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NCAA Women's Volleyball: NIU Huskies Volleyball Team Reaches Best Start Since 1998, Sweep Bradley
Kurisch leads NIU with career-bests of 18 points and seven blocks
DeKALB, Ill. - Sophomore middle blocker Mary Kurisch paced a well-rounded attack as the undefeated Northern Illinois volleyball team swept Bradley, 3-0, at Victor E. Court Tuesday night. The 25-14, 25-17, 25-15 win improved NIU to 5-0, marking its best start since 1998, as the Huskies wrapped up a perfect five-match home stand to begin the 2010 campaign.
“The best thing about our group is that we are working hard to get better in every opportunity that we get,” said ninth-year head coach Ray Gooden, the second all-time wins leader at NIU (134-121). “I was really proud of the group on how we approached this match tonight. I feel like the work that we’ve been putting in has shown in our results.”
Kurisch’s standout performance included 14 kills and a career-best seven blocks for a career-high 18 points. She also hit .591, committing just one attack error on 22 swings.
“It’s fun to watch Mary continue to develop and improve,” Gooden said. “Each match gives her a little bit more experience, and with that, a little more confidence. She’s developing into a solid middle blocker and attacker.”
Kurisch was not the only Huskie to reach double figures in kills. Freshman Lauren Wicinski registered 12, while hitting .333, and junior Allison McGlaughlin notched 10 and a .316 attack percentage.
Junior setter Kristin Hoffman totaled 36 assists in distributing NIU’s 44 kills, compared to Bradley’s 21.
A pair of defensive specialists were also factors. Senior Maddie Hughes led the back row with 18 digs, while freshman Justine Schepler served up a season-high four aces.
As a team, the Huskies hit .318, holding the Braves to .077, which is the fourth match this season that the Huskies have held a team under a .150 attack percentage. NIU also had eight aces and no reception errors, marking the third time this season that the Huskies have been perfect in receiving serves.
Northern Illinois set the tone early after Kurisch bounced a ball to give the Huskies a 15-9 advantage in the first set, forcing the Braves to call a timeout. A few moments later, McGlaughlin hammered one down the pipe for a 22-14 lead, and followed it up with an ace. Wicinski then thumped an overpass and teamed with fellow freshman Sarah Angelos on a block to end the set.
The Huskies kept the momentum rolling in the second stanza with a 10-5 lead following an ace from Schepler that forced BU to take a timeout. The break only heated up Schepler, as she aced the Braves three more times in a row, causing another Bradley timeout. The Huskies cruised from there as Wicinski once again helped end a set. The reigning Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week gave NIU its 24th point by bouncing a ball from the left pin and ended it by destroying another overpass.
In the final set, Kurisch capped a 7-1 start with a solo block. Then sophomore Meghan Romo tallied a solo block of her own to put NIU up 12-3, forcing the Braves to call a timeout. Later, Kurisch teamed with Hoffman on another block to put the Huskies up 20-8, and fittingly, Kurisch ended the match with a solo block.
“We had a very positive performance,” said Gooden. “I thought we did a lot of things to not only establish tempo, but to control tempo.”
With the win, the Huskies improved on several records. NIU is now 12-3 all-time against Bradley and 28-14 against Illinois opponents since Gooden took over in 2002. The Huskies also moved to 81-48 at home under Gooden.
On deck for the Huskies is a weekend trip to Chicago for the UIC Invitational. NIU will face Kennesaw State on Friday at 5 p.m. CT. The Huskies will then play two matches on Saturday, starting with a noon contest against Memphis and ending with a 7 p.m. matchup against host Illinois Chicago.
-NIU-
For more information, contact Zach Peters, NIU Athletics Media Relations, at 815-753-9572 (office) or 815-508-3375 (cell). Visit our website to keep up with all the latest news, statistics, and information on Northern Illinois Sports and read “Huskie Happenings” daily on www.niuhuskies.com.
Pepperdine Women’s Volleyball Team Welcomes Rice, Eastern Washington and Missouri for Asics Classic
Waves Set to Host the Pepperdine Asics Classic at the Firestone Fieldhouse Sept. 3-4
MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team continues to push forward through the 2010 tournament portion of the season, welcoming Rice, Eastern Washington and Missouri to the Firestone Fieldhouse for the Pepperdine Asics Classic.
Eastern Washington - Sat., Sept. 4, 10 a.m. PTThe Match: Second Meeting
Record: 1-2, 0-0 Big Sky
AVCA Ranking: No Rank
Series: Pepperdine leads, 1-0
Home Record: Pepperdine leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Aug. 29, 2003, W - 3-0
Streak: Pepperdine won first meeting Missouri- Sat., Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m. PTThe Match: Second Meeting
Record: 3-0, 0-0 Big 12
AVCA Ranking: Received Votes
Series: Pepperdine leads, 1-0
Home Record: Tied, 0-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 13, 2008, W - 3-0 Streak: Pepperdine won first meetingLOOKING AHEAD - The Waves face local rival UCLA, who currently ranks #14 on the AVCA Coaches Poll, on Wed., Sept. 8 in Los Angeles, Calif., before traveling to Las Vegas, Nev. for the UNLV Invitational. Tournament participants include Cal State Fullerton, Eastern Kentucky and host UNLV. ON THE WEB — Live video of all home matches is available to Wave Casts subscribers at
www.pepperdinesports.com. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team’s website when the Waves are on the road. RANKINGS — Pepperdine received 18 votes on the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll 8/17 8/30 9/6 9/13 9/20 9/27 10/4 10/11 10/18 10/25 11/1 11/8 11/15 11/22 11/29 rv rv
SIZING UP THE FIELD - The Waves are 3-0 against this weekend’s tournament field, having faced Rice, Eastern Washington and Missouri just one time each in its 35 year history.
RICE - Pepperdine faces the Owls on Friday night at 7 p.m. ... The Waves are 1-0 all-time against Rice ... The last time the two squads faced each other was on Dec. 1, 1995 at the National Invitational Volleyball Championships ... The Waves took a 3-1 decision in that match ... Rice opened the season with a home tournament ... The Owls defeated Texas Tech and UTSA before falling to Mississippi ... Rice received eight votes on the latest installment of the AVCA Coaches Poll.
EASTERN WASHINGTON - The Waves face take on Saturday morning ... Pepperdine is 1-0 all-time versus the Eagles ... The last time the two teams tangles was on Aug. 29, 2003 when Pepperdine blanked EWU 3-0 ... The Eagles won their season opener versus Mercer, but then dropped matches against Seattle and Washington.
MISSOURI - Pepperdine concludes the tournament against Missouri ... The Tigers received 18 votes on the most recent AVCA poll, while the Waves tallied 17 ... The Waves won the only meeting against the two teams on Sept. 13, 2008 by a score of 3-0 ... The Tigers enter Firestone Fieldhouse with an untainted 3-0 record ... Mizzou has yet to lose a single game, defeating Maryland, Nevada and Utah Valley by a score of 3-0.
MCM ELEGANTE LOBO CLASSIC - The Waves faced three top-notch teams in the season-opening tournament, and walked away with a 1-2 record. Pepperdine was able to take a game from then-No. 4 ranked Stanford, but eventually bowed out 3-1. The Waves rebounded with a 3-0 shutout versus Tulane.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM - Junior middle blocker turned right side hitter Kim Hill led the way for the Waves at the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic, knocking down a team-best 39 kills off of a blistering .366 (39-9-82) attack percentage. For her efforts, she was named to the all-tournament team.
UNITED FRONT - Hill wasn’t the only force to be reckoned with up at the net. Sophomore middle blocker Victoria Adelhelm averaged 2.60 kills per set, for a three-match total of 26. She led the squad with a .400 (26-6-50) success rate. Junior outside hitter Lilla Frederick also eclipsed the 20-kill total for the weekend.
DENIED - Brittney Clark kept attackers at bay during the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic, recording 13 blocks (2-11). Her average of 1.62 blocks per set ranks No. 1 in the WCC standings. THE DISH ON WOOLEVER - Freshman setter Kellie Woolever played well beyond her years during her first three matches for the Waves. She concluded the weekend with a WCC-best 10.90 assists per set.
STREAKING - Kim Hill has reached the double-digit kill plateau the last 16 matches dating back to last season. Her career average of 3.90 kps tops the Pepperdine all-time list.
IT COULD HAPPEN - Junior libero Stevi Robinson needs just 37 digs to move into the top-10 for career dig totals in the Pepperdine record books. She currently has tallied 949 digs in her two-plus seasons in a Wave uniform.
WCC RANKS - Pepperdine currently touts the best hitting percentage in the WCC with a .260 (126-45-311) clip ... The Waves rank second with 2.55 blocks per set ... With an assists per set average of 12.10, the teams sits in the three spot ... Woolever leads the league with 10.90 aps ... Clark tops the rankings with 1.62 bps ... Adelhelm and Hill rank third and fifth, respectively, with their hitting percentages ... Hill’s kill total of 39 ranks third.
AVCA Top-25 - Pepperdine routinely faces some of the top opponents in the county. The Waves, who have received votes in the last two AVCA Coaches Polls, will face Rice and Missouri this weekend. Both teams lie just outside the top-25, having also received votes. Since the ranking system was established in 1982, Pepperdine has amassed 81 victories over top-25 squads.
Preseason WCC Coaches’ Poll - The Waves were voted to finished third in the West Coast Conference in the coaches’ preseason poll. San Diego was picked as the favorite with six first-place votes, while 2009 WCC Champion Saint Mary’s was predicted to finish in second. In fourth, behind Pepperdine, is Santa Clara, followed by San Francisco, Gonzaga, Portland and Loyola Marymount. The Waves finished third in the league last season with a 9-5 record.
Preseason All-WCC - Kim Hill was voted to the Preseason All-WCC Team. Last season Hill led the conference with .425 hitting percentage and was awarded All-WCC first team honors. In addition, she was named an honorable mention All-American by the AVCA.
WHO’S BACK — The Waves have five starters back from a year ago, including the junior triple threat of Kim Hill, Lilla Frederick and Stevi Robinson. Hill, a 2009 AVCA All-American honorable mention and All-WCC first team selection led the WCC with a .425 attack percentage last season and is expected to have another stellar season at the middle blocker position. Frederick, an outside hitter, returns as another solid two-way player, ranking third on the team in both kills and digs in 2009. Robinson, who was the 2008 WCC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2009 All-WCC honorable mention, is predicted by Matthies to be “one of the best liberos in the country.” WCC All-Freshmen team honoree Victoria Adelhelm is also back to compliment Hill in the middle, as is outside hitter Caitlin Racich and defensive specialist and senior Krista Friedman.
WHO’S NEW — The Waves could potentially see all three freshmen on the floor, with promising newcomers Kellie Woolever, Kelley Larsen and Emily Cook. Woolever is touted as potentially being one of the best setters in the country, while Larsen and Cook have been hard at work in practice lobbying for the starting spot on the outside.
Nina Matthies — Now in her 28th season as head coach of the Waves, Nina Matthies enters the 2010 season with a career record of 511-307 (.624), which includes 10 conference championships and 18 NCAA Tournament appearances. She is by far the WCC’s all-time winningest coach and is a nine-time WCC Coach of the Year. Matthies was among the world’s top players and is a member of the Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame. In 2009, Dig Magazine rated her and former partner Linda Hanley as the second-best women’s beach team of all time. She won two AIAW national championships as a player at UCLA.
ROSTER — The Waves return four starters plus the libero and lost only two starters from the 2009 squad. Twelve returners (11 letterwinners and one redshirt) are joined by three newcomers (all true freshmen) to bring the squad total to 15. What was once considered a young team has given way to experienced veteran status as the squad breakdown includes two seniors, four juniors, five sophomores, and four freshmen in terms of eligibility.
2009 RECAP — It was another solid year for the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team. Kim Hill earned AVCA All-American honorable mention honors. She led the conference with a .425 attack percentage and ranked fifth in the NCAA. The Waves finished the league in third place after posting a 9-5 record and finished with an overall record of 16-11. Kiah Fiers, Rachel Grochmal and Hill claimed All-WCC first team honors, while Victoria Adelhelm and Stevi Robinson were named to the All-WCC honorable mention squad.
TICKETS — Single-match tickets to all home women’s volleyball games are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free to all Pepperdine students and faculty with a university ID.
PEPPERDINE TWEETS — To receive all the latest up-to-date information on the Waves, follow the Pepperdine Athletics Twitter at www.twitter.com/peppsports
VOLLEYBALL HISTORY — The Pepperdine women’s volleyball program is synonymous with the word excellence, as the Waves are a perennial national power. The Waves have advanced to postseason play 25 times in 35 seasons, including 11 trips to the NCAA Championships in the last 13 seasons. Pepperdine’s best finishes in recent years came when the team made the regional final of the 2002 NCAAs, and then in 2003 when the Waves posted 27 victories (most in the Nina Matthies era).
ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men’s sports — one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine’s teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles. -Pepperdine-
Lawrence, Kan. -- The UMKC volleyball team dropped its match on Tuesday night, 3-0, to Kansas at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center in Lawrence, Kan. Emily Lucas and Elizabeth Beck led the 'Roos in the match as the duo each finished with five kills and five digs. In the first set, the 'Roos fell behind early 7-1, before eventually dropping the set 25-20. After getting into the early deficit, the squad battled back to pull within two points late at 18-16, but it would not be enough as the Jayhawks ended the set on a 7-4 run to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Kansas extended its lead to 2-0 after downing the 'Roos 25-10 in the second set. In the set, UMKC notched the first point but allowed the Jayhawks to reel off the next eight. The 'Roos would close the gap to five after scoring three of the next four points, but a 5-2 run by Kansas would push the lead to 14-5. UMKC notched the next two points but a 7-0 run pushed the KU lead to 21-7. The 'Roos would score three of the next four points, but the Jayhawks would close out the set and take a 2-0 lead into half. In the third set, the 'Roos hung close early, trailing by one through seven points. A 12-3 run though by the Jayhawks increased the Kansas lead to 16-6. UMKC would not go quietly, as the squad outscored the Jayhwks 10-9 to end the set. The late run would not be enough though as the 'Roos dropped the match, 3-0. In the match, Christiana McQuin and Chloe Jarema each notched four kills, while Holly Schmidt finished with a team-high eight assists. UMKC will be back in action again this weekend when they head to Greeley, Colo., for four matches in the Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado Volleyball Classic on Sept. 3-4.
Hartford Volleyball Team Falls on the Road at Marist 3-1
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The University of Hartford volleyball team dropped its fourth-straight match by a 3-1 final (23-25, 29-27, 22-25, 14-25) on the road at Marist on Tuesday night. Freshman Dionna Kirton (Everett, Wash.) and junior Lindsay Makowicki (Norwich, Conn.) led the Hawks, each finishing with 11 kills. Hartford falls to 0-4 on the season with the loss.
Kirton and Makowicki led the Hawks offensively, both hitting better than .250 for the match. Kirton finished with a .333 hitting percentage with two errors in 27 total attacks, while Makowicki finished with a .259 hitting percentage with four errors in 27 total attack. Joining them in double figures was Michelle Cordell (Orlando, Fl.) who finished with 10 kills. Also hitting well for the road team was Lindsay Ford (Carson, Nev.) who finished with six kills and only one error in 12 total attacks for a .417 attack percentage. As a team, the Hawks finished the match hitting .241 with 52 total kills and 20 errors in 137 total attacks.
Ford captained the Hawks offense throughout the match, finishing with a season bet 37 assists to go along with her six kills. She also added eight digs and a block. Defensively, the Hawks were led by Danielle Etta (Cold Spring, N.Y.) who finished with 14 digs. Joining her with double figure digs was Kirton who compiled her first collegiate double double with 13 digs.
Leading all players was Marist’s Grace Hill who finished with 24 kills and a .345 hitting percentage with five errors in 55 total attacks. Hill was one of four Marist players to finish with double digit kills. As a team, Marist finished with a .261 hitting percentage with 62 total kills and 21 errors in 157 total attacks.
The Hawks will return to tournament action with three matches at the UConn Toyota Classic on Friday and Saturday in Storrs, Conn. The Hawks will open the weekend with a date against the host Huskies on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Saturday will see a pair of opponents, with Southern Illinois up first at 10:00 a.m., before the Hawks close out the tournament with Brown at 5:00 p.m.
Indiana State Volleyball Sycamores Win Again On The Road, Defeat IUPUI IN Four Sets 3-1
Indiana State to host ISU/Drury Inn Classic this weekend in air-conditioned Arena INDIANAPOLIS, IND. –
The Indiana State volleyball team won their second straight game Tuesday night as they concluded a four-game road swing with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 20-25, 25-19) victory over the IUPUI Jaguars before 371 fans in The Jungle on the campus of IUPUI. Indiana State (3-1) will begin the home portion of their season this weekend as they host the ISU/Drury Inn Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Sycamores will take on SIU Edwardsville at 7 p.m. (ET) Friday, Western Carolina at 1 p.m. (ET) Saturday, and conclude the tournament against Montana State at 7 p.m. (ET) Saturday. Senior Ana Maira Charun led three Sycamores into double figures in kills with 14. Sophomore Morgan Dall had a double-double in recording 13 kills and 17 digs while sophomore Auriel Armstrong had 10 kills and a career high eight blocks. Sophomore Shea Doran had a career high seven blocks. Freshman Loni Mackinson had a double-double with a career high 27 assists and 12 digs. Junior Shelbi Fouty added 13 assists while junior Kiya James had 25 digs. Indiana State trailed 14-8 midway through the first set before the Sycamores rallied with a pair of blocks by Shea Doran, one with Stacy Qualizza and the other with Auriel Armstrong. Two kills by Qualizza and one each by Morgan Dall and Ana Maira Charun along with a Shelbi Fouty service ace brought ISU closer, and three IUPUI errors put ISU on top 19-17. The Jaguars rallied to knot the score at 20 but the Sycamores were able to score the final five points, the winner coming on an Armstrong kill, to take the opening set 25-20. The Sycamores trailed early in the second set but back-to-back kills by Charun and Armstrong put ISU on top to stay 8-7. Indiana State was able to lead by as many as five points midway through the set but IUPUI was able to come back and cut ISU’s lead to two, 24-22. Dall gave the Sycamores a 25-22 win with a kill off a set by Mackinson. ISU pulled out to a 6-2 lead early in the third set but could not hold the momentum. IUPUI rallied with an 8-0 run to go up 10-6 and the Jaguars never looked back. The Sycamores did rally to cut the deficit to two at 18-16 off a block by Armstrong and Doran but Indiana State could not get back even and dropped the set 20-25. The fourth set was tied seven times with four lead changes as each side fought to gain control of the set. Two Charun kills and one each from junior Stacy Qualizza and Mackinson rallied the Sycamores to an 18-17 lead which they did not relinquish. Another Qualizza kill and a Mackinson service ace pushed the ISU lead to 22-18. ISU was able to post the victory by scoring the final three points off of two Doran kills and a block by Qualizza and Dall. The Sycamores have never lost a game at IUPUI (6-0) and broke a two-game skid to the Jaguars with the victory Tuesday. Indiana State now leads the series 16-2.
No. 10 USC Volleyball Team On The Road at Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic Hosted by No. 4 Hawai'i
Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic - Honolulu, HI Stan Sheriff Center Friday, September 3 No. 10 USC vs. New Mexico - 5 p.m.
Saturday, September 4 No. 10 USC vs. Michigan State - 5 p.m.
Sunday, September 5 No. 10 USC vs. No. 4 Hawai'i - 5 p.m.
All times local to game site Live video webcast on usctrojans.com (subscription required) - home matches only
No. Name Yr. Pos. Ht. kps pct. dps bps pps 3 Natalie Hagglund Fr. L 5-9 --- --- 3.90 --- --- 7 Alex Jupiter Jr. OH 6-3 4.14 .254 0.86 0.57 5.57 8 Lauren Williams Jr. MB 6-4 3.57 .622 0.86 0.43 3.86 12 Kendall Bateman Jr. S 5-11 0.10 -.286 3.30 13.00 aps 22 Katie Fuller So. OPP 6-2 1.33 0.37 1.67 0.50 1.75 32 Zoe Garrett Sr. MB 6-3 2.33 .474 0.22 0.33 2.56
LOS ANGELES -- The No. 10 USC women's volleyball team (3-0) travels to Honolulu, Hawaii, this weekend for the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic, Friday-Sunday (Sept. 3-5). The Women of Troy plays New Mexico on Friday, Michigan State on Saturday and No. 4 Hawai'i on Sunday with a 5 p.m. Hawaiian time for all three matches.
All three USC matches will be broadcast in Honolulu by KFVE Channel 5 (pay per view only for the New Mexico and Michigan State matches).
New Mexico Notes New Mexico is 2-1 on the season after 3-0 sweeps last weekend at home against Pepperdine and Tulane and being swept by No. 4 Stanford. Head coach Jeff Nelson is 302-178 in his 16th season at New Mexico. The Lobos are led by junior outside hitter Kelly Williamson, who had 31.5 points, 28 kills (3.11 kps) and five blocks (0.56 bps). USC leads the all-time series with New Mexico by a 3-1 margin with the last meeting between the two schools coming in 1994.
Michigan State Notes Michigan State is 3-0 on the season after 3-0 sweeps last weekend against Bowling Green, IUPUI and Evansville. Head coach Cathy George is 87-76 in her sixth season at Michigan State. Natalie Emro has 61 assists (7.62 aps) and 22 kills with a .432 hitting percentage for the Spartans. USC leads the all-time series with Michigan State by a 6-1 margin, but the Spartans handed the Women of Troy their only loss in the series last season in East Lansing.
No. 4 Hawai'i Notes Hawai'i is 3-0 on the season after a 3-2 win at home against No. 22 San Diego, a 3-0 sweep of Kansas State and 3-1 win over No. 16 UCLA. Head coach Dave Shoji is 1,019-176-1 in his 36th season. Kanani Danielson had 52 kills (4.33 kps) in her first weekend with 32 digs (2.67 dps) and seven blocks (0.58 bps). Hawai'i leads the all-time series with USC by a 21-16 margin. The Rainbow Wahine have won four straight meetings, including NCAA Tournament second-round wins at the Galen Center in 2008 and 2009.
On The Net All USC home matches this season will be broadcast on usctrojans.com. There is a monthly subscription fee in order to watch the webcast.
Galen Center Promotions The 2010 season features many promotions at the Galen Center for home matches. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets to any home match for only $3 per ticket by calling (213) 740-4170. Fans can call that number or go online at usctrojans.com to sign their children up for a Trojans Kids Club membership, good for free admission to all home matches (ages 12 and under).
This season, if USC records a 3-0 sweep, all fans in attendance will receive a coupon for free admission to the next home match (except the UCLA match).
For more information on the 2010 promotions schedule, go online at usctrojans.com under the women's volleyball page.
The Power of the Pac-10 Seven Pac-10 teams are ranked in the 2010 AVCA preseason poll, including No. 3 Stanford, No. 9 Washington, No. 10 USC, No. 11 California, No. 14 UCLA, No. 18 Oregon and No. 24 Arizona.
Thousand Points of Light Head coach Mick Haley registered his 1,000th women's collegiate victory as a head coach on August 27 against Loyola Marymount. Along with his combined NCAA wins at USC and Texas (1980-1996), Haley had 251 wins as the women's head coach at Kellogg Community College (1973-79).
Lock and Reloaded USC's incoming recruiting class for the 2010 season was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Prep Volleyball. The players are 6-2 outside hitter Kirby Burnham (Newport Beach/Newport Harbor HS), 6-4 outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana (Hermosa Beach/Mira Costa HS), 5-9 libero Natalie Hagglund (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS), 5-10 outside hitter Sam Hirschmann (Manhattan Beach/Marymount HS), 6-5 middle blocker Alexis Olgard (Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) and 6-3 outside hitter Sara Shaw (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS).
The class includes five players ranked in the Top 100 nationally by Prep Volleyball, including three players in the top 11 spots and the No. 1 player in the nation (Fonoimoana).
“This class gives us a group of players that will add firepower to our lineup and make immediate contributions,” said USC head coach Mick Haley. “These kids can play the game and we will have immense depth on the squad. There are no kids in this class that are ‘projects’ and it’s evidenced by what they are doing for their high school and club teams. I think these kids want to compete and win a championship.”
Court of Dreams The dream finally became reality on Oct. 12, 2006 as the brand-new Galen Center made its debut. The 10,258-seat arena is located on the corner of Figueroa St. and Jefferson Blvd., adjacent to the USC campus. The arena is named after Lou and Helene Galen, who generously donated $50 million towards the project.
USC mourned the loss of Lou Galen, who passed away on Nov. 12, 2007, at the age of 82.
Statapalooza-- USC is 55-7 all-time at the Galen Center. -- USC has 10 players on its roster this season who are 6-2 or taller. -- As of August 30, Alex Jupiter is first among all Pac-10 Conference players in service aces (1.14 saps), third for points (5.57 pps) and kills (4.14 kps). -- Kendall Bateman is second among Pac-10 players for assists (13.00 aps). -- Lauren Williams is first among Pac-10 players for hitting percentage (.622). -- Zoe Garrett and Alexis Olgard are tied for sixth in hitting percentage (.474). Olgard is tied for ninth in blocks (1.00 bps). -- Natalie Hagglund is fourth for digs (4.90 dps). -- Geena Urango is fifth for service aces (0.62 saps). -- Sara Shaw is eighth for digs (3.17 dps). -- As of August 30, USC leads all conference teams in digs (16.00 dps). The Women of Troy are second in service aces (2.50 saps), third in assists (13.80 aps) and kills (15.00 kps) and fourth for opponent hitting percentage (.128). -- USC has made 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. -- The Women of Troy made five NCAA Final Four appearances in an eight-year span (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007). -- USC became the 22nd program in the nation to record 800 wins. The Women of Troy recorded its 800th win on Nov. 15, 2008, against Arizona State. -- Head coach Mick Haley earned his 200th victory as USC's head coach on Nov. 1, 2008, against Oregon State at the Galen Center.
Out Of This World Junior outside hitter Alex Jupiter (Paris, France/Redondo Union HS) became the 31st All-American in USC women's volleyball history after earning AVCA All-America third team honors in 2009. This season, she has 29 kills (4.14 kps), eight service aces (1.14 saps), 17 digs (2.43 dps) and 39.0 points (5.57 pps).
As of August 30, she is first among all Pac-10 Conference players in service aces, third for points and kills.
She posted her first double-double of the season on Aug. 28 in a four-set win over Cal State Fullerton with 23 kills and 10 digs against the Titans. She earned Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament team honors after posting 29 kills (4.14 kps) with eight aces (1.14 saps), 17 digs (2.43 dps) and 39.0 points (5.57 pps).
She led the Women of Troy in 2009 with 522 kills (4.54 kps) with 33 aces (0.29 saps), 308 digs (2.68 dps), 73 blocks (0.63 bps) and 608.0 points (5.29 pps). She also earned her first All-Pac-10 Conference honor as well as being named AVCA All-Pacific Region. Her 522 kills were the fourth-most in school history, along with her 5.29 points per set average.
Out Of This World (cont.) She finished seventh in the nation for points per set and 12th for kills per set during her sophomore season and recorded 15 double-doubles. She was third among all Pac-10 Conference players in points and kills and fourth for service aces. She tallied 23 kills in a 3-0 sweep over Oklahoma on Dec. 4, 2009, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She posted 22 kills and a season-high .514 clip (22-3-37) with 10 digs, four blocks and 24.5 points in a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 20 at No. 18 Oregon.
On Sept. 26 at Arizona State, Jupiter posted career-highs with 31 kills and 20 digs in a four-set win while hitting .433 (31-5-60). She earned Holiday Inn LA City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament team honors after recording 41 kills, 21 digs and seven blocks (five solo) in three 3-0 sweeps.
During her 2008 freshman season, she registered 350 kills (3.24 kps) with 12 service aces (0.11 saps), 122 digs (1.13 dps), 59 blocks (0.55 bps) and 403.0 points (3.73 pps). She was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team. Jupiter recorded double digit kills in 20 matches and became the third freshman at USC since 1981 to lead the team in kills (Tracy Clark in 1982 and April Ross in 2000).
She had her coming-out party at the Runza/AVCA Showcase against No. 4 Texas and No. 7 Nebraska. Jupiter, who was a 2008 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, led the Trojans in kills for both matches with 17 against the Longhorns and 12 against the Huskers. She also had 13 digs and four service aces on the weekend.
Take The Bait Junior setter Kendall Bateman (Manhattan Beach/Mira Costa HS) has 130 assists (13.00 aps) this season with 33 digs (3.30 dps).
She registered career highs on Aug. 28 in a four-set win against Cal State Fullerton with 66 kills and 18 digs to earn Luxe City Center Trojan Invitation most valuable player honors after recording 130 assists (13.00 aps) and 33 digs (3.30 dps) as the Women of Troy won the tournament title.
She earned 2009 Pac-10 Conference honorable mention and Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition last season after leading the nation with a 12.41 assists per set average. She recorded 227 digs (1.97 dps) and 48 blocks (0.42 bps) on the season and handled an offense that hit .248, ranking 35th in the nation. USC also finished second in the nation for assists per set and kills per set.
She posted 49 assists and 12 digs against Oklahoma in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at the Galen Center and finished the regular season by registering career highs with 62 assists (15.5 aps) and 15 digs in a four-set win on Nov. 28 against No. 19 Arizona. She earned her first-ever Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week honor on Nov. 23 after recording 80 assists and 10 digs in two 3-0 sweeps. She had 57 assists, seven digs and three block assists against No. 4 Washington on Nov. 13 in a five-set win and then posted 60 assists (15.00 aps) with eight digs in a four-set win against No. 25 Washington State.
Bateman appeared in 24 matches in her freshman season and recorded 117 assists on the season (2.72 aps) with two aces (0.05 saps), 32 digs (0.74 dps) and seven blocks (0.16 bps). She had two assists and one dig in her collegiate debut on Aug. 29 against No. 3 Texas at the Runza/AVCA College Showcase in Omaha, Neb. She recorded 10 assists and two digs on Sept. 5 against Hofstra at the Holiday Inn LA City Center Trojan Invitational. She recorded 10 assists in two sets on Oct. 4 at No. 11 Oregon. At No. 10 UCLA on Nov. 28, she came into the third set and tallied 14 assists, two digs and one block assist. She made her first collegiate start in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 5 against No. 15 San Diego, recording season-highs in the four-set victory with 25 assists, 10 digs and four blocks. She got the start the next night in the second round against No. 6 Hawai'i and had 16 assists and three digs.
During the summer of 2008, Bateman played for the U.S. Junior National Team, playing at the FIVB World Championship in Mexico. She was a two-time member of the U.S. Girls' National Team, part of the squad that finished 10th at the 2007 FIVB Girls' World Championship in Mexico and a member of the squad that won the 2006 NORCECA championship.
She was a two-time Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine All-American at Mira Costa and led the Mustangs to a perfect 37-0 record and the school's fourth straight state championship in her senior season. She was part of the mythical national championship squads in her junior and senior seasons as named by prepvolleyball.com and named CIF most valuable player in her senior season.
Where There's A Will, There's A Way Junior middle blocker Lauren Williams (Houston, Texas/Stratford HS) has 25 kills (3.57 kps) with a .622 hitting percentage, six digs (0.86 dps) and three blocks (0.43 bps) this season.
She garnered Luxe City Center Trojan Invitational all-tournament honors after registering 25 kills (3.57 kps) in three matches while hitting .622 (25-2-37).
Last year, she made 30 starts in 31 matches as a sophomore. She finished fourth among Pac-10 Conference players with a .371 hitting percentage and third on the team with 281 kills (2.55 kps). Last season, she recorded 15 assists (0.14 aps), 19 digs (0.17 dps) and 343.5 points (3.12 pps) while leading the team with 105 total blocks (0.95 bps) with 20 solo blocks. She finished the season with double-digit kills in four consecutive matches.
She had a team-high 14 kills and hit .407 (14-3-27) with a career-high eight block assists against No. 3 Hawai'i on Dec. 5, 2009, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and recorded 10 kills and no errors for a season-high .714 clip (10-0-14) against Oklahoma on Dec. 4 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
She earned her first-ever Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week honor on Nov. 16 after registering 33 kills while hitting .462 with 11 blocks and 41.0 points in wins over No. 4 Washington and No. 25 Washington State. She had 14 kills and eight blocks (four solo) while hitting .364 against Washington. She followed that with a career-high 19 kills against Washington State without a single error for a .559 night (19-0-34).
In her first collegiate season, Williams earned Pac-10 Conference honorable mention recognition and was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman Team. She had 209 kills (2.11 kps) with a .323 hitting percentage and a team-leading 103 blocks (1.04 bps) with 15 solo blocks and 88 block assists. She recorded 11 blocks (two solo, nine assisted) in her first two collegiate matches at the Runza/AVCA Showcase against No. 4 Texas and No. 7 Nebraska. On Oct. 11, 2008, in a five-set loss to No. 10 Washington, Williams recorded a season-high 16 kills with six block assists while hitting .462 (16-4-26). She hit .550 (12-1-20) on Nov. 21 at No. 2 Stanford and followed it with a .455 match (11-1-22) with four blocks at No. 7 Cal.
She played on the 2008 U.S. Women's A2 National Team and played on the 2007 Junior National Training Team.
No Harm, No Foul Freshman outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana (Hermosa Beach/Mira Costa HS) was ranked as the No. 1 high school senior in the nation by Prep Volleyball and has been regarded by some as one of the best players ever at the high school level.
This season, she has 24 kills (3.43 kps) while hitting .296 with three aces (0.43 saps), six digs (0.86 dps), four blocks (0.57 bps) and 30.5 points (4.36 pps).
Fonoimoana was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and a 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection. She earned 2009 All-CIF Southern Section first team honors and was named Daily Breeze Player of the Year after recording 664 kills and 311 digs on the season with 63 blocks and 34 aces. She was named 2007 National Sophomore of the Year by Prep Volleyball after teaming with current USC setter Kendall Bateman to lead Mira Costa to the CIF-Southern Section I-AA title with 17 kills in the final over Redondo Union.
Her mother, Debbie, played beach volleyball and trained with her sister, Lelei, who swam in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, placing seventh in the 100m Butterfly at 17 years old. Her uncle, Eric, won a gold medal in 2000 in Sydney for beach volleyball and was a longtime standout on the AVP Tour.
Surf's Up Freshman libero Natalie Hagglund (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS) was rated the top incoming libero by Prep Volleyball and 27th overall recruit. Along with her volleyball prowess, Hagglund is an accomplished surfer, winning the 2007 San Diego County High School Girls' Long Board Surfing championship.
She has 39 digs (3.90 dps) this season for the Women of Troy. She had a season-high 21 digs against Cal State Fullerton in a four-set win on August 28.
She earned 2009-10 Under Armour All-America first team honors and played for the La Costa Canyon High squad that won the San Diego Section Division I championship in four sets. Hagglund played for the 2009 U.S. Under-19 Beach Volleyball squad as part of the No. 2 team and was part of the youngest team ever to qualify for the main draw of the AVP Manhattan Beach Open (2009). In high school, she was a member of the 2008 La Costa Canyon High squad that was named national champions by Prep Volleyball and Max Preps. It's Greek To Me Senior middle blocker Zoe Garrett (Laguna Beach/Laguna Beach HS), whose first name is derived from a Greek word meaning "life", has 21 kills (2.33 kps) this season white hitting .474 with three blocks (0.33 bps) and 33.0 points (3.67 pps).
Garrett made 16 starts in 24 matches as a junior last season for the Women of Troy. She recorded 81 kills for a 1.27 kps average and a .288 hitting percentage with 16 assists (0.25 aps), six service aces (0.09 saps), 27 digs (0.42 dps), 45 blocks (0.70 bps) and 112.0 points (1.75 pps). She received 2009 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mention recognition
She earned all-tournament team honors at the 2009 Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 11-12) at Utah Valley after getting 20 kills and seven blocks while hitting .474. She had nine kills while hitting .500 at Utah Valley (9-1-16) on Sept. 11 with four block assists and had nine kills with four blocks while hitting .571 (9-1-14) on Aug. 29 against North Carolina.
As a sophomore in 2008, Garrett started in all but one match during the season, recording 171 kills (1.71 kps) for a .305 hitting percentage with 19 service aces (0.19 saps), 61 digs (0.61 dps), 90 blocks (0.90 bps) and 241.5 points (2.41 pps). She tied her previous best of nine blocks on Sept. 18 against Hartford with one solo block and eight block assists in the 3-0 victory at the West Point Challenge, also tied a season high with three service aces. In the Pac-10 opener against No. 4 UCLA, she had nine kills and hit .400 (9-1-20) in the five-set win with six digs and five blocks. In a 3-0 sweep of Washington State on Oct. 10, she tied her career high with 13 kills, hitting .476 (13-3-21) in the process. She tied her season and career highs with 13 kills and nine blocks on Dec. 5 in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament against No. 15 San Diego and hit a season-high .478 (13-2-23) against the Toreros in the four-set win.
Garrett received All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention honors in 2007 after recording 210 kills (1.81 kps) and 118 blocks (1.02 bps) while hitting .262. A 10-kill performance came on Oct. 18 at Washington State where she also registered a season-high nine blocks (one solo, eight assisted).
That's G Senior defensive specialist/outside hitter Geena Urango (Los Alamitos/Los Alamitos HS) has five kills (0.62 kps) and five service aces (0.62 saps) this season.
Urango made seven starts in 30 matches last season, recording 69 kills (0.74 kps), seven assists (0.08 aps), 20 service aces (0.22 saps), 107 digs (1.15 dps) and 93.5 points (1.01 pps). She earned 2009 Pac-10 Conference All-Academic second team honors, posting a 3.69 grade-point-average in communications. Her best match came on Sept. 11 vs. Idaho State, leading the Trojans with a season-high 17 kills while hitting .469 on Sept. 11 against Idaho State at the Wolverine Invitational in Orem, Utah.
She played in every match during her 2008 sophomore season, recording 36 kills (0.35 kps), 11 assists (0.11 aps), 13 aces (0.12 saps), 158 digs (1.52 dps), five blocks (0.05 bps) and 52.0 points (0.50 pps). She had a season-high nine kills and added two aces and two digs against Hartford on Sept. 18 and posted eight kills and a season-high 14 digs on Oct. 3 at Oregon State.
Urango recorded 112 kills (0.90 kps) and 347 digs (2.80 dpg) in her freshman season, earning All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention honors. She finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10 Conference with 40 service aces (0.32 saps) and recorded four aces in a match twice (Sept. 1 vs. Mercer and Sept. 15 vs. Purdue).
She recorded 21 digs on Sept. 7 at Utah in a four-game victory and posted a season-high 31 digs in a five-game win on Sept. 14 at No. 20 Ohio State. On Oct. 11 against Oregon State, she tallied a season-high 10 kills, hitting .304 in the match and adding nine digs. She recorded a season-high 21 kills, taking 47 swings against No. 9 Cal in a 3-2 win on Oct. 26 at the Galen Center. Urango posted her first collegiate double-double on Nov. 2 against No. 9 UCLA with 17 kills and 12 digs in the 3-1 victory.
She was on the 2008 U.S. Beach Volleyball Training Team for the SWATCH FIVB World Championship. She also played two years for the U.S. Youth National Team (2005-06) and also played on the Junior National Team.
Burn Notice Freshman outside hitter/opposite Kirby Burnham (Newport Beach/Newport Harbor HS) was rated as the No. 49 incoming recruit in the nation by Prep Volleyball and was a 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, along with earning All-America honors by Prep Volleyball.
This season, she has 15 kills (1.88 kps) while hitting .387 with eight digs (1.00 dps).
She was the team captain for the Newport Harbor squad that won the 2009 CIF-SS Division 1-AA championship as Burnham earned 2009 All-CIF Southern Section first team honors. She was named most valuable player in the CIF Division I state championship match after posting 12 kills in the 3-0 sweep of Salinas. Burnham was a member of the National Charity League where she completed 50-100 hours of community service a year and created her own neighborhood food drive in her community while she was in high school.
The Shawshank Redemption Freshman outside hitter Sara Shaw (Austin, Texas/Westlake HS) has nine kills (1.50 kps) this season with 19 digs (3.17 dps) and two blocks (0.33 dps).
She was rated No. 11 nationally by Prep Volleyball and played for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team. She also was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection. Shaw earned 2009-10 Under Armour All-America first team honors after leading Westlake to its third straight Class 5A state final and was named 2009 Gatorade State Player of the Year.
Standing Guard Freshman middle blocker Alexis Olgard (Spokane, Wash./Mead HS) has 10 kills (1.67 kps) this season while hitting .474 with four digs (0.67 dps) and six blocks (1.00 bps).
She was rated as the No. 5 recruit in the nation by Prep Volleyball and played for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team while being an alternate for the 2008 squad. She was a finalist for the Prep Volleyball National Player of the Year honor and 2010 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection. At the 2009 FIVB Junior World Championship in Mexico, she finished fourth in blocks among all players and 20th in scoring. She was an integral part of three state championship squads (2006, 2007 and 2009) and was named 2009 Gatorade State Player of the Year as well as 2009 Inland Northwest Junior Female Athlete of the Year.
The Pattern Is Full Sophomore outside hitter Katie Fuller (Olivenhain, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS) has eight kills (1.33 kps) this season with 10 digs (1.67 dps).
She filled in admirably during the Portland and Fresno State matches (Sept. 18-19) as a freshman last season. She led the team with 10 kills against Portland with two digs and one block while hitting .471 (10-2-17) in the 3-0 sweep. The following night against Fresno State, she had five kills with seven digs and two service aces.
Injury Report Senior outside hitter Kimmee Roleder injured her right knee during spring practice and will be out for the entire 2010 season.
Kansas Volleyball Team Sweeps UMKC to Stay Undefeated
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Senior Karina Garlington led the way with a team-high 10 kills as Kansas volleyball stayed undefeated following its 3-0 sweep of UMKC Tuesday evening in the Jayhawks' home opener. Kansas improved to 4-0 on the season for the first time since 2005 as the Jayhawks won by scores of 25-20, 25-10 and 25-16.
"Everybody that was available to play played", said Bechard. "I thought a lot of people did a great job, but it's a great start."
KU started the match off strong by grabbing a quick 7-1 lead before UMKC (1-3) came back, getting as close as two points during the set at 18-16. That was as close as the Roos would get however as they tallied three of their five service errors in the set down the stretch. Redshirt freshman Caroline Jarmoc's four kills (4K-0E-4TA) helped KU pull away.
Jarmoc tallied seven kills during the match on a team-high .429 attack percentage. She also led the team with five blocks during the contest.
The second set was by far KU's most dominant, leading by as much as 15 as it took a commanding 2-0 advantage heading into the break. Besides taking an early 1-0 lead, UMKC was overmatched committing 12 attack errors and only getting as close as 5 points the rest of the way. Both Garlington and junior Allison Mayfield, who finished with nine kills on the night, led the team with four kills in the second frame as KU looked to close out the Roos in three-straight sets.
After falling behind 2-1 early on in the third set the Jayhawks stormed back and never relinquished the lead again, thanks to four more kills by Garlington and three by Mayfield. Freshman Amy Wehrs also made her collegiate debut in the third and final set, taking the floor with her sister and fellow freshman Kara Wehrs. Amy would achieve the first kill of her Jayhawk career shortly after checking into the contest. KU wrapped up the final set 25-16.
The Jayhawks will look to stay undefeated against Akron and Arkansas on Friday, Sept. 3 during the Jayhawk Classic hosted by KU.
Baylor Volleyball Team Hits the Road to Take On UTSA
Baylor (2-1) at UTSA (1-2) Sept. 1 | 6:30 p.m. | San Antonio, Texas | Convocation Center (4,080)GAME CENTER: Match 4 MEDIA INFORMATION Date: Sept. 1, 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Arena: Convocation Center (4,080) Internet Audio: www.BaylorBears.com Internet Video: n/a Talent: Larry Little (pxp), Todd Zeidler (color) Live Stats: www.BaylorBears.com
THIS WEEK'S TOP FIVE - Baylor finished second in the Holiday Inn and Suites Baylor Classic going 2-1 with wins over Stephen F. Austin and Butler, with its lone loss coming in five sets against SMU. Libero Caitlyn Trice was named Defensive Most Valuable Player, while Ashlie Christenson and Elizabeth Graham each earned all-tournament honors. - Libero Caitlyn Trice was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in Baylor’s three weekend matches. The senior record a total of 77 digs in 12 sets, with an average of 6.42 digs per set. She leads the Big 12 by a sound margin in both categories, having 20 more digs and a 1.04 higher average than any player in the Big 12 . - With a win in its first match of the season, Baylor is now 6-1 under head coach Jim Barnes in season openers. In the Barnes era, Baylor dropped the opener his first season, but has won the first match each of the last six years. During his tenure at Baylor, Barnes has compiled an astonishing non-conference record of 61-14 (.813). - Baylor’s features one of the tallest front lines in the NCAA with 6-foot-3 Briana Tolbert and three 6-2 players, including Elizabeth Graham, Ashley Byrd and Torri Campbell. Graham leads the Big 12 with 25 blocks (2.08 bps), while Tolbert is second with 16 blocks and fifth at 1.33 per set. All-told BU averaged 3.08 per set for a total of 37.0 in just three matches. -After averaging a Ferrell Center-record 815 fans per match in 2009, BU drew and average of 926 fans for its three matches over the weekend with a high of 963 in a 3-0 win over Butler.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT UTSA The Roadrunners return 11 letterwinners, including preseason All-Southland Conference selections Whitney Walls (first team) and Kendra Rowland (second team), from last year's squad that posted a dozen wins against. Also back is 2008 Southland Libero of the Year Kelsey Jewasko, a junior who was an honorable mention all-conference choice as a sophomore. UTSA is led by ninth-year head coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff, who has amassed a school-record 124 wins during her tenure. UTSA is coming off a 12-19 season, including a 7-9 mark in 2009. The Roadrunners finished sixth in the Southland Conference last season, and lost in the SLC Tournament Semifinals to Stephen F. Austin. In its opening weekend of play, the Roadrunners beat Ole Miss in their season opener, but then suffered a five-set loss to tournament-host Rice and a four-set loss to Texas Tech. UTSA faced a 0-2 deficit to Ole Miss, but took the third set 34-32 to stay alive before winning the fourth and fifth, 25-17 and 20-18. Baylor is 15-3 all-time against UTSA, which includes a current 12-match winning streak. BU beat the Roadrunners 3-0 in Waco last season.
Mountain West Conference Volleyball News Week No. 2
week one review The first week of the 2010 volleyball season saw No. 17 Colorado State, San Diego State and Wyoming bring home tournament titles. The Cowgirls went 4-0, while the Aztecs went 3-0 and the 17th-ranked Rams tallied a 2-0 mark in their respective tournaments. New Mexico and TCU both went 2-1 in tourney play, while Air Force, BYU, UNLV and Utah each posted victories during the opening week.
week two preview All nine MWC institutions continue non-conference tournament action this week with BYU, Colorado State and TCU hosting tilts. Colorado State wraps up the Coors Rocky Mountain Challenge on Tuesday, August 31, while BYU and TCU are set for the BYU Nike Invitational and TCU Molten Tournament, respectively. In other action, Air Force will compete at the La Quinta Inn & Suites Invitational in Orem, Utah, while New Mexico will be at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, No. 15 Colorado State travels to Gainesville, Fla., for the Campus USA Credit Union Invite, San Diego State will compete at the ASU Sheraton Classic in Tempe, Ariz., Utah competes at the Northwestern Challenge in Chicago, Ill., and Wyoming will be in DeLand, Fla., for the Stetson Invitational.
mwc in avca division i coaches top-25 poll Colorado State moved up to 15th in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll, released on August 30. Thanks to victories over Duke and Furman at the Coors Rocky Mountain Challenge last week, the Rams jumped two spots in the poll. New Mexico, San Diego State and Utah are all receiving votes in the AVCA poll.
Western Michigan Volleyball Team Sweeps Summit League Champ
KALAMAZOO -- Junior middle blocker Ashley Turnage tied her season-high with 11 kills and added a season-high four blocks, while freshman outside hitter Ali Gossen set career highs of 10 kills, five digs and two blocks to lead Western Michigan past IPFW, 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-23), in front of 946 fans in the Broncos' home opener at University Arena on Tuesday night.
The Broncos (3-1) needed just 69 minutes to win their second match in a row and vanquish the 2009 Summit League NCAA Tournament representative Mastodons (2-2).
Senior outside hitter Allyson Doyle added nine kills, 16 digs, five assists and five blocks, while setter Sam Viox had 34 assists and 12 digs for her seventh career double-double and first of the season. Freshman libero Lena Oliver led the Broncos with 18 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Brown tied Doyle for match-high honors with five blocks.
The Broncos had a season-high nine blocks and added 67 digs in just three sets to hold IPFW to .025 attacking. The Broncos stifled IPFW's top hitter Maya Schlindwein to a .-048 attack percentage with only five kills. She was averaging 4.13 kills per set and 16.7 kills per match entering the evening.
The Broncos hit .252 with 43 kills, 19 more than the Mastodons.
"We came away from last weekend with a list of things to work on and the team was very receptive in practice on Monday and took it to heart," head coach Colleen Munson said. "Tonight, we were more comfortable in serve receive and understood our system better. The players felt they were communicating better and it's good to see that on the court and hear that they recognize how much of a difference better communication makes."
The Broncos trailed by two, 5-3, to begin the match, but came back with a block by Gossen and Brown to ignite a 5-0 run and take the lead for good, 8-5, after Gossen and Turnage teamed on a block. IPFW trimmed the margin as close as two, but a blast from freshman outside hitter Gillian Asque put WMU up four, 13-9, and forced IPFW to call timeout. The Mastodons stayed within four, 17-13, but a kill by Doyle and block by Doyle and Turnage forced IPFW into its final timeout, 19-13. That didn't work as Goosen's serving powered the 8-0 run to close the set, 25-13.
WMU hit .414 with 16 kills, six by Turnage and five by Goosen, while holding IPFW to six kills and six errors to hit .000.
Western Michigan never let IPFW breath in the second set by scoring the first four points and eventually building a nine-point cushion, 15-6, after an Asque kill. The Mastodons never seriously threatened and Doyle ended the set for WMU, 25-12, with a kill off an overpass.
WMU's defense continued to baffle IPFW as the Mastodons had only three kills and nine errors to hit -.188. The Broncos hit .357 with 14 kills, including three each by Doyle, Brown and Asque.
The third set proved to be the closest of the match with 16 ties and three lead changes. The Broncos scored three points in a row midway through the set to build the largest lead for either team, 15-12, but it was short-lived. The Mastodons came back and went up two, 21-19, before WMU called timeout. The Broncos responded with kills by fresmen Asque and Gossen to tie the score.
IPFW called timeout and blocked the Broncos to regain the lead, but then missed their next attack. The Mastodons scored again to regain the lead, 23-22, but it was their final point. Viox and Turnage combined on a block to tie the score, followed by kills from Doyle and Turnage to end the match, 25-23.
With several long rallies and strong defense on both sides of the net, WMU had 58 attempts in the third set, after compiling 57 attempts in the first two sets combined. The Broncos still tallied 13 kills and hit .121, while IPFW woke up to hit 16 15 kills and attack at .158 clip. Doyle hit .444 in the set with four kills in nine attempts and added 10 digs.
The Broncos move on to Indianapolis, Ind., this weekend against host IUPUI, Wright State and DePaul in the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.
Kalamazoo, MI - The IPFW Mastodons were not able to carry the momentum from their IPFW Invitational Title, falling to a talented Western Michigan squad on Tuesday evening by a 3-0 score (25-13, 25-12, 25-23).
Stephanie Lamberti led the team with nine kills while Maya Schlindwein had five. Tessa McGill had a match-high 20 digs, with Lamberti finishing with nine.
The Mastodons busted out of the gate with back-to-back points on a Maya Schlindwein kill and a Bronco ball handling error. After two straight WMU points knotted the score at two apiece, the Mastodons netted two more points in a row to take a two-point, 4-2 lead. After trading kills, the Broncos went on a 5-0 run, and the Mastodons would not be able to recover. IPFW trailed 17-13 before the hosts ran off the final eight points of the set to run end the frame, winning the opening set 25-13. The Broncos used their late momentum in the first set and ran off the first four points of the second frame, as the hosts never trailed in the second set. The hosts used a pair of 5-0 runs to cruise to the 25-12 set victory. The third set was a back-and-forth, nip-and-tuck battle, with the Mastodons trailing 15-12 just over halfway through the frame, before the ‘Dons scored four straight – their longest run that far into the match – two of which came on Lamberti kills to give the ‘Dons a 16-15 advantage. Neither team would lead by more than two until the finale of the set when the Broncos scored the final three points to claim the 25-23 final-set win. Megan Steenhuysen dished out 23 assists to lead IPFW, as Schlindwein added four blocks, and Alli Hook three blocks in the loss. The Broncos' Ashley Turnage knocked down a match-high 11 kills, as Ali Gossen added 10. Lena Oliver had 18 digs for WMU, with Allyson Doyle and Sam Viox adding 16 and 12, each. Two Broncos, Jessica Brown and Doyle, each had five assisted blocks to lead the team. The Mastodons return to action on Friday, September 3, when the team travels south to Cincinnati, Ohio, where they will face off against the Xavier Musketeers in the opening round of the Xavier Invitational. ~Dons~
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Volleyball - ISLANDERS RETURN TO PRACTICE FOLLOWING WEEKEND TRIP
Texas A&M – Corpus Christi volleyball team returned to practice following its weekend trip at the Mississippi State Maroon Classic. The Islanders broke in several newcomers over four matches in Starkville which resulted in a 1-3 start to the 2010 season. “The results were not what we wanted in terms of wins and losses, but we liked what we saw from the team.” said head coach Tony Graystone. With game action under their belt, the Islanders are looking to improve from this past weekend as they continue to work on getting better. Monday the team spent practice working on individual drills and as the week continues they will work on putting in the game plan for the upcoming weekend. Isabella Arcidiacono is one of the many freshmen that played well at times, but must work on being consistent with kills while cutting down on attack errors. “Bella is coming along like we thought,” said Graystone. “Against Little Rock she had a good match, but now we’ve got to get her more consistent with her game.” “We’ve got to get more players to the right and center so that we aren’t relying so much on Bella and Emma.” This weekend the team returns to the road, heading to Flagstaff, Ariz. for the Northern Arizona Fiesta Bowl Tournament. The Islanders will face host Northern Arizona on Friday at 8 p.m. and then play two matches on Saturday. The second day will start with a match against Maryland Eastern Shore at 10 a.m., followed by a 5:30 p.m. match against Rider to close out the tournament. “We’re going to try and cut down on our errors which we think will lead to better on court success against our opponents this weekend.” added Graystone. Live stats will be available at www.NAUathletics.com for all matches during the tournament.
No. 11 Golden Bears Volleyball Team Looks to Profit in USD Tournament
The California volleyball team draws Gardner-Webb and San Diego in its first road matches
THIS WEEK:2010 USD Tournament Jenny Craig Pavilion | San Diego, Calif. No. 11 California vs. Gardner Webb | www.gwusports.com Friday, Sept. 3 - 5 p.m. PT No. 11 California at No. 25 San Diego | www.usdtoreros.com Saturday, Sept. 4 - 7 p.m. PT
BERKELEY - The 11th-ranked Golden Bears will take their show on the road as they head for sunny San Diego this weekend. Cal won both of its home matches to open the 2010 campaign, but will receive its first road tests in the USD Tournament at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Host San Diego is ranked No. 25 and was selected to take the West Coast Conference title this season. Both Gardner-Webb and San Diego are still licking wounds from several losses in action last weekend so the Bears will have to stay on guard in order to extend on their two-match winning streak.
THE FACTS: The No. 11 California volleyball team (2-0) heads to San Diego for the 2010 USD Tournament. The Golden Bears will face Gardner-Webb (1-3) of the Big South Conference in the first match of the tourney at 5 p.m. PT on Friday, Sept. 3. No. 25-ranked host San Diego (1-2) of the West Coast Conference and GWU play in the second match at noon on Saturday, Sept. 4. Cal and San Diego close the tournament action with a 7 p.m. match on Sept. 4.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS: Live statistics for both of Cal's matches will be provided via Gametracker links on the CalBears.com website. Live streaming video for the Cal-USD match is available on the www.usdtoreros.com women's volleyball schedule page. Fans can also receive set-score updates and a behind-the-scenes look at the Bears by following @CalVolleyball on Twitter - www.twitter.com/calvolleyball, or by "Liking" the Cal volleyball Facebook page - www.facebook.com/calvolleyball.
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Fans and media can purchase Cal volleyball photos at GoldenBearSports.com, the official photographer of Cal Athletics. Follow @GBSports on Twitter to get instant notifications when new albums and galleries are posted to the website. Visit www.twitter.com/gbsports to follow.
CAL SPORTS REPORT: Tune in to Comcast SportsNet to get the latest on Cal athletics on the Cal Sports Report. The one-hour show hosted by Cal sportscasters, Todd McKim and Francesca Weems, will now feature an HD quality broadcast and will premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 1. It will then air on Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29; Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27; Nov. 3, 10, 17 and 24; and Dec. 1. Please check your local listings for times and availability.
LAST WEEK'S COURT REPORT: The Bears hosted and won the 2010 Cal Molten Classic with 3-0 victories over UC Santa Barbara (25-18, 25-15, 28-26) and Manhattan College (25-8, 25-15, 25-7). Junior outside hitter Tarah Murey was named most valuable player of the three-match tournament and was joined on the all-tournament team by senior setter Carli Lloyd and sophomore middle hitters Shannon Hawari and Correy Johnson. Murrey led the Bears with an impressive 21-kill performance (4e, 43att, .395) against the Gauchos before she posted her first double-double of the young season with 11 kills (1e, 23att, .435) and a match high 14 digs against the Lady Jaspers. Lloyd led all players with 40 assists against UCSB while Hawari added nine kills (2e, 17att, .412) against the Gauchos. All 13 players saw playing time against Manhattan.
GARDNER-WEBB NOTES: The Runnin' Bulldogs (1-3) opened their season with a 3-1 win over North Carolina Central, but have since dropped nine of their last 11 sets amidst a three-match losing streak. Head coach Chris Phillips is just one victory from earning her 400th career coaching win. Three Runnin' Bulldogs average better than two kills per set in four matches this season. Junior middle blocker Laura Wilcox leads the team with 2.43 kps and is also the team leader in service aces with seven this season. Freshman middle Tyler Cockrell puts in 2.36 kps while leading the team in blocks with 18 (1.29 bps). Sophomore outside hitter Molly Rhyne averages 2.29 kps. As a team, the Runnin' Bulldogs are attacking at a .129 rate (136k, 82e, 417att) after committing 44 errors in their last two outings combined. Cal and Gardner-Webb will meet on the volleyball court for the first time on Sept. 3.
NO. 25 SAN DIEGO NOTES: The Toreros (1-2) pushed fourth-ranked Hawaii to five sets in the Hawai'i Invitational in their season opener, but fell, 15-9, in the fifth. After dropping its next match in straight sets to No. 14 UCLA, San Diego rebounded to earn a 3-1 win over Kansas State. The Toreros were picked to win the West Coast Conference after finishing in second place a year ago. Senior outside hitter Amy DeGroot set a career mark with 27 kills (.533) against the Wildcats and leads the Toreros with 4.08 kps (.339) this season. DeGroot also leads USD in digs with 3.08 dps. Senior right side Ali Troost contributes 2.25 kps (.134) and 1.83 dps. Freshman middle hitter Chloe Ferrari and sophomore outside hitter Amber Tatsch each add 2.00 kps. The Bears and Toreros will meet for the ninth time on Sept. 4. Cal owns a 6-2 lead in the all-time series record, but the last time the two teams faced each other, USD claimed a five-set victory on Sept. 10, 2005, in the Golden Bear Invitational. The last seven meetings have taken place in Berkeley. The Bears and Toreros have only met in San Diego once, with USD turning the win on Nov. 4, 1976.
SELECT COMPANY: The Bears are one of just four teams to have advanced as far as the NCAA regional championship match in each of the last three years. The other three squads that can claim such a feat are Nebraska, Texas and three-time defending NCAA champion Penn State. In addition, Cal is one of six teams that has advance to the NCAA regional semifinal in each of the last four years (2006-09). Among the other programs to accomplish the same are volleyball powerhouses Florida and Stanford as well as Nebraska, Texas and Penn State.
RECORD RECALL: Setter Carli Lloyd has 4,379 career assists and is 1,399 shy of eclipsing Cal's long-standing record of 5,777 by Samantha Carder (2003-06). Lloyd opened 2009 in fifth place at Cal for career assists but moved into second place at season's end as she passed Sienna Curci (1989-93) on Nov. 15. Several Cal records were broken in 2009. The most notable of newly minted records is the all-time leader for career kills. Outside hitter Hana Cutura surpassed 20-year record holder Tiffany Rochelle (1986-89) for most career kills during a five-set victory at Washington on Nov. 7, and finished with 2,004 in her career. Cutura became the first player in Cal history to surpass the 2,000-kill plateau and was the fifth player in Pac-10 history to do so. She also completed her career in third place at Cal for career attacks with 4,642 and in seventh place for career service aces with 113. Perhaps the most impressive record that Cutura achieved was to reach sixth place in career hitting percentage at Cal. She is the highest ranking outside hitter on the esteemed career ladder with a .269 career mark. Libero Kristen Kathan moved into third place in career digs with 1,486 and middle hitter Mindi Wiley entered the all-time career blocks leaders ladder with 332 for ninth on Cal's all-time record.
BEARS IN THE PAC-10 RANKS: The Bears lead the Pac-10 in blocks (3.67 bps) and opponent hitting percentage (.055, 53k, 42e, 201att). Cal is third in the conference in digs (14.67 dps) and service aces (2.00 saps). The Bears also rank fourth in kills (14.50 kps), assists (13.17 aps) and hitting percentage (.328, 87k, 23e, 195att) to put Cal in the top four of the league in every statistical category. Junior outside hitter Tarah Murrey leads the conference in kills with 5.33 kps; she ranks 10th in digs with 2.83 dps. Sophomore middle hitter Correy Johnson leads the Pac-10 in blocks with 1.83 bps. Sophomore middle Shannon Hawari is right behind Johnson with 1.75 bps. Hawari also ranks 10th in the conference in hitting percentage at .429 (11k, 2e, 21att). Sophomore middle hitter Kat Brown is second in the league with a .571 attack rate (9k, 1e, 14att). Senior setter Carli Lloyd ranks third in the conference with 11.00 assists per set. Sophomore defensive specialist Robin Rostratter is tied for second in the league with 0.83 service aces per set. Freshman Lauren Loerch is tied for eighth in the conference with 1.00 blocks per set.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Several Bears have collected all-tournament team honors this season. Junior outside hitter Tarah Murrey was named the most valuable player of the 2010 Cal Molten Classic. Senior setter Carli Lloyd and sophomore middle hitters Shannon Hawari and Correy Johnson joined Murrey on the all-tournament team.
BEARS IN TV LAND: Cal will be featured on two tape-delayed television broadcasts this season. Fox Sports Net will carry Cal's home matches against UCLA (Nov. 6) and Stanford (Nov. 19). Please check your local listings for channel lineups and availability.
RUNNIN' WITH THE PAC: Cal competes in what is undeniably the toughest conference in women's collegiate volleyball--the Pacific-10. The conference has captured five of the last nine NCAA titles and holds 13 volleyball national championships overall. The Pac-10 has had 10 or more AVCA All-American selections in each of the last five years and boasts a group of coaches with over 200 years of combined head-coaching experience. A conference-record eight Pac-10 teams held rankings for the first time in 2009. This season, a record seven Pac-10 teams were ranked in the top 20 in the preseason AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Defending champion Stanford ranked the highest at No. 4, with Washington coming in at No. 8. USC earned the No. 10 ranking with Cal right behind it at No. 11. UCLA checked in at No. 16 with Arizona at No. 18 and Oregon rounding out the seven-team slate at No. 20.
STRICT SCHEDULE: As a part of the Pac-10 conference, the Bears face top-ranked teams on a regular basis. This season, based on the preseason poll, Cal will face 12 ranked teams. In addition to taking on No. 4 Stanford, No. 8 Washington, No. 10 USC, No. 16 UCLA, No. 18 Arizona and No. 20 Oregon, the Bears will also take on No. 22 San Diego and No. 25 Saint Mary's College.
TEXAS TWO-STEP TWO: For the eighth consecutive season, the Cal roster will feature at least two players from the great state of Texas. This time, the Bears have four players from the Lone Star State. Redshirt sophomore middle hitter Shannon Hawari (Plano, Texas) and sophomore setter Elly Barrett (Austin, Texas) will be joined by a pair of highly touted freshmen as outside hitters Adrienne Gehan (Dallas) and Lauren Loerch (Georgetown, Texas) arrive in Berkeley.
CROSSON' THE PASS: The Bears welcome a new assistant coach to the staff in 2010. Sam Crosson comes across the Diablo Pass from Saint Mary's College (Moraga, Calif.) to join head coach Rich Feller and assistant coach Chris Bigelow. Crosson helped lead the Gaels to their second consecutive 20-win season in 2009 as SMC posted the second-best record in program history at 23-5. Saint Mary's logged a perfect 13-0 mark at home and set new school records with an 11-match winning streak and a 13-1 record in West Coast Conference matches to net the program's first-ever WCC title. The Gaels made their fifth appearance in the NCAA tournament and nearly took out Pac-10 champion Stanford in the second round. Crosson has also been an assistant at Santa Clara and at the University of the Pacific. He played at Pacific from 1994-97.
QUICK REUNION: Assistant coach Sam Crosson and volunteer assistant coach Sydney Chute will meet their former team, Saint Mary's College, in a 7 p.m. PT match on Saturday, Sept. 18, as a part of the Pac-10/WCC Challenge. Both Crosson and Chute have had over five years of experience as coaches for the Gael program.
MEAGAN'S MONDAY MINUTE: Senior defensive specialist Meagan Schmitt will host a special 60-second video segment each Monday this fall as a Facebook exclusive feature of the Cal volleyball team. The Kentfield, Calif. native will have one minute to communicate to fans about what she has been up to, what's coming up on the Cal schedule, and to answer questions posed by fans through Facebook and Twitter. #1 | SETTING HER PLACE: In three seasons, senior setter Carli Lloyd has established herself as a force to be reckoned with. As a freshman, she completed her season just six assists shy of setting a new Cal single-season record as she posted 1,550 in 2007. In 2008, Lloyd continued to push boundaries by putting up 1,392 assists, as she earned the sixth best all-time single-season mark at Cal and placed third in the nation with her 12.00 aps average. With 4,313 career assists, Lloyd is second all-time at Cal and tops among active Pac-10 assist leaders.
#1 | HOME, HOME ON THE RANGE: Setter Carli Lloyd was quite literally raised in a barn. Her home in Bonsall, Calif. is a ranch just north of San Diego. Among the many animals on the ranch, Lloyd's pets include horses, dogs, cats, snakes, chinchillas, cows, pigs and plenty of fish in a man-made pond that she helped dig out.
#1 | CALIFORNIA GLADIATOR: Two-time All-American setter Carli Lloyd credits her athleticism to the training she received from uncle and coach, Galen Tomlinson. Tomlinson--a former volleyball coach at Fallbrook Union High School--is better known in some circles as Turbo from the 1980's television series, "American Gladiators."
#2 | ROCKIN' ROBIN: Sophomore defensive specialist Robin Rostratter recorded seven service aces and put up 45 digs in 82 sets of play in 2009. When she's not on the court, Rostratter likes to rock out to a variety of music; from Beyoncé to John Mayer and from Michael Bublé to T-Pain.
#4 | LITTLE FIREBALL: As a youngster, junior outside hitter Tarah Murrey wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and become a firefighter. Douglas Murrey played basketball for San Jose State and was selected in the ninth-round of the 1981 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. It was Murrey's mother Barbara whose athletic influence shows through Tarah however; she played volleyball for San Jose State in 1978-79. #7 | HAWARIAN VACATION: Sophomore middle hitter Shannon Hawari didn't take any time off when she set a new Cal record for single season hitting percentage in 2008 as she posted a .387 mark with 113 kills on 230 attacks. She ranked fourth among Pac-10 players and also contributed to the Bears defensively with 64 blocks on her way to a selection to the 2008 Pac-10 All-Freshman team.
#8 | PART OF THEIR WORLD: Hailing from Orlando, Fla., the home of Disney World and Mickey Mouse, sophomore opposite Correy Johnson's favorite Disney character is Ariel from the Little Mermaid; partly because she has similarly red hair. Johnson wasted no time making her way to the court in her first season as she was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. She has posted 202 kills (78e, 474att) and a .262 attack percentage while adding 89 blocks. Johnson logged a career-high 15 kills (4e, 29att) and posted a .379 attack percentage in a match against USC on Oct. 2, 2009.
#10 | WAKEY, WAKEY; EGGS AND BAKEY: One of sophomore setter Elly Barrett's favorite pastimes is wakeboarding. She spent the summer prior to entering school at Berkeley serving as a counselor at a Christian wakeboard camp called Instead in Austin, Texas. The camp operates as a ministry of the Austin Ridge Bible Church.
#11 | DOUBLE-DRIBBLE: Sophomore middle hitter Kat Brown was a dual-sport athlete in high school as she excelled on both the volleyball and basketball courts. She was a four-year starter in both sports at St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School. Her basketball coach was former Golden Bear point guard Kristin Iwanaga. Iwanaga helped Brown achieve school records in points, rebounds and blocked shots on her way to being named Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League MVP as a senior.
#13 | GOPHER GAFFEN: Sophomore middle hitter Tia Gaffen is the first Golden Bear to hail from the Gopher State. A native of Wayzata, Minn., Gaffen comes from a place better known as the "North Star State", "Bread and Butter State" and the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". In the end, Gaffen chose one bay over many lakes.
#44 | FAMILY TRACK RECORD: Senior defensive specialist Meagan Schmitt seems destined to be a Cal athlete. Both of her parents, Tom and Laura, attended Cal and were cross country and track and field athletes for the Bears. Her uncle, John Starrett also starred as a rower for the Bears. Schmitt's older brother, Jake, ran for the Cal track and field team but later transferred to and ran for Washington. Her younger sister, Caitlin, is attending UCLA this fall and will run for the Bruins.
GOING BACK TO CALI: Before each match, the Bears gather for a team huddle in which they chant "Going, going; back, back; to Cali, Cali!" Taken from the 1997 rap-hit Going Back To Cali by late Bad Boy Records rapper Notorious B.I.G., the chant is a reference to the great Golden State; the home of the Golden Bears. BRAND NEW BEARS: The Bears signed two top-ranked recruits to its 2010 class out of the great state of Texas. Cal will welcome the services of outside hitters Lauren Loerch (Georgetown, Texas/Georgetown HS) and Adrienne Gehan (Dallas, Texas/Episcopal School of Dallas). Loerch played for Austin Performance volleyball club and was named to the "Next 30" list of Fab 50 Recruits. She was the Prep Volleyball No. 23 Senior Ace and was selected to the 16-5A District All-Tournament team in 2008 and 2009. Gehan played for the Skyline Juniors volleyball club and lettered all four years in high school. She was named to the All-Southwest Preparatory Conference team three times and was selected to the All-Texas team. Gehan was named an AAU All-American in 2007 and 2008 and was a top-50 junior recruit as well as Prep Volleyball's No. 22 Senior Ace. Gehan was selected as the Dallas Morning News Athlete of the Year. Sophomore middle hitter Shannon Hawari received the same honor in 2007. Two defensive specialists will also take their place as freshmen on the 2010 Cal squad; Juliana Stivanicevic (Moraga, Calif./Miramonte HS) and Erin Freeman (San Anselmo, Calif./Sir Francis Drake HS).
PRESEASON POLL POSITIONS: Cal received the No. 11 ranking in the AVCA Division I Coaches' Top 25 Poll and was tabbed No. 9 in the Volleyball Magazine Top 20 Poll. The selection in the AVCA poll marks the 10th time in school history that the Bears have been ranked to open a season; the eighth since Rich Feller became head coach in 1999. Cal was ranked No. 6 at the start of 2009 and finished at No. 8. The Bears held the No. 5 ranking in 2008, No. 12 in 2007, No. 17 in 2006, No. 19 in 2005, No. 10 in 2004 and No. 24 in 2003. Cal's two other preseason rankings came in 1989 (No. 9) and 1983 (No. 12). Setting a program-best mark in 2007, the Bears finished the season in the No. 4 spot after reaching the NCAA national semifinal, where they fell 3-0 to eventual NCAA champion Penn State. Cal's highest regular season ranking was recorded several times in 2008 as the Bears reached No. 4 for several weeks. Since 1982, the Bears have been ranked in the weekly AVCA poll a total of 147 times.
2009 IN REVIEW: The Bears earned their school-record eighth consecutive berth into the NCAA tournament in 2009 and advanced to the NCAA regional semifinal for the fourth straight year. More notably, Cal made its third consecutive appearance in an NCAA regional final. Only three other teams have done the same in the last three years; Nebraska, Texas and three-time defending champion Penn State. Head coach Rich Feller logged his 200th win as Cal's leader with a 3-0 victory over Washington State on Oct. 10. A week later, while on the road at Oregon State, he recorded his 500th career win in a 3-0 sweep of the Beavers. Outside hitter Hana Cutura received Pac-10 Player of the Year honors and took home her third AVCA All-America certificate. Cutura left Cal as its all-time kills leader with 2,004. She is just the fifth player in Pac-10 history to break the 2,000-kill plateau. Setter Carli Lloyd, outside hitter Tarah Murrey and middle hitter Mindi Wiley each received all-conference honorable mention notice. Lloyd was later selected to the AVCA All-America second team for the second consecutive year. Opposite hitter Correy Johnson earned a spot on the Pac-10 All-Freshman team and was joined by middle hitter Kat Brown, who received All-Freshman honorable mention. Cutura, Lloyd, Murrey, Wiley and defensive specialists Kristen Kathan and Meagan Schmitt each earned conference all-academic honors.
Florida Atlantic University Volleyball Team Loses to Miami in Three Sets Owls Suffer First Loss of the Season
CORAL GABLES, FL (August 31, 2010) – The Florida Atlantic University volleyball team lost to Miami in three sets (13-25, 18-25, 21-25) on Tuesday night. The first set was close early on until the Hurricanes went on a 20-9 run to win the first set 25-13. Miami continued its streak in the second set, taking a 9-3 lead. FAU eventually tied the set at 14, but were unable to keep up and eventually lost the set 25-18. In the third set, the Hurricanes got out to a 13-9 lead, but once again the Owls were able to tie the score, this time at 18. FAU was fell just short, losing the third set 25-21. Christina Wallinger led the Owls with 13 kills. The Owls will travel to DeLand next weekend to participate in the Stetson Invitational.
- FAU – About Florida Atlantic University Athletics:FAU Athletics is comprised of 18 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and volleyball. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in the Sun Belt Conference in all but men’s soccer, which participates in the Mid America Conference. The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and have captured two bowl games. Cheer and Dance are also part of the athletic department family and represent the University annually in competition and within the community.
About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, with a world-class faculty, FAU hosts 10 colleges: College of Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science, the College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Engineering & Computer Science, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Graduate College, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
