UNLV VOLLEYBALL SPENDS THANKSGIVING AT THE BEACH
Rebels to play at Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament hosted by Long Beach State this weekend.
LAS VEGAS – The UNLV Rebels (8-17 overall) concluded their Mountain West Conference slate last weekend, but have two non-conference contests on deck that will close down the 2009 season. The Rebels will head west to play in Long Beach State’s Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 27-28. UNLV will face Long Beach State on Friday at 7:00 pm and then Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 5:00 pm.
The tournament is a final tune-up for those that have advanced or are looking for at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. It features three MWC schools (UNLV, TCU and Utah), three Big West schools (Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine) and one from the West Coast Conference (Loyola Marymount).
Jackson Earns All-MWC Honors:
UNLV sophomore middle blocker Cursty Jackson was named to the Mountain West's All-Conference Team Tuesday following a vote by the league's nine head coaches. This is Jackson's first time being named to the All-MWC squad after taking home freshman of the year honors last season.
Scouting Long Beach State:
The Long Beach State 49ers (19-7 overall) enter the week as newly crowned Big West Conference Champions following their 3-2, hard-fought thriller over the UC Irvine Anteaters Saturday. The 49ers and Anteaters entered the match tied atop the Big West with LBSU claiming the win for their second straight league title and 10th overall for its 23rd consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Historically speaking, LBSU owns a 6-2 edge in the head-to-head series dating back to 1984. The teams played five games between 1984 and 1985 with the 49ers claiming a 3-2 mark. The series was rekindled for three matches between 2005 and 2007, all of which were won by LBSU. The last meeting was on Nov. 30, 2007, in the NCAA First Round in Los Angeles. The 49ers claimed that meeting in a 3-2 decision.
Scouting Cal State Fullerton:
The Cal State Fullerton Titans sit 17-12 overall after concluding Big West play with an 8-8 mark. The Titans went 1-1 last weekend with a 3-0 loss to UC Irvine followed by a 3-0 victory over UC Riverside. Fullerton began the season 6-0 before losing three of its next four to start 7-3. The last 19 matches saw them own a .526 winning percentage, as they’ve gone 10-9.
Historically speaking, UNLV owns a 4-2 advantage in the head-to-head series dating back to 1985. The Rebels won both meetings in 1985. The last four have been split with the Titans claiming two in 1996, while UNLV won once each in 2007 and 2008. The last meeting occurred on Sept. 6 last year in Las Vegas with the Rebels claiming a 3-1 win.
-UNLV-
Clemson Volleyball Holds Senior Day Friday
Tigers and Yellow Jackets will start at 5:00 pm in Jervey.
CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team (23-8, 13-6 ACC) will play
their final regular season match of the season against Georgia Tech
(20-9, 14-5 ACC) on Friday at 5:00 pm in Jervey Gymnasium. The Tigers
will honor seniors Lia Proctor, Didem Ege, Kelsey Murphy, and Jessica
Williams before the match.
The Tigers enter the match in fourth place in the ACC, and can tie for
third with the Yellow Jackets with a win. Georgia Tech took down
Clemson early in the season, a 3-2 victory in Atlanta.
This senior class has put together an impressive resume. As a group,
they have won 20 or more matches in each of their four seasons,
winning 93 matches overall, and have posted a .774 winning percentage.
They were part of the 2007 ACC Championship team and have made two
consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and are bidding for a third.
The 2009 NCAA Volleyball Selection show will air Sunday at 3:00 pm on ESPNews.
Clemson has won eight of their past nine matches overall, including a
sweep of Virginia Tech and Virginia over the past weekend.
Freshman Natalie Patzin had a career-best 16 kills in the first
matchup, while Lia Proctor had 15. The yellow Jackets were effective
in staying away from Clemson’s defense, holding the Tigers to 9.0
blocks and snapping Didem Ege’s double-digit digs streak at 51
matches. Ege has since put together a 21 match streak en route to
taking over the ACC record for career digs.
Baily Hunter had a career-best 19 kills in the last matchup, as the
Yellow Jackets had 70 kills to 44 for the Tigers. The all-time series
mark is 28-21 in Clemson’s favor.
Up Next In Lobo Volleyball
Match 29
at New Orleans • Nov. 27 • 6 p.m. (mt)
Human Performance Center • New Orleans, La.
This Week ... The Lobos (19-9, 10-6 MWC) wrap up the regular season with a single-match trip to play the University of New Orleans. The Privateers lost in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament after tying for the SBC West Division championship.
If You Can’t Make It To New Orleans ... Fans can follow along on the internet at GoLobos.com with Gametracker. Assistant media relations director Judy Willson will twitter during the match at www.twitter.com/jwillson10.
Will There Be A Next Week? ... The Lobos find out if they will receive an NCAA at-large bid when they watch the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. (MT) on ESPNews. The team is hosting a watch party at 12:30 p.m. in the End Zone Club, located on the third floor of the Tow Diehm Building.
QUICK HITS
• Lobos Among Tops In Attendance ... New Mexico is currently ranked 24th in the nation with a final 2009 home attendance average of 1,677 fans this season. It is the only time that the Lobos have had over 1,000 fans at every match during a single season. The 1996 team started the season with seven consecutive matches over 1,000. The Lobos’ season-high for 2009 was 2,613 vs. BYU on Nov. 7, the final home match of the regular season. MWC member Colorado State is ranked 19th overall with an average of 1,819 fans per match. Rankings are updated on Monday mornings, courtesy of Diane Nordstrom at the University of Wisconsin Athletics Communications Office.
• Official NCAA RPI ... New Mexico is ranked 41st in the nation in the NCAA’s official RPI, as of Monday, Nov. 23. The Lobos have the second-highest RPI ranking in the Mountain West Conference behind Colorado State (18). TCU is currently ranked 43rd.
• Okay, We’re One Away ... The next win for the Lobos will mark a couple of milestones. The first ... it will be head coach Jeff Nelson’s 300th coaching victory in the college ranks, his 58th at UNM. Win No. 299 was an interesting 3-2 victory at UNLV on Nov. 12. The second milestone ... it will be the first time the Lobo volleyball program has posted consecutive 20-win seasons since 1991. From 1988-91, UNM had four consecutive 20-win seasons – 1988 (25-5), 1989 (22-5), 1990 (22-7), 1991 (23-6).
About New Mexico (19-9, 10-6 MWC) ... UNM went 5-0 on breast cancer awareness nights during the 2009 season, 4-0 when wearing the new pink Nike jerseys. UNM hosted Utah on Nov. 5 for the Lobos’ Think Pink Night in conjunction with UNM Hospital and the UNM Cancer Center. The Lobos won three big road matches wearing their new pink Nike jerseys on opponents’ breast cancer awareness matches - at Utah, at New Mexico State and at Air Force - and one without the jerseys at UNLV ... Another losing streak came to an end on Oct. 13 as the Lobos beat New Mexico State, 3-0 in Las Cruces, 10-match overall and 8-match road losing streaks ... The Lobos beat Utah, 3-1, on Saturday, Oct. 10, the first win for UNM on Crimson Court since 1996 and with the home win on Nov. 5, swept the home-and-home series for the first time since 1996 ... UNM picked up its first MWC win of the season at Wyoming on Sept. 26 (3-1) and won three straight after an 0-2 start ... Senior Rose Morris made her return to the court after a finger injury on Oct. 3 against Air Force with 11 kills over two sets. Morris missed seven matches, during which the Lobos were 3-4 ... Junior Taylor Hadfield leads the team with 2.73 kills per set, one of five players with 2.15 or more kps on the season ... Junior Jade Michaelsen leads UNM in assists with 10.37 per set ... Junior Lisa Meeter has the most service aces this season with 29 ... On defense, sophomore Allison Buck leads the Lobos with a 4.01 digs per set average, while senior Anna Lehne and sophomore Ashley Rhoades lead UNM in blocking with 1.08 and 1.07 per set, respectively ... UNM placed third at the Arizona Invitational. Jade Michaelsen was named to the all-tournament team ... UNM finishes second at the 2009 Comcast Lobo Challenge to Baylor. Michaelsen and Morris were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 Nike Portland Invitational with wins over American and Portland. Michaelsen was named MVP of the tournament, while Meeter and Buck were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 MCM Elegante Lobo Classic to begin the season. It is the third season in a row the Lobos have started the season 3-0 and won the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. Lehne was named the tournament MVP, and joined by Michaelsen and Buck on the all-tournament team ... The Lobos were picked third in the 2009 Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll, the same place they finished the 2008 season. The big difference this season is UNM earned three first-place votes from the voting panel of coaches and media ... Junior setter Jade Michaelsen was named MWC Preseason Co-Player of the Year by the same voting group ... Michaelsen and Morris are the team captains for 2009.
About New Orleans (20-12, 12-6 Sun Belt; UNM leads the series 1-0) ... It will be the first meeting between the two programs since Oct. 1, 1982, a 2-0 win at a tournament hosted by Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. The Privateers, under the direction of third-year head coach Jozsef Forman, tied Denver for the Sun Belt Conference West Division and lost to East Division champion Florida International in semifinals of the 2009 Sun Belt Tournament last week. Maria Szvios and Lindsey Loyd lead UNO with 3.35 and 3.32 kills per set, respectively.
Non-conference Record Among The Best ... The Lobos are on track to have another successful non-conference season in the Jeff Nelson era. The Lobos’ 11-2 non-conference record in 2008 ranked as the third-best in program history following the final regular season matches against New Mexico State and Virginia Commonwealth.
UNM Best Non-Conference Records (by percentage)
1. 1986 .875 (14-2)
2. 1989 .867 (13-2)
3. 2008 .846 (11-2)
4. 1988 .833 (15-3)
5. 1983 .793 (23-6)
6. 1990 .789 (15-4)
7. 2007 .750 (9-3)
2009 .750 (9-3)
9. 1992 .688 (11-5)
1994 .688 (11-5)
Current RPI rankings ... The official NCAA RPI rankings have the Lobos are sitting at 41, second among MWC schools. RichKern.com releases its RKPI rankings on Monday nights. The unofficial RPI rankings, that are close to the NCAA’s system, has the Lobos ranked 39 and the Lobos’ Pablo ranking is 51. The Lobos ended the 2008 season ranked 66th in the NCAA RPI report.
Hadfield, Michaelsen and Morris Named to 2009 All-MWC Team ... The Lobos placed three student-athletes on the 2009 All-Mountain West Conference Team, released by the league office on Nov. 24. Michaelsen is just the second Lobo to repeat as an all-MWC selection, while Hadfield and Morris are first-time honorees. It is the second year in a row that the Lobos have had multiple all-MWC honorees.
Michaelsen, a junior setter from Tucson, Ariz. ranks third in the league with 10.37 assists per set. Against TCU on Nov. 20, she recorded a career single-match high of 61 assists and produced her 3,000th career assist during the third set of the match. Michaelsen currently ranks fifth on the UNM all-time career assists list.
Hadfield, a junior outside hitter from Corte Madera, Calif. leads the Lobos in kills per set with 2.73 and is third on the team in solo blocks with 10. She came on strong during conference action, ranking ninth in hitting percentage at .303 and had 2.98 kills per set over the 16 matches.
Morris, a senior outside hitter from Albuquerque, N.M. missed seven matches during the season with a finger injury, but came back with a vengence pushing the Lobos into third place in the league. The 2009 team co-captain, with Michaelsen, was second on the team in kills per set with 2.53.
No. 4 Washington Women's Volleyball Chases Pac-10 Title In Final Two Matches
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25 • BANK OF AMERICA ARENA
#4 Washington vs. Oregon State • 7:00 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOV. 27 • BANK OF AMERICA ARENA
#4 Washington vs. #18 Oregon • 7:00 p.m.
SETTING THE SCENE
Washington volleyball closes out the regular season with a Pac-10 title within reach if the fourth-ranked Huskies can defeat Oregon State and Oregon this week. UW hosts the Beavers (12-16, 3-13 Pac-10) this Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m., then takes on the 18th-ranked Ducks (17-9, 7-9) on Friday, Nov. 27, also at 7 p.m.
The Huskies (22-4, 12-4) will honor their three seniors on Friday's Senior Night. Jill Collymore, Tamari Miyashiro, and Airial Salvo will each be playing their final regular season matches in front of the home Bank of America Arena crowd.
The Pac-10 race has come down to this final weekend. Washington is even in the loss column with Stanford, the Cardinal owning one more win and ending its season against California this week. UCLA is third with an 11-5 mark. If there is a tie, no matter which teams are involved, co-Champions will be named, though UW owns a tiebreaker over Stanford and UCLA for the automatic NCAA bid. Washington's last Pac-10 title came in 2005.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
Washington got some sweet revenge against their cross-state rivals last Saturday, as the Dawgs swept the Cougars, 3-0, to make up for an upset loss earlier in the year in Pullman. Washington had its best offensive night since Oct. 9 at California, hitting .333 for the night and firing eight aces in the three sets. The Cougars hung close in set one, and tied the score on 10 occasions, but UW pulled out the opener, 25-23, and then cruised in the next two to win 25-18 and 25-19. Three Huskies tallied double-figure kills, led by the 16 of Kindra Carlson. Becky Perry had 12 kills and hit .346, while Bianca Rowland was errorless on 17 swings and had 11 kills for a .647 hitting percentage. Jenna Hagglund had a double-double with 44 assists and 10 digs, and Tamari Miyashiro had 16 digs and a season-high four aces.
ALL HOME MATCHES ARE ONDEMAND
If you miss any of Washington's home matches this year, or just want to relive the action or a particular play, remember that every match is available to watch on Comcast OnDemand. The video is taken from the GoHuskies.com live stream with all the accoutrements of your typical television broadcast. To find the Huskies, start under "Get Local" or "Sports & Fitness" then "Local Sports" followed by "UW" and then "Volleyball."
HUSKIES LOCKED IN BATTLE FOR PAC-10 TITLE
Only two matches now remain in the regular season and the Pac-10 slate, and the race for the most prestigious conference title in America has come down to the final weekend. At 12-4, the Huskies are currently tied with Stanford in the loss column, and own a one-game lead on UCLA, therefore the Huskies control their own destiny though the Cardinal do as well. Stanford has just one match remaining, playing at home against 11th-ranked Cal, a team that beat Stanford, 3-2, earlier this year. UCLA, the only other team still in contention will end at home against the Arizonas. Every Pac-10 team has at least four conference losses for the first time in history, and in fact no conference champ had ever had more than two losses prior to this season. The Huskies are seeking their first Pac-10 title since 2005. Stanford has won the past three titles with UW as runner-up each year. This is the first year UW has lost more than three Pac-10 matches since 2003, yet they would still win the league with wins in their last two matches.
NCAA TOURNEY LOOMS LARGE
The goal for every player in the nation is the NCAA Championships, and while Washington is a virtual lock of being selected to its eighth-consecutive tournament, the Huskies would very much like to earn the Pac-10s automatic bid, which they would do with two more wins this weekend. UW owns the tiebreaker with Stanford. The NCAA Selection Show is this coming Sunday, Nov. 29, at 12 noon Pacific time on ESPNews. Regional sites for this year's NCAA tourney include Gainesville, Florida, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Omaha, Nebraska, and Stanford, California. First round action will begin Dec. 3.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
The Beavers are led by senior Rachel Rourke, who ranks second in the Pac-10 and fifth in the entire country with 5.38 points per set. Last weekend the Beavers were swept at home by USC and UCLA. Oregon State started the season off 2-3 in Pac-10 play, but has since lost 10 of its past 11, though OSU did upset 18th-ranked Arizona at home, 3-1, and proved to be dangerous during the non-conference schedule when they swept No. 6 Michigan on the road. The Beavers have struggled on offense in conference matches, hitting .168, which ranks at the bottom. They do however remain one of the top blocking teams in the league, averaging 2.87 blocks per set for the year. Senior Lexie Rathgeber leads in that department with 1.04 blocks per set. Senior Camilla Ah-Hoy directs the offense with 10.09 assists per set, ranking eighth in the Pac-10. The Huskies earned a 3-0 sweep in Corvallis in the opening weekend of Pac-10 play, though two of the three sets were tight 25-21 results.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Washington won the first meeting with OSU this year to extend its series win streak to 15 matches dating back to 2002. Oregon State's last win was in 2001 during UW coach Jim McLaughlin's first season. The Huskies lead the all-time series, 46-21.
SCOUTING THE DUCKS
Oregon has been a dangerous draw all year long, and proved it again by upsetting 7th-ranked UCLA, 3-2, in its most recent match. Oregon dropped the first two sets, before storming back to take a dramatic 23-25, 18-25, 25-22, 27-25, 17-15 victory that knocked the Bruins out of a tie atop the Pac-10 and helped out the Huskies. But Oregon won't be wanting to help UW any more this weekend, as the Huskies handed the Ducks their first loss back on Sept. 25 in Eugene by a 3-0 count. Oregon has strong senior leaders, with Sonja Newcombe ranking fifth in the Pac-10 in points per set with 4.76. Senior setter Nevena Djordjevic is third in the NCAA with 12.15 assists/set, and senior middle Neticia Enesi is third in the Pac with a .383 hitting percentage, while also ranking fifth in blocks at 1.09. Junior Heather Meyers also can't be overlooked, as her 4.14 points/set are eighth in the league. Meyers is also one of the toughest servers, ranking just behind UW's Jill Collymore in aces with 0.42 per set. As a team, the Ducks' .267 hitting percentage is third-best, but they have allowed a league-high .226 percentage to their opponents.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Washington has held a significant edge in the series historically and recently as well. The Huskies have won 17 straight vs. the Ducks and hold a 55-16 edge. Earlier this year, UW tagged Oregon with its first defeat, 25-18, 26-24, 25-19, in Eugene. Last season the Dawgs earned a 3-2 win in Seattle. UO's last win in the series came back in 2000 at Mac Court.
HUSKIES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Huskies stayed put in the No. 4 spot in this week's AVCA poll. UW was third for much of the year until suffering its first loss at Stanford. Penn State remains No. 1 and Texas No. 2, with Hawai'i third, UW fourth, Illinois fifth, and Stanford sixth, the same lineup as last week. UCLA dropped a couple rungs down to ninth after losing at Oregon. Washington is also fourth in the Volleyball Magazine poll this week. The Huskies are now 10-3 against ranked opponents and an impressive 5-1 against Top-10 teams. An incredible seven Pac-10 teams are still ranked in the Top-20. Washington (4), Stanford (6), and UCLA (9) reside in the Top-10, followed by No. 11 California, No. 16 USC, No. 18 Oregon, and No. 19 Arizona. One impressive rankings-related note is that Washington, Penn State, and Nebraska are the only three teams to have been ranked in the Top-10 by the AVCA every week for the past five years. All three teams were last out of the Top-10 in December of 2003.
NEXT UP
It's the NCAA Championships at long last. Tune in to ESPNews this coming Sunday at 12 p.m. Pacific time to watch the selection show and see if the Huskies will be hosting first and second round action or be headed on the road for their tourney run.
