shy of Dana Chuha’s career record on 4,955, recorded 20 on the night to break the record by one. She also had nine digs, six blocks and four kills in the match to lead the Bears. Junior Ashlie Christenson fueled the Bear attack with 13 kills and just one error on 22 swings for a .545 clip.

 

“It’s a huge honor to break that record, but I couldn’t have done it without the girls,” setter Taylor Barnes said. “I am so fortunate to have great players around me.”

 

The defense was the other story on the night as Anna Breyfogle led a Bear block party, racking up 11 block assists, her second highest total of the season, and the second highest three-set total in school history. The Bears had 14.0 blocks as a team with Barnes’ six, four from Christenson and three more from Briana Tolbert. In the back row, Allison King totaled 19 digs to lead all players, while Katie Sanders added nine.

 

For the match the Bears out-slugged the Buffaloes in dominating fashion, hold CU to under .100 in each set, while hitting at least .270 in all three. Colorado had 25 kills to go with 19 errors in 94 attempts (.064), while BU had 38 kills and just 10 errors in 89 attempts (.315).

 

In the first set, Colorado jumped out to a 6-3 lead after three BU errors. But, the Bears bounced back with a Barnes’ kill and block assist with Breyfogle. The teams traded points to 11-11, but Baylor poured it on with an 11-1 run. During the span, Christenson tallied three kills and Breyfogle had three stuffs, twice with Barnes and once with Elizabeth Graham. Baylor then finished off the set with a 4-1 run, including another Breyfogle block and two consecutive CU errors to end it 25-14.

 

In the second set, the Bears were the aggressor from the start with a 6-1 opening run, including a service ace by Barnes and a Christenson kill. The Buffaloes tied it at 6-6, but Baylor extended a lead to 13-7 with a spectacular four-kill stretch from Christenson. Graham and Campbell each recorded two kills in the stretch run of the set and Barnes finished it off 25-15 with a kill.

 

The third started slow for BU, tying the score at 3-3 with a Sanders kill. The Bears got it rolling after that with three kills by Tolbert and a Sanders ace to make it 18-9. Two consecutive triple blocks by Breyfogle, Christenson and Tolbert shut down the CU offense for good, and Barnes made the record-breaking set to Christenson to put BU up 20-10.  A kill by Breyfogle set up match point for Sanders, and she put it away with the game’s final kill, 25-14.

 

The Bears (21-6, 10-6 Big 12) hit the road for the next two matches, starting with the University of Kansas at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The match will be broadcast live via streaming audio on BaylorBears.com.

 

 

Week 12: Inquiring Minds Learned Two Things About UCLA Bruins Women's Volleyball This Week

Week 12: Inquiring Minds Learned Two Things About UCLA Bruins Women's Volleyball This Week

• UCLA Women's Volleyball: First Place in the Pac-10 on the Line as Sixth-Ranked UCLA Hosts Washington Schools
• Kelly Reeves Signs National Letter of Intent
  

Friday, Nov. 13 
#25 Washington State at #6 UCLA        7 p.m. 
First match (10/17): UCLA 3-0 (25-12, 26-24, 25-12) 

Saturday, Nov. 14 
#4 Washington at #6 UCLA        7 p.m. 
First match (10/16): WASH 3-1 (25-19, 26-24, 24-26, 25-18) 

Gametracker and free audio and video on UCLABruins.com 
TV - Saturday vs. Washington (Tape Delay) 

Kelly Reeves Signs National Letter of Intent

Nov. 12, 2009 

LOS ANGELES - UCLA head women’s volleyball coach Andy Banachowski has announced that Kelly Reeves has signed a national letter of intent. Reeves, a 6-foot outside hitter out of San Diego, is finishing up her senior season at Cathedral Catholic High School. 

“Kelly is an energetic kid, which will fit in well with our style of how we like to be on the court,” Banachowski said. “She is a six-rotation player and it is great to be able to have a kid who can pass, hit, play defense and be a good blocker too. Kelly is a complete package for us.” 

Reeves is a two-time, first-team All-CIF and Western League Player of the Year and helped Cathedral Catholic to a CIF Division III State Championship last season, earning All-Tournament Team accolades. The Dons begin their quest for a fourth straight San Diego Section title this week. Reeves, a team captain in 2009, helped Cathedral to its fourth consecutive league championship this season. Through the regular season, she led the squad with 5.20 kills per set, 4.50 digs per set, 28 service aces and a .347 hitting percentage, adding 0.50 blocks per set. She was also named to PrepVolleyball.com’s Class of 2010 Senior Aces. 

“I think she will fit in nicely and be able to contribute right away. Kelly is the same type of player that (outgoing senior Kaitlin Sather) is as far as having all the skills. Whether it is in Kaitlin’s position or somewhere else, she is the type of player who is going to push hard to get herself out on the court and she is going to be out there because she can do everything.” 

Reeves plays club with Encinitas Wave and was named Most Valuable Player at the 2008 Junior Olympic Girls’ Volleyball Championships, helping her team to a 16 Open National Title, also earning a bronze with the 17 Open squad in 2009. Reeves’ club coach is her mother Jeanne, who was a four-year letterwinner (1979-82) at UCLA under Banachowski. Reeves (née Beauprey) was an All-American in 1982 and is 14th on the Bruins’ all-time kills list. She was an assistant coach on the 1990 and 1991 National Championship squads and was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame in 2000. 

“It is pretty exciting to get another legacy player and it is going to be fun coaching another daughter of a former player,” Banachowski added. 

The younger Reeves also won gold as a member of the U.S. Youth National Team at the 2008 NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championships. On the beach, she won the 2008 USA Beach Junior Open Championships 16-and-under title with partner Natalie Hagglund. 

--- UCLABRUINS.COM ---

Read more college volleyball news, stories, volleyball quotes, and information on volleyballvoices.com!

                             

 

Week 12: Here's The Breakdown On The Bills, What's Up in Saint Louis This Week's Top Stories

• Bills Women's Volleyball Team Travels to Creighton for Nonconference Match 
  

• No. 20 Billikens Soar in Sweep of Creighton Bluejays

Bills Travel to Creighton for Nonconference Match     
SLU plays three matches this week     

This Week: No. 20 Saint Louis (19-6, 12-1 Atlantic 10) plays its final nonconference match prior to the A-10 Championship when it travels to Omaha, Neb., tomorrow for a 7 p.m. match against Creighton. The match against the Bluejays is the first of three contests for the Billikens this week.       

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. Gametracker will be available for Tuesday’s match at Creighton. For a nominal fee, Billiken fans can watch a video stream of the match through Creighton’s web site, www.gocreighton.com. 

Last Week: Saint Louis swept Charlotte on the road last Friday and beat Xavier 3-0 Sunday on Senior Day at Chaifetz Pavilion. The wins helped the Billikens remain tied atop the A-10 standings with two league matches remaining.  

About the Billikens: Saint Louis, which wraps its A-10 regular-season slate with two matches this weekend, has won 15 of its last 16 matches. Senior right-side hitter Sammi McCloud leads the Bills with 3.47 kills per set, while senior outside hitter Bridget Fonke has a team-high 34 service aces in addition to 3.35 kills per set. Senior setter Whitney Roth directs the offense with a league-best 11.08 assists per set and is second on the team with 2.71 digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Deno leads the squad with 46 blocks, while McCloud has 44 blocks. Five Billikens are averaging at least 2.35 digs per set, with senior libero Whitney Behrens leading the way with 3.19 digs per set.

About the Bluejays: Creighton (10-14, 7-7 Missouri Valley Conference) and SLU have played three common opponents this season. Illinois swept the Bluejays, while the Bills lost to the Fighting Illini 3-1. Both teams lost at Dayton in five sets. Illinois State and Creighton split their two meetings, while Saint Louis beat the Redbirds 3-0. Senior middle blocker Jessica Houts paces the offense with 2.80 kills per set, while junior right-side hitter Allie Oelke adds 2.62 kills per set. Freshman setter Megan Bober distributes 9.26 assists per set for Creighton, which is hitting at a .184 rate as a team this season. Junior libero Nayka Benitez boasts a team-high 34 service aces and 4.32 digs per set, while Oelke contributes 3.00 digs per set. The Bluejays are one of the best blocking teams the Billikens have faced this season with 3.07 blocks per set as a squad. Houts leads the way with 1.46 blocks per set, while sophomore middle blocker Laurel Sanford and Bober post 1.27 and 0.97 blocks per set, respectively. Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in her seventh season at Creighton with a 116-86 career record. The Billikens, who lead the series 2-1, fell to the Bluejays 3-2 in the last meeting between the teams in 2006.        
   
Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes is in her sixth season at Saint Louis with a 122-60 (.670) 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: Earlier this season, 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 ranked 29th in the NCAA through matches of Nov. 1, is the only setter in school history ranked among SLU’s career top 20 in assists, service aces, digs and block assists. 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 13th on the career digs list (927), tied for 16th on the career block assists chart (155) and tied for 20th with 81 career aces.  

She’s a 10: Senior Sammi McCloud has worked her way into SLU’s career top 10 in five statistical categories. She ranks fifth with 1,353 kills, ninth with 1,078 digs, 236 block assists and 257 total blocks, and 10th with 112 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 both the 1,000-kills and 1,000-digs clubs.   

Bridget’s Breakthrough: Senior Bridget Fonke became the 11th member of SLU’s 1,000-kill club earlier this season. On the Billikens’ career charts, she is ninth with 1,178 kills, tied for third with 144 service aces and 14th with 40 block solos. Fonke needs just three aces to claim the No. 2 spot on the career aces list.

Can You Dig It?: Senior Whitney Behrens became the program’s career digs leader at Fordham Sept. 26. SLU’s digs standard is 1,593 and counting. Behrens eclipsed Irene Haugh’s mark of 1,474 career digs, which had stood since 1990.  

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. 

No. 20 Billikens Soar in Sweep of Creighton Bluejays

Fonke moves into tie for second on SLU’s career aces chart

OMAHA, Neb. – Bridget Fonke hit .484 with a match-high 17 kills to lead No. 20 Saint Louis to a 25-17, 25-16, 25-22 nonconference victory over Creighton in Omaha, Neb. Tuesday evening. The Billikens (20-6) picked up their seventh straight victory and have now won at least 20 matches for the fourth straight season. It is only the second time in program history that SLU has won 20 matches in four consecutive campaigns. The last stretch of 20-win seasons was from 1987-90.

Fonke also collected six digs and two services aces. The two aces move her into a tied for second place on the Billikens’ career service aces chart with 146. Megan Bokennarrowly missed a double-double with nine kills and 11 digs, while Whitney Roth almost recorded a double-double of her own with 39 assists, nine digs and four kills. Alyssa Deno added eight kills, and Sammi McCloud notched 10 digs, seven kills and two blocks. McCloud is now eighth on SLU’s career digs list with 1,088.   

The Billikens trailed by no more than a single point in the opening set as they rolled to a 25-17 victory. SLU was down 7-6, but then scored three straight points on a kill and an ace from Roth and a kill from Deno. The teams tied at points 10-12 before kills from Boken and Fonke combined with a pair of Bluejay hitting errors to give the Bills the 16-12 edge. The teams traded points until Fonke tallied three kills during a 4-0 burst that put Saint Louis on top 22-15. Creighton’s Allie Oelke terminated to halt the rally. However, Fonke posted another kill and a bad set by the Bluejays gave the Billikens set point. The first attempt was denied, courtesy of an Oelke-Laurel Sanford block. But Casey Cherninconnected for a kill to help Saint Louis capture the win after outhitting CU .282 to .114. Fonke had a set-high seven kills while hitting at a .545 clip in set one.

Just like in set one, SLU managed to pick up the set-two victory fairly easily as it never trailed by more than a point with Creighton’s last lead being at 3-2. A McCloud kill knotted the score at 3-3 before a Bluejay ball-handling error and a McCloud-Roth block put the Billikens on top for good. A Jessica Houts kill brought CU within one at 5-4, but that was as close as CU would get the rest of the set as Saint Louis cruised to the win. Fonke hit .500 and was the kills leader for the second straight set with six. Roth notched 12 assists as she set SLU to a .263 hitting percentage, while Creighton only hit at a .100 rate.   

Saint Louis put the first five points on the board in the third set. Chernin kicked off the rally with a kill that was followed by two from Boken, a Creighton hitting error and a Deno kill. The Bluejays gradually made their way back despite only being able to collected back-to-back points on three occasions. Each time CU scored consecutive points it narrowed the gap to three points, the final time being at 11-8. Saint Louis’ points came in a variety of ways as it scored eight of the next 11 points to claim its largest lead at 19-11. A kill from Roth kicked off the rally, but was followed by a serving error. Then Fonke and Chernin registered back-to-back kills prior to a SLU hitting error. Boken and McCloud book ended a kill from Houts to make it 16-11. Then Whitney Behrens served an ace and the Bluejays commited another error to put SLU ahead by eight. Creighton did not just roll over though. The ‘Jays pressed on, scoring eight of the next 12 points to cut the deficit to 22-19. Six of CU’s points during that run were due to Billiken mistakes. A kill from Fonke and a Bluejay hitting error gave Saint Louis the 24-19 lead. A Billiken serving error and two huge blocks by Creighton turned away SLU’s first three attempts to end the match before Deno put down a kill to end the threat and the match. The Bluejays posted 5.5 blocks in the final set but only got multiple kills from one player (three from Houts) en route to the loss.

Week 12: Two Things To Know About Kansas Women's Volleyball This Week

Week 12: Two Things To Know About Kansas Women's Volleyball This Week

1. Kansas to Host Kansas State in Sunflower Showdown Wednesday
2. Jayhawks Defeat Kansas State 3-0 to Sweep Volleyball Series

 

Kansas to Host Kansas State in Sunflower Showdown Wednesday

After suffering a setback at Oklahoma Saturday, the University of Kansas volleyball team (13-11, 5-9 Big 12) will look to bounce back in its first match at home in a week on Wednesday, Nov. 11 versus in-state rival Kansas State (10-14, 4-10 Big 12). The Lawrence edition of the Sunflower Showdown is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

 

Free live stats as well as video feed (for a fee) will be available on the KU Athletics website at www.KUAthletics.com.

 

About Kansas

The Jayhawk volleyball team lost in three at Oklahoma on Saturday to snap a three-match win streak on the road and drop KU to 13-11 overall and 5-9 in the conference. Sophomore Allison Mayfield paces Kansas with 3.59 kps and is even better in Big 12 action averaging 3.85 kps. Senior Brittany Williams has also been productive for the KU offense in league matches hitting a team-best .277. Her conference average of 1.97 kps is third behind junior Karina Garlington’s 3.16 kps. Sophomore Nicole Tate continues to drive the offense as her 10.99 aps rank third in the Big 12. In the back court, junior Melissa Manda is tops on the team with 4.01 dps. In the last four outings, Manda has received defensive support from senior Melissa Grieb. Grieb leads the Jayhawks averaging 5.31 dps over the last four matches.

 

Series Information

Kansas State has the advantage over KU leading 57-35 in the series history. At home the Jayhawks are 15-26 against the Wildcats and have defeated KSU in Lawrence just once- 2006- since the inception of the Big 12. The Jayhawks notched a 3-0 win versus K-State earlier this season and a win on Wednesday would give KU its first series sweep over the Wildcats since 1993.

 

Up Next

The Jayhawks will play their first of three-straight nationally-ranked opponents on Saturday, Nov. 11 when they host No. 21 Baylor. That match has been scheduled for 11 a.m. From there, KU will travel to No. 8 Iowa State on Nov. 18 and host No. 9 Nebraska on Nov. 21.

 

 

-Go Jayhawks!-

Jayhawks Defeat Kansas State 3-0 to Sweep Volleyball Series

 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Sophomore Allison Mayfield and junior Karina Garlington combined for 29 of Kansas’ 48 kills to help the Jayhawk volleyball team defeat in-state rival Kansas State in three sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-23) in front of a sellout crowd Wednesday evening.

 

The sellout is KU’s second of the season as Kansas improved to 6-9 in Big 12 play and 14-11 overall. Kansas State snapped a two-match winning streak as it dropped to 10-15 on the season and 4-11 in the conference.

 

The win gave Kansas its most victories since 2005 as the team tallied its first series sweep over K-State since 1993. It also marks the first time in history Kansas did not allow Kansas State to win a single set in the series.

 

Mayfield led all players with 16 kills during the contest, while Garlington chipped in 13 on a .345 attack percentage.

 

A balanced Jayhawk defense out-dug the opponents 49-36 led by senior Melissa Grieb’s 10 digs. Senior Katie Martincich followed with nine digs and Mayfield finished with eight. Senior Paige Mazour helped limit the K-State offense collecting five total blocks in the contest.

 

In the first set, the Jayhawks and Wildcats traded points until Kansas went on a 5-0 run to take a 10-4 lead. After securing a 20-13 lead, the Wildcats went on a 6-1 run to pull within three. The Jayhawks won the next three points off a pair of blocks and a KSU attack error to come out on top with a score of 25-19.

 

Kansas State was hampered by errors in the first frame hitting a match-low .100 attack percentage.

 

Senior Brittany Williams led the Jayhawks in the second set with five kills and finished the night with nine. The Jayhawks never fell behind, but the Wildcats tied the score four times and never trailed by more than four. At 22-19, KU forced two hitting errors and closed the set out with a kill from sophomore Lauren Hagan.

 

Tate began set three with two consecutive aces and Mayfield tallied a kill to give the Jayhawks some early momentum. Kansas State crept back slowly and tied the score at 11-11. The teams traded points, never pulling ahead by more than two. With the help of a raucous crowd, the Jayhawks were able to pull out a 25-23 third set victory following a Wildcat service error.

 

Kansas State struggled from the service line collecting four serving errors in the third set and eight total for the match.

 

Kansas will be back in action when it hosts No. 21 Baylor Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Horejsi Family Athletic Center. Match time is set for 11 a.m.

 

 

Read more college volleyball news, stories, volleyball quotes, and information on volleyballvoices.com!

                             

 

Week 12: This Week In Hofstra Women's Volleyball

Rachel AUGUST NAMED CAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR FIRST TIME

Courtesy: Hofstra Athletic Communications           Release: 11/09/2009

 

Hempstead, NY - Hofstra University junior setter Rachel August (LaGrange Park, IL) was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Offensive Player of the week today, the conference office announced this afternoon.  The honor marks the first time August has received a weekly award from the CAA.

August led Hofstra to a pair of wins over Georgia State and UNC Wilmington this past weekend to help the Pride improve to 12-18 overall and 6-6 in CAA play.

Making her first two starts of the season at setter, August took full advantage of the opportunity as the Illinois native shined in leading the Pride to the two victories.  August opened the week with her first double-double of the season, notching a then career-high 44 assists and adding a season-high tying 12 digs against Georgia State.  August also added four kills on eight attempts with no errors against the Panthers, while chipping in with a block and a service ace as well.  That was just the start for August, though, as she one-upped herself on Sunday as she established a new career-high with 45 assists against the Seahawks, while picking up 11 digs for her second consecutive double-double.  August also added two blocks, two kills and a service ace against UNC Wilmington.  

August has played in 48 sets this season and ranks second on the team with 140 assists, while also chipping in with 89 digs.

Hofstra returns to action on Friday when they host Towson at 7 p.m.

 

HOFSTRA HOSTS TOWSON AND DELAWARE IN FINAL WEEKEND OF REGULAR SEASON

Courtesy: Hofstra Athletic Communications           Release: 11/10/2009

Hofstra Volleyball Weekly Notes

 

Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Volleyball team will close the regular season with a pair of home contests this weekend as the Pride will host longtime rivals Towson and Delaware.

The Tigers come to the Physical Fitness Center on Friday at 7 p.m., while the two-time defending conference champion Blue Hens visit Hempstead for a Sunday matinee at 1 p.m.

Hofstra is ending the regular season on the right note as the Pride has won two straight and four of its last five matches to improve to 12-18 overall and 6-6 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play.  

The Pride's strong play as of late has kept it in contention for the final spot in the CAA Championship, which will be hosted by Delaware or Virginia Commonwealth.  Should Hofstra, William & Mary and Northeastern tie or Hofstra and just William & Mary tie in the standings at the close of the regular season then the Pride would advance to the conference tournament.  The first tiebreaker, amongst the three teams, is based upon each team's record against the tied teams.  Hofstra is 2-1 against William & Mary and Northeastern, while the Tribe is 1-1 (against HU and NU) and the Huskies are 1-2 (against HU and W&M).  In the head-to-head tiebreaker with William & Mary, Hofstra's 3-2 win over the Tribe on October 24 would give the Pride the advantage.

Hofstra won back-to-back conference matches for the first time this season as the Pride defeated Georgia State and UNC Wilmington this past weekend. Making her first two starts at setter, junior setter Rachel August led the Pride's offense as she dished out 89 assists (11.12 a/s) and added 23 digs defensively.  She notched a career-high 44 assists against GSU, before upping that career-best with 45 versus UNCW.  August was named the CAA Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts.  Senior outside hitter Monica Knight finished the week with 39 kills (4.88 k/s) on a .274 attack percentage and also topped the team with 29 digs (3.62 d/s). Freshman libero Kylee Maneja continued her strong play and was second on the team with 28 digs in the Prides' two matches, while redshirt freshman middle blocker Carolyn Jenkins led the team at the net with 12 blocks.

Knight has been Hofstra's top offensive threat all season as the California native has posted a team-best 434 kills this season, while ranking second on the team with 355 digs.  Maneja leads Hofstra with 408 digs in her first season in a Pride uniform, while junior middle blocker Anissa Whitney leads Hofstra in hitting percentage (.221) and blocks (100) and is second on the team with 219 kills.

 

Week 12: Top Two TCU Women's Volleyball Team Stories This Week

• TCU Upends Utah; Tallies Eighth Straight
• TCU Volleyball Women Sign Igodan To NLI

TCU Upends Utah; Tallies Eighth Straight

Frogs tie school record with 23rd victory of the season



FORT WORTH, Texas— The TCU volleyball team extended its winning streak to eight match with a 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-20, 25-7) victory over Utah Saturday afternoon. The win moves the Frogs to 23-5 on the season and ties the single-season record for wins. Kourtney Edwards and Kristen Hester led the high-powered Frog offense with 17 and 11 kills, respectively.



The Frogs hit at a .313 clip with 62 kills, led by a career-high 51 assists from Megan Munce. Irene Hester and Lauren Otto each tallied 10 kills to round out the hitting leaders. Munce added six kills and 12 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. Irene Hester picked up her fourth double-double as she pitched in with 10 digs.



Katelyn Blackwood tallied 18 digs as did Meghan Horio, who established a new career high. TCU served up seven aces in the match, led by two each from Blackwood, Horio and Kristen Hester.



Otto broke a 4-4 tie in the first set with a cross-court blast and the Frogs never looked back as they went on to take the first set by a 25-21 score. TCU kept the pressure on as it pushed its lead to three, 12-9 on a kill from Irene Hester.



After taking a four-point lead at 17-13, the Utes put together a mini-rally to pull back within one, but a service error pushed the Frog lead to two, 18-16. The Frogs used the momentum to open up a five point lead, 22-17, on a blast from Kristen Hester. Otto gave the Frogs set point with her third kill of the match and Edwards finished off the victory.



The teams battled through 14 ties and three lead changes in the second set and eventually Utah came out the victors with a 26-24 win to even the match at a set apiece. Utah had built a five-point lead at 20-15 before the Frogs went on a 9-4 run to tie the set at 24. Edwards dropped in three kills in the run, but a Chelsey Sandberg kill gave the Utes their second set point and Cinthia Silva finished off the victory.



Similar to the first set the Frogs broke an early tie and never looked back as they took the 2-1 match lead with a 25-20 set three victory. Utah crept within one at 11-10, but a service error and a blast from Christy Hudson pushed the lead back to three.



The combination of Otto and Blackwood serving helped the Frogs build a 21-15 advantage as they got help on kills from Edwards, Irene Hester and two from Munce. A Kristen Hester blast gave the Frogs set point and Otto and Edwards teamed on the second block of the set to lock in the victory.



In the decisive fourth set it was all Horned Frogs as they cruised to the 25-7 victory. Edwards broke a 6-5 tie with a kill and the Frog blocking game came alive. TCU tallied five blocks in the set and slammed down 14 kills in the route.



With a 14-7 lead, Blackwood stepped behind the service line and served out the match. The Frogs tallied four of the five blocks in that stretch, including an impressive solo block from Irene Hester and two from Kristen Hester. The duo also knocked down three kills, including the game-winner from Kristen Hester.



TCU improves to 23-5 on the season and 12-2 in league play. The Frogs have two remaining conference matches, the first of which comes at UNLV on Saturday, Nov. 21. Match time in Las Vegas is set for 3 p.m.

Volleyball Signs Igodan To NLI
Igodan will be a freshman in 2010

FORT WORTH, Texas – TCU volleyball head coach Prentice Lewis announced the signing of Yvonne Igodan to a National Letter of Intent. A 6-2 middle blocker, Igodan hails from Richmond, Texas.

“We are very excited to add Yvonne to our program,” raved Lewis. “She is a spectacular athlete and someone we feel will meet our needs and mesh well within our team. Her bubbly and relaxed personality along with her high-flying ability will be a great combination at TCU.”

Ranked No. 68 by PrepVolleyball.com, Igodan is a first-team all-district honoree from Hightower High School. Igodan is the highest ranked player to sign at TCU under Coach Lewis. She plays club volleyball for KaBoom Volleyball Club in Houston.

Week 12: Keeping Up With The Kentucky Women's Volleyball Team

• No. 11 Kentucky Volleyball Women Visit Georgia Friday
• Kentucky Volleyball has Five on ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team

No. 11 Kentucky Visits Georgia Friday

Wildcats won 3-1 matchup earlier in the season

 

LEXINGTON, Ky.  –  With just five matches remaining in the 2009 regular season, the Kentucky Wildcats will wrap up their final road weekend of the season. UK visits Georgia on Friday night and Auburn on Sunday afternoon. Kentucky will have one remaining mid-week road trek to Tennessee to conclude the season.

 

The first match-up of the weekend pits Kentucky (24-2, 14-1) against fellow SEC Eastern Division member Georgia (7-17, 5-9) in Athens for a 7 p.m. ET start. Georgia and the Wildcats met earlier in the year with UK earning a 3-1 victory in Lexington.

 

With the win over Georgia, the then 10th-ranked Kentucky volleyball team secured its fifth straight season with 17 or more victories under head coach Craig Skinner. UK captured the win by set scores of 25-14, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23 in front of 1,205 fans in Memorial Coliseum. Juniors Sarah Mendoza and Lauren Rapp both achieved double-digit kill efforts for the second consecutive match. Mendoza struck for 19 kills with Rapp adding 12.

 

Earlier this week senior libero BriAnne Sauer was tabbed the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 6.86 digs per set in two UK wins last week. Sauer has been tremendous for the Wildcats pacing the SEC in digs per set in league matches with 5.22 per frame.

 

This weekend several UK players are set to achieve career milestones. Sauer is a mere 17 digs shy of attaining 1,500 for her career. Mendoza is nine kills shy of the 1,000 mark and senior setter Sarah Rumely is just 68 assists shy of setting a new UK record.

 

On the other side of the net, Valentina Gonzalez has done it all for Georgia as she leads the team in hitting percentage, aces and blocks per set. Erika Clark throws down over three kills per set and Carla Tietz leads the back row with 3.97 scoops per stanza.

 

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

  

Five on ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team

Rumely, Sauer named to district teams for third straight season

LEXINGTON, Ky.  –  Five members of the University of Kentucky volleyball team were selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV team. Senior Sarah Rumely was named to the first team and senior BriAnne Sauer, juniors Lauren Rapp and Laura Stokowski and sophomore Gretchen Giesler were named to the third team.

This marks the third consecutive season that Sauer and Rumely have earned Academic All-District team honors. Rapp and Stokowski are repeats on the ballot for the second straight season. This marks the first such honor of Giesler’s career.

Rumely will advance to the national ballot for the Academic All-America team, which will be announced in December. To be nominated for the Academic All-America process, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.30, be a sophomore or higher in academic and athletic standing, and be a starter or key reserve. The Academic All-District IV team is comprised of players from the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.

Rumely (New Palestine, Ind.) has started all 26 matches this season in helping UK to a 24-2 overall clip. The setter leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks among the top-10 nationally with 11.85 assists per set. She recently set the school record for career aces and has totaled 162 for her career. Rumely also sits just 68 assists shy of breaking the school record for career assists. The four-year starter is a kinesiology major and holds a 3.63 grade point average.

Sauer (Louisville, Ky.) has started as the team’s libero in every match in each of the last two seasons. Sauer currently leads the SEC in league games with 5.22 digs per set. Her 429 digs for the year is the 10^th most accumulated in a season in school history. Furthermore, Sauer is a mere 17 digs shy of becoming just the second player in school history to amass over 1,500 digs. Sauer is an elementary education major and possesses a 3.62 grade point average.

Rapp (Indianapolis, Ind.) has started every match of her three-year career for the Blue and White. This season she ranks second on the squad with an average of 2.43 kills per set on a career-best .307 hitting percentage. She needs just six more block assists to break into the school’s all-time record books in that category as she currently has tallied 290 rejections in her career. Rapp is also an elementary education major and she holds a 3.86 grade point average.

Stokowski (Aurora, Ill.) is an integral part in the UK rotation as she plays in the back-line defense for half of UK’s rotation. Stokowski has thrived in this role in each of the last two seasons for the Blue and White. She has tallied 158 digs for the season for an average of 1.68 digs per set. In each of her three seasons she has posted over one dig per set. Stokowski is a marketing major and possesses a 3.44 grade point average.

Giesler (St. Charles, Ill.) has enjoyed a break-out season in his first season as a starter at middle blocker for the Wildcats. Giesler ranks second in the SEC with a .371 hitting percentage while also pacing UK’s defense with 1.02 blocks per set. She set a career-high with 13 kills in a UK victory over Alabama and has three times tallied seven blocks in a match. Giesler is a mechanical engineering major and holds a 3.42 grade point average.

The Wildcats will hit the road for the final two-match road swing of the regular season. The Blue and White first travel to Georgia on Friday, Nov. 13 for a 7 p.m. ET match. UK will then take on Auburn on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2:30 p.m.

 

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

 

Week 12: This Week's Top 4 News Stories About Texas Longhorns Women's Volleyball Team

Week 12: This Week's Top 4 News Stories About Texas Longhorns Women's Volleyball Team

• This Week in Texas Volleyball
• Texas Volleyball preview: Texas Tech
• No. 2 Volleyball downs Texas Tech, 3-1 
• Texas Volleyball Coach Elliott signs quartet of USA Volleyball standouts

This Week in Texas Volleyball

19-1 overall (14-1 Big 12)

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

 

This week:

At Gregory Gymnasium

Texas hosts Texas Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. Central

 

Last week:

Texas lost to No. 8 Iowa State, 3-2

Texas defeated Missouri, 3-0

 

This week’s media availability:

This week’s media availability is Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 12:45 pm at Gregory Gymnasium. Please contact me if you wish to attend so I can coordinate players and coaches arriving early to do interviews prior to practice. Contact info: spencer.kitley@athletics.utexas.edu or (512) 848-8157.

 

Fast Facts:

TEXAS 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 .318 team hitting percentage ... UT ranks No. 4 in the NCAA in blocking with 2.95 blocks per-set ... senior All-America setter Ashley Engle ranks No. 4 in the conference in hitting with a .341 attack mark, while senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker ranks fifth in hitting (.340) and leads the league with 4.87 kills and 5.75 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 19-1 on the season with 12 of its wins coming on the road ... the Horns are 9-1 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 .319 as a team and blocking 3.09 balls per-set on the road and hitting .314 and notching 2.69 blocks per-set at home.

 

 

Texas Volleyball preview: Texas Tech

 

The second-ranked Longhorns look to extend their home winning streak to 18 matches on Wednesday, Nov. 11. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.

 

Match 21: No. 2/2 TEXAS (19-1, 14-1 Big 12) vs. Texas Tech (2-21, 0-14 Big 12)

When: Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 pm Central

Where: Austin, Texas (Gregory Gymnasium)

Internet Video: Watch Texas Volleyball home matches FREE on TexasSports.TV

Live Stats: GameTracker

 

SERIES INFO

All-Time Series Record: Texas Tech, 67-9-2 (H: 30-3, A: 30-2, N: 7-4-2)

Last meeting with Missouri: Texas defeated Tech, 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-17) on Oct. 17, 2009

Current Streak: Texas has won the last 17 meetings

 

TEXAS IN THE AVCA POLL

The Longhorns are ranked No. 2 in the most recent AVCA Division I Coaches Poll (Nov. 9) ... 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 54 straight weeks ... UT opponents in the poll include, No. 3 Hawaii, No. 8 Iowa State, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 12 California, No. 20 Saint Louis, No. 21 Baylor and No. 25 Sand Diego.

 

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).

 

STREAKING AT HOME

Texas currently owns a 17-match home winning streak at Gregory Gym dating back to Nov. 1, 2008 ... in 2009 Texas has not dropped a set at home, winning all 21 of its sets on its home floor.

 

LONE STAR STATE DOMINANCE

Since head coach Jerritt Elliott arrived in Austin, the Longhorns have emerged as the dominant volleyball program in the state of Texas ... the Longhorns have posted a 67-7 (.905) record against in-state opponents during the Elliott era, including a 17-0 mark against Texas Tech and a 16-1 mark against Baylor ... Texas has won its last 40 matches versus in-state foes, last dropping a match on Oct. 16, 2004 to Texas A&M.

 

TEXAS IN THE NCAA STATS

In the most recent addition of the NCAA statistics (Nov. 9), Texas ranks No. 3 in the country with its .318 hitting percentage ... UT ranks No. 4 in blocks per-set, averaging 2.95 stuffs each set ... senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker ranks third with 5.75 points and fifth with 4.87 kills per-set.

 

TOUGH ROW TO HOE

Texas is 19-1 on the season with 10 of its wins coming against ranked opponents and its lone loss coming against No. 8 Iowa State ...  Texas’ season-opening streak of seven wins against ranked opponents was the longest in program history, while the seven straight matches against ranked opponents tied a UT record set in 1995 ... the Horns have defeated No. 4 Hawaii, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 10 Iowa State, No. 10 California, No. 15 San Diego, No. 19 Saint Louis, No. 23 Long Beach State, No. 24 Baylor and No. 25 Texas A&M in 2009.

 

SUCCESS IN BIG 12 PLAY

In 14 years of Big 12 Conference play the Longhorns own a 206-66 (.757) mark in league action ... Texas’ all-time Big 12 record ranks second to only Nebraska ... during head coach Jerritt Elliott’s nine-year tenure, Texas has posted a 131-43 (.753) record against Big 12 foes ... the Longhorns 19-1 record in 2007 was its best mark since the inception of the league.

 

 No. 2 Volleyball downs Texas Tech, 3-1 

Sophomore Amber Roberson connects for a career-high 12 kills on .500 hitting in the win over the Red Raiders.

AUSTIN, Texas – The second-ranked Texas Volleyball team used a career-high 12 kills and a .500 attack mark from sophomore outside hitter Amber Roberson to down Texas Tech, 3-1 on Wednesday night at Gregory Gymnasium. The 19-25, 25-13, 25-10, 25-14 victory improved the Longhorns to 20-1 on the year and 15-1 in Big 12 play, while the Red Raiders dropped to 2-22 and 0-15 in conference action.

 

The Longhorns punched back in the second stanza after dropping the first, using a 4-1 rally and a pair of kills from sophomore middle blocker Rachael Adams to take a 9-6 lead. UT pieced together a second 4-1 run to push the edge to 14-9 and it was all Horns from that point on. Freshman middle blocker Sha’Dare McNeal sparked a 13-2 Texas run by serving six straight points and notching three aces to help UT take a 24-11 lead. Roberson’s sixth kill of the set closed out the frame for Texas, 25-13.

 

In the third, Texas opened on a 5-0 run headlined by three Hooker kills and added to its lead with a pair of kills from junior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette that moved the tally to 9-3. A 12-2 UT run paced by three kills and a block from Hooker allowed the Horns to widen their lead to 22-7. Tech answered with three quick points, but a pair of TTU miscues and a kill by junior middle blocker Jennifer Doris closed out the set 25-10.

 

The Horns were sharp again in the fourth, taking advantage of three kills and a block by senior All-America setter/opposite hitter Ashley Engle to take an 11-8 lead. Engle keyed a 3-0 UT rally to push the margin to 17-10 and a kill by Hooker moved the Texas lead to 23-14. The Longhorns closed the set 25-14 with back-to-back triple blocks from Engle, Hooker and sophomore middle blocker Rachael Adams.

 

Texas trailed early in the first before rallying to trim the Tech lead to 9-8. A 6-1 Red Raider run widened the margin back to 15-9, but Texas battled back to shrink the lead to 15-12. Texas Tech ballooned the advantage to 22-15 late in the set and went on to close out the frame 25-19.

 

Hooker headlined the Texas offense on the night with a match-best 17 kills, while Roberson posted new career bests with her 12-kill, .500-hitting effort. Doris set a new season high with nine kills and Faucette, Adams and Engle each chipped in seven kills.

 

Texas returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 18 when it plays host to Kansas State. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. Central.

POST-MATCH NOTES

·         Texas’ win over Texas Tech improved its all-time record against the Red Raiders to 68-9-2 and extended UT’s winning streak over TTU to 18 matches.

·         The Longhorns victory extended their home winning streak to 18 matches. UT’s loss in the first set marked the first set it has lost at home in 2009.

·         Amber Roberson recorded a career-high 12 kills and hit a career-best .500 against Tech.

·         Jennifer Doris’ nine kills set a new season high for the junior middle blocker.

·         The Longhorns’ hit .441 as a team in the win, setting a new UT record for highest team hitting percentage in a four-set match.

 

 

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Head Coach Jerritt Elliott

On his confidence throughout the match: I was just trying to get this team back again and get the engine rolling. I think it is tough sometimes to manage the personalities of the team. Sometimes they just need a good stern talking to, rattle them a little bit, and try to get them to focus on some of the areas of error. 

 

On the new lineup: It is something that we’ve known we wanted to run. We’ve just been trying to get healthy. We know that we need balance, and we know that we need to be successful from both ends and this lineup gives us two first-team All Americans on the right, and it is very difficult to stop the right side attack. It allows us to minimize our errors, Juliann (Faucette) and Amber (Roberson) are pretty low on errors. There is a lot of balance. For us to be successful we have to be able to put the ball in the center a little bit more and I think with this team we have the ability to do that.

 

On Amber Roberson:  She is very steady. She is a very fluid athlete who makes really good decisions, and she was really low error for us. Tonight you could see that she is starting to get a little bit more confident in the few matches she has been playing. So it is nice for her to continue being in that lineup and grow in her confidence. And as she continues to do that, this team will continue to improve.

 

Senior setter/opposite Ashley Engle

On the mindset before and after the first set: Composure, we were making some unforced errors. When we would start getting a run we would end it with an error, serving, hitting or even a reception error. So our goal was just to try and stay composed. Like coach said, we could have unraveled after the first set and been done, because Tech was giving it to us pretty bad in the first set, but I think we were able to turn it around.

 

On the next match:  I think we have some things to work on. There has been a lot of volleyball so it will be good to get away from it this weekend. We can reflect on how far we’ve come and how far we still need to go.

 

Sophomore outside hitter Amber Roberson

On her career-high total: I just came in focused. Obviously, we did not start off well. I told myself to focus and give it my all. I think that we all realized that our rhythm wasn’t there. We had to jump start it, after we came out and luckily we did in time.

 

Junior outside hitter Juliann Faucette:
On the loss in the first set: Any time you lose a set, it really motivates you to come out strong. Destinee (Hooker) and I are really key energizers on the team and we realize when we have to use that part of our personality and take advantage of it. That is exactly what we had to do tonight. 

 

On the new lineup: I think it is awesome. It just goes to show how much variety we have on our team. Some players are versatile enough to switch positions. And I think our coaching stuff has done a great job of finding the best lineup that will get us there in the end.

 

 

 Texas Volleyball Coach Elliott signs quartet of USA Volleyball standouts

The second-ranked Longhorns ink four players with USA playing experience for the 2010-11 academic year.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Consistently recognized for recruiting top national classes, Texas Volleyball head coach Jerritt Elliott has again landed one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, signing a stellar class of four to attend The University of Texas. Hannah Allison, Ashley Bannister, Haley Cameron and Sarah Palmer will join the Horns for the 2010-11 academic year.

 

“We are excited about this class because it fills a lot of our needs. It is large class, but it gives us players at four different positions. This group of players is very capable of playing and contributing as freshman.”

 

Allison, a 5-11 setter from Siloam Springs, Arkansas, attends Siloam Springs High School and plays club volleyball for the Ozark Juniors. The current high school senior is a four-year letterwinner and is the reigning Arkansas Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year. Allison has led Siloam Springs to a 123-11 record and four-straight state championships during her prep career. She is a four-time all-state selection in Arkansas and has three years of training experience with USA Volleyball.

 

“Hannah is extremely athletic, she is quick off the floor, very fast and she loves to compete,” Elliott said. “In our eyes she is the top setter in this class and she will bring excellent blocking and great leadership to our team. With continued training she will be one of the premier setters in the nation.”

 

In 2009, Allison played for the U.S. Youth National Team at the FIVB Youth World Championships in Thailand. She was a member of the U.S. Youth National Training Team in 2008 and the U.S. A1 Team in 2007.

 

Bannister, a 6-1 outside hitter from Sugar Land, Texas, attends William B. Travis High School and plays for the Texas Tornados Volleyball Club. As a prepster, she has led Travis to back-to-back District 23-5A titles and was named District MVP in 2008. Bannister helped the Texas Tornados to a fifth-place finish at the 2009 Junior Olympics and earned all-tournament accolades.

 

“Ashley is an in-state kid and she is very explosive,” Elliott said. “She has been one of the best prep outside hitters in the country for quite some time. She has a great arm, nice range and she is going to continue to improve in our gym.”

 

Throughout her prep career, Bannister has been involved with USA Volleyball’s High Performance program. In 2009, she paced the U.S. Junior A2 Team to a fifth-place finish at the European Global Championships, en route to earning all-tournament honors.

 

Cameron, a 6-3 middle blocker from La Jolla, Calif., attends La Jolla High School and plays for Coast Volleyball Club. She is a four-year letterwinner and 2009 team captain at La Jolla where she was a San Diego CIF Division III First Team All-League selection. Cameron headlined her 2008 Coast team at the Junior Olympics, claiming all-tourney honors.

 

“Haley is a bit of an unknown after having a great sophomore year, getting hurt as junior and then coming back to have a good senior season,” Elliott said. “She is big physical blocker and she is a very strong presence at the net. She is a really nice player that continues to get stronger now that she is healthy.”

 

In July 2008, Cameron was injured with the U.S. Junior A2 Team and missed much of her junior season with her high school and club teams. As a senior, Cameron has bounced back with 358 kills and 62 blocks to-date.

 

Palmer, a 5-10 libero from Kailua, Hawaii, attends Hawaii Baptist Academy and plays club for the ASICS Rainbows. She has helped her Hawaii Baptist squad to three-straight Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II State Championships and has been named tournament most outstanding player all three seasons. Palmer has been honored as an all-state pick the past three seasons and in 2008 she was named a PrepVolleyball.com High School All-American.

 

“Palmer is an extremely competitive and fiery player,” Elliott said. “She brings great ball control and she will come in and add a lot of great skills to this team. The addition of Sarah continues the nice growth of liberos in our program.”

 

Palmer has had extensive experience with the USA Volleyball High Performance Program over the past four years. In 2009, she was selected to the U.S. Youth National Training Team after spending time in the U.S. Girls National A2 Program and on the U.S. Youth Red Team in 2008.

 

“The overall athleticism of our class is outstanding,” Elliott said. “All of these players will make an impact and be contributors to this program.”

 

Texas’ stellar recruiting class follows the second-ranked classes the Longhorns brought to the Forty Acres in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and its fifth-ranked class in 2009.

 

 

 

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