Panthers Sweep Jayhawk Invitational
FIU put together a 3-0 record at the Jayhawk Invitational last weekend, as the
Panthers defeated Creighton, 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 27-25), Kansas, 3-1 (23-25,
25-23, 25-22, 25-22), and Lipscomb, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-23).
Junior Natalia Valentin was named tournament MVP, while seniors Isadora
Rangel and Olga Vergun earned all-tournament team accolades. Valentin
tallied 124 assists for the weekend, while Vergun and Rangel led FIU in kills
with 44 and 34, respectively. Three more Panthers notched double-digit kills
for the tournament, as freshman Jovana Bjelica had 26, sophomore Andrea
Lakovic had 25 and sophomore Sabrina Gonzalez had 17.
Lakovic added a team-best nine blocks over the weekend while freshman
Chanel Araujo led the Panthers in digs with 55, a performance which earned
her Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week recognition.
Scouting the Hurricanes
Miami is coming off a 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 26-24) win over Northern Colorado, a
victory that claimed the Hurricanes the Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado
Tournament title. Sophomore Lane Carico was selected as tournament MVP,
while sophomore Ali Becker and senior Cassie Loessberg were named to
the all-tournament team. Carico leads UM in kills with 84 on the year and
Loessberg has a team-best 126 digs to her credit. Becker is second on the
team in blocks with 21, one stop behind redshirt junior Lici McGee’s teamleading
22 blocks. The Hurricanes are 5-1 on the season with their lone loss
coming against USF on Aug. 29, a 3-1 decision.
A Look At Albany
The Great Danes went 3-0 last weekend at the UAlbany Volleyball Classic to
bring their record to an even 3-3. Junior Brooke Stanley received tournament
MVP honors, as she leads Albany in assists with 204, digs with 65 and service
aces with six. Junior Teresa Coppiellie, who is second on the team in kills with
56 on the season, and senior Valerie Sourbeer, who holds a team-best 59
kills, were named to the all-tournament team. Freshman Traci Vandegrift leads
the Great Danes in blocks with 11.
Previewing The Seminoles
Florida State entered the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll at No. 22
this week after taking then-No. 4 Florida to match-point in the fi fth set and
sweeping New Mexico State and then-No. 8 Illinois last weekend. At 5-1 on
the season, the Seminoles are off to their best start since the 2000 campaign
when the team started 7-0. Senior Mira Djuric leads FSU in kills (58) and
aces (8), while senior Nikki Baker has a team-best 131 assists. Junior Jenna
Romanelli has 71 digs to her credit for a team-best and senior Jordana Price
leads the Seminoles in blocks with 25.
Araujo Earns SBC Defensive Player of the Week Honors
Freshman Chanel Araujo was tabbed the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball
Defensive Player of the Week, as decided on by the league’s 13 head coaches
on Monday, Sept. 7. Araujo contributed to FIU’s perfect 3-0 weekend at the
Jayhawk Invitational by recording double-digit digs in every match.
On her way to 55 digs over the weekend, Araujo secured 20 digs for a 6.67 digs
per game mark in the Panthers’ 3-0 win over Creighton. That evening versus
host Kansas, the Seal Beach, Calif., native notched 19 digs over four games
for a 4.75 clip as FIU won, 3-1. The following day, Araujo tallied 5.33 digs
per game with 16 digs over three sets in the Panthers’ tournament-clinching
victory over Lipscomb.
Araujo leads FIU in digs for the season with 86 for a 4.1 digs per game mark.
She also ranks fi fth in the league in the same statistical category.
FIU Picked To Finish Atop SBC East Division
The Panther volleyball team has been predicted to fi nish fi rst in the Sun Belt
Conference East Division, as was announced by conference offi cials on
Aug. 25, 2009. FIU tallied 72 points in the East Division poll, edging Middle
Tennessee, which earned 67 points, for fi rst place. Western Kentucky came
in third with 56 points, while South Alabama (33 points), Florida Atlantic (23)
and Troy (22) rounded out the division. The West Division was led by New
Orleans (87 points), followed by Denver (80), UALR (57), Arkansas State (51),
Louisiana (38), North Texas (36) and ULM (15).
Rosa & Vergun Earn SBC Preseason Honors
FIU standout Yarimar Rosa was named the SBC Preseason Player of the Year
on Aug. 25, 2009, and is joined by teammate Olga Vergun on the Preseason
All-SBC Team. Rosa’s SBC Preseason Player of the Year nod marks the third
of its kind for the senior, as she looks
for her fourth-straight season with
All-America recognition in 2009. The
Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, native was
named SBC Player of the Year and
SBC Female Student-Athlete of the
Year a year ago, and recently helped
lead the Puerto Rican National Team
to qualifying wins for the 2010 FIVB
Women’s World Championships.
Vergun receives her second Preseason
All-SBC Team honor this year, as she
was previously named to the squad in
2008 before redshirting the season.
The Zaporozhje, Ukraine, native earned
second-team All-SBC accolades as a
freshman and went on to be named to
the fi rst team as a sophomore.
