Volleyball Voices

Volleyball Spiking Tip #59

Here's the girl's indoor volleyball tip #59 for 

spiking in volleyball...

Aim for the seam when the middle blocker and outside blocker do not go up and block together. 

The seam is between the outside blocker’s hands and the middle blocker’s hands, that space they’re supposed to close when they block in volleyball. 

All-Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Teams Jennifer Berwanger Named To First Team, Rachael Brown All-Freshman Honors

Jennifer Berwanger was named to the first team, while Rachael Brown earned All-Freshman honors.

Nov. 26, 2009

www.SIUSalukis.com

OMAHA, Neb. - The 2009 All-Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball teams have been announced with regular-season Valley champion UNI claiming four spots on the first team. League runners-up Missouri State and Wichita State tallied three spots each on the all-conference first team, while Creighton, Illinois State and Southern Illinois each earned one spot apiece. All-conference second team selections and the all-freshman team were also announced. Players received recognition at the pre-tournament banquet held Thursday, Nov. 26, in Omaha, Neb.

All-conference honors are voted on by the league's coaches.

Southern Illinois' junior outside hitter Jennifer Berwanger was named to the All-MVC First Team, while freshman setter Rachael Brown was named to the All-Freshman Team.

Berwanger, a native of Lake Zurich, Ill., earns her second consecutive first team nod, and becomes one of four Salukis in program history to be named to the first team twice. She leads the Salukis' in kills, aces and points, as her 3.46 kills per set ranks No. 3 in the league, as does her 3.86 points per set. Her 3.79 digs per set are the most in the Valley from a non-libero, while her 1,221 career digs ranks third in Southern Illinois' history. Berwanger put up 24 double-figure kill matches in 2009 and 10 kill-dig double-doubles in MVC play. Her 18 kill-dig double-doubles in all matches is the most in the league this season, while Berwanger owns 43 career double-doubles.

Berwanger earned one MVC Player of the Week honor and two MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards this season, named to the all-tournament team in all three of the Salukis' non-conference tournaments this season, earning most valuable player honors twice. 

Brown ranks third in the league in assists per set, tops among freshmen setters, averaging 10.41 per set in MVC matches, while setting at a .370 percentage during conference contests. The Brownsburg, Ind. native registered 16 matches with 40 or more assists and notched a career-high 55 assists in the Salukis' win over Indiana State (Oct. 23). Brown currently ranks 10th all-time in program history on the single-season assists chart, tallying 1,171 in her freshman campaign. The rookie was named MVC Freshman of the week four times this season named to two all-tournament teams this season.

Alabama Volleyball Team Concludes Season Friday at Mississippi State

Alabama Volleyball Concludes Season Friday at Mississippi State

 

Crimson Tide looks to pick up one more win in 2009

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama volleyball team will play its final match of the 2009 season Friday when it heads to Starkville to take on Mississippi State for a 7:00 p.m. (CST) tilt. The Crimson Tide enters the contest at 8-21 on the season and 6-13 against Southeastern Conference opponents, while the Bulldogs stand at 8-22 overall and 4-15 versus league foes.

 

“We head into this match wanting to end our season on a positive note,” said head coach Judy Green. “We would like to pick up our second SEC road win of the season.”

 

Last time out, Alabama suffered a 3-0 loss to Southeastern Conference Champion, and 17^th-ranked, LSU in Baton Rouge. Despite the loss, junior Alyssa Meuth collected a match-high 13 kills followed by senior Brooks Webster and sophomore Ashley Frazier, who added eight kills apiece. Junior Kayla Schmidt led the Tide in assists dishing out 27 in the match. On defense, both Webster and freshman Kelsey Anderson collected double-figure digs with 11 and 10, respectively.

 

Webster continued to move up the Alabama career list in kills as she now stands at eighth, surpassing Jennifer Bibber last Sunday. The Baltimore native has 1,250 kills in her four seasons with the Tide.

 

Mississippi State enters Friday’s match having won three of its last four matches including victories over South Carolina, Arkansas and Mississippi. Last time the Bulldogs hit the court, however, they fell to LSU on the road 3-0. Leading Mississippi State in kills is junior Ashley Newsome with 2.99 per frame. Senior Dorey Gray averages 7.45 assists to pace the Bulldog setters, while junior Kayla Woodard tops the defense with 4.34 digs per set.

 

In the season’s earlier meeting in Tuscaloosa, Alabama rallied from a late deficit in the fifth set to escape Mississippi State 3-2 (16-25, 25-13, 25-21, 25-17, 15-12).

 

Live scoring a radio will be available for the match by visiting Rolltide.com.

 

--UA--

 

Indiana State University Volleyball Senior Whitney Fromm Named To Second Team Volleyball All-Conference

Indiana State Volleyball Team Setter

SENIOR WHITNEY FROMM NAMED TO SECOND TEAM VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE

First Sycamore since 2004 season to be honored with selection to All-MVC Team

 

ST. LOUIS – Indiana State senior setter Whitney Fromm (Snohomish, Wash.) was named second team All-Missouri Valley Conference it was announced today by the league office. Fromm is the first Sycamore since the 2004 season to be selected for the All-Conference team. Kelly Spisak was tabbed for the second team All-Conference and was also a member of the All-Tournament team after the 2004 season.

 

Fromm, a senior at Indiana State, finished her Sycamore career third on the all-time assist list with 2,979 total assists. She had 31 double-double’s during her career (assists and digs) and posted the ninth best single season assist mark during the 2008 season with 1,100 assists.

 

Fromm ranks 10th in the conference in assists per set as she averaged 8.13 per set while distributing the ball at a .346 percentage during all contests. She also ranks 20th in the MVC in digs per set, tallying 2.86 per set in MVC matches.

 

Earlier this week, four members of the Indiana State volleyball team were named to the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete team. Fromm and fellow senior Kelli Whitaker were named to the first team while senior Jodilynne Stoker and sophomore Shelbi Fouty were named honorable mention.

 

Fromm, Stoker and Whitaker were named to the MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete honorable mention team in 2008.

New 2010 Women's College Volleyball Recruits at Pepperdine, Florida International University

New 2010 Women's College Volleyball Recruits at 

Pepperdine, Florida International University, Volleyball Quotes, News and Information

November 25, 2009

 

PEPPERDINE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM SIGNS THREE TO LETTERS OF INTENT

 

MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, under the direction of head coach Nina Matthies, announced today that three future student-athletes have signed letters-of-intent: setter Kellie Woolever and outside hitters Emily Cook and Kelley Larsen.

 

The Waves lose two senior starters off the 2009 squad – setter Kiah Fiers and outside hitter Rachel Grochmal – so the trio could have the opportunity to make their mark immediately. Each of the three ranked in the top 115 on prepvolleyball.com’s Senior Aces list.

 

“Our freshman class will be coming in with a great deal of experience,” Matthies said. “All three played at good high schools that did well in their league, have been successful playing at the club level and are used to winning. We’re getting three kids who will be ready to contribute right away. They’ve been playing at a very high level that’s not too far away from what they’ll see at the college level. These are great kids from great families and we’re really looking forward to having them join us.”

 

Following is capsule information on each recruit:

 

Emily Cook

Outside Hitter, 5-foot-11, Murrieta, Calif. (Murrieta Valley HS)

Ranks #96 on the prepvolleyball.com Senior Aces list ... A 2009-10 AVCA/Under Armour All-American second team selection ... A four-time all-league first team selection and a three-time all-valley honoree ... Team won the league title in 2009 ... Plays for Orange County Volleyball Club ... Also a beach standout that was named the 2007 AAU Beach Volleyball Player of the year, and a two-time beach national champion.

 

Cook says: “I chose Pepperdine because I loved the coaching staff and all the girls on the team, and of course the campus is beautiful. It’s perfect!”

 

Matthies says: “Emily is a really athletic, very explosive player. She has a real live arm. He has a great court demeanor and I’m looking forward to the depth she’s going to provide at outside hitter.”

 

Kelley Larsen

Outside Hitter, 6-foot-2, Jamul, Calif. (Christian HS)

Ranks between #101-#115 on the prepvolleyball.com Senior Aces list ... Made the all-league first team as a senior and sophomore and second team as a junior ... Earned scholar-athlete honors her final two years ... Most recently played club with the Coast Volleyball Club 17-1s ... Attended the same high school as former Pepperdine All-American Katie Wilkins.

 

Larsen says: “Pepperdine was my top choice and for me, it’s a dream come true. I chose Pepperdine because of the volleyball program, the coaching staff, the location of the campus, the academic reputation and the Christian background.”

 

Matthies says: “Kelley is going to develop into a fine college player. She’s perhaps the sleeper of our three recruits, but she’s improved tremendously. She has played for a small high school, but did really well there and was the leader of that team. She adds depth and can play on either the left or the right.”

 

Kellie Woolever

Setter, 6-foot, Long Beach, Calif. (Wilson HS)

Ranks #38 on the prepvolleyball.com Senior Aces list ... A member of the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Dream Team as a sophomore and junior ... Made the All-CIF second team as a junior and was co-MVP of the Moore League ... A four-year starter ... Team won the Moore League three times ... At the club level, played with Mizuno Long Beach for four years and Cal Juniors for three ... Won a 2009 Junior Olympics title with Mizuno Long Beach as well as a silver medal in 2008 ... Was a JO All-American both years ... Played on the high performance USA Youth National blue team.”

 

Woolever says: “I chose Pepperdine because the campus is amazing and I feel comfortable with the coaches.”

 

Matthies says: “Kellie is a tremendous setter and leader. She has a really calm, competitive manner. She played for a great high school team, her club team won JOs and she was the quarterback of that team. We may miss a beat with Kiah graduating but we think Kellie can come in and pick up where Kiah left off.”

 

Pepperdine concluded its regular season with a 16-11 overall record and in third place in the West Coast Conference with a 9-5 mark. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday (Nov. 29) at noon PT on ESPNews.

 

Volleyball Inks Three for 2010-2011 Season

Tomic signs a trio of outstanding players to National Letters of Intent

 

 

MIAMI - Head Coach Danijela Tomic announced on Wednesday the addition of three student-athletes to the FIU volleyball squad for the 2010-2011 season. These outstanding new Panthers include 2009 UnderArmour All-America Second-Team selection Jessica Gehrke, National Team member Nadja Ninkovic and two-time Georgia state championship team member Briana Spruill.

 

“I am thrilled with our 2010 recruiting class as all three of these young and talented student-athletes have a potential to develop into top collegiate players,” said Tomic. “They have big shoes to fill because they are replacing three outstanding seniors who have helped us build our program into one of the best in the country. All three of them come from great families that have installed in them great values and character, which are the key elements that we look for in our future players.”

 

Gehrke is a two-sport student-athlete, as the Coralville, Iowa, native is a four-year letterwinner in both volleyball and track at West High School in Iowa City. Gehrke is coming off a senior campaign in which she led the Trojan volleyball team to a 39-3 season and a Class 4A State Championship runner-up finish. The outside hitter is a four-time state all-tournament team pick and a two-time Des Moines Register Elite All-State Team, first-team all-state and Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division Player of the Year selection. Gehrke was a unanimous first-team all-league honoree on three occasions and was named West High School’s Homecoming Female Athlete of the Year as a senior. She also served as the team captain of the 4A State All-Tournament Team.

 

A 2009 Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year Candidate, Gehrke was tabbed a Prepvolleyball.com Senior Ace Top 115 Recruit and was a participant in the Iowa Senior All-Star Game. Gehrke is also a standout high school track athlete, having been named the 2008 Mississippi Valley Conference Athlete of the Year, as she holds numerous Iowa state records as well as indoor and outdoor individual championships and West High School records.

 

Also recruited by the likes of Marquette, Illinois State, Iowa State, Iowa, Drake and Arkansas State, Gherke is the daughter of Derrius and Michelle Gehrke. Her father and grandfather played football at Iowa, while her mother was also a two-sport athlete in college as a member of the volleyball and track teams at Idaho State University.

 

“Jessica is an outstanding two-sport athlete who will also compete in track during volleyball off-season,” said Tomic. “She has so much physical talent and she fits well into our system with her power, explosiveness and speed. She comes from a very successful high school and club program and knows how to win. She is very disciplined and competitive and is a perfect addition to our team.”

 

Ninkovic, a nativeof Belgrade, Serbia, brings vast national experience to FIU, as she helped her country’s national team to a second-place finish at the Junior European Championship in 2007 and a fourth-place finish in 2008, as well as a fourth-place finish in the 2007 Junior World Championships. Ninkovic also led her squad to a championship finish at the Junior Balkan Championship in 2008, a runner-up finish in 2009 and a previous second-place finish in 2006.

Her Senior National Team took first place in the Europen League in 2009 in addition to being voted Best Middle Blocker in the European League. Ninkovic’s club team, Red Star, won third place in CEV Cup in 2008.

 

A 6-4 middle blocker, Ninkovic, was also recruited by powerhouse Nebraska, Tennessee, South Carolina and Tulane. She is the daughter of Slobodan and Slavaca Ninkovic and has one sister, Anja.

 

“Nadja will be a dominant middle blocker not just in the Sun Belt Conference, but in the nation,” said Tomic. “She has all the attributes with her experience, size, speed and power to take our team to the next level.”

 

Spruill hails from Jonesboro, Ga., and is a two-time all-area selection, as well as an All-Star Senior and all-state team honoree. She served as team captain of her Woodward Academy volleyball squad, while amassing 240 kills, 55.5 blocks, 84 digs and 55 aces over her three-year career with the War Eagles. Spruill lead Woodward Academy to a pair of AAA state championships in 2008 and 2009 and is ranked among the Prepvolleyball.com Senior Ace Top 150.

 

A middle/right side, Spruill was also recruited by Miami, Wake Forest, Clemson, Northwestern, Furman and Southeastern Louisiana. She is the daughter of Norman Spruill and Avril Liburd, and has one sister, Anna.

 

“Briana is another great addition to our program that brings versatility to our offense because she can play all three front row positions,” said Tomic. “She is a powerful athlete who comes from a very successful high school program, and has a lot of room to grow and develop into an exceptional collegiate volleyball player.”

 

 

-FIU-

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

I'm thankful for being alive and doing what I love to do, talk volleyball.

Be blessed today!

College Volleyball Game Results Tonight, Volleyball Quotes Week 14:

Baylor Women's Volleyball Takes Down Missouri, 3-1

Sanders leads three Bears in double figures with 13 kills

 

COLUMBIA, Mo. – After dropping the first set, Baylor dominated Missouri in the next three sets to take home a 3-1 Big 12 road victory in its season finale (16-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-19) at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.

 

“I am really proud of the way they battled back tonight,” head coach Jim Barnes said. “The character of this team really showed tonight. It all comes down to how you handle adversity, and we did a great job of handling it.”

 

The win snapped a three-match losing streak, and completed Baylor’s regular season at 22-9 overall and 11-9 in the Big 12, leaving its postseason fate in the hands of the NCAA selection committee. The Bears will finish in at least fifth place in the Big 12, and possibly a tie for fourth, depending on the Oklahoma/Iowa State match on Saturday. Oklahoma will finish in fourth outright with a win.

 

Baylor was led by its senior trio of Katie Sanders, Anna Breyfogle and Taylor Barnes, along with middle blockers Torri Campbell and Elizabeth Graham. Sanders notched her 15^th double-double of the season with team-highs of 13 kills and 16 digs. Breyfogle had 10 kills, a season-high six digs, and five block assists, while Barnes racked up 45 assists, six digs, and five kills. Campbell and Graham added 10 and nine kills to strengthen the Bear attack.

 

“I am really proud of our three seniors,” Barnes said. “They really stepped up big for us tonight. They are the ones that we have built this program around.”

 

On the Missouri side, the Tigers only offensive weapon was outside hitter Paola Ampudia, who had a match-high 19 kills. Ampudia took 58 attempts, while Baylor adjusted, forcing her into eight errors in the last three sets. Caitlin Vann had a match-high 17 digs for Missouri.

 

In the first set, Missouri controlled play from the opening serve, racing out to a 10-3 lead. Baylor got a kill from Breyfogle and Qian Zhang to cut the lead to 20-15, but Missouri closed out with a 6-1 run.

 

“We played about as bad as we could play in that first set, but the girls kept encouraging each other and they executed the game plan,” Barnes said. “We planned to go to our middles in transition, just to set that quick hit in the middle and cut it cross-court.”

 

The Bears flipped the script in the second set. It was Baylor that grabbed hold of the set with 10-5 lead after opening with back-to-back kills from Graham, the same from Campbell, and then two in a row by Breyfogle. Sanders pushed the lead to 17-7 with a kill, and Graham added another to make it 22-10. The Tigers made a half-hearted attempt at a comeback, closing to within eight, but Barnes made a second-touch kill to close out the set.

 

The Bears rode that momentum into the third set, taking a 6-3 lead with two kills by Sanders and one by Zhang. Missouri battled back to tie it at 11-11, but Baylor answered with three kills from Campbell to make it 16-14. Breyfogle then pasted a kill and teamed up with Graham for a block assist to make it 21-15, before finishing off the set with another kill to give the Bears a 2-1 lead.

 

The third set was more of the same for Baylor with Sanders racking up three kills in the first six total points of the set. A kill by Graham and a service ace by Allison King gave Baylor a 10-4 lead. The Bears traded points with Missouri to hold the lead at five until a 3-0 Tiger run made it 17-15. Graham helped Baylor to two points in a row out of a timeout with a kill and block assist with Breyfogle. Then Breyfogle teamed up with Barnes to block Ampudia for a commanding 22-18 lead. Barnes put away a kill to set up match-point, and Sanders put it way with her 13^th kill of the match.

 

The win gave Baylor only its second winning conference record in program history, and first in 10 years. The 1999 squad finished in a tie for fifth place with a 13-7 Big 12 record.

 

Baylor’s NCAA Tournament fate will be decided on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. CT on ESPNU. The Bears have made only two appearances in the NCAA Tournament in program history. In 1999, Baylor won its first round match, before losing in the second round, and then was ousted in the first round in 2001.

Oregon State Women's Volleyball Rachel Rourke Kills 19, but Volleyball Falls to No. 4 Washington

 

Seattle, Wash. – Senior Rachel Rourke (Queensland, Australia) killed a match-high 19 balls, but the Oregon State volleyball team fell to No. 4 Washington in three (21-25, 23-25, 16-25) on Wednesday evening.

 

“We had a pretty good distribution particularly with Lexie [Rathgeber], Bree [Knitter] and Ashley [Eneliko],” head coach Taras Liskevych said. “Rachel had her good moments of scoring a lot of points, but she just ran into too many errors in set two or three. We needed to block better, particularly on the outside and the angle shots. And we needed to pass the ball better, especially with Jill Collymore’s six aces. That’s a real key to the match.”

 

Rourke added seven digs, an ace and a block. Junior Jill Sawatzky (St. Andrews, Manitoba) tallied seven kills, while senior Lexie Rathgeber (White Rock, British Columbia) had six.

 

Defensively, sophomore Betsy Devich (Kirkland, Wash.) dug a team-high nine balls, and freshman Ashley Eneliko (Seattle, Wash.) and senior Bree Knitter (Fallbrook, Calif.) both had a pair of blocks.

 

Washington’s Carlson paced the Huskies’ offense with 14 kills, while Airial Salvo had a match-high 10 digs.

 

Oregon State is now 12-17, 3-14 Pac-10, while Washington improves to 23-4, 13-4 Pac-10.

 

Oregon State concludes the 2009 season at Washington State on Friday at 7:00 p.m.

 

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

 

 Washington Women's Volleyball Player Collymore Helps Serve Up 3-0 Win Over Beavers

Washington salutes three seniors on Friday vs. Oregon and can clinch a share of the Pac-10 crown.

SEATTLE – One more win can earn the fourth-ranked UW volleyball team a share of the Pac-10 Conference title. The Huskies (23-4, 13-4 Pac-10) moved a step closer with a 3-0 win over Oregon State (12-17, 3-14 Pac-10) tonight at Bank of America Arena in front of 2,440 fans. Washington ends the regular season Friday night at 7 p.m. hosting 18^th-ranked Oregon.

 

Washington is now tied with Stanford in the conference standings, with the Cardinal hosting California Friday night. The Huskies needed to pull out a couple close sets tonight against the Beavers to set up the dramatic Senior Night on Friday. Junior Kindra Carlson’s 14 kills and a season-high six service aces for senior Jill Collymore were two of the driving forces in the 25-21, 25-23, 25-16 win for the Huskies.

 

“Jill did what she does and the big thing was she did it when we were down. After her runs we sort of stablilized and took care of the ball better,” said head coach Jim McLaughlin. “They’re a physical team, and they came out loose and served us incredibly tough.”

 

The Huskies outhit the Beavers, .279-.210 for the night, and had nine blocks and nine aces to three of each for OSU. Carlson hit .458 (14-3-24) and sophomore Bianca Rowland had her second-straight errorless night, earning eight kills on 12 swings for a .667 percentage. Still, it was Collymore’s blazing serve was the highlight of the night, as she rallied the Huskies from a second-set deficit and also broke open the third set with long runs.

 

“I just went back there knowing I was in a limited role but wanting to make a difference,” said Collymore. “If I could get the serve going I knew we could catch up.” Her six aces were one shy of her career-high set last season.

 

Becky Perry earned the kill on the opening set’s first point. The teams went back and forth early with neither team earning more than a one point edge until an ace from senior Tamari Miyashiro put the Dawgs up 10-8. Salvo had three kills on her first four swings to pace UW. Carlson earned her first kill to to make it 11-9, then followed with a jump serve ace for a margin of three. OSU hit long on the next point and needed a timeout, UW up 13-9. The Beavers had a three-point streak out of the break, but Bianca Rowland’s first kill put a stop to that, and on the next point, Rowland, Salvo, and Hagglund all blocked down a Rourke attack for a 15-12 lead. Lauren Barfield then came through with back-to-back blocks, one with Salvo and another with Carlson, to push UW’s lead to 18-15. The Beavers closed within one on three occasions, but UW kept their distance, and an ace by Jill Collymore earned set point, and an OSU service error gave the Huskies the 25-21 set. Four blocks and three aces helped UW’s cause in the set, and they outhit the Beavers .242-.167.

 

Oregon State blocked a pair of Husky strikes early in set two for a 4-1 lead, but Perry and Rowland responded with a block of their own to make it 4-3 and a Rowland kill on the next point tied it. The Beavers pulled out to a 12-8 lead but Carlson and Perry terminated the next two points to cut the lead in half. OSU came back with a kill by Bree Knitter and an ace by Rourke to make it 15-11 and UW took its first timeout. Carlson stopped the run with her sixth kill and Collymore went back to serve. The Beavers hit into the net on the first point, then Collymore ramped up the miles per hour and aced the Beavs on the next point. Salvo kept the rally going with a kill that tied it at 15, then Collymore rifled another serve off the OSU defense and into the crowd for the Husky lead and OSU needed time. Out of the break, Collymore scored her fourth ace for a 17-15 lead. She finally drilled one into the top of the net to end the run. Still, the Beavers came back with three-straight for a 19-18 lead and UW called its second timeout. Carlson and Rourke went head-to-head late, alternating for five straight kills as UW pushed ahead by one and the Beavers tied. The Huskies went up 23-22 on a Carlson swing and OSU took its last timeout. Rourke was wide on the next attempt for a Husky set point, but a Knitter kill bought OSU another point. Perry though cashed in UW’s next attempt with a shot off the block and out and the Dawgs took a 2-0 lead. The Huskies wound up hitting .300 for the set after being in the negative early, and Carlson led the way with seven kills in the set.

 

Washington rallied from a brief 4-2 deficit in set three with a 4-0 run on Carlson’s serve. Carlson, Rowland, and Perry each had kills in the streak. Salvo’s seventh kill gave the Dawgs a 9-7 advantage. Oregon State pulled to within 12-11, but Carlson continued to step up with kills when UW needed them most and she registered another for a 13-11 lead. Once again OSU was forced to take time after a Collymore serve was not handled, resulting in a Carlson finish and a 15-12 UW edge. Still, the Beavers could do nothing to control the senior’s serve, and Collymore cranked aces five and six on the night on the next two points, and after a Rowland kill, the Beavers were forced to take their last break with UW cruising 18-12. Salvo and Rowland assisted on a booming block to extend the run to six points before OSU finally picked up a kill but the Dawgs led 19-13. Washington was not threatened the rest of the way, and a final block by Collymore, Rowland, and Carlson sealed the set and the match, 25-16. UW hit .304 in the last frame against .172 for OSU, and Rowland and Carlson combined for eight kills without an error.

 

The 18^th-ranked Ducks will be UW’s final obstacle in their Pac-10 title quest, and the final tune-up before the NCAA Championships. Seniors Collymore, Salvo, and Miyashiro will be honored before the match. Then the NCAA Selection Show will air on Sunday, Nov. 29, at 12 noon Pacific time on ESPNews.

 

 

LADY VOLS FINISH REGULAR SEASON IN STYLE, TOP NO. 10 KENTUCKY IN FIVE-SET THRILLER

UT Finishes 2009 Regular Season with 16 SEC Victories, the Most in School History

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It certainly wasn’t easy, but the University of Tennessee volleyball team (23-7, 16-4 Southeastern Conference) was able to walk away with a thrilling, five-set victory and sweep the season series over No. 10 Kentucky (27-4, 17-3) in its regular-season finale on Wednesday night, 25-16, 25-14, 24-26, 17-25, 16-14, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. The Lady Volunteers fought off four set points in the fifth frame to knock off their second top-15 opponent in five days.

 

“What a great way to end the regular season,” UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. “This is something that the team can definitely build off of as we head into the NCAA Tournament. I told our team in the locker room after the match, that winning the fifth set was all about them making plays.

 

“Going into the match, our team knew what it had to do in order to be successful,” Patrick said. “Even though we slipped up focus-wise a little in the third and fourth sets, we were able to make the big plays when we needed them the most. I can’t even begin to explain how proud I am of what our team has been able to accomplish over the last week. To beat two quality teams in Florida and Kentucky gives us a lot of confidence and momentum going into the postseason.”

 

With the victory, Tennessee claimed its 16th conference win of the year, setting the school record in the process. The Orange and White had previously won 15 league contests on three different occasions, most recently accomplishing the feat last season. The team’s 31 SEC triumphs since the beginning of the 2008 campaign mark the most productive two-year stretch in school history, surpassing the 28 wins it accumulated between 2004 and 2005.

 

Also of note is the fact that Wednesday’s win was the 750th in program history and gave UT a 12-1 mark at home in 2009, tying the 2004 squad for the most home victories during a single season.

 

For the second season in a row, the Big Orange kept the Wildcats from winning their first SEC championship since 1988, as LSU can now lay sole claim to that title in 2009 with an 18-2 record in conference play. Kentucky finishes second at 17-3, while Tennessee sits in third. Florida can tie UT for third if it defeats South Carolina at home later this week.

 

On Wednesday, the Lady Vols held Kentucky to its lowest hitting percentage of the season at .171. The Wildcats came into the match boasting the seventh-best team attack average in the nation and top mark in the SEC at .286. Although UK recorded more kills with 65 to UT’s 58, the Big Orange won virtually every other statistical battle, tallying two more aces (3-1), six more digs (80-74) and almost 10 more blocks (18.0-8.5).

 

“To hold such a great offensive team to a .171 hitting percentage is absolutely phenomenal,” Patrick said. “This group has a synergy going right now that is very hard to explain, but wonderful to see.”

 

As they have done almost all season, sophomore Kayla Jeter and junior Nikki Fowler led the way offensively for Tennessee. The troublesome twosome accounted for nearly 70 percent of the squad’s kills with totals of 23 and 17, respectively. Jeter did so while hitting at an astounding .422 clip with just four errors on 45 swings. Fowler, meanwhile, notched her 14th consecutive double-double and 35th of her career, as she picked up 12 digs in addition to tallying four blocks and an assist.

 

“Kayla was just on fire tonight,” Patrick said. “She has been playing at an extremely high level lately as she’s become more comfortable on the court and in our offense. Her improvement over the course of the season has been great to see. Between her and Nikki, we have two legitimate options to get kills with anytime we want. That’s nice to have in your back pocket.”

 

On the defensive side of the court, senior Chloe Goldman and junior Leah Hinkey were both outstanding, amassing match-high totals of 27 digs and 13 blocks. Goldman’s dig total gives her a career mark of 1,724, tying her with Alabama’s Amy Pauly (2005-08) for the fifth-most in SEC history heading into postseason play. With her 13 blocks, meanwhile, Hinkey notched the fifth-best single-match total in school history and finished just one off her career high. Senior Kylie Marshall also had a terrific match, accumulating a season-high 20 digs, while pounding out six kills, sending back six Wildcat attacks, serving an ace and recording an assist.

 

“I told our middles before the match, that they would have a huge impact on the outcome of the match and they worked extremely hard all night,” Patrick said. “Leah used her quickness to her advantage and did a terrific job of closing the block, reading the setter and other things of that nature. (Kentucky setter) Sarah Rumely is a great attacker and we were able to negate that a bit by getting in front of her and getting our hands up high.”

 

After the two squads split the first four sets, the match came down to just a few plays at the end of the fifth frame. With the scoreboard reading 14-10 in favor of Kentucky, it looked as if the Wildcats would be able to put their loss in the 2008 regular-season finale to UT behind them and stake claim to a share of this season’s SEC title. They Lady Vols had other ideas, however.

 

Using an attack error by Sarah Mendoza to get the ball back on its side of the court, the Big Orange turned to the hot hand of Jeter. The Solon, Ohio, native proceeded to register three consecutive kills to return the set to a deadlock at 14-all. Her first putaway came when she smashed one wide off the left-side block, while the second was a cross-court laser to the back-right corner that prompted UK Head Coach Craig Skinner to burn a timeout.

 

Jeter continued her offensive onslaught with another hammer from the left side on the first play out of the break before turning the reigns over to Fowler who crushed one off the hardwood from the back row to give Tennessee a 15-14 advantage and a chance at match-point. The Big Orange took full advantage of the opportunity as Hinkey and Marshall joined forces to stuff a Blaire Hiler attack on the outside to end the contest.

 

With the 2009 regular season now complete, Tennessee will await its NCAA Tournament fate which will be announced Sunday, Nov. 29, at 3 p.m. on ESPNews.

 

##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##

 

 

 

Week 14: Who Got What? College Volleyball Players Honors, Awards and Trophies

Santa Clara University Women's Volleyball Players Lindsy Davigeadono and Dana Knudsen Named to All-WCC Volleyball Teams

Santa Clara, Calif. - Bronco senior Lindsy Davigeadono was named to the All-
WCC First Team by the league's volleyball coaches and freshman-redshirt Dana
Knudsen was named to the WCC All-Freshman team and also to the All-WCC
Honorable Mention team.  It is the 12th year in a row Santa Clara has had at least
one person on the All-WCC First Team.

Davigeadono led the team with 300 kills, hit .296 and finished tied for first on the
team with .88 bpg. She led the team in league matches by hitting .342, scoring
188 kills and 44 total blocks.  She had double-digit kills in 19 matches this
season, including 12 of 14 times in WCC play.  She had a season-high 20 kills at
LMU.  She was a WCC Honorable Mention selection as the team's setter last
year.  Davigeadono finished at No. 6 in career blocks assists with 274, No. 7 in
career total blocks with 28 and No. 8 in career assists with 1,592.

"It's great to see Lindsy receive first-team honors as this is a very prestigious
group this year.  She is very deserving," said Bronco head coach Jon Wallace.
"She posted great numbers and competed night in and night out.  We are really
happy for her and sad to see her go."

Knudsen was third on the team with 255 kills, hitting a second-best .328 on the
team.  She was second in total blocks with 94, averaging .84 bpg.  She had
double-digit kills in 16 matches this year, including a career-high 16 at Saint
Mary's and vs. Pepperdine.  In league matches she was also third in kills with
126 and second in team blocks with .79 bpg.

"Dana made great strides this year as a volleyball player and it's nice to see her
recognized by the coaches in the league as deserving to be named both to the
honorable mention team and all-freshman," said Wallace.  "Her hitting really
improved this season and we look to continue to work hard with her in the off-
season to help her be an even better player next year."

"I am really happy for these two," said Wallace.  "I am very surprised that
Katherine Douglas didn't make the All-WCC freshman team as she played in
every match for this year and was second on the team in kills.  She also was
deserving."

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE VOLLEYBALL SIGNEE KYLANN SCHEIDT NAMED UNDER ARMOUR FIRST-TEAM HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN

Scheidt is First Signee From Knoxville in Head Coach Rob Patrick’s 13 Years at UT

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee volleyball signee and Knoxville product Kylann Scheidt has been named an Under Armour Girls High School First Team All-American, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Tuesday afternoon.

 

With the distinction, the Farragut High School star also becomes one of 24 players from across the nation invited to participate in the Under Armour All-America Volleyball Match and Skills Competition to be held at the St. Pete Times Forum on Dec. 20 in Tampa, Fla., in conjunction with the 2009 AVCA Annual Convention.

 

Ranked No. 21 on PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces chart, Scheidt has spent the past three seasons with the Lady Admirals and will join the Tennessee program in January. As a sophomore at Farragut, the 6-0 setter was named the District 4-AAA Newcomer of the Year and was a member of the region all-tournament team.

 

Just one year later, she led her squad to a 48-7 record and the sectional round of the playoffs, picking up all-state accolades, earning MVP honors in the district and region tournaments and being selected as the Knoxville News Sentinel's 2008 PrepXtra Player of the Year.

 

During her senior season, Scheidt was a nominee for the Gatorade Player of the Year after guiding the Lady Ads to their third straight district title and a 41-10 record. She also took home league MVP accolades for the second consecutive season and has spent time with USA Volleyball's Junior National Training Team in Chula Vista, Calif., in each of the past two years as well.

 

For the first time in the award’s four-year history, the organization awarded honorable mention accolades in addition to the 24-member first and second teams. The 100 players represent 27 states and 81 high schools.

 

Requirements for nomination were that the student-athlete be in her senior year of high school, that she be nominated by her high school coach, that her coach be a member of the AVCA and that her season statistics be entered into MaxPreps, a free service that aggregates and distributes data on high school sports.

 

For more information on the Under Armour All-America Volleyball Match and Skills Competition, go to www.avca.org and look for the match logo on the homepage.

 

##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##

 

 

 

College Volleyball Game Results Tonight, Volleyball Quotes Week 14: Kentucky Loses at Tennessee,

Kentucky Suffers Heartbreaking Five-Set Loss at Tennessee

After a comeback effort by UK, Tennessee saves set point four times to top the Wildcats in the fifth set

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.  –  With Kentucky trailing by two sets the Wildcats put together a spectacular comeback effort to force a deciding fifth frame only to come up short in the final set when Tennessee claimed a 16-14 fifth set win to take the match. Tennessee captured the 3-2 (25-16, 25-14, 24-26, 17-25, 16-14) win and prevented the Wildcats from claiming a share of the Southeastern Conference title.

 

Kentucky (27-4, 17-3) had four players reach double-figures in the kill column led by Sarah Mendoza’s 15 kills. Blaire Hiler matched a career-high with 14 with Lauren Rapp posting 12 and Gretchen Giesler adding 10. Senior setter Sarah Rumely dished out 53 assists and had a double-double with 12 digs. Mendoza also charted a double-double effort when she paced the squad with 18 scoops.

 

Tennessee limited UK’s high-octane offense to just a .171 hitting percentage. It was the second time this season the Lady Vols’ defense got the better of the Wildcats as Tennessee is the only team to keep Kentucky under a .200 hitting percentage.

 

Becky Pavan contributed nine kills and led the team with five blocks. BriAnne Sauer had 16 digs from her libero position and Stephanie Klefot added nine scoops.

 

In the deciding fifth stanza the Volunteers began the scoring for the fourth time in the match with an opening kill. Pavan quickly responded with a kill for the Blue and White to knot the score at one apiece. The teams continued to trade points until UK got back-to-back kills from Hiler to give the Blue and White a 6-4 advantage and force Tennessee into an early timeout.

 

Out of the break the Volunteers scored on a block but Hiler once again came up with an answer when she slammed down a ball that split the defense for a 7-5 advantage for the Blue and White. UK claimed an 8-6 advantage into the switching of benches after a kill from Pavan.

 

Once again the squads traded points back and forth until Kentucky broke free for consecutive points to earn a three-point edge at 12-9. After a length rally Rumely swiftly found a spot to give the Blue and White the cushion and force Tennessee to use its final timeout.

 

Kentucky earned set point with a 14-10 lead behind a kill from Hiler. However, the home team was able to save set point on four occasions and tie the score at 14. Tennessee used its momentum and finished the set by taking the final six points and earn a 16-14 set five win spoiling UK’s title hopes.

 

UK hit .286 in the fifth stanza and Tennessee’s offense erupted for a .379 average and 11 kills despite 14 hammers from the Wildcats.

 

Trailing by two sets the Wildcats came out of the gate and for the first time in the match the Blue and White scored the opening point of the set when Hiler tossed down a kill for the visitors to begin the third set. Tennessee responded with a kill of its own and the teams traded points back and forth until a Rapp kill and a Klefot service ace gave the Wildcats a 5-3 edge. Kentucky maintained its two-point advantage until Tennessee made the score 9-8 after a long rally that featured great defense by both squads. Kentucky responded with a masterful transition kill from Giesler to give UK its two-point cushion back.

 

After the squads swapped points UK scored three straight to take a 12-9 advantage and force Tennessee into a timeout. A Giesler kill, Tennessee hitting error capped off by Hiler’s kill formed the string of points for the Blue and White. Out of the break the Wildcats trio of Hiler, Pavan and Rapp rejected a Nikki Fowler attempt to give UK its largest of the set at 13-9.

 

The Wildcats continued to maintain a two-to-three point advantage throughout much of the middle portions of the frame. Consecutive hitting errors by the Volunteers enabled the Blue and White to stretch its lead to 20-16 and the Lady Vols opted to use its final timeout. Out of the break the Volunteers tossed another attempt out of bounds to stretch the Wildcats lead to 21-16. Tennessee then scored on three consecutive possessions to get back to within 21-19.

 

After a Kentucky called timeout Tennessee scored the next point to get to within one point, but Rapp quickly answered with kill of her own. The visitors were able to grab a one-point edge when they scored the next three points behind a kill, a block and then UK committed a hitting error to aid the cause. UK chose to take its final timeout trailing by one point.

 

Rapp answered the call and found a hole in the back corner to tie the score at 23. The home team earned set point with a kill after a long rally and point in transition after UK had to save a ball that sailed deep into the endzone. Rapp once again came up with a huge kill to save the point. It was Kentucky’s turn to benefit from a length rally when Giesler was able to lay down a ball after a spectacular display of defense on both sides of the net. The set ended when Giesler found another hole in the center of the floor to lift the Wildcats to a third set 26-24 set victory and make the score 2-1.

 

UK used a .170 hitting percentage and 16 kills in the set to earn the win. Rapp paced the offensive attack with five kills in the set and Rumely dished out 16 assists. Kentucky limited Tennessee to a mere .080 hitting clip and 12 kills.

 

Tennessee scored on a kill to begin the fourth set and benefited from an attacking error by the Wildcats to take a 2-0 edge. Pavan scored for UK with a powerful slam to get the offense jump-started. Kentucky managed to knot the score at three after Tennessee misfired on an attempt. The squads continued to exchange points until UK shook loose for two straight points to make the score 11-9. Hiler and Pavan combined on a block and then Hiler fired down a kill for the Blue and White.

 

After the Lady Vols knotted the score at 13 the home team committed a service error to give the lead and momentum right back to Kentucky. Mendoza then posted consecutive kills to give the Wildcats a 16-13 edge and Tennessee took the first timeout of the stanza. Out of the timeout, Giesler smartly tapped down a ball, UT committed an error and Mendoza rejected a Tennessee attack on her own to stretch the Wildcat lead to 19-13.

 

Kentucky never looked back from that point on as it rolled a 25-17 fourth set win to force a deciding fifth set when Pavan and Rapp combined for the final point on a rejection of a Tennessee attempt. Kentucky used a .343 attack percentage and 17 kills led by Mendoza’s five in the set. Kentucky’s four blocks also proved to be monumental in helping the Wildcats to the victory. 

 

Tennessee began the opening set by jumping out to a large lead by taking the first seven points of the match. The Lady Vols were able to toss down four kills and force the Blue and White into three hitting errors. With Tennessee up 7-0, Kentucky opted for an early timeout in attempt to quell the Volunteer attack.

 

Out of the break the home squad earned another block, but Mendoza quickly ended the run with a powerful slam to get the Wildcats on the board. With Tennessee having stretched its lead to 9-1, the Blue and White put together a string of four straight points behind kills from Mendoza and Giesler. The tandem then combined for a block and the final point came on a Tennessee error to pull the Wildcats to within 9-5.

 

Despite the run to pull to within four, the teams would trade points and the Wildcats were unable to get any closer than four points throughout the frame. With back-to-back UK miscues the Lady Vols went up 19-13 and Kentucky opted to use its final timeout of the set. Tennessee was able to maintain its momentum and earn an opening set victory by a 25-16 margin.

 

In the opening stanza the Wildcats were limited to just a .030 hitting clip and 10 kills. Kentucky committed eight hitting errors and to accompany four service errors. Tennessee meanwhile hit .214 and tossed down just 11 kills. Tennessee registered four blocks compared to a pair from the Wildcats.

 

Tennessee opened the second set by claiming the first three points before Mendoza once again scored the first point for the Blue and White with a kill to make the score 3-1. The Volunteers were able to stretch its lead to a six-point advantage at 12-6 where UK took a timeout.

 

Out of the break the Wildcats scored back-to-back points behind a kill from Rumely and a service error committed by the home team to pull to back to within 12-8. However, the Wildcats would get no closer the rest of the way as the Volunteers took a 2-0 lead into the locker room after Tennessee turned in a 25-14 second set victory.

 

UK’s offense continued to struggle with a .000 hitting clip and just eight kills in the second set. Tennessee used a .370 attacking percentage and tossed down 13 kills in the stanza. The Volunteers turned back four UK attempts and benefited from two more service errors by the visitors.

 

Kentucky concludes the regular season with tonight’s match. The Wildcats will now await the NCAA Tournament selection on Sunday. ESPNews will air the show on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

 

For the most up-to-date news, highlights and features about the Kentucky volleyball team please visit UKathletics.com.

 

UCF Volleyball Concludes 2009 Slate with Thrilling Victory at USF

The Knights hit .643 with nine kills and did not commit an error in the fifth set to claim the season-closing win.

               

TAMPA, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – The UCF volleyball team had five different players post double-digit kills  and hit .329 as a team Wednesday night as the squad defeated in-state rival USF (18-10), 3-2, in a five-set thriller on the road at The Corral to improve its record to 12-18 on the year.

 

“As a program, all you can hope for is to put yourself in a position where you can feel the way that we feel right now,” head coach Todd Dagenais said following the match. “Not only did we see a team that executed fundamentals at a very high level over the duration of a match, but we saw a team that has gone through a season of adversity and they left it all on the court. It is really nice that the team gets to go into the end of the season feeling like they do right now.”

 

Sophomore Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) led the offensive charge, hitting a career-best .394 with 19 kills, while also registering a double-double with 10 digs. FreshmanEvija Vilde (Riga, Latvia) contributed a .483 attack percentage with 14 kills and three blocks, while seniors Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) and Lauren Williams (Lake Mary, Fla.) added 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Williams hit .500 on the evening and posted two blocks and Campbell had eight digs and two blocks for the Knights.

 

“We knew that Evija Vilde had a match like that in her,” Dagenais said. “And she sure picked a nice time for it to come out. Not only was she attacking at an elite level, but her blocking was also at an elite level. I also thought that Kristin Fisher stepped up and played the best match she has played all year.”

 

Freshman Tory McCutcheon (Milton, Ontario) had a breakout performance in the victory, hitting .478 while matching her career-bests with 11 kills and seven blocks. She also established a new career-high with four digs. Both McCutcheon and Vilde finished the match without an attack error.

 

“I think the key tonight was that we knew we had to be balanced on offense, because Erin (Campbell) has been playing at between 50-60 percent because of an injury. Our middles, Lauren Williams and Tory McCutcheon, stepped up big time. (Assistant coach) Michelle Chatman has done such a great job working with them and believing in them, especially in a position where we have suffered so many injuries.”

 

Fellow freshman Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) and junior Kristen Petrasic(Carrollton, Texas) both controlled the back row, each recording 14 digs, with Murphy adding two service aces and extending her streak of double-digit digs to nine matches.

 

The Knights stormed out to take an early 1-0 lead on the Bulls after winning the opening set, 26-24. UCF fell down early, but a 7-1 run behind the serving of senior Andee Youngblood (Castle Rock, Colo.) gave the squad a 9-5 advantage. The Bulls started to chip away at the Knights’ lead, before finally evening the set, 14-14, before going up by as many as three points late. But, kills from McCutcheon, Vilde, Fisher, Campbell and Williams put the Black and Gold back on top just in time, 24-23, as Campbell posted two-consecutive points with a kill and a service ace to end the set.

 

Youngblood finished the contest with a season-best 60 assists, seven digs, three blocks, two kills and a service ace.

 

“To have Andee distribute the ball the way that she did tonight really kept USF guessing,” Dagenais said. “They could just not hone in on anything.”

 

After falling in the second set, the Knights regrouped to take the third set, 25-21. UCF jumped out to an early lead with kills from Williams, Campbell and Fisher, and never looked back, maintaining its advantage for the remainder of the contest. The visiting squad led by as many as seven points late in the set. The Bulls would pull within two points, 22-20, but a 3-1 run, capped off by a McCutcheon kill, sealed the third-set victory.

 

UCF and USF played evenly throughout the majority of the fourth set, tying the score 12 times throughout, but it was the Bulls who came out victorious in the game, getting back-to-back kills with the score knotted at 23-23, to once again even the match and send the contest into a deciding fifth set.

 

The Black and Gold took control of the deciding set and cruised to a 15-6 victory. The squad did not commit an error in the final set, hitting .643 with nine kills. UCF jumped all over the Bulls right from the beginning, taking a commanding 13-4 lead following a kill from Fisher. An additional kill from Fisher and another from Vilde put the Knights at match point, before a block from Youngblood and Williams finished off the home team and gave the Black and Gold a season-ending victory.     

 

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

 

-UCF-

 

Seniors End Career on Big Win Over Virginia
Donovan, Gergen, Horowitz, Lang and Parrish honored before match
November 25, 2009
For Immediate Release

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia Tech volleyball squad ended the 2009 campaign with a hard-earned victory over the Virginia Cavaliers, 3-1 (25-18, 25-15, 22-25, 25-20), Wednesday night in Cassell Coliseum.

Tech (19-12, 9-11 ACC) honored its five seniors, Gemma Donovan, Jill Gergen, Betsy Horowitz, Michelle Lang and Taylor Parrish, before the match and then hit .255 and blocked eight attacks to send them out with a victory on senior night. The Cavaliers (12-19, 7-13 ACC) struck at a .108 clip and totaled three blocks in the contest.

After Virginia led in the early stages of set one, Tech went on a 5-0 run, all on sophomore Justine Record's service, to pull out to a 13-11 advantage. The Hokies continued the run winning five of the next seven points to take control of the period and cruise to victory, 25-18.

The Hokies dominated set two hitting .385 and only allowing the Cavaliers to muster a .094 hitting percentage. Tech opened the stanza winning five of the first six points and never looked back. Virginia would not close within four points of the rest of the frame, capturing the second set, 25-15.

Virginia battled back coming out of the locker room in the third set. The two squads combined to tie each other 11 times in the close period. Even at 21, two Hokie attack errors gave the Cavaliers some breathing room, and they maintained the advantage the rest of the way, winning the third stanza, 25-22.

A fast start paced the Hokies in the fourth set, as they led 13-7 early. Virginia clawed back with a 6-0 spurt to cut the cushion to one, but Tech refused to relinquish the lead. Both squads exchanged points, until the Hokies reeled off three straight to press out to a 20-15 lead. Tech carried the margin to a 25-20 win, sealed by Record's career-high fifth service ace, in set four, and a 3-1 victory in the match.

Record led the Hokies with 15 kills and the five service aces, four of which came in the first two frames. Freshman Cara Baarendse added 10 kills in the matchup. Senior Jill Gergen earned her ninth 20-plus-dig match of the season, tallying 21, to cap her Hokie career, while Erin Leaser recorded 48 assists and 14 digs for her eighth double-double of the year. Freshman Morgan O'Neill and Amy Wengrenovich registered 14 and 13 digs, respectively, in the contest, and freshman Kirsty Blue led the way with four blocks.

Auburn Volleyball Team Concludes Regular Season With 3-2 Loss To Georgia

AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball team fought Georgia on Wednesday
to five sets, falling 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 18-25, 25-18, 12-15) in the
regular season finale at the Student Activities Center. The Tigers
conclude the season with a 16-15 overall record and 8-12 in the SEC.

”It was a good match and it was any team’s win to take,” Wade
Benson, head volleyball coach, said. “I thought our team fought really
hard, but couldn’t come out on top.”

Freshman Sarah Bullock and sophomore Christina Solverson each picked up
their eighth double-double of the season. Bullock finished with 12 kills
and 10 digs, while Solverson tallied 25 assists and 12 digs.

Junior Morgan Johns finished with a team-best 13 kills, while sophomore
Kelly Fidero added 12 kills. Junior Liz Crouch had 17 digs and classmate
Alyssa Davis had a team-best five blocks.

Erika Clark led the Bulldogs  (17-14, 8-12) with 14 kills and finished
with 16 digs. Libero Calra Tietz had a match-best 21 digs, while Briana
Bahr and Valentina Gonzalez each picked up 12 kills. Gonzalez had a
match-high nine blocks.

The Bulldogs grabbed a quick lead in the first set to go up 5-2.Georgia
pushed its lead to go up 9-5, but a pair of kills by Katherine Culwell
brought the Tigers within two at 10-8. A kill by Johns triggered a 4-1
Auburn run that gave the Tigers a slim 14-13 lead. Another Auburn run
put the Tigers up 18-16, but the Bulldogs battled back to take a 22-20
lead. Auburn, however, put together a 5-1 rally to take the set 25-23.

In set two, kills from Johns and Bullock gave Auburn a 5-3 lead and
another kill by Bullock and one from Davis put the Tigers up 7-4. A
Georgia rally gave Bulldogs a slim advantage at 10-9 and the team held
onto its lead throughout the middle of the set. A kill from Bullock
sparked an Auburn three-point rally to tie the set at 17, but another
Georgia run solidified the Bulldog 25-21 win.

A Tiger error and a service ace put Georgia up 5-3 early in the third
set and a Bulldog run pushed the visitors to a 13-8 advantage. Kills
from Jonelle Wallace and Courtney McDonald brought Auburn within five at
22-17, but the Bulldogs took the set, 25-18.

Auburn took a quick 6-2 lead in the fourth set and kills by Culwell and
Johns and a service ace from MacKenzy Harper gave the Tigers a 10-4
advantage. Kills by Davis and McDonald gave Auburn its largest lead at
17-8 and a pair of Tiger blocks made the score 20-11. Georgia rallied to
cut the score to five at 21-16, but Auburn closed out the set with a
25-18 win.

In the final set, Georgia jumped out to a 5-3 lead and took its largest
lead at 9-5. The Tigers came within two on a kill by Culwell at 11-9,
but the Bulldogs battled to take the match with a 15-12 win.

Virginia Volleyball Team's Rally Falls Short, Drops Match to Virginia Tech
Cushman collects 13 digs

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team concluded its 2009 campaign with a tough loss at Virginia Tech Wednesday evening, falling 1-3 (18-25, 15-25, 25-22, 20-25) to the Hokies.

Virginia (12-19, 7-13 ACC) was led by sophomore Simone Asque’s nine kills. Juniors Sydney Hill and Kendahl Voelker each knocked down seven, while junior AJ Cushman led the defense with 13 digs. Seniors Brittani Rendina and Tara Hester each collected 12, while freshman Rachel Gray registered her fifth double-double. The setter dished out 32 assists and had 10 digs.

Virginia Tech (19-12, 9-11 ACC) had two players in double-digit kills, led by Justine Record, who tallied 15 and Cara Baarendse who landed 10. Erin Leaser distributed 48 assists and collected 13 digs, while Jill Gergen had a match-high 21 digs.

Freshman Jessica O’Shoney and Asque teamed to lead Virginia to an early 6-2 advantage, sandwiching back-to-back kills from each of them around one from the Hokies. But Tech was able to work its way back into the frame, and eventually took a 13-11 lead following a service ace from Record. The Hokies continued their run following a timeout called by the Cavaliers and, thanks to a 10-2 streak, capped off a 17-7 run with a 25-18 victory.

Behind consecutive service aces from Record at the start of the second frame, the Hokies were able to grab an early 7-2 lead and extended their advantage to eight, by 17-9. The Cavaliers attempted to cut their deficit down, but four-unanswered kills from Tech to end the frame put the home team on top, 25-15.

The third set was much closer, as it featured 11 tie scores, including eight-straight late in the frame. With the score knotted at 21 all, the Cavaliers took advantage of two Hokie errors to gain a two-point advantage and held on for the 25-22 victory.

Virginia fell behind at the beginning of the first set, 9-3, but worked to cut Tech’s lead to one, at 14-13, following a five-point run. The Hokies wouldn’t allow the visitors to even the score though, as they landed back-to-back kills to extend their lead back to three. Virginia worked to string together a late rally, but Tech would go on to win, 25-20.

The match marked the final contest for Virginia’s three seniors: Lauren Dickson, Tara Hester and Brittani Rendina. The trio concluded their careers with a 70-55 overall record and a 45-39 mark in conference play.

College Volleyball Game Results, Volleyball Quotes Week 14

Jayhawks Women's Volleyball Cruise Past Texas Tech on Senior Night

 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Behind 14 kills from sophomore Allison Mayfield, the University of Kansas volleyball team defeated Texas Tech 3-0 (25-8, 25-15, 25-10) Tuesday evening during the Jayhawks’ senior night. The match was the final contest in the Horejsi Family Athletics Center for seniors Melissa Grieb, Katie Martincich, Paige Mazour and Brittany Williams.

 

With just one final regular-season match remaining, KU improved to 16-13 overall and 8-11 in the Big 12. It marks the most Big 12 victories and season wins for the Jayhawks since 2004. Texas Tech remained winless in the conference with a 0-19 record and 2-26 overall mark.

 

As a team, Kansas hit a .468 attack percentage, the KU’s highest attack percentage since recording a .512 clip on Aug. 25, 2006 versus Alabama A&M. It was the first time the Jayhawks’ recorded a hitting percentage over .400 since defeating St. Peter’s College on Sept. 7, 2007 with a .456 clip.

 

Sophomore Lauren Hagan was one of four players to hit over .400 in the contest. She collected seven kills on a team-high .700 attack percentage. Mazour hit .556 for five kills, while Mayfield hit .440 and Williams had seven kills on a .400 hitting night.

 

Kansas opened the contest with seven unanswered points to quickly put itself out of reach. The Jayhawks committed just one attack error in the opening frame to hit a match-best .500, while TTU recorded just six kills in the 25-8 KU win. Texas Tech’s eight points were the fewest points scored by a KU opponent this season.

 

In set two, KU couldn’t shake the Red Raiders early but used an 8-3 run to close out the set with a 25-15 win. Mazour, Martincich and Mayfield each had a service ace in the set.

 

Texas Tech took its first lead of the match at 4-3 in the third set and scored the following point to go up by two. However, Kansas rattled off 13 of the next 14 points to take a commanding 16-6 lead. The Jayhawks made quick work of the Red Raiders downing TTU 25-10 in the final frame.

 

KU showcased a balanced defense in its final home match of the season as four players had seven or more digs. Martincich and Mayfield led the team with eight a piece. Sophomore Nicole Tate and junior Melissa Manda chipped in with seven digs each. KU out-dug Texas Tech 42-21 in the contest and held an identical advantage in kills.

 

The Jayhawks wrap up their 2009 regular season on Saturday, Nov. 28 at Texas. That match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

 

GEORGE MASON WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL RALLIES PAST VCU FOR CAA CHAMPIONSHIP 

RICHMOND, Va. – George Mason rallied from a two-game deficit to defeat Virginia Commonwealth University, 3-2 (27-29, 25-27, 25-16, 25-23, 15-9), for the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Championship Tuesday at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. 

CAA Player of the Year and tournament Most Valuable Player Holly Goode led the Patriots (23-8) with 20 kills and six blocks. It’s Mason’s first title since 2003 and eighth overall. 

Junior Mariel Frey (Lititz, Pa.) sparked VCU (25-9) with 21 kills, 20 digs and four blocks. For her efforts, she was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team. Senior Ivana Rich (Cumberland, Va.) added 15 kills and nine blocks and was also named to the all-tournament squad. 

The top-seeded Rams looked poised to capture their first CAA title since 2005, and second overall, after taking a pair of hotly contested sets to open the match. 

However, when the two teams returned from intermission, third-seeded George Mason took control. VCU hit .259 and .327 in the first and second sets, respectively, but hit just .054 the rest of the match. 

“We came out ready to play and came back and found a way to win in the first two sets. I’m really proud of the effort,” said VCU Head Coach James Finley. “For whatever reason we went into the locker room and we came out and we were tight. We were careful and we weren’t doing the things we needed to get done. “ 

In the tiebreaker, Mason’s Noelle Fanella led the way with five kills and a .625 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, the Rams hit .111 and were haunted by four service errors. 

The Patriots stormed out to a 6-1 lead in the decisive set, but the Rams eventually trimmed the margin to 8-6. Fanella kept the VCU at bay with three kills down the stretch as George Mason held on for the 15-9 victory and the CAA title. 

The Rams also received 14 kills and 12 digs from freshman and CAA Rookie of the Year Michala Kvapilova (Liberec, Czech Republic), as well as seven kills and five blocks from junior Kelsie Clegg (Boise, Idaho). 

VCU will return to action on Friday, Nov. 27 when it hosts Pittsburgh at 3 p.m. in the VCU Thanksgiving Invitational at the Verizon Wireless Arena. 

MASON WINS EIGHTH CAA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE WITH 3-2 WIN OVER VCU

 

RICHMOND, Va. (November 24, 2009) – Third-seeded George Mason rallied back from a 2-0 deficit to win its eighth Colonial Athletic Association volleyball championship in five-sets over top-seeded VCU on Tuesday evening.  It is the first time in CAA history for a team to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the title match to win the championship. 

 

The Patriots will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship and will learn about their next destination on Sunday, Nov. 29 during the selection show, which will air on ESPN News at 3 p.m. 

 

It was fate that the two teams took the match to five sets as they split during the regular season, both by a score of 3-2. The Patriots (23-8) received a strong performance from Holly Goode as she posted a double-double with a team-high 20 kills and 16 digs.  Fernanda Bartels and Noelle Fanella also contributed double-doubles on the evening, as Bartels posted 57 assists to go along with 17 digs and Fanella tabbed 15 kills and 10 digs.  Koala Matsuoka recorded a team-high 20 digs and Kelsey Bohman made a match-high nine blocks and finished with 13 kills with a match-high .346 attack percentage. 

 

VCU (25-9) saw three players record double-doubles led by Mariel Frey’s 21 kill-20 dig performance.  Her 21 kills was a match-high.  Michala Kvapilova notched 14 kills and 12 digs, while Lenka Melicharkova dished out 57 assists to go along with 12 digs. Ivana Rich helped the Rams at the net with a team-best nine total blocks, including a pair of solo stops.  

 

Goode’s performance earned her the Most Outstanding Performer award of the tournament.  She was joined on the CAA All-Tournament squad by teammates Bohman and Bartels.  VCU’s Frey and Rich were also honored on the team with Delaware’s Stephanie Barry and William & Mary’s Lauren Powell.

 

The first set was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams before VCU scored back-to-back points to capture the 29-27 win.  The Rams were led by three players with five or more kills as Frey recorded six and Rich and Kvapilova each tabbed five apiece.  Rich added a set-high three blocks to help VCU’s defense to go along with Low’s 10 digs.  Goode guided the Patriots with a set-high seven kills, while Bohman contributed five.  Bartels dished out 16 assists for Mason. The match was kept nearly even as VCU hit at a .259 clip and Mason completed the set hitting .246.

 

The second set was a close replica of the first, as the two teams battled for points and VCU came out on top, 27-25, scoring the final two points of the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match.  VCU held the lead for its first 19 points, before Mason posted a 4-0 run to tie the set at 19 all. The Patriots gained their first lead of the match with their 20^th point, before they traded points with the Rams until VCU’s final points for the win. Frey slammed down five kills with a .556 attack percentage for the Rams, while Kvapilova and Rich each added four.  Low recorded six digs and Melicharkova handed out a set-high 17 assists.  Mason was led by Goode’s five kills and .400 hitting percentage.  Matsuoka added a team-best seven digs in the set, while Bartels produced 15 assists. VCU held the attack advantage hitting .327 versus Mason’s .277.

 

Mason came out of the break strong as they defeated VCU, 25-16, in the third set.  The two teams opened the set trading points through 3-3, before the Patriots broke free to take the lead the remainder of the set.  Mason used runs of 3-0 and 5-0 to earn the victory. Mason produced a .273 attack percentage in the third set, while holding the Rams to .049.  Walter stepped up for the Patriots with four kills on six attacks with zero errors for a set-high .667 attack percentage.  Three blocks by Bohman and two by Goode helped the Patriot defense as Mason held a 4-1 advantage at the net. Mason received four digs from Bartels and three digs from Fanella, Kelly McCarter and Matsuoka. VCU was led by Frey’s four kills and four digs. The Rams also received four digs from Kvapilova and Low.

 

 The Patriots evened the score, 2-2, with a 25-23 win in the fourth set of the championship match.  A set very similar to the first two with just a different result as it was filled with a back-and-forth battle between the two squads.  Goode and Fanella teamed up for Mason splitting 10 kills, while Goode led the team with five digs.  Bohman produced three strong blocks for the Patriots.  The Rams held the advantage at the net with seven total blocks to Mason’s three.  VCU had just four players post kills as they received four from Frey and two from Kvapilova, Rich and Kristin Boyd.  Both teams struggled in attacks as Mason out-hit the Rams, .060-.023.

 

In the fifth and final match, Mason opened the set with five straight points to take an early 5-0 lead.  The two teams traded points once again before VCU battled back with a 3-0 run to narrow the score to 8-6. Pat Kendrick, CAA Coach of the Year, called a time out to get her team back on track before the Patriots finished the match with a 7-3 run to earn the victory and their first CAA title since 2003. 

 

 

Wake Forest Volleyball Women Close Season With 3-1 Loss At Duke

Sophomore Carlin Salmon finishes with a career-high eight blocks

 

DURHAM, NC – Wake Forest sophomore Carlin Salmon recorded a career-high eight blocks but Duke broke a 1-1 tie with a 25-23 victory in third set third and went on to a 3-1 victory Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

 

With the win, Duke completes the regular season with a 27-5 record overall and was second in the ACC with a 17-3 mark. Wake finishes the season 11-20 and 9-11 in the conference.

 

Duke’s Rachel Moss recorded her 13^th double-double of the season with a match-high 21 kills and 13 digs. Becci Burling joined her in double-figure kills with 11 and also added five blocks. Setter Kelly Catanach was one dig shy of her own double-double with 48 assists, nine digs and four blocks.

 

Salmon posted eight block assists on the night, besting her previous career-high of seven. She also led the team with 12 kills and hit a solid .304. Junior outside hitter Kristen White recorded her sixth-straight match with double-figure kills, finishing with 11. She also added seven digs and two blocks. Junior Lauren McIntyre, sophomore Kadija Fornah and freshman Andrea Beck each finished the match with nine kills for the Deacs.

 

Junior setter Kelsey Jones dished out 46 assists to go along with her five blocks, four digs and two service aces. Junior libero Megan Thornberry led the Deacon defenders with a match-high 26 digs while senior Abby Miller finished with 15 digs in the final match of her career.

 

Duke had a total of 66 kills on evening with a strong .265 hitting percentage. The Blue Devils were holding their opponents to a league-best .156 hitting percentage and tonight, they were right on pace, as Wake hit .157 with 52 kills. Duke also led in digs 83-74 and had 11.5 blocks compared to 9.5 for the Deacs.

 

With the score tied at 10-10 in the opening set, Wake got a block from Kristen White to spark a 5-0 Deacon-run that saw them take a 15-10 lead. The Blue Devils closed to within two at 15-13 but Wake pushed the lead right back to five at 20-15 after kills from Salmon, Fornah and McIntyre.

 

The Deacons would then salt away the rest of the set and take a 1-0 lead after a 25-22 victory. Fornah had five kills in the set on no errors while Moss posted five kills for Duke.

 

The second set started out fairly even as a kill by Burling would spurn Duke on a 6-1 run that saw the hosts open-up a 14-7 lead. The Blue Devils would hold that seven-point edge throughout the rest of the set eventually take a 25-17 victory.

Burling and Moss each had four kills in the set for Duke while Salmon and Beck each added three kills for the Deacs. Duke hit a solid .333 in the second with 16 kills and just four errors.

 

Coming out of the locker room, the Deacons took a 6-2 lead in the third set but back-to-back kills from Megan Hendrickson pulled the hosts even at 12-12. The teams then traded runs and found themselves tied at 19-19 later in the set. Duke would take a 23-22 lead and would eventually win the pivotal set 25-23. The score was tied seven times and the lead changed hands five different times.

 

Thornberry had eight kills in the set while Moss added five kills and five digs.

 

Duke used the momentum from the third set and would break a 7-7 tie with an 8-1 run in the fourth take a commanding 15-8 lead. The Deacs would pull to within one at 15-14 but Duke pushed the lead back to six at 21-15 and cruised home to a 25-18 victory.

 

The Blue Devils swept the season series this season with the Deacs and have won 13 of the last 14 meetings.

  

 

 

- WakeForestSports.com -

 

TENNESSEE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CLOSES OUT 2009 REGULAR SEASON WITH SHOWDOWN AGAINST NO. 10 KENTUCKY

Lady Vols Looking for Program-Best 16th Victory in SEC Play

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee volleyball team (22-7, 15-4 Southeastern Conference) will close out the 2009 regular season on Wednesday, Nov. 25, when it welcomes No. 10 Kentucky (27-3, 17-2) to Rocky Top for a 7 p.m. showdown in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Lady Volunteers will be looking to sweep the season series with the Wildcats, while UK attempts to clinch a share of the SEC championship.

     

UT is responsible for the first of Kentucky’s two conference losses this season, having claimed a 3-1 decision in Lexington on Oct. 21. If the Orange and White can pull off another victory, it would mark the second straight season that it dashed the Wildcat’s dreams of an SEC title on the final day of the regular season, as it earned a thrilling, five-set triumph on the road last year on UK’s “Senior Night.”

     

The Big Orange continued its dominance at home this past weekend, claiming victories over No. 13 Florida and South Carolina to improve to 11-1 in Knoxville this season. With the two wins, the Lady Vols have now matched the school record for the most SEC wins in a single season with 15, a feat they have now accomplished three times, including each of the past two years.

     

Following strong performances in both contests, junior Nikki Fowler became the first player in league history to win three consecutive SEC Offensive Player of the Week awards. The accolades give her a league-leading four this season, the most in a single year by any player in conference history, and seven for her career, which matches the mark set by three-time SEC Player of the Year Aury Cruz of Florida. Fowler’s honors, however, have all come in the past two years, while it took Cruz four years to accomplish the feat.

     

Fowler played a crucial role in leading Tennessee to a 3-1 victory over 13th-ranked Florida, pounding out a match-high 19 kills and scooping up 16 Gator attacks in front of the third-largest crowd in UT history. The win marked the Lady Vols’ first over UF since 2005 and their first four-set triumph over the Gators since the 1990 campaign.

     

She was dominant in the Orange and White’s sweep over South Carolina two days later as well, hitting .355 while delivering 16 kills with just five errors on a team-high 31 swings. The Dallas, Texas, native also picked up 10 digs, three blocks and a pair of assists to round out a solid all-around effort. Sophomore Kayla Jeter, meanwhile, blasted out a match-high 19 kills with just a pair of errors on 30 swings for a monster .567 hitting percentage, in addition to tying for the team high with seven blocks. The Lady Volunteers honored their four seniors - Carol Cheade, Chloe Goldman, Farren Powe and Kylie Marshall - in a ceremony prior to the contest.

 

Following Wednesday night’s contest, UT will then await its NCAA Tournament fate which will be announced at 3 p.m. on ESPNews on Sunday, Nov. 29.

 

 

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER LEAH HINKEY EARNS SPOT ON SEC COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM

     

Proving that her influence extends off the court, as well as on, University of Tennessee junior middle blocker Leah Hinkey has been named the Lady Vol representative on the 2009 Southeastern Conference Volleyball Community Service Team, the league office announced Tuesday afternoon.

     

A native of Glenwood Springs, Colo., Hinkey has participated in the annual Holiday Dinner for the Homeless, where she hosted guests from a local shelter on campus for a meal and gifts.  She has also helped with Teams for Toys where they purchase, wrap and give Christmas gifts to an underprivileged local child.

     

Additionally, Hinkey worked Habitat for Humanity, helping to paint the outside of a house for a single mother and her two kids. Last spring, she assisted with the Boys and Girls Club’s April Play Day on the UT campus, hosting kids for a day of fun and inspirational motivation. Hinkey is also Tennessee’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative for the volleyball team.

 

On the court, Hinkey currently ranks fifth on the Lady Vol squad with a total of 182 kills, good for an average of 1.70 per set, while hitting at the second-best clip on the team with a .282 attack average. She also stands in second on the team with 119 blocks, which averages out to 1.11 per set, placing her seventh among all SEC players.

 

##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##

 Maryland Women's Volleyball Team Sweeps Boston College in Season Finale

Bates leads Terps with 16 kills on .433 hitting.

 

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Freshman Kara Bates posted a match-high 16 kills and hit a season-best .433 to lead the University of Maryland volleyball team to a 3-0 victory in the season finale against Boston College Wednesday afternoon at Comcast Pavilion.

 

The Terrapins (14-19, 6-14 ACC) were rarely threatened by the Eagles (12-19, 2-18 ACC), winning by scores of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-22.

 

Maryland held Boston College to .029 hitting in the first set and Bates got the Terps off to a good start, recording the team’s first three points. The Terps led by four midway through the set, but the Eagles fought back and grabbed a 19-18 lead.

 

Maddi Lee responded with a pair of kills, though, and Maryland ran off four straight points to take a 22-19 lead. The Terps never trailed in the set after that, winning by four.

 

The Terps went wire to wire in the second set, scoring four of the first five points and never falling behind the Eagles. The victory did not come easy, however. Trailing 20-16, the Eagles embarked on a 5-2 run to get within a point at 22-21. But kills by Bates and Lisa Scott, sandwiched between a Boston College handling error, gave the Terps another 25-21 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.

 

Boston College’s best chance at victory came in third set. The Eagles led throughout much of the stanza, including a 20-17 lead that forced a Maryland timeout. The timeout proved a perfect time to regroup for the Terps, as they dominated afterward.

 

Kills by Brittney Grove and Bates cut the deficit to one and an attack error knotted the score at 20 apiece. Bates added another kill and then Scott and Bates combined on a block and Scott added a solo block to put the Terps on the verge of victory, 23-20.

 

Holding match point at 24-22, junior Michelle Kenning posted the clinching score.

 

Freshman Remy McBain delivered a solid all-around game for the Terps, recording a season-high nine kills on .389 hitting to go with 19 assists, four digs and a service ace. Scott les the Terps with eight blocks, three assists and three solo.

 

Taylor Williams and Rainey Hanley led the Eagles with eight kills apiece.

 

The match marked the final appearance of seniors Katie Usher, Christina Paul and Hayley Hanson.

 

Usher finished her career ranked third in block assists (449), third in total blocks (499) and eight in block solos (50). Usher also finished 10^th in hitting percentage (.288) and 10^th in points (1,304.5).

 

With 10 digs against the Eagles, freshman Sam Rosario finished the season with 484, the fourth-best single-season total in program history. Scott finished with 34 solo blocks, tied for the fifth-highest season total ever by a Maryland player.

 

– TERPS –

 

No. 2 Texas Longhorns Women's Volleyball wins outright Big 12 Championship, sweeps Oklahoma

The Longhorns clinch their third straight Big 12 title and their first outright since 1997.

NORMAN, Okla. – The second-ranked Texas Volleyball earned its third straight Big 12 Championship and its first outright title since 1997 with its 3-0 win over Oklahoma on Wednesday night. The 25-19, 25-14, 25-19 victory improved the Longhorns to 23-1 on the year and 18-1 in Big 12 play, while the Sooners fell to 18-10 and 11-8 in conference action.

 

Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker headlined the Texas attack with 18 kills on .486 hitting and added seven digs and three blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Rachael Adams connected for 10 kills and hit .615 against the Sooners, while junior middle blocker Jennifer Doris held down the net with four solo blocks and four block assists.

 

Texas broke a six-all tie in the first with a kill by junior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette and added a 5-0 run fueled by a kill and a block from Hooker to push the UT lead to 13-8. Another kill from Faucette widened the margin to 18-12 and her fifth kill of the set paced a 4-1 rally and moved the score to 23-18. A kill by Doris and an OU attack error finished out the frame 25-19.

 

In the second, Oklahoma jumped out to an early 4-0 edge, but Texas battled back behind two Hooker kills and a 5-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. A double-block by Hooker and Adams widened the margin to 14-9 before a Doris solo block moved the tally to 16-10. Down the stretch, Texas went on a 7-1 set-ending run headlined by three kills and two blocks by Adams to close0 the set 25-14.

 

The Longhorns leapt out to a 5-1 lead to start the third on a kill by senior All-America setter/opposite Ashley Engle. Back-to-back kills by Adams moved the tally to 9-5 and a 5-1 run headlined by two kills each from Faucette and Hooker widened the gap to 15-8. The Sooners battled back with a 5-1 run to close the lead to 18-15, but Hooker was too much late in the stanza, connecting for four kills to lift UT to a 25-19 win.

 

Texas returns home for its final regular season match on Saturday, Nov. 28 when it hosts Kansas at Gregory Gymnasium. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. Come early to salute the 2009 senior class.

 

POST-MATCH NOTES

·         The Longhorns clinched their fourth Big 12 title against Oklahoma and their third straight. The championship was UT’s first outright title since 1997.

·         Texas’ win over Oklahoma improved its all-time record against the Sooners to 35-2.

·         Jennifer Doris’ four solo blocks against OU marked a career high for the junior middle blocker.

·         Texas out-hit Oklahoma .423-to-.116 on the night and out-blocked the Sooners 13.0-to-3.0.

 

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Head coach Jerritt Elliott

On winning the Big 12 title outright: This means a lot. A lot has gone into this championship. We want to thank our administration for all of their support and all of the alumni before us that have created a great tradition at Texas. This is agreat for this group and it is exciting that our alumni is just as excited for us. It is very gratifying because we have put a lot of work into this as a staff, including all of the former members of this staff. I’m really proud of our team. They executed very well tonight. This is a big win on the road against a rival team that we have struggled with in the past.

 

On not sharing the title: It is sweeter to win the title outright. It is never fun when you have to share something, unless you are sharing with your kids or your family. As competitors you don not want to share. I’m very happy for our senior class and this team for believing in this staff and what we do.

 

On Texas’ continued blocking progress: For the last three to four weeks blocking has been a staple of our practice. We have been spending time on it and we have made it a focal point. A block is an immediate point and if we are able to get points off the block and add that to our kill production, we become a very good team.

 

On offensive balance: Against good teams you have to have good balance. As we advance in the NCAA tournament we want to have balance because it is very difficult to stop. When we are getting that kind of balance and production it puts pressure on our opponents. We have gone through a lot of different lineups and we have a lot of different personnel that we can use as a staff.

 

 

 

 

 

Week 14: Who Got What? College Volleyball Players Honors, Awards and Trophies

Olowolafe Named to All-Big West First Team for Second Time

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Highlighted by Cal Poly junior middle blocker Dominique Olowolafe’s second-successive selection to the All-Big West first team, three Mustangs earned all-conference recognition when awards and honors were announced Tuesday afternoon.

Olowolafe, who finished the regular season ranked second among conference players with a .344 hitting percentage, became the seventh Mustang in program history to earn multiple selections to the All-Big West first team. Mustang freshman outside hitter Megan McConnell earned honorable mention praise after pacing Cal Poly with 3.06 kills per set. Joining McConnell on the seven-player all-freshman squad was middle blocker Jennifer Keddy, who led all Mustangs with 0.80 blocks per set.

Olowolafe, who hit higher than .304 in 22 of Cal Poly’s 29 matches this season, posted the 10th-best single-season hitting percentage in program history. One of only two Mustangs to appear in all 114 sets this season, Olowolafe also raised her career hitting mark to a .316 figure that ranks fifth all-time. Olowolafe capped her junior campaign by hitting a season-best .647 against one error and added 12 kills as Cal Poly (9-20, 5-11) swept Cal State Northridge on Nov. 20. She also averaged a career-best 2.35 kills and 0.68 blocks per set this year.

McConnell debuted by recording double-digit kill figures in a team-best 17 of Cal Poly’s 29 matches. She also averaged 3.18 kills per set in Big West play and ranked second among Mustangs with 19 aces.

Keddy finished the year by hitting .333 or higher during Cal Poly’s final seven matches to raise her season percentage to a .254 figure. Keddy also hit .322 during Cal Poly’s 16 Big West matches.

FOUR ANTEATERS EARN ALL-BIG WEST HONORS

 

IRVINE, Calif. --- Four UC Irvine women’s volleyball players collected All-Big West honors as announced today by the conference office.

 

Kari Pestolesi (Huntington Beach/Edison HS), Juliane Piggott (Newport Beach./UCLA) and Taryn Robertson (Valencia/HS) were voted to the all-conference first team while Kristin Winkler (Los Altos/St. Francis HS) was tabbed to the All-Freshman team. Is it the first time since 2003 that three Anteaters have been named first-team all-conference honorees.

 

Pestolesi, who is ranked among the Big West leaders in aces (3^rd), kills (4^th), and digs (6^th), earns her third first-team accolade. Nationally ranked in points (63^rd), aces (65^th) and kills (71^st), Pestolesi tops the Anteaters with 415 kills on the season and is averaging 3.81 per set. She is also the team leader in aces with 41 and is second with 424 digs. The junior standout was voted a National Player of the Week earlier this season after helping the Anteaters upset then-No. 6 California. This season, she has collected three tournament MVP honors and dots both the UCI career and season records. Pestolesi has accumulated 22 double-double matches (kills/digs) with a season-best 23 kills against UConn and 26 digs against Seattle.

 

Piggott earns her initial first-team award after posting 348 kills and 195 digs for UCI. The outside hitter is 10^th in the Big West in kill average at 3.19 and boasts a 3.53 per-set average in Big West contests. On the season Piggott is fourth in aces with 26 and is putting up 0.48 blocks per set to sit fourth on the team. Recently, the junior transfer posted a career-high 27 kills in the Big West title match against Long Beach State and picked up a season-high 16 digs twice against UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara. She has recorded six double-double matches this season and reached 20 or more digs twice.

 

Robertson also is a first-time, first-team honoree. The setter boasts an 11.02 assist average in conference matches to sit second in the Big West and is ranked 82^nd nationally in assists at 10.23. Robertson had a season-best 63 assists and 14 digs, both against Long Beach State, while firing a career-high four aces in the win against Cal State Northridge. The senior knocked down a career-high 10 kills against Cal Poly and recorded a career-high .750 hitting percentage against Pacific after putting away nine of 12 attempts with no errors. Robertson, who is second in UCI’s career records with 4,851, was honored on two tournament teams this year. 

 

Winkler was named to the All-Big West Freshman team after a strong first-year campaign as the Anteaters libero. Winkler has amassed 463 digs on the season, the fourth-best mark in the UCI season records. She sits third in the Big West with a 4.21 dig average and is second among the Anteaters with 28 aces. Winkler recorded a career-high 26 digs against UC Santa Barbara and has reached double-figure digs in all but five matches. Winkler is a two-time all-tournament selection for the Anteaters.

 

UC Irvine, helmed by first-year head coach Paula Weishoff, finished tied for second in the Big West at 11-5. UCI, 22-7 overall, recorded the program’s second-highest number of wins this season and travels to Long Beach State to take on TCU in the regular-season finale Saturday (Nov. 28) at 2:30 p.m.

 

Alabama Women's Volleyball player Alyssa Meuth Named to SEC Community Service Team

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama junior opposite hitter Alyssa Meuth was named to the Southeastern Conference Volleyball Community Service Team for her off-the-court efforts on Tuesday, which was announced by the league office.

 

Meuth has spent ample hours working with students of all ages in various capacities throughout her three years at the Capstone including at afterschool programs, child development centers and kindergarten classrooms. In addition, the Helotes, Texas native has volunteered at Tuscaloosa area retirement homes. Most recently, she got involved at the RISE Center where she interacts with children with disabilities.

 

Meuth, a human environmental sciences major, was also a member of the Academic Honor Roll last season. She aspires to one day work with children.

 

The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 20 league-sponsored sports looking to highlight an athlete from each institution who gives back to the community in superior service efforts. This is the seventh season the SEC has recognized a team in volleyball.

 

--UA--

UC Riverside Women's Volleyball Cowling, Murrey Named 2009 Big West Honorable Mention

 

 Irvine, CA - The Big West Conference doled out its end of season volleyball awards on Tuesday, and UC Riverside seniors Dominique Cowling and Brittney Murrey were named to the Honorable Mention team.

Cowling led the Highlanders with 363 total kills and 3.74 kills per set, a personal best, while also finishing 5th in the conference in kills per set. She also ranks eighth in Highlanders history in total attacks.

Murrey tallied 863 assists on the season, finishing seventh in the Big West in assists per game. Her 3,502 career assists is second on the Highlanders career assists charts, while her 8.9 career assists per game ranks third all-time in school history.

UC Santa Barbara's Rebecca Saraceno was named 2009 Player of the Year, while Cal State Fullerton's Kayla Neta was named Freshman of the Year. Kathy Gregory from UCSB and Jamie Holmes from UC Davis were named Co-Coach of the Year.

The Highlanders finished the 2009 season with a 6-21 record, 3-13 in conference play under the tutelage of first-year head coach Ron Larsen.
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LSU Women's Volleyball’ Player DeGirolamo Notches SEC Community Service Team Honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – LSU middle blocker Lauren DeGirolamo picked up SEC Community Service Team accolades for her off-the-court efforts Tuesday as announced by the league office. It marked the second straight season that DeGirolamo has earned this prestigious honor. 

“We’re very proud of Lauren and the positive impact she has made during her career representing our program,” head coach Fran Flory said. “She’s a true student-athlete that works extremely hard not only on the court and in the classroom but also out in the community.”  

DeGirolamo spearheaded the volleyball activity center at the Halloween BOOzar in October where LSU athletics provided a safe Halloween experience for local kids. She also answered phones at the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Muscular Dystophy Association Telethon in September.

DeGirolamo and her teammates have adopted an underprivileged child as part of the upcoming Christmas with the Tigers Event scheduled for next week. They have raised money in order to provide their child with toys, clothes, and other presents for the holidays.

Earlier in the semester, DeGirolamo hosted a local elementary student who shadowed her for the day at LSU as part of Big Buddy Program's Day of a Mentor. She also participated at Big Buddy’s Evening of Champions event as a role model to the program. 

DeGirolamo was a Best Buddies Friendship Walk participant with mentally challenged youth, a volunteer at Citivan's Mardi Gras Dance with Mentally Challenged adults and cheered on kids to finish a race at the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Strides & Rides event.  She also promoted reading to Middle School kids and stressed importance of going to college through Hit the Books Running.

A four-time SEC Honor Roll recipient and three-time CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District pick, DeGirolamo has blossomed into a six-rotation player this season. She recently became the 17th player in program history to surpass 1,000 kills. The Illinois native joined Lisa Smith [1984-87] and Julie Stempel [1988-91] as the only players to record over 1,000 kills and 500 blocks during their LSU careers.

LSU wraps up the regular season Friday at Rice. The Owls qualified for the NCAA’s last weekend by winning the Conference USA Tournament. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and live stats are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow in-match updates of the five-time SEC Western Division champions viawww.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.

2009 SEC Community Service Team
Lauren DeGirolamo [LSU]
Kathleen Gates [Georgia]
Dorey Gray [Mississippi State]
Leah Hinkey [Tennessee]
Kristina Johnson [Florida]
Emily Kvitle [Ole Miss]
Alyssa Meuth [Alabama]
Olivia Ryder [South Carolina]
BriAnne Sauer [Kentucky]
Lindsay Scanlan [Arkansas]
Sara Shanks [Auburn]

Lobos Land Three On All-MWC Volleyball Team

Michaelsen repeats; Hadfield and Morris are first time honorees

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- The University of New Mexico landed three players on the 2009 All-Mountain West Conference Volleyball Team, as announced by the league on Tuesday morning.  Taylor Hadfield, Jade Michaelsen and Rose Morris were named to the 17-person team that was selected by the league’s nine head coaches.  It is the second year in a row that New Mexico has placed multiple players on the All-MWC Team.

 

“It is a great honor for our team to have three players honored once gain this year on the All-MWC Team,” said Lobo head coach Jeff Nelson.  “It is exciting for the players chosen and for our entire program.  I am extremely happy for all three honorees.  Jade Michaelsen and Rose Morris are doing a great job as our captains this year, so it is nice to see them honored.  Taylor Hadfield is having an outstanding year offensively and was a go-to player many nights for us.”

Michaelsen is just the second repeat All-MWC honoree in Lobo volleyball history, matching Jeanne Fairchild’s mark in 2008.  The junior setter from Tucson, Ariz. ranks third in the Mountain West Conference with 10.37 assists per set.  Against TCU on Nov. 20, she recorded a career single-match high of 61 assists and produced her 3,000^th career assist during the third set of the match.  Michaelsen currently ranks fifth on the UNM all-time career assists list with 3,027.

“It is a great honor with so many great teams and great players in the league,” said Michaelsen.  “It is an honor for our team, they are the reason I’m on there.  I wouldn’t be able to do anything without the passes I get from my passers and the hits I get from my hitters.  They should all feel like they are on there, because they are the ones that put me there.”

Hadfield, a junior outside hitter from Corte Madera, Calif. leads the Lobos in kills per set with 2.73 and is third on the team in solo blocks with 10.  She came on strong during conference action, ranking ninth in hitting percentage at .303 and had 2.98 kills per set over the 16 matches.

“I’m really honored especially with all of the work we’ve put in this year,” said Hadfield. “I think it is really good for our team, because we have set a high standard with our level of competition.”

Morris, a senior outside hitter from Albuquerque, N.M. missed seven matches during the season with a finger injury, but came back with a vengeance pushing the Lobos into third place in the league.  The 2009 team co-captain, with Michaelsen, was second on the team in kills per set with 2.53.

“It means a lot to me, what a great cap to the year,” said Morris.  “We had three players named which is a big deal.  Jade, Taylor and I don’t do it alone.  Anna (Lehne), Ashley (Rhoades), Lisa (Meeter), Allison (Buck) and the rest of our team are right in the thick of things with us day in and day out.  Everyone taking their game up a notch this season is a big reason for our success.”

The Lobos wrap up the regular season on Friday, Nov. 27 with a match at the University of New Orleans.  Match time at the Human Performance Center is set for 6 p.m. (MT).

UNM (19-9, 10-6 MWC) will host an NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 12:30 p.m. in the End Zone Club (3^rd floor, Tow Diehm Building) on South Campus.  The Lobos are considered to be among the top teams in the region and hold an NCAA RPI of 41 going into the week.

-UNM-

Closing Out The Regular NCAA Women's College Volleyball Season, Who Will Be Where?

UNLV VOLLEYBALL SPENDS THANKSGIVING AT THE BEACH

Rebels to play at Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament hosted by Long Beach State this weekend. 

LAS VEGAS – The UNLV Rebels (8-17 overall) concluded their Mountain West Conference slate last weekend, but have two non-conference contests on deck that will close down the 2009 season. The Rebels will head west to play in Long Beach State’s Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 27-28. UNLV will face Long Beach State on Friday at 7:00 pm and then Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 5:00 pm. 

The tournament is a final tune-up for those that have advanced or are looking for at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. It features three MWC schools (UNLV, TCU and Utah), three Big West schools (Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine) and one from the West Coast Conference (Loyola Marymount). 

Jackson Earns All-MWC Honors: 
UNLV sophomore middle blocker Cursty Jackson was named to the Mountain West's All-Conference Team Tuesday following a vote by the league's nine head coaches. This is Jackson's first time being named to the All-MWC squad after taking home freshman of the year honors last season. 

Scouting Long Beach State: 
The Long Beach State 49ers (19-7 overall) enter the week as newly crowned Big West Conference Champions following their 3-2, hard-fought thriller over the UC Irvine Anteaters Saturday. The 49ers and Anteaters entered the match tied atop the Big West with LBSU claiming the win for their second straight league title and 10th overall for its 23rd consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

Historically speaking, LBSU owns a 6-2 edge in the head-to-head series dating back to 1984. The teams played five games between 1984 and 1985 with the 49ers claiming a 3-2 mark. The series was rekindled for three matches between 2005 and 2007, all of which were won by LBSU. The last meeting was on Nov. 30, 2007, in the NCAA First Round in Los Angeles. The 49ers claimed that meeting in a 3-2 decision. 

Scouting Cal State Fullerton: 
The Cal State Fullerton Titans sit 17-12 overall after concluding Big West play with an 8-8 mark. The Titans went 1-1 last weekend with a 3-0 loss to UC Irvine followed by a 3-0 victory over UC Riverside.  Fullerton began the season 6-0 before losing three of its next four to start 7-3. The last 19 matches saw them own a .526 winning percentage, as they’ve gone 10-9. 

Historically speaking, UNLV owns a 4-2 advantage in the head-to-head series dating back to 1985. The Rebels won both meetings in 1985. The last four have been split with the Titans claiming two in 1996, while UNLV won once each in 2007 and 2008. The last meeting occurred on Sept. 6 last year in Las Vegas with the Rebels claiming a 3-1 win. 

-UNLV- 
  
Clemson Volleyball Holds Senior Day Friday
Tigers and Yellow Jackets will start at 5:00 pm in Jervey.

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson volleyball team (23-8, 13-6 ACC) will play
their final regular season match of the season against Georgia Tech
(20-9, 14-5 ACC) on Friday at 5:00 pm in Jervey Gymnasium. The Tigers
will honor seniors Lia Proctor, Didem Ege, Kelsey Murphy, and Jessica
Williams before the match.

The Tigers enter the match in fourth place in the ACC, and can tie for
third with the Yellow Jackets with a win. Georgia Tech took down
Clemson early in the season, a 3-2 victory in Atlanta.

This senior class has put together an impressive resume. As a group,
they have won 20 or more matches in each of their four seasons,
winning 93 matches overall, and have posted a .774 winning percentage.
They were part of the 2007 ACC Championship team and have made two
consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and are bidding for a third.

The 2009 NCAA Volleyball Selection show will air Sunday at 3:00 pm on ESPNews.

Clemson has won eight of their past nine matches overall, including a
sweep of Virginia Tech and Virginia over the past weekend.

Freshman Natalie Patzin had a career-best 16 kills in the first
matchup, while Lia Proctor had 15. The yellow Jackets were effective
in staying away from Clemson’s defense,  holding the Tigers to 9.0
blocks and snapping Didem Ege’s double-digit digs streak at 51
matches. Ege has since put together a 21 match streak en route to
taking over the ACC record for career digs.

Baily Hunter had a career-best 19 kills in the last matchup, as the
Yellow Jackets had 70 kills to 44 for the Tigers. The all-time series
mark is 28-21 in Clemson’s favor.

Up Next In Lobo Volleyball

Match 29

at New Orleans • Nov. 27 • 6 p.m. (mt)

Human Performance Center • New Orleans, La.

This Week ...  The Lobos (19-9, 10-6 MWC) wrap up the regular season with a single-match trip to play the University of New Orleans.  The Privateers lost in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament after tying for the SBC West Division championship.

If You Can’t Make It To New Orleans ...  Fans can follow along on the internet at GoLobos.com with Gametracker.  Assistant media relations director Judy Willson will twitter during the match at www.twitter.com/jwillson10.

Will There Be A Next Week? ...  The Lobos find out if they will receive an NCAA at-large bid when they watch the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. (MT) on ESPNews.  The team is hosting a watch party at 12:30 p.m. in the End Zone Club, located on the third floor of the Tow Diehm Building.

QUICK HITS

• Lobos Among Tops In Attendance ... New Mexico is currently ranked 24th in the nation with a final 2009 home attendance average of 1,677 fans this season.  It is the only time that the Lobos have had over 1,000 fans at every match during a single season.  The 1996 team started the season with seven consecutive matches over 1,000.  The Lobos’ season-high for 2009 was 2,613 vs. BYU on Nov. 7, the final home match of the regular season.  MWC member Colorado State is ranked 19th overall with an average of 1,819 fans per match.  Rankings are updated on Monday mornings, courtesy of Diane Nordstrom at the University of Wisconsin Athletics Communications Office.

• Official NCAA RPI ... New Mexico is ranked 41st in the nation in the NCAA’s official RPI, as of Monday, Nov. 23.  The Lobos have the second-highest RPI ranking in the Mountain West Conference behind Colorado State (18). TCU is currently ranked 43rd.

• Okay, We’re One Away ... The next win for the Lobos will mark a couple of milestones.  The first ... it will be head coach Jeff Nelson’s 300th coaching victory in the college ranks, his 58th at UNM.  Win No. 299 was an interesting 3-2 victory at UNLV on Nov. 12.  The second milestone ... it will be the first time the Lobo volleyball program has posted consecutive 20-win seasons since 1991.  From 1988-91, UNM had four consecutive 20-win seasons – 1988 (25-5), 1989 (22-5), 1990 (22-7), 1991 (23-6). 

About New Mexico (19-9, 10-6 MWC) ... UNM went 5-0 on breast cancer awareness nights during the 2009 season, 4-0 when wearing the new pink Nike jerseys.  UNM hosted Utah on Nov. 5 for the Lobos’ Think Pink Night in conjunction with UNM Hospital and the UNM Cancer Center. The Lobos won three big road matches wearing their new pink Nike jerseys on opponents’ breast cancer awareness matches - at Utah, at New Mexico State and at Air Force - and one without the jerseys at UNLV ... 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 and with the home win on Nov. 5, swept the home-and-home series for the first time since 1996 ... UNM picked up its first MWC win of the season at Wyoming on Sept. 26 (3-1) and won three straight after an 0-2 start ...  Senior Rose Morris made her return to the court after a finger injury on Oct. 3 against Air Force with 11 kills over two sets.  Morris missed seven matches, during which the Lobos were 3-4 ... Junior Taylor Hadfield leads the team with 2.73 kills per set, one of five players with 2.15 or more kps on the season ...  Junior Jade Michaelsen leads UNM in assists with 10.37 per set ... Junior Lisa Meeter has the most service aces this season with 29 ... On defense, sophomore Allison Buck leads the Lobos with a 4.01 digs per set average, while senior Anna Lehne and sophomore Ashley Rhoades lead UNM in blocking with 1.08 and 1.07 per set, respectively ... 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 Baylor.   Michaelsen and Morris were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 Nike Portland Invitational with wins over American and Portland.  Michaelsen was named MVP of the tournament, while Meeter and 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.  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 New Orleans (20-12, 12-6 Sun Belt; UNM leads the series 1-0) ... It will be the first meeting between the two programs since Oct. 1, 1982, a 2-0 win at a tournament hosted by Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.  The Privateers, under the direction of third-year head coach Jozsef Forman, tied Denver for the Sun Belt Conference West Division and lost to East Division champion Florida International in semifinals of the 2009 Sun Belt Tournament last week.  Maria Szvios and Lindsey Loyd lead UNO with 3.35 and 3.32 kills per set, respectively.

Non-conference Record Among The Best ...  The Lobos are on track to have another successful non-conference season in the Jeff Nelson era.  The Lobos’ 11-2 non-conference record in 2008 ranked as the third-best in program history following the final regular season matches against New Mexico State and Virginia Commonwealth.

UNM Best Non-Conference Records (by percentage)

1. 1986 .875 (14-2)

2. 1989 .867 (13-2)

3. 2008 .846 (11-2)

4. 1988 .833 (15-3)

5. 1983 .793 (23-6)

6. 1990 .789 (15-4)

7. 2007 .750 (9-3)

2009 .750 (9-3)

9. 1992 .688 (11-5)

1994 .688 (11-5)

Current RPI rankings ... The official NCAA RPI rankings have the Lobos are sitting at 41, second among MWC schools.  RichKern.com releases its RKPI rankings on Monday nights.  The unofficial RPI rankings, that are close to the NCAA’s system, has the Lobos ranked 39 and the Lobos’ Pablo ranking is 51.  The Lobos ended the 2008 season ranked 66th in the NCAA RPI report.

Hadfield, Michaelsen and Morris Named to 2009 All-MWC Team ... The Lobos placed three student-athletes on the 2009 All-Mountain West Conference Team, released by the league office on Nov. 24.  Michaelsen is just the second Lobo to repeat as an all-MWC selection, while Hadfield and Morris are first-time honorees.  It is the second year in a row that the Lobos have had multiple all-MWC honorees.

Michaelsen, a junior setter from Tucson, Ariz. ranks third in the league with 10.37 assists per set.  Against TCU on Nov. 20, she recorded a career single-match high of 61 assists and produced her 3,000th career assist during the third set of the match.  Michaelsen currently ranks fifth on the UNM all-time career assists list.

Hadfield, a junior outside hitter from Corte Madera, Calif. leads the Lobos in kills per set with 2.73 and is third on the team in solo blocks with 10.  She came on strong during conference action, ranking ninth in hitting percentage at .303 and had 2.98 kills per set over the 16 matches.

Morris, a senior outside hitter from Albuquerque, N.M. missed seven matches during the season with a finger injury, but came back with a vengence pushing the Lobos into third place in the league.  The 2009 team co-captain, with Michaelsen, was second on the team in kills per set with 2.53.

No. 4 Washington Women's Volleyball Chases Pac-10 Title In Final Two Matches

 

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25 • BANK OF AMERICA ARENA
#4 Washington vs. Oregon State • 7:00 p.m.

FRIDAY, NOV. 27 • BANK OF AMERICA ARENA
#4 Washington vs. #18 Oregon • 7:00 p.m.

 

SETTING THE SCENE
Washington volleyball closes out the regular season with a Pac-10 title within reach if the fourth-ranked Huskies can defeat Oregon State and Oregon this week. UW hosts the Beavers (12-16, 3-13 Pac-10) this Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m., then takes on the 18th-ranked Ducks (17-9, 7-9) on Friday, Nov. 27, also at 7 p.m.

The Huskies (22-4, 12-4) will honor their three seniors on Friday's Senior Night. Jill Collymore, Tamari Miyashiro, and Airial Salvo will each be playing their final regular season matches in front of the home Bank of America Arena crowd.

The Pac-10 race has come down to this final weekend. Washington is even in the loss column with Stanford, the Cardinal owning one more win and ending its season against California this week. UCLA is third with an 11-5 mark. If there is a tie, no matter which teams are involved, co-Champions will be named, though UW owns a tiebreaker over Stanford and UCLA for the automatic NCAA bid. Washington's last Pac-10 title came in 2005.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
Washington got some sweet revenge against their cross-state rivals last Saturday, as the Dawgs swept the Cougars, 3-0, to make up for an upset loss earlier in the year in Pullman. Washington had its best offensive night since Oct. 9 at California, hitting .333 for the night and firing eight aces in the three sets. The Cougars hung close in set one, and tied the score on 10 occasions, but UW pulled out the opener, 25-23, and then cruised in the next two to win 25-18 and 25-19. Three Huskies tallied double-figure kills, led by the 16 of Kindra Carlson. Becky Perry had 12 kills and hit .346, while Bianca Rowland was errorless on 17 swings and had 11 kills for a .647 hitting percentage. Jenna Hagglund had a double-double with 44 assists and 10 digs, and Tamari Miyashiro had 16 digs and a season-high four aces.

ALL HOME MATCHES ARE ONDEMAND
If you miss any of Washington's home matches this year, or just want to relive the action or a particular play, remember that every match is available to watch on Comcast OnDemand. The video is taken from the GoHuskies.com live stream with all the accoutrements of your typical television broadcast. To find the Huskies, start under "Get Local" or "Sports & Fitness" then "Local Sports" followed by "UW" and then "Volleyball."

HUSKIES LOCKED IN BATTLE FOR PAC-10 TITLE
Only two matches now remain in the regular season and the Pac-10 slate, and the race for the most prestigious conference title in America has come down to the final weekend. At 12-4, the Huskies are currently tied with Stanford in the loss column, and own a one-game lead on UCLA, therefore the Huskies control their own destiny though the Cardinal do as well. Stanford has just one match remaining, playing at home against 11th-ranked Cal, a team that beat Stanford, 3-2, earlier this year. UCLA, the only other team still in contention will end at home against the Arizonas. Every Pac-10 team has at least four conference losses for the first time in history, and in fact no conference champ had ever had more than two losses prior to this season. The Huskies are seeking their first Pac-10 title since 2005. Stanford has won the past three titles with UW as runner-up each year. This is the first year UW has lost more than three Pac-10 matches since 2003, yet they would still win the league with wins in their last two matches.

NCAA TOURNEY LOOMS LARGE
The goal for every player in the nation is the NCAA Championships, and while Washington is a virtual lock of being selected to its eighth-consecutive tournament, the Huskies would very much like to earn the Pac-10s automatic bid, which they would do with two more wins this weekend. UW owns the tiebreaker with Stanford. The NCAA Selection Show is this coming Sunday, Nov. 29, at 12 noon Pacific time on ESPNews. Regional sites for this year's NCAA tourney include Gainesville, Florida, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Omaha, Nebraska, and Stanford, California. First round action will begin Dec. 3.

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
The Beavers are led by senior Rachel Rourke, who ranks second in the Pac-10 and fifth in the entire country with 5.38 points per set. Last weekend the Beavers were swept at home by USC and UCLA. Oregon State started the season off 2-3 in Pac-10 play, but has since lost 10 of its past 11, though OSU did upset 18th-ranked Arizona at home, 3-1, and proved to be dangerous during the non-conference schedule when they swept No. 6 Michigan on the road. The Beavers have struggled on offense in conference matches, hitting .168, which ranks at the bottom. They do however remain one of the top blocking teams in the league, averaging 2.87 blocks per set for the year. Senior Lexie Rathgeber leads in that department with 1.04 blocks per set. Senior Camilla Ah-Hoy directs the offense with 10.09 assists per set, ranking eighth in the Pac-10. The Huskies earned a 3-0 sweep in Corvallis in the opening weekend of Pac-10 play, though two of the three sets were tight 25-21 results.

ABOUT THE SERIES
Washington won the first meeting with OSU this year to extend its series win streak to 15 matches dating back to 2002. Oregon State's last win was in 2001 during UW coach Jim McLaughlin's first season. The Huskies lead the all-time series, 46-21.

SCOUTING THE DUCKS
Oregon has been a dangerous draw all year long, and proved it again by upsetting 7th-ranked UCLA, 3-2, in its most recent match. Oregon dropped the first two sets, before storming back to take a dramatic 23-25, 18-25, 25-22, 27-25, 17-15 victory that knocked the Bruins out of a tie atop the Pac-10 and helped out the Huskies. But Oregon won't be wanting to help UW any more this weekend, as the Huskies handed the Ducks their first loss back on Sept. 25 in Eugene by a 3-0 count. Oregon has strong senior leaders, with Sonja Newcombe ranking fifth in the Pac-10 in points per set with 4.76. Senior setter Nevena Djordjevic is third in the NCAA with 12.15 assists/set, and senior middle Neticia Enesi is third in the Pac with a .383 hitting percentage, while also ranking fifth in blocks at 1.09. Junior Heather Meyers also can't be overlooked, as her 4.14 points/set are eighth in the league. Meyers is also one of the toughest servers, ranking just behind UW's Jill Collymore in aces with 0.42 per set. As a team, the Ducks' .267 hitting percentage is third-best, but they have allowed a league-high .226 percentage to their opponents.

ABOUT THE SERIES
Washington has held a significant edge in the series historically and recently as well. The Huskies have won 17 straight vs. the Ducks and hold a 55-16 edge. Earlier this year, UW tagged Oregon with its first defeat, 25-18, 26-24, 25-19, in Eugene. Last season the Dawgs earned a 3-2 win in Seattle. UO's last win in the series came back in 2000 at Mac Court.

HUSKIES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Huskies stayed put in the No. 4 spot in this week's AVCA poll. UW was third for much of the year until suffering its first loss at Stanford. Penn State remains No. 1 and Texas No. 2, with Hawai'i third, UW fourth, Illinois fifth, and Stanford sixth, the same lineup as last week. UCLA dropped a couple rungs down to ninth after losing at Oregon. Washington is also fourth in the Volleyball Magazine poll this week. The Huskies are now 10-3 against ranked opponents and an impressive 5-1 against Top-10 teams. An incredible seven Pac-10 teams are still ranked in the Top-20. Washington (4), Stanford (6), and UCLA (9) reside in the Top-10, followed by No. 11 California, No. 16 USC, No. 18 Oregon, and No. 19 Arizona. One impressive rankings-related note is that Washington, Penn State, and Nebraska are the only three teams to have been ranked in the Top-10 by the AVCA every week for the past five years. All three teams were last out of the Top-10 in December of 2003.

NEXT UP
It's the NCAA Championships at long last. Tune in to ESPNews this coming Sunday at 12 p.m. Pacific time to watch the selection show and see if the Huskies will be hosting first and second round action or be headed on the road for their tourney run.

 

University of Houston Women's Volleyball Coach Bill Walton Resigns

College Volleyball Coaching News

University of Houston Women's Volleyball Coach Bill Walton Resign

Bill Walton Steps Down As Cougar Volleyball Coach   

HOUSTON --- University of Houston Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades announced on Wednesday that Bill Walton has resigned as the Cougars head volleyball coach.  A search for Walton’s successor will begin immediately.
 
“We want to thank Coach Walton for his long-term service with our volleyball program, and we wish him the best in all his future endeavors,” Rhoades added.  “He has been a vital part of this Athletics Department’s history for well over two decades, and we appreciate his years of dedication to this institution and our student-athletes.”
 
“This career–it shouldn't be called work–has been my life for 24 years here at the University of Houston,” Walton said, “and it is with great sadness that I leave my team, which has been my family. My staff has been outstanding. Gabi Carbone is the best recruiting coordinator in my 24 years here at Houston, and Alisha McKee is fantastic. She has been my right hand for the past two years. 
 
“I will miss both of them dearly. But most of all, I will miss my student-athletes, my team.” 
 
Walton spent 24 seasons at Houston, leading the Cougars to an overall mark of 458-319.  Walton registered an overall career mark of 668-374 in 29 seasons.  His tenure on Cullen Boulevard is the fourth-longest of any UH head coach, trailing only golf’s Dave Williams (35 years, 1952-87), basketball’s Guy V. Lewis (30, 1956-86) and football’s Bill Yeoman (25, 1962-86).
 
Arriving in Houston in 1986, Walton led the Cougars to 11 NCAA appearances, 14 20-win seasons, the 1994 Southwest Conference championship and an appearance in the 1994 NCAA Elite Eight.  A two-time AVCA South Region and Southwest Conference Coach of the Year, Walton has produced 63 All-Conference players (41 C-USA and 22 SWC) in addition to 27 All-Region selections.  
 
He coached 1994 AVCA All-America and Olympic Festival participant Lilly Denoon and placed at least one player on an All-Conference team in 21 consecutive seasons.
 
Before arriving at Houston, Walton led Elmhurst College to two NCAA Division II National Championships in 1983 and 1985.
 
---www.UHCougars.com---
 

FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championships Pools Japan 2010 Announced

The Japan Volleyball Association will organize the 2010 FIVB Women's World Volleyball Championships to be held in five Japanese cities including Tokyo, Nagoya, Hamamatsu, Matsumoto and Osaka from October 29 to November 17, 2010. 

Italy's volleyball women will face Olympic Champions Brasil and the Dutch in Pool B, while in Pool D Russia will encounter China, Korea and the Dominican Republic women's volleyball teams.  

“Pool C is a strong group to contend against - as are all of the teams who have earned the right to compete in the World Championship,” U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand) said. “We're excited to compete in this event and build on the foundation we established in 2009. While we hope to do well in this tournament, our initial focus and goal is to get out of our pool and qualify for the next round of competition.” Here's a volleyball technical video featuring Brazil's volleyball women in various attack sequences in the 2006 World Championships.

Tip #38 For Overhand Serving In Volleyball

Many of the questions I get from readers have to do with requests for tips on overhand serving in volleyball, which is perfect because I love teaching how to float serve in volleyball. Here's #38 in 86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips; How To Gain Confidence On The Volleyball Court.  

    #38

Face your target. 

Show everybody in the gym where you intend to serve for the floater serve. 

Pointing to one spot and serving another rarely “fakes out” the serve receive. 

You will always be off-balance, increasing your chances of serving out.

For more volleyball tips be sure to get 

86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips; How To Gain Confidence On The Volleyball Court!

Week 14: Clemson Volleyball News, Quotes, Games and Tournament Results

Ege Sets ACC Career Record as Tigers Take Down Hokies, 3-1
Tigers to play host to Virginia on Saturday at 7:00 pm.

CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Volleyball avenged a five-set loss from
earlier in the season by defeating the Hokies (18-11, 8-10 ACC), 3-1
(25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 27-25) on Friday night in front of 1,344 fans at
Jervey Gymnasium. Lia Proctor and Sandra Adeleye, the last two ACC
Players of the Week, each had 15 kills to lead the Tigers. Clemson has
now won seven out of the past eight matches.

Senior Istanbul, Turkey native Didem Ege entered the match needing six
digs to break the ACC career digs mark of 2,238 set by North
Carolina’s Brittany Eskola only a season ago. After recording only
four in the first three sets, she saved 14 attacks in the fourth set
to set the career mark, and ended the match with 2,251 career digs.

The Tigers used overpowering offense for much of the night, hitting
.292 or higher in each of the four sets. For the match, Kelsey Murphy
had 49 assists (12.25 assists/set) and led the Tigers to a .338
hitting night. Murphy was able to spread the ball around, as four
Tigers finished with nine or more kills. Cansu Ozdemir recorded her
first career double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, and also added
three service aces.

Proctor had her 13th double-double of the season, registering 15 kills
and 10 digs. Sandra Adeleye continued her hot hitting, registering 15
kills against only one attack error in 24 attacks for a .583 mark. She
also had four total blocks and five digs in the match. Natalie Patzin
also added nine kills in the win.

In total, the match saw 35 tied scores and 14 lead changes between the
teams, who are clawing toward an NCAA tournament berth.

Clemson took the first set handily, 25-16, and hitting .438 in the
set. Lia Proctor, coming off her ACC Player of the Week honor opened
with six kills in the first set. Natalie Patzin added four kills and
Cansu Ozdemir three. Murphy had 13 assists in the set as well.

Virginia Tech struck back in the second set, hitting .344 on their way
to a 25-20 set win.  Ege didn’t record a dig in the set, but Adeleye
kept the Tigers in the set with four kills in as many attempts.

The Tigers fought back in the third set, taking an 11-7 lead on an
Adeleye and Patzin block. The Tigers held on to the edge throughout
the set, winning on a block by Rand, one of her four on the night.
With an 18-16 lead, Clemson went on a 7-2 to win the set and take
control of the match.

Clemson needed extra points to clinch the match, as Virginia Tech
fought back from a 24-21 deficit to tie the match at 24 and then take
a 25-24 lead. However, Clemson responded with a kills form Proctor to
tie the match, a block from Rand and Patzin to take a 26-25 lead, and
a Felicia Willoughby attack error sealed the match for Clemson.

Clemson returns to action on Saturday at 7:00 pm after the football
game as they take on the Virginia Cavaliers, who fell on the road in
three sets to Georgia Tech on Friday night. The Tigers will then play
host to the Yellow Jackets on Friday, Nov. 27 at 5:00 pm to close out
the 2009 regular season.

Clemson Volleyball Defeats Virginia, 3-1, on Saturday Night

Proctor's 20 kills and 16 digs paces Tigers

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson volleyball team moved closer to their goal
of an NCAA bid on Saturday, taking down the Virginia Cavaliers, 3-1
(22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-15) for their eighth win in the last nine
matches. Lia Proctor had her sixth 20-kill match of the season, and
had her 14th double-double, tallying 16 digs.

The Tigers (23-8, 13-6 ACC) dropped the first set, but roared back to
win the next three sets by a total of 19 points. Sandra Adeleye had 15
kills for the second consecutive night, and added five blocks to give
her nine on the weekend. Proctor, the reigning ACC Player of the Week,
had 35 kills against the two Virginia schools, and had a double-double
in each match.

Didem Ege was honored before the match for breaking the ACC’s all-time
record for career digs. She notched 21 more on Saturday night to giver
her 2,272 in her career, extending her ACC record.

Fellow Istanbul natives Cansu Ozdemir and Serenat Yaz posted career
highs in digs with 19 and nine, respectively.  Lisa Jedlicka added
five kills and three block off the bench for Clemson, and freshman
Natalie Patzin had seven kills and seven digs on the night.

The Cavaliers (12-18, 7-12 ACC) were led by Simone Asque, who had 17 kills.

Virginia took the first set behind eight kills from Asque. Adeleye and
Proctor each had four kills and a block. The set was one of runs, as
UVA used a 5-1 run to take a 17-14 lead. The Tigers fought back to
take a 21-19 lead. However, Virginia fought back with a 6-1 run to
close out the set behind three Asque kills.

The Tigers controlled the second set throughout, jumping out to a
quick 8-4 cushion, and maintaining the edge fo the duration of the
set. The Tiger lead went to as many as seven at 23-16, and the Tigers
ended up taking the set, 25-18. Clemson hit .485 (17k-1ae-33a) in the
set, but also allowed the Cavaliers to hit .378. Proctor and Adeleye
each had five kills to counter the Cavalier attack.

The third set was the turning point of the match, as Clemson rallied
from a 19-14 deficit to win and take a 2-1 lead. The 11-4 run was
sparked by two kills apiece from Jedlicka and Proctor. Didem Ege had
eight digs in the set as Proctor again registered five kills.

The final set was all Tigers, using an early 11-0 run during Yaz’s
serve to take a 13-3 lead. Virginia pulled back to within six at 13-7,
but Clemson pulled away as they registered four blocks while Proctor
registered six kills. The Tigers held the Cavaliers to a -.061 hitting
mark in the set to win 25-15.

The Tigers close out the regular season on Friday, Nov. 27 at 5:00pm
in Jervey Gymnasium. The Tigers will then await word on an NCAA
tournament bid, which will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 29 on
ESPNNEWS.

Week 14: College Volleyball Players Honors, Awards and Trophies

INDIANA STATE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

FOUR SYCAMORES NAMED TO MISSOURI VALLEY VOLLEYBALL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE LIST

Three seniors, sophomore are recognized for academic & athletic accomplishments

ST. LOUIS – Four members of the Indiana State volleyball team have been named to the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete team, it was announced today by the league office. Seniors Whitney Fromm and Kelli Whitaker were named to the first team while senior Jodilynne Stoker and sophomore Shelbi Fouty were named honorable mention.

 

Fromm (Snohomish, Wash.), a setter for the Sycamores, has a 3.95 grade point average (GPA) while majoring in Art at Indiana State. The senior has received the Missouri Valley’s Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award twice, is a three-time selection to the MVC Honor Roll, and was named honorable mention on the 2008 MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete team.

 

She was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor and ISU Dean’s List every semester eligible and twice named to the Sycamore Scholar-Athlete team. Fromm finished her career with the third highest total of assists in Indiana State history (2,979) and had the ninth best single season effort in 2008 (1,100). She had 912 assists this season.

 

Whitaker (New Palestine, Ind.), an outside hitter for the Sycamores, has a 4.00 GPA while majoring in Elementary Education at Indiana State. The senior received the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference State Farm Good Neighbor Award for excellence in athletics, academics, and community involvement. Whitaker was named the 2009 Indiana State Presidential Scholar-Athlete of the Year, named to the 2009 All-Academic team, the Sycamore Scholar-Athlete team, and received the College of Education Office of the Dean High Honor Scholar award.

 

The senior has received the Missouri Valley’s Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award twice, is a three-time selection to the MVC Honor Roll, and was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and ISU Dean’s List every semester eligible. She set the Indiana State freshmen record for kills per set (3.11) during the 2006 season.

 

Fouty (Plainfield, Ind.), a sophomore setter for the Sycamores, has a 4.00 GPA while majoring in Pre-Elementary Education at Indiana State. The sophomore is a two-time selection to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and has been named to the Dean’s List every semester eligible. Fouty played in every game this season accumulating 164 assists, 15 aces, 250 digs and five kills.

 

Stoker (Ames, Iowa), an outside hitter for the Sycamores, has a 3.37 GPA while majoring in Exercise Science at Indiana State. The senior recorded her 1,000th career kill in the opening set of the final game of the 2009 season becoming just the 10th Sycamore to reach that plateau. She concluded her career with 1,008 kills (10th on the all-time list) and 3,502 total attacks (fourth on the all-time list). She also had 73 career aces. She also holds the seventh spot in single season total attacks (1,138) accomplished during the 2008 campaign.

 

A three-time selection to the MVC Honor Roll, Stoker was an honorable mention selection on the 2008 MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete team. She has also been named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and Dean’s List at Indiana State.

 

The Sycamore Volleyball program was recognized last July by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for academic excellence marking the 11th consecutive year that Indiana State has received the AVCA Team Academic Award, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I.

 

A total of 13 MVC volleyball student-athletes were named to the first team with 10 additional student-athletes earning honorable mention. There were 42 student-athletes nominated this year.

 

 Three Frogs Tabbed All-Mountain West Conference

Munce named Setter of the Year

FORT WORTH, Texas – On the heels of a second-place finish in Mountain West Conference play, the TCU volleyball team saw three members of their squad earn all-conference accolades. Megan Munce was tabbed the Setter of the Year, while Kourtney Edwards and Katelyn Blackwood earned all-conference nods.

Munce guided the Frogs to a 13-3 league mark, setting the Frogs to an average of 13.2 kills per set. She has tallied 1092 digs in her first season as the setter, an average of 9.84 per set. Her 51 service aces on the season are tops in the league. She has racked up 12 double-doubles. Defensively, the sophomore is averaging 2.54 digs per set.

She has been even stronger in league play with an average of 10.12 assists per set and 2.57 digs per set.

The conference’s most accurate hitter with a .367 attack percentage, Edwards is a five-time MWC Hitter of the Week honoree. She has a team-high 354 kills this season, an average of 3.25 per set. Her 113 blocks also pace the team and rank 10th in the league. She has led the team in kills on 13 occasions and in blocks 18 times.

In conference play, Edwards is averaging 3.11 kills per set and is hitting at a .327 clip. She has 52 total blocks for an average of 0.93 per set.

Blackwood leads the league with an average of 4.30 digs per set. She has totaled 474 on the season in 110 sets played. The senior has tallied double figures in digs on 26 occasions and has posted 20 or more digs in 10 matches. She leads a Frog defensive effort that averages 16.14 digs per set, which is tops in the Mountain West Conference.

Out of her 474 total digs this season, 243 have come in league play, an average of 4.34 per set. In MWC play, the Frogs are averaging 16.71 digs per set.

FIVE PEPPERDINE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS EARN WCC HONORS

 

MALIBU, Calif. – Five members of the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team earned West Coast Conference postseason honors today, with Kiah Fiers, Rachel Grochmal and Kim Hill leading the way as All-WCC first team selections.

 

Additionally, Victoria Adelhelm picked up a pair of honors after being named to the WCC All-Freshman team and as an All-WCC honorable mention selection, andStevi Robinson also collected All-WCC honorable mention honors.

 

Pepperdine and WCC champion Saint Mary’s were the only schools to put three players on the All-WCC first team. The Waves have had three players on the first team in three of the last four years.

 

Fiers (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Peninsula HS), a senior setter, earned All-WCC honors all four seasons. She also made the first team in 2007 and was honorable mention in 2006 and 2008. In conference matches only, she was second in the league with 11.39 assists per set.

 

Grochmal (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS), a senior outside hitter, was picked to the first team for the first time. She was an honorable mention selection in both 2006 and 2008. In conference matches only, she was fourth in the league in points (3.89) and fifth in kills (3.36).

 

Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS), a sophomore middle blocker, was the WCC Freshman of the Year last season and an All-WCC honorable mention selection. In conference matches only, she led the WCC in hitting percentage (.475, nearly three-quarters of a point better than anyone else) and was sixth in kills (3.35) and seventh in points (3.81).

 

Adelhelm (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS), a freshman middle blocker, was in the starting lineup the entire season for the Waves. In conference matches only, she was fifth in the league in hitting percentage (.364) and fifth in blocks (1.04). She was the top-ranked freshman in both categories.

 

Robinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS), a sophomore libero, earned honorable mention honors for the second straight season. In conference matches only, she ranked fourth in the WCC in digs (4.04) and service aces (0.32).

 

Pepperdine concluded its regular season with a 16-11 overall record and in third place in the WCC with a 9-5 mark. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday (Nov. 29) at noon PT on ESPNews.

 

Two Ute Women's Volleyball Players Named to All-MWC Team
Bartkowiak and Sandberg earn all-conference nods.

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Junior opposite hitter Karolina Bartkowiak and senior middle blocker Chelsey Sandberg of the University of Utah volleyball team were selected to the All-Mountain West Conference Team, as selected by the league's nine coaches, the conference office announced Tuesday.

 

Bartkowiak, a Preseason All-MWC selection and Aurora, Ill., native, earned her second straight all-conference selection and currently ranks sixth in the MWC’s overall statistics with 3.03 kills and 3.56 points per set. In the 16 conference matches this season, Bartkowiak is fifth in the conference-only statistics with 3.17 kills and 3.70 points per set.

 

Bartkowiak served as a team tri-captain this season, earning 2009 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII accolades and MWC Player of the Week honors three times. Bartkowiak earned the first MWC Player of the Week award on Aug. 31, Sept. 28 and Oct. 12. She hit a career-high 22 kills and had 17 digs against BYU and had a career-high 23 digs against TCU on Oct. 8.

 

Bartkowiak posted 11 double-doubles this season, the first of career, and has led Utah in kills 15 times, blocks three times and digs once.

 

Sandberg earned her first career all-conference selection after finishing fourth in the MWC with 0.30 service aces per set and ranking seventh in the league with a .303 hitting percentage. She stepped up to a leadership role during spring practice and served as one of the team’s tri-captains in 2009.

 

Sandberg has seven double-digit-kill performances this season and hit a career-high 14 kills in consecutive home matches against Weber State (Oct. 6) and TCU (Oct. 8). She also reached double figures in kills against Washington State (Sept. 5), Air Force (Sept. 17), BYU (Oct. 23), San Diego State (Nov. 19) and Air Force (Nov. 21).

 

The West Jordan, Utah native served a career-high six aces against Cal Poly on Sept. 1 and had a season-high .778 hitting percentage against Arizona State on Aug. 28.

 

Sandberg is eighth in school history with 322 block assists and is 30 away from Whitney Webb (2004-07), who ranks seventh in Utah history with 352 in her career. Sandberg is also ninth in the Utah record book with 342 total blocks.

 

Utah concludes its regular season with a non-conference match Saturday at Long Beach State in the Mizuno Thanksgiving Classic. First serve from Walter Pyramid is set for 7:30 p.m. PT with live audio found at http://secure.stretchinternet.com/live.php?user=lbsu&id=56793.

Southern Illinois University Volleyball lands three on MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams

Jennifer Berwanger was the lone unanimous selection.

Nov. 24, 2009

www.SIUSalukis.com

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Thirteen Missouri Valley Conference volleyball student-athletes have been named to the 2009 MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team by a vote of the league's volleyball sports information directors and 10 additional student-athletes have earned honorable mention, the league office announced today.

SIU's Jennifer Berwanger and Alicia Johnson earned first-team honors and Lauren Blumhorstwas named honorable mention.

This year's first team includes 10 players that have received previous MVC volleyball scholar-athlete recognition, including five repeat first team honorees and one unanimous selection, Southern Illinois' Berwanger (3.86 GPA, Therapeutic Recreation & Physical Therapy).

The first team also includes Jessica Houts and Allie Oelke of Creighton, Angela Bys of Drake, Tabitha Visk of Illinois State, Whitney Fromm and Kelli Whitaker of Indiana State, Melissa Gmur and Cara Hackmann of Missouri State, Beth Discher of UNI and Mary Elizabeth Hooper and Emily Stockman of Wichita State.

Three Valley first team scholar-athletes - Berwanger, Hackmann and Visk - were also members of their respective ESPN The Magazine/CoSida Academic All-District Teams.

Forty-two student-athletes were nominated for the Valley's scholar-athlete team. The criterion for the honor parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the regular-season matches. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore status in both athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen were not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution. 

MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE FIRST TEAM
Name, School, Year, Pos. • GPA, Major, Hometown 

^Jennifer Berwanger, Southern Illinois, Jr., OH • 3.86, Therapeutic Rec. & Physical Therapy, Lake Zurich, Ill.
^Angela Bys, Drake, Jr., OH • 3.67, Secondary Education, Marion, Iowa
Beth Discher, UNI, Jr., OH • 3.89, Accounting, Grimes, Iowa
#Whitney Fromm, Indiana State, Jr., S • 3.95, Art, Snohomish, Wash.
Melissa Gmur, Missouri State, Jr., S • 3.89, Elementary Education,Central Point, Ore.
^Cara Hackmann, Missouri State, Jr., L • 3.84, Finance, Washington, Mo.
Mary Elizabeth Hooper, Wichita State, So., S • 3.69, Health Science, Plano, Texas
^Jessica Houts, Creighton, Sr., MB • 3.52, Exercise Science, Bloomington, Minn.
Alicia Johnson, Southern Illinois, Jr., RS • 3.91, Recreation Management, Tripoli, Iowa
Allie Oelke, Creighton, Jr., OH • 3.71, Elementary Education, Chanhassen, Minn.
^Emily Stockman, Wichita State, Sr., OH • 3.30, Exercise Science, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Tabitha Visk, Illinois State, Sr., MB • 4.00, Family & Consumer Science, Salem, Wis.
#Kelli Whitaker, Indiana State, Sr., OH • 4.00, Elementary Education, New Palestine, Ind.

MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE HONORABLE MENTION
Lauren Blumhorst, Southern Illinois, So., DS • 3.82, Math Education, Tripoli, Iowa
Michelle Burow, UNI, So., MB • 3.34, Finance, Lincoln, Neb.
Shelbi Fouty, Indiana State, So., S • 4.00, Pre-Elementary Education, Plainfield, Ind.
Kasey Mollerus, Illinois State, Sr., L • 3.44, Early Childhood Education, St. Charles, Mo.
Amy Reichel, Bradley, Sr., OH • 3.45, Advertising, Schaumburg, Ill.
Alicia Runge, Creighton, Jr., OH • 3.71, Organizational Communication, Swea City, Iowa
#%Sara Staubach, Missouri State, Jr., OH • 3.47, Dietetics, Cincinnati, Ohio
#Jodilynne Stoker, Indiana State, Jr., OH • 3.33, Physical Education/Exercise Science, Ames, Iowa
Kim Wadsworth, Wichita State, Sr., OH • 3.50, Business Admin./Biological Services, Andover, Kan.
Alana Wittenburg, Drake, Jr., L • 3.37, Health Sciences, Readlyn, Iowa

^ 2008 First-Team; # 2008 Honorable Mention; % 2007 Honorable Mention

Four Frogs Tabbed All-Mountain West Conference
Munce named Setter of the Year

FORT WORTH, Texas – On the heels of a second-place finish in Mountain West Conference play, the TCU volleyball team saw four members of their squad earn all-conference accolades. Megan Munce was tabbed the Setter of the Year, while Kourtney Edwards, Christy Hudson and Katelyn Blackwood earned all-conference nods.

Hudson is a two-time all-conference honoree, earning all-conference accolades in 2008. Munce, Edwards and Blackwood all earned their first all-conference nod.

Munce guided the Frogs to a 13-3 league mark, setting the Frogs to an average of 13.2 kills per set. She has tallied 1092 digs in her first season as the setter, an average of 9.84 per set. Her 51 service aces on the season are tops in the league. She has racked up 12 double-doubles. Defensively, the sophomore is averaging 2.54 digs per set.

She has been even stronger in league play with an average of 10.12 assists per set and 2.57 digs per set.

The conference’s most accurate hitter with a .367 attack percentage, Edwards is a five-time MWC Hitter of the Week honoree. She has a team-high 354 kills this season, an average of 3.25 per set. Her 113 blocks also pace the team and rank 10th in the league. She has led the team in kills on 13 occasions and in blocks 18 times.

In conference play, Edwards is averaging 3.11 kills per set and is hitting at a .327 clip. She has 52 total blocks for an average of 0.93 per set.

Blackwood leads the league with an average of 4.30 digs per set. She has totaled 474 on the season in 110 sets played. The senior has tallied double figures in digs on 26 occasions and has posted 20 or more digs in 10 matches. She leads a Frog defensive effort that averages 16.14 digs per set, which is tops in the Mountain West Conference.

Out of her 474 total digs this season, 243 have come in league play, an average of 4.34 per set. In MWC play, the Frogs are averaging 16.71 digs per set.

Hudson ranks second on the squad with 254 kills this season, an average of 2.42 per set. She has tallied 118 digs on the year and ranks third on the team with 79 blocks. She has paced the team in kills in nine matches and in blocks on five occasions. Her .291 attack percentage ranks ninth in the league.

In league play, the junior is hitting .340 with an average of 1.87 kills per set. She has tallied 61 digs for an average of 1.09 per set.

BriAnne Sauer Named to SEC Community Service Team

First such honor of senior’s career

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  –  Senior BriAnne Sauer was named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service team it was announced by the league office on Tuesday. This is the first such honor for the senior from Louisville. Sauer is one of 11 volleyball athletes tabbed for the honor.

The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 20 league sponsored sports. The Community Service Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to her community in superior service efforts.

Sauer has been an active member in the Lexington community since her arrival on campus. She is a regular visitor at the UK Children’s Hospital and has worked volleyball camps and clinics including the Cooperstown Sports Clinic, Girl Scout Volleyball clinic and the YMCA volleyball clinic. Additionally, Sauer has spent time helping the Salvation Army and the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans. She along with some of her teammates worked for Habitat for Humanity.

Sauer has also participated in a number of physical activities to aid the community including the Jumpin Jags Health kickoff, Skeeter Johnson walk and the Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge. Finally, Sauer has also spent time working at the Lighthouse Ministries as a server and a visitor and spent time with the youth by helping with the Junior Wildcat Club autograph signing.

The senior is a three-time member of the ESPN The Magazine CoSida Academic All District team and a three-time All-SEC Academic Team performer.

She is having the best season of her career in her final campaign for the Blue and White. Twice this season she has been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week as she has racked up a career-best 510 digs this season. Her career total of 1,564 career digs is the ninth most of any player in SEC history.

UK wraps up the regular season in Knoxville on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Match time is set for a 7 p.m. ET start.

 

For the most up-to-date news, highlights and features about the Kentucky volleyball team please visit UKathletics.com.

 

‑ GO CATS ‑

 

Volleyball Pepper Warmup Tip #80

Save broken plays by having the courage to aim the ball for the block. 

Increase your volleyball skill at this play and you will learn a trick that elite players use to give themselves another opportunity to attack the ball.

For more volleyball tips be sure to get 

86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips; How To Gain Confidence On The Volleyball Court!

Week 14: College Volleyball Players Honors, Trophies and Awards This Week

Collymore Named Academic All-American

Also heads five UW honorees on the Pac-10 All-Academic Team.

SEATTLE – For the second time in her distinguished career, Washington senior Jill Collymore was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American today it was announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Not only that, but Collymore was also voted First Team Pac-10 All-Academic as the conference office made its selections this afternoon.

 

Collymore, a native of Bellevue, Wash., was voted to the Academic All-America Second Team, after being named to the Third Team last season. The double major in honors psychology and digital arts owns a 3.77 grade point average. She was also a Pac-10 First Team All-Academic selection last year, and was named Second Team in 2006. Collymore and Stanford’s Alix Klineman were the only Pac-10 players named to the team.

 

Four more Huskies earned Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention. Senior Tamari Miyashiro, junior Jenna Hagglund, sophomore Lauren Barfield, and redshirt freshman Kelcey Dunaway all garnered the distinction.

 

TEMPE, Ariz. - In addition to enjoying their seventh consecutive season with a First-Team Pac-10 All-Academic selection, the Sun Devil Volleyball Team was also honored with four Sun Devils being selected to the Pac-10 All-Academic Team as Sofie Schlagintweit, Sarah Johnson, Sonja Markanovich and Sarah Reaves were all honored Monday afternoon by the Pac-10.

To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and be either a starter or significant contributor. Following is the entire Pac-10 All-Academic Team:

First Team
Jill Collymore, WASH Sr. 3.77 Honors Digital Arts and Honors Psychology
Joanna Evans, STAN Sr. 3.72 International Relations & Spanish
Bree Knitter, OSU Sr. 3.79 Sociology and Spanish
Kaitlin Sather, UCLA Sr. 3.72 History
Jill Sawatzky, OSU Jr. 3.94 Business Administration
Sofie Schlagintweit, ASU So 4.14 Biological Sciences
Paige Weber, ARIZ Jr. 3.84 Pre-Business

Second Team
Jackie Albright, WSU Sr. 3.56 Civil Engineering
Stephanie Browne, STAN RSo. 3.88 Political Science
Nevena Djordjevic, ORE Sr. 3.56 Accounting
Dana Hutchinson, ARIZ So. 3.79 Unselected
Cassidy Lichtman, STAN Jr. 3.63 Political Science
Janet Okogbaa, STAN Sr 3.70 Human Biology
Geena Urango, USC Jr. 3.69 Communications

Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Honorable Mention All-Academic
Camilla Ah-Hoy, Sr., OSU; Gabi Ailes, Jr., STAN; Kaylen Bannister, So., ARIZ; Lauren Barfield, So., WASH; Kendall Bateman, So., USC; Katie Camp, So., UCLA; Hana Cutura, Sr., CAL; Betsy Devich, So., OSU; Kelcey Dunaway, RFr., WASH; Alex Fisher, RSr., STAN; Zoe Garrett, Jr., USC; Jenna Hagglund, Jr., WASH; Elise Hendrickson, So., ARIZ; Alli Hillgren, Sr., USC; Faith Hutcherson, Jr., WSU; Sarah Johnson, Jr., ASU; Kristen Kathan, Sr., CAL; Alix Klineman, Jr., STAN; Carli Lloyd, Jr., CAL; Sonja Markanovich, So., ASU; Dicey McGraw, Jr., UCLA; Tamari Miyashiro, Sr., WASH; Tarah Murrey, So., CAL; Sonya Newcombe, Sr., ORE; Lexie Rathgeber, Sr., OSU; Sarah Reaves, Jr., ASU; Cassie Robbins, Sr., WSU; Kiersten Sambrailo, Jr., OSU; Meagan Schmitt, Jr., CAL; Katherine Sebastian, So., STAN; Jessica Walker, RFr., STAN; Mindi Wiley, Sr., CAL.

NO. 3 MASON ADVANCES TO CAA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2003

                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                 

 

RICHMOND, Va. (November 23, 2009) – Third-seeded George Mason rallied back from down two sets to one to defeat second-seeded Delaware, 3-2, in the opening match of the CAA Championship semifinals on Monday evening.  The Patriots advance to the championship match and will play the winner of the No. 1 VCU/No. 4 William & Mary match on Tuesday evening.

 

Holly Goode, CAA Player of the Year, guided the Patriots to the win with a match-high 20 kills.  The junior middle blocker/opposite hitter completed the match with a double-double adding 14 digs.  Rebecca Walter and Fernanda Bartels also scored double-doubles for the Patriots.  Walter posted a team-high 18 digs to go along with 14 kills, while Bartels dished out 44 assists and contributed 15 digs.  Mason had the advantage at the net as they recorded 28 total blocks to UD’s 20.  Goode and Laura Turner each made seven blocks in the five-set match.  The Patriots advance to the championship match for the first time since 2003 and for the 12th time in school history.

 

The Blue Hens were led by Jess Chason, CAA Setter of the Year, as she posted a double-double with a match-high 55 assists and added 21 digs.  Katie Dennehy recorded a team-high 16 kills for Delaware, while Kim Stewart (14) and Alissa Alker (12) also marked double-digit kills. Stewart finished with a double-double while adding 13 digs.  Delaware senior libero Stephanie Barry tallied a match-high 29 digs.

 

George Mason took the lead early as they defeated the Blue Hens, 25-23, in the first set of the opening semifinal. Goode recorded team highs of four kills and seven digs.  Teammate Kelsey Bohman made a pair of blocks to help the Patriots take the first set.  Alker tabbed a team-high five kills for Delaware, while Barry recorded a set-high 11 digs.  Chason dished out 13 assists for the Blue Hens. 

 

Delaware evened the match up, 1-1, with a 25-23 win in the second set.  Stewart led the way with for the Hens with five kills, while Paige Erickson and Michelle LaLonde each added three.  Barry and Erickson teamed up together for 10 Delaware digs in the second stanza and Chason added 13 more assists.  Delaware’s defense made eight strong blocks, while Mason posted just two blocks. Mason was led by Goode’s set-high seven kills, while Bohman contributed four.  Walter assisted the Patriots’ defense with seven digs and Bartels dished out 12 assists.

 

The Blue Hens took control with a 25-20 win in the third set of the match, led by Dennehy’s seven kills. LaLonde added five kills on a team-high .571 attack percentage. Chason recorded set highs of 16 assists and 10 digs for the Blue Hens. Mason received three kills each from Goode and Walter, while freshman libero Koala Matsuoka tallied seven digs for the Patriots.  Koala finished the match with 17 digs.     

 

Mason rallied back in the fourth set, 25-21, to tie the match up 2-2.  Mason made 10 total blocks in the fourth set, led by Goode and Turner each posting three apiece.  Goode and Walter evenly split eight kills to pace the Patriots’ offense, while Walter added a team-best five digs.  Delaware’s Dennehy recorded three kills on five attempts for a team-high .600 attack percentage, while Barry contributed six digs. 

 

Mason captured the fifth and final set by a score of 15-7, as Walters posted a set-high three kills and the Patriots recorded eight blocks. Turner made three blocks in the set, while teammates Goode and Bartels each contributed two. The Patriots took the lead on the first serve and never looked back, while posting the largest lead of the set, 12-3, midway through the final stanza.

 

 

MASON’S GOODE HIGHLIGHTS CAA VOLLEYBALL POSTSEASON HONORS

                                                                                                                                                                                    

RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 22, 2009) – George Mason junior middle blocker/opposite hitter Holly Goode was selected the 2009 CAA Volleyball Player of the Year in the voting by the league’s head coaches.

 

Other top individual awards went to Delaware’s Jess Chason as the CAA Setter of the Year, William & Mary’s Lindsey Pflugner as the CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year and VCU’s Michala Kvapilova as the CAA Rookie of the Year.  George Mason’s Pat Kendrick was honored with the CAA Coach of the Year award.  The honors were presented Sunday evening before the semifinals of the CAA Volleyball Championship in Richmond, Va., on the campus of VCU.

 

Goode had a breakout season in her first year as a full-time starter at George Mason. The junior led the Patriots with 303 kills in 96 sets.  She ranked third in the CAA in kills per set (3.16), fifth with a .293 attack percentage and third in points per set with 3.68. Goode also contributed defensively, ranking second on the team with 220 digs and third on the squad with 81 total blocks. She is the first Mason player since 2003 to receive CAA Player of the Year accolades.

 

Chason led the league averaging 9.96 assists per set overall and 10.15 in league play.  The junior received the CAA Offensive Player of the Week award twice this season for her strong play.  She finished the regular season with 2,193 career assists and stands seventh on Delaware’s all-time career assist list. Chason also contributed 23 service aces during the regular season.

 

Pflugner was selected as the CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year after leading the conference and the Tribe with 533 total digs and 5.23 digs per set.  She also topped the conference with 5.66 digs per set during CAA matches. The junior scored a team-best 27 service aces during the regular season and added 66 assists. 

 

Kvapilova led the Rams to their first CAA regular season title by topping the squad with 2.74 kills per set.  The freshman recorded a team-best 323 kills during the regular season and added 245 digs.  The outside hitter led VCU with 37 service aces and contributed 30 assists and 56 blocks. 

 

Kendrick received CAA Coach of the Year honors for the eighth time in her tenure at George Mason.  She guided the Patriots to a 21-8 overall record and a 10-4 CAA mark to earn the third seed in the conference championship.  The Patriots return to the championship for the first time since 2007 and will look for their first CAA Championship title since 2003. 

 

Delaware and VCU each had four players receive all-conference honors, while George Mason and William & Mary were represented by three selections each. Chason, Goode, Kvapilova and Pflugner are joined by UD’s Stephanie Barry and Mason’s Kelsey Bohman on the first-team.  Barry produced 509 digs and ranked second in the league with 5.04 digs per set, while Bohman leads the conference with 1.41 blocks per outing and ranks 13^th among all Division I players in blocks. 

C-USA Volleyball Earns Two Academic All-America Honors

Jessica Boulavsky and Elizabeth Fleming  Named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America 
This marks the first time the league has had two Academic All-America honorees in the same season. 

TOWSON, Md. –  Rice’s Jessica Boulavsky and Elizabeth Fleming of Marshall have been named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America first and second teams, respectively, as announced by CoSIDA on Monday. 

This marks the first time the duo has garnered the honor and the first time the league has had two Academic All-America honorees in the same season. 

 

Boulavsky and Fleming were named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District first teams, which qualified them for the national ballot.

 

Boulavsky’s Owls recently won the 2009 C-USA Tournament and will participate in the 2009 NCAA Championship in December. The senior outside hitter is a two-timeESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VI first team selection and owns a 4.0 GPA in psychology and pre-med. The Houston, Texas native also earned C-USA All-Academic merits and was named the 2009 Rice Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She earned a spot on the Mizuno Invitational All-Tournament Team earlier this season.

 

Fleming, a native of South Bend, Ind., has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average as an international affairs major. She is also a two-time All-Academic C-USA selection as well as a All-C-USA second team honoree this year. She finished with an 11.17 assists per set average, which ranked second in league statistics.  Fleming recorded 10 double-doubles on the year, while surpassing the 50-assist plateau on four occasions.

 

http://www.cosida.com/news/2009/11/23/1123091210_8710.aspx

 

 

Destinee Hooker earns fifth Big 12 Volleyball honor of the year 

Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker earns her fifth Big 12 Player of the Week award of 2009 and the 12^th of her career

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker was named Big 12 Player of the Week after leading the second-ranked Longhorns to sweeps of Kansas State and No. 24 Baylor last week. Hooker’s award was her fifth of the season and the 12th player of the week honor of her career.

 

The San Antonio, Texas, native connected for 7.00 points and 4.83 kills per-set for the week, while hitting at a .338 clip. She added 2.50 digs, 1.83 blocks and 0.83 service aces per-set in the Horns’ wins, helping UT clinch at least a share of the Big 12 title.

 

In Texas’ sweep of Kansas State, Hooker connected for 15 kills on 30 error-free swings and posted a .500 attack mark. She equaled a career-high with four block assists and eight total blocks and added three service aces and seven digs to her stat line.

 

Hooker headlined the UT attack in its sweep of No. 24 Baylor, hammering out 14 kills and totaling two service aces, two assists, eight digs and three total blocks.

 

Hooker and her Texas teammates return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 25 when they travel to Oklahoma. A victory over the Sooners will clinch the Longhorns their first outright Big 12 title since 1997. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Central.

 

 

 

 

 Felsing Earns ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Honors

Senior libero wins acclaim for second-straight season

MILWAUKEE - Lauren Felsing of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team has earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America recognition.

Felsing carries a 3.97 grade-point average in marketing and claimed a spot on the third team after winning ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors earlier this month.

This is the second-straight season the senior libero has earned Academic All-America honors, while she is one of two UWM volleyball players to ever win Academic All-America acclaim. Cheryl Hegemann was named to the third team in 2006.

On the court, Felsing has led the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament for an eighth time this season. She claimed tournament most valuable player honors after averaging 4.75 digs per set in UWM's three victories.

Felsing became UWM's all-time digs leader during this past weekend's Horizon League Tournament, as she now has 1,905 in her career. She also finished off her matchups with league opponents having reached double figures in digs in 55-straight contests against the league. This season, she has 548 digs, second on UWM's single-season list to the 645 she tallied last season.

Her on-court resume also includes two-time All-Horizon League recognition and a pair of Horizon League All-Tournament Team honors in addition to her MVP award this year. Plus, she earned American Volleyball Coaches' Association honorable mention all-region recognition in 2008. She is also a five-time Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honoree.

Academically, Felsing is also a two-time Horizon League All-Academic honoree, a three-time U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week winner and the league's scholar-athlete of the month last September.

Felsing and the Panthers are awaiting word of their NCAA Tournament destination and first-round opponent. The pairings for the tournament will be announced Sunday afternoon.

CHLOE SMITH NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA BY ESPN THE MAGAZINE

CONWAY, Ark - University of Central Arkansas junior Chloe Smith was
named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Volleyball Second
Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Smith, the 2009 Southland Conference Player of the year, was one of 18
players selected to the All-America teams.

To be eligible for the national team, a student-athlete had to have been
selected to its District’s first team. Initial nomination criteria at
the District level includes being a starter or key reserve, maintaining
a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, reaching
sophomore athletic and academic standing at his current institution and
be nominated by their sports information director.

Smith, a native of San Diego, Calif., led the Southland and ranked 15th
with 4.46 kills per set, which was a school record. She also hit .280
with 442 kills, tied for the third most in school history.

"I am very proud of what Chloe has accomplished in the classroom," said
head coach Steven McRoberts. "Her ability to be a two-time Southland
Conference MVP, help us win an undefeated conference championship and
maintain over a 3.9 GPA is just amazing. We are blessed to have her back
for one more year. To have her name listed with players from Penn State,
Stanford, Washington, Nebraska and other national volleyball powers just
shows what kind of player she has become. This is another first for our
program this year and it is a great honor for her."


2009 ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-America® Volleyball Team (University
Division) as selected by CoSIDA

Academic All-America of the Year: Megan Hodge, Penn State

FIRST TEAM
Jessica Boulavsky, Rice (VI): Sr. Houston, Tex. ...  4.00 GPA, major(s):
psychology, pre-medicine
Kori Cooper *, Nebraska (VII): Sr. Amarillo, Tex. ... 3.81, major(s):
speech & language pathology
Molly Davis ***, SE Missouri State (VII): Sr. Muncie, Ind. ... 4.00,
major(s): sports management
Meagan Dooley, Pittsburgh II Sr. West Chester, Pa. ...  4.00, major(s):
liberal studies/special education
Megan Hodge **, Penn State (II): Sr. Durham, N.C. ... 3.45, major(s):
business management
Rachael Moss **, Duke III Sr. Cypress, Cal. 3.94 major(s): political
science

SECOND TEAM
(Name, School, District, Yr., Hometown, GPA, Major)
Sarah Cline, South Carolina (III): Sr. Rock Hill, S.C. ...  4.00 GPA,
major(s): exercise science
Jill Collymore ***, Washington VIII Sr. Bellevue, Wash. 3.77 major(s):
Honors psychology/Honors digital arts
Elizabeth Fleming, Marshall (II): Jr. Sound Bend, Ind. ... 4.00,
major(s): international affairs
Alix Klineman, Stanford ( VIII): Jr. Manhattan Beach, Cal. ... 3.53,
major(s): art
Jill Nyhof, Coastal Carolina (III): Sr. Alpharetta, Ga. ... 4.00,
major(s): political science
Chloe Smith, Central Arkansas (VI): Jr. San Diego, Calif. 3.93,
major(s): digital filmmaking

THIRD TEAM
(Name, School, District, Yr., Hometown, GPA, Major)
Sabrina Baby, N.J. Institute of Technology (II): Sr. Florianopolis,
Brazil ... 3.91 GPA, major(s): business
JuliAnne Chisholm, Kansas State (VII): Jr. Hillsboro, Kan. ... 4.00
major(s): athletic training/pre-medicine
Lauren Felsing **, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (V): Sr. Hartland, Wis. ...
3.97, major(s): marketing
Angie Porché, Valparaiso (V): Sr. Lynwood, Ill. ... 3.76, major(s):
psychology
Sarah Rumely, Kentucky (IV): Sr. New Palestine, Ind. ... 3.63, major(s):
kinesiology/exercise science
Caitlin Saxton, Rutgers (II): Jr. Encinitas, Cal. ...  4.00, major(s):
sociology

* - ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® 1st team in 2008
** - ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® 2nd team in 2008
*** - ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® 3rd team in 2008

Molly Davis Garners First Team Academic All-American^® Honors

 

Davis is named CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American^® honors for second-straight year

 

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Monday, November 23, 2009) – Redhawks volleyball player Molly Davis was named First Team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American^® for her achievements on the court and in the classroom. This is the second-straight season that Davis has been honored after garnering Third Team Academic All-American^® honors last season.

 

After becoming the first volleyball player to achieve Academic All-American^® honors last season since 2000, she becomes the first player to achieve First Team honors since Lori Kramper achieved the feat in 1988. She is also just the second player in program history to be named Academic All-American^® multiple times joining Laura Dill who was a two-time Second Team selection in 1989 and again in 1990.

 

The senior from Muncie, Indiana, the team’s starting libero since her freshman season, currently holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average in Sports Management. She finished the season ranking second in the Ohio Valley Conference in digs per set (5.30 per set) and total digs (599 digs). Her digs per set average ranks her 15^th nationally and has helped the team rank second in the nation in digs per set at 19.30.

 

Davis is the school record holder in career digs with 2,223 becoming the only player in Southeast Missouri State volleyball history to have over 2,000 career digs. Her 599 digs this season ranks 8^th on the school’s single season charts. She ranks third all-time in the OVC in career digs.

 

Davis also owns the Redhawks D-I single season record for digs with 637 set in 2007. That mark stands as third-best on the all-time single season charts. Her 540 digs that she recorded during her freshman campaign is tied for tenth on the school’s single season charts. Her dig totals from 2007 and 2006 rank seventh and 14^threspectively on the OVC’s single season digs charts.

 

Earlier this season against Ole Miss, Davis set the school single season mark for digs in a match as she finished with 39 in just four sets.

 

Davis finished her career recording double digits in digs in 120 of her 123 career matches she played in as a Redhawk. She played in every set (459 sets) possible in her career except for five.

 

This season she was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week three weeks in a row and for her career she has garnered four OVC weekly awards.

 

Academically she was named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the second-straight time last season and was a recipient of the OVC's highest academic award, the OVC Medal of Honor, for the second-straight season. She is also a three-time Southeast Scholar-Athlete honoree.

 

Davis gives the Redhawks athletic department two First Team Academic All-American^® honorees in as many seasons. Last year gymnast Sandra Blake was named to the First Team At-Large Team.

 

Davis is the only representative from the OVC on an Academic All-American Team^®. She is also just one of eight members of the 18 players honored to achieve a perfect 4.0 GPA.

 

Megan Hodge from top-ranked Penn State was named Academic All-America of the Year. Hodge and Davis were joined by Jessica Boulavsky (Rice), Kori Cooper (Nebraska), Meagan Dooley (Pittsburgh) and Rachael Moss (Duke) on the Academic All-American First Team.

 

To be eligible for Academic All-American^® status, a student-athlete must be named to their respected districts Academic All-District First Team, be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America^® honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

 

"Deep in the thoughts of mankind lies a bliss funnel of idioms that are open to the world by means of his own courage that he must navigate them with his own heart." - Anonymous

SAN DIEGO STATE’S ANDREA HANNASCH NAMED

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – San Diego State outside hitter Andrea Hannasch has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the first time in her career.

                                             

Hannasch, a 6-2 freshman from New Braunfels, Texas, helped the Aztecs to a 1-1 record in the final week of Conference play, including a four-set win over Utah. Against the Utes, she set a career-high with 16 kills to go along with three blocks and three digs. Hannasch also tallied a hitting percentage of .500 vs. Utah, committing only two hitting errors for the match. In a four-set loss to BYU, Hannasch tied her career-best 16-kill total, while tallying two blocks, two digs and one assist.

 

On the week, Hannasch averaged 4.00 kills, 0.62 digs, 0.62 blocks and 4.50 points per set, while hitting .436 (32-8-55).

 

 

MWC Volleyball Players of the Week:

Aug. 31                 Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Sept. 7                   Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Sept. 14                 Nichole Stillwell, Jr., MH/MB, Air Force

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Sept. 21                 Kayla Walker, Sr., RS, BYU

Sept. 28                 Cursty Jackson, So., MB, UNLV

                                Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Oct. 5                     Ashley Rhoades, So., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Oct. 12                   Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Oct. 19                   Kyley Sexton, So., OH, San Diego State

Oct. 26                   Megan Munce, So., S, TCU

Nov. 2                   Anna Lehne, Sr., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Nov. 9                   Anna Lehne, Sr., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Nov. 16                 Danielle Minch, Jr., OH, Colorado State

Nov. 23                 Andrea Hannasch, Fr., OH, San Diego State

 

 

--mwc--

 

 Sarah Rumely Named Academic All-American

Senior on third team of ESPN The Magazine list

 

TOWSON, Md.  –  Senior setter Sarah Rumely was tabbed a third-team Academic All-American by ESPN The Magazine it was announced on Monday afternoon. This is the first such honor of Rumely’s career, and she becomes the fourth Academic All-America selection in school history.

 

Rumely was previously honored as a first time Academic All-District selection for two consecutive seasons, but this is the first time she has earned All-America status. She is a three time member of one of the Academic All-District teams. The senior from New Palestine, Ind., becomes just the fourth Academic All-American in school history. Previously April Barnhorst (2001), Lisa Bokovoy (1988) and Jill Ackerman (1986) were honored.

 

UK’s senior setter holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.63 with a major in Kinesiology and she is set to graduate in the spring of 2010.

 

Rumely has won countless awards throughout her career. As a junior, she was tabbed UK’s seventh All-American after winning SEC Player of the Year honors. Three times she has been honored as an All-SEC Academic team member and she is also a two-time All-SEC player. On the court, she is Kentucky’s all-time career leader in assists (5,514) and aces (162). She also is among the leaders in sets played (470), hitting percentage (.288), block assists (303) and digs (976).

 

UK’s senior is one of just two SEC players to earn Academic All-America status. South Carolina’s Sarah Cline was a second-team member.

 

To be eligible for the national team, a student athlete had to have been selected to its District’s first team. Initial nomination criteria at the District level includes being a varsity starter or key reserve, maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and has sophomore athletic and academic standing at her current institution.

 

UK wraps up the regular season in Knoxville on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Match time is set for a 7 p.m. ET start.

 

For the most up-to-date news, highlights and features about the Kentucky volleyball team please visit UKathletics.com.

 

‑ GO CATS ‑

2009 MOUNTAIN WEST ALL-CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TEAM ANNOUNCED

Colorado State’s Danielle Minch named Player of the Year and Wyoming’s Jodi Purdy voted Freshman of the Year.

 

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West All-Conference Volleyball awards as selected by the league's nine head coaches were announced today. Colorado State junior Danielle Minch was named Player of the Year, while Wyoming’s Jodi Purdy was voted Freshman of the Year, and Tom Hilbert of Colorado State was selected Coach of the Year.

 

Minch, a native of Sterling, Colo., earned her first player of the year honor after leading Colorado State to its sixth outright regular-season championship. Minch finished the regular season leading the league in kills per set in Conference matches (3.80). She also ranks second in the MWC in kills (3.77) and points per set (4.16) in overall matches, and finished Conference play ranking third in points per set (4.16). Minch has tallied double-digit kills in 19 matches this season and was honored as the MWC Player of the Week on November 16.

 

Purdy, an outside hitter from Winterset, Iowa, earned MWC Freshman of the Year accolades after completing the season ranked third in kills per set (3.43) and fourth in points per set (3.90) in overall matches. She also finished ninth in service aces per set in all matches (0.24). In league play, Purdy ranked fourth in kills per set (3.32) and fourth in points per set (3.71). She also ranked in the top-15 in digs per set in overall and Conference matches (2.53 and 2.63, respectively). Purdy is the top-rated MWC freshman in kills and points per set in both overall and league matches. She also tallied double-figure kills in 23 of 31 matches played this season and averaged 0.42 blocks per set.

 

Hilbert was named MWC Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career. He led the 23^rd-ranked Rams to their sixth outright and seventh overall MWC regular-season title with a 15-1 Conference record. Hilbert also guided Colorado State to its 11th 20-win season as members of the MWC.

 

BYU’s Kayla Walker, Colorado State’s Tessa Nelson, New Mexico’s Jade Michaelsen, San Diego State’s Lauren Salisbury, TCU’s Christy Hudson, and Utah’s Karolina Bartkowiak were repeat selections from last year. Colorado State’s Katelin Batten, Danielle Minch, Megan Plourde and Evan Sanders were joined on the squad by New Mexico’s Taylor Hadfield and Rose Morris, TCU’s Katelyn Blackwood, Kourtney Edwards and Megan Munce, UNLV’s Cursty Jackson, and Utah’s Chelsey Sandberg as first-time honorees.

 

 

 

2009 MOUNTAIN WEST ALL-CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TEAM

 

                                                                                    Name                                    School              Class     Position                Hometown

                                                                                    Kayla Walker!                    BYU                   Sr.           OH                         Kaysville, Utah

                                                                                    Danielle Minch                  CSU                   Jr.            OH                         Sterling, Colo.

                                                                                    Tessa Nelson!                     CSU                   Sr.           MB                         Balaton, Minn.

                                                                                    Megan Plourde                  CSU                   RS-Fr.    MB                         Somerset, Wis.

                                                                                    Evan Sanders                     CSU                   So.          S                              Lafayette, Colo.

                                                                                    Taylor Hadfield                 UNM                 Jr.            MB                         Corte Madera, Calif.

                                                                                    Jade Michaelsen!               UNM                 Jr.            S                              Tucson, Ariz.

                                                                                    Rose Morris                         UNM                 Sr.           OH                         Albuquerque, N.M.

                                                                                    Lauren Salisbury!             SDSU                 Jr.            MB                         Southlake, Texas

                                                                                    Katelyn Blackwood          TCU                   Sr.           L                             Houston, Texas

                                                                                    Kourtney Edwards           TCU                   Sr.           MB                         Haltom City, Texas

                                                                                    Christy Hudson!               TCU                   Jr.            RS                           Yorba Linda, Calif.

                                                                                    Cursty Jackson                   UNLV               So.          MB                         Los Angeles, Calif.

                                                                                    Karolina Bartkowiak!      Utah                  Jr.            OPP                       Aurora, Ill.

                                                                                    Chelsey Sandberg             Utah                  Sr.           MB                         West Jordan, Utah

 

                                                                                    Setter – Megan Munce, TCU                                     So.          Costa Mesa, Calif.

                                                                                    Libero – Katelin Batten, Colorado State Sr.           Parker, Colo.

 

 

                                                                          Player of the Year

                                                                          Danielle Minch, Colorado State

 

                                                                          Freshman of the Year

                                                                          Jodi Purdy, Wyoming

 

                                                                          Coach of the Year

                                                                          Tom Hilbert, Colorado State