An inspirational volleyball news hub with a gift and shopping directory for girls and college volleyball players, parents and fans to learn about the indoor and sand game and its female heroes, with inspiring volleyball players stories, self-coaching and training information, volleyball pictures and videos.
Find sites with the Volleyball Voices Search Engine
Volleyball Voices is the doorway to the Volleyball web. Our search engine focuses on volleyball web sites. Can't find what you are looking for? Just use the search box to find what you need on the volleyball web.
College Volleyball Team News
As a service to Volleyball Voices readers, we will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by volleyball-related organizations, federations, schools and universities, businesses and sponsors.
These press releases will appear as sent to Volleyball Voices and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
Blog Directory www.free-seo.jp free SEO guide & Free SEO techniques about various Search Engine Optimization resources available around us on the internet. Submit your url, Add reciprocal link exchange directory.
Utah Volleyball Heads South for Deseret First Duel
Utes have won 11 of last 14 matches with BYU.
The University of Utah volleyball team travels to Provo, Utah for the second Deseret First Duel match of the season Friday against BYU. First serve from Smith Field House is set for 7 p.m.BYU-TV will provide a live telecast of Friday’s match. Live stats for the match will be provided by Gametracker on the women’s volleyball schedule page at byucougars.com.
Utah has won seven of its last nine matches and is 13-7 overall. The Utes stand in a second-place tie in the MWC with a 6-2 conference record. BYU enters the match 10-9 overall and has lost two of its last three matches. The Cougars are in fourth place with a 5-3 record in MWC play.The Utes are 20-2 in their last 22 MWC matches. Last week, Utah picked up a 3-2 win at Wyoming on Thursday before losing a 3-0 match at Colorado State on Saturday. Utah is 20-4 in league action since 2008.Follow Utah Volleyball on Twitter at http://twitter.com/utahvolleyball and please watch highlights from the Utes’ historic five-set victory Sept. 25 over BYU at Crimson Court on the Utah Volleyball Blog at http://utahvolleyball.blogspot.com.
Last Time Out: The Utes dropped a three-set match (14-25, 13-25, 15-25) Saturday against Colorado State at Moby Arena. Utah was outhit .382 to .078 for the match and were at a 70-40 disadvantage in digs.Utah recovered from a 24-22 fourth-set deficit to earn a 3-2 win (21-25, 25-20, 24-26, 27-25, 15-13) against Wyoming Thursday at the UniWyo Sports Complex. Utah roared back with a 5-2 run to claim a 27-25 lead to even the match at two sets apiece.The Utes gained a 5-1 edge to start the pivotal fifth set and held on for a 15-13 match-clinching victory.
Deseret First Duel: Friday night’s matchup between Utah and BYU will mark the third contest of the 2009-10 Deseret First Duel rivalry series. The Utes currently trail the Cougars through the first two events, 6-3. Utah took the first volleyball match on Sept. 25 to earn three points before BYU won the women’s soccer game on Oct. 3.The rivalry series includes competition in the 12 sports the two universities compete in head-to-head during regular-season play. The Deseret First Duel will use a system that awards points to the winner of each head-to-head competition. A team trophy will be awarded to the individual winner of each sport. Points won by the individual sports will count toward each school’s overall total. A granite traveling trophy will be awarded to the overall series champion each year. Fans can follow the series athttp://utahutes.cstv.com/ot/duel-home.html.
Deseret First Duel Series History: Utah trails 56-24 in the all-time series with BYU, but the Utes have taken 11 of the last 14 Deseret First Duel meetings.In the last meeting on Sept. 25, Utah won a five-set match over BYU (19-25, 25-19, 27-29, 31-29, 15-10) which gave Ute head coach Beth Launiereher 400th career win in front of a school-record 1,747 fans at Crimson Court.Utah held a slight .114 to .110 edge in hitting over the course of the match. Three different Utes turned in double-digit-kill performances while four others also had double-digit-dig nights.
‘Barto’ Brings It: Three-time MWC Player of the Week Karolina Bartkowiak (Aurora, Ill.)was Utah’s most versatile player in road matches at Wyoming and Colorado State. She posted a team-high two service aces and was second on the team with 2.25 kills, 2.25 digs, and 1.12 blocks per set for the Utes in a pair of Utah’s MWC matches last week. Thursday at Wyoming, Bartkowiak notched her seventh double-double of the season with 15 digs and 14 kills in a thrilling five-set comeback win over the Cowgirls. She now has hit double-figures in kills 13 times in 2009 and 27 times during her career. Bartkowiak led the comeback, needing only four swings to connect on three kills. She also helped the Ute defense limit the Cowgirls to a -.143 hitting percentage in the deciding frame.
This season, Bartkowiak ranks seventh in the MWC and leads the team with 2.95 kills per set. Bartkowiak is second on the Ute roster with 2.47 digs per set and third with a .285 hitting percentage and 0.81 blocks per set. She also ranks ninth in conference play with 2.93 digs per set in matches against MWC foes. Last time against BYU, Bartkowiak slammed down a career-high 22 kills to go along with 17 digs. The Utah attack was led by Bartkowiak, who came up with 22 kills on 39 swings with nine errors for a match-high-tying .333 hitting percentage. Bartkowiak also turned in a career-high of 17 digs.
Dani on the Block: Danielle Killpack (Idaho Falls, Idaho) has led the Utes in blocks seven times this season and owns a team-high average of 1.22 blocks per set to rank third in the MWC statistical rankings. Killpack recently came up with a career-high 11 blocks at Wyoming on Oct. 15.She also chipped in five blocks in an Oct. 6 win over Weber State after coming up with what was then a career-high nine blocks to lead Utah against BYU on Sept. 25. On the attack, Killpack connected for a career-high 10 kills for her first career double-digit output of her career Oct. 8 against TCU. She also accumulated a match-high .716 hitting percentage, the highest mark of her career, by not committing an error on 14 attempts to go with a team-high five blocks.
Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 8: UTA Travels to Conway to Face First-Place Central Arkansas
October 15, 2009
ARLINGTON, Texas –
FIRST SERVE
UT Arlington takes a 3-3 conference record into its match on Saturday against Central Arkansas, who leads the Southland Conference with a perfect 7-0 mark. The Mavericks are searching for their first road win of the season while the Sugar Bears are looking to knock off the Mavs for the first time ever. UTA is coming off its most dominating win of the season over Northwestern State (25-10, 25-13, 25-12) and Central Arkansas, who has won 17 of its last 18 matches, went on the road on Wednesday to knock off Texas State in five sets.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Saturday will be the fourth all-time meeting between UT Arlington and Central Arkansas. The Mavericks are 3-0 in the all-time series which began in 2006. UT Arlington came away with a 3-0 sweep over the Sugar Bears in its only visit to Conway in 2006. The Mavericks won matches over the Sugar Bears in 2007 (3-1) and 2008 (3-2), both of which were in Arlington. Central Arkansas joined the Southland Conference and became an NCAA Division I program in 2006.
UTA needed only an hour and five minutes to dismantle Northwestern State in three sets on Wednesday night with a three-set sweep at Texas Hall. It was the Mavs third straight win at home and was the first time since rally scoring began (2001) that they held an opponent below 15 points in every set. The Mavs had only one attack error (school record) and tallied the program’s second highest hitting percentage (.507) with 38 kills, 1 error and 73 attacks. Six Mavs had at least five kills while holding Northwestern State to a .000 attack percentage.
ON THE HORIZON
The Mavs will host “Dig Pink” night on Thursday, Oct. 22, against Southeastern Louisiana. The annual event’s proceeds will go directly to the Sideout Foundation, which directly helps support breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match.
UTA MOVES INTO FOUR-WAY TIE FOR FIFTH BEST RECORD IN THE SOUTHLAND
With their win on Wednesday night, UT Arlington has moved into a four-way tie for the fifth best conference record with Nicholls (3-3), Texas State (3-3) and UTSA (3-3). Central Arkansas is leading the way at 7-0, Sam Houston State has only one loss (6-1) and Lamar (5-2) and Stephen F. Austin (4-2) each have only two losses.
MAVS SET SCHOOL RECORD WITH ONE ATTACK ERROR - 4TH TIME IN NCAA HISTORY
UT Arlington made school history on Wednesday night committing just one attack error in a three-set victory over Northwestern State. It is also a Southland Conference record and is the only one-attack error match this season in the NCAA. The previous school record was three attack errors, set by the 1985 Mavericks in a three-set win over North Texas (Sept. 25, 1985). In addition, it is only the fourth time in NCAA history that a team has had only one attack error in a match (see chart).
FEWEST ATTACK ERRORS IN A MATCH - NCAA HISTORY
Date Team vs. Opponent Pct. (K-E-TA)
10/14/09 UT Arlington vs. Northwestern State .507 (38-1-73)
11/3/99 Fairfield vs. Iona .709 (40-1-55)
12/3/98 Long Beach State vs. Southern .615 (25-1-39)
10/10/86 Oregon vs. Fresno State .661 (40-1-59)
FIRST TIME IN RALLY SCORING HISTORY
UT Arlington’s 25-10, 25-13, 25-12 victory over Northwestern State marked the first time since rally scoring began that UTA has held its opponent to less than 15 points in every set during a match. The last time the Mavs held an opponent below 15 points in every set was during the 2000 season against Louisiana-Monroe (15-3, 15-7, 15-9) on the road on Nov. 10.
SECOND HIGHEST HITTING PERCENTAGE IN SCHOOL HISTORY
The Mavericks hit .507 (38 kills - 1 error - 73 attacks) against Northwestern State to post the second highest hitting percentage in school history. The UTA school record for hitting percentage in a match is .583 (31 kills - 3 errors - 48 attacks) during a three-set victory over North Texas (15-1, 15-0, 15-1) in Arlington on Sept. 25, 1985.
ALL ZEROS FOR THE LADY DEMONS
UT Arlington held Northwestern State to a .000 team hitting percentage (28 kills - 28 errors - 101 attacks), the lowest by a Maverick opponent this season. That is the lowest percentage by a Maverick opponent since the 2005 season opener against Prairie View A&M (-.019 hitting percentage, 31 kills - 34 errors - 155 attacks) on August 27, 2005. In 18 matches this season, UT Arlington has held four opponents below a .100 hitting percentage. The Mavericks held four opponents below a .100 percentage in 2007 and 2008 combined (once in 2008, three times in 2007). The Mavericks held seven opponents below a .100 hitting percentage in 2006.
DONUTS IN THE BLOCKING COLUMN
The Mavericks held Northwestern State without a block, which was the first time the Mavs have held an opponent without a block since Sept. 16, 2006, vs. St Francis (NY) at the Oral Roberts Tournament. The Mavericks, on the other hand, had 10.0 team blocks with one solo block and 18 block assists. Emily Shearin led the way with six blocks, which gives her eight matches this season where she has led the team.
SHEARIN CONTINUES TO HIT FOR A HIGH PERCENTAGE
Emily Shearin continues to lead UT Arlington in hitting percentage (.291) during Southland Conference play with 34 kills, 9 errors and 86 attacks. The sophomore middle blocker also leads the Mavericks in total blocks (26) and service aces (9) during league play. Shearin added to her totals against Northwestern State with five kills, zero errors and 12 swings (.417 percent), a team best three aces and a team-leading six blocks. She is the only Maverick to hit at least .200 in all six SLC matches this season. Last season, in 58 sets played in SLC action, Shearin hit .065 (42 kills - 33 errors - 138 attacks).
ONLY UNBEATEN SLC TEAM AGAINST CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Central Arkansas broke into NCAA Division I volleyball in 2006 while joining the Southland Conference. In just three and a half years the Sugar Bears have defeated all but one SLC team, the lone team UCA has not defeated is UT Arlington. The Mavericks are 3-0 against Central Arkansas and have lost only four sets to the Sugar Bears in those three matches.
SCOUTING THE SOONERS • Oklahoma is led by sixth-year head coach Santiago Restrepo, who has amassed an 81-71 record in his first five seasons at the helm of the Sooners. Restrepo led OU to the Sweet Sixteen in 2006. • The Sooners feature a balanced attack with five players with between 116 and 154 kills. Suzy Boulavsky leads the way with 154, while Francie Ekwerekwu has 153. • Setter Brianne Barker runs the offense averaging 9.48 assists per set, while also holding the team's third-highest dig average at 3.45 per set. • The Sooners are ranked second in the Big 12 in digs per set at 17.66, led by Maria Fernanda's 4.82 and Bridget Laplante's 3.60. • Sarah Freudenich puts up a formidable blocking duo with Ekwerekwu, averaging 1.06 blocks per set to 0.97 per set for Ekwerekwu. • As a team OU has hit just .198 on the season, but solid defense has held opponents to a .145 attack percentage.
LAST TIME AGAINST OU The Bears and Sooners took each other down to the wire in each of their matches in 2008. In Waco, Baylor pulled out a five-set victory led by 21 kills from Katie Sandersand 19 kills from Anna Breyfogle. The Bears won the deciding set 15-13, while racking up 76 kills and 95 digs in the match. Breyfogle had five blocks, while Sanders and Allison King each tallied 21 digs. Taylor Barnes had 64 set assists in the match, to go along with 20 digs. The second version of Bears-Sooners in 2008 was nearly identical, but with Oklahoma taking a 15-13 win in the fifth and deciding set. Sanders led they way on offense again for the Bears with 17 kills and 22 digs. She was one of five players with at least 17 digs. Barnes had 18 and 40 set assists, while King, Brittany Ridenour, and Caitlyn Trice each had 17 digs.
THE FACTS — The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team hosts rival Loyola Marymount on Saturday night, looking to keep pace in the West Coast Conference standings and to earn a point in the PCH Challenge. This begins a three-match homestand for the Waves, who then must play five of their final seven on the road.
MATCH #18 — Saturday (Oct. 17) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (10-7, 3-1 WCC, tied for second place) vs. Loyola Marymount (9-9, 0-4 WCC, eighth place) at 7 p.m.
PCH CHALLENGE — The newly created PCH Challenge is a season-long competition between local rivals Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. The overall score is tied 1.5-1.5 heading into Saturday’s match. A home win is worth one point, while a road victory is valued at 1 1/2 points.
ON THE WEB — Live video of all home matches are available to Wave Casts subscribers at www.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.
RANKINGS — After being ranked as high as #19 in the AVCA poll on Sept. 7, the Waves have been in the “others receiving votes” category the past four weeks.
OPPONENT — Pepperdine is 44-16 all-time against Loyola Marymount and has won five in a row, eight of the last nine and 14 of the last 16. Pepperdine is 23-5 in matches played in Malibu and has won eight in a row, last losing in 2000. The Lions enter Saturday on a six-match losing streak.
LAST WEEKEND — Pepperdine defeated Gonzaga for the 25th straight time and Portland for the 29th consecutive time as the Waves swept both matches on their Northwest road swing. The Waves beat the Bulldogs 25-22, 25-23, 29-26 and the Pilots 25-23, 25-19, 25-14. Over the six sets, Rachel Grochmal averaged 4.83 kills, Kiah Fiers averaged 12.17 assists and 4.50 digs and Kim Hill hit .581 with 3.50 kills.
ON TUESDAY —Kim Hill had a career-high 19 kills, but Pepperdine lost a hard-fought non-conference match at UC Santa Barbara in four sets (25-23, 25-23, 28-30, 25-17) on Tuesday night (Oct. 13). Pepperdine’s three-match win streak came to an end as the Gauchos had advantages of .232-.194 in hitting, 11-6 in blocks and 8-3 in service aces. Hill hit .562 (19-1-32), Rachel Grochmal had 18 kills and 17 digs for her fifth double-double of the season and Stevi Robinson (28) and Krista Friedman (13) both had season highs for digs.
WCC STATS — (Prior to the UCSB match) Pepperdine is second in digs (14.96), opponent hitting percentage (.196) and service aces (1.38), fourth in hitting percentage (.229) and fifth in blocks (1.96) ... Stevi Robinson is first in service aces (0.48) and second in digs (4.81) ... Kiah Fiers is second in assists (10.29) ... Rachel Grochmal is fifth in service aces (0.31) and points (3.71) ... Kim Hill is third in hitting percentage (.354) ... Lilla Frederick is sixth in points (3.44) and seventh in kills (3.13).
NATIONAL STATS — According to the NCAA, Stevi Robinson ranks 25th in the nation in service aces (0.48) and 40th in digs (4.81).
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 Robinsonwas 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 andKristen 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 10.50 assists per set. She is a three-time All-WCC selection (once on the first team, twice on honorable mention). She has 3,901 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 began the season as Pepperdine’s all-time leader in service aces per set. In 2009, she is averaging a team-best 3.25 kills along with 2.85 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 been even better in 2009 at 4.96 digs and 0.45 service aces per set.
FREDERICK — Sophomore Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS) is contributing 3.07 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 blocker Kim Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS) is shouldering an even bigger load in 2009. She is hitting .377 and is averaging 2.54 kills and 0.72 blocks.
SEATON — Back in the rotation after redshirting 2008 due to a foot injury, sophomoreKristen Seaton (Terre Haute, Ind./South Vigo HS) is expected to be a potent force at opposite. She is averaging 1.98 kills and 0.70 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 1.68 digs per set.
ADELHELM — Of Pepperdine’s seven newcomers, only one has been asked to step into the regular 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 1.67 kills and 0.83 blocks.
MORE NEWCOMERS — Among the other six newcomers, freshmen Brittney Clark (San Jose, Calif./Presentation HS) and Caitlin Racich (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS) have seen the most playing time. Clark has averaged 0.78 kills and 0.72 blocks as a middle blocker or opposite. Racich has averaged 1.47 kills as an outside hitter. Three other newcomers are also true freshmen. Justine Hunter (Hollister, Calif./San Benito HS) is the backup at setter, Ashley Broadwell (Bothell, Wash./Archbishop Murphy HS) is an outside hitter and Kelli Branning (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo-Atherton HS) is a libero. Redshirt sophomore Janea Rosell (Los Angeles, Calif./Bishop Montgomery HS), a transfer from Arizona State, is competing at middle blocker. 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 Matthiesentered 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 7 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 Hill earned 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.
Week 8: William and Mary Women's College Volleyball Team News
WILLIAMSBURG - Winners of five in a row, the William and Mary volleyball travels to Virginia Commonwealth on Friday night looking to gain a measure of revenge for the Rams' 3-1 victory three weeks ago, as well as sole possession of second place in the CAA standings.
Scouting the Tribe William and Mary is 12-7, 4-1 in the CAA after sweeping the last two conference weekends. On Tuesday night, the Tribe traveled to the nation's capital to face American for the first time since 2000, and came away with a 3-1 victory and a school-record 21 blocks in the match. Senior Lindsey Pflugner (Sarasota, Fla.) leads the conference and ranks among the top-20 nationally with 5.12 digs per set, and is the reigning CAA Defensive Player of the Week. On the offensive end, junior Erin Skipper (Yorktown, Va.) is second in the league with 3.65 points per set, and third with 3.13 kills per set.
Scouting the Rams VCU is 15-7 overall, 4-1 in the league with a 3-2 setback to George Mason being their lone conference blemish. Mariel Frey is their top attacked at 2.63 kills per set, and Alyssa Foster leads the defense with 3.21 digs per set.
The Series Virginia Commonwealth won the first meeting this season, 3-1 in Williamsburg on September 26, and tied the series at 6-6 since 2004. W&M leads the all-time series at 40-31, however, and last fall, each team won on the other's court by a 3-2 count.
News and Notes - W&M's 21-block performance at American on Tuesday night tied the school record for blocks in a four-set match, last set against Arkansas State on November 14, 1992.
- Freshman Shaylin O'Connell (Leesburg, Va.) played a major part in the Tribe's night, assisting on 12 blocks. The performance matched the 12-block total of junior Ginny Bray (Cary, N.C.) almost exactly one month ago, in the 3-2 win over Georgetown. Coincedentally, both matches took place in the nation's capital.
- Freshman setter Jordyn Moloney (Whitby, Ontario, Canada)posted a career-high four service aces in the win over Georgia State, with all four coming in the deciding fourth set. Even more spectacular was the fact that all four aces came on consecutive points for the Tribe.
- Junior Ginny Bray is rapidly approaching a pair of career milestones. She only needs 10 solo blocks to reach 50 in her career, and is even closer in block-assists, needing only two to reach 200.
- Bryana Carey (Balboa Island, Calif.) is also approaching a big career milestone, and needs five service aces to reach 100. She would become just the 18th player in Tribe history to reach that mark.
- Katie McCarney (Dallas, Texas) will be racing Bray to the 200 block-assist mark, entering the day with 196 in her career.
- In the 3-2 victory over George Mason, five players reach double-digit digs, including Pflugner (20), Lauren Powell (Tulsa, Okla.)with 23, and Carey with 19.
- The Tribe has three players with sisters currently playing on other Division I teams. Ginny Bray’s younger sister, Katie, is a freshman at Navy; Lauren Powell’s sister, Dana, is a sophomore at SMU; and freshman Gina Lang (Valparaiso, Ind.) is the younger sister of Virginia Tech senior Michelle Lang.
Week 8: Arkansas State Women's College Volleyball Team News
ARKANSAS STATE hosts Louisiana-Lafayette Oct. 16 7:00 p.m. New Orleans Oct. 17 3:00 p.m. Louisiana-Monroe Oct. 18 1:00 p.m.
SERVING IT UP:
Arkansas State will play host to Louisiana-Lafayette, New Orleans and Louisiana-Monroe this weekend. The Red Wolves will meet the Ragin’ Cajuns at 7:00 p.m. Friday night before taking on the Lady Privateers at 3:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon. ASU will face the ULM in a 1:00 p.m. matchup Sunday afternoon.
THE TEAMS:
ASU returns to Jonesboro after two road losses at Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky last weekend. The Blue Raiders topped the Red Wolves in a five-set thriller, and the Lady Toppers won in four sets. Louisiana-Lafayette will meet Arkansas State at 6-15 overall and 1-6 in Sun Belt Conference matches. The Ragin’ Cajuns dropped both their matches last weekend at South Alabama 2-3 and at Troy 0-3, but the team bounced back to top ULM 3-1 Monday night. UNO will travel to Jonesboro after losing to South Alabama 0-3 and topping Troy 3-0 last weekend on the road. The Lady Privateers stand at 12-6 on the season and 5-1 in SBC action. UNO will play at UALR Friday night before taking on the Red Wolves Saturday afternoon. Louisiana-Monroe stands at 3-19 overall and 0-8 in SBC play. The Warhawks dropped two weekend matches at Troy 0-3 and South Alabama 0-3 before falling to Louisiana-Lafayette 1-3 Monday night on the road.
THE Louisiana-Lafayette SERIES:
Arkansas State holds a strong 36-9 lead in the all-time series against Louisiana-Lafayette. The two teams met earlier this season in Lafayette when the Red Wolves topped the Ragin’ Cajuns in three straight sets. The last Ragin’ Cajun win was during the 2002 season when they topped ASU 3-0. THE New Orleans SERIES:
Arkansas State stands at 32-12 in the all-time series versus New Orleans. ASU dropped a 1-3 decision to UNO earlier this season in New Orleans.
The Louisiana-Monroe Series: ASU is 22-5 all-time against ULM. The Red Wolves topped the Warhawks earlier this season 3-0 in Monroe. The Red Wolves are riding a 15-match win streak against the Warhawks only dropping three sets along the way. The last ULM win came during the 1986 season at the Oral Roberts Invitational when the Warhawks topped A-State 3-0.
HOME SWEET HOME:
The Red Wolves are 5-0 at the Convocation Center so far this season. ASU swept UAPB, Jackson State and Houston Baptist during the ASU Classic, and the Red Wolves topped South Alabama and Troy in their first home conference matches of the year Oct. 2 and 3. During the 2008 season, Arkansas State posted a 5-7 record at home, and overall the Red Wolves are 227-62 in the Convocation Center.
UTA HALTS ASU’S TEN-MATCH WIN STREAK:
ASU’s ten-match win streak came to an end after the Red Wolves fell to tournament host UT-Arlington 3-2 Sept. 18 at the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational. A-State dropped to 10-4 on the season after suffering losses to UTA, Tulsa and Texas Christian at the tournament.
Bowman Earns Second Consecutive SBC Defensive Player of the Week Honors:
JONESBORO, Ark. (9/21/09) – Arkansas State senior libero Heather Bowman was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week Monday, as voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches. Bowman earned her third straight all-tournament honor last weekend at the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational. She was named “Libero of the Tournament” and tallied a team-high 94 digs on the weekend, averaging 6.27 digs per set. She surpassed her career-high for a third time this season with 35 digs against UT-Arlington Friday night. Bowman led the Red Wolves in all four matches on the weekend, posting 31 digs against Texas Christian and 14 digs against both Texas Southern and Tulsa. She also added five assists and four service aces on the weekend. Bowman continues to lead the league with her 286 total digs and has helped the Red Wolves top the conference in the same statistical category. Behind Bowman’s 5.96 digs per set, the Red Wolves have registered 783 digs so far this season, for their conference-best 15.66 per set average. Bowman and the Red Wolves will begin Sun Belt Conference play Thursday, Sept. 24 when they travel to New Orleans for a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Lady Privateers.
19-SET STREAK ENDS:
The Red Wolves’ 19-set win streak came to an end against Mississippi State at the MSU Bulldog Invitational. ASU took the first set against MSU 25-14, but the Lady Bulldogs bounced back to take set two 25-23. The Red Wolves recovered to win the match, then defeated Eastern Michigan and Northwestern State Saturday to close out the tournament.
fielder, bowman sweep sun belt conference weekly awards:
JONESBORO, Ark. (9/14/09) - Arkansas State sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder and senior libero Heather Bowman were named the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, as voted on by the league's 13 head coaches Sept. 15. The award marks the first for both student-athletes this season and the first time a school has swept the awards since Denver during the 2007 season. "I think it's a great honor to receive any conference award," said ASU head coach Justin Ingram. "I think it's a credit to how we've been playing as a team and how strong we've been this past week. I think overall our effort was strong." Fielder earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors for the second consecutive weekend at the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational, leading the Red Wolves to an undefeated week and their ninth consecutive win. Fielder pounded out a team high 43 kills on the weekend, averaging 3.91 kills per set. She led the Red Wolves with 14 blocks over the three-match tournament. In ASU's 3-0 win over UT-Martin Tuesday night, Fielder led the team with four blocks and added 11 kills, hitting .400 in the match. On the season, Fielder has recorded a league-best 48 total blocks - 1.45 per set - along with 111 kills and a .366 hitting percentage. The local Jonesboro product has put ASU atop the Sun Belt in blocks and opponent hitting percentage, as the Red Wolves lead the league with 94 blocks -- a 2.69 per set average -- while limiting their competitors to just a .114 hitting percentage. Bowman notched a career-high 31 digs in ASU's 3-1 win over Eastern Michigan Saturday in the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational. Bowman earned her second all-tournament honor of the 2009 season over the weekend with her 70 digs, four service aces and six assists. She also led the Red Wolves with 20 digs Tuesday night in ASU's 3-0 win over UT-Martin. Bowman also leads the league with 192 total digs and has helped ASU top the conference in the same statistical category. Behind Bowman's 5.82 digs per set, the Red Wolves have registered 572 digs so far this season, for their conference-best 16.34 per set average. "Offensively, Cayla was tremendous at the Mississippi State tournament and Bowman was very strong defensively," added Ingram. "I give a lot of credit to those two players. They're playing great for us, and we have to keep it going this weekend at UT-Arlington."
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS:
Sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder pounded out 12 kills and added four blocks to lead the Red Wolves to a 3-0 victory over the Huskies of Houston Baptist in the championship game of the ASU Classic. Fielder won tournament MVP honors after hitting a team-high .550 to notch 23 kills and six blocks over the three-game tournament. She earned her second MVP honor at the MSU Bulldog Invitational, pounding out a team-high 43 kills on the weekend, averaging 3.91 kills per set. She also led the Red Wolves with 14 blocks over the three-match tournament.
Freshman Brittany Hoag also earned all-tournament honors at the ASU Classic for the second time this season after leading the team with 26 kills, and senior libero Heather Bowman earned all-tournament honors as well after leading the Red Wolves with 61 digs. Bowman earned her second all-tournament honor of 2009 at the MSU Bulldog Invitational, tallying 70 digs, four service aces and six assists. At the tournament, she surpassed her career-high for the second time this season, posting 31 digs in ASU’s 3-1 victory over Eastern Michigan.
Sophomore Charlyn Ursell became the fourth Red Wolf to earn all-tournament honors this year. At the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational, Ursell led the Red Wolves on the weekend with 51 kills, averaging 3.40 kills per set.
MAKING A DEBUT:
Freshman outside hitter Brittany Hoag was named to the all-tournament team at the Memphis Invitational Aug. 28-29 after leading the Red Wolves to a 2-1 record at the tournament. Hoag finished the weekend with 35 kills, including a high of 14 against Evansville to help rally the Red Wolves from a two-set deficit and earn the five-set victory. Hoag averaged a team-high 2.92 kills per game and also led the Red Wolves with 44 digs and added 10 blocks.
Freshman Kelsie Hodges played in all 12 sets of her first weekend in the Red Wolves’ lineup. She posted 25 kills, a team-high .303 hitting percentage and 18 blocks over the three matches at the Memphis Invitational.
Freshman Taylor Coughlin led the Red Wolves in their first weekend of SBC play in Jonesboro with a total of 24 kills against South Alabama and Troy. Coughlin also posted 18 digs, a service ace and an assist in the two matches.
NEW CAREER-HIGHS:
Junior setter Laura Bennett posted a career-high five blocks to go along with 42 assists and 11 digs in ASU’s season opener against SEMO at the Memphis Invitational. Bennett broke her own record the next day against Evansville, finishing the match with seven blocks, then added six more in just three sets in ASU’s victory over Memphis to close out the tournament.
Sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder surpassed her previous career-high of eight blocks twice at the Memphis Invitational, opening the season with a 10-block effort against SEMO before adding nine blocks in ASU’s second match against Evansville. Fielder notched five more blocks in just three sets of action against Memphis. Fielder was responsible for more than 50 percent of ASU’s 46 blocks on the weekend and also averaged 2.83 kills per set.
Senior libero Heather Bowman surpassed her career-high for the third time this season, posting 35 digs against UT-Arlington at the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational Sept. 18. Fielder and Bowman both surpassed their career-highs in service aces in ASU’s 3-0 victory over ULM. Fielder notched four service aces, while Bowman tallied five. As a team, the Red Wolves tied their season-high with 14 service aces in the match. The team posted 14 earlier this season against Texas Southern at the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational.
ASU IN SEASON OPENERS:
The Red Wolves are 22-12 all-time in season openers. Arkansas State fell to SEMO 3-1 in the 2009 season opener at the Memphis Invitational. The Red Wolves topped Mississippi Valley State in the 2008 season opener at the Texas Southern Season Opening Tournament. Following that win, ASU won its next three matches to get off to the best start since it went 5-0 to start the 2004 season. FIELDER NAMED 2009 PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE:
Arkansas State sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder has been named to the 2009 All-Sun Belt Conference Preseason Volleyball Team, the league announced Aug. 25. Fielder was the only sophomore selected for the team as voted on by all 13 head coaches from across the Sun Belt Conference. Florida International outside hitter Yarimar Rosa was named the league's Preseason Player of the Year, while Denver libero Kacie Wikierak was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Fielder earned All-SBC second-team honors and was named SBC Freshman of the Year following the 2008 season after seeing action in all 33 matches as a true freshman. She led the Red Wolves with 103 blocks on the year and was second on the team with 291 kills, averaging 2.47 kills per set. She also posted a hitting percentage of .363 at the end of regular season play to rank fourth in the Sun Belt and 36th nationally. Fielder ended the season with a .356 hitting percentage that ranks sixth in the ASU record book, and she was named to the Texas Southern and UMKC Kangaroo Klassic All-Tournament teams during the season as well.
"I think Cayla earning preseason all-conference is a great reward," said ASU head coach Justin Ingram. "She has proven to be one of the best players in the conference, and hopefully we can use this as momentum for our team going into this first weekend."
SENIORS READY FOR FINAL CAMPAIGN:
“There are four seniors this year. Two of them are defensive specialist/libero candidates,” said Ingram.
“I think whoever can serve-receive best will be utilized in the libero position. That is the first thing I will look at, and then how they defend and how they serve. Those three things will make up that position. Both Heather Bowman and Erin Neeley have had playing experience last year. They both played significant amounts and contributed for the team last year, and I see both of them contributing again this year.”
Senior defensive specialist Erin Neeley (5’5” Jonesboro, Ark.) led the Arkansas State squad for the third consecutive season with 441 digs and enters the 2009 season ranked fourth on the ASU career digs chart with 1,323 digs. She was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week October 20 after leading ASU to a 3-0 week against New Orleans, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe.
Senior defensive specialist Heather Bowman (5’8” Forth Smith, Ark.) posted 338 digs to rank second on the team in 2008. She added 15 service aces, 30 assists and nine kills on the season.
Senior outside hitter Mandy DeWalt (5’8” Houston, Texas) finished the 2008 season with 185 kills. She recorded a career high 17 kills twice in the same day, setting the mark September 13 against Southern Illinois and again later in the day against Western Illinois. DeWalt also posted 175 digs, 21 blocks, 21 service aces and 17 assists on the year.
“Mandy is a big contributor,” Ingram added. “She's a passing left-side hitter. She plays all the way around and will have the ability to play for us a significant amount of time, because she can do more than one thing pretty well. She can pass well. She can attack at a pretty high level, and she can also do some of the little things that end up to be big things on the court. She has experience within the Sun Belt Conference.”
Senior outside hitter Konae Purcell (5’11” Aiea, Hawaii) led the Red Wolves with 296 kills despite missing eight matches in 2008 due to injury, averaging 3.89 kills per set. Her average ranked her third in the Sun Belt. She added 35 blocks to finish third on the team and was named to the all-tournment team at the Southern Illinois-Hampton Inn Saluki Invitational. Purcell was named MVP of both the Texas Southern Season-Opening Tournament and the Western Carolina Catamount Clash.
“Konae is coming back from an ACL surgery. She had that done in December and is currently on track to begin her jumping. Hopefully, we can get her full-out match play soon. She has been participating in our practices, but I think her role will change throughout the course of the season. I think we'll count on her more as the season progresses. She's still in the beginning stages of coming back. It's a bit of a process,” ASU head coach Justin Ingram explained.
HEAD COACH JUSTIN INGRAM:
Arkansas State University Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee announced Friday, April 17 that Justin Ingram was named head coach of the Red Wolves volleyball team. "We are very excited to name Justin Ingram as our new women's volleyball coach," said Lee. "Justin has obviously been associated with some outstanding programs at Kansas State and Houston. He comes with a tremendous reputation as a great trainer and as a great recruiter. He started as one of our top candidates and remained there until the end."
Ingram becomes the sixth head coach in ASU volleyball history after serving eight years as an assistant coach at Kansas State.
During his time at Kansas State, he served as the recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator for the Wildcats who posted a 171-79 record and made seven NCAA tournament appearances during his time with the program.
While at Kansas State, the Wildcats earned American Volleyball Coaches Association top-25 final rankings six different seasons including a No. 11 final ranking in 2003. The Wildcats also had seven 20-win seasons in his time there, including a 30-win season and a first-place finish in the Big 12 in 2003. Kansas State's final RPI ranked in the top-30 nationally during seven of Ingram's eight seasons with the Wildcats.
Ingram served the previous two years as an assistant coach at the University of Houston. He served as a junior college recruiting coordinator, travel coordinator and assistant director of camps. The Cougars posted a 42-24 record and made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and posted consecutive 20-win seasons in 1998 and 1999. The Cougars were the Conference USA National Division Runners-up in 1998 and C-USA National Division Champions in 1999.
During his career, Ingram has helped lead teams to nine NCAA Tournament appearances including a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2003. He has coached eight All-America selections, 22 All-Big 12 selections, 55 Academic All-Big 12 players, six All-Conference USA selections, four Big 12 Libero of the Year winners, a Big 12 Player of the Year, a Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and a C-USA Player of the Year.
Ingram earned his bachelor's degree in Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University in 1995 and a master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1998.
"Arkansas State is a tremendous university with an excellent volleyball program and I'm thrilled to be here," said Ingram. "I think the program is heading in a very positive direction and I'm excited to be part of its future. Not only does ASU have a strong volleyball program, it's in a strong conference and has great support from the community. So, this is a great situation and opportunity and I look forward to the challenges ahead." ASSISTANT COACH JULIE ALLEN:
Julie Allen joined the Arkansas State volleyball staff as an assistant coach on April 1, 2008, after two seasons at Georgetown. Allen joined the Georgetown program in August 2006 after spending nearly two years at California State University at Chico as the assistant women’s volleyball coach and head men’s club coach.
“I am truly excited that Julie agreed to come to Arkansas State and our volleyball program,” ASU former head coach Craig Cummings said. “She brings with her a wealth of experience from the Big East Conference, training the setters and coordinating the offense at Georgetown University during the last couple of seasons. With some very talented candidates in the pool, Julie stood out as the best, allowing our program to take advantage of her experience and expertise and help us climb back to the top of the Sun Belt Conference.”
After graduating from the University of Portland in 2002, Allen was the head volleyball coach at Tualatin High School in Tualatin, Ore. until 2003. She was a lead coach for the Empire Volleyball Club in Santa Rosa, Calif. from 2000-2004.
Allen is also a graduate of the NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy, which is designed for women coaches who are ready and willing to increase their individual effectiveness through learning advanced skills and strategies that directly affect their personal and team success.
A four-year setter at Portland, Allen stands at fifth on the Pilots’ all-time career assists list with 2,042.
“Julie is a bright young lady with a lot of energy and has an outside-the-box mentality towards developing new ways to train the team,” Cummings said. “She will coordinate our recruiting efforts as well as handle the video systems throughout the year.” 2008- A SEASON OF CHANGE FOR ARKANSAS STATE:
The 2008-2009 season proved to be one of many up's and down's for the Arkansas State volleyball program. A new mascot, 21 wins and honors along the way highlighted the 2008 season.
In finishing the regular season at 21-11 and 10-8 in league play, Arkansas State posted its highest winning percentage (.656) since the 2004 season, when ASU finished 25-7 (.781) and tied for first place in the Sun Belt East Division.
Following regular season play, freshman Cayla Fielder was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference second team and selected as the SBC Freshman of the Year. After just one season, Fielder has etched her named in the ASU record book with the sixth best single-season hitting percentage.
Junior Libero Erin Neeley staked her claim on the ASU career digs chart, ranking fourth with 1,323 digs with a season to play still ahead.
Junior Laura Bennett also moved into the record rankings, posting 1,224 assists on the year and earning the seventh spot on the single season chart.
ASU entered the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed, taking on second-seeded Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders ended ASU's postseason play, topping the Red Wolves 3-0.
Over the season, the team posted four win streaks of four wins or more.
With its 4-0 start, ASU got off to its best start since the 2004 season when it started 5-0. The team posted wins over Mississippi Valley State, Texas Southern and The Citadel in the Texas Southern Season-Opening Tournament followed by a win over UT-Martin at the Convocation Center September 2. The Red Wolves did not lose a set in their first four matches. Junior Konae Purcell was named MVP of the tournament and Neeley was named the tournament's outstanding defensive specialist, while Fielder was selected to the all-tournament team.
The second streak began in the last game of the Hampton Inn Saluki Invitational September 13 when Arkansas State defeated Western Illinois 3-1. The Red Wolves then won three straight matches at the Western Carolina Catamount Clash over Presbyterian, Western Carolina and Norfolk State. Purcell was also named MVP of the Catamount Clash, while now-departed senior Mafo Joelle earned all-tournament honors. Back-to-back home wins over Louisiana-Lafayette September 26 and Louisiana-Monroe September 28 started the third win streak, followed by road wins over South Alabama and Troy. The Red Wolves also topped Memphis 3-1 at home October 7, before losing to Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky. The last win streak started with a road-swing through the state of Louisiana beginning October 16. ASU defeated New Orleans 3-0, Louisiana-Lafayette 3-1 and Louisiana-Monroe 3-0 over the weekend. Neeley was named SBC Defensive Player of the Week following the weekend sweep. The Red Wolves returned home to top Florida Atlantic October 24 before falling to Florida International the next day. Arkansas State won its last two matches on the road, winning at UALR 3-2 and North Texas 3-0. The end of the 2008 season also marked the end of head coach Craig Cummings’ time at Arkansas State. Cummings announced his resignation in February 2009 after 13 years at ASU, and Justin Ingram was named head coach in April.
Red Wolves Volleyball Falls at Middle Tennessee:
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (10/9/09) - The Arkansas State volleyball team (14-6, 4-2) fell to Middle Tennessee in five sets (25-23, 23-25, 25-18, 15-25, 13-15) Friday night in Murfreesboro.
"The team was well-prepared for this match," said ASU head coach Justin Ingram. "We understood the game plan at a high level and executed it well throughout the entire match. We competed. We fought for points, and there were a lot of positives that came out of this match."
Freshman Brittany Hoag pounded out 15 kills to lead the Red Wolves, while sophomore Cayla Fielder added 13 kills. Senior libero Heather Bowman posted 21 digs, and freshman Kelsie Hodges tallied a team-high five blocks on the night. Junior Laura Bennett recorded 42 assists and joined Bowman with two service aces each. Tied at 23, the Red Wolves came away win the 25-23 win in set one on a Blue Raider attack error and a service ace from senior Erin Neeley. MTSU took the second set 25-23, and Arkansas State broke away from an early tie to take set three 25-18. In the fourth set, ASU jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, but Middle Tennessee rallied to take the set 25-15. Down by two and out of a timeout, a kill by MTSU's Stacy Oladinni stretched the lead to 14-11. The Red Wolves battled back with kills from sophomore Charlyn Ursell and freshman Taylor Coughlin, but a ASU attack error put the set away at 15-13 in favor of the Blue Raiders. Arkansas State will be back in action Saturday afternoon when they travel to Western Kentucky to take on the Lady Hilltoppers at 3:00 p.m.
ASU Volleyball Drops SBC Match at Western Kentucky:
BOWLING GREEN,Ky. (10/10/09) - The Arkansas State volleyball team (14-7, 4-3) dropped its third Sun Belt Conference match to Western Kentucky (14-6, 3-2) in four sets (25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 25-22) in Bowling Green, Ky. Saturday afternoon.
"We played tired today," said ASU head coach Justin Ingram. "Last night's match against Middle Tennessee really took a lot out of our tanks. Although the turnaround was short, we needed to handle the adversity better than we did. WKU is a talented team, and we needed to play well for longer in order to come out with a win."
Sophomore Cayla Fielder led the Red Wolves with 16 kills, followed by freshman Taylor Coughlin with 11 kills. Senior libero Heather Bowman led the team with 11 digs, while sophomore Charlyn Ursell and freshman Kelsie Hodges each posted four blocks.
The Lady Hilltoppers rolled past ASU taking the first two sets 25-20 and 25-19 before the Red Wolves rallied in set three. Tied at 24 in the third set, kills from Fielder and freshman Brittany Hoag swayed the set 26-24 in ASU's favor.
The Red Wolves battled back in the fourth set to tie WKU at 22, but two Lady Hilltopper kills and an ASU attack error lifted Western Kentucky over ASU 25-22.
The Red Wolves return to the hardwood Friday, Oct. 16 when they take on Louisiana-Lafayette in a 7:00 p.m. matchup at the ASU Convocation Center. ASU will also play host to New Orleans Oct. 17 and Louisiana-Monroe Oct. 18.
Everybody writes books for coaches. But here is the volleyball tips self-coaching e-book written just for your daughter, the youngfemale high school or collegiate volleyball player..
BUY Your Copy Now!
(Sponsored links)
Now you can shop, compare prices and find coupons for
Week 8: Tulane Green Wave Women's College Volleyball Team News
Tulane Volleyball Travels To Play Marshall, East Carolina
Green Wave look to improve on 10-6 overall record and 5-2 showing in C-USA action over the weekend
NEW ORLEANS – Sometimes, just getting there is half the battle.
For the Tulane University volleyball team, its weekend travel schedule was delayed due to U.S. President Barrack Obama’s visit to the Crescent City forced a delay in at the New Orleans International Airport. The battle of improving on a 10-6 overall record and a 5-2 showing in Conference USA action, however, remains on schedule as the Green Wave will take on league foes Marshall and East Carolina on the road over on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
“We missed our connection in Atlanta, and we were planning on getting to Marshall and having a decent practice tonight,” first-year Tulane head volleyball coach Sinisa Momic said. “Well, that’s out of the question now. We probably won’t get to the hotel until 11. So there’s been a change of plans.
“(The airline) actually split us into two groups and the second group isn’t leaving here until 8. We just want to get to bed and then tomorrow, we’ll scout and practice and then play a match at 7. We’ll try and make the most out of it. What can you do?”
As a team, the Green Wave head to Marshall averaging 13.48 kills, 12.61 assists, 15.52 digs and 1.95 blocks per set. Sophomore outside hitter Visnja Djurdjevic leads the squad with 4.36 kills per set, while senior setter Rachel Lindelow has a team-best 10.88 assist-per-set average. Senior libero Jenn Miller paces the club with 4.08 digs per contest and junior middle blocker Lindsey Shepard headlines the team with 1.02 blocks per outing.
Tulane is hitting .217 (863-346-2382) on the season while allowing opponents to attack at a .202 clip (790-329-2277). Green Wave opponents, meanwhile, are averaging 12.34 kills, 11.59 assists, 16.25 digs and 2.34 blocks per set so far in 2009.
“We practiced well this week and I expect us to play better and better as the season goes on,” Momic said. “Our goal coming into the year was to get better with each match and be playing our best when we get to the conference tournament.
“Everybody needs to show up and we all need to play well. There’s no room for errors that we were making in the past. Everyone has scouted us enough to know our strengths and our weaknesses. We need to show up, stick with the gameplan and execute it well. From now on, there won’t be any room for mistakes.”
Marshall enters the weekend 16-4 on the year, 4-2 in C-USA play and looking to build on a 3-0 win at Memphis on Sunday. The win over the Tigers snapped a two-match skid as the Thundering Herd dropped a pair of four-match sets their previous two outings at Tulsa and at SMU.
As a team, the Herd are averaging 13.97 kills, 12.67 assists, 15.95 digs and 1.78 blocks per set. Emily Sullivan paces Marshall with 3.21 kills per set while Elizabeth Fleming averages 10.96 assists per stanza. Ryanne Milligan leads the team with 3.67 digs per set and Sullivan headlines the front-row defense with 0.74 blocks per set.
Marshall is hitting .226 (1020-403-2736) for the year while holding its opponents to a .168 clip (846-409-2599). Thundering Herd opponents, meanwhile, are averaging 11.59 kills, 10.53 assists, 15.73 digs and 1.90 blocks per set.
“They’re having a pretty good year,” Momic said of Marshall. “They’re only losses are to SMU and Tulsa, but both of those matches could have gone either way. They’re probably one of the best teams in the conference right now. We have to prepare as best as we can and expect a very strong team.
“We’re on the road so we have to be serious and take care of business no matter who we play. We’ve got to take it one match at a time, prepare for Marshall and we won’t think about ECU until after that’s over. We’ll get there on Saturday and prepare for that match then.”
Friday’s match marks just the fifth time that Tulane and Marshall will meet on the volleyball court, and the all-time series is tied at two wins each. The last time the Green Wave played in Huntington, W.Va., they dropped a 3-0 decision on Oct. 5, 2007, but Tulane bounced back a year later to post a 3-0 win of its won on Sept. 19, 2008 in Fogelman Arena.
Following the Marshall contest, the Green Wave return to action on Sunday, Oct. 18, when they travel to Greenville, N.C., for an 11 a.m. (CDT) showdown with East Carolina. From there, Tulane returns home for an Oct. 23 contest with UAB at 8 p.m. in Fogelman Arena. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE.
COACH MOMIC’S COMMENTS HEADING INTO THE MARSHALL/EAST CAROLINA WEEKEND
On the implications of Thursday’s travel situation
“We missed our connection in Atlanta, and we were planning on getting to Marshall and having a decent practice tonight. Well, that’s out of the question now. We probably won’t get to the hotel until 11. So there’s been a change of plans. (The airline) actually split us into two groups and the second group isn’t leaving here until 8. We just want to get to bed and then tomorrow, we’ll scout and practice and then play a match at 7. We’ll try and make the most out of it. What can you do?”
On Friday’s opponent, the Marshall Thundering Herd
“They’re having a pretty good year. They’re only losses are to SMU and Tulsa, but both of those matches could have gone either way. They’re probably one of the best teams in the conference right now. We have to prepare as best as we can and expect a very strong team.”
On playing East Carolina on Sunday
“We’re on the road so we have to be serious and take care of business no matter who we play. We’ve got to take it one match at a time, prepare for Marshall and we won’t think about ECU until after that’s over. We’ll get there on Saturday and prepare for that match then.”
On his team’s ability to bounce back on Sunday after a tough loss to Southern Miss on Wednesday
“It was a good match, a good comeback after a loss. We practiced well this week and I expect us to play better and better as the season goes on. Our goal coming into the year was to get better with each match and be playing our best when we get to the conference tournament.”
On the overall state of his team
“Things are coming together. We got a nice lift off the bench last week, and they gave us a little bit more depth and a little more room to come up with different strategies and line-ups. We now have the ability to play more people, so we should be good to go.”
On the keys to a successful weekend
“Everybody needs to show up and we all need to play well. There’s no room for errors that we were making in the past. Everyone has scouted us enough to know our strengths and our weaknesses. We need to show up, stick with the gameplan and execute it well. From now on, there won’t be any room for mistakes.”
Week 8: Auburn Women's College Volleyball Team News
AUBURN, Ala. – The first NCAA Division I Volleyball RPI of 2009 came out earlier this week, putting Auburn No. 69 in the nation. The Tigers are currently 11-7 overall and 3-4 in Southeastern Conference play.
“We are very excited to be moving into the top 70 in the nation and look to move past that into the top 60,” Wade Benson, head volleyball coach, said. “It is apparent that things are moving in the right direction for Auburn volleyball.
“However, we still haven’t reached our goals, one being to make the NCAA tournament. It is a goal that we are striving and training for on a day-to-day basis.”
Auburn jumped 163 spots from last season when the team finished No. 232 in the country. The young squad is the fifth-highest ranked team in the SEC, currently behind No. 9 Florida, No. 11 LSU, 13th-ranked Kentucky and No. 20 Tennessee.
The Tigers host a pair of SEC matches this weekend at the Student Activities Center, beginning with a match against No. 9 Florida at 6 p.m. on Friday. The match will host the “Dig For The Cure” event, which is a part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Auburn closes out the weekend with a Sunday match-up against South Carolina at 2:30 p.m.
Week 8: University of New Mexico Lobos Women's College Volleyball Team News
Up Next In Lobo Volleyball
Match 20
vs. UNLV • October 17 • 1 p.m. (MT)
Pen Pal Day
Johnson Center • Albuquerque, N.M.
This Week ... The Lobos (13-6, 4-3 MWC), after a big win on Tuesday night over New Mexico State in Las Cruces, host Mountain West Conference foe UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m.
**Saturday is Pen Pal Day. The Lobo volleyball team’s elementary school Pen Pals are invited to the match and will have a special autograph session following the match.
If You Can’t Make It To Johnson Center ... Fans can follow along on the internet at GoLobos.com. UNM provides Gametracker, live video and audio through the site.
Next Week ... The Lobos will be at the Johnson Center for Homecoming Weekend. Wyoming will start the weekend with a Thursday, Oct. 22 match at 7 p.m., followed by the Cherry Crush match vs. Colorado State on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.
QUICK HITS
• Lobos Among Tops In Attendance ... New Mexico is currently ranked 22nd in the nation with an attendance average of 1,500 fans this season. It is the first time that the Lobos started the season with over 1,000 fans at the first nine 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 2,338 vs. San Diego State on Oct. 1. MWC member Colorado State is ranked 14th overall with an average of 1,913 fans per match. Rankings are updated on Monday mornings.
• Another Streak Goes Down ... In Lobo head coach Jeff Nelson’s three years at UNM, several ominous road losing streaks have come to a halt. The most recent was Tuesday night in Las Cruces when UNM beat NMSU, 3-0, ending an 8-match road losing streak. The first one came in 2007 when the Lobos beat BYU on Oct. 6 in Provo for the first time in 12 years. Also in 2007, UNM won at San Diego State for the first time after 7 straight losses at the beach. In 2008, it had been since 2000 that UNM had won at UNLV and since 2001 at Wyoming. On Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, UNM beat Utah, 3-1 on Crimson Court for the first time in 13 years. It was also Nelson’s 50th win as a Lobo.
• Mark Your Calendars (Only 4 Home Matches Left After Saturday) ...Cherry Crush is set for Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 24 ... Think Pink, breast cancer awareness night, is set for Thursday, Nov. 5. If you wear pink, adults get in for $3 and kids, ages 2-18, get in for $2.
About New Mexico (13-6, 4-3 MWC) ... Lobo fans may see UNM sporting a lighter shade of Cherry on the court. UNM has won two big road matches wearing their new pink Nike jerseys on opponents’ breast cancer awareness matches. The pink definitely comes out one more time when UNM hosts Utah on Nov. 5 for the Lobos’ Think Pink Night in conjunction with UNM Hospital and the UNM Cancer Center ... Another losing streak came to an end on Oct. 13 as the Lobos beat New Mexico State, 3-0 in Las Cruces, 10-match overall and 8-match road losing streaks ... The Lobos beat Utah, 3-1, on Saturday, Oct. 10, the first win for UNM on Crimson Court since 1996 ... UNM picked up its first MWC win of the season at Wyoming on Sept. 26 (3-1) and have won three straight after an 0-2 start ... Senior Rose Morris made her return to the court on Oct. 3 with 11 kills over two sets and now leads UNM with 2.66 kills per set ... Junior Taylor Hadfield is next with 2.61 kills, one of five players with 2.00 or more kps on the season ... Junior Jade Michaelsen leads UNM in assists with 10.25 per set ... Junior Lisa Meeter and sophomore Amy Wong are 1-2 in service aces with 19 and 17 each ... On defense, sophomore Allison Buck leads the Lobos with a 3.99 per set average, while senior Anna Lehne and sophomore Ashley Rhoades lead 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 UNLV (4-10, 2-8 MWC; UNLV leads the series, 15-8, with UNM winning last two meetings) ... The Rebels, under the direction of 6th-year head coach Allison Keely, will play TCU on Thursday night before travelling to Albuquerque. Sophomore Cursty Jackson leads the Rebels with 3.18 kills per set and 0.98 blocks per set. UNLV uses two setters, sophomore Amanda Alles with 6.37 assists per set and senior Samantha Richard at 4.61 aps.
Current RPI rankings ... The first official NCAA RPI rankings were released late Monday afternoon and the Lobos are sitting pretty at 34, second among MWC schools. 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 34 and the Lobos’ Pablo ranking is 41. The Lobos ended the 2008 season ranked 66th in the NCAA RPI report.
Setting Records ... Junior setter Jade Michaelsen cracked the Top 10 on the UNM career assists list during the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. Michaelsen, from Tucson, Ariz., took over 7th place on the list in the first set of the New Mexico State match on Oct. 13, passing former teammate Sarah Kwasigroch (2005-09). Moving the next two spots up may take some time. She is now 182 and 187 assists away from taking over sixth and fifth place from former Lobos Monica Meihack (2,840; 2002-04) and Karen Saavedra-Warnock (2,845; 1985-88).
UNM Career Assists
1. Janelle Torres3,7941996-99
2. Alicia Bergmann3,2831992-95
3. Sharon Browning3,2141989-92
4. Jocelyn Funk3,1531983-86
5. Karen Saavedra-Warnock2,8451985-88
6. Monica Meihack2,8402002-04
7. Jade Michaelsen2,6592007-present
8. Sarah Kwasigroch2,6342005-09
9. Gretchen Gegenfurtner2,1931993-96
10. Kelly Griffin2,0961999-01
Blocking Into The Books ... Senior Anna Lehne, in addition to picking up the first all-tournament MVP honor of her career, moved onto the UNM career Top 10 lists for blocking - total blocks and block assists - during the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. On Sept. 16 against TCU, Lehne added the career solo blocks Top 10 list as well. She is working her way into the top 5 in all three lists. Lehne, a senior from Pueblo, Colo., had a Top 10 season mark with 101 block assists in 2008.
Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 8: Destinee Hooker Paces No. 2 Volleyball to Sweep of Kansas
Destinee Hooker’s 18-kill effort helps Texas stay unbeaten and improve to 13-0
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 2 Texas Volleyball team hit .356 for the match to sweep past Kansas, Wednesday night at the Horesji Family Athletics Center. The 25-16, 25-22, 25-12 victory improved the Longhorns to 13-0 on the season and 8-0 in Big 12 play, the Jayhawks fell to 9-8 and 2-6 in league action.
Kansas answered every Texas rally early in the first set and claimed a 10-9 lead midway through the frame, but the lead proved to be short-lived. Texas bounced back behind an 11-3 run paced by a pair of kills from freshman middle blocker Sha’Dare McNeal to take a 20-13 lead. McNeal added an ace down the stretch and junior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette added two kills to lift the Horns to a 25-16 victory.
Texas trailed to start the second stanza before three quick kill by senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker put the Horns in front, 9-7. The Jayhawks fought back to reclaim the advantage at the 13-12 mark, but the Longhorns answered with a 5-1 run fueled by a kill and an ace from Faucette that put UT ahead, 17-14. Hooker connected for an ace to widen the margin to 20-16 and added three late kills to propel Texas to a 25-22 win.
Hooker kept it rolling in the third set, hammering out three kills to start the stanza to help UT grab a 7-1 edge. Kansas narrowed the lead to 11-8 before Texas went on a 12-1 run headlined by three kills and two blocks from sophomore middle blocker Rachael Adams to take a 23-9 lead. The Horns went on to close out the frame 25-12 on a kill by sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Doris and a service ace by senior libero Heather Kisner.
Hooker highlighted the Longhorns’ offense on the night, recording 18 kills on .429 hitting and chipping six digs and two service aces. Faucette added nine kills and seven digs, while Adams notched seven kills, five blocks and hit .667.
Texas returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 17 when it travels to Texas Tech. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
POST-MATCH NOTES
·Texas’ win over Kansas improved its all-time record against the Jayhawks to 26-4.
·The victory improved the Longhorns’ regular-season winning streak to 22 matches, marking the third longest streak in program history.
·Destinee Hooker recorded nine kills on .389 hitting in the second set.
·Texas out-hit Kansas .356-to-.103 on the night and out-blocked the Jayhawks 9.0-to-2.0.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
Head coach Jerritt Elliott
General statement: This was a good win on the road. I thought as the match got going we got better, especially in game three. Our blocking assignments were better in the third and our side-out game was a lot smoother. We made some good adjustments against a good road opponent in the Big 12 and that is what we need to do.
On Destinee Hooker’s performance: She keeps growing as a player. We challenged her a little bit after game one to vary her shot selection. Leadership-wise she came out and led the team and ignited their fire. She is a special player. We need to get a little bit more balance, but it is nice to know that we have someone that can take over a match.
On Rachael Adams’ continued improvement: I thought Michelle (Kocher) did a nice job tonight of distributing the offense and Rachael continues to get better. We are trying to get her the ball more and for us to be successful we really need to have that balance.
Week 8: University of Texas El Paso Women's College Volleyball Team News
EL PASO - The UTEP volleyball team will head east for their longest trip of the season when they travel to Greenville, NC, and Huntington, WV, this weekend. UTEP will look to snap a four-match skid when it opens the weekend at East Carolina on Friday at 5 p.m. (MT). The team will then travel to Huntington to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd on Sunday at 11 a.m. (MT).
UTEP (9-11, 2-5 C-USA) will also be looking for its first conference road victory; the Miners losing streak began on the road two weekends ago in Houston. This past weekend, UTEP fell 3-1 to both UCF and Southern Miss at home.
After this road trip, the Miners will return home to host Memphis and UAB on Friday, Oct. 23, and Sunday, Oct. 25.
East Carolina has an overall record of 8-11 and a Conference USA mark of 1-6, while the Thundering Herd is 4-2 against league foes and 16-4 for the year. Marshall is 5-0 at home registering a perfect 3-0 record against C-USA schools.
Scouting the competition -East Carolina enters the weekend on a four-match losing streak, as well, as the Pirates spent back-to-back weekends on the road. The Pirates lost all four in three-set matches. ECUs lone C-USA win was a 3-1 contest against UCF at home.
Stephanie Turner leads the Pirates with 187 kills and 19 service aces, shes third on digs with 118. The ECU offense is powered by setter Hannah Fender (656 assists). As a team, the Pirates are third in service aces averaging 1.36 per set, UTEP is fourth (1.30/s) and third in blocks against C-USA opponents posting 2.43 per set. Against opponents, ECU is second allowing just 11.55 kills per set, third in assists allowed (10.61/s) and fourth in blocks and digs allowed.
UTEP defeated the Pirates 3-1 in the teams last meeting on Oct. 19, 2008 in El Paso.
-After a Friday night matchup with Tulane, fourth-ranked Marshall will host the Miners on Sunday. The Thundering Hers is 3-2 in their last four matches, the last was a clean sweep victory over Memphis in the teams only contest over the weekend. The two wins have come over Southern Miss and UCF teams with victories over UTEP. The pair of loses have been at the hands of Tulsa and SMU UTEP recorded both of its conference wins against the Mustangs and the Hurricane.
The Thundering Herd are led by senior Emily Sullivan and junior Elizabeth Herman. Sullivan leads the team with 225 kills, Herman is second with just one less at 224. Both players are also the top defenders at the net as Sullivan has tallied 52 total blocks and Herman 49. Herman has also contributed 139 digs this season. Libero Ryanne Milligan has picked up 268 digs and posting a team-leading 22 service aces.
As a team, Marshall is second in service aces (1.38/s) and digs (15.95/s), third in assists (12.7/s) and kills (13.97/s), and fourth in hitting percentage (.217) and opponent hitting percentage (.192). Sullivan is third among conference players in hitting percentage (.370), while setter Elizabeth Flemming is second averaging 10.96 assists per set. Against opponents, Marshall is second in service aces allowing 0.92 per set, and assists (10.53/s); third in kills allowed (11.59/s) and fourth in hitting percentage allowed (.168).
In the last meeting, the Thundering Herd swept the Miners at home in Oct. 17, 2008.
Chavez reaches milestone Senior outside hitter Catherine Chavez posted her 1,000th career kill this past weekend in the Miners match against Southern Miss. She entered the contest needing 17 kills to reach the milestone and she slammed exactly that number to become only the seventh player in school history to reach that feat.
One step up Setter Patty Jarmoc climbed into the top five in UTEPs all-time career assists list during opening weekend of the 2009 season. With 2,833 career assists to date, the junior needs 10 more to tie Katie Smiths 2,843 career assists for a fourth-place ranking.
Lets compare The Miners 2.44 blocks per set are tops amongst C-USA schools and 45th nationally. UTEP is top five in the league in two offensive categories ranking fourth in service aces (1.30/s) and fifth hitting percentage (.217). Defensively, UTEP is best in giving up the lowest average in blocks (1.72/s) and digs (12.96/s).
Individually Chavez has posted 20 service aces this season, for an average of .30 per set, to rank eighth amongst all C-USA players. Mooneys 1.01 blocks per set (70 total) and Sanders 3.97 points per set are eighth and ninth, respectively, amongst conference players.
In conference matches only UTEP is also first in blocks (2.93/s) while limiting opponents to a 1.85 blocks per set for third against conference foes. Incidentally, Mooney ranks second in blocks (1.30/s) and Cassandra Burruel is sixth (1.14/s). Burruels .342 hitting efficiency in seven matches is second amongst all conference players.
On the clock Sanders 14 kills in the Miners win against Coppin State matched and surpassed Kari Stacys 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 1,321 and will need 191 more blasts this season to dethrone UTEPs all-time leader Jennifer Abbruzzese (1,511).
Look who joins the party! Senior Catherine Chavez began her senior campaign with 806 career kills. With 1,000 to date, Chavez entered the top-10 career leaders and is currently ranked eighth all-time. The Eastwood alum needs 9 to tie for seventh, 27 to tie sixth and 47 to enter the top-five.
So far, Chavez is averaging 2.90 kills per set this season and with at least nine conference matches remaining she is well on her way to etching her name in the top five. She needs to average 1.74 per set to reach the feat, that is 5.22 kills a match - very doable as the outside hitter has posted double-digit kills nine times this season.
Wait...theres more Chavez has registered 92 service aces in her career, 20 this season. Fourteen more will also put her in the top-five all-time leaders in the category.
Prices Creameries Realizing the challenging economic climate, UTEP has teamed up with Prices Creameries to provide a year-long promotion for all 2009 Miner home matches. Any fan who brings in the milk caps from Prices milk will receive a free youth ticket to the contest. One cap will result in one ticket. Stay healthy and save money, courtesy of Prices and UTEP Athletics.
Miner All-Access Pass All of UTEP volleyball home games this year will be available through subscription on UTEPAthletics.com as part of Miners All-Access. Additionally, all of the Miners Conference USA road tilts are tentatively slated to be available as well.
Petes Pass Fans can attend all UTEP volleyball home matches, in addition to every womens basketball, softball, tennis, track & field and soccer home events, by purchasing a Petes Pass for only $35. For more details on the Petes Pass, in addition to season-ticket information for football and mens basketball, please call (915) 747-6150.
Week 8: Alabama Crimson Tide Women's College Volleyball Team News
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
POWER OF PINK
The University of Alabama Athletics Department Launches Power of Pink this Weekend
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – There will be some pink mixed in among all the crimson and white pageantry that Homecoming Week brings to Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama campus as the UA athletics department kicks off its “Power of Pink” breast cancer awareness initiative this weekend.
The Power of Pink is the athletics department’s year-long effort to raise awareness of and support for breast cancer initiatives in the West Alabama community.
“Everyone knows someone whose life has been affected by breast cancer,” Marie Robbins, Alabama Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator, said. “Our mission as a department includes reaching out in a variety of ways to help people in the Tuscaloosa and West Alabama communities. Alabama Athletics’ Power of Pink initiative is one way we can directly help women in our area become more aware of this disease and how they can access early detection and treatment options through the DCH Breast Cancer Fund.”
To that end the Crimson Tide will host Power of Pink events at three different points during the year - in the fall, winter and spring - to help raise awareness of breast cancer.
“I am very excited about this initiative that our athletic department has established in creating a united front to help educate people about breast cancer,” head volleyball coach Judy Green said. “Each and every one of us, whether it is through family or friends, teammates or former players, knows someone that has been diagnosed, and if we can touch just one person through our efforts, I feel like we’re helping to do our part.”
Volleyball, soccer, and swimming and diving will host the initial events starting this weekend with volleyball against Tennessee on Friday at 6 p.m. and soccer facing off against Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. Sunday. The swimming and diving team will host its “pink” meet Friday, Nov. 6 against LSU. The gymnastics and softball teams will also be in the pink spirit this weekend as they autograph pink-themed posters on the University Quad Saturday afternoon before the football game.
“As a department, because of the remarkable support of our fans, we have a tremendous platform to reach people,” Robbins said. “Breast cancer awareness is something that several of our teams have been involved with in one way or another for several years, and as more teams expressed an interest in hosting an awareness event, we decided to develop a comprehensive plan involving all of our women’s teams pulling together in this fight.”
In this country alone, a woman will be newly diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes, and the odds of overcoming breast cancer are much higher if the disease is detected in the early stages, a fact that makes the Tide’s efforts even more vital.
“One of our team members currently has a close family member battling this specific form of cancer so for us, the event is timely and the meaning hits home,” head soccer coach Todd Bramble said. “If seeing our team in pink uniforms this weekend motivates anyone to initiate the process for early detection, then I feel confident we are having a positive effect on people in our community.”
The Tide’s Power of Pink had its start in the fall of 2004 when gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson began planning the first “pink” meet to help raise awareness of breast cancer. One of the early supporters of Patterson’s endeavors was the DCH Foundation, which started the DCH Breast Cancer Fund to further the Power of Pink initiative and help women in the West Alabama area who need financial assistance to pay for early detection and treatment of breast cancer.
“We are excited about the partnership with UA women’s athletics, and the increased awareness of the Fund with the participation of these teams,” Larry O’Neal, Vice President of Development for the DCH Foundation, said. “Alabama Athletics’ efforts in this area have made a great difference in our community and in helping uninsured and underinsured women to have early detection services for breast cancer.”
Week 8: Loyola Marymount University Women's College Volleyball Team News
BRIEFLY... Having lost six straight matches, LMU (9-9, 0-4) will remain on the road for a match against cross-town rival Pepperdine (10-7, 3-1) in West Coast Conference action on Saturday night. The Lions and Waves will meet at 7 p.m. on Saturday to decide the only match for LMU this week. Pepperdine on the other hand traveled to UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, falling in four sets to the Gauchos. The match against Pepperinde, which is part of the PCH Challenge, can be followed via livestats at pepperdinesports.com, or by clicking on the link in the sidebar of the women’s volleyball schedule atwww.LMULions.com. PCH CHALLENGE… This week’s match between Pepperdine and LMU is the fourth overall contest between the two schools in this year’s PCH Challenge. The Lions and Waves are currently tied in the standings after each school earned a victory in men’s water polo, and the women’s soccer teams tied last Sunday in Malibu. To learn more about the PCH Challenge and view the current scorecard, please visit http://www.lmulions.com/trads/PCH-Cup.html.
LION TRACKS… LMU dropped a five-set contest to Portland, 25-20, 19-25, 25-19, 18-25, 16-14, on Thursday night on the road in Portland, Ore. Prior to Thursday's loss, LMU had won nine of the last 10 matches against the Pilots, including six straight. LMU's last loss to Portland came on November 17, 2005 on the road. LMU fell to 2-3 in five-set matches this year with the loss. The Lions did out-hit Portland, .245 to .232 and served-up seven aces to the Pilots' three, but it was not enough in the loss. Freshman Alaina Bergsma led all players with 21 kills on 55 attacks, teaming that mark with two aces and two block assists for a total of 24 points. Sophomore Ariana Covington posted 12 kills, matching junior Becky Stehling for second-most on the team on Thursday night. Covington, a native of Carlsbad, Calif., also matched Bergsma with two aces to hold a share of the most by any player. Freshman Kenna Crouse was the fourth Lion to finish with double-digit kills, notching 10 in the loss. Sophomore Alesha Young returned to the setter position after serving as the team's libero the previous two matches, dishing-out 34 assists and collecting a match-high tying 11 digs for a double-double. The team of Maria Clemens and Jessica Clemens proved just effective enough to defeat the Lions on Thursday, as Maria posted 17 kills to Jessica's 16. Both players collected double-doubles, with Maria notching 11 digs and Jessica 10. Kaylyn Jones set the Portland offense, dishing-out 52 assists and narrowly missing a double-double with nine digs. Ariel Usher proved to be the most efficient attacker on the night, hitting .389 with seven kills on 18 swings with no errors. Perhaps a little sluggish from another long match on Thursday, LMU was swept on the road on Saturday by Gonzaga, 25-21, 25-21, 25-21, in West Coast Conference play. The Lions hit just .183 as a team in the loss, with the highlight coming from Bergsma and Stehling with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Bergsma recorded a double-double, teaming 11 digs with her match-high tying 12 kills and two service aces. Young dished-out a match-best 20 assists, while freshman Olivia Bailey collected 12 in her own right. Michelle Boevers and Emily Johnson matched Bergsma and Stehling, connecting for 12 and 10 kills of their own, in that order. Johnson was the lone Bulldog with a double-double, teaming her kills mark with 10 digs. Denise Van de Mortel passed-out 17 assists, while Kelsey Bashaw had 15, as Gonzaga managed to hit .248 as a team in the win.
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 atwww.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. TOP OF THE CLASS… Redshirt-freshman Alaina Bergsma has not only held her own in the competitive and extremely talented West Coast Conference, she is also making a name for herself on the national level. Bergsma enters the week ranked second in the nation amongst her freshmen counterparts in kills per set at 4.22. The only freshman with a better mark this year is Tyler Henderson from Tulsa at 4.30. The national leader is Temple senior Yun Yi Zhang at 5.64 kills per set. Bergsma is also fifth in the nation amongst freshmen players in aces per set with 30 aces at a rate of .47 per set. The native of Chandler, Ariz. is the LMU team-leader in attacks (710), kills (270), service aces (30), block solos (14), total blocks (42), and points (328). So far this year, she has been named a CVU.com National Top Performer, the 2009 TCU Nike/Molten Invitational Tournament MVP, and an All-Tournament selection four times. 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. So far, LMU is 0-3 against ranked foes this year, falling in three sets to then-No. 9 UCLA on September 5, then-No. 20 UC Irvine in four on September 12, and then-No. 20 San Diego in a five-set thriller on October 1. Rankings have been nothing short of perfect in the recent past when predicting LMU’s fate against ranked opponents, as the Lions have dropped 21 consecutive matches against those teams. 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… The LMU men’s and women’s soccer doubleheaders on Friday and Sunday are this week’s “Team LMU” events. The men will square-off against Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s, while the women will host Gonzaga and Portland. Action starts at 12:30 p.m. on Friday and 12 p.m. on Sunday as the women begin both doubleheaders. “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 as she closes in on completing her third full year at LMU. 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. Nearly as strong this season, she totes a .345 hitting percentage so far, fourth in the West Coast Conference. Over a longer span of time, her .351 career hitting percentage entering this week places third in LMU history. Only Kelli Nerison (2001-04) and Mardell Wrensch (1992-95) have posted better marks in a career, finishing with percentages of .356 and .355, respectively. Freshman Alaina Bergsma has a shot to finish this year in the single season book for a few categories. She averages 4.22 kills per set (4.32 is 10th), has accumulated 30 service aces (42 is 10th), and has averaged .47 aces per set, which would put her sixth in the books if the season ended prior to this week. Sophomore Lauren DeGrandmont has posted 169 digs this year, but she needs to reach 370 to enter the single season record book. Her 2.73 digs per set average this year needs to grow to 3.45, while her 2.03 digs per set in her career is striving for 2.88, which would place her 10th. Sophomore Alesha Young is also trying to place her name in the books, averaging 6.16 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. CRASHING THE WAVES… Pepperdine enters the match against the Lions toting a 10-7 overall record and a 3-1 record in the WCC, having won three of its last four matches overall. Prior to the recent success, Pepperdine had lost four consecutive matches. Most recently, Pepperdine dropped a four-set match to UC Santa Barbara on the road on Tuesday of this week. The Waves began the conference season 0-1 after dropping the opener to Saint Mary’s on October 1. They have since won the last four WCC matches, including a sweep of then-No. 20 San Diego at home on October 3. Sporting a pretty well-balanced offense, Pepperdine is paced by Rachel Grochmal, Lilla Frederick and Kim Hill with 179, 172 and 137 kills, in that order. Hill sports the top hitting percentage for Pepperdine at .377. Kiah Fiers sets the Wave attack, dishing-out 588 assists to help guide the team to a .226 overall hitting percentage. Stevi Robinson and Grochmal are the team’s best servers, collecting 25 and 17 service aces, respectively. Robinson leads Pepperdine on defense, collecting 278 digs at a rate of 4.96 per set. Victoria Adelhelm is the team-leader in blocks, collecting three block solos and 42 block assists. Pepperdine, led by 27th-year Head Coach Nina Matthies, leads the all-time series against the Lions, 41-16. The Waves have won eight of the last nine contests between the two teams, including the last five straight. The two teams last met on November 6, 2008 at Pepperdine as the Lions fell in three sets. 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 <http://www.side-out.org/application/teams/team_page/1213> . Fans can also make a donation at the match on the 24th. 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 381-204, 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 173-97, good for a .641 winning percentage. With 173 career conference victories, Stratos again ranks second among active coaches in the WCC.
Week 8: Santa Clara Women's College Volleyball Team News
Oct. 14, 2009
Santa Clara Volleyball Hosts Portland and Gonzaga
Santa Clara, Calif. - Santa Clara FINALLY returns home this weekend to
host Portland and Gonzaga in volleyball action at the Leavey Center.
The Gonzaga match will be DIG PINK so Bronco fans are encouraged to
wear PINK as part of the Breast Cancer Awareness month. The first 200
Bronco students in the door for the Gonzaga match on Saturday will
receive a PINK RUFF RIDERS t-shirt.
Santa Clara, 10-8 and 0-3 in the WCC, plays Portland, 5-13 and 1-2 in
the WCC, on Thurs., Oct. 15 at 7 pm. Gonzaga is next on the home
schedule with the Bulldogs, 6-10 and 2-1 in the WCC, coming to the
Leavey Center for a 1 pm match on Sat., Oct. 17.
Bronco head coach Jon Wallace believes the two straight home matches
couldn't have come at a better time. "We need to play at home to feel
more comfortable and start getting our confidence back. After losing at
USD on Saturday our girls wanted play on Sunday. Now we get to play
Thursday at home and I think they are pretty pumped up about it."
Saturday's Gonzaga match features DIG PINK for the third straight year
with the team raising almost $13,000 in the first two years. High
school and college teams nationally will be promoting breast health
education in the community as well as raising funds to help eradicate
Breast Cancer. "We look forward to the DIG PINK event every year,"
said Wallace. "Our program has been affected by this and touched by
people within our program. We find out so many people are affected by
breast cancer and donations are coming from the families and friends of
our players who have been affected by it. Our number is going up every
year and it's nice to see that. Hopefully we will get a good student
following to create a greater awareness throughout our student body
here at Santa Clara University."
Please see the special website setup for the event! If you can't make
the match to donate in person, then you can donate online at:
https://www.side-out.org/application/teams/team_page/1207
Santa Clara played its first 16 of 18 matches on the road, including
its first three WCC matches. It is coming off a 3-1 loss at USD last
Saturday, after pushing Saint Mary's to five games before falling 3-2
in Moraga last Thursday.
"As coaches we know this team is going to be good, and we know that we
have to get them back on track. It's going to be a longer process than
we thought," said Wallace.
Wallace said the team isn't limping home after losing its first three
WCC matches, but again, they are excited to return home to the Leavey
Center. "Having to correct things in the middle of conference is
always tough. USF had a big crowd for our match and it was a special
night for them," said Wallace. "The next match at Saint Mary's we lose
in five and that's probably why I think they are the best team in the
conference. We battled, played real strong and had a chance to win that
match. At San Diego, which is always a tough place to play as the pre-
season pick to win the title, we lose in 4. I think our team is getting
better and hopefully we'll string some wins together, get some
confidence back and win the rest."
While the Broncos are looking for better execution on the court,
Wallace knows the team has quality character student-athletes.
"Unfortunately, we are probably not finding very many bright spots with
our level of execution on the court. But, we are finding many bright
spots with our character, our fight and our determination to be great
and uphold our Santa Clara volleyball tradition. We are definitely not
where we want to be as far as execution goes right now, but we like the
commitment to get better everyday and that this team is sticking
together and playing hard."
Santa Clara continues to be led by freshman-redshirt Dana Knudsen, who
is hitting .356 with 2.39 kpg and .88 bpg. Senior Lindsy Davigeadono
is knocking down .88 bpg; and she adds 2.48 kpg, hitting .243. Setter
junior Emily Burke collects 7.81 apg with .20 apg and 2.02 dpg.
Sophomore Tanya Schmidt is hitting .328 with 1.65 kpg and leads the
team with .98 bpg. Freshman Katherine Douglas leads the team with 160
kills and is second with 160 digs. Sophomore Libby Morrison has a team-
high 174 dpg, gathering 3.05 dpg.
Wallace believes his team has the talent to win and it will take
something little to get back on that path. "It's just going to click
and the girls are working hard enough to create that click to happen
this year at some point in time. We do have to get better at passing,
setting, and attacking, but the girls are working hard for that. Once
they get that feeling going and can get some kind of ground swell going
of their confidence and emotion, then we'll be able to put a product on
that court that has the feeling that they can win every night."
