Volleyball Voices

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: Baylor Bears

Oct. 2, 2009

MATCH 16

vs. COLORADO  •  Oct. 3, 2009  •  Coors Events Center (Boulder, Colo.)

INTERNET AUDIO: live broadcast stream at BaylorBears.com

SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES...
The Buffaloes are led by first-year head coach Liz Kritzka. The Colorado attack is headed by Becah Fogle, who leads the team with 138 kills and 3.54 kills per set. Setter Kaitlyn Burkett quarterbacks the offense, averaging 6.93 assists per set, while libero Ellen Henry paces the defense. Henry has totaled 99 digs on the season for an average of 2.61 digs per set.

LAST TIME OUT...
   No. 19 Baylor played like a top-20 team, disposing of the visiting Missouri Tigers in a 3-0 sweep (25-13, 25-18, 25-23) with double-doubles from Katie Sanders and Taylor Barnes on Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center. Baylor rolled through the first two sets, then fought off a furious Missouri rally in the third set getting timely offense from Sanders and Barnes and taking advantage of MU mistakes.
   Sanders fueled the offense with 12 kills on 30 attempts with just one error (.367), while also adding a team-high 11 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Ashlie Christenson and Anna Breyfogle chipped in 10 and eight kills, respectively, to provide some versatility to the attack. Barnes dished out 34 set assists, and was one of four Bears with double-digit digs with 10.
   Libero Allison King and defensive specialist Caitlyn Trice each had 10 to go along with Sanders' and Barnes' double-figure totals. King's total marked the 13th straight match and 15th of the season with at least 10 digs.


BREYFOGLE UP AND OVER 1,000
Senior Anna Breyfogle became just the 12th player in program history to record 1,000 kills. She entered the Sept. 26th match against Kansas needing just four kills to reach the mark, and took care of it with four in the first set. Also known for her defense, Breyfogle became just the second player in school history to rack up 1,000 kills and 500 blocks. Her career block total stands at 538, currently third all-time at BU and tied for ninth all-time in the Big 12. Desiree Guilliard Young also achieved the feat in her career.

THREE-HEADED MONSTER
Senior setter Taylor Barnes has been able to spread the ball around to her different options, but none moreso than the three-pronged attack of outsides Katie Sanders and Ashlie Christenson and middle Anna Breyfogle. Sanders leads the team with 173 kills, while Christenson has 150 and Breyfogle 135. Sanders has led the team in kills in seven matches, Christenson has led in five matches and Breyfogle has led the team in the other four.

BARNES EARNS BIG 12 HONOR
Senior setter Taylor Barnes was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for her spectacular performance in back-to-back conference wins last week for the 19th-ranked Bears. Barnes recorded her third career triple-double in a sweep over No. 11 Iowa State. For the week, she averaged 12.00 set assists per set, along with 2.50 kills per set and 2.67 digs per set, while hitting a robust .448 (15-2-29) from her setter position. The Arlington, Texas, native had 10 kills, 11 digs and 38 set assists against the Cyclones, including a .474 hitting percentage (10-1-19). She also added two block assists in the match. Against Kansas, Barnes led the Bears to another sweep with 34 set assists, five kills, five digs, and two more block assists. Barnes became just the second Baylor player to earn a weekly Big 12 honor this season. Middle blocker Anna Breyfogle was the named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31 after put together a string of games which included a school-record 12 blocks in a three-set match.

LEAGUE LEADERS
Anna Breyfogle leads the Big 12 in two categories, blocks per set (1.58) and hitting percentage (.385). The Buda, Texas native has totaled 82 blocks on the season, 22 more than any other blocker in the Big 12. Breyfogle also has the highest single-match block total in the league, when she had 12 against Houston earlier this season. Taylor Barnes, who led the Big 12 in service aces per set in 2008, is back on top of that category with 0.43 per set in 2009 Breyfogle has also been a major key in helping the Bears to the best opponent hitting percentage in the league.

START ME UP
Winning 15 of its first 16 matches, Baylor is off to the best start in school history. The 1999 version of the Bears began the season 13-1, but suffered back-to-back losses to ranked teams.

DIGGIN' IT
Sophomore libero Allison King has been a model of consistency for the Bears' defense this season. The only Bear to play every set, King has recorded double-digit digs in 15 of the Bears' 16 matches. In her only match short of double figures, King had nine digs in a sweep over New Orleans. The Carrolton, Texas native has recorded 20 digs twice this season. Both efforts came on the same day with 22 against UTSA, and 20 against Purdue, as part of the Baylor Classic. King has also been nearly flawless in serve-receive for the Bears, making just seven errors in 194 total attempts for a .964 reception percentage.

HISTORY VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
• After beating No. 11 Iowa State, Baylor is 14-165 all-time vs. ranked opponents, with a 5-35 mark in the Barnes era • The Bears are 3-7 (.300) as a ranked team against a ranked opponent including an 1-1 mark in 2009 • The win over No. 11 Iowa State on Sept. 23 was the highest-ranked team Baylor has ever beaten • Baylor has now defeated two or more ranked in the same season for the third time in program history (1999, 2006)

BAYLOR VS. `09 RANKED OPPONENTS
Baylor is now 2-1 overall against ranked opponents after dismantling Iowa State in a 3-0 sweep over the 11th-ranked Cyclones on Sept. 23. It marked the highest ranked team Baylor has ever defeated. The Bears win over 24th-ranked Purdue in the title game of the Holiday Inn & Suites Baylor Classic was the first over a ranked opponent since a five-set win at the Ferrell Center against 16th-ranked Missouri on Oct. 27, 2006. Baylor had lost 17 consecutive games against ranked opponents coming into the Purdue match. On Sept. 16, Baylor played its second ranked team of the season in No. 2 Texas, but fell 3-0 to an athletic Longhorns squad. The loss dropped Baylor's record against ranked teams to 1-1 in 2009.

BEARS ROAR INTO TOP 20
Baylor's win over 11th-ranked Iowa State and subsequential win over Kansas vaulted the Bears to 19th in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, released Monday. The ranking ties the highest achieved in school history. Entering the rankings on Sept. 14th marked the first time since the 2001 season that the Bears were in the top 25, climbing as high as 20th. The Bears first cracked the top 25 in 1999, finishing the season 20th. Baylor then entered the 2000 season ranked 21st and climbed as high as 19th.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Baylor's defense has proved to be one of its strong points this season, holding opponents to a league-leading .126 hitting percentage. The Bears have racked up 147.5 blocks for an average of 2.7 per set, and843 digs for an average of 15.3 per set. Middle blocker Anna Breyfogle has been a force at the net averaging 1.58 blocks per set, while libero Allison King is leading the back row with 233 total digs for an average of 4.24 per set.

CLOSE CALLS
Baylor has been perfect this season in five-set matches, winning all three. The Bears came from behind to beat TCU on Sept. 1, then beat No. 24 Purdue at home, and knocked off New Mexico in five on the road. It was the Bears fifth five-set win in a row dating back to last season. Baylor was 3-2 in five-set matches in 2008 with wins over Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Missouri, and losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma.

TOURNAMENT CHAMPS
Baylor won all three tournaments they entered this season, most recently taking the Comcast Challenge title at the University of New Mexico, defeating the host, as well as Pittsburgh and Cal State Fullerton. Baylor won all three games at the Holiday Inn & Suites Baylor Classic on Sept. 4-5. The Bears opened with sweeps of UCF and UTSA, before handing 24th-ranked Purdue a five-set loss in the tournament title game. For their efforts, Katie Sanders was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while teammates Taylor Barnes and Ashley Byrd earned all-tournament team honors. With a perfect 3-0 record at the Flo Hyman Invitational hosted by the University of Houston, the Bears claimed co-tournament champion honors. Baylor shared the title with the University of Indiana, as the two did not meet.

TOURNAMENT HONORS
Three Bears received tournament honors at the Comcast Challenge on Sept. in Albuquerque, N.M., led by tournament Most Valuable Player Taylor Barnes. The senior setter racked up 117 assists in three tournament matches, along with 11 kills, 23 digs, and six blocks. Barnes narrowly missed a triple-double against New Mexico with eight kills, 53 assists and eight digs. Middle blocker Anna Breyfogle and outside hitter Ashlie Christenson were named to the all-tournament team for their performances. Breyfogle was a force at the net with at least six blocks in all three matches, and totaling 31 kills with a career-high 21 against New Mexico. Christenson was also a go-to option on offense with double-digit kills in two of the three matches, and totaling eight blocks.

LIKE A BROKEN RECORD
Anna Breyfogle continued her legacy as one of the best blockers in BU history setting a school record for blocks in a three-set match with 12 against Houston in the Bears second match of the season. The senior recorded one solo and 11 block assists in a three-set sweep of the Cougars. With 23 total blocks in nine sets at the Flo Hyman Invitational, Breyfogle, who led the Big 12 in blocks per set in 2008, averaged 2.56 bps in the team's first three games. Comparatively, in 2008, she averaged 1.45.

MAKE IT 11!
With three wins at the Comcast Challenge, Baylor ran its winning streak to a school-record 11 matches before losing to No. 2 Texas on Sept. 16. The streak set the record for most wins to open a season and ties the record for overall winning streak. The previous record of eight wins to open a season had been accomplished three times in school history with the most recent coming last season. The overall winning streak record was set in 2006 when Barnes' crew ripped off 11 in a row.

OUT OF THE GATES
In the Jim Barnes era, the Bears have become accustomed to starting the season off on the right foot. After losing the season-opener in Barnes' first season, Baylor has won its first match of the season each of the last five years with a win to open 2009 over Southeastern Louisiana. In 2008, Barnes' crew ripped off eight consecutive wins to open the season, losing just three sets along the way. That streak included a 13-set winning streaking, starting with the last two sets at Texas State and ending with a third-set loss against Rice.

ALL-BIG 12 PRESEASON TEAM
For the second-straight season, Taylor Barnes and Anna Breyfogle were named to the preseason All-Big 12 team. Barnes, a senior setter, was named to the preseason team for the third-straight year. In 2008, she parlayed her preseason accolade into All-Big 12 First Team postseason honors, leading the Big 12 in service aces per set. Barnes also earned all-AVCA central region honors and ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 10.32 assists per set. Breyfogle, a senior middle blocker, earned the preseason honor for the second-straight year. Like Barnes, Breyfogle also earned both All-Big 12 First Team and all-AVCA central region honors in 2008. The Buda, Texas, native led the Big 12 in blocks per set with 1.45, while ranking seventh in the nation in that category.

ADDITIONS AND SUBTRACTIONS
Baylor lost just one letterwinner from its 2008 squad, while adding the three recruits that make up the 14th-ranked class in the nation, accoring to Prepvolleyball.com. Amarillo's (Texas) Torri Campbell, ranked 30th in the country, enters Baylor as its second-highest ranked recruit in program history. Zoe Adom, an ultra-athletic outside hitter from Euless, Texas, and Kiley Sherman, a versatile outside and defensive player from Oswego, Ill., round out the class for the Bears.

LIVE ON THE WEB
Don't forget to check out live stats on Gametracker on BaylorBears.com. Baylor's official website will also feature a free live radio webcast with veteran play-by-play announcer Larry Little at home, and Todd Zeidler on the road.

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News and Information: Duke Volleyball's Dig Pink fundraiser

Duke Volleyball Hosts "Dig Pink" Fundraiser This Weekend

October 1, 2009

DURHAM,N.C. - Currently off to the second best start in school history, the Duke volleyball team will put a five-match winning streak on the line this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3, against Virginia and Virginia Tech in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Along with the two home ACC matches, the Blue Devils (13-2, 3-0 ACC) will also hold a "Dig Pink" fundraiser to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness. Duke will do its part in the national fundraiser, held during the entire month of October, by selling long-sleeve T-shirts during the weekend's matches. The Blue Devils will also don the shirts during warm-ups.

More information about the Dig Pink fundraiser will be available at the Duke Promotions table during both matches.

With a 13-2 record and a 3-0 mark in the ACC, Duke has the second-best record through the first 15 matches in school history, matching marks set by the 1992, 2001 and 2006 volleyball teams. Duke has twice started 14-1, both of which were successive seasons in 1984 and 1985.

Duke's 13-2 record is the best in the ACC, leading nationally-ranked Florida State's 12-1 mark. At 3-0 in the conference, Duke joins the Seminoles and Georgia Tech as one of three undefeated teams in the conference. Duke has won nine straight sets against ACC teams to open the season with 3-0 sweeps over Wake Forest, Maryland and Boston College.

Duke's roster boasts the two most recent ACC Players of the Week in senior outside hitter Rachael Moss, who was honored on Sept. 28, and sophomore setter Kellie Catanach, who received the award on Sept. 21. Those two make up one of the top offensive units in the ACC and are similarly two of the best all-around players in the conference. Moss leads the team with six double-doubles, while Catanach leads the team with 529 assists, ranks third with 29 blocks and fifth with 74 digs.

Along with the play of Moss and Catanach, Duke possesses outstanding depth this season. In the middle, Duke boasts a three-player rotation that features junior Becci Burling, sophomore Amanda Robertson and freshman Christiana Gray. All three of those middles have put down at least 87 kills. including 133 from Burling. Gray, meanwhile, ranks eighth in the ACC with a .356 hitting percentage, while Robertson has already surpassed last season's totals with 95 kills and 27 blocks.

On the outside, Duke has a unit that features Moss, sophomore Sophia Dunworth, senior Brittany Staffeil and freshman Megan Hendrickson. Along with Moss' 112 kills, the 5-10 senior has also put down 14 service aces. Dunworth, meanwhile, leads Duke with 141 kills while Staffeil is hitting a career-best .303 and Hendrickson has contributed 53 kills.

Depth is also a strength defensively, as Duke has benefited not only from the play of junior libero Claire Smalzer, but also that of defensive specialists Nailah Waterfield and junior Alex Sall. Smalzer leads the team with 136 digs and 20 service aces, while Waterfield has also topped the 100-dig plateau this season. Sall has worked her way into the rotation and is averaging 1.19 digs per game through 27 sets.

Duke has won seven straight matches against Virginia and Virginia Tech, having not lost since 2005 when the Cavaliers and Hokies downed the Blue Devils in consecutive matches. Dating back to 2004, Duke has not lost a match to either team on its home court in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

-d-u-k-e-

College Volleyball Team Week 4 News, Quotes and Information: Saint Louis Billikens

No. 21 Billikens Host Duquesne Friday    

SLU looking to extend five-match winning streak  

This Week: No. 21 Saint Louis, which has won its last five matches, hosts its first Atlantic 10 Conference match of the season when Duquesne comes to Chaifetz Pavilion for a 7 p.m. contest Friday, Oct. 2.      

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

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

Last Week: Saint Louis blanked Rhode Island and Fordham on the road to begin its fifth season in the Atlantic 10 Conference.Sammi McCloud helped the Bills extend their win streak to five with a team-best 4.50 kills and 1.17 blocks per set last weekend, while hitting at a team-high .545 clip. She posted a career- and match-high .625 hitting percentage in the Rhode Island contest. McCloud was recognized as the A-10 Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 28.       

About the Billikens: Saint Louis (9-5, 2-0 A-10) will get a small respite this week as it enjoys its only one-match weekend of the season. Senior right-side hitter Sammi McCloud leads the Bills and ranks fifth in the A-10 with 3.36 kills per set, while senior outside hitter Bridget Fonke contributes 3.02 kills per set and has a team-high 14 service aces. Senior setter Whitney Rothdirects the offense with 10.60 assists per set. Sophomore middle blocker Lydia Blaha paces the squad with 0.64 blocks per set. Meanwhile, junior outside hitter Megan Boken, who has tallied a team-high 11 solo blocks, chips in 0.60 blocks per set. Five Billikens are averaging more than 2.10 digs per set, with senior libero Whitney Behrens leading the way with 3.02 digs per set.   

About the Dukes: Duquesne (11-5, 2-0 A-10), which has limited opponents to a league-low .173 hitting percentage, is riding a four-match winning streak. Last weekend, SLU swept Rhode Island and Fordham, while the Dukes defeated Fordham 3-1 and downed Rhody 3-2. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Nicole Wright paces the club with 3.23 kills per set. However, sophomore middle blocker Liz Homan, a 2008 A-10 All-Rookie pick, has been the Dukes top offensive threat during A-10 play, averaging 3.44 kills and a league-leading 1.33 blocks per set. Freshman outside hitter Sara Scheirman, already a two-time A-10 Rookie of the Week selection, has compiled a team-high 16 service aces while also adding 2.65 kills and 2.98 digs per set. Senior Chelsea Tillotson leads Duquesne with 9.49 assists per set. Junior libero Amy Palko has been the squad’s top back-row defender with 3.77 digs per set. Head coach Steve Opperman is 157-185 in 12 seasons at DU, 276-301 in 19 seasons overall. SLU, which has won its last four matches against the Dukes, leads the series 6-2.  

   

Billi(ken) Blanks: SLU has delivered a sweep in all but one of its victories this season. The Billikens’ only win this season that has gone more than three sets was their 3-1 win against Miami (Ohio) Aug. 29. Saint Louis, which has posted sweeps in its last five matches, has compiled eight sweeps this season.  

Heavy Hitters: Saint Louis has enjoyed four of its best hitting performances of the season in four of the last five matches. The Billikens turned in what was then their top hitting percentage of the season (.349) Sept. 18 vs. SIU Edwardsville. The next day, SLU surpassed that mark with a .429 hitting performance against Toledo. Saint Louis turned in its best offensive outing of the season Sept. 25 when it hit at a .476 clip at Rhode Island. The Bills notched a .374 hitting percentage against Fordham less than 24 hours later.    

A-10 History: The Bills have been extremely successful in conference play since joining the A-10 in 2005. Saint Louis, which captured regular-season crowns in 2006 and 2008, owns a 42-12 (.778) conference ledger. Saint Louis’ winning percentage is tops among current A-10 programs. Last season’s 13-0 record marked the first time since 1997 that a team had finished the league slate unbeaten.    

Polling Place: The Bills came in at No. 21 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll. Saint Louis was No. 23 the previous week after entering the season with a national ranking for the first time in program history. The Billikens were No. 20 in the AVCA Preseason Poll.  

   

Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes is in her sixth season at Saint Louis with a 112-59 (.655) 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. 

Can You Dig It?: Last weekend, senior Whitney Behrens became the program’s career digs leader. SLU’s new digs standard is 1,480 and counting. Behrens eclipsed Irene Haugh’s mark of 1,474 career digs, which had stood since 1990.  

Hey You Get Off of McCloud: Senior Sammi McCloud needs 10 more digs to become a member of SLU’s 1,000-dig club. She is No. 12 on the career list with 990. When she meets the milestone, McCloud will be just the fifth player in program history to compile more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career. Other Billikens in this prestigious club are Irene Haugh (1987-90), Colleen Hunter (1999-2002), Kim Moorleghen (1987-90) and Julie Tretten (1994-97). 

Bridget’s Breakthrough: Senior Bridget Fonke, a 2008 A-10 first-team selection, became the 11th member of SLU’s 1,000-kill club against Toledo Sept. 19. On the Billikens’ career charts, she ranks 10th with 1,043 career kills, sixth with 124 service aces and 18th with 36 block solos. 

Roth & Roll: Senior Whitney Roth, the A-10 Setter of the Year the past two seasons, is only the second setter in school history ranked among SLU’s career top 20 for assists, digs and block assists. Early last season, she became the program’s all-time assist leader and has 4,771 assists to date. She is 19th on the career block assists chart (148) and 20th on the career digs list (836). Roth is also closing in on the top 20 for career aces. She is 21st with 77. Lauren Boissevain is the only other Billiken setter among the top 20 in those statistical categories, ranking fourth in assists (2,348), 15th in digs (916) and 18th in block assists (149). 

Around the A-10: As of Sept. 28, Saint Louis ranks first among A-10 teams with a .255 hitting percentage and 13.42 kills per set in all matches. The Bills are second with 12.07 assists per set and third with 1.42 aces per set. Individually, three players rank among the top 10 players in the league statistically. Whitney Roth is third with 10.60 assists per set. Sammi McCloud is fifth with 3.36 kills per set and 10th with a .290 hitting rate. Bridget Fonke is tied for eighth with 0.31 aces and ninth with 3.02 kills per set.    

Conference Call: Following the first week of A-10 action, the Billikens are hitting at a league-high .423 rate. George Washington ranks second with a .292 hitting percentage. SLU comes in second with 14.67 kills per set and is tied for third with 1.17 service aces per set. Five Bills rank among the top 10 in the A-10 statistically. Sammi McCloud’s .545 hitting percentage ranks second, while she is third with 4.50 kills per set and 1.17 blocks per set. Additionally, McCloud is tied for eighth with 0.33 aces per set. Megan Boken is third with a .459 hitting percentage and tied for eighth with 3.33 kills per set. Meanwhile, Whitney Roth is second with 11.83 assists per set, Whitney Behrens is tied for eighth with 0.33 aces per set and Bridget Fonke is 10th with a .386 hitting percentage.  

A View from the Top (10): Senior Sammi McCloud, the reigning A-10 Player of the Year, is quickly working her way into SLU’s career top 10 in five statistical categories. She is already No. 7 with 1,241 career kills, No. 10 in block assists with 220 and No. 12 on the digs (990) list. McCloud ranks 12th with 236 total blocks and 13th with 101 career service aces. The only players in Billiken history ranked among the top 10 in each of those categories are Colleen Hunter (1999-2002) and Julie Tretten (1994-97).  

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. A-10 foe Dayton is receiving votes this week.  

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. 

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: Arizona State

No. 18 Arizona heads to the Pacific Northwest

This Week: Arizona volleyball continues conference play as it travels

up to the Pacific Northwest to take on Washington State and No. 3

Washington. The Cats will play in Pullman, Wash. on Friday night before

traveling to Seattle to face the highly-touted Huskies.

Last time out: Arizona opened Pacific-10 play with a split against No.

13 USC and No. 16 UCLA. In the conference opener Friday night, the

Wildcats defeated the Trojans, three games to one, in front of a

season-high crowd of 2,411. Arizona jumped out to a 2-0 lead then

hung on for the 3-1 win. Tiffany Owens led the Cats with 16 kills and

13 digs while setter Paige Weber also recorded a double with 46 assists

and 11 digs. On Saturday vs. UCLA it was quite a different story for

the Cats as they were held to a season low .101 hitting percentage

and dropped three consecutive sets for the first time all year.

In the rankings: Arizona moved up one position in the latest AVCA

poll to No. 18 with 552 total votes. Itís the fourth consecutive poll in

which the Wildcats have appeared after starting the season unranked.

The Pac-10 places seven teams within the top-25 for the third straight

week.

Scouting this week's opposition:

Washington State - The Cougars, like the Wildcats, started the

season with a blistering 12-0 record before falling on Saturday night.

Washington State was downed by No. 7 Oregon in Eugene. On the

season the Cougs hit for an average of .279 while Jackie Albright leads

the team in kills with 154. Impressively, the Cougars have five players

with over 100 kills on the year so far. Washington State received 16

votes in the latest AVCA polling.

2009 Schedule

August

28 at Louisville^ W, 3-0 1-0

29 vs. Belmont^ W, 3-0 2-0

29 vs. Pittsburgh^ W, 3-1 3-0

September

4 NEVADA# W, 3-0 4-0

4 HOUSTON# W, 3-0 5-0

5 E WASHINGTON# W, 3-1 6-0

10 at Santa Clara% W, 3-0 7-0

11 vs. Utah% W, 3-0 8-0

19 TULANE! W, 3-0 9-0

19 NEW MEXICO! W, 3-2 10-0

20 UTEP! W, 3-0 11-0

25 No. 13 USC* W, 3-1 12-0

26 No. 14 UCLA* L, 1-3 12-1

October

2 at WSU* 7 p.m.

3 at No. 3 Washington* 7 p.m.

9 OREGON STATE* 7 p.m.

10 OREGON* 7 p.m.

16 at Arizona State* 7 p.m.

23 at California* 7 p.m.

25 at Stanford* 1 p.m.

30 WASHINGTON* 7 p.m.

31 WSU* 7 p.m.

November

6 at Oregon* 7 p.m.

7 at Oregon State* 7 p.m.

13 ARIZONA STATE* 7 p.m.

20 STANFORD* 7 p.m.

22 CALIFORNIA* 1 p.m.

27 at UCLA* 3 p.m.

28 at USC* 2 p.m.

December

4-7 NCAA 1st and 2nd ROUNDS TBA

11-14 NCAA REGIONALS TBA

18&20 NCAA FINAL FOUR TBA

^ - Louisville Tournament

# - Wildcat Classic

% - Santa Clara Invitational

! - Arizona Invitational

* - Pac-10 Conference match

2009 Results

2009 Overall Record ............................... 12-1

2009 Pac-10 Record ................................. 1-1

Home .......................................................... 7-1

Away ......................................................... 2-0

Neutral ....................................................... 3-0

vs. Ranked Teams .................................... 1-1

2009 Arizona Team Leaders

Sets played: Four tied with (45)

Kills: Owens (172)

10+Kill matches: Owens (8)

20+Kill matches: Owens (1)

Attempts: Owens (423)

Hitting % (min 150): Karst .301

Service Aces: Hutchinson (16)

Assists: Weber (468)

Digs: Owens (128)

Block Solos: Norton (13)

Block assists: Norton (37)

Total Blocks: Norton (50)

Wildcats (12-1) to face Washington

Washington - The Huskies have started the 2009 season in rather

dominant fashion as they have not dropped a set, facing three top-10

teams along the way. Last weekend, the Dawgs squared off against

No. 7 Oregon and defeated the Ducks 25-18, 26-24 and 25-19 in

front of 3,564 in Eugene. Washington is led by libero Tamari Miyashiro

and hitter Jill Collymore. On the year the team has hit at a .324 clip.

Series History and Last Head-to-Head:

Arizona vs. Washington State ñ Nov. 29, 2008 in Pullman, Wash.

ñ In a match which mostly likely kept the Cats out of the tournament

in 2008, the Cougars upset Arizona, 3-2 in five sets. Since 1978,

Arizona holds a 54-13 advantage over Washington State.

Arizona vs. No. 5 Washington ó Nov. 28, 2008 in Seattle, Wash.

- When the Cats and Dawgs last faced each other, Washington

jumped out to a 2-0 led in route to a 3-1 victory in the final conference

series of 2008. Since their first meeting in 1980, the Huskies

own a 25-24 lead over the Wildcats.

Head Coach Dave Rubio Öis in his 18th season as head coach of

Arizona. In that time span, Rubio has a record of 333-190. Rubio also

boasts a career record of 454-255 in 23+ career years. In the last

ten seasons, Rubio has guided the Wildcats to five Sweet 16s, four

Elite Eights and to Arizonaís first-ever Final Four. His teams have won

over 200 matches during this ten-year stretch, including 16 in the

NCAA Tournament, which is six more than the previous 14 postseason

teams combined. Rubio and the Wildcats finished above .500 in 2008

with the Wildcats posting a 16-14 record, just missing the NCAA

tournament. Arizona pulled off three upset wins over top-11 teams,

including No. 11 USC, No. 8 Oregon and No. 6 Cal.

Tough Roadie: Coach Dave Rubio often calls the Washington trip his

teamís toughest not only because of the quality of play Washington

and Washington State are capable of, but also because of the travel

demands of getting from Pullman to Seattle in a very short amount of

time.

Working the Slide: Blocker Jacy Norton exploited USCís defense on

Friday night, tallying 11 kills on 20 swings. The senior had a hitting

percentage of .500 while also chipping in with four blocks. On the

season, Norton has 13 solo blocks and 37 block assists. She continues

lead the conference in career total blocks with 389.

Floor General: Junior Paige Weber continues to be the rock in which

her teammates count on, time and time again. Against USC on Friday,

the Indianapolis native showed an endless range all over the court,

dolling out 46 assists while also recording 11 digs. It was Weberís

second double-double on the season.

McKale is Filling Up: With a total of 4,248 fans showing up for this

past weekendís matches against the Trojans and Bruins, the McKale

Center is beginning to be a tough place for opponents. With the new

curtain, which was installed before last season, the arena has been

transformed into an ideal setting for volleyball. Add in the noise and

Arizona's Record

Breakdown

Overall .................................................... 12-1

Pac-10 ...................................................... 1-1

vs. Ranked teams ..................................... 1-1

At home ..................................................... 7-1

On the road .............................................. 2-0

On a neutral floor ...................................... 3-0

Playing three games ................................. 8-0

Playing four games ................................... 2-2

Playing five games .................................... 1-0

Winning game one .................................. 12-1

Losing game one ...................................... 0-0

Winning the first two games ...................... 10-0

Losing the first two games .......................... 0-0

Splitting the first two games ........................ 2-1

Leading in kills ........................................... 8-0

Trailing in kills ............................................ 4-1

Tied in kills ................................................ 0-0

Leading in blocks .................................... 11-0

Trailing in blocks ....................................... 1-1

Tied in blocks ............................................ 0-0

Leading in digs .......................................... 7-0

Trailing in digs ........................................... 4-1

Tied in digs ............................................... 1-0

Leading in attack percentage ................... 10-0

Trailing in attack percentage ...................... 2-1

Tied in attack percentage .......................... 0-0

Hitting .300 or better .................................. 4-0

Hitting under .300 ...................................... 8-1

Opponents hit .300 or better ...................... 0-0

Holding opponents below .250 ................ 11-0

Holding opponents to .100 or lower ........... 2-0

Longest set winning streak ..........................11

Longest set losing streak ...............................3

Current set streak ........................................L3

Longest match winning streak ......................11

Longest match losing streak ...........................3

Current match streak ...................................L1

Current home streak ...................................L1

Current road streak ....................................W2

Current neutral court streak ........................W3

Arizonaís Double-Doubles

Owens-17

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: Ball State

Article Link: http://ballstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=14200&ATCLID=204803906

 

► VOLLEYBALL HITS THE ROAD FOR PAIR OF MAC MATCHES: After a brief two-match home stand, the Ball State women’s volleyball team returns to the road this weekend for a pair of Mid-American Conference matches . . . Friday, the Cardinals visit Mt. Pleasant, Mich., for a 7 p.m. showdown with Central Michigan . . . Saturday, the Cardinals travel to Ypsilanti, Mich., for a 7 p.m. first serve versus Eastern Michigan.

 

► BSU OPENS LEAGUE PLAY WITH SPLIT: The Cardinals opened the 2009 Mid-American Conference season with a dominating 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-16) victory over Northern Illinois last Friday at Worthen Arena . . . It was BSU’s seventh straight-set victory of the season, and the program’s first win in a league-opener since 2006 . . . BSU was unable to carry the momentum into Saturday, however, as they suffered a 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-18) setback to two-time defending MAC West Division champion and 2008 NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinalist Western Michigan.

 

► ROAD WARRIORS: Prior to opening league play at home last weekend, BSU ended a seven-match road swing with a 5-2 record, with all five victories coming as sweeps . . . Ball State swept its way to the Best Western ISU Classic title, before winning at IUPUI and Towson . . . Overall, the Cardinals are 5-5 in matches away from Worthen Arena this season, including a 3-1 record in true road contests and a 2-4 mark in neutral site action.

 

► STRONG IN SEPTEMBER: The Ball State women’s volleyball team accumulated an 8-4 record in the month of September, marking the best single-month effort since the 2004 squad posted a perfect 10-0 mark in October . . . It was also the program’s best September since the 2001 squad went 9-2.

 

► BALL STATE IN MAC PLAY: Ball State enters the week with a 274-135 (.670) 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 with a 282-127 (.689) all-time MAC mark . . . WMU passed BSU for the all-time league lead in both categories after going 14-2 in MAC play last season, compared to 6-10 for the Cardinals . . . Central Michigan is 211-198 (.516) all-time in MAC action, while Eastern Michigan is 182-227 (.445).

 

► SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State enters the week with an 8-7 (1-1 MAC) record after sweeping Northern Illinois and losing to Western Michigan to open league play last weekend . . . Senior Alisha Green enters the week as BSU’s top attacker with a 3.28 kills-per-set average, while junior Charde’ Phillips leads the team and ranks second in the league with a .367 attack percentage . . . Sophomore Brittany McGinnis has set the Ball State offense to a .216 rate of success this season, while producing a 9.04 assists-per-set average . . . Christie Waters leads the Cardinals’ backcourt with a 3.10 digs-per-set average, while Kelsey Brandl is the team’s top blocker averaging 1.00 blocks per set . . . As a team, BSU is averaging 12.82 kills, 14.27 digs and 1.80 blocks per set . . . The Cardinals’ opponents are hitting .193, while averaging 11.76 kills, 12.88 digs and 1.69 blocks per set.

 

► SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas enter the week with an 8-4 (1-1 MAC) record after surviving a five-set thriller versus Eastern Michigan and being swept by Ohio to open league play last weekend . . . Lauren Krupsky is CMU’s top attacker with a 3.46 kills-per-set average . . . Stephanie Budde has set the Chippewas offense to a .200 attack percentage this season, while handing out 9.89 assists per set . . . Alexis Lonneman leads the team with a 4.80 digs-per-set average, while Kaitlyn Schultz is the program’s top blocker averaging 0.78 blocks per set . . . As a team, CMU is averaging 12.83 kills, 15.17 digs and 1.80 blocks per set . . . The Chippewas’ opponents are hitting .171, while averaging 11.10 kills, 14.88 digs and 1.68 blocks per set.

 

► BSU VS. CMU: Ball State holds a 33-27 advantage in the all-time series versus Central Michigan despite losses in the last four meetings . . . Last season, CMU scored a 3-1 (24-26, 26-24, 25-19, 25-21) home victory Sept. 26 and a 3-0 (25-15, 26-24, 25-17) win at Worthen Arena Nov. 1 . . . Overall, the Cardinals are 14-11 all-time in Mt. Pleasant, despite losses in their last three trips to Rose Arena.

 

► SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles enter the week with a 1-15 (0-2 MAC) record, after losing to Central Michigan (3-2) and Kent State (3-0) in league play last weekend . . . Rachel Iaquaniello is EMU’s top attacker with a 3.20 kills-per-set average, while Jennifer Swartz paces the team with a .234 attack percentage . . . Ashley Mason has set the Eagles offense to a .132 attack percentage this season, while dishing out 8.19 assists per set . . . Haley Stein leads the EMU backcourt with a 4.41 digs-per-set average, while Swartz has a team-best 0.81 blocks-per-set average . . . As a team, EMU is averaging 11.15 kills, 15.58 digs and 1.70 blocks per set . . . The Eagles’ opponents are hitting .230, while averaging 13.93 kills, 17.12 digs and 1.82 blocks per set.

 

► BSU VS. EMU: Ball State holds a commanding 43-18 all-time series lead versus Eastern Michigan after winning all three meetings in 2008 . . . Last season, BSU swept the regular season series; 3-1 (25-20, 25-12, 23-25, 25-13) Sept. 27 at Worthen Arena and 3-1 (28-26, 20-25, 25-20, 25-17) Oct. 31 at EMU’s Convocation Center . . . BSU also swept the Eagles 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-19) in the first round of the MAC Tournament (Nov. 18) in a match played at Worthen Arena . . . Overall, BSU is 15-12 in Ypsilanti, Mich., with EMU winning three of the last four matches played on its home court.

 

► HOW SWEEP IT IS: With a 3-0 sweep of Northern Illinois in its MAC opener last Friday, BSU has won seven of its eight matches by virtue of the sweep . . . In those contests, the Cardinals are hitting .299, while limiting opposing teams to a .088 rate of success . . . Junior middle blocker Charde’ Phillips leads the team with a .500 hitting percentage and a 3.78 kills-per-set average in the seven matches, while senior outside attacker Alisha Green has averages 3.76 kills per set . . . Sophomore defensive specialists Christie Waters and Kaylee Schembra lead the backcourt with 68 digs (3.24 digs per set) and 66 digs (3.14), respectively . . . Sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Brandl has a team-best 1.18 blocks-per-set average.

 

► FAST PLAY: In addition to its seven sweeps, Ball State has yet to play a match longer than four sets this season . . . BSU is 7-4 in three-set matches and 1-3 in four-set contests so far this season . . . Through the first 15 matches last season, the Cardinals were 2-4 in three sets, 2-4 in four sets and 0-3 for five sets.

 

► GREEN STEPPING UP: Senior outside attacker Alisha Green has stepped up her offensive production as of late, recording double-figure kills in each of BSU’s last five matches . . . Last weekend, Green posted match-highs for kills versus Northern Illinois (11) and Western Michigan (14) . . . The 25 kills in just six sets gives her a 4.17 kills-per-set average which ranks third in the Mid-American Conference in league-only matches.

 

► MCGINNIS BEHIND THE LINE: Not only has sophomore setter Brittany McGinnis led the Cardinals to a .216 team hitting percentage this season, but she has also played a big role in leading BSU to the second-best serving average, 1.52 aces per set, in the league . . . McGinnis, who ranks eighth in the MAC with a 0.32 aces-per-set average, has recorded at least one ace in the last seven matches, including a career-high four versus Penn (Sept. 18.) . . . She has also collected two aces in three of the last seven outings . . . McGinnis currently leads the Cardinals with 15 aces.

 

► KAKATOLIS BREAKS INTO TOP 20: After being credited with four block assists last weekend, senior opposite attacker Elaina Kakatolis continued to rank 19th in program history with 210 career block assists . . . In addition, her 231 career blocks are five shy of the top 20 in BSU annals, while her 720 career kills leave her 51 markers away from the top 20 in BSU history.

 

► BREIVOGEL GOING FOR NINTH: Senior outside attacker Julie Breivogel, who recorded her 1,000th career kill versus Dayton (Aug. 29), enters the week with 1,124 career kills after smashing nine in BSU’s two matches last week . . . Breivogel needs 12 more kills to pass Mindy Stanley’s (1993-96) career total of 1,135 kills for ninth on BSU’s all-time list.

 

►OVER THE AIR WAVES: The Ball State women’s volleyball team has the most comprehensive radio package in the Mid-American Conference, as WCRD 91.3 FM will once again be the radio home of the Cardinals for the 2009 season . . . The station is slated to cover all 11 of the Cardinals home matches this season, as well as select road contests and all of BSU’s 2009 MAC Tournament action . . . The state-of-the art WCRD studio will be the home of “Serving It Up” with Dave Boos, a weekly volleyball report which airs Monday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. beginning Aug. 31.

 

►ON THE TUBE: The Ball State Sports Network will televise a pair of BSU matches (Oct. 24 versus Miami and Nov. 12 versus Toledo), while Ball State Sports Link is slated to webcast at least one match.

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: Oregon State

September 29, 2009

 

Volleyball Hosts Oregon in Civil War

 

LOOKING AHEAD — The Oregon State Beavers (9-5, 0-2 Pac-10) continue their home stand on Friday in the first of two Civil War matches against the No. 7 Oregon Ducks (11-1, 1-1 Pac-10) at 7:00 p.m. in legendary Gill Coliseum.

 

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

 

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

 

MATCH 15: NO. 7 OREGON (11-1, 1-1) — Friday, Oct. 2 (7:00 p.m.): Oregon State is 40-50 all-time against Oregon. The Ducks have won the last six meetings.

 

The Ducks are ranked seventh for the second week in a row. Oregon was handed its first loss of the season last weekend by No. 3 Washington but rebounded against Washington State on Sunday. Senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe paces the Ducks’ offense with 156 kills (3.90 kps) with senior middle blocker Neticia Enesi close behind with 130 kills (3.25 kps). Newcombe also leads the backcourt defense with 93 digs (2.33 dps), while Enesi is the team’s top blocker with 48 blocks (1.20 bps), good for seventh in the conference. Head coach Jim Moore is in his fifth season at the helm of Oregon volleyball with a 76-50 school record.

 

REWIND TO LAST WEEK — The Beavers were unable to pick up their first conference win, falling in three to both Washington State and No. 3 Washington at home.

 

Senior Rachel Rourke tallied 22 kills on the weekend with 14 against the Cougars and eight against the Huskies.

 

Freshman Ashley Eneliko had a solid performance against the Huskies, setting new career bests for kills (4), hitting percentage (.500) and digs (4), while adding a match-high tying six blocks.

 

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

 

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

 

The Beavers are currently 7-2 in three-set matches and 4-0 on the road.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

NATIONAL ATTENTION — The Beavers received 21 votes in this week’s top 25 poll, good for 29th. The Beavers were 38th last week with eight votes and received 12 votes in the August 31 AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, good for 37th. The Beavers reached as high as 24th in the 2008 season after not being ranked in the top 25 since 1996.

 

START THE COUNTDOWN — Senior Rachel Rourke is on track to breaking the school record in kills, attacks and possibly total points. She currently boasts 1,597 career kills - second on the list - and is just 166 from the school record. As a freshman she racked up 387 kills, 505 as a sophomore and 497 as a junior.

 

FACING OFF AGAINST THE NATION — One Oregon State player is ranked in the top 50 in the nation for their stats in kills, as of September 28. Senior Rachel Rourke is 20th for kills per set (4.24). As a team, Oregon State is fourth for blocks (3.03).

 

IT’S NOT “OFFICIAL” BUT — Despite the fact that the NCAA hasn’t released new RPI ratings since last December, the Oregon State volleyball team is ranked 33rd currently in the Rich Kern Power Index (RKPI) as of September 28. There are only six Pac-10 teams ahead of Oregon State — Arizona, Oregon, USC, California, Washington and UCLA. The Beavers finished the 2008 season ranked 82nd.

 

ATTENDANCE AVERAGE — The Beavers are currently averaging 974 on the season, unofficially 39th in the country. Oregon State finished the 2008 season 36th in the country for attendance, averaging 1,037 per match. The Beavers were fifth in the conference behind Stanford, Washington, USC and Oregon. The Civil War in Corvallis ranked the 86th highest single-match attendance of the season.

 

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

 

CAN’T MAKE IT TO A MATCH? — Oregon State will be televised once this season on the road. The Civil War in Eugene will air live nationally on FSN on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7:00 p.m., via tape delay.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BEAVERS — Oregon State heads out on the road to Arizona. The Beavers face No. 18 Arizona on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before Arizona State on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

 

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

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: Mountain West Conference

WEEK FIVE REVIEW 

Colorado State and Utah lead the early Conference race with 3-0 records after the second week of league play. The Rams swept New Mexico at TCU last week, while Utah defeated BYU in five sets in its only action. TCU and BYU are tied for third in the standings with 2-1 records. UNLV sits in fifth place, while New Mexico and San Diego State are tied for sixth, and Air Force and Wyoming are tied for eighth.

 

WEEK SIX PREVIEW 

Seven Conference matches are on this week’s schedule as the MWC heads into its third week of league play. Conference play begins Thursday with Utah at UNLV, Air Force at TCU and San Diego State at New Mexico. The Utah-UNLV match will be shown live nationally on The Mtn. at 6:30 p.m. PT. Wyoming plays host to Colorado State on Friday, while Saturday’s slate pits Air Force at New Mexico, BYU at UNLV and San Diego State at TCU. In non-conference action, BYU hosts North Dakota State and Wyoming welcomes Adams State to Laramie on Tuesday night. Colorado State will host Northern Colorado State in a match that will be shown via tape-delay on Comcast Entertainment Television on Friday, October 2 at 7 p.m. MT. The match will re-air on The Mtn., Monday, October 5 at 5 p.m. MT.

 

BETH LAUNIERE WINS 400TH CAREER MATCH

Utah head coach Beth Launiere captured her 400th career victory in the Utes’ five-set victory over BYU on Friday, September 25, in Salt Lake City. All 400 of Launiere’s wins have come at Utah, where she holds a career mark of 400-217 (.648).

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: Pepperdine

For a video feature on Pepperdine’s Kim Hill, please click the following link:

http://www.pepperdinesports.com/newMediaPlayer/console.htm?type=vod&id=650972&oemid=18500

 

September 29, 2009

 

THE FACTS — The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team begins West Coast Conference play at home this weekend with matches against Saint Mary’s and #20 San Diego, both of whom were NCAA Tournament teams a year ago. The Toreros, the Waves and the Gaels were predicted to be the top three teams in the WCC, according to the preseason coaches’ poll. Pepperdine plays five of its first seven WCC contests in Firestone Fieldhouse. After going nearly two weeks between matches, the Waves will be looking to end a three-match losing streak.

 

MATCH #13 — Thursday (Oct. 1) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (7-5) vs. Saint Mary’s (8-3) at 7 p.m.

 

MATCH #14 — Saturday (Oct. 3) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine vs. #20 San Diego (8-3) at 1 p.m.

 

ON THE WEB — Live video of all home matches are available to Wave Casts subscribers atwww.pepperdinesports.com. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team’s website when the Waves are on the road. Go to the “Wave Casts” link toward the top of the home page for more information.

 

TICKETS — Single-match tickets to all home women’s volleyball games are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free to all Pepperdine students and faculty with a university ID.

 

PROMOTIONS — Saturday’s match is a “buy one, get one free” match if fans pick up a flyer at certain Malibu restaurants (Lily’s Cafe, KFC, Malibu Yogurt, Subway) ... USYVL participants will get free entry into Saturday’s match.

 

RANKINGS — The Waves’ three-week run in the top 25 ended a couple of Mondays ago after three losses to top 10 teams, but they still appear in the “others receiving votes” category.

 

8/18    8/31     9/7     9/14    9/21     9/28    10/5     10/12     10/19    10/26   11/2    11/9    11/16    11/23   11/30

  rv      #21     #19     #25      rv        rv

 

OPPONENTS — Pepperdine is 38-6 all-time against Saint Mary’s. The schools have split the season series each of the last two years. The Gaels won in Firestone Fieldhouse last season for only the second time ever (2-20 all-time in Malibu) ... Pepperdine is 34-18 all-time against San Diego. The Toreros have won four straight in the series, with the Waves last winning at home in 2006. Pepperdine holds a 21-7 record in Malibu vs. USD.

 

TWO WEEKS AGO — Before taking a week off, the Waves played their toughest non-conference stretch of the season from Sept. 16-19. During a four-day span, Pepperdine lost to then-#7 UCLA in four sets in Firestone Fieldhouse, then traveled to then-#4 Hawaii for two matches, both of which were 3-0 losses. Stevi Robinson averaged 5.1 digs over the three matches and Rachel Grochmalaveraged 3.0 kills and 3.0 digs.

 

WCC STATS — Pepperdine is first in digs (15.10) and opponent hitting percentage (.183), second in service aces (1.33), fifth in hitting percentage (.224) and sixth in blocks (1.84) ... Stevi Robinsonis first in digs (5.32) and service aces (0.47) ... Kiah Fiers is second in assists (10.15) ... Rachel Grochmal is third in service aces (0.38) and ninth in points (3.32) ... Kim Hill is fifth in hitting percentage (.329) ... Lilla Frederick is seventh in kills (3.17) and eighth in points (3.40).

 

NATIONAL STATS — According to the NCAA, Stevi Robinson ranks 14th in the nation in digs (5.33).

 

2009 HONORS — Kiah Fiers and Kim Hill were named to the preseason All-WCC team ... Fiers was named Tournament MVP at the Colorado State Asics Classic and was joined on the all-tournament team by Lilla Frederick and Rachel Grochmal ... Fiers was also named WCC Player of the Week on 8/31 following the Colorado State event ... Stevi Robinson was named WCC Player of the Week on 9/7 after the Pepperdine-USC Tournament ... Robinson and Frederick made the all-tournament team for the Pepperdine-USC Tournament ... Robinson was the Tournament MVP at the Pepperdine Asics Classic and Kristen Seaton also made the all-tournament team.

 

FIERS — The leader of Pepperdine’s attack is senior setter Kiah Fiers (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Peninsula HS), who is averaging 10.15 assists per set. She is a three-time All-WCC selection (once on the first team, twice on honorable mention). She has 3,719 career assists, which is #4 on Pepperdine’s all-time list.

 

GROCHMAL — Pepperdine’s other senior starter is outside hitter Rachel Grochmal (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS). Formerly Rachel Lumsden, she got married this past summer. She is a two-time All-WCC honorable mention selection and is Pepperdine’s all-time leader in service aces per set (0.37). In 2009, she is averaging 2.74 kills and 2.87 digs.

 

ROBINSON — Possibly one of the best liberos in the country, sophomore Stevi Robinson(Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 after averaging a WCC-leading 4.81 digs per set. She’s off to an even better start in 2009 at 5.32 digs and 0.47 service aces per set.

 

FREDERICK — The Waves’ leading hitter thus far is sophomore Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS) at 3.17 kills per set. She made the WCC All-Freshman team last season and played on the USA Junior National Team the past two summers.

 

HILL — After earning WCC Freshman of the Year honors last season, sophomore middle blockerKim Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS) should shoulder an even bigger load in 2009. She is hitting .329 and is averaging 2.36 kills and 0.69 blocks.

 

SEATON — Back in the lineup after redshirting 2008 due to a foot injury, sophomore Kristen Seaton (Terre Haute, Ind./South Vigo HS) is expected to be a potent force at opposite. She is averaging 2.21 kills and 0.76 blocks.

 

FRIEDMAN — An occasional starter in the back row, junior Krista Friedman (La Verne, Calif./St. Lucy’s Priory HS) has carved out a role as a defensive specialist. She is averaging 1.54 digs per set.

 

ADELHELM — Of Pepperdine’s seven newcomers, only one has been asked to step into the starting lineup, and that’s freshman middle blocker Victoria Adelhelm (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS). She has made a nice transition to Division I volleyball, averaging 1.55 kills and 0.82 blocks.

 

MORE NEWCOMERS — Among the other six newcomers, freshman Brittney Clark (San Jose, Calif./Presentation HS) has seen the most playing time at either middle blocker or opposite. Redshirt sophomore Janea Rosell (Los Angeles, Calif./Bishop Montgomery HS), a transfer from Arizona State, is competing at middle blocker. The other four newcomers are true freshmen.Justine Hunter (Hollister, Calif./San Benito HS) is the backup at setter, Caitlin Racich (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS) and Ashley Broadwell (Bothell, Wash./Archbishop Murphy HS) are outside hitters and Kelli Branning (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo-Atherton HS) is a libero. The website prepvolleyball.com rated Pepperdine’s recruiting class as #12 in the country and listed Racich at #70 and Adelhelm at #85 on its Senior Aces list.

 

NINA MATTHIES — Now in her 27th season as head coach of the Waves, Nina Matthies entered the 2009 season with a career record of 494-294 (.627), which includes 10 conference championships and 18 NCAA Tournament appearances.  She is by far the WCC’s all-time winningest coach and is a nine-time WCC Coach of the Year. On Sept. 11, 2009, she won the 500th match of her career with a victory over Seattle. Matthies was among the world’s top players and is a member of the Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame. Earlier this fall, Dig Magazine rated her and former partner Linda Hanley as the second-best women’s beach team of all time. She won two AIAW national championships as a player at UCLA.

 

ROSTER — The Waves return four starters plus the libero and lost only two starters from the 2008 squad. Seven returners (six letterwinners and one redshirt) are joined by seven newcomers (six true freshmen and one transfer) to bring the squad total to 14. It’s a fairly young team, as the eligibility breakdown is two seniors, one junior, five sophomores and six freshmen.

 

DIG PINK — The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team’s home match against San Francisco on Thursday, Oct. 22, will be the annual fundraising effort in the battle against breast cancer. Now known as “Dig Pink”, fans are asked to make pledges to help the cause. More information can be found at www.pepperdinesports.com.

 

ESPNU MATCH — The Pepperdine-San Diego match at the Jenny Craig Pavilion set for Wednesday, Oct. 28, will be shown live on ESPNU at 8 p.m.

 

WCC PRESEASON POLL — San Diego received seven of the eight first-place votes and was picked to win the title. Pepperdine was second, followed by Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara, San Francisco and Loyola Marymount, and then Gonzaga and Portland tied for seventh place. Kiah Fiers and Kim Hill were named to the All-WCC preseason first team.

 

VOLLEYBALL HISTORY — The Pepperdine women’s volleyball program is synonymous with the word excellence, as the Waves are a perennial power. The Waves have advanced to postseason play 25 times in 34 seasons, including 11 trips to the NCAA Championships in the last 12 seasons. Pepperdine’s best finishes in recent years came when the team made the regional final of the 2002 NCAAs, and then in 2003 when the Waves posted 27 victories (most in the Nina Matthies era).

 

2008 RECAP — It was another solid year for the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team. Julie Rubenstein earned AVCA All-American third team honors and became Pepperdine’s first All-American since 2003. She led the conference in kills and points. The Waves advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row but suffered a first-round loss to Long Beach State. There was a school-record-tying 13-0 start, and though they tied for fourth in the WCC with an 8-6 record, the Waves finished 20-8 overall, the 17th 20-win season in program history. Kim Hillearned WCC Freshman of the Year honors and Stevi Robinson was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year.

 

ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men’s sports — one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine’s teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News: Manhattan College

Volleyball Team Set to Participate In Lee National Denim Day
Lady Jaspers Encourage Fans to Come to October 4 Match Wearing Pink

RIVERDALE, N.Y. - For the second straight year, the Manhattan College volleyball team will promote breast cancer awareness by participating in Lee National Denim Day.  On Sunday, Oct. 4, the Lady Jaspers will host Loyola at 2 p.m., and all fans are encouraged to come to the match wearing pink shirts and jeans, the official attire of National Denim Day.

Following the match, the Lady Jaspers will hold a bake sale and raffle, as well as selling pink tie-dyed t-shirts.  In addition, fans are asked to make a $5 donation towards the cause.  All proceeds go to benefit the Women's Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.  Last year, Manhattan contributed more than $600 to the cause.

"This is certainly a great cause," Head Coach Mark Jones said.  "Breast cancer is a very personal cause for a lot of people, since most of us have either been affected ourselves or know somebody who has been.  I just wish we could do more."

National Denim Day was started by the Lee Jeans Company in 1996 and has since become one of the largest single-day breast cancer fundraisers in the country.  United by the theme "One Day, One Cause, One Cure," National Denim Day brings together nearly one million supporters each year and has raised more than $75 million to date.

For more on National Denim Day, go to www.denimday.com.  While there, you can visit Manhattan's team page (http://www.denimday.com/team_page.aspx?tid=231076) and make an
online donation.

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: Eastern Washington

A quartet of rivals will pay a visit to the Eastern campus over the next two weeks, starting with Idaho and Sacramento State

Notes Package

Coming off a 2-0 road trip, the Eastern Washington University volleyball team will bring a 4-0 Big Sky Conference mark back to Cheney for a four-match home stand, two league contests and a pair of non-conference matches.

This week, Eastern will play Idaho on Wednesday (Sept. 30) and Sacramento State on Friday (Oct. 2). Both matches will have a 7 p.m. first serve. The Eagles will then take on Gonzaga and Portland State the following week.

Over the weekend, the Eagles rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 win for the first time since Aug. 31, 2007, in a 17-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-17, 15-13 defeat of Idaho State. Eastern Washington then swept Weber State 25-16, 25-21, 26-24 to move into first place in the Big Sky. The only other undefeated league team is Northern Colorado (3-0).

Eastern is 8-5 overall with three of its five setbacks coming to top-notch opposition, as each of those matches were on the road and versus teams that are currently ranked in the top 18. A fourth loss came to a squad that is "also receiving votes" in Saint Mary's.

Idaho is off to a 5-8 start and is 1-1 in Western Athletic Conference play. The Vandals went 1-1 on a WAC road trip over the weekend, beating San Jose State 3-1 and falling to No. 4 Hawai'i 3-0.

This will mark the sixth straight season the Vandals have met the Eagles. Idaho has taken the last two match-ups, both in Moscow and both by 3-0 scores. The last time the Vandals made the 75-mile trip north, in 2006, Eastern prevailed by a 3-1 score, which was the ninth consecutive win for the Eagles in the series between the former Big Sky rivals.

Sacramento State will bring a 9-7 mark into Friday's match, 1-1 in Big Sky play. In its first two league matches of the campaign, played over the weekend in California's capital city, Sacramento State defeated Northern Arizona 3-1 and fell to Northern Colorado 3-0.

The Eagles swept the season series with the Hornets last year, with a 3-2 home win and a 3-1 away victory. Prior to that, Sacramento State had claimed 10 consecutive match-ups.

 

Hamilton Named Big Sky Player of the Week                                                               

Senior setter Ashley Hamilton was an all-around offensive force over the weekend.

She helped lead the team to its best hitting percentage of the season (and second-best by any Big Sky team so far in 2009), .390, in a 3-0 sweep of Weber State after setting the team to a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down at Idaho State in a 3-2 win.

Individually, the Alpine, Utah, native averaged 12.25 assists per set, but also was an intimidating offensive threat herself, as she hit at a .600 clip in the two road matches (14-2-20). Defensively, she was solid, averaging 2.50 digs and 0.62 blocks per set in the two contests.

In the five-set win in Pocatello, Hamilton had 55 assists, her highest total of the season and the fifth-highest total by a Big Sky player in 2009. Hamilton hit .500 (8-2-12) that night. She also did the job defensively, as her 14 digs that night was a career high for the setter.

Hamilton had 43 assists in the sweep of the Wildcats, which is a very impressive number for a match just three sets long. It actually comes out to a higher assists-per-set ratio then she achieved the night before (14.33 versus 11.00). She also hit at a .750 clip (6-0-8) in that WSU match.

The award is the first for Hamilton.

 

Hills Up to Third in Kills Chart, Wins POW                 

Senior outside hitter Hayley Hills keeps climbing Eastern Washington's all-time kills chart. With 34 over the weekend (4.25 per set), she pushed her career total to 1,219, good for third place on the illustrious list.

Next, in second place, is Janelle Ruen, who had 1,268 from 1999-2002. Kim Exner (1995-98) holds the school mark of 1,860.

Hills is also currently second in school history in kills per set, embedded into that slot with a 3.92 average. Holding the record is Exner (4.43), while in third is Juli Argotow (3.42).

Hills earned her 1,000th kill in a 3-1 win at Sacramento State on Nov. 21 of last year.

Following her impressive performance this past weekend in wins over Montana and Montana State, Hills was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week.

Those two matches, she averaged 4.71 kills and 3.14 digs per set.

 

Eagles Rank Nationally in Average Attendance                 

The Eastern Washington Eagles have earned the attention of the greater Spokane area and it has shown, as the team is averaging 1,186 fans per contest, an average that ranks the squad 31st in the country.

In fact, EWU rank fourth among all West Coast teams (i.e. those located within the Pacific Time Zone), trailing just Stanford (2,085, 12th), Long Beach State (1,454, 19th) and Oregon (1,191, 30th).

The highlight of the home schedule so far came on Sept. 18, when 1,311 saw the Eagles knock off Montana in four sets. That crowd was the largest for a home contest since Nov. 11, 2006, in a match also against Montana.

In fact, the Eagles have ranked in the top 40 in attendance in 11 of the past 12 years.

 

Comeback From 2-0 Down                                                    

The Eastern Washington Eagles went into the locker rooms in their match at Idaho State on Friday (Sept. 25) down 25-17, 25-21, but rallied to complete an impressive 3-2 victory with 25-21, 25-17, 15-13 set victories.

The rally from 2-0 down was the first for head coach Miles Kydd since he took over the Eagles at the beginning of the 2008 campaign and was the initial one for the EWU program since a 25-30, 23-30, 30-18, 30-19, 15-10 victory over Colgate on Aug. 31, 2007.

 

Busy First Month for Eagles                                    

The Eastern Washington Eagles played some pretty impressive competition the first three weeks of the season, including three teams currently ranked in the top 18, each on its home courts.

To conclude the pre-conference portion of the schedule, the Eagles played well in a trip to the Bay Area with its two defeats coming to a pair of teams who are either nationally ranked or receiving votes for the top-25 poll.

Following a couple tight sets in a 25-13, 25-23, 29-27 road loss to Saint Mary's, who is now 8-3 and receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, the Eagles rallied to beat San Jose State 21-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-20.

Eastern then took 19-12 and 18-12 leads in the first and third sets, respectively, before falling on the road to California, currently ranked ninth, by 25-22, 25-19, 25-20 scores.

The previous weekend, EWU defeated opponents from Conference USA (Houston) and the Western Athletic Conference (Nevada) by 3-1 scores before battling No. 18 Arizona (11-0), the host of the Marriott University Park Wildcat Classic, in an exciting four-set affair that the undefeated Wildcats took 3-1.

The Eagles opened their season on Aug. 28 with a 3-1 defeat of Missouri State. The Bears had played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and are receiving top-25 votes, as well. Eastern's two losses that weekend came to two other teams that played in the NCAAs a year ago, the seventh-ranked Ducks and San Francisco.

 

Coviare Named to All-Oregon Classic Team                

Chenoa Coviare had an outstanding opening weekend for the Eagles and was rewarded for her efforts with All-Oregon Classic accolades.

In the three matches played from Aug. 28-29, she hit .365 (25-6-52) and contributed 1.20 blocks and 0.70 digs per set.

Coviare helped Eastern to a 3-1 win over Missouri State and tough-fought losses to No. 12 Oregon and San Francisco.

 

Coviare and Hamilton Named All-Tourney              

For the second weekend in a row, Chenoa Coviare was named to an all-tournament team, this time at the Marriott University Park Wildcat Classic. She was joined on the squad byAshley Hamilton.

Coviare had 2.25 kills and 0.83 blocks per set in Eastern's three matches at the tournament.

Arizona transfer Hamilton played well in her old stomping grounds, averaging 6.58 assists per set and hitting at a .296 clip (12-4-27).

The talented duo helped the Eagles to an impressive 2-1 showing at the tournament, which included 3-1 wins over Houston and Nevada and a good showing in a 3-1 loss to host Arizona, who is 6-0 and just entered the AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll at No. 25.

 

Coviare and Hills Earn Tourney Honors              

After helping the Eagles to a second-place showing at the Molten/Hilton Garden Inn Classic,Chenoa Coviare and Hayley Hills earned All-Tournament honors.

In the two matches, a 3-1 win over San Jose State and a 3-0 loss to host and 13th-ranked California, Coviare hit at a .343 clip (19-7-35) to go with 1.43 blocks per set.

Hills had a team-high 3.00 kills per set. She also contributed 2.14 digs per set as well as 0.29 blocks per set.

Against SJSU, Coviare had 12 kills and hit .455 (14-4-22), while Hills contributed 14 digs.

Versus the Golden Bears, Hills tallied 13 kills and hit .290 (13-4-31), while Coviare had three blocks.

 

Eagles Beat 2008 NCAA Participant               

The Eagles started off their 2009 campaign on a high note, outlasting Missouri State 25-22, 25-20, 17-25, 25-21 at the Oregon Classic on Aug. 28.

The win was especially impressive, as the Bears played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and are receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll.

Eastern Washington controlled the first two sets and then had to battle back from significant deficits in the third and fourth sets.

The Eagles did so successfully in set four, rallying from 5-0 and 10-3 deficits and then pulling away from a 21-21 tie with the final four points of the contest.

 

Big Sky Championship in Cheney                     

After claiming the Big Sky Conference's regular-season title in 2008, the Eagles earned the right to play host to the 2009 Tournament.

The semifinals will take place at 5 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 27, while the title contest will take place at 7 the following evening.

The winner of that match will earn the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which starts the following weekend.

 

Big Sky Preseason Poll                                    

In the Big Sky Coaches Preseason Poll, defending Big Sky Tournament champion Portland State, who finished just behind the Eagles in the regular-season standings a year ago, was picked first. The Vikings were followed, in order, by Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado, Montana, Weber State, Sacramento State, Northern Arizona, Idaho State and Montana State.

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Loyola Marymount University

BRIEFLY...
Having dropped two consecutive matches for only the second time this season, LMU (9-5) will look to get back on the winning track as it returns home to host No. 20 San Diego (8-3) and Saint Mary's (8-3) to open West Coast Conference play. LMU will square-off against the Toreros on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Gersten Pavilion before welcoming the Gaels to the bluff on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both matches this week will be provided via Gametracker, video stream and audio broadcast at LMULions.com.

LION TRACKS...
In its only match last week, LMU hit just .121 over three sets against UC Santa Barbara en route to being swept by the Gauchos, 25-21, 25-15, 25-19, on the road on Tuesday night in the Thunderdome. Freshman Alaina Bergmsa led the Lions with 10 kills, but took 35 swings and committed seven errors for a .086 hitting percentage. Sophomore Ariana Covington hit .211, notching seven kills on 19 attacks with three errors. Alesha Young handled the majority of the setting duties for the Lions, dishing-out 19 assists while also notching two kills on two attacks. Freshman Kenna Crouse proved to be a small highlight for LMU, collecting five kills and three block assists. She hit .500 (5-1/8) in the third set alone with two block assists. LMU as a team recorded five total blocks, led by Bergsma with a block solo and a block assist. Leah Sully paced all players with 15 kills on 32 attacks for a .312 hitting percentage. She also posted two block assists, helping UCSB to six total team blocks. Rebecca Saraceno was right behind Sully with 14 kills, two service aces and 18 digs for a double-double. UCSB hit .333 as a team, including a .371 mark in the second set. Dana Varggas dished-out 40 assists in only three sets for UCSB to help the Gauchos to the stellar hitting percentage.

FOLLOW THE LIONS ONLINE...
Log on to www.LMULions.com for all the latest info on the Lions, including updated schedules, rosters, player bios, and more. Don't forget to also sign up to follow the Lions on Facebook (Facebook.com/LMULions) and Twitter (Twitter.com/LMULions). All LMU home matches, and the majority of the matches on the road, will be broadcast live via Gametracker. In addition, in conjunction with Stretch Internet and Lions' All-Access, all LMU home matches will be broadcast with both audio and video live online at www.LMULions.com. Just visit the Lion volleyball page, click on schedule, and click on the links located on the right side of the schedule for that particular match. All broadcasts will be archived within 72 hours of their original airing and will include both the pre-game and post-game shows.

LMU SPORTS WEEKLY...
LMU is also proud to introduce a new weekly podcast show, LMU Sports Weekly, hosted by Jesse Kass. The show will feature radio highlights and recaps from recent games, interviews with student-athletes and coaches, and previews of upcoming events. The debut show is now online at LMULions.com. Fans can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes. Just search "LMU" in the iTunes Store.

INSIDE THE LIONS...
"Inside the Lions" is a special look into LMU Athletics and its student-athletes in a 10 to 15 minute show hosted by a student-athlete, sophomore men's basketball guard Jarred DuBois. Airing roughly twice a month, the show will highlight a student-athlete and give an inside look to why LMU is such a special place. In addition, highlights from top games and other game day features will be within the show. Take a look at the newest show or past shows. It's all here thanks to Lions' All-Access.

COMING TO A GAME?...
Fans, come cheer on the Lions this year in Gersten Pavilion. LMU will host 14 home matches this season, including six matches during LMU's Crowne Plaza LAX Tournament from September 11-12. To reserve your tickets today, please contact the LMU Ticket Office at (310) 338-LION. Tickets are also available at the Ticket Office prior to the start of the match. When traveling to the venue, please remember that the Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester at One LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport. Fans traveling to LMU must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive. Those seeking handicap parking must also use the main entrance, where they can get directions from the guard at the front gate. Gersten's doors open one hour before the start of the match.

REMEMBER...IT'S JUST A NUMBER...
LMU will play 12 matches this year against teams that qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament. With success comes a ranking, and the Lions should see their fair share of ranked opponents this season, including this week against No. 20 San Diego. So far, LMU is 0-2 against ranked foes this year, falling in three sets to then-No. 9 UCLA on September 5, and then-No. 20 UC Irvine in four on September 12. Rankings have been nothing short of perfect in the recent past when predicting LMU's fate against ranked opponents, as the Lions have dropped 20 consecutive matches against those opponents. The last Lion victory against a ranked opponent came on October 5, 2006 at Santa Clara, as the Lions earned a sweep of the then-No. 12 Broncos.

TEAM LMU THIS WEEK...
Thursday's women's volleyball match versus No. 20 San Diego, along with Friday's men's soccer match against San Francisco, are this week's "Team LMU" events. "Team LMU" was created to generate awareness and excitement for LMU sporting events on game days. Staff and students are encouraged to wear LMU gear on designated "Team LMU" days and to attend the games. To view more information about the current and future "Team LMU" events, please visitwww.LMULions.com/teamlmu.

LIONS IN THE RECORD BOOKS...
Junior Becky Stehling already pervades the LMU Record Books with a little less than half of her LMU career yet to be contested. Stehling's .369 hitting percentage a year ago placed her fourth in the books for a single season, and also set the sophomore record in that category. Even better this season, she totes a .379 hitting percentage so far, tops in the West Coast Conference. Over a longer span of time, her .359 career hitting percentage entering this week places first in LMU history. Kelli Nerison (2001-04) is second to Stehling, recording a .356 mark, while Mardell Wrensch (1992-95) sits third in the books at .355. Freshman Alaina Bergsma has a shot to finish this year in the single season book for a few categories. She averages 4.02 kills per set (4.32 is the benchmark), has accumulated 21 service aces (42 is the benchmark), and has averaged .44 aces per set, which would put her sixth in the books if the season ended prior to this week. Sophomore Lauren DeGrandmont has posted 162 digs this year, and with just over half the season left, she needs to reach 370 to enter the single season record book. Her 3.24 digs per set average this year sits just out of the top-10 (3.45 is the benchmark), while her 2.15 digs per set in her career is inching closer to the books (2.88 is the benchmark). Sophomore Alesha Young is also trying to place her name in the books, averaging 6.56 assists per set in her career. That mark would place her sixth in the record books at this point, but a player must have two full years of competition completed to qualify, so Young will have to wait until the season is over to enter the books.

TORERO TALK...
No. 25 San Diego enters the match against the Lions toting an 8-3 overall record, having won seven straight matches. The Toreros, who dropped three consecutive matches prior to the seven-match streak, have been ranked the entire season, with the low-water mark being No. 24 on September 7 and the highest ranking No. 15 in the first two weeks of the season. San Diego's only losses this year have come at the hands of then-No. 2 Texas on August 30 and UC Santa Barbara on September 4 and 5. So far this year, USD has knocked-off two ranked opponents, recording victories over then-No. 23 Long Beach State on August 28 and then-No. 18 UC Irvine on September 17 in five sets. The Lions have dropped matches to both UCSB and UC Irvine this season. Ali Troost leads the Torero offense with 134 kills on 304 attacks for an average of 3.27 per set. Troost also leads the team in service aces with 15. Torey Ellick is the leading hitter in terms of percentage, connecting at a .339 clip with 115 kills on 248 attacks. Ellick also guides the team on the block, notching a team-high tying five block solos and a team-best 22 block assists. Kelsi Myers sets the offense for USD, dishing-out 487 assists at a rate of 11.88, tops in the WCC. San Diego as a team owns a .256 hitting percentage, second in the WCC, due in large part to the stellar setting. Kayleen Webster earns the bulk of the digs, collecting 192 so far this year at a rate of 4.68 per set. The Lions lead the all-time series against the Toreros, led by 11th-year Head Coach Jennifer Petrie, 34-20. On the other hand, USD does own the series as of late, taking nine of the last 10 matches, including each of the last six contests. The two teams last met on November 20, 2008 at LMU as the Toreros swept the Lions.

GAEL GOSSIP...
Saint Mary's, which received votes in the2009 AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll for the third consecutive week, enters the weekend toting an 8-3 overall record, having dropped two of its last three matches after rattling-off six straight wins prior to that. Though they have not been ranked at any point this season, the Gaels have received votes in four of the six Top-25 polls this year. All three of SMC's losses this year have come at the hands of ranked opponents, falling to then-No. 6 California in four sets on August 29, then-No. 13 California on September 18 and then-No. 11 Stanford on September 19. Getting it done at home, the Gaels are 5-0 on home hardwood versus 2-2 on the road and 1-1 on neutral floors. Lauren Corp leads the Gael offense with 140 kills at a rate of 3.50 per set. She is hitting .273, just behind the leaders of Shannon Lowell and Megan Burton at .281. Megan York and Lowell pace the team from the service area, notching nine aces apiece to help Saint Mary's to 41 as a team. Lowell is also the most active player on the block, totaling 13 block solos and 35 block assists. Kapua Kamana'o gets the bulk of the time at the setter position, dishing-out 355 assists (9.10 per set) to help the team to a .262 hitting percentage. Missy White has also seen time as the setter this year, managing 104 assists at a rate of 4.73 per set. LMU leads the all-time series against the Gaels, led by fifth-year Head Coach Rob Browning, 34-13. Saint Mary's does hold the advantage recently, however, earning victories in three of the last five contests, and seven of the last 10. The two teams last met on October 30, 2008 at LMU as the Lions suffered a five-set loss.

DIG FOR THE CURE...
For the third consecutive year, LMU volleyball will help fight breast cancer, this year participating in the DiG PiNK campaign. LMU's DiG PiNK event is scheduled for October 24 versus San Francisco. To view LMU's team page, and to make a donation, please visit www.side-out.org/application/teams/team_page/1213.

STARS IN STOCKTON...
Sophomore Alesha Young and freshman Alaina Bergmsa were each named to the 2009 Hilton Stockton Invitational All-Tournament team following LMU's run to the Tournament Championship match. Young, LMU's primary setter this season, finished the three matches, sweeps over Nevada and Cal State Bakersfield, and a loss to Pacific, with 95 assists as the Lions hit .270 as a team. Not only helping LMU on the set, Young also notched seven kills on 15 attacks for a .400 hitting percentage, teaming that mark with three service aces and 18 digs. The native of Costa Mesa, Calif. posted 36 assists in both of the Lion sweeps. The All-Tournament selection marked the second time this year that Young was lauded, earning the honor at the 2009 TCU Nike/Molten Invitational. Bergsma, who earned All-Tournament honors at each of the four tournaments this year for LMU, collected a team-best 38 kills on 90 swings for a .311 hitting percentage over the three matches in Stockton. The native of Chandler, Ariz. also posted three service aces, three assists and 16 digs. Showing her skills on the defensive side of the net, Bergsma also collected a block solo and four block assists. Her best performance came in the Championship match against Pacific, where she notched 18 kills on 38 swings for a .395 hitting percentage, three assists, a block solo and a block assist.

QUEENS OF CROWNE PLAZA...
Freshman Alaina Bergsma and junior Becky Stehling were each named to the 2009 Crowne Plaza LAX All-Tournament team following the conclusion of the weekend tournament on September 12. The Lions reached the Tournament Championship match on their home floor, but could not defeat then-No. 20 UC Irvine, falling in four sets. Bergsma finished the Crowne Plaza Tournament with 56 kills, four service aces, five block solos and four block assists for a total of 67 points. The native of Chandler, Ariz. connected for 20 kills in each of the first two matches before posting 16 against the Anteaters in the Championship. In addition, Bergsma collected a double-double against Houston and Boise State, narrowly missing a third straight against Irvine by two digs. Stehling earned her first All-Tournament nod this season after posting 30 kills on 58 attacks with only nine errors for a .362 hitting percentage. She added a service ace and six block solos en route to helping guide LMU to the Championship match. Stehling's best match was the first of the tournament, resulting in a season-best 18 kills on 30 attacks for a .433 hitting percentage. Three of her six total block assists also came against Houston that first day.

THE HOT-HAND IN VEGAS...
Freshman Alaina Bergsma made it two-for-two in terms of earning a spot on an All-Tournament team after claiming a spot at both the TCU and UNLV tournaments. The native of Chandler, Ariz. played in eight sets and two matches at the UNLV Tournament, collecting 32 kills at a rate of 4.00 per set. Bergsma also notched three assists, a service ace, 11 digs, a block solo, four block assists and 36 total points. She collected 19 kills in the five-set loss to Idaho on Friday before posting 13 more in the finale on Saturday night, a sweep of host UNLV. In that match against the Rebels, Bergsma managed 13 kills on 27 attacks for a .444 hitting percentage, making just one error along the way.

LeBRON, PEYTON, ALAINA...
Freshman Alaina Bergsma garnered Tournament MVP honors after excelling at the 2009 Nike/Molten Invitational hosted by Texas Christian University. Bergsma collected 46 kills over the three matches played, averaging 4.60 kills per set and hitting .375 with only 10 errors in 96 attacks. Not only a threat on the attack, she also served-up seven aces while posting seven block assists. The 6'3" outside hitter also finished second on the team in digs over the tournament, notching 24 at a rate of 2.40 per set. Bergsma's best match of the weekend was against Arkansas on Saturday morning, collecting a match-high 20 kills on 30 attacks for an incredible .600 hitting percentage. Enjoying a stellar match across the board, Bergsma collected three service aces, eight digs and teamed with Megan Nash for two block assists to total 24 points. She managed 11 of her 20 kills in the final set alone, hitting .625 on 16 attacks. She had double-digit kills in each of the three matches, hit above .400 while taking at least 20 swings in both of the first two matches, recorded at least two service aces in each match, and recorded a double-double in the Championship Match against TCU, teaming 15 kills with 10 digs.

TEXAS CHRISTIAN TRIO...
Three Lions were recognized for their achievements after helping LMU to finish 3-0 at the 2009 Nike/Molten Invitational. The Lions swept Grambling State in the opener on Friday night before earning a second consecutive sweep against Arkansas on Saturday morning. Playing host TCU for the Tournament Championship on Saturday night, the Lions took the match in four sets. Freshman Alaina Bergsma led the trio, garnering Tournament MVP honors. Sophomore Ariana Covington and Alesha Young each earned a spot on the All-Tournament squad following the conclusion of the championship match. To read about Bergsma's stellar weekend, please see the "LeBron James,Peyton Manning, Alaina Bergsma" portion of this release. Covington finished the tournament with 24 kills at a rate of 2.40 per set. She hit .321 while making just eight errors in 56 attacks. Getting it done on the defensive side of the ball, she collected 21 digs at a rate of 2.10 per set, and also notched seven block assists for a total of 27.5 points during the three days. Covington's best match was her first, where she collected 10 kills and hit .529 against Grambling State, committing just one error in 17 attacks. Serving as the team's setter for the majority of the tournament, Young dished-out 103 assists at a rate of 10.30 per set. The native of Costa Mesa, Calif. also took it upon herself to record a few kills, collecting 12 on 18 attacks with no errors for a .667 hitting percentage. On the defensive side of the ball, Young recorded 15 digs and one block assist. Her lone ace in the tournament resulted in the final point of the Championship Match, handing LMU the title.

GET OFF ON THE RIGHT PAW...
History repeated itself in a big way this year, as LMU defeated Grambling State in the season-opener, sweeping the Tigers in three sets. The Lions have now won 12 of their last 13 season-openers, with the only loss coming in 2007 to St. John's. Over that span, LMU has recorded seven sweeps and won by a count of 3-1 on four occasions.

LIONS IN THE PRESEASON POLL...
According to the 2009 Coaches Preseason Poll, the LMU volleyball team is picked to finish sixth this year in the competitive West Coast Conference. San Diego, which has won four of the last five WCC Championships, was a unanimous selection to finish first once again in the WCC, earning seven of the eight first-place votes (a team cannot vote for itself) to earn 49 points. Saint Mary's, picked to finish third, received the only other first-place vote, falling just one point short of second-place Pepperdine in the preseason poll, collecting 37 to the Waves' 38. Santa Clara was right in the thick of things as well, claiming 35 points and the fourth spot on the list. San Francisco (24 points) and LMU (21 points) hold the fifth and sixth spots, respectively, while Gonzaga and Portland each earned 10 points to share seventh overall.

THE STATS ON STRAT...
Steve Stratos has led the Lions to 18 winning seasons in his 19-year tenure at the helm of the program. In his time at LMU, Stratos has led the Lions to nine 20-win seasons and 11 postseason appearances. He has posted a career record of 381-200, the most victories in LMU volleyball history and second-most among current WCC coaches. His .656 winning percentage entering the year placed him in the top-50 (47th) among active Division I coaches, while his 372 victories placed him 48th among the same group. In conference play, he owns a record of 173-93, good for a .650 winning percentage. With 173 career conference victories, Stratos again ranks second among active coaches in the WCC. 

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: Big West Conference

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College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: Big West Conference

Player of the week

Rebecca Saraceno - UC Santa Barbara

Sr. • 6-2 • OH

Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union HS

For the second time this season, Rebecca Saraceno

earned Big West Player of the Week honors after guiding

UC Santa Barbara to a 3-0 week, which included a 2-0

mark to open conference play.

The Redondo Beach, Calif., native opened the week

with a 14-kill, 18-dig performance in the Gauchos’ 3-0

victory over Loyola Marymount. A few days later she

began conference play with her second double-double

of the week, tallying 12 kills and 11 digs in the sweep

over UC Riverside.

Saraceno saved her best performance for last, notching

a career-high 29 kills to lift UC Santa Barbara to a 3-2

win over No. 21 UC Irvine. Her 29 kills tied for third

all-time in school history under the rally-scoring format.

Saraceno’s most impressive effort came in the third set

of the Gauchos-Anteaters showdown. Down 2-0 and

19-11 in the third set, Saraceno tallied nine kills in the

match-changing third set and then six more in the decisive

fifth set as UCSB made one of its best comebacks

in school history.

For the week, the 6-2 outside hitter averaged five kills

and 4 digs per set. UC Santa Barbara is now 11-2, its

best start since the 2002 season and Saraceno has

eight double-doubles this season.

Others nominated: Naomi Washington (Long Beach

State), Allison Whitson (UC Davis), Taryn Robertson

(UC Irvine)

Date Player Team Year

Aug. 31 Kari Pestolesi* UCI Jr.

Sept. 7 Rebecca Saraceno UCSB Sr.

Sept. 14 Naomi Washington LBSU Sr.

Sept. 21 Erin Saddler CSF Jr.

Sept. 28 Rebecca Saraceno UCSB Sr.

Oct. 5

Oct. 12

Oct. 19

Oct. 26

Nov. 2

Nov. 9

Nov. 16

Nov. 23

Nov. 30

* AVCA National Player of the Week

2009 Players of the week

2009 Big West Women’s Volleyball

Big West In The Top 25

Long Beach grabbed the 22nd spot in the most recent

edition of the AVCA Top 25 poll to lead the Big West

Conference. After going 1-1 in the opening weekend of

conference play, UC Irvine slipped three spots to hold the

24th slot. Just missing out of its first Top 25 ranking of the

season is UC Santa Barbara, who tallied a 3-0 week and

captured its third win over a ranked opponent this season.

Off To A Good Start

Both UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara opened Big West

Conference play with a pair of wins last weekend to sit atop

the standings with a 2-0 record.

The last time UC Davis opened 2-0 in conference was

1996, when the Aggies beat Chico State and Cal State

Hayward (now known as Cal State East Bay) to start out

2-0 in the Northern California Athletic Conference.

The 2-0 conference mark improves UCSB’s record to 11-2

and extended the Gauchos’ win streak to six. It is UCSB’s

best start to a season since opening the 2002 season with

23 straight wins. The six straight victories is UCSB’s longest

winning streak since capturing its final eight regularseason

matches at the end of the 2005 season.

UC Davis Opens Conference Play

With A Bang

Aside from the 2-0 league record, the Aggies also demonstrated

they are a team to be reckoned with after defeating

Pacific, 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 25-16, in its first conference

match of the 2009 season. The win marks the first time in

13 tries UC Davis has defeated Pacific, a series that dates

back to the program’s AIAW days in the 1970’s.

UCSB’s Record Setting Performers

In UC Santa Barbara’s match against then-No. 21 UC Irvine,

Leah Sully finished with seven service aces, setting a school

record under the rally scoring format (since 2001). Sully’s

seven aces are the most by a player at UCSB since Maria

Reyes had that many in a match vs. Cal State Fullerton in

1990. Rebecca Saraceno’s career and game-high 29 kills

tied for third-most in UCSB school history (rally scoring).

Fullerton’s Zimmerman Goes For

100th Career Win

Current head coach Carolyn Zimmerman, the all-time winningest

coach in Cal State Fullerton history, and her Titan

volleyball team own a 9-5 record. The nine wins bumps

Zimmerman’s career win total to 99, one shy of the 100-win

milestone. She will get an opportunity to notch her 100th

victory this weekend when the Titans host conference foes

Cal Poly (10/2) and UC Santa Barbara (10/3). Currently

in her eighth year at the helm of the Cal State Fullerton

program, Zimmerman has guided the Titans to a .500-orbetter

overall record four of the last five seasons.

Welcome Home Party For

UC Riverside

After closing out an 11-match season-opening road trip,

the UC Riverside Highlanders play their first contest at

the Student Recreation Center Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m.

when they entertain UC Davis. The Highlanders follow that

up with a showdown with the Pacific Tigers Saturday at

7:00 p.m.

Non Conference Teams

America East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-0

Atlantic Coast . 0-0

Atlantic10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Big East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Big Sky . . . . 9-2

Big South . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0

Big Ten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-0

Big 12 . . . . . . . . . . . 0-4

Colonial Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-0

Conference USA . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Horizon . . . . 1-0

Independents . . . . . . . . . . 0-0

IVY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0

Metro Atlantic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0

Mid-American . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-0

Mid-Eastern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0

Missouri Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Mountain West . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0

Ohio Valley . . . . . . . . 1-0

Pac-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Patriot . . . . 0-1

Southeastern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Southern . . . . . . . 1-0

Southland . 3-0

Southwestern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0

Summit . . . . . . . . 0-0

Sun Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-0

West Coast . . . . . . . 9-9

Western Athletic . . . . . . . 11-1

Non-Division I . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-0

Reclassifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Total . 63-42

Big West vs.Top 25 Teams 

Cal Poly................................................................... 0-4

Cal State Fullerton................................................... 1-1

Cal State Northridge................................................ 0-0

Long Beach State.................................................... 1-2

UC Davis................................................................. 0-0

UC Irvine.................................................................. 1-2

UC Riverside........................................................... 0-2

UC Santa Barbara................................................... 3-0

Pacific...................................................................... 0-1

Total...................................................................... 6-12

Around The Big West

Gauchos Lead The Way Offensively

UC Santa Barbara paces the Big West in three offensive

categories - hitting percentage, kills and assists. Led by

Stacey Schmidt’s league-best .424 hitting percentage, the

Gauchos squad has combined for an impressive .276 clip,

which ranks 14th nationally. They also average 14.43 kills

and 13.29 assists per game. Individually, Dana Vargas

paces the Big West with 11.55 assists per set, while senior

Rebecca Saraceno sits second in the league with a 4.41

kill average.

On The Road Again

Following a five-match homestand, that included the Mission

Inn of Pismo Beach Invitational at Mott Gym, Cal Poly

packs its bags for its second extended road trip of the

season. The Mustangs opened the 2009 season with a

10-match trek through Colorado and Utah. Cal Poly opens

its road trip Friday, Oct. 2 at Cal State Fullerton.

Friday evening UC Irvine gets its first opportunity in nine

contests to play in front of its home fans at Crawford Court.

The Anteaters host the Pacific Tigers in their first home

conference match of the season.

Home Court Advantage

As we enter the second week of conference play, three

teams still have a perfect home record intact. UC Santa

Barbara leads the way with a 4-0 record. The Gauchos

are followed by UC Irvine (3-0) and UC Davis (2-0). Of the

trio, the Anteaters are the only team to put their unblemished

record on the line this week. UC Riverside’s home

record remains to be seen, as the Highlanders play their

first home match of the season this week.

Flawless Against The Best

UC Santa Barbara is a perfect 3-0 against nationally-ranked

opponents. Back on Sept. 4 & 5, the Gauchos traveled to

the Jenny Craig Pavilion and upset then-ranked No. 15 San

Diego twice. And just last week, UC Santa Barbara notched

its third win over a Top 25 team when they downed conference

foe No. 21 UC Irvine, 3-2. This week the Gauchos

play their fourth ranked opponent when they visit The Walter

Pyramid to battle the 22nd-ranked Long Beach State 49ers.

Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.

A Break From The Norm

After just one week of conference play, Cal State Northridge

is already taking a break from Big West competition this

week to battle Cal State Bakersfield in nonconference action.

The Matadors and Roadrunners square off Wednesday,

Sept. 30 at 7:00 p.m. on the campus of CSUB.

49ers Return To The Court As

Conference Favorite

The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team was selected

to win its second straight, 10th overall, Big West

Championship after receiving four first-place votes and 75

total points, according to the conference coaches in the

annual Big West women’s volleyball preseason coaches

poll. The 49ers, looking to secure a 23rd consecutive trip

to the NCAA Tournament in 2009, enter the season as defending

Big West champions after capturing their ninth title

a season

2009 Standings

Conference Overall

W L Pct. W L Pct. Hm Rd Neut.

UC Santa Barbara 2 0 1.000 11 2 .846 4-0 3-1 4-1

UC Davis 2 0 1.000 11 5 .688 2-0 1-4 8-1

Long Beach State 1 0 1.000 8 3 .727 3-2 2-0 3-1

Pacific 1 1 .500 11 2 .846 5-1 2-1 4-0

UC Irvine 1 1 .500 11 3 .786 3-0 3-3 5-0

Cal Poly 1 1 .500 5 10 .333 3-2 1-4 1-4

Cal State Fullerton 0 1 .000 9 5 .643 6-1 0-3 3-1

Cal State Northridge 0 2 .000 4 10 .286 1-1 1-6 2-3

UC Riverside 0 2 .000 1 10 .090 0-0 1-4 0-6

This Week’s Schedule

Wednesday, September 30

Cal State Northridge at Cal State Bakersfield 7 pm

Friday, October 2

Cal Poly at Cal State Fullerton* 7 pm

Pacific at No. 24 UC Irvine* 7 pm

UC Santa Barbara at No. 22 Long Beach State* 7 pm

UC Davis at UC Riverside* 7:30 pm

Saturday, October 3

Cal Poly at No. 22 Long Beach State* 7 pm

Pacific at UC Riverside* 7 pm

UC Davis at No. 24 UC Irvine* 7 pm

UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Fullerton* 7 pm

Big West teams in bold

All times Pacific

Last Week’s Results

Week 6: Monday, Sept. 28, 2009

Tuesday, September 22

UC Santa Barbara def. Loyola Marymount, 3-0

Wednesday, September 23

San Diego State def. Cal State Fullerton, 3-2

Thursday, September 24

UC Davis def. Pacific*, 3-1

Friday, September 25

UC Davis def. Cal State Northridge*, 3-0

No. 21 UC Irvine def. Cal Poly*, 3-0

UC Santa Barbara def. UC Riverside*, 3-0

Saturday, September 26

Pacific def. Cal State Northridge*, 3-0

No. 25 Long Beach State def. Cal State Fullerton*, 3-0

UC Santa Barbara def. No. 21 UC Irvine*, 3-2

Cal Poly def. UC Riverside*, 3-0

Big West teams in bold

schedule

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College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: University of New Mexico

Up Next - Lobo Volleyball

Matches 15-16

vs. San Diego State • October 1 • 7 p.m. (MT)

Youth/Jersey Night • Jam Johnson Night

vs. Air Force • october 3 • 1 p.m. (MT)

Johnson Center • Albuquerque, N.M.

This Week:  The Lobos (9-5, 1-2 MWC) return home for two Mountain West Conference matches.  UNM hosts San Diego State on Thursday, Oct. 1, followed by Air Force in a Saturday matinee on Oct. 3.

**Thursday night is Youth/Jersey Night and Jam Johnson Night.  Admission is $2 and kids are encouraged to wear their team jerseys.  Route 66 Casino Hotel is the match sponsor.

If You Can’t Make It To Johnson Center:  Lobo fans can follow along with Game Tracker and All Access/Lobo TV on GoLobos.com.  Junior nursing student Jessica Montoya will call the action on All Access/Lobo TV.

Next Week:  The Lobos head out on the road to play BYU (Oct. 8) and Utah (Oct. 10). Fans can follow GameTracker links on the GoLobos.com front page Events schedule and the Schedule link at the top of the Lobo Volleyball GoLobos.com page.  UNM volleyball media relations director Judy Willson will Twitter during road matches - follow along at http://twitter.com/jwillson10.

QUICK HITS

• Lobos Among Tops In Attendance ... New Mexico is currently ranked 22nd in the nation with an attendance average of 1,410 fans this season.  It is the first time since 1996 that the Lobos started the season with over 1,000 fans at the first seven matches of the season.  The 1996 team started the season with seven consecutive matches over 1,000.  The Lobos’ season-high so far in 2009 is 1,911 vs. Baylor on Sept. 11.  MWC member Colorado State is ranked 14th overall with an average of 1,987 fans per match. New Mexico finished the 2008 season ranked 20th in the national attendance rankings.

• Spreading The Offense ... Lobo fans were used to seeing 2008 All-American Jeanne Fairchild pick up close to five kills per set.  Now UNM is spreading the offense around.  Five Lobos are averaging over 2.00 kills per set in 2009.  Junior Taylor Hadfield leads the way at 2.50, followed by junior Lisa Meeter at 2.47 and senior Rose Morris at 2.41.  Senior Anna Lehne is at 2.21 per set with a .304 attack percentage.  Sophomore Ashley Rhoades leads the team with a .305 attack percentage, while getting 2.05 kps.

About New Mexico (9-5, 1-2 MWC) ... The Lobos picked up their first MWC win of the season at Wyoming on Sept. 26 (3-1) ... Junior Taylor Hadfield leads the team with 2.50 kills and 2.99 points per set, one of five players with 2.00 or more kps on the season.  Junior Jade Michaelsen leads UNM in assists with 9.82 per set.  Sophomore Amy Wong and Meeter are 1-2 in service aces with 16 and 15 each.  On defense, sophomore Allison Buck leads the MWC with a 4.13 average, while sophomore Ashley Rhoades leads UNM in blocking with 1.00 per set ... UNM placed third at the Arizona Invitational.  Jade Michaelsen was named to the all-tournament team ... UNM finishes second at the 2009 Comcast Lobo Challenge to now-No. 24 Baylor.  Jade Michaelsen and Rose Morris were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 Nike Portland Invitational with wins over American and Portland.  Jade Michaelsen was named MVP of the tournament, while Lisa Meeter and Allison 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.  Anna 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 San Diego State (6-7, 1-2 MWC; SDSU leads the series, 27-15) ... The Aztecs, under the direction of first-year head coach Deitre Collins-Parker, is led by junior middle blocker Lauren Salisbury.  Salisbury, a preseason all-conference selection, averages 2.50 kills, 3.01 points and 0.98 blocks per set and a .333 attack percentage.

About Air Force (8-7, 0-3 MWC; UNM leads the series, 21-3) ... The Falcons, under the direction of 14th-year head coach Penny Lucas-White, will play TCU before coming to Albuquerque on Saturday.  Carolina Kurtz leads AFA with 3.09 kills per set.  Air Force has played every match this season on the road, except for one - Sept. 24 vs. UNLV.

Injury update ... Lobo senior outside hitter Rose Morris will be out one more week with a finger injury suffered in the Pitt match on Sept. 12.  Morris suffered the injury on a block in the fourth set with the score tied at 22-22.

Current RPI rankings ... RichKern.com releases its RPI rankings on Monday nights.  The unofficial RPI rankings, that are close to the NCAA’s system, has the Lobos ranked 27 and the Lobos’ Pablo ranking is 41.  The Lobos ended the 2008 season ranked 66th in the NCAA RPI report.

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News, Rankings, Quotes and Schedule: UT Arlington

September 29, 2009

 

ARLINGTON, Texas -

 

FIRST SERVE

UT Arlington hits the road this week for a pair of Southland Conference road matches. The Mavs start a three-match road swing on Friday taking on Lamar and will then battle Sam Houston State on Saturday, Oct. 3. UTA has opened SLC play with a 2-0 mark and has won four of its last five matches. UTA completed its seven-match homestand with a 4-3 record.

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

- - - LAMAR

Friday will be the 76th all-time meeting between UT Arlington and Lamar. The Mavericks lead the all-time series 48-25-2, and hold a 9-8 lead in the series in matches played in Beaumont. Lamar has won five of the last six matchups. Prior to the Cardinals recent success, UTA won 19 of 22 matches from 1985-2004. The Mavs last win in Beaumont came on Sept. 25, 2004 (3-1).

 

- - - SAM HOUSTON STATE

Saturday marks 62nd all-time meeting between the Mavericks and Bearkats. UTA leads the all-time series 45-16, and owns a 13-7 record over Sam Houston State in Huntsville. Sam Houston State swept the conference series last season with a four-set win in Arlington and a three-set sweep in Huntsville. The Mavericks have won six of the last nine meetings, despite the Bearkats holding a 3-2 record in the last five matches played in Huntsville.

 

TAKING A LOOK BACK

UT Arlington opened its SLC slate with back-to-back wins over UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Mavericks used 63 kills, 60 assists and 16.5 team blocks to knock off UTSA. Then, after trailing 2-1, UT Arlington won the two final sets over the Islanders with Tara Frantz, Bianca Sauls and Amanda Aguilera all finishing with a team-high 12 kills.

 

UT ARLINGTON STARTS CONFERENCE PLAY WITH 2-0 RECORD

UT Arlington started the Southland Conference season with a 2-0 record with wins over UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. It marked the first time the Mavs have started conference 2-0 since 2007 and it is the 10th time they have gotten off to a 2-0 start since 1990. With a win on Friday they would become the 17th UTA team to start the season 3-0 and with two wins this weekend they would be the 15th UTA team to start conference 4-0. Only three Maverick squads have started 3-0, and only two teams have went 4-0 to start the SLC season since 2000.

 

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE

UT Arlington started the season 2-5 with four matches on a neutral court and with three road matches.  Despite two straight losses to open play at home, the Mavericks rebounded with four wins over their last five matches. The Mavs finished their seven-match homestand with a 4-3 record with wins over Arkansas State, Texas Southern, UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

 

MAVS PUT UP ROAD “BLOCK” ON UTSA & CORPUS CHRISTI

The Mavericks recorded a season-high 16.5 team blocks in four sets against UTSA. It is the most blocks by a Southland Conference team this season. UTA followed with 14.5 team blocks against A&M-Corpus Christi. It is the first time UT Arlington has recorded at least 14 blocks in back-to-back matches since the 2005 season. The Mavs put up 15 blocks against UTSA (Oct. 21, 2005) in a four-set victory and then tallied 14 blocks against Texas State (Oct. 22, 2005) in a four-set loss. Both matches in 2005 were also played at Texas Hall. The Mavs’ 16.5 team blocks is the most by a UTA team since posting 17.0 blocks on the road against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a five-set win on Oct. 12, 2007.

 

WELCOME BACK AMANDA AGUILERA

Amanda Aguilera made her return to the outside hitter position in the third set against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. She finished the match with a double-double (12 kills, 11 digs) and finished off the Islanders with 10 kills (seven in the fourth set) in the final two sets. Aguilera had been sidelined since the start of the season and was only able to play the back row after undergoing an elbow surgery in the off-season. Aguilera led the SLC with 10 double-doubles during league play and was a first team All-SLC selection last season as a freshman.

 

FIRST TIME SINCE NOVEMBER 4, 2005...

It had been 111 matches since a UTA team had recorded at least 60 kills, 60 assists and 15 total blocks in a single match. In the Mavs’ four-set win over UTSA, UT Arlington recorded 63 kills, 60 assists and 16.5 team blocks. The last time this occurred was at Texas Hall on Nov. 4, 2005, when UTA lost to Louisiana-Monroe in five sets and the Mavs had 81 kills, 71 assists and 16.0 team blocks in five sets. No Maverick squad has accomplished this feat in four sets since 2004.

 

SHORTEST MATCH IN OVER SEVEN SEASONS

UT Arlington defeated Texas Southern in a brief 53 minutes on Saturday with a 25-7, 25-14, 25-18 victory, marking the quickest match (minutes) the Mavericks have played in since defeating St. Francis (NY) University in 1 hour, 2 minutes on Sept. 16, 2006 at the Oral Roberts Invitational. The match also marked the first-ever meeting between UT Arlington and Texas Southern.

 

LOWEST OPPONENT POINT TOTAL IN A SET SINCE... ST FRANCIS - SEPT. 16, 2006

UTA held Texas Southern to just seven points in the first set which matched the lowest point total for a Mavericks’ opponent in a set (beside a fifth set) since rally scoring began in 2001. The last time a team scored seven points against UTA was St. Francis (9/16/06).

 

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