Volleyball Voices

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Samford University DIG PINK Match

Volleyball To Host Dig Pink Match On Oct. 18

--- Bulldogs launch campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness with Dig Pink ---

 

Oct. 1, 2009

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University volleyball team will host its Dig Pink match against College of Charleston on Oct. 18 at 2 p.m., as a part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

 

Dig Pink is a Breast Cancer Awareness Rally being held during October to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer. Hundreds, and potentially thousands, of high school and college volleyball teams across the nation have joined with the Side-Out Foundation to help educate and raise funds to eradicate the terrible disease of breast cancer. Proceeds go towards doing something significant and identifiable in the fight against breast cancer. The cause is chosen by the team. 

 

“This cause is very important to our team since breast cancer has affected someone we all know in one way or another,” Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. “This year we are honoring a very special person and we want to raise as much as we can to support this cause.”

 

Samford has set a fundraising goal of $500, but hopes to surpass that in order to better help the Side-Out Foundation reach its goal of $700,000. So far, the organization has raised $51,627.31 while 633 high school and college teams have joined in the effort to fight breast cancer.

 

The Bulldog volleyball team will be taking donations throughout the month of October at all of its home matches, including Oct. 4 against Davidson, Oct. 17 against Citadel and finally on Oct. 18 against College of Charleston. The team has also set up a Fundraising Page on the Side-Out Foundation’s website, www.side-out.org. Fans can go there and donate online.

 

*** SAMFORD BULLDOGS ***

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Indiana Hoosiers vs. #8 Minnesota Golden Gophers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Coming off back-to-back wins over teams ranked in the nation's top-30, IU Volleyball (13-4, 2-1) gets little rest as the No. 8 Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-3, 2-0) come to town on Sunday for a 1 p.m. match inside University Gym. Bring your IU vs. Ohio State football ticket stub for Buy One, Get One Free Admission.

Through the first two weeks of Big Ten play, the Hoosiers will have faced no team slotted worst than No. 28 in the country and two squads ranked eighth or better. The murderers' row known as the Big Ten schedule doesn't get any easy next weekend either as the Hoosiers travel to Champaign, Ill., for a Friday night contest versus No. 12 Illinois.

As with all Hoosier Volleyball matches, a live audio broadcast will be available atwww.IUHoosiers.com free of charge. Jeremy Gray is set to handle the play-by-play duties for the Minnesota match.

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin, Iowa

Buckeyes Host Wisconsin and Iowa in Big Ten Conference Play

09/30/2009

Related:    Ohio State Release COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State (13-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) women's volleyball team begins a three-match home stand this weekend by hosting Wisconsin (5-6, 0-2) and Iowa (9-5, 1-1). The Buckeyes face the Badgers Friday and the Hawkeyes Saturday in 7 p.m. ET matches in St. John Arena. Last week, Ohio State fell, 3-1, at 15th-ranked Illinois and defeated Northwestern, 3-0. A LOOK AT OHIO STATE Geoff Carlston is the head coach of the Buckeyes. Ohio State is 13-2 overall and is 1-1 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes opened Big Ten play with a 3-1 (25-17, 19-25, 25-23, 25-17) loss at 15th-ranked Illinois and won at Northwestern, 3-0 (25-13, 27-25, 25-21). Katie Dull has a team-high 4.58 points and 3.81 kills per set average. Kristen Dozier ranks second in points (3.19) and kills (2.62) per set. Dozier is hitting a team-high .352 with Emily Danks second at .338. At setter, Amanda Peterson is averaging 9.91 assists per set with Betsy Hone at 8.27. Peterson has a team-high .53 aces per set with 24. Danks ranks second at .43 with 23. Defensively, Chelsea Noble leads the squad with a 3.85 digs per set average. Dull ranks second at 2.21. At the net, Dozier has a .87 blocks per set average to lead the team. She has eight solos and 38 assists. Danks ranks second at .65 with three solos and 32 assists. Ohio State is hitting .289 and is averaging 17.31 points, 13.74 kills and 12.17 assists per set. The Buckeyes average 1.91 aces, 13.17 digs and 2.17 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .139 and average 12.10 points, 9.63 kills and 8.89 assists per set. Buckeye opponents average 0.94 aces, 11.54 digs and 1.53 blocks per set. A LOOK AT WISCONSIN Pete Waite is the head coach for the Badgers. Wisconsin is 5-6 overall and is 0-2 in the Big Ten. Last week the Badgers lost at home to Iowa, 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 25-18) and fell at ninth-ranked Minnesota, 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 26-24). Brittney Dolgner leads the team in points per set at 3.60. Ranking second is Kirby Toon at 2.88. Dolgner has a team-high 3.23 kills per set average with Toon second at 2.47. Kelsey Maloney has a team-high .352 attack percentage with Elle Ohlander second at .252. At setter, Janelle Gabrielsen is averaging 9.29 assists per set. Leading the squad in aces per set at .34 isCaity DuPont with 11 aces. Ohlander ranks second at .20 with seven. Defensively, Kim Kuzma has a team-high 3.88 digs per set average with Dolgner second at 2.83. At the net, Maloney averages a team-leading .86 blocks per set. She has one solo and 24 assist blocks. Ohlander ranks second at .66 with four solos and 19 assists. Wisconsin is hitting .188 and averages 15.91 points, 13.17 kills and 12.22 assists per set. The Badgers average .98 aces, 13.46 digs and 1.77 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .209 and average 16.22 points, 11.83 kills and 11.12 assists per set. Badger opponents average 1.24 aces, 12.46 digs and 3.15 blocks per set. WISCONSIN-OHIO STATE SERIES  Wisconsin has a 30-28 lead in the series with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 14-12 in Columbus while the Badgers are 16-12 in Madison. The squads are 2-2 in neutral site matches. Wisconsin has won the last five matches against Ohio State. Last season, the Badgers won, 3-0 (28-26, 25-16, 25-17) in Madison and 3-1 (25-23, 13-25, 25-19, 26-24) in Columbus. A LOOK AT IOWA Sharon Dingman is the head coach for the Hawkeyes. Iowa is 9-5 overall and has a 1-1 record in the Big Ten. Last week, the Hawkeyes won 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 25-18 at Wisconsin and lost, 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-18) at ninth-ranked Minnesota. The team-leader in points per set is Megan Schipper at 5.61. Aimee Huffman ranks second at 3.12. Schipper has a team-high 3.45 kills per set with Huffman second at 2.63. Leading the squad in attack percentage at .283 is Becky Walters with Katie Kennedy second at .274. At setter, Mara Hilgenberg has a 10.10 assists per set average. Schipper is the team leaders in aces per set at .39 with 19. Walters ranks second at .26 with nine. Defensively, Christina Meister has a team-high 4.65 digs per set average with Huffman second at 2.35. At the net, Walters leads the team with a 1.24 blocks per set average. She has nine solos and 33 assist blocks. Ranking second is Huffman at .86 with four solos and 38 assists. Iowa is hitting .210 and averages 16.41 points, 12.94 kills and 12.10 assists per set. The Hawkeyes average 1.12 aces, 16.80 digs and 2.35 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .162 and average 14.73 points, 12.29 kills and 11.49 assists per set. Hawkeye opponents average 1.08 aces, 15.92 digs and 1.37 blocks per set. IOWA-OHIO STATE SERIES  The Buckeyes have a 48-9 lead in the series with Iowa. In Columbus, the Buckeyes are 24-5 and they have a 21-4 mark in Iowa City. OSU is 3-0 in neutral-site matches. The Buckeyes have won 15 of the last 16 matches against the Hawkeyes. Last season, Iowa won, 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-15, 25-22) in Columbus with Ohio State winning, 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-22) in Iowa City. DULL EXTENDS DOUBLE-FIGURE KILLS STREAK TO 13 Katie Dull, with 14 kills at Illinois and 10 at Northwestern, has extended her streak of consecutive matches with double figure kills to 13. She had 17.5 points at Illinois with 14 kills, two ace serves, a solo and an assist block. Dull added six digs against the Illini. At Northwestern, she had 13.5 points with 10 kills, one ace serve, a solo block and three assist blocks. Dull added four digs against the Wildcats. A starter in all 15 matches, she leads the team in points (4.58) and kills (3.81) per set. Dull is averaging .34 aces per set with 18 and is second on the squad in digs per set at 2.21. She is averaging .64 blocks per set with a team-high 12 solos and 22 assist blocks. DOZIER LEADS OSU IN ATTACK PERCENTAGE Kristen Dozier is hitting a team-high .352 this season. In the opening weekend of Big Ten play she hit a combined .405 in the two matches to rank seventh in the conference statistics. Dozier had 17 points at Illinois with 14 kills (.375), a solo block and two assists. She recorded 11 points at Northwestern with 10 kills (.444) and a solo block. For the season, Dozier, with starts in all 15 matches, is averaging 3.19 points, 2.62 kills and a team-high .87 blocks per set with eight solos and 38 assists. DANKS POSTS HER 10TH DOUBLE-FIGURE POINTS MATCH AGAINST NORTHWESTERN Emily Danks recorded her 10th double-figure points match against Northwestern with 12.0. She had eight kills, three ace serves, two assist blocks and one dig against the Wildcats. At Illinois, Danks recorded 4.5 points with four kills, an assist block and two digs. A starter in every match this season, she is averaging 3.02 points, 2.24 kills, .65 blocks and .43 aces per set while hitting .338 for the season. BARHORST RECORDS A SEASON-HIGH SIX ASSIST BLOCKS AT NORTHWESTERN Kelli Barhorst collected a season-high six assist blocks at Northwestern last week. She had 11 points in the match, collecting eight kills (.667) and six assist blocks. Barhorst added one dig against the Wildcats. At Illinois, she had four points with three kills, two assist blocks and a dig. Barhorst has played and started in 13 matches this season. She is averaging 2.24 points, 1.69 kills, .69 blocks and .19 aces per set. She is hitting .298 for the season. SZERSZEN'S FOUR ACE SERVES LEADS THE BIG TEN Anna Szerszen leads the Big Ten (conference only statistics) in aces per set with a .57 average. She recorded two ace serves in the matches against Illinois and Northwestern. Szerszen recorded eight points at Illinois. She had five kills, two ace serves, a solo block and four digs against the Illini. At Northwestern, Szerszen had five points with three kills and two aces. For the season, she has played in all 15 matches and is averaging 2.04 points, 1.66 kills, .21 aces and .26 blocks per set. HONE GETS THE START AT SETTER AT NORTHWESTERN Betsy Hone started at setter against Northwestern and helped the Buckeyes to their first Big Ten Conference victory. She had a season-high 39 assists, adding one kill and an assist block. Hone played in one set at Illinois with no statistics. She has played in six matches this season and is averaging 8.27 assists and 2.09 digs per set. NOBLE RANKS SECOND IN DIGS PER SET IN CONFERENCE PLAY Chelsea Noble has a 4.71 digs per set average in Big Ten Conference matches and ranks second in the league. She had a match-high 19 digs at Illinois adding one assist and an ace serve. Noble handled 51 of 53 serve reception attempts against the Illini. At Northwestern, she recorded 14 digs and added one assist. Noble had 20 serve reception attempts without an error. A starter at libero in all 15 matches, she leads the team in digs per set with a 3.85 average. Noble has 11 aces on the season and has a .953 serve reception percentage handling 445 of 467 attempts. HUGHES COMES OFF THE BENCH AT ILLINOIS Ashley Hughes played in three sets off the bench at Illinois last week. She had a season-high 23 assists against the Illini adding four digs, two block assists and a kill. Hughes has played in four matches this season with one start. She is averaging 5.67 assists, 1.00 digs and .33 blocks per set. HALVERSON STARTS AT DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST Susan Halverson has started all 15 matches this season as a defensive specialist. She is averaging 1.74 digs per set and has a .952 serve reception percentage handling 138 of 145 attempts. At Illinois, Halverson had eight digs and handled seven reception attempts without an error. Against Northwestern, she had nine digs and handled 13 of 14 reception attempts. SCHWARZWALDER SEES ACTION OFF THE BENCH Allie Schwarzwalder played in one set in each match last weekend. At Illinois, she had two kills and hit .250. Against Northwestern, she produced six kills and one dig while hitting .500. Schwarzwalder has played in nine matches this season and is averaging 1.18 points and kills per set. BOWLER PROVIDING DEFENSIVE SUPPORT  Kelsey Bowler has seen action in 14 matches this season as a defensive specialist. She had seven digs at Illinois and handled 14 of 15 serve reception attempts. At Northwestern, Bowler had two digs and handled 18 reception attempts without an error. Bowling is averaging 1.09 digs per set for the season and has a .930 serve reception percentage handling 80 of 86 attempts. OHIO STATE IN THE BIG TEN STATISTICS In Big Ten Conference only statistics, Katie Dull ranks sixth in points per set at 4.43 with Kristen Dozier tied for ninth at 4.00. Dull and Dozier are tied for ninth in kills per set at 3.43. In attack percentage, Dozier ranks seventh at .405. At setter, Betsy Hone ranks seventh in assists per set at 9.75. Anna Szerszen leads the Big Ten in aces per set at .57. Dull and Emily Danks are tied for seventh in aces at .43. In blocking, Kelli Barhorst ranks ninth in blocks per set at 1.14. Chelsea Noble, with a 4.71 digs per set average, ranks second. In team statistics, the Buckeyes rank second in aces per set at 1.71. OSU is tied for sixth in kills at 13.00 and is sixth in digs at 12.86 per set. Ohio State ranks seventh in attack percentage at .211, is seventh in assists at 12.00 and is eighth in blocks at 2.14. The Buckeyes rank fifth in opponent attack percentage at .209. In Big Ten statistics for all matches, Katie Dull ranks fourth in points per set at 4.58, fifth in kills at 3.81 and is ninth in aces at .34. Amanda Peterson, in aces per set, ranks fourth at .53 and is eighth in assists at 9.91 per set. Emily Danks ranks fifth in aces per set at .43 while Chelsea Noble is eighth in digs per set at 3.85. In all matches, Ohio State ranks first in aces per set at 1.91 and is third in attack percentage at .288. The Buckeyes are eighth in kills (13.24) and digs (13.17) and ninth in assists (12.17) and blocks (2.17) per set. OSU ranks third in opponent attack percentage at .139. OHIO STATE IN THE NCAA STATISTICS In the current NCAA statistics, Katie Dull ranks 38th in points (4.58) and 63rd in kills (3.81) per set. Amanda Peterson is ranked 17th in aces per set at .53 with Emily Danks 63rd at .43 and Dull, 204th at .34. Peterson ranks 92nd in assist per set at 9.91. In digs per set, Chelsea Noble ranks 173rd at 3.85.Kristen Dozier ranks 82nd in attack percentage at .352. Danks is 109th at .338 and Kelli Barhorst is 219th at .298. In team statistics, Ohio State ranks eighth nationally in attack percentage at .288. The Buckeyes are 17th in aces per set at 1.91. OSU ranks 61st in kills (13.24), 66th in assists (12.17), 93rd in blocks (2.17) and 225th in digs (13.17) per set. EMILY DANKS NAMED BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (Sept. 21) Ohio State's outside hitter Emily Danks (Round Rock, Texas) has been named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week (with Purdue's Ariel Turner). Danks was named to the all-tournament team at the Sports Imports Classic, hitting .592 and averaging 3.1 kills per set as the Buckeyes went 3-0 over the weekend with wins against Bowling Green (25-19, 25-20, 25-13), Cleveland State (24-26, 25-20, 25-11, 25-15) and Xavier (27-25, 25-18, 25-6). The freshman opened the tournament by hitting a career high .714 against Bowling Green with 10 kills in 14 attempts. She also added an ace serve, an assist block and a dig. The following day against Cleveland State, she tallied 14 kills on .565 hitting with another ace and a pair of blocks (one solo, one assist) before adding on seven kills on .500 hitting with four digs and two assist blocks in the tournament finale vs. Xavier. OHIO STATE HAS THREE MATCHES ON THE BIG TEN NETWORK Ohio State will have three Big Ten matches telecast live on the Big Ten Network this season. Both Penn State matches and OSU's home match with Illinois will be broadcast. The Buckeyes host Penn State at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7 and return the trip to Penn State at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Buckeyes will host Illinois at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14 in St. John Arena in a match that will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. HEAD COACH GEOFF CARLSTON Geoff Carlston is in his second season at Ohio State. He came to Ohio State after spending five years as head coach of Ohio University where he built an outstanding program. His squads played in five NCAA tournaments, reaching regional play in 2005. At Ohio, Carlston guided the Bobcats to five-consecutive Mid American Conference championships with an overall record of 144-22. He had a MAC conference record of 78-2 and was 14-1 in the conference tournament, winning four of five.  Carlston was named the MAC Coach of the Year four times and was twice named the Mideast Region Coach of the Year. He began collegiate coaching with three years at Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) where he posted a 49-42 record. His career record is 218-86. UPCOMING SCHEDULE Ohio State completes a three-match home stand by hosting top-ranked Penn State (12-0, 2-0) at 8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 7 in a match that will be telecast live by the Big Ten Network. The Buckeye complete the week with a 6 p.m. CT match Friday at Minnesota (11-3, 2-0). ***OhioStateBuckeyes.com***

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Southern Mississippi vs. Memphis, UAB

Volleyball Golden Eagles Open Home Conference Schedule

 

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – After playing 10 straight matches on the road, the Southern Miss volleyball team finally returns to the friendly confines of Reed Green Coliseum when the Golden Eagles host a pair of C-USA matches this weekend.

 

Southern Miss enters the weekend with a 14-3 record overall and 2-1 in league play, following a split on the road with a 3-1 loss at Marshall and a 3-0 sweep of East Carolina. The Golden Eagles host Memphis Friday at 7 p.m. and will face UAB Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

Offensively, four Golden Eagles have recorded 100 or more kills on the year are led by Ashley Mell with a team-high 180. Caitlin Clark is next with 172 followed by Lauren Sears with 132 and Sarah Jane Bowden 109.

 

Defensively, the Golden Eagles are holding the opposition to a .127 attack percentage. Bowden leads the team and ranks 10th in C-USA with 0.97 blocks per set (56 TB), while Maia Ivanova paces the club with 4.21 digs per set-good for seventh in the league.  Southern Miss averages 2.10 blocks per game and 15.48 digs per set.

 

Setter Kelsey Seymour ranks fourth in C-USA with 10.13 assists per set (608 total assists). Seymour leads the league with 12 double-doubles, while Sears leads the team in hitting with a .286 percentage.

 

Memphis leads the all-time series with Southern Miss, 23-12.

 

Memphis comes into the weekend with a 2-14 overall record and 0-3 in league play. The Tigers dropped a pair of C-USA matches last weekend with a 3-0 loss to Rice and 3-1 loss to Houston.

 

Freshman Altrese Hawkins leads the Tiger offense with 147 kills and 2.67 kills per set, while sophomore middle Carolyn Baker hits a team-best .250. Junior Katlin Inglish is next on the squad with 145 kills, and senior Lauren Thompson adds 125 kills. Junior Christine Bachowns a team-high 391 assists (7.89 aps).

 

Junior Becky Shaffer leads the Memphis defense and ranks fourth in Conference USA with 245 digs (4.45 dps). Baker leads the Tigers in blocks with 45.

 

UAB owns an 8-9 record overall and 2-1 C-USA following a split in league matches last weekend with a 3-1 win over Houston and a 3-1 loss to Rice.

 

Sam Serley leads UAB in kills with a time-high 190, followed closely by Andrea Lalic with 184. Two other Blazers have recorded over 100 kills in Savannah Pegg (132) and Jordan McDonald (102).

 

The Blazers have three players who rank in the top 10 in the league in blocking, Michelle Uzoh (1.17, 1st), Patty Paniagua (1.02, 6th) and Serley (1.00, 7th). As a team, UAB ranks second in the conference with 2.27 blocks per set.

 

UAB leads 20-15 in the all-time series with Southern Miss.

 

Following the weekend, the Golden Eagles hit the road again for a match at Tulane (Oct. 7) and UTEP Oct. 11.

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: #15 Kentucky vs. #5 Florida

October 1, 2009

 

No. 15 UK Set for Showdown with No. 5 Florida

Remaining unbeatens go head-to-head in Gainesville

 

LEXINGTON, Ky.  – The 15^th-ranked Kentucky volleyball team travels to Gainesville, Fla., for an early-season conference clash with the fifth-ranked Florida Gators Friday, in the Stephen F. O’Connell Center beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

 

Both squads enter the match-up with a single non-conference blemish to their records. Kentucky (13-1, 3-0) dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to intrastate rival Louisville, while Florida (10-1, 4-0) fell at the hands of No. 4 Washington in three sets. Since those losses both teams have dominated Southeastern Conference action with neither team dropping a set in a combined 7-0 effort.

 

UK senior libero BriAnne Sauer has been a force from the back row during conference action. Sauer has posted 16 or more digs in all three of Kentucky’s SEC matches, including 20 against Arkansas. For her efforts this weekend in UK’s two victories, Sauer was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 6.00 scoops a set.

 

The Wildcat offense has continued to soar as it averages nearly 15 kills per set which ranks third in the nation. Five Wildcats average over 2.00 kills per stanza led by junior Sarah Mendoza’s 4.18 put-downs per frame. Reigning SEC Player of the Year, Sarah Rumely, is the director of the Blue and White’s offense which ranks seventh in the nation behind a .292 hitting percentage. Rumely averages 11.82 assists per stanza which is rated as the seventh best total in the country.

 

Two Gators Colleen Ward and Kristy Jaeckel, average over three kills per set. The Gator offense runs through the hands of Kelly Murphy who has already tallied two triple-doubles on the year from her setter/right side position. Defensively, Elyse Cusack has been a steady force for the Gators in the back row as the senior libero tallies a league-leading 4.24 digs per set.

 

A season-ago the two teams split five-set thrillers with Florida claiming a win in Gainesville and Kentucky taking the win at home in Memorial Coliseum. Prior to UK’s victory last season, Florida had captured 38 straight matches from the Blue and White. Kentucky has not won in Gainesville since Oct. 1, 1989, nearly 20 years to the day of Friday night’s match.

 

Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date news, highlights and features from the Kentucky volleyball team.

 

‑ GO CATS ‑

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Houston vs. UTEP

EL PASO - On the schedule for the Miners this week is a trip south to Houston, Texas, for the team’s first set of Conference USA road games. After a pair of wins over SMU and Tulsa this past weekend, the Miners find themselves tied for third in league standings with a 2-1 C-USA record, 9-7 overall.

UTEP did everything but dwell following a 3-1 loss to the NM State Aggies on Tuesday night rebounding for a clean sweep of the visiting Mustangs to fully kick in the 2009 conference schedule. Senior Catherine Chavez posted her second consecutive double-double blasting 11 kills and 13 digs as the Miners defeated SMU with scores of 25-22, 25-23 and 25-16. Amy Sanders downed a match-high 12 kills while also tallying 13 digs for the night. Libero Jennifer Nolasco was two digs short of matching her career high notching a match-best 22 digs.

With a conference win in their pockets, the Miners returned to Memorial Gym for a Sunday afternoon meeting with Tulsa. Chavez recorded her third-straight double-double leading the Miners with 19 kills and 13 digs. The outside hitter got help from fellow seniors Irma Blanco (12 kills), Aidan Mooney (14 kills) and Sanders (13 digs). Nolasco obliterated her previous best for a career-high 32 digs. After taking the first set 25-23, UTEP came back from a 2-1 deficit to take the match with wins of 25-21 in the fourth and 15-13 in the final set.

Scouting the competition
-The Miners will have their hands full in the first of two matches in the Bayou City. Rice, 10-3 and 2-0 in conference play, received nine votes in this week’s Bison/AVCA Top 25 poll. Nationally the Owls rank seventh in assists per set (13.53), ninth in digs per set (17.76), 12th in kills per set (14.41) and their .242 hitting percentage is 55 amongst all Division I schools. In league rankings, the Owls rank first in assists, kills, digs and hitting percentage, while allowing opponents to the lowest hitting percentage of all C-USA teams.

Rice is led by middle blocker Natalie Bogan, libero Tracey Lam and setter Meredith Schamun. Bogan. Lam, a junior, is averaging a league-best 5.37 digs per set, the 12th best average amongst the nation’s defensive specialists. Schamum, also a junior, ranks 13th in the assists category posting 11.55 assists per set – also a C-USA best. Bogan, a senior, goes into Friday’s match with a .381 clip that ranks 33rd in the NCAA and third in the league while posting up for 52 total blocks this season.

The last time the teams met was at the 2008 C-USA Championships in Memphis. UTEP bowed out of the conference tournament with a 3-0 loss to the Owls. The Miners were at the losing end of the spectrum against Rice in 2008 falling at home, 3-0, and on the road 3-1.

-Houston will host the Miners on Saturday after a Friday night match-up against Tulane. The Cougars bring their 4-13 and 1-1 C-USA record into this weekend’s competition after last week’s split on the road taking a 3-1 loss at UAB and a 3-1 win at Memphis.

Kinsey Cave leads all hitters with 230 kills and contributing 90 digs and 18 total blocks. Junior libero Amanda Carson tallies 237 digs this season with help from four other Houston players posting triple-digit digs. Freshman Tara Roenicke is the power behind the Cougar offense dishing out 580 assists through 17 matches for a 9.35 average per set.

The teams split the 2008 series with each winning at home. UTEP upended the Cougars, 3-0, on Sept. 26 at Memorial Gym and Houston returned the favor with a 3-1 win in the Bayou City.

A tale of two cities
Seven miles separates two very different worlds on the campuses of Rice and Houston. With the absence of a preseason poll, the Owls are a favorite to win the C-USA regular season title, while Houston might find itself in a rebuilding year. The Owls are better than their opponents in just about every statistical category, while Houston’s opponent’s stats look better in all but two categories.

For the first time
The Miners did a lot more than improve to 2-1 with Sunday’s win over Tulsa. For starters, UTEP…
…won two-consecutive conference matches for the first time since Oct. 2007 (UCF, Southern Miss).
…won a regular season five-set match for the first time since Sept. 16, 2006. UTEP’s last two wins in five were at C-USA championships (2006, 2008).
…registered the best start after three league matches since joining C-USA in 2005.
…had three players post five career highs.
...bettered last year’s win total.
…broke a four-year drought in the league’s weekly player awards.

The good stuff
Let’s break those career-highs down: Irma Blanco’s 12 kills and eight blocks against Tulsa were both career highs. Fellow senior Aidan Mooney matched her career-best with 14 kills and 19.5 scored points. Jennifer Nolasco’s 32 digs eclipsed her previous best of 24 recorded against Tulane on Sept. 17. Additionally, setter Patty Jarmoc matched her previous-high eight kills against the Hurricane.

Ending the drought
For her performance through the week, Nolasco was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week ending UTEP’s four-year absence in the weekly honor. Kari Stacy was the last Miner player tabbed to the weekly award on Sept. 19, 2005. Stacy picked up the award three times that season.

One step up
Setter Patty Jarmoc climbed into the top five in UTEP’s all-time career assists list during opening weekend of the 2009 season. With 2,748 career assists to date, the junior needs 95 more to tie Katie Smith’s 2,843 career assists for a fourth-place ranking.

Let’s compare
The Miners’ 2.39 blocks per set are tops amongst C-USA schools and 48th nationally. UTEP is top five in the league in three other categories ranking fourth in hitting percentage (.224) and service aces (1.49/s) and fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.176). Defensively, UTEP is best in giving up the lowest average in blocks (1.70/s) and digs (12.72/s).

Individually
Chavez has posted 19 service aces this season, for an average of .36 per set, to rank third amongst all C-USA players. Mooney’s 1.05 blocks per set (58 total) and Sanders’ 4.06 points per set are both fifth in the conference.

In conference matches only
UTEP is first in opponent hitting percentage with a league-low of .162 and second in blocks averaging 3.19 per set. Incidentally, Mooney ranks second in blocks (1.77/s), Nolasco is third in digs (5.77/s). The Miners are also third allowing just 1.92 blocks per set early in league play.

On the clock
Sanders’ 14 kills in the Miners win against Coppin State matched and surpassed Kari Stacy’s 1,218 career kills to rank second in the UTEP recordbooks. The senior entered this season with 1,086 career kills and surpassed third-ranked Cynthia Ruelas-Macias earlier this season. The currently has 1,286 and will need 226 more blasts this season to dethrone UTEP’s all-time leader Jennifer Abbruzzese (1,511).

Look who joins the party!
Senior Catherine Chavez began her senior campaign with 806 career kills. With 957 to date, Chavez entered the top-10 career leaders and is currently ranked eighth all-time. The Eastwood alum needs 43 to crack the 1,000-kill club (and in doing so will be the shortest player in school to join the elite company), 52 to tie for seventh, 70 to tie sixth and 90 to enter the top-five.

So far, Chavez is averaging 2.85 kills per set this season (3.46 in league games) and with at least 13 conference matches remaining she is well on her way to etching her name in the top five. She needs to average 2.31 per set to reach the feat, that is seven kills a match - very doable as the outside hitter has posted double-digit kills in seven of 15 matches played this season.

Wait...there’s more
Chavez has registered 91 service aces in her career, 19 this season. Fifteen more will also put her in the top-five all-time leaders in the category.

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: MAAC Conference

This Weekend in MAC Volleyball - Oct. 1-3
Thurs., Oct. 1 - Miami at Bowling Green, 7:00 PM
Miami ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Series: Miami leads 37-23. Live Stats	Bowling Green ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Thurs., Oct. 1 – Western Michigan at Northern Illinois, 7:00 PM
Western Michigan ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Series: WMU leads 27-15. Live Stats	Northern Illinois ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Fri., Oct. 2 – Ball State at Central Michigan, 7:00 PM
Ball State ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Series: BSU leads 32-29. Watch Live | Live Stats	Central Michigan ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Fri., Oct. 2 – Ohio at Akron, 7:00 PM
Ohio ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Live Stats	Akron ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Fri., Oct. 2 – Toledo at Eastern Michigan, 7:00 PM
Toledo ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Series: EMU leads 42-11. Live Stats	Eastern Michigan ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Fri., Oct. 2 – Kent State at Buffalo, 7:00 PM
Kent State ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website ·	Series: Kent State leads 19-5. Live Stats	Buffalo ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Sat., Oct. 3 – Ball State at Eastern Michigan, 7:00 PM
Ball State ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Series: BSU leads 37-17. Live Stats	Eastern Michigan ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Sat., Oct. 3 – Ohio at Buffalo, 7:00 PM
Ohio ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Series: Ohio leads 21-1. Live Stats	Buffalo ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Sat., Oct. 3 – Bowling Green at Western Michigan, 7:00 PM
Bowling Green ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Series: WMU leads 32-17-1. Watch Live | Live Stats	Western Michigan ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Sat., Oct. 3 – Kent State at Akron, 7:00 PM
Kent State ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Live Stats	Akron ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website ·
Sat., Oct. 3 – Miami at Northern Illinois, 7:00 PM
Miami ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Series: Miami leads 17-14. Live Stats	Northern Illinois ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website
Sat., Oct. 3 – Toledo at Central Michigan, 7:00 PM
Toledo ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·         Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website	Series: CMU leads 37-18. Watch Live | Live Stats	Central Michigan ·          Game Notes ·          Roster ·          Schedule/Results ·          Statistics ·          Volleyball Website

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Georgia State vs. Northeastern, Hofstra

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Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Georgia State vs. Northeastern, Hofstra 

Georgia State Volleyball Set for CAA Weekend

ATLANTA - The Georgia State volleyball team will face two of the
traditionally top CAA teams this weekend when Northeastern and Hofstra
make the trip to the GSU Sports Arena for a pair of matches. The
Panthers opened conference play with a win last weekend and will look to
keep that momentum going before heading on the road for eight of their
next ten matches.

Georgia State will face Northeastern (7-7, 0-1 CAA) at 5:30 p.m. on
Friday night in the first match of the weekend. Hofstra (5-11, 1-0 CAA)
will come into Atlanta for a noon match-up on Sunday.

The Panthers enter the weekend 13-3 and 1-0 in CAA play on the season,
just a half-game back of Delaware for first place. Georgia State has now
won seven in a row, its longest winning streak since opening the 2003
season 8-0. State is one of just four teams that remain undefeated in
the CAA.

Redshirt-sophomore Vineece Verdun earned CAA Offensive Player of the
Week honors on Monday after leading the Panthers to a pair of wins last
week. Verdun set career-highs in kills during both matches, scoring 15
against Kennesaw State. She followed with 16 kills and four total
blocks, along with a .667 hitting percentage against CAA-rival UNC
Wilmington.

Junior Ashley Jones scored another double-double against the Seahawks
with 14 kills and 10 assists, while adding six digs. Jones has already
scored a pair of triple-doubles this season and just missed three
others.

The Panthers continue to lead the CAA and the NCAA in service aces per
set. As a team, State is averaging 2.43 service aces per set, while
sophomores Chelsea Perry (0.61) and Muki Kangwa (0.56) rank among the
top 15 in the nation and currently stand first and second in the CAA.
Senior Jocelyn Waldern is also among the leaders, scoring 0.45 service
aces per set and ranks 41st in the nation and fifth in the CAA.

Redshirt-junior Audrey Cantrell added 16 digs and is now just 12 digs
shy of Bettina Schmidt (1991-94) for ninth on the all-time digs list.
Before the weekend is over, she should be within range of Molly Sapp
(2000-03), who finished her career with 934.

Georgia State trails Northeastern 7-1 in the all-time series and has
yet to beat Hofstra in seven match-ups, but are on the verge of the most
wins during head coach Mike Webster’s six years at State.

After this weekend, the Panthers will go on the road for eight of their
next ten matches, including seven CAA matches. State will return home on
October 16th and 18th for a pair of CAA matches against Towson and
Delaware.

 Admission to all Georgia State volleyball matches is free of charge.
Live stats and web-streaming of the match will be provided via
GeorgiaStateSports.com.

---www.GeorgiaStateSports.com---

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Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: UAB vs. UCF, Southern Mississippi

Blazer Volleyball Ready For First Full Conference Road Weekend
UAB travels for league matches at UCF, Southern Miss

Oct. 1, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB volleyball team heads back to the road this weekend for a pair of Conference USA matches. The Blazers face UCF on Friday at 6 p.m. CT at The Venue at UCF in Orlando, Fla., before heading on to play Southern Miss on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, Miss.

In its most recent action, UAB (8-9, 2-1 C-USA) split two league matches at home last weekend with a 3-1 win over Houston and a 3-1 loss to Rice.

Sam Serley has led UAB in kills in six of the past eight matches and is now tied with Andrea Lalic for the team-lead offensively with 2.88 kills per set, although five total Blazers are averaging better than 2.00 kills per frame.

Blocking has continued to be a strength as UAB has three players ranked in the top 10 in the league in that category -- Michelle Uzoh (1.17, 1st), Patty Paniagua (1.02, 6th) and Serley (1.00, 7th). As a team, UAB ranks second in the conference with 2.27 blocks per set.

UCF (8-8, 0-3 C-USA) enters Friday’s contest looking to snap a six-match losing streak. After opening the season 8-2, the Knights have gone winless since a Sept. 11 victory at UNC Greensboro. Included in that stretch are three conference losses to Southern Miss, East Carolina and Marshall, though UCF pushed the league-leading Thundering Herd to five set this past Sunday.

Erin Campbell leads the UCF offensive attack with an average of 3.50 kills per set, while libero Meredith Murphy has posted 4.31 digs per frame defensively.

UAB leads 8-5 in the all-time series with UCF. The Blazers took both meetings last season, winning 3-1 in Orlando and 3-0 in Birmingham. Lalic had 23 combined kills for UAB in those matches, including a match-high 16 as one of four Blazers in double-figures in the meeting in Orlando.

Southern Miss (14-3, 2-1 C-USA) went 1-1 on the road last weekend with a 3-1 loss at Marshall and a 3-0 sweep of East Carolina. The Golden Eagles have split their past four matches after winning 12 of their first 13, including a streak of 11 wins in a row.

Four Southern Miss regulars are averaging at least 2.00 blocks per set, led by Ashley Mell at 3.16. On the defensive side, libero Maia Ivanova carries a 4.21 digs-per-frame average into the Golden Eagles’ first match of the weekend against Memphis.

UAB leads 20-15 in the all-time series with Southern Miss. The Blazers won both 2008 meetings with a 3-1 victory in Hattiesburg and 3-2 win in Birmingham. Lalic, who had just two kills in the first meeting, finished with a match-best 18 in the five-setter in Birmingham.

Fans can follow both matches this weekend through Gametracker at uabsports.com. Following this weekend, the Blazers will return home for three straight, starting Oct. 9 against Marshall.

College Volleyball Game Results 10/1: Texas vs. Kansas State

Volleyball preview: Kansas State

 

The No. 2 Longhorns look to remain unbeaten when they travel to Kansas State on Friday, Oct. 2. First serve is set for 7 p.m.

 

Match 11: No. 2/2 TEXAS (10-0, 5-0 Big 12) vs. Kansas State (6-7, 0-3 Big 12)

When: Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.

Where: Manhattan, Kan. (Ahearn Field House)

Live Stats: KStateSports.com

Internet Audio/Video: Subscription service on KStateSports.com

 

SERIES INFO

All-Time Series Record: Texas leads Kansas State, 21-7 (H: 11-3, A: 9-4, N: 1-0)

Last meeting with K-State: UT defeated KSU, 3-2 (30-28, 25-21, 22-25, 22-25, 15-9) on Nov. 15, 2008

Current Streak: Texas has won the last 11 meetings

 

HOT START

Texas is off to the third-best start in UT history ... its 10-0 start is the best since 2004 when the Horns began the year 16-0 ... the Texas record was set in 1990 when UT opened 26-0.

 

STREAKING

Texas is currently riding an 19-match regular-season winning streak that dates back to Nov. 1, 2008 against Texas A&M ... Texas also currently owns a 12-match home winning streak at Gregory Gymnasium dating back to Nov. 1, 2008.

 

HOOKER, CHAMPION OF SOLOS

Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker is the Big 12 Conference’s all-time leader in career solo blocks with 111 ... Hooker has registered a team-best 12 solos in 2009.

 

ROAD WARRIORS

Texas is 9-0 on the season with seven of its wins coming on the road ... the Horns are 5-0 at away games and 2-0 at neutral sites in 2009 ... the Horns own victories at Hawaii and Nebraska, which perennially rank No. 1 and No. 2 on the NCAA Volleyball attendance charts.

 

TEXAS IN THE AVCA POLL

The Longhorns are ranked No. 2 in the most recent AVCA Division I Coaches Poll (Sept. 28) ... UT received eight first-place votes ... Texas’ No. 2 preseason ranking was its highest ranking in the AVCA poll since UT finished the 1995 season ranked second ... UT has now been ranked in the Top 10 for 48 straight weeks ... UT opponents in the poll include, No. 4 Hawaii,  No. 9 California, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 14 Iowa State, No. 19 Baylor, No. 20 San Diego, No. 21 Saint Louis and No. 22 Long Beach State.

 

THE HORNS IN THE VOLLEYBALL MAGAZINE POLL            

Texas holds the No. 2 spot in the current Volleyball Magazine Poll (Sept. 29) ... the Horns trail two-time defending NCAA Champion Penn State in the poll by 11 points 277-to-266 ... Big 12 foes Nebraska, Iowa State, Baylor hold the No. 10, No. 11 and No. 19 positions, respectively ... three of Texas’ non-conference opponents are ranked (No. 4 Hawaii, No. 9 California, No. 20 Saint Louis).

 

AGAINST RANKED FOES

Texas is 10-0 on the season with eight of its wins coming against ranked opponents ...  Texas’ season-opening streak of seven wins against ranked opponents was the longest in program history, while the seven straight matches against ranked opponents tied a UT record set in 1995 ... the Horns have defeated No. 4 Hawaii, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 10 Iowa State, No. 10 California, No. 15 San Diego, No. 19 Saint Louis, No. 23 Long Beach State and No. 24 Baylor in 2009.

 

HEAD OF THE CLASS

 The Longhorns rank atop the Big 12 and rank third in the nation with their .315 team hitting percentage ... UT leads the NCAA in blocking with 3.21 blocks per-set ... senior All-America setter Ashley Engle ranks third in the conference in hitting with a .363 attack mark, while senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker leads the league with 4.54 kills and 5.41 points per-set.

 

 

Hook'em

 

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Tulsa Hurricanes vs. Marshall, East Carolina

Tulsa Volleyball C-USA Home Opener Friday and Saturday

Golden Hurricane plays Marshall Friday at 7 p.m. and East Carolina at 7 p.m. Saturday

 

TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa volleyball team opens its Conference USA home slate this weekend when it plays host to Marshall and East Carolina Friday and Saturday, each at 7 p.m., at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

 

The Hurricane is looking to get back on track in the C-USA race after dropping its first to league matches on the road last weekend. Live stats via Gametracker and live video via Hurricane Vision will be available at www.TulsaHurricane.com.

 

“More than anything else, we’re excited to get back home,” Tulsa Head Coach Ed Allen said. “The travel may have taken a toll on our team, especially the freshmen, so it will be good to get back into the routine at home. We look forward to getting back in front of a home crowd and to get back on the right track to reach our goals in the conference. We have the talent to do that, and we rank in the top three in Conference USA in many categories. Both teams (Marshall and ECU) will present a challenge to us.”

 

Tulsa (10-5, 0-2 C-USA) ranks among the top five in seven categories this week. The Hurricane is hitting .274 as a team (773 kills-259 errors-1873 attempts), with 773 kills (14.05 k/set), 719 assists (13.07 a/s), 65 service aces, 829 digs (15.07 dig/s) and 104.0 total blocks (1.89 per set).

 

Marshall (15-2, 3-0 C-USA) enters the weekend hitting .232 (879-345-2300) with 879 kills (14.18 k/s), 791 assists (12.76 a/s), 90 service aces, 976 digs (15.74 dig/s) and 108.0 total blocks (1.74 b/s).

 

Eat Carolina (8-7, 1-2 C-USA) enters the weekend with a .190 attack percentage (681-326-1868), 681 kills (12.38 k/s), 624 assists (11.35 a/s), 79 service aces, 698 digs (12.69 dig/s) and 104.5 total blocks (1.90 b/s).

           

Tulsa is led by the on the outside by senior Jennifer Eichler, who has 221 kills (4.02 kills per set), a .336 attack percentage, 120 digs, 35 total blocks and 247.5 points for the Hurricane. Freshman Tyler Henderson has 224 kills (4.15 k/s), hits .294, has 17.0 blocks and has scored 233.5 points.

 

At middle blocker, junior Hannah Stout hits .426 with 139 kills and 44 blocks, while senior Julia Kenealy is hitting .312 with 70 kills, and leads the team with 50 total blocks. Freshman libero Jessica Adams leads the Hurricane with 268 digs (4.87 d/s) and has 10 service aces. Setters Rachel Vukson and Jordan Clampitt have 328 (5.96 a/s) and 324 assists (5.89 a/s), respectively, and Clampitt adds 106 digs.

 

Marshall is led by Elizabeth Herman who has 193 kills (3.22 k/s), 123 digs, 11 aces and 42 blocks, and Emily Sullivan who hits .392, and has 186 kills (3.15 k/s) and 42 blocks. Elizabeth Fleming leads the Thundering Herd with 684 assists, while Ryanne Milligan paces the Herd with 233 digs.

 

East Carolina is led by Stephanie Turner, who has 165 kills (3.06 k/s), a .207 attack percentage, 13 aces, 92 digs and 12 blocks. Melissa Zentner  and Lizzy Bruin have 139 and 123 kills, respectively, and 34 blocks apiece. Hannah Fenker leads the Pirates with 568 assists, as well as 11 aces, 108 digs and 22 blocks, while Amanda Lutzow paces ECU with 111 digs, and Nicole Jones adds 106 digs.

 

Tulsa and Marshall have played five times; TU leads the series, 3-2. All five matches have come since 2005, TU’s first season in C-USA. The Thundering Herd won the first two matches played in Huntington, W.Va., and the Hurricane has won the two meetings in Tulsa. TU also won last year at Marshall.

 

Tulsa and East Carolina have played five times; TU leads the series, 4-1. Like the TU-MU series, this one has existed since both teams have been members of C-USA. The Pirates’ only win in the series came in 2005 in Greenville, N.C., and the Hurricane has won the last four meetings, including twice in Tulsa and in the C-USA Championship first round last season.

 

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

  

-TulsaHurricane.com-

 

College Volleyball Team Week 6 News and Information: Santa Clara vs. USF

Santa Clara Volleyball ready to open WCC season at USF

Santa Clara, Calif. - Santa Clara, 10-5, will open the 2009 West Coast
Conference schedule with the first three volleyball matches on the road,
including its first WCC match at San Francisco on Fri., Oct. 2 at 7 pm.  USF
enters the match at 6-7 on the season after defeating CSU Bakersfield 3-1 on
Sept. 26.

"The preseason was good for us. We experienced a lot and we knew going into the
season we were going to be very young and have to do a lot of teaching.  We
needed 16 young women to go in the same direction and at times it was hard,"
said Bronco head coach Jon Wallace.  "We won some matches and we lost some in
different ways. The five losses we have the team has learned from. Going into
WCC play on Friday, the team is ready for it and are much better because of the
preseason."

Santa Clara finished fourth in the WCC last year and was picked fourth in the
2009 preseason poll.  Santa Clara is looking for its 12th straight NCAA
Tournament bid after advancing the NCAA Tournament's second round last season.
Santa Clara has 11 underclassmen and signed the top-ranked recruiting class in
the WCC and 11th-best nationally.

"I don't think we are as concerned with the youth anymore as much as we are
concerned with the continuity as a team with some of the recent injuries,"
added Wallace, who hasn't started the regular line-up in more than two weeks.
"We want to be good and we want to be good right now; and we haven't been able
to do that because of the injuries."

As far as the 11 underclassmen, Wallace likes what he has seen of Kayla
Lommori, Katherine Douglas and Dana Knudsen.  "Kat has been put in every
situation possible and performed very well  Kayla is playing great and is past
her learning curve and is ready to compete."

Santa Clara is led by this week's WCC Player of the Week, freshman-redshirt
middle blocker Dana Knudsen, who is hitting .367 this season.  Knudsen leads
the starters with her hitting percentage. She is averaging 2.4 kpg and .9 bpg
in 55 sets played. Knudsen leads the team with 49 total blocks and her 129
kills this season are second-best on the team.

Knudsen hit .431 and collected her second-straight all-tournament honors at the
Penn Invitational last weekend. Knudsen collected a career-high 15 kills vs.
Albany and averaged 3.3 kpg and 1.1 bpg in three matches.

"Dana has taken huge strides and has been a real surprise for us this season
after where she came from last year,'" said Wallace.  "She is enjoying posing
her will on the opponent.  Kat has also done a great job, but we expected that
from her.  Both Lexi Williamson and Kayla Lommori have tremendous talent and
will play a lot going forth."

On the other side of the net, USF is led by Sarah Mandala, who was named the
Co-Player of the Month for September, after posting an outstanding September,
hitting double figure kills in all 10 of the Dons' matches, including four
matches with 20-plus kills. During the month, Mandala posted three double-
doubles and recorded her 1,000th career kill to end the month. With the point,
she became just the ninth player in USF history to each the milestone and just
the third to do so as a junior. Mandala reached the benchmark in 265 matches,
making her the fastest Dons to accomplish the feat. Mandala leads the Dons and
the WCC with 237 kills this season.

"I am really impressed with Sarah and Erin Bragg.  Mandala could be the best
player in our conference," said Wallace.  "We are just excited to go play. We
talked to our team after the last win in Philadelphia and said 'It's go time,


it's WCC time'. I am looking forward to the energy they will bring and the idea
we are ready to put together a campaign to win the WCC title.  Our goal is to
win conference and I think we are excited to go play USF Friday night."

After being a one or two team race in the WCC, Wallace thinks the WCC crown is
a wide-open race this year because many of the teams are young, rebuilding and
the injury bug has bitten a few.  He said the odds-on-favorite was USD until
one of its top players was redshirted. He thinks Saint Mary's is more
experienced this season and Pepperdine, with its talent, can rise up and beat
anyone.

"We follow the WCC pretty closely.  There are probably six teams that can win
the conference this year and it's going to be fairly balanced. I would be
surprised if someone ran away with it and didn't have any losses," said
Wallace.  "It's wide open and we are looking forward to getting after it."

Wallace said SCU will run the 5-1 throughout the WCC; and mainly changed the
Bronco offense due to injuries.  Alexandra Palmer has had a sprained wrist and
missed playing time; and in addition, with Krista Kelley out, Santa Clara had
to play with more ball control in the back row.

"We like the 5-1 and are getting comfortable with it," said Wallace.  "It gives
us some flexibility in the line-up. I think we will still use the 6-2 at times
this year and we will be comfortable using it."

 

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: Kansas vs. Texas A&M

University of Kansas Volleyball Team Begins Two-Match Road Stint at Texas A&M Saturday

In its first contest of a two-match road stint, the University of Kansas volleyball team (9-4, 2-2 Big 12) will travel to Texas A&M Saturday, Oct. 3 for a 2 p.m. match-up with the Aggies (9-3, 2-2 Big 12).



Fans can access Texas A&M's free live stats and free video on the KU Athletics website at www.KUAthletics.com.



About Kansas

Kansas bounced back following a loss once again as the Jayhawks defeated Colorado Wednesday night to even its conference record at 2-2 and improve its overall mark to 9-4 as it heads to Texas A&M. Junior Karina Garlington leads all Big 12 players with 4.85 kps in league matches. She is fourth on the year averaging 3.98 kps in all contests. The Jayhawk offense also receives help on the offensive end from middle blocker Paige Mazour, whose .379 attack percentage ranks second in the Big 12. Steering the KU offense is setter Nicole Tate. She is averaging the league's second-most assists in conference matches with 11.19 aps. In the back court, Melissa Manda is coming off her second 20-dig performance in the last three matches and leads KU with 4.12 dps. Freshman Tayler Tolefree is blocking 1.16 balls per set, fourth in the league.



Bechard Approaching Milestone

Kansas head coach Ray Bechard is just one win shy of hitting 900 career victories. Bechard, who is in his 12th season at KU, is 899-224 (.801 percent) in his 25th season as a head coach. He spent 13 seasons at Barton County Community College prior to coming to Kansas, where he accumulated a 716-60 mark at the school.



Manda Joins 1,000 Club

Melissa Manda recorded 21 digs versus Colorado Wednesday to become the 10th player in Jayhawk volleyball history to reach the 1,000 career dig mark. Manda becomes the most recent Jayhawk to reach the milestone since Emily Brown on Nov. 10, 2007, who ironically recorded her 1,000th dig against the Buffaloes, too.



Manda cracked the career digs list just one match ago and has already jumped to No. 8 on the list with 1,015 digs.



Up Next

The Jayhawks next head to nationally-ranked Nebraska on Oct. 7 for a 7 p.m. match before returning home on Oct. 10 for a match versus Iowa State at 6:30 p.m.

Check out these Texas A & M Aggies volleyball team videos

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 6: UCF vs. UAB, Memphis This Weekend

October 1, 2009

 

UCF Volleyball Set to Host UAB, Memphis in C-USA Action 

The Knights will host the Blazers Friday at 7 p.m. and the Tigers Sunday at 12 p.m. at The Venue at UCF.

               

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – The UCF volleyball team returns to the friendly confines of The Venue at UCF this weekend when it hosts a pair of Conference USA contests against UAB and Memphis. The Knights will take on the Blazers Friday at 7 p.m., before facing Memphis Sunday at 12 p.m.

 

The Knights enter the weekend with an even 8-8 record on the year and are looking for their first league-win after starting the C-USA season 0-3. In each of its conference matches, the Black and Gold has pushed its opponent to at least four sets, with losses to both Southern Miss and Marshall coming down to a deciding fifth set.

 

UCF has been most successful this season in the third set, posting 10 third-set victories and outscoring its opponent 375-343.

 

Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) continues to pace the young Knights with a 3.50 kills-per-set average, posting 217 kills though UCF’s first 16 matches. The senior is also among the league leaders in kills after three matches of C-USA play, ranking sixth among her peers with a 3.93 kills-per-set average in league play only. 

 

UAB travels to Orlando for the Friday night match-up with an 8-9 overall mark and a 2-1 league clip. In its most recent action, the Blazers split a pair of C-USA matches at home last weekend, picking up a 3-1 victory over Houston, before falling to Rice in a four-match shootout.

 

UAB leads the Knights in the all-time series, holding an 8-5 advantage over the home team after winning both matches against UCF last season.

 

Memphis takes on the Black and Gold Sunday with a 2-14 record on the season and a 0-3 mark in C-USA play. The Tigers have lost seven-straight matches after falling to both Rice and Houston last weekend, 3-0 and 3-1, respectively, in league action.

 

In the all-time series, Memphis leads UCF, 10-6. The two teams split their C-USA series in 2008, with the Knights taking a 3-1 victory at The Venue at UCF, before falling to the Tigers on the road.

 

Season tickets for the 2009 season are still available for only $30, with the Knights hosting eight regular-season matches remaining at The Venue at UCF this year.  

 

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

 

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