Volleyball Voices

Week 13: NCAA College Volleyball Mountain West Conference News

Mountain West Conference Volleyball Play Wraps Up on the Road

 

PROVO, Utah (Nov. 17, 2009) – In the last week of Mountain West Conference play, the BYU women’s volleyball team (13-13, 7-7 MWC) will travel to Air Force (8-18, 0-13) Thursday for a game at 7 p.m. MT and later to San Diego State to face the Aztecs (13-13, 6-8) Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.

 

“Air Force and San Diego State will be our last conference matches so we want to finish strong,” BYU head coach Shay Goulding said. “Our goal is to get out there and be aggressive in every element of the game and come back with two wins we can be proud of. Air Force always plays well at home and San Diego State is a tough team that has given just about everyone in our conference problems. We plan to bring them our collective best in order to beat them.”

 

BYU last played the Falcons at home, beating them handedly on Saturday, Sept. 19 3-0. San Diego State put up a tough fight the same week on Thursday, Sept. 17, falling to the Cougars 3-2.

 

The last time out the Cougars split home wins to Wyoming (3-0) and Colorado State (2-3).

 

After a close five-set match at Wyoming on Oct. 17 the BYU women’s volleyball team came out strong at the Smith Fieldhouse, downing the Cowgirls 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-19) on Thursday Nov. 12. Senior rightside hitter Kayla Walker led the Cougars with 10 kills on the night, with Christina Measom and Nicole Warner each tallying nine kills. Warner hit at .692 percent while Morgan Lloyd Sorensen and Melissa Lake Wright had 11 and 10 digs, respectively.

 

On Saturday Nov. 14 in front of 1,590 fans for senior night, the team fell in five to the No. 1 Mountain West Conference ranked Colorado State Rams (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 25-27, 12-15). Camilla Phillips led the Cougars with a career-high 14 kills, also posting a .500 hitting percentage. Christina Measom was right behind her, also hitting .500 and tallying 13 kills. Setter Kiana Rogers chalked up 49 assists and 12 digs, her ninth double-double of the season. Melissa Lake Wright led the back row in digs with 17 while three other Cougars had double digit digs on the night. Christie Carpenter added 13 digs and seven kills while libero Morgan Lloyd Sorensen tallied 14 kills.

 

After these last two MWC matches, the Cougars will face Saint Mary’s College out of Moraga, Calif. on Saturday Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. PT.

Week 13: NCAA College Volleyball Northeast Conference News

NEC Volleyball Homepage: http://www.northeastconference.org/sport.asp?path=vball

 

NEC Player of the Week
Hannah Veith, Robert Morris

So., MB, Columbus, OH/Worthington

Veith closes out the weekly honors for 2009 as she earns the NEC Player of the Week accolade for the first time this season. Over the weekend she tied for first on the team with 26 kills and was second with a .452 hitting percentage and nine blocks. The middle blocker was the only Colonial to tally double-digit kills in both wins and was the only one to earn double-digit kills in RMU's win against Sacred Heart. The Columbus, OH native was second on the team in hitting percentage in the match with a .417 average. She was also second on the team in hitting percentage against Fairleigh Dickinson with a .500 average.

 

NEC Rookie of the Week

Breanna Cullity, Long Island

Fr., MB, Colorado Springs, CO/Colorado Springs School

Cullity earns NEC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season in this final regular season installment of the honor. The middle blocker turned in averages of 1.67 kills and 1.67 blocks per set as the Blackbirds won two matches to finish unbeaten in Northeast Conference play. In a 3-0 win over Central Connecticut State on Nov. 14, Cullity amassed six kills and five blocks. In a sweep of Bryant on Nov. 15, the freshman had four kills and five blocks. For the week she hit .304.

 

 

 

Around The League:

 

NEC Tournament Time: Long Island will be hosting the NEC Tournament in Brooklyn, NY and will face No. 4 Robert Morris Saturday, Nov. 21 at 12:00 p.m. Sacred Heart is the second seed and will play third-seed Central Connecticut State in the day’s second semifinal match at 2:30 p.m. The winner of each game will advance to the title match on Sunday, Nov 22 at 1:00 p.m. The winner of the NEC Championship will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. NEC Individual Statistical Leaders:Bryant’s Maria Scocca (Melrose, MA/Arlington Catholic) finished her 2009 campaign leading the NEC in blocks with 153 total (17 solo, 126 assist), good for 1.21 per set. Central Connecticut State seniorJamie Baumert (Elkhorn, NE/Elkhorn) finished the regular season still holding the top spot with a .365 hitting percentage. Long Island senior Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia/Commercial School) owns the boards at the regular season conclusion for kills per set (3.97/s) while Fairleigh Dickinson’s Megan Wheeler (Chatsworth, CA/Chaminade College Prep) has the most total kills (438) just edging Simic by one. Sacred Heart senior Courtney Kidd-Kadlubek (Santa Barbara, CA/Santa Barbara) held on to the conference-lead for assists with 1,158 (10.82/s), and Ashlyn Trimble (Temecula, CA/Temecula) finished her sophomore regular-season campaign leading a category of her own with 59 service aces (0.56/s). St. Francis (NY) junior Liliana Rodriguez (Linden, NJ/Linden) completed her ’09 spell with the outright lead for digs at 4.91 per set (447), while FDU sophomore Kelsey Semler (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) led the league in total digs with 550. NEC Team Statistical Leaders: Sacred Heart kept its league-lead four statistical category. They finished with the best hitting percentage (.214), most assists (1,313) and assists per set (12.39), most kills per set (13.07) and most service aces at 248 (2.34/s). Bryant held onto the No. 1 position for total kills at 1,442. Central Connecticut is No. 1 in blocks with a team total of 299.5 and 2.48 per set.

 

 

Team-by-Team Notes:

 

Bryant (11-23, 6-10 NEC)

The Bulldogs closed out the 2009 season with a 1-2 record, suffering setbacks against Central Connecticut State and Long Island while topping St. Francis (NY), 3-0. Sophomore Jazmin Stoner (Durango, CO/Durango) led the Bulldogs with 34 kills on the week, pushing her season total to 351, second only to sophomore Maria Scocca’s (Melrose, MA/Arlington Catholic) 406 season kills. Stoner collected a match-best 19 kills against CCSU and 11 versus SFNY to complete five-straight matches in double-figure kills. Scocca collected 24 kills on the week with a team-best 13 blocks (1 solo, 12 assists), putting her over the 150-mark for the year (153). Freshman Jadith Lorenzo (Lawrence, MA/Lawrence International) posted 62 assists to lead BU on the week. Junior libero Robyn Gardner (Longwood, FL/Lake Brantley) led BU defensively with 34 digs, finishing the season with 509. The weekend wrapped up the Bulldogs second season of Division I play.

 

Central Connecticut (18-14, 12-4 NEC)

CCSU finished off the regular season with a 2-1 week, including Northeast Conference wins over Bryant and St. Francis (NY). Emily Cochran (Adel, IA/Adel-DeSoto-Minburn) led CCSU this past week with 2.45 kills and 3.36 digs per set. The freshman recorded double-digit kills and digs in both of the Blue Devils’ victories. She tallied 10 kills, 15 digs and three aces in a 3-1 home win over BU, and totaled 12 kills, 15 digs and two aces in Central’s 3-1 road victory over SFNY. Senior captain Jamie Baumert (Elkhorn, NE/Elkhorn), junior Tori Vaughan (Salinas, CA/Salinas) and sophomore Sara DeLacey(Spring Lake Park, MN/Spring Lake Park) have all totaled over 120 blocks this season. DeLacey led the Blue Devils with 20 blocks on the week, while Vaughan and Baumert tallied 16 and 14, respectively. Baumert leads CCSU with 146 this season. Vaughan has totaled 140 and DeLacey has recorded 121. With junior captain Amanda Bayer out of two games this week, sophomore Danielle Gasser (New Milford, CT/New Milford) stepped up in the setter position recording a career high in assists in both the match against BU and again in the win over SFNY. She tallied 38 on Wednesday against the Bulldogs and then totaled 44 in the win over the Terriers on Sunday. CCSU will be playing Sacred Heart in next weekend’s conference tournament at Long Island. It marks the seventh straight season that Central will be playing in the NEC Tournament.

 

Fairleigh Dickinson (8-24, 5-11 NEC)

FDU went 1-1 in their last weekend of the 2009 season first defeating Saint Francis (PA) 3-2 then falling to Robert Morris 3-1. Senior Ali Philbrick (Lanham, MD/Elizabeth Seton) led four Knights in double-digit figure kills in the win, notching 17. Freshman Meaghan Wheeler (Chatsworth, CA/Chaminade College Prep) added 15, sophomore Sarah Berkland (Newton, MA/Newton North) recorded 11 and freshman Violeta Slabakova (Shelby Township, MI/Utica) chipped in 10. Sophomore Sarah Willey(Abingdon, MD/Bel Air) recorded 45 assists, while classmate Kelsey Semler (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) had a team-high 15 digs. In the loss to RMU Wheeler led the FDU effort with 13 kills while Philbrick added 12. Willey again recorded over 40 assists (43) and a team-high 15 digs with Semler chipping in 12. The Allentown, PA native took over the top spot in all-time single-season digs with 550. Her 1,072 assists this season ranks second in program history, and Wheeler’s 438 kills are second in the single-season records.

 

Long Island (19-13, 16-0 NEC)

The Blackbirds won their final two matches of the season, defeating Central Connecticut State 3-0 on Nov. 14 and Bryant 3-0 on Nov. 15. The undefeated run through the conference marks the fourth time in five years that LIU has not been beaten by an NEC team. The Blackbirds went 8-0 in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Thanks to this year’s new double round-robin format, the Blackbirds established a new record for conference victories with 16. Against BU, senior Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia/Commercial School)tallied her 1,000th career kill. The former NEC Libero of the Year-turned-outside hitter now as 1,006 career kills to place fifth all-time at Long Island and owns the Blackbirds career digs record with 1,857. Simic is just the second player in LIU history to amass over 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs, joining former teammate Martina Wagner (1,652 kills, 1,207 digs). LIU will host this year’s postseason NEC Tournament this weekend where their semifinal game begins at 12:00 p.m. against Robert Morris on Saturday.

 

Quinnipiac (4-25, 3-13 NEC)

The Bobcats concluded the 2009 season by defeating Saint Francis (PA) in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion on Senior Day Sunday at the Burt Kahn Court. QU took a five-set victory after dropping the first two sets. Kelby Carey (Surfside, CA/Los Alamitos) led three Bobcats who tallied double-doubles, compiling career highs in kills (24) and digs (21) for her team-leading 12th double-double of the season.Kayla Lawler (Richmond, IN/Centerville) and Chelsey Pachoud (Riverview, FL/Riverview) also compiled double-doubles. Lawler had 42 assists and 16 digs, while Pachoud smashed 14 kills and made 12 digs. Logan Riker (Bowling Green, OH/Bowling Green) was the defensive star for QU, compiling 25 digs. Alyssa Naylor (San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch) finished with 10 kills, while Taylor Payne (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) added eight kills and a team-high four blocks.   

 

Robert Morris (14-19, 11-5 NEC)

Robert Morris went 2-0 this past weekend, earning wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart, both in four sets. In RMU’s win against FDU, middle blockers Amanda Graham (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie)and Hannah Veith (Columbus, OH/Worthington) led the charge with 18 and 13 kills, respectively. Graham tallied a .536 hitting percentage and four blocks, while Veith hit at a .500 clip and added three blocks. Sophomore setter Alyssa Bennett (Ramona, CA/Ramona) also recorded a strong showing with nine kills, a .467 hitting percentage, three blocks and 38 assists. Both Graham and Amanda Craig(Houston, TX/St. Agnes Academy) registered two service aces in the win. Veith returned the next day and put on another strong showing by tallying her second consecutive double-digit kill performance with 13 on a .417 hitting average. She also added six blocks in the win, while Graham put up a match-high eight blocks. Bennett finished with a double-double in the victory with 14 digs and 27 assists. She also added eight kills. The Colonials head to Long Island this weekend to compete in the NEC Tournament as the No. 4 seed. They will take on No. 1 LIU on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 12:00 p.m.

 

Sacred Heart (22-10, 12-4 NEC)

Junior Courtney Kidd-Kadlubek (Santa Barbara, CA/Santa Barbara) had 30 assists, eight digs and five service aces, and a trio of Pioneers had nine kills to lead Sacred Heart to a 3-0 win over visiting Saint Francis (PA) Saturday afternoon. The win was the third straight for the Pioneers. Sophomores Brittany Best (Norco, CA/Norco) and Ashlyn Trimble (Temecula, CA/Temecula), and freshman Elise Sage (Greenwood Village, CO/Cherry Creek) finished the match with nine kills apiece. Best and Trimble also chipped in with nine digs each. SHU then dropped their final regular season match to Robert Morris Sunday, 3-1. Best led the Pioneers in the loss with 17 kills and ten digs, her eighth double-double of the season. Trimble also had a double-double with ten kills and 14 digs. Sophomore Maile Hetherington (Thousand Oaks, CA/Thousand Oaks) finished with 14 kills, and Sage had 13. SHU will compete against Central Connecticut State Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2:30 p.m. in the second semifinal match of the NEC Tournament.

 

St. Francis (NY) (4-22, 3-13 NEC)

SFNY closed out their 2009 season with a loss to Bryant and Central Connecticut State over the weekend. Against BU, Anisa Lila (Thessaloniki, Greece/Palm Beach CC) recorded a team-high 8 kills and seniorDetelina Dimitrova (Sofia, Bulgaria/Jacksonville University) added five putdowns. Junior Liliana Rodriguez (Linden, NJ/Linden) came up with 12 digs. In the 3-1 loss to CCSU, Lila recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 16 digs to lead the Terriers while Dimitrova added 12 kills. Rodriguez retrieved 28 digs to finish as the NEC’s leader in that category.

 

Saint Francis (PA) (7-25, 4-12 NEC)

Shirley Miller (Fairless Hills, PA/Pennsbury) and Rikki Myers (Noblesville, IN/Westfield) each surpassed significant milestones in their final matches: Miller became just the fourth SFPA player to reach 1,000 kills, and Myers became the only SFPA setter in the rally scoring era to notch 3,000 assists. LIzzy Williams (North Bend, OH/Saint Ursula) notched 19 blocks over the last three matches, including a career-high seven against Sacred Heart and six each against Fairleigh Dickinson and Quinnipiac. Lauren Wingard (York, PA/Dallastown Area) and Williams were neck and neck all season for the honor as team’s top rookie; they finished within 20 kills of each other (253 and 233, respectively), while Williams led the team with 87 blocks. The Red Flash graduates just two seniors (Myers and Miller) and will hope to be much improved in 2010. Miller ended her career leading the team in digs in 2009 with 336.

 

 

NCAA College Volleyball Schedules: Conference Championship Tournament News from

NCAA College Volleyball Conference Championship Tournament Schedules 

Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament coming to Alamo City

SAN ANTONIO — The Southland Conference Tournament field was finalized on Saturday evening with the conclusion of regular season play and UTSA (12-18) will enter the postseason event as the No. 6 seed by virtue of its 7-9 league mark this fall. 

The tournament will run from Friday-Sunday, Nov. 20-22, at the Convocation Center. It is being played in the Alamo City for the third time in the last four years and the fifth time in league history.

The Roadrunners will open play against third seed Stephen F. Austin (22-12, 11-5 SLC) at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The Ladyjacks rallied for a five-set win in Nacogdoches on Oct. 17 in the lone meeting between the two programs this season. UTSA snapped a 16-match losing streak to SFA a year ago with a sweep at the Convo (Oct. 18).

Other first-round matchups on Friday include top seed Texas State (19-12, 13-3 SLC) against eighth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana (9-18, 5-11 SLC) at 11 a.m., No. 4 seed and defending tournament champion Lamar (14-13, 9-7 SLC) against fifth seed UT Arlington (12-16, 8-8 SLC) at 1:30 p.m. and second-seeded Sam Houston State (20-13, 12-4 SLC) against No. 7 Nicholls (12-18, 6-10 SLC) at 4 p.m.

The semifinals are slated for 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday and the Championship Match will begin at 2 p.m. the following day.

All seven matches will be video streamed for free on SLC NOW at southland.org and the championship match will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network (go to southland.org for complete list of network affiliates).

Ticket prices for a day session are $8 for an adult and $5 youths (ages 3-18). An all-tournament pass is $16 for adults and $10 for youths. There is no charge for Southland students with a valid institutional identification card.

- - - - - 

2009 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament Schedule
Nov. 20-22  ·  Convocation Center  ·  San Antonio, Texas

Quarterfinals — Friday, Nov. 20
Match 1: #8 Southeastern Louisiana (9-18) vs. #1 Texas State (19-12), 11 a.m.
Match 2: #5 UT Arlington (12-16) vs. #4 Lamar (14-13) , 1:30 p.m.
Match 3: #7 Nicholls (12-18) vs. #2 Sam Houston State (20-13), 4 p.m.
Match 4: #6 UTSA (12-18) vs. #3 Stephen F. Austin (22-12), 6:30 p.m.

Semifinals — Saturday, Nov. 21
Match 5: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner, 1 p.m.
Match 6: Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner, 4 p.m.

Championship — Sunday, Nov. 22
Match 7: Semifinals winners, 2 p.m.

Saint Louis Volleyball Billikens Awarded No. 2 Seed for A-10 Championship

SLU will play Saturday, Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m. (CT)

 

         ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis begins defense of its Atlantic 10 Championship crown this weekend at the 28th annual A-10 Women's Volleyball Championship at the Frericks Center in Dayton, Ohio. The No. 2-seeded Billikens, who received a first-round bye, will face the higher remaining seed to emerge from the opening round at 6:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday, Nov. 21. The winner of the tournament will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

 

         The Bills (22-6 overall) finished with a 14-1 league record to tie with tournament host Dayton atop the standings. It is the third time in the last four years that SLU has earned at least a share of the A-10 regular-season crown. The Flyers(26-3, 14-1 A-10) earned the top seed after edging Saint Louis 3-2 during the only regular-season meeting between the teams. The Billikens have won two of the last three A-10 Championship titles, while UD will be looking for its fifth tournament crown in the last seven years. 

 

         Xavier (19-11, 11-4 A-10) grabbed the third seed with an 11-4 mark in conference action. The Musketeers’ only win in the A-10 Championship title match came in 2001. Temple (13-11, 9-6 A-10), which garnered the fourth seed, is making its 14th consecutive appearance in the Championship. The Owls captured titles in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2002. 

 

         George Washington (21-11, 8-7 A-10) and Charlotte (15-16, 6-9 A-10) round out the field as the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively. The Colonials have four A-10 titles and are looking to take home the hardware for the first time since 2000. The 49ers are making their third appearance in the tournament and are looking for their first title.

 

         Xavier faces Charlotte in the opening round on Friday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m. (CT), followed by Temple versus George Washington at 6:30 p.m. (CT). The first-round winners will meet the top seeds, Dayton and Saint Louis, in the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 21, beginning at 4 p.m. (CT). The title match will be played Sunday, Nov. 22, at 3 p.m. (CT), and will air live on CBS College Sports.

        

         Tickets to the A-10 Championship will be available at the Frericks Center ticket office the day of the matches. A single-day ticket may be purchased for $6 for adults and $3 for A-10 students, children 18 and under and senior citizens. A three-day pass is available for $15 for adults.

Missouri Valley Conference Weekly Volleyball Notebook:  

Final Weekend Has Much to Decide

The final weekend of Valley regular-season play still has much to be determined as 2009 proved to be another competitive conference finish in recent history. UNI enters the final weekend of Valley play with the regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the 2009 State Farm MVC Volleyball Championship already locked up.  Missouri State and Wichita State are locked in a battle for the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, with the Bears and Shockers both currently at 12-4 in league action.  Creighton (9-7 MVC), Drake (9-7 MVC) and Illinois State (7-9 MVC) will battle for the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, while the final spot be either Illinois State (7-9 MVC) or Southern Illinois (7-10 MVC), with seeds No. 2 - No. 6 all coming down to this weekend's matches. 

Several key matchups dot the final week of conference calendar, as Illinois State and Indiana State will host Missouri State and Wichita State, Bradley and UNI will greet Creighton and Drake, while Southern Illinois will travel to Evansville. 

In this week's AVCA Coaches' Poll, UNI moves up one spot to the No. 21 position after collecting league wins over Missouri State and Wichita State last weekend, two teams tied for second place in the Valley standings, improving to 26-2 (16-0 MVC) on the season.  The Panthers have now won 24 consecutive matches.  

This week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week is Illinois State's Mallory Leggett, the Defensive Player of the Week is Jessica Houts of Creighton and the Freshman of the Week is Creighton's Megan Bober.

Complete release attached as a PDF and also available online at:  http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7600&ATCLID=204835010.

MAC Volleyball Tournament Action Starts Tonight 2009 MAC Tournament First Round Tues., Nov. 17 - No. 12 Eastern Michigan at No. 5 Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Game Notes Roster Schedule/Results Statistics Volleyball Website Watch Live | Live Stats Central Michigan Game Notes Roster Schedule/Results Statistics Volleyball Website Tues., Nov. 17 - No. 11 Bowling Green at No. 6 Toledo Bowling Green Game Notes Roster Schedule/Results Statistics Volleyball Website   Watch Live | Live Stats Toledo Game Notes Roster Schedule/Results Statistics Volleyball Website Tues., Nov. 17 - No. 10 Buffalo at No. 7 Kent State Buffalo Game Notes Roster Schedule/Results Statistics Volleyball Website   Watch Live | Live Stats Kent State Game Notes Roster Schedule/Results Statistics Volleyball Website Tues., Nov. 17 - No. 9 Akron at No. 8 Ball State Akron Game Notes Roster Schedule/Results Statistics Volleyball Website     Watch Live | Live Stats Ball State Game Notes Roster Schedule/Results Statistics Volleyball Website

► LET THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN:

 The Ball State women’s volleyball team opens play in the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament as the No. 8 seed Tuesday, when it hosts No. 9 seed Akron at 7 p.m. inside Worthen Arena . . . The Cardinals secured the No. 8 seed and hosting rights with a 3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-9) victory at Akron last Saturday.

 

► MORE ON THE SEED: After finishing the regular season with wins in four of its last five matches, Ball State enters the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 14-15 (7-9 MAC) record . . . With its 7-9 league mark, the Cardinals earned the eighth seed in the MAC Tournament and will face ninth seed Akron who finished the regular season with a 14-17 (5-11 MAC) record . . . A complete tournament bracket can be found at the end of this release.

 

► 19 AND COUNTING: Ball State will be appearing in its 19th-straight Mid-American Conference Tournament when it hosts Akron in first-round action Tuesday . . . Last season, the seventh-seeded Cardinals went 1-1 in MAC Tournament play, posting a 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-19) sweep of No. 11 Eastern Michigan, before being swept by No. 2 Ohio by a score of 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18) at the SeaGate Centre in Toledo . . . Ball State is 3-0 in first round matches played in Worthen Arena since 2003, when the league allowed all teams to play in the tournament . . . From 1987-1996, only the top four league teams participated in the tournament, while the field expanded to eight teams in 1997.

 

► ALL-TIME IN THE TOURNAMENT: After topping Eastern Michigan and falling to Ohio in the 2008 Mid-American Conference Tournament, Ball State is a combined 27-14 (.658) all-time in MAC Tournament matches . . . Both BSU’s 27 wins and 41 matches played are league records . . . Overall, Ball State is 3-1 in first round matches, 9-2 in quarterfinal matches, 9-8 in semifinal matches and 6-3 in championship matches . . . Ball State has more tournament wins (27) than eight other MAC schools have matches played . . . Miami (34), Western Michigan (33) and Bowling Green (29) are the only schools to play in more tournament matches than BSU has wins.

 

► AT HOME IN THE TOURNAMENT: Including a 3-0 first-round sweep of Eastern Michigan last season, Ball State is 16-1 all-time in MAC Tournament matches played in Worthen Arena, with its only loss coming in the 2003 semifinals versus eventual tournament champion Ohio . . . BSU has never lost a tournament-opening match at Worthen Arena, going 3-0 in first round matches, 6-0 in quarterfinal play and 1-0 in semifinal action . . . BSU claimed three MAC Tournament titles on the Worthen Arena hardwood floor (1994, 1999 and 2002), before the final three rounds were moved to a neutral site for the 2005 event.

 

► BALL STATE IN MAC PLAY: Ball State ended the 2009 regular season with a 280-143 (.662) all-time record in league play, which ranks the Cardinals second in both wins and winning percentage . . . Western Michigan is the all-time leader in both categories at 293-130 (.693) . . . Akron ended the season with a 140-165 (.459) all-time MAC record.

 

► SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State enters MAC Tournament play with a 14-15 (7-9 MAC) record after posting wins over Toledo and Akron last week . . . Senior Alisha Green enters the week as BSU’s top attacker with a 2.85 kills-per-set average, while sophomore Kelsey Brandl leads the team and ranks second in the league with a .349 attack percentage . . . Sophomore Brittany McGinnis has set the Ball State offense to a .200 rate of success this season, while producing a 9.43 assists-per-set average . . . Junior Alyssa Rio leads the Cardinals backcourt with a 3.81 digs-per-set average, while Brandl is the team’s top blocker averaging 0.95 blocks per set . . . As a team, BSU is averaging 12.51 kills, 14.62 digs and 1.99 blocks per set . . . The Cardinals’ opponents are hitting .177, while averaging 11.68 kills, 13.13 digs and 1.77 blocks per set.

 

► SCOUTING AKRON: The Zips enter the week with a 14-17 (5-11 MAC) record after sweeping Buffalo and losing to Ball State in five last week . . . Akron is 4-8 in true road matches this season, including a 2-6 record against league foes . . . Brionna Patterson is Akron’s top attacker with a 3.97 kills-per-set average, while Tina Dimitrijevs paces the team with a .217 attack percentage . . . Kara Smith has set the Zips offense to a .192 attack percentage this season, while dishing out 10.10 assists per set . . . Chelsea Harvey leads the Akron backcourt with a 3.14 digs-per-set average, while Jackie Goleman has a team-best 0.60 blocks-per-set average . . . As a team, Akron is averaging 12.65 kills, 13.33 digs and 1.45 blocks per set . . . The Zips’ opponents are hitting .222, while averaging 12.02 kills, 12.72 digs and 2.12 blocks per set.

 

► BSU VS. AKRON: The Cardinals hold a 26-3 edge in the all-time series versus the Zips including a 3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-9) victory last Saturday in Akron . . . In MAC Tournament action, the Cardinals are 3-0 versus the Zips, including a 3-2 (25-30, 30-21, 33-31, 21-30, 15-9) win in the 2002 championship match . . . BSU also has a quarterfinal and a semifinal round victory over Akron . . . In the latest match at Worthen Arena, Akron handed the Cardinals a 3-2 (25-21, 19-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13) setback Nov. 9, 2008 . . . It was the Zips first-ever win in both Worthen Arena and Muncie, Ind. . . . Overall, the Zips are 1-11 (.083) in matches played in Worthen Arena.

 

► LAST SATURDAY’S SHOWDOWN: In last Saturday’s victory over Akron, Ball State was able to spread out its offense, as five different players recorded double-figure kills . . . Kelsey Brandl led the Cardinals with 16 kills, while Hannah Sullivan (14), Charde’ Phillips (11), Jennifer Boyd (11) and Alisha Green (10) also scored double-figure kills . . . It was the first time in over a year the Cardinals have had five players score in double-figures in a match . . . The last time BSU had five players post double-digit kills was Nov. 9, 2008 in Akron’s last visit to Worthen Arena.

 

► BRANDL EARNS MAC WEEKLY HONOR: For the second time this season, Kelsey Brandl has been named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week . . . Brandl, who is the only West Division player to earn the award twice this season, averaged team-highs of 3.75 kills and 1.38 blocks per set last week . . . She also finished the week hitting .529 (30-3-51), which was more than double the team’s average of .252 for the two matches . . . In last Thursday’s win over Toledo, Brandl smashed a match-high 14 kills while hitting .522 (14-2-23) . . . In Saturday’s thrilling five-set win at Akron, Brandl blasted a team-best 16 kills while hitting for an impressive .536 (16-1-28) rate of success . . . She also posted a match-high six blocks versus Toledo and a match-best five blocks versus the Zips.

 

► MORE ON BRANDL: Entering Tuesday’s MAC Tournament showdown with Akron, Brandl ranks second in the conference with a .366 attacking percentage in league-only matches . . . Her 3.65 points per set in league play has Brandl ranked ninth in the MAC, with her being the only middle blocker on the list.

 

► SULLIVAN DOUBLES UP: In last Saturday’s match at Akron, junior Hannah Sullivan smashed a 14 kills while adding a season-best 18 digs for her second double-double of the year . . . Sullivan, who also scored 13 kills and five digs in Thursday’s win over Toledo, has tallied double-doubles in two of BSU’s last four contests.

 

► RIO PACING THE D: Junior libero Alyssa Rio continued her defensive explosion for the Cardinals last weekend, racking up 49 digs for a 6.12 digs-per-set average . . . In Thursday’s win over Toledo, Rio paced all players with 23 digs over three sets . . . Saturday at Akron, Rio added a team-best 26 digs, while recording two service aces and a kill . . . With her solid effort in the BSU backcourt, Rio now ranks sixth in the league with a 3.81 digs-per-set average.

 

► MORE ON RIO: Alyssa Rio enters the week ranked fourth in program history with 1,314 career digs . . . She needs 166 more digs to pass Amanda McCormick’s (2005-06) career total of 1,579 for third on BSU’s all-time list . . . Rio also ranks third in program history with 20-or-more digs in 32 matches and in career digs-per-set average (4.73) . . . In addition, her 67 career matches with double-figure digs tie for third in BSU history.

 

► BSU ON DEFENSE: Ball State enters the week ranked third in the conference with a .176 opponent hitting percentage . . . In league-only matches, BSU has limited its opponents to a .167 rate of success . . . Over the last five matches, in which the Cardinals have won four, Ball State has limited the opposition to a .114 attacking mark while averaging 2.68 blocks per set . . . In the Nov. 8 win over Central Michigan, the Ball State defense limited the Chippewas to a season-low -.133 (21-36-113) attack percentage . . . The mark was the lowest for a BSU opponent in the rally-scoring era, as was CMU’s -.412 (2-16-34) hitting mark in the third set.

 

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PRESS RELEASE WEEK NO. 13

HTTP://WWW.THEMWC.COM/PHOTOS/SCHOOLS/MWC/SPORTS/W-VOLLEY/AUTO_PDF/VBWEEKLY11-17.PDF

 

WEEK 12 REVIEW 

The Colorado State Rams (22-4, 14-1 MWC) captured their sixth outright (seventh overall) Mountain West Conference regular-season crown with road wins at Utah and BYU last week. With title in hand, CSU will be the Conference’s automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. Second-place TCU (23-6, 12-3 MWC) lost to UNLV in its only action of the week, while New Mexico (19-8, 10-5 MWC) moved to third in the standings after defeating the Rebels. Utah (16-10, 9-5 MWC) MWC) dropped into fourth place, while BYU (13-13, 7-7 MWC) remains fifth and San Diego State (13-13, 6-8 MWC) sustained its sixth place standing. The final three spots in the Conference rankings respectively belong to UNLV (8-15, 5-9 MWC), Wyoming (12-18, 2-13 MWC) and Air Force (8-19, 0-14 MWC).

 

WEEK 13 PREVIEW 

Three nationally-televised matches highlight the final week of the 2009 league slate, beginning with Thursday’s Utah at San Diego State contest, which will be shown live on The Mtn. beginning at 7:30 p.m. MT. Friday’s New Mexico at TCU match will be aired via 90-minute tape delay on The Mtn., Friday at 8:30 p.m. CT. On Saturday, the BYU at San Diego State match will be shown via tape delay on CBS College Sports Network, Tuesday, November 24 at 5 p.m. MT. Other league matches on the week will see BYU at Air Force, UNLV at Wyoming, UNLV at No. 25 Colorado State and Utah at Air Force.

 

Week 13: NCAA College Volleyball Ohio Valley Conference News

2009 OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT – Jacksonville, Ala.

 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 - FIRST ROUNDS

Match 1 - #4 Murray State vs. #5 Tennessee Tech - 4:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

Match 2  - #3 Morehead State vs. #6 Eastern Kentucky - 7:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

 

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 - SEMIFINALS

Match 3 - #1 Jacksonville State vs. Match 1 Winner - 4:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

Match 4 - #2 Austin Peay vs. Match 2 Winner - 7:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 - FINALS

Match 5 - Championship - 7:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

 

* - OVC Games

ALL TIMES CENTRAL

 

 

2009 OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE Volleyball Players of the Week - November 16

 

Offensive:

Autumn Harms, MB, Jr., 61

McHenry, Ill. - Eastern Kentucky

 

Harms helped the Colonels go 4-0 last week by averaging 2.76 kills and 0.94 blocks per set. In 96 attempts she made only 12 errors for a .265 attack percentage. Harms recorded a team-best 18 kills while making only one error, had three blocks, three digs and an assist in the win over Eastern Illinois to clinch a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament. She had five blocks each in wins over Tennessee State and Jacksonville State. She also hit .300 or better in three of EKU's four matches.

 

Defensive:

Abby O'Connor, L, Jr., 5'4

Maineville, Ohio - Eastern Kentucky

 

O'Connor averaged 5.82 digs per set last week. In three of EKU's four matches, O'Connor led all players in digs. She had a match-best 24 against Jacksonville State and led all players with 27 against Tennessee Tech. O'Connor helped clinch a spot in the OVC Tournament with a match-high 26 digs against Eastern Illinois on Sunday.

 

Setter:

Jade Guo, S, So., 5'11

DaTong, Shanxi, China - Murray State

 

Guo tallied 12.60 assists per set for Murray State last week. She also added 24 digs, seven blocks and 13 kills. Guo recorded just two hitting errors on 32 attempts. 

 

2009 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Team Notes

 

Austin Peay (15-3 OVC; 22-8 overall): Austin Peay swept a pair of OVC opponents last week to conclude the regular-season. The Lady Govs defeated UT Martin (25-10, 25-9, 25-10) and Murray State (25-10, 27-25, 25-20). Sophomore Ilyanna Hernandez recorded 16 kills in the two matches. Sophomore Kayla Granthan had 12 kills and had a team-best nine service aces during the week. Senior Stephanie Champine ran her double-digit kills streak to 25 matches with 10 kills against UT Martin and 17 versus Murray Sate. The Lady Govs recorded nine service aces versus UTM and a season-high 15 in the Murray State match. Austin Peay averaged 4.0 aces per set for the week. The Lady Govs tied a program record with 15 OVC victories, matching the mark set by the 1992 OVC Championship team which recorded a 15-1 mark. Austin Peay earned the No. 2 seed in the OVC tourney and will face the winner of the #3 Morehead State/#6 Eastern Kentucky match in the semifinals on Friday.

 

Eastern Illinois (4-13 OVC; 11-20 overall): Eastern Illinois defeated Southeast Missouri (25-19, 21-25, 26-24, 14-25, 15-13) before falling to SIU Edwardsville (15-25, 21-25, 25-16, 22-25) and Eastern Kentucky (23-25, 13-25, 26-24, 25-22, 8-15). The Panthers concluded the season with a 11-20 overall mark while going 4-13 in the OVC.

 

Eastern Kentucky ( 9-9 OVC; 10-18 overall): Eastern Kentucky went 4-0 last week to clinch the sixth spot in the upcoming OVC Tournament. The Colonels defeated Tennessee state (23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 26-28, 15-5), Jacksonville State (25-22, 25-16, 25-20), Tennessee Tech (25-17, 23-25, 25-17, 27-25) and Eastern Illinois (25-23, 25-13, 24-26, 22-25, 15-8). The win over the Gamecocks was JSU's first loss in Conference play this season. The match with the Panthers on Sunday was a make -up from early this season. Junior Autumn Harms averaged 2.76 kills and 0.94 blocks during the week. She recorded just 12 errors on 96 attempts for a .365 attack percentage. Junior Abby O'Connor recorded 5.82 digs per set while Junior Katie Handle dished out 10.88 assists each time out. Eastern Kentucky is the sixth seed in the tourney and will face No. 4 Morehead State in first-round action on Thursday.

 

Jacksonville State (17-1 OVC; 24-5 overall): Jacksonville State suffered it first OVC loss of the season as it fell to Eastern Kentucky (22-25, 16-23, 20-25) before rebounding with a win over Morehead State (25-21, 19-25, 25-21, 25-14). The 17 conference wins are the most in a season by any JSU team. Junior Caitlin Vorbeck had a team-best 14 kills on a .435 attack percentage in the win over the Eagles. Sophomore Lauren Harkins picked up 17 digs in each of the Gamecocks matches last week. Junior Brooke Schumacher dished out 63 assists over the two matches, including 43 in the win over Morehead State. JSU earned the top seed and the right to host the OVC Tournament. The Gamecocks also received a first-round by and will face the winner of the #4 Murray State/#5 Tennessee Tech match in the semifinals on Friday.

 

Morehead State  (11-6 OVC; 19-10 overall): Morehead State split a pair of matches last week, defeating Tennessee Tech (18-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-17) and falling to Jacksonville State (21-25, 25-19, 21-25, 14-25). Freshman Annie Gruenschlaeger tallied 10 block assists and 11 total blocks over the weekend to break the school's single-season mark for block assists. She now has 127, bettering the previous record of 122. Gruenschlaeger also led the team with 25 kills and hit .326. Sophomore Emma Keough hit better than .400 this weekend and added 11 total blocks. Morehead State earned the third seed in the upcoming league tournament and will face No. 6 Eastern Kentucky in first round action on Thursday.

 

Murray State (11-7 OVC;  12-17 overall): Murray State defeated Southeast Missouri (28-30, 33-31, 25-19, 25-19) and Tennessee State (15-18, 25-21, 25-21) before falling to Austin Peay (14-25, 25-27, 20-25) last week. Sophomore Logan Su tallied double-digit kills in all three matches, including a season-best 19 versus Southeast Missouri. Sophomore Kayleah Sauer became the 13th member of the school's 1,000th dig club as she tallied 50 digs over the three matches. Sophomore Jade Guo averaged 12.60 assists per set while helping the team hit .293 for the week. Murray State is making its 20th OVC Tournament appearance as the Racers earned the fourth seed and will face No. 5 Tennessee Tech in the first round on Thursday.

 

Southeast Missouri (8-10 OVC; 13-17 overall): Southeast Missouri dropped matches to Murray State (30-28, 31-33, 19-25, 19-25) and Eastern Illinois 919-25, 25-21, 24-26, 25-14, 13-15). Freshman Emily Maher averaged 3.33 kills and 1.33 digs per set. She recorded 17 kills on a career-high 39 swings versus Eastern Illinois. She also added 11 blocks over the two matches. Senior Sarah Barth dished out 107 assists to go with 2.44 digs and 0.78 blocks per set last week. Amanda Rickhoff recorded her third straight double-double and averaged 2.78 kills and 4.89 digs for the week. The Redhawks failed to make the OVC Tournament for the first time in program history. Southeast Missouri finished the season with a 13-17 overall mark while going 8-10 in league action.

 

SIU Edwardsville (2-27 overall): SIU Edwardsville fell to UMKC (22-25, 20-25, 19-25) and defeated Eastern Illinois (25-15, 25-21, 16-25, 25-22). Junior Syndey Winslow tallied 20 kills over the two matches, including 16 versus Eastern Illinois. The Cougars finished the season with a 2-27 overall mark.

 

Tennessee State (3-15 OVC; 4-26 overall): Tennessee State fell to Eastern Kentucky (25-23, 21-25, 18-25, 28-26, 5-15) and Murray State (18-25, 21-25, 21-25) before defeating UT Martin 925-22, 25-14, 25-19) to conclude the 2009 campaign. Sophomore Shaquita Williams led the team with 39 points last week. She recorded 31 kills, 5 service aces and three blocks. Sophomore Terakka Walker recorded 44 digs over the two matches, including a career-high 31 digs against EKU. Senior Yamar Padilla-Callazo dished out 118 assists to go with 10 kills over the three matches. Tennessee State concluded the regular-season with a 4-26 overall mark while going 3-15 in the OVC.

 

Tennessee Tech (9-9 OVC; 10-17 overall):  Tennessee Tech fell to Morehead state (17-25, 25-23, 17-25, 17-25, 25-27) and Eastern Kentucky (25-18, 11-25, 15-25, 15-25, 17-25). Senior Amanda Lindgren posted 12 kills and five digs versus Morehead State and followed that up with eight kills and seven digs against Eastern Kentucky. Senior Katie Kenline tallied 23 digs over the two matches, including a team-high 16 against EKU. Tech earned the fifth seed in the upcoming tournament and will face No. 4 Murray State in the first round on Thursday.

 

UT Martin (2-16  OVC; 8-21 overall): UT Martin fell to Austin Peay (10-25, 9-25, 10-25) and Tennessee State (22-25, 14-25, 19-25). Junior Jenna Kragt led the UT Martin offense with 12 kills on 25 attempts. Freshman Kasey Elswick recorded 21 digs over the two matches while freshman Kelly Hogan dished out 41 assists. UT Martin concluded the season with a 8-21 record while going 2-16 in OVC play.

 

OVC News and Notes

 

OVCSPORTS.TV:  All home matches for Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin will be available on OVCSports.TV. Other select matches will also be web streamed throughout the season. Volleyball packages are available for $24.95 which includes all matches that are streamed and the OVC Championship.  For more information and to sign up visitwww.ovcsports.com.

Week 12: Mid-American Conference College Volleyball Players Of The Week Championship Tournament News

This Week In the MAC...

November 17, 2009 - First Round - Campus Sites
Match 1- No. 12 Eastern Michigan at No. 5 Central Michigan, 7 p.m.
Match 2 - No. 11 Bowling Green at No. 6 Toledo, 7 p.m.
Match 3 - No. 10 Buffalo at No. 7 Kent State, 7 p.m.
Match 4 - No. 9 Akron at No. 8 Ball State, 7 p.m.

November 20, 2009 - Quarterfinals - SeaGate Centre, Toledo, Ohio
Match 5 - No. 4 Northern Illinois vs. 5/12 Winner, 11 a.m.
Match 6 - No. 3 Miami vs. 6/11 Winner, 1:30 p.m.
Match 7 - No. 1 Ohio vs. 8/9 Winner, 4:30 p.m.
Match 8 - No. 2 Western Michigan vs. 7/10 Winner, 7 p.m.

November 21, 2009 - Semi Finals - SeaGate Centre, Toledo, Ohio
Match 9 - Match 7 Winner vs. Match 5 Winner, 4:30 p.m.
Match 10 - Match 8 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner, 7 p.m.

November 22, 2009 - Championship - SeaGate Centre, Toledo, Ohio
Match 11 - Match 9 Winner vs. Match 10 Winner, 3 p.m.

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Players of the Week...
West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Kelsey Brandl, Ball State, So., MB, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North
Kelsey Brandl turned in a solid all-around effort last weekend to help the Cardinals secure the No. 8 seed and hosting rights in the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament. In last Thursday's win over Toledo, Brandl smashed a match-high 14 kills while hitting a match-best .522 (14-2-23). In addition, she paced all players with a six total blocks in the win over the Rockets. In Saturday's thrilling five-set win at Akron, Brandl blasted a team-best 16 kills while hitting for an impressive .536 (16-1-28) rate of success. She also added a match-best five blocks in the victory. For the week, Brandl averaged a team-best 3.75 kills-per-set average, while posting a team-high 1.38 blocks per set. She also finished the week hitting a team-high .529 (30-3-51), which was more than double the team's average of .252 for the week.

East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Michelle Jantsch, Ohio, Jr., Setter, Mission Hills, Ks./St. Teresa Academy
Jantsch recorded nine kills on 17 swings for a .529 hitting percentage, while recording an impressive 12.0 assists per set. She also had one ace, two digs and five total blocks for a well-rounded performance.

West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Caitlin Strimel, Western Michigan, Sr., Libero, Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley
Caitlin Strimel led the WMU defense with 6.00 digs per set that helped hold CMU and EMU to .165 hitting in a pair of five-set victories on the road over the weekend. Strimel was nearly flawless on serve receive with only one error in 38 reception attempts (.974). Strimel started the weekend with 27 digs at CMU as the Chippewas hit just .128. She followed with a match-high 33 digs at EMU to hold the Eagles to .201 hitting in the victory. With her 60 digs, Strimel increased her MAC record to 2,493 digs, the fifth-highest total in NCAA history.

East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Jenny Keck, Kent State, Sr., Setter, Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran
It was as if senior Jenny Keck was bound and determined to record her first triple-double in the final regular season weekend of her collegiate career. After nearly accomplishing the feat with 37 assists, 10 kills and seven digs against Bowling Green, she tallied a triple-double in Kent State's upset of Miami on the RedHawks home court (in straight sets, no less). Against MU, Keck had 41 assists (13.67 per set), 13 digs (4.33 per set) and a team-high 10 blocks (3.33 per set). In the game-clinching third set, Keck contribute eight assists, two kills on three attempts, four digs and four blocks. In Kent State's marathon 31-29 in the first set, she had 20 assists, three digs, three blocks and a kill. Known for running the Kent State offense, Keck contributed greatly to the Kent State defense this week. To go along with her 78 assists and 13 kills, she was third on the week in team digs with 20 (2.5 per set) and second on the team with 12 total blocks (1.5 per set).

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MAC News and Notes...

• For the second consecutive season, the Zips finished the regular-season 5-11 in conference play. Overall, Akron posted 14 wins during the 2009 season, the most wins the program has had since the 2003 season. Splitting the final weekend of league play, Akron freshman Chelsea Harvey put her stamp on the conference in the regular-season finale finishing with 34 digs in UA's five-set loss to Ball State. Totaling 53 digs on the weekend averaging 6.62 over eight sets, Harvey finished ninth overall in the league averaging 4.07 digs. The mark makes Harvey the only freshman to finish in the top-10 in the league.

• After topping Eastern Michigan and falling to Ohio in the 2009 Mid-American Confernece Tournament, Ball State is a combined 27-14 (.658) all-time in MAC Tournament matches . . . Both BSU's 27 wins and 41 matches played are league records . . . Overall, Ball State is 3-1 in first round matches, 9-2 in quarterfinal matches, 9-8 in semifinal matches and 6-3 in championship matches . . . Ball State has more tournament wins (27) than eight other MAC schools have matches played . . . Miami (34), Western Michigan (33) and Bowling Green (29) are the only schools to play in more tournament matches than BSU has wins. AT HOME IN THE TOURNAMENT: Including a 3-0 first round sweep of Eastern Michigan last season, Ball State is 16-1 all-time in MAC Tournament matches played in Worthen Arena, with its only loss coming in the 2003 semifinals versus eventual tournament champion Ohio . . . BSU has never lost a tournament-opening match at Worthen Arena, going 3-0 in first round matches, 6-0 in quarterfinal play and 1-0 in semifinal action . . . BSU claimed three MAC Tournament titles on the Worthen Arena hardwood floor (1994, 1999 and 2002), before the final three rounds were moved to a neutral site for the 2005 event.

• Bowling Green finished the regular season by splitting the weekend MAC series for the fifth consecutive week ... The Falcons beat Kent State in five hard-fought sets before losing to Ohio ... The win over Kent State was Head Coach Denise Van De Walle's 499th of her career ... Bowling Green will enter the MAC Tournament as the No. 11 seed after finishing the year 12-19 overall and 5-11 in league play ... Kaitlin Jackson had a career-high 24 kills and added 11 digs as BGSU edged Kent State in five sets ... In fact, the Falcons had two players with at least 20 kills and 10 digs as Corey Domek added 23 kills and 13 digs ... Libero Alex Zlabis entered the 30-dig club for the first time in her career, picking up 33 in the win over Kent State.

• The Bulls finished the regular season with 15 wins, their most in school history since joining the MAC. Their five MAC wins tie a record. Freshman Tori Beckman became the first UB freshman to record 500 digs in a season. Lindsey Schlegel also went over 1,000 assists for the first time in her career.

• Central Michigan will host Eastern Michigan in the opening round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Tuesday. CMU earned a first round bye in 2008 and beat Toledo at Rose Center in the opening round of the 2007 Tournament. The Chippewas and Eagles split the season series, 1-1, with each team winning on their home floor.

• For only the second time in eight years, the Eastern Michi gan University volleyball team opens the Mid-American Conference Tournament on the road. The Eagles will travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich., Tuesday, Nov. 17, to square off with the Chippewas of Central Michigan University in a first round match up at the Rose Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Eastern Michigan enters the tournament as the No. 12-seed while the Chippewas are the No. 5-seed. Eastern Michigan's volleyball program has appeared in 10 of the last 11 postseason MAC tournaments under the leadership of head coach Kim Berrington. The Green and White sport a 9-13 all-time record in MAC Tournament play, including two championship game appearances during the 1988 and 1990 campaigns. Last season, the Eagles were ousted in the first round by Ball State University, 3-0, Nov. 18, 2008.

• Senior setter Jenny Keck, contributed in big ways for Kent State in both matches this past weekend. Against Bowling Green on Thursday night, she nearly missed a triple-double with 37 assists, 10 kills and seven digs. However, she would get her triple-double in her final regular season match of her Kent State career in the teams-straight set winner over Miami (41 assists, 13 digs and 10 blocks). Senior Arjola Prenga completed her 17th double-double in 24 matches this season with 17 kills and 11 digs against Bowling Green and 19 kills and 11 digs against Miami. Kent State out-blocked its opponents 22.5-9 this week, including 14-5 in only three sets against Miami. Besides Keck, Sabo added eight blocks to finish the weekend with 13 (1.62 per set).

• The RedHawks had a tough week dropping both matches 0-3. However the matches were much closer than the scores would indicate as they led for significant portions of five of the six sets played, including all three sets against Mid-American Conference Champion Ohio. Miami will be the three seed in the upcoming conference tournament for the third consecutive year. Two years ago they won the event and they advanced to the semifinals last season.

• The Huskies split on the road over weekend to end the regular season, sweeping Eastern Michigan and getting swept by Central Michigan, as NIU fell back into a three-way tie with CMU and Toledo for the fourth spot in the MAC Tournament, but NIU won the tiebreaker to earn a first round bye and faces the winner of No. 5 CMU vs. No. 12 EMU match on Friday at 10 a.m. (CDT) ... The last time the Huskies earned a first round bye in the conference tournament was in 2006, when the Huskies won the regular season West Division championship ... Meagan Schoenrock led the Huskies with 30 kills (5.00/set) over the week ... Maddie Hughes led the NIU defense with 42 digs (7.00/set).

• The Bobcats clinched the regular season title last weekend and will be the top seed in the MAC Tournament. Ohio has won five of the past six MAC Tournaments, gaining the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. --Under head coach Ryan Theis, the Bobcats are 42-3 when hitting .200 or better, and 34-4 when holding opponents under the .200 mark. --The Bobcats have amassed a conference record of 104-6 (.945) since the start of the 2003 season, including three perfect 16-0 seasons.

• Toledo (17-11, 8-8 MAC) looks to build on one of the best seasons in its 30-year program history when it opens the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 17 with a home match against Bowling Green (12-19, 5-11 MAC). The Rockets have posted a 9-2 win-loss mark in Savage Arena and its .818 home winning percentage is the best in school history. In addition, the Rockets' overall winning percentage (.607) equals the second-best record in school annals behind a 27-16 (.628) ledger posted in 1983. The Rockets finished tied for second place in the West Division for their highest finish since the conference went to divisional play in 1997. UT's previous best showing was fourth place on three different occasions. Toledo's 8-8 MAC win-loss mark is just the fifth time it has posted a .500 record or better. Toledo is 7-2 in five-set matches this season. Six of UT's 16 MAC contests went the distance with the Rockets posting wins in five of them. Toledo is hosting a first-round MAC Tournament contest for the second straight season and third time ever. The Rockets posted a 3-1 win over Akron as the No. 8 seed last year and rolled to a 3-0 sweep over CMU as the No. 5 seed in 2005.

• The Broncos received strong play from their bench to defeat Central Michigan after losing the first two sets. Junior MB Jaime Gotham came off the bench and had seven blocks, while sophomore S Sam Viox and freshman DS Elizabeth Sweeney had eight and five digs each. -- Freshman MB Jessica Brown continued to make her case for MAC Freshman of the Year by delivering 10 kills and seven blocks at Central Michigan and 19 kills hitting .300 with three blocks at Eastern Michigan. -- With the victory at CMU, the Broncos won their 20th match for the fifth consecutive season. Head coach Colleen Munson has reached the 20-win plateau in each of her five seasons leading the Brown & Gold.

NCAA College Volleyball Schedules: Conference Championship Tournament News from Horizon League, Colonial Athletic and Ohio Valley

College Conference Volleyball Championship 

Tournament schedule below for Horizon League, Ohio Valley and Colonial Athletic Association

Pairings set for 2009 Horizon League Volleyball Championship
Cleveland State will host all matches; Milwaukee looks to defend tourney title

INDIANAPOLIS -- Cleveland State University will be the top seed in the 2009 Horizon League Volleyball Championship after claiming its first regular-season title since joining the conference in 1994.  The winner of the League’s six-team tournament earns an automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA Championship.

Cleveland State (25-7 overall, 13-3 Horizon League), which rolled to a League-best 12 consecutive victories earlier this season, enters the tournament having won 14 of its last 16 overall.  The Vikings have earned a bye to the semifinals of this year’s championship.

CSU posted back-to-back upset wins on its home floor during the 2008 conference tournament, but fell to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a five-set championship match.

Valparaiso University (22-9, 12-4), which rolled to eight straight wins earlier this season, enters the tournament having won 14 of its last 17 overall.  The Crusaders earn the tournament’s No. 2 seed and will also receive a bye to the semifinals.

Milwaukee (13-14, 10-6) enters the tournament having won a season-best eight straight matches.  The defending tournament-champion Panthers earn the tournament’s No. 3 seed.

UWM saw its streak of seven consecutive regular-season titles come to an end, but the Panthers will be shooting for their third tournament crown in the past four years.

Butler University (21-13, 10-6), the tournament’s No. 4 seed, coasted through a 34-match season without losing more than two straight affairs.  The Bulldogs, who went 9-0 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, were the League’s only team to go undefeated at home this season.

The University of Illinois at Chicago (15-17, 8-8), the tournament’s No. 5 seed, knocked off three of the League’s top four seeds in the regular season.  The Flames were the tournament’s runner-up in 2006.

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (10-19, 5-11), which survived a three-way tie for sixth place, has earned the tournament’s final seed.  The Phoenix captured the 2003 tournament title, but have not been to the championship match since.

The three-day Horizon League Volleyball Championship will take place at Woodling Gymnasium on the Cleveland State campus.

No. 3 Milwaukee will battle No. 6 Green Bay in the first quarterfinal on Friday at 5 p.m. ET.  No. 4 Butler will then square off with No. 5 UIC in the second quarterfinal at 7:30 p.m.

No. 1 Cleveland State will face the lowest remaining seed in the first semifinal on Saturday at 1 p.m., while No. 2 Valparaiso will then battle the highest remaining seed in the second semifinal at 3:30 p.m.

The semifinal winners will meet on Sunday at 1 p.m for the conference title.

For up-to-date schedules, scores, live statistics and match recaps, visit www.horizonleague.org.  For live video feeds, highlights and other on-demand content, visit www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv.


2009 HORIZON LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
(all matches at Woodling Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio)

Friday, Nov. 20 -- quarterfinals
Match 1 -- #3 Milwaukee vs. #6 Green Bay -- 5:00 p.m. ET
Match 2 -- #4 Butler vs. #5 UIC -- 7:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, Nov. 21 -- semifinals
Match 3 -- #1 Cleveland State vs. lowest remaining seed -- 1:00 p.m. ET
Match 4 -- #2 Valparaiso vs. highest remaining seed -- 3:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, Nov. 22 -- championship
Match 5 -- Match 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner -- 1:00 p.m. ET

2009 COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD IS SET, VCU WILL HOST

                                                                                                                                                                                  

RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 15, 2009) - The pairings are set for the 2009 CAA Volleyball Championship after an extremely competitive regular-season race.  The decision of the top-seed and host of the tournament came down to the very last match of the season as VCU captured a 3-0 victory over UNC Wilmington this afternoon.

The tournament will be hosted by top-seed VCU in Richmond, Va. The two-day event opens with semifinal action on Monday, Nov. 23 at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.  Second-seeded Delaware will face third-seeded George Mason at 4 p.m.  The Blue Hens went 2-0 against the Patriots in the regular season. In the semifinal nightcap, top-seeded VCU will welcome fourth-seeded William & Mary at 7 p.m.  The pair split in the regular season as VCU opened conference play with a 3-1 victory in Williamsburg and William & Mary capturing a 3-2 win in Richmond on Oct. 16. 

The CAA Championship match is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 24 on the campus of VCU.

CAA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (bracket attached)

Monday, November 23

#2 Delaware vs. #3 George Mason – 4 p.m.

#1 VCU vs. #4 William & Mary – 7 p.m.

Tuesday, November 24

CAA Championship Match - 7 p.m.

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM SWEEPS UNC WILMINGTON TO CAPTURE FIRST CAA REGULAR SEASON CROWN 

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Freshman phenom Michala Kvapilova (Liberec, Czech Republic) provided 16 kills and Virginia Commonwealth University clinched its first Colonial Athletic Association regular season title with a 3-0 (25-8, 25-19, 25-14) win over UNC Wilmington Sunday at Hanover Hall. 

With the victory, VCU earned the right to host the CAA Tournament Nov. 23-24 at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. The Rams have never played host to the CAA’s championship event. 

VCU has won nine straight matches to improve to 24-8 and 12-2 in league play. It’s the school’s longest winning streak since a nine-game stretch to start the 2000 season. The Rams’ 24 victories are tied for the program’s most since 1985. The Black and Gold has defeated UNCW on 11 straight occasions, dating back to the 2004 season. 

“It’s awesome,” VCU Head Coach James Finley said. “The girls were giddy and excited. It’s a really great feeling to put it together this season. We had to win nine in a row to get to this point, so for the girls to come out and be consistent night after night, that’s been really fun for me.” 

With Delaware nipping at its heels, VCU needed to top both Georgia State and UNCW to stay atop the league. They did so with little trouble, sweeping to a pair of wins. 

“I didn’t want there to be apathy,” Finley said. “I wanted them to know that they hadn’t accomplished anything yet. I told them, until we get this done, we haven’t won anything. They showed me today that they understood.” 

On Sunday, the Seahawks (13-18, 3-11 CAA) had no answer for Kvapilova, who hit .407 in the match and also recorded eight digs and three blocks. Kvapilova started quietly, registering three kills in the opening set. However, she turned up the heat in the second and third, blasting six and seven, respectively. 

Fellow freshman Marisa Low (Carlsbad, Calif.) booked 16 digs for the Rams, while senior Ivana Rich (Cumberland, Va.) was credited with eight kills, four blocks and a .438 hitting percentage. 
        
VCU hit .303 in the match, while UNCW recorded a .050 mark. The Black and Gold also collected six blocks and five aces. The Rams recorded 20 more digs than their opponent, nearly seven more per set. VCU trailed just once all day. 

The Rams will be idle until the CAA Tournament. 

2009 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament Field is Set

 

The 2009 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament field is set. Jacksonville State earned the top seed and the right to host the three-day event that will take place Nov. 19-21. Austin Peay is the No. 2 seed with Morehead State earning the third spot. Murray State is the fourth seed followed by Tennessee Tech and Eastern Kentucky.

 

As the top two seeds, JSU and APSU receive first-round byes. First-Round action gets underway on Thursday with Murray State playing Tennessee Tech at 4:30 p.m. CT. The second match of the day features Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky which is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. The semifinals are set for Friday followed by the championship match on Saturday.

 

The entire volleyball tourney will be available on OVCSports.TV

 

2009 OVC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT – Jacksonville, Ala.

 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 – FIRST ROUNDS

Match 1 - #4 Murray State vs. #5 Tennessee Tech – 4:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

Match 2 - #3 Morehead State vs. #6 Eastern Kentucky – 7:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

 

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 – SEMIFINALS

Match 3 - #1 Jacksonville State vs. Match 1 winner – 4:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

Match 4 - #2 Austin Peay vs. Match 2 winner – 7:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 – FINALS

Match 5 – Championship – 7:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

 

ALL TIMES CENTRAL