Volleyball Voices

No. 22 UC Irvine Hosts UCI Classic This Weekend

No. 22 ANTEATERS HOST UC IRVINE CLASSIC; MONTANA,

NORTHEASTERN, UMBC COMPLETE TOURNAMENT FIELD

ANTEATERS HOSTS UCI CLASSIC: No. 22 UC Irvine (3-0) hosts the

UCI Classic this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 4-5) at Crawford Court. The

Anteaters face Montana in their home opener Friday at 1:00 p.m. and

then take on Northeastern at 7:00 p.m. UCI closes out tournament

action against Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

UCI CLASSIC SCHEDULE

Friday, September 4:

UCI vs. Montana 1:00 p.m.

Montana vs. Northeastern 4:00 p.m.

Northeastern vs. UCI 7:00 pm

Saturday, September 5:

UCI vs. UMBC 5:00 p.m.

FOLLOW UCI CLASSIC ACTION ON GAMETRACKER: Gametracker

for all UCI Classic matches will be provided through the UCI Athletics

website. Gametracker links can be found either through the front page‘s

Calendar of Events or on the UCI women’s volleyball schedule (non-

PDF version). Click on the desired match to view match information and

access Gametracker links.

ANTEATERS JUMP INTO AVCA POLL AT No. 22: UC Irvine, which

received votes in the AVCA poll last week, jumped into the top 25 at No.

22 following a 3-0 outing at Nevada. It is the first time that UCI has been

ranked since 1988.

NEWCOMERS MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT: Newcomers

Juliane Piggott (Newport Beach/UCLA), Kristin Winkler

(Los Altos/St. Francis HS) and Taylor Smith (Los

Altos/Archbishop Mitty HS) earned starting spots on the

team this past weekend and keyed the program its 3-0

start. Piggott led the team with 20 kills against California,

hitting .304 (20-6-46) in the process. The junior transfer

picked up 11 digs, second-highest on the team, and

recorded the team‘s lone solo stuff against the Golden

Bears.

Winkler started at libero and led the team with 12 digs

against Cal while recording a pair of service winners.

Winkler led the team against the Huskies with 20 digs and

added a service ace while recording 14 digs and an ace

against Nevada. The true freshman averaged 3.29 digs per

set and 0.29 aces over the weekend.

Smith led the team at the net, averaging 0.93 blocks per

set. The freshman shared the match-high with Hauser,

posting five block assists against California and totaling six

kills. She then added three blocks against UConn with five

kills and concluded the weekend with a match-high five

blocks against Nevada.

CROPPER TIES CAREER-HIGH IN KILLS: Junior Riley

Cropper (Seal Beach/Los Alamitos HS) tied a career-high

with eight kills and hit .375 against the Huskies. The middle

blocker committed just two errors in 16 attempts to come

away with the team-high in percentage. Cropper also put

up three block assists against UConn and added three

more against the Wolf Pack.

SOUTO SCOOPS PERSONAL-BEST: Senior Lauren

Souto (Huntington Beach/Mater Dei HS) recorded

personal-bests twice in digs over the weekend, posting six

against UConn and then picking up seven in the win

against Nevada. The defensive specialist also served up

two aces against California last Friday for a personal-high

Berwanger, Brown named MVC Volleyball Athletes of the Week

www.SIUSalukis.com

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Southern Illinois volleyball players Jennifer Berwanger and Rachael Brown have been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player and Freshman of the Week the league announced Monday.

MVC Player of the Week Berwanger, a junior outside hitter from Lake Zurich, Ill., earned all-tournament team honors at the NIU Invitational last weekend, helping SIU start the season 4-0, posting two double-doubles and leading the team in kills in all four matches.

She averaged 4.29 kills, 3.36 digs and 0.64 service aces per set, hitting .248 over the weekend. She recorded 14 kills and five digs in the season-opening sweep of Stephen F. Austin, then put up 17 kills and a match-high 20 digs for her 26th career double-double in a win against Northern Illinois. On Saturday, she posted 11 kills, five digs and three service aces in a sweep of Illinois-Chicago, then went on to post another double-double in a four-set victory over Western Illinois with 18 kills, 17 digs and two service aces.

Brown, a rookie setter from Brownsburg, Ind., earned all-tournament team honors at the NIU Invitational, her first collegiate tournament. The freshman averaged 10.21 assists, 1.50 digs and 0.43 blocks per set in four matches to earn MVC Freshman of the Week honors.

She recorded 23 assists and four digs against Stephen F. Austin and 44 assists, three digs and one solo and three block assists in a win over Northern Illinois. On Saturday, she recorded her first double-double, a 30 assist, 10 dig effort against Illinois-Chicago, before wrapping up the tournament with a career-best 46 assist effort against Western Illinois.

Ellie Blankenship from Northern Iowa was named the defensive player of the week.

Berwanger is the first Saluki to be honored for player of the week honors since Kristie Kemner received the award in October of 2002. 

Nethersole Earns First Collegiate Honor, Named America East Rookie of the Week

West Hartford, CT – University of Hartford freshman Kami Nethersole earned her first collegiate honor on Monday as she was named the America East Rookie of the Week after her performance at the Niagara Invitational over the weekend. 

Nethersole, who was named to the Niagara Invitational All-Tournament team, led the Hawks through their first weekend of competition with 31 kills, hitting .256 with 12 errors in 82 total attempts. In her first collegiate match, the rookie put up a match-high 13 kills against Providence and then matched that number against Niagara on Sunday.

 

The Hawks finished the weekend with a 2-1 overall record, defeating Providence in four sets and Coppin State in three sets, before falling to Niagara (3-0) on Sunday. Nethersole also finished the weekend third on the team defensively with 21 digs, including nine in the season opener against Providence.

 

Nethersole is the first player to earn a conference honor since Lindsay Ford was named rookie of the week on September 10, 2007.

 

The Hartford volleyball team opens their nine-match home schedule on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., welcoming the Marist Red Foxes to the Sports Center.

 

 

LSU Volleyball's Cooper Snags SEC Defensive Player of the Week

Volleyball’s Cooper Snags SEC Defensive Player of the Week

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – LSU middle blocker Brittnee Cooper picked up SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors Monday as announced by the league office. It’s the second career weekly award for Cooper, who earned SEC Player of the Week accolades during the 2007 season.

“Brittnee had an excellent all-around tournament last weekend,” head coach Fran Flory said. “Her blocking stats were outstanding, and she made a significant impact on both sides of the net. This is certainly a nice honor for her to start the season.” 

Cooper, a Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament Team selection, headlined LSU’s block party as the Tigers posted 14.17 blocks per match. She notched 1.54 blocks per set, a 0.34 per set improvement after leading the SEC in that category in 2008.

Cooper provided seven blocks against 2008 National Runner-Up and No. 5 Stanford before falling one shy of career-high registering 12 blocks against Denver. 

LSU also tripled its vote total in the recent AVCA Top 25 poll released Monday. The Tigers are up to 62 votes and fourth among teams receiving votes.

LSU opens the home portion of its schedule this weekend welcoming No. 6 Nebraska, Louisiana-Lafayette and Tulane to the Maravich Center for the Tiger Classic. The Tigers square off against the Huskers Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT.

AVCA Top 25 – Week 1 (August 31)

 

Rank	School (First-Place Votes)	Total Points	2009 Record	Last Week
1	Penn State (53)	1492	3-0	1
2	Texas (5)	1429	2-0	2
3	Washington (2)	1388	3-0	4
4	Hawai’i	1299	4-0	7
5	Florida	1212	2-0	8
6	Nebraska	1142	1-1	3
7	Michigan	1056	2-0	16
8	Illinois	1036	2-0	10
9	UCLA	993	2-2	9
10	California	921	2-1	6
11	Stanford	904	2-1	5
12	Iowa State	854	2-0	13
13	Minnesota	842	1-1	11
14	Oregon	767	3-0	14
15	San Diego	612	1-1	15
16	Southern California	570	2-1	12
17	Utah	545	3-0	17
18	Kentucky	406	3-0	21
19	Saint Louis	375	2-1	20
20	Michigan State	275	3-0	NR
21	Pepperdine	237	3-0	NR
22	UC Irvine	204	3-0	NR
23	Kansas State	144	0-2	22
24	Purdue	120	2-1	19
25	Wichita State	109	2-1	18

 

Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more ballots: Long Beach State 76; Notre Dame 67; Texas A&M 65; LSU 62; Ohio 58; Arizona 45; Santa Clara 31; Dayton 29; Oklahoma 19; Duke 17; Middle Tennessee 14; Oregon State 12; Tulane 11; Tennessee 10; New Mexico State 7; Baylor 6; Pittsburgh 6; Colorado State 4; Five schools were listed on only one ballot for a total of 15 points.

Dropped Out: Long Beach State (23); Colorado State (24); Santa Clara (25)

Volleyball Heads to Robert Morris; Hosts Own Invitational

QUICK SETS:  Cleveland State will attempt to keep its perfect record (4-0) in tact when the Vikings take the court for four matches this week, beginning with a nonconference contest at Robert Morris on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 7:00 p.m. The Vikings will then return home to host the CSU Invitational Presented by Crowne Plaza City Centre on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 4-5). CSU will open play with a 7:00 p.m. match versus No. 20 Michigan State on Friday before hosting Syracuse at 11:00 a.m. and the Spartans again at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

REVIEWING LAST WEEK:  Cleveland State won the La Salle Invitational by posting a 4-0 mark. All four wins came via sweeps. Following are brief recaps of each match.

Match 1: CSU 3, Air Force 0 (Aug. 28, Philadelphia, Pa.)
       Beth Greulich and Liz Fazio combined for 20 kills and Cleveland State hit .286 as the Vikings won their season opener. Jordan Goad handed out 27 assists, while Maggie Bonomini finished with a match-high tying 11 digs.

Match 2: CSU 3, Canisius 0 (Aug. 28, Philadelphia, Pa.)
       Amy Benz recorded 10 kills and hit .692 to lead the Vikings to a 3-0 sweep over Canisius. Jordan Goad finished with a double-double of 31 assists and 13 digs, while Maggie Bonomini had 17 digs.

Match 3: CSU 3, Farleigh-Dickinson 0 (Aug. 29, Philadelphia, Pa.)
Kara Koch notched a career-high 16 kills and Amy Benz added 10 as the Vikings ran their win streak to four with a 3-0 sweep over Farleigh Dickinson. Jordan Goad handed out 35 assists, leading CSU to a .340 hitting percentage.

Match 4: CSU 3, La Salle 0 (Aug. 29, Philadelphia, Pa.)
       Cleveland State remained perfect and claimed the La Salle Invitational with a 3-0 win over the host Explorers. Kara Koch had 10 kills and Amy Benz finished with nine, while Maggie Bonomini made a match-best 23 digs.

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS:  Cleveland State enters the 2009 season with high expectations once again, having played in the Horizon League Championship match in three of the last four years. Tenth-year head coach Chuck Voss welcomes back five starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's team that lost in the finals in five sets. Leading the way are senior Beth Greulich (.268, 2.42 kpg, 0.83 bpg) and junior middle hitter Amy Benz (.375, 2.31 kpg, 1.06 bpg), both two-time first team All-Horizon League picks. Sophomore setter Jordan Goad (10.32 apg, 2.17 dpg) returns after earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Newcomer team after setting a CSU record for most assists by a freshman (1,186). Senior Liz Fazio (.265, 3.12 kpg) is the most experienced outside hitter on the roster, while sophomore Lindsay Griffith (.038, 1.83 kpg) and freshman Kara Koch (.367, 3.27 kpg, 1.82 dpg) will also fight for time. Sophomore Megan Barhorst (.308, 1.50 kpg, 1.50 bpg)) and freshman Marie Frease will receive time in the middle, while senior Maggie Bonomini (5.33 dpg) takes over as the libero to lead a deep and talented backrow. She is joined on the backline by junior Meghan Mental (2.18), sophomores Amy Grabiec (2.00) and Whitney Dalessandro and freshman Amanda Medvetz (0.67).

THE HEAD COACH:  In his 10th year at the helm of the CSU volleyball program, head coach Chuck Voss has methodically built the Vikings from the ground up and made them a perennial contender for the league title. The Vikings have advanced to the Horizon League semifinals five times under Voss, including three appearances in the league title match (2004, 2007, 2008). Voss has a 146-125 (.539) mark at CSU, ranking second on the all-time wins list and is 179-161 (.526) in 11 overall seasons. He has mentored the only two All-Americans in school history, the 2005 Horizon League Player of the Year, 14 first team all-league picks, nine all-newcomer team members and four league Newcomer of the Year picks.

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS:  The Vikings won all four matches at the La Salle Invitational with 3-0 sweeps, outscoring the opposition, 300-186 and holding its opponents under 20 points in 11 of the 12 sets. The four straight sweeps are the most since CSU picked up five consecutive 3-0 wins early in the 2006 season.

BONOMINI HONORED BY LEAGUE:  Senior Maggie Bonomini was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week following her performance at the La Salle Invitational. Bonomini averaged 5.33 digs per set in four matches, including 23 in a 3-0 win over La Salle. The most experienced backrow player on the roster, Bonomini is in her first year as CSU's libero after spending her first three seasons as a defensive specialist.

DEFENSE STANDS OUT:  The Cleveland State defense was at its best at La Salle over the weekend, holding its four opponents to a combined .026 (95-84-423) attack percentage. CSU began the tournament by holding Air Force to a .029 percentage, while Canisius was held to .025. Farleigh-Dickinson had the most success against the Vikings, hitting .062, while La Salle hit at a -.010 clip.
BENZ AGAIN PROVING SHE IS ONE OF THE BEST:  Junior Amy Benz had a great start to the 2009 season, proving once again that she is one of the top players in the Horizon League. A two-time first team All-Horizon League selection, Benz hit .375 (33-9-64) in four matches at the La Salle Invitational, adding 13 blocks. In a 3-0 win over Canisius on Friday (Aug. 28), Benz finished with 10 kills and just one error in 13 attempts (.692). Benz has hit .321 during her time at CSU, third best in program history.

SUPER SENIOR:  A two-time first team All-Horizon League selection, senior Beth Greulich has consistently proven to be one of the top players to ever play in the CSU program. Greulich, who is just 18 kills shy of becoming the 12th player in CSU history with 1,000 career kills, is ranked fourth all-time in school history in hitting percentage (.308), tied for sixth with 275 block assists and is 10th with 294 total blocks.

FAZIO CLOSING IN ON 1,000 KILLS:  Senior Liz Fazio has battled through various injuries and ailments during her career, particularly to her knees, but that has not slowed her production at all. Fazio has amassed 874 kills during her career, needing just 126 more to reach 1,000. Her career average of 2.93 kills per game ranks seventh all-time at CSU.

GOAD TABBED MVP:  Sophomore setter Jordan Goad was named the Most Valuable Player of the La Salle Invitational, marking the first time she has been selected to an all-tournament team in her career. Goad led the Vikings to a .275 attack percentage in the tournament, handing out 10.42 assists per match. In addition, she averaged 2.17 digs, 1.33 kills and 0.33 aces per set. She notched her seventh career double-double with 31 assists and 13 digs in the win over Canisius.

FRSHMAN PHENOM:  Freshman Kara Koch had a great start to her collegiate career, showcasing the skills that should make her a prescence in the CSU lineup for the next four years. Koch, who played in all four matches and started twice, led the team with 36 kills in the four matches, hitting .367 (36-7-79) with 20 digs and four blocks. In her two starts, Koch amassed 26 kills and 10 digs, while hitting .389 (26-5-54).

BARHORST LIKES BLOCKS:  After battling through an injury during the preseason, sophomore Megan Barhorst provided the Vikings with a boost in the middle of the floor as she started all four matches and averaged a league-best 1.50 blocks per game during the first weekend of action.

LEFELD TO MISS SEASON:  Senior Kayla Lefeld's season was ended before it began when she tore her ACL just three days prior to the start of preseason practice. She will miss the entire 2009 season. Last season, Lefeld was third on the team with 263 kills and fourth with 193 digs, while ranking third in the league and 150th in the nation in aces (0.32) with a team-high tying 35.

NEXT UP:  The Vikings return to action with three matches at the Western Carolina Invitational from Sept. 11-12.

Maddie Hughes Takes Home MAC West Defensive Player of the Week Award

Junior libero earns the league’s first ever Defensive Player of the
Week honor

DeKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois volleyball’s Maddie Hughes (St.
Charles, Ill./North) received the Mid-American Conference’s first ever
West Division Defensive Player of the Week award today after her
outstanding performance over the weekend in NIU’s second-place finish
at the NIU Comfort Inn & Suites of Rochelle Invitational.

“It’s nice for Maddie to win the inaugural Defensive Player of the
Week award,” said NIU head coach Ray Gooden of Hughes, who ranks
seventh all-time at NIU with 1,169 digs.  “I think her play, along
with our team’s play, was stellar this past weekend.  “She did a
really nice job of sparking our defensive intensity, which allowed our
team to be successful.”

The junior libero registered 75 digs (5.00 per set) with only two
errors in 103 reception attempts over four matches (15 sets) during the
weekend to earn a spot on the all-invite team and help NIU start the
season with a 3-1 record.  In NIU's 3-0 win over Western Illinois,
Hughes had 13 digs with 1 error in 14 reception attempts.  In NIU's 3-1
loss to Southern Illinois, she had 19 digs with no errors in 34
reception attempts.  In the Huskies' 3-0 win over Stephen F. Austin, she
had 17 digs with one error in 18 reception attempts.  In NIU's 3-2 win
over Illinois Chicago, she had 26 digs with no errors in 37 reception
attempts.

The Huskies return to action tomorrow with a 7 p.m. CT match versus
Bradley (3-1) in Peoria, Ill.

-NIU-

Tyler Named Southland's Volleyball Offensive "Player of the Week"

FRISCO, Tx.-  McNeese State's Chanel Tyler has been named Southland Conference volleyball offensive "Player of the Week" after leading the Cowgirls to a 3-0 start and the Mississippi State Maroon Classic title over the weekend.  The 3-0 start is the best start since 1999 and the tournament title is also the first since 1999.

     Tyler, a senior outside hitter from San Antonio, Tx. led the Cowgirls in kills in victories over Arkansas-Little Rock, Mississippi State and Jackson State.  Tyler put down a season high 21 kills against Mississippi State, two shy of tying her career high of 23.  Tyler averaged 4.33 kills and 3.58 digs per set.

Pepperdine's Fiers Named WCC Player of the Week; Volleyball Team Ranked #2

PEPPERDINE’S FIERS NAMED WCC VB PLAYER OF THE WEEK, WAVES RANKED #21

 

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Pepperdine senior setter Kiah Fiers was named the first West Coast Conference Player of the Week of the women’s volleyball season today. Additionally, the Waves have entered the AVCA national rankings at #21.

 

Fiers (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Peninsula HS) was named Tournament MVP of the Colorado State Asics Classic, leading Pepperdine (3-0) to a season-opening three wins over then-#24 Colorado State (ending the Rams’ 28-match home winning streak), Cal Poly and Oregon State.

 

“Kiah was very deserving of this week’s honor,” Pepperdine Coach Nina Matthies said. “She is just a fantastic leader on the court with our young players. She executed the offense brilliantly. She has worked hard and played great.”

 

Fiers averaged 10.30 assists, 2.40 digs, 0.80 kills, 0.50 blocks and 0.20 service aces in 10 sets. Most impressive was how Fiers got her entire offense involved, as in a balanced attack she had five teammates average between 3.4 and 1.5 kills. Fiers had a double-double against Colorado State with 30 assists and 12 digs. She had 28 assists against Cal Poly and 45 assists and eight digs vs. Oregon State.

 

In the AVCA preseason poll, the Waves were at the top of the list of the teams in the “others receiving votes” category.

 

The Waves are co-hosting a tournament this weekend with USC. Pepperdine will play its first two home matches of the season (Northern Arizona on Thursday at 7 p.m., and Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday at 1 p.m.) in Firestone Fieldhouse and will also visit the Galen Center to play the Women of Troy on Friday at 7 p.m.

 

Matthies, who is in her 27th season as head coach, is just three wins away from 500 for her career.

 

# # #

Nicole BISHOP NAMED CAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Freshman Nichole Bishop (Park City, Utah) has been named the CAA Defensive
Player of the Week the conference announced Monday. Bishop had an impressive
debut for the Huskies as she totaled 19 blocks to help Northeastern to two
wins at the Madison Bingman Memorial Tournament in Baltimore, Md.

The 6'5 Bishop posted eight blocks in a 3-0 victory over Long Island in the
opening game of the tournament. She followed that up with a 11 block, six
kill performance with a .333 attack percentage in a tightly contested 3-2
win over UMBC to help the Huskies take the tournament crown.

Northeastern returns to action Tuesday, September 1 at 7 p.m. against Rhode
Island at Solomon Court.

Tyler, Hanlan Named Southland Volleyball Players of the Week

Tyler records three double-doubles, tournament MVP honors,

Hanlan anchors Ladyjack’s defense with 55 digs

 

FRISCO, Texas – McNeese State senior outside hitter Chanel Tyler and Stephen F. Austin freshman libero Madison Hanlan were named offensive and defensive players of the week respectively. Tyler led the Cowgirls to their best start (3-0) since 1999 and Hanlan anchored the Ladyjack’s defense to a 2-2 opening weekend record.

 

Offensive Player of the Week - Chanel Tyler, McNeese State

Tyler led the Cowgirls to the Mississippi State Maroon Classic title and the team’s best start since 1999 at 3-0. The tournament title is also the Cowgirls’ first tournament win since 1999. Tyler was named tournament MVP after recording a league-best three double-doubles (kills/digs) over the weekend. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Tyler led the Cowgirls in kills in all three matches, recording a season high 21 against Mississippi State, two shy of tying her career high.

 

Honorable Mention: Chloe Smith, UCA; Anna Ferguson, SHSU; Amber Williams-Roberts, SFA.

 

Defensive Player of the Week - Madison Hanlan, Stephen F. Austin

Hanlan led the Ladyjacks to a pair of wins in her first weekend on the court and had at least a dozen digs in three of her four matches. A native of Arlington, Texas, Hanlan just missed double digits in Friday’s sweep over Illinois-Chicago with nine digs, but did come through at the service line with four aces. She then added15 in only three sets against Southern Illinois just a few hours later, and kept alive 19 balls in a win over Western Illinois and 12 against Northern Illinois in only three sets.

 

Honorable Mention: Cristin Curl, UCA; Whitney Ellisor, MCN; Anna Ferguson, SHSU; Kandyce Nielson, AMCC.

 

 

– www.Southland.org–

Alabama Volleyball Opens 2009 Home Slate on Tuesday

 

Crimson Tide Hosts Alabama A&M in First Home Match of 2009

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama volleyball team (0-3) will look to pick up its first win of 2009 Tuesday when it hosts Alabama A&M (0-3) at 7:00 p.m. (CST) in the CAVE. The Crimson Tide kicked off its season last weekend in St. Louis, Mo. at the Active Ankle Challenge where it went 0-3 against No. 1 Penn State, No. 20 Saint Louis and Miami (Ohio).

 

“It is going to be great to play at home in front of our fans,” said head coach Judy Green. “I am eager to see our response to the experiences we had over the weekend.”

 

Alabama has been dominant in the series with Alabama A&M winning all three of the previous meetings in 3-0 fashion. The two teams last met on August 26, 2006 at the Academy Sports Invitational in Tuscaloosa.

 

The Bulldogs opened their season on August 28 at the University of Auburn Tournament and finished with a 0-3 record. In the first of three matches, Alabama A&M suffered a 3-0 loss to the Tigers and followed that up with a 3-1 loss to UAB. Auburn handed the Bulldogs another 3-0 defeat Saturday to wrap up the tournament. Junior Rose Corneille and freshman Clarissa Moore were named to the All-Tournament Team.

 

 Alabama spent its first weekend of 2009 in St. Louis at the Active Ankle Challenge where the Tide came out 0-3. Despite the outcome, Alabama was able to learn a lot about itself and had the opportunity to get the student-athletes more comfortable with each other in match situations. Senior Brooks Webster led the Tide in kills with 22 total throughout the three-match tournament, while redshirt sophomore Sarah Machen had a hand in 12 of Alabama’s 23 blocks. Freshman Kayla Fitterer had a solid all-around performance tallying 13 kills off 40 attack attempts, 15 digs and four blocks.

The Tide continues play at home this weekend when it hosts the Bama Bash Friday, Sept. 4 and Saturday, Sept. 5. In addition to Alabama, Jacksonville State, McNeese State and SMU will all be participating in the six-match tournament. The Tide’s first appearance will be on Friday at 7:00 p.m. (CST) when it takes on SMU.Season tickets are still available for $30 and can be purchased at the door this week in addition to visiting RollTide.com or calling the Alabama Ticket Office at 1-877-TIDETIX (843-3849). Single match tickets are available 90 minutes prior to the start of the match at the door. The cost is $3 for adults and free for students and youth ages 18 and under.

--UA--

ARIZONA’S TIFFANY OWENS NAMED PAC-10 VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- ARIZONA outside hitter Tiffany Owens has been named the Pac-10 Volleyball Player of the Week for Aug. 24-30, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today.

The San Bernardino, Calif., native earned MVP honors at the Louisville Tournament after leading the Wildcats to victories over Louisville, Belmont and Pittsburgh. 

For the tournament, Owens posted 39 kills (3.90 kps) and a hitting percentage of .344. She tallied 17 kills and 14 digs while hitting .368 against Pittsburgh. The win over Pitt clinched the tournament for the ‘Cats. 

This is the second weekly honor for Owens, and Arizona’s 27th Pac-10 Player of the Week all-time.

Also Nominated: Paige Mittlestaedt, ASU; Hana Cutura, CAl; Sonja Newcombe, ORE;Jill Sawatzky, OSU; Cassidy Lichtman, STAN; Dicey McGraw, UCLA; Kimmee Roleder, USC; Jill Collymore, WASH; Jackie Albright, WSU

2009 PAC-10 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Aug. 31 - Tiffany Owens, ARIZ 

-www.pac-10.org-

Duquesne Volleyball: Sara Scheirman Named Atlantic 10 Volleyball Player of the Week

Duquesne Volleyball: Sara Scheirman Named Atlantic 10 Volleyball Player of the Week

 

 

PHILADELPHIA - Dukes' freshman outside hitter Sara Scheirman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) has been named Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week. 

Scheirman finished the four-match 2009 Courtyard by Marriott Invitational with 35 kills and 41 digs. She recorded a double-double of 14 kills and 13 digs in against Bowling Green. 

Duquesne will hit the road for the Days Inn James Madison Invitational this upcoming weekend before returning home to face Pittsburgh on Sept. 8. Match time is 7:00 p.m.

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McNeese Faces Houston Baptist In Home Opener

LAKE CHARLES --   McNeese State's undefeated volleyball team (3-0) will host Houston Baptist (1-3) in its home opener tonight in Memorial Gym on campus.  First serve is set for 7 p.m.

     McNeese is off to its best start since 1999 after capturing the Mississippi State Maroon Classic title in the Cowgirls' this past weekend.  The Cowgirls defeated Arkansas-Little Rock, Mississippi State and Jackson State 3-1 in all three matches.  Senior outside hitter Chanel Tyler was the tournament's MVP and freshman defensive specialist Whitney Ellisor was named to the all-tournament team.

     Tyler, a native of San Antonio, Tx., led the Cowgirls in kills in all three matches and finished the weekend with 52 and averaged 4.33 per set.  Tyler also averaged 3.58 digs per set.

     Ellisor, a native of Deer Park, Tx., averaged 4.08 digs per set and recorded a season high 22 in her first collegiate match.

     The Cowgirls enter the home opener with a 37-10 home court record under coach Starr's direction.

     Senior setter Sarah Cartie and sophomore middle blocker Nicole Bowden lead the Cowgirls in assists and blocks.  Cartie is averaging 10.12 assists per set and Bowden is averaging 1.08 blocks per set. Bowden leads the Cowgirls with 13 block assists.

     Houston Baptist is led by Heather Leverton's 37 kills, Courtney Whittleman leads with 75 assist and Sarah Hazelwood leads the team with 16 blocks.

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