Volleyball Voices

Oregon State Volleyball Team Inks Two More for 2011

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Oregon State Volleyball Team Inks Two More for 2011

 

Corvallis, Ore. – The Oregon State volleyball team has added two more to its 2011 roster in Arica Nassar and Corinna Mommert, announced Monday by head coach Taras Liskeyvch. Both are expected to have an effect on the lineup immediately and join early signees Haley Clarke (Dundee, Ore.) and Lexi Wilhelm (Escondido, Calif.).

 

“The question is not if Arica and Corinna will have an impact on 2011 for us, but in what capacity,” Liskevych said. “Both are athletic and versatile front-court attackers with experience competing at a high level. They are also trained middles with high potential as outside hitters, as well as the ball control skills to possibly play in all six rotations. Together with our November signees, Haley Clarke and Lexi Wilhelm, this is a great recruiting class for our program.”

 

Arica Nassar (Menifee, Calif./Temescul Canyon HS/951 Elite VBC) 6-1 Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter

 

Arica Nassar joins the Oregon State program as a top middle blocker for the perennial powerhouse 951 Elite Volleyball Club, which was also the club home of Beaver volleyball alum Bree Knitter. Nassar has played less volleyball than many of prep teammates as she was also a successful basketball athlete, but despite her relative late start to volleyball she was named a Prep Volleyball Senior Ace.

 

Nassar holds the school record for blocks and kills. She was named to the 2010-11 AVCA/Under Armour High School All-America Watch List, and was a All-Sunbelt League First Team selection and Most Valuable Player.

 

“Arica is a top recruit from a top volleyball region, who has only scratched the surface of her volleyball abilities,” Liskevych said. “As an athlete, Arica is the total package. She’s a powerful leaper, she’s very quick and strong and she has great range both as a blocker and attacker. She is smart, aggressive and very competitive.  We were fortunate to come back into the picture for Arica late in the recruiting process because we have demonstrated a history of permitting dual-sport athletes.”  

 

Upon the conclusion of the 2011 volleyball season, Nassar will have the opportunity to join the Oregon State basketball program as well. She holds the Temescul Canyon High School school record for points per game (22.3) and rebounds in a single game (27). Last season, she led her team to a Sunbelt League title, advancing to the CIF 3A quarterfinals.

 

Corinna Mommert (Paderborn, Germany/Pascal-Gymnasium/USC Münster II) 6-0 Middle Blocker/Opposite Hitter

 

Corinna Mommert will be the second German native on the Oregon State squad joining compatriot Mona Kressl. Mommert was first nominated to the German Youth National team rosters in 2006. In 2008, she began attending the Münster Sport Internat, where she was able to a attend high school that would allow her to train and compete with a 2nd Division Bundesliga North team, USC Münster II. Mommert represented Germany in the European Championships, World Championships and Youth Olympic Games. She also represented her regional team in several Bundespokal top finishes and led them to two runner-up finishes at the German Cup.

 

“Corinna is an experienced international player — which will be an invaluable addition to our young team,” Liskevych said. “She is outgoing and goal oriented, having left home at age 16 to have an opportunity to play at a higher level and to represent her country. While Corinna is a smaller middle, she is very athletic with an effortless jump and excellent lateral movement. Her all-around skill and high volleyball IQ will allow us to work her into various on-court roles.”

 

Oregon State continues its play this spring, concluding with its annual Spring Game on Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. against Western Washington in conjunction with the Fifth Annual Willamette Classic.

 

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. 

 

 

Cal Bears Conclude Spring At USF Volleyball Tournament

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Bears Conclude Spring at USF Tournament

The California volleyball team will play four matches in the annual USF Spring Tournament

 

BERKELEY – The California volleyball team will play four two-set matches in the annual San Francisco Spring Tournament at the War Memorial Gym in San Francisco on Sat., Apr. 30. The Golden Bears open the day with a 9 a.m. PT match against San Francisco State, and then will take on UC Davis at 11 a.m. In the afternoon, Cal draws Santa Clara at 2 p.m., and will conclude the tournament with a 3 p.m. match against host USF.

 

Each match will be two sets to 25 with no deciding third set. Members of inactive teams will serve as scorekeepers and line judges for other matches. Admission is free to the general public.

 

The Bears will open the 2011 season as hosts of the Cal Molten Classic, Fri.-Sat., Aug. 26-27, as Fairfield, Florida International, and UC Riverside visit Haas Pavilion.

 

The Bears finished as the NCAA runners-up in 2010, and were honored with the AVCA’s awards for National Player of the Year (Carli Lloyd) and National Coach of the Year (Rich Feller). Cal returns nine players from a squad that won the 2010 Pac-10 title. Senior All-American outside hitter Tarah Murrey is flanked by junior middles Shannon Hawari, Correy Johnson and Kat Brown. The Bears also return a pair of sophomore outside hitters in Adrienne Gehan, who was a Pac-10 All-Freshman selection, and Lauren Loerch. The Bears break in a new talent at the setter position in junior Elly Barrett, and bring back junior libero Robin Rostratter and sophomore defensive special Erin Freeman.

Florida State Sand Volleyball Signs Three for Inaugural 2012 Season

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Florida State Sand Volleyball Signs Three for Inaugural 2012 Season

Foundational recruiting class includes three Florida standouts

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – Florida State University Director of Volleyball and indoor volleyball head coach Chris Poole has announced the introductory sand volleyball recruiting class that has signed its national letters of intent to play the inaugural sport beginning in 2012.

 

Florida natives Stephanie Pellitteri (Deerfield Beach) and former South Lake High School teammates Jeassica McGregor (Groveland) and Aurora Newgard (Groveland) make up FSU’s first-ever sand volleyball recruiting class. All three heralded recruits possess enormous accolades stemming from their amateur careers at the high school and club levels.

 

“I’m very excited about this first sand volleyball signing class,” Poole said. “Aurora, Jeassica and Stephanie are all three exceptional players, but more importantly, they are exceptional young ladies. They are among the very best in the nation as beach players and we are fortunate that they have made a commitment to Florida State University. 

 

“They will be the pioneers for not only a new sport at FSU, but a new sport on the college level.  Our USA Women's Beach team has won the last two Olympics and the sport was among the most watched of each of those Olympic Games.”  

 

Pellitteri is a standout performer at Pompano Beach High School, where she was the captain of her indoor volleyball squad and became a second-team all county player. She began playing sand volleyball for Club Beach Dig in the summer of 2007 and continues to excel with the same team.

 

While playing for Club Beach Dig, Pellitteri has boasted some enormous victories over the years. Her team finished in first place in Women’s AAA Florida Beach volleyball on April 2, and also won the 18-under Open Division East Coach Beach Nationals in Fort Lauderdale on Aug. 8, 2010. Other events where she has led her team to victory include the 18-under USAV Florida Regional Championship, 18-under USAV Southern Open and both the 18-under and Women’s AAA Miami Beach Championships.

 

Pellitteri also became a Junior 18-under Regional and National Dig the Beach champion. She has been invited to several camps at the sand volleyball Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., which are invitation only.

 

McGregor is a 2010 graduate of South Lake High School. She is also a junior college transfer from Lake Sumter Community College, where she was named an All Mid-Florida Conference First Team member for the indoor squad. She led her team with 416 assists, 33 aces and a near 25 percent hitting efficiency. In the National Junior College Athletic Association final rankings, McGregor was 27^th in aces per set and 48^th in assists.

 

On the sand, McGregor guided her teams to five first-place finishes in various Dig the Beach tournaments in the Co-Ed open division during the 2010 season. She helped her team to a first-place finish at another competitive event at the Orlando Sports Complex in Nov. 2009, and became an AVPNEXT Southeastern Zone champion only a month before.

 

McGregor has participated with USA Junior National Tour Beach Volleyball in the 20-under division, earning a silver medal at an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., in 2009. In that same year she was also a USAV East Coast national champion and a Florida Region state champion. McGregor also captained the varsity indoor volleyball team, starting at setter and outside hitter at South Lake High.

 

Newgard has also enjoyed plenty of success in both indoor and sand volleyball. She has spent the last two years at State College of Florida, being named a Suncoast Conference First Team member in 2009 and ranking No. 1 in the NJCAA in kills per set as an indoor student-athlete. She also was a co-captain in her first indoor season at SCF.

 

This past season, Newgard earned more indoor volleyball honors. She was an NJCAA All-America Honorable Mention performer, finished first in the Florida Community College Activities Association in aces, kills and digs and was named the Suncoast Conference Player of the Year.

 

Newgard is currently in her second season in the sand circuit at SCF. In the 2011 season thus far, she has led her team to a first-place finish and an undefeated mark at the St. Petersburg College Beach Tournament on April 8. Last year, she also helped upend the University of Miami, 15-11, in a Gold Medal match at Siesta Key Beach.

 

Newgard has also helped defeat other strong duos from larger, Division I universities, including Notre Dame, Florida Atlantic, North Florida and Central Florida.

 

“Aurora, Jeassica and Stephanie are three great athletes,” Poole added. “They are great all-around players and they will now become the future of Florida State Sand Volleyball.”

 

An announcement on the FSU sand volleyball coaching staff will be made within the next two weeks.

 

Poole also believes that the addition of sand volleyball will ultimately attract a new set of athletes, relying more on athleticism compared to the indoor sport that has seen a growth in physicality within the last decade.

 

“While there may be some ‘cross-over’ at first with indoor players, I think you will also see many of your 5'7" to 5'10" players start to focus more on the sand game,” Poole said. “The players indoor have grown bigger and bigger over the last 10 years and it has become a very physical game.  However, the speed and athleticism will be important criteria for players to move in the sand and it will give a new set of athletes and opportunity to emerge in this new sport.”

 

www.seminoles.com

 

Santa Clara Volleyball Continues Practice with Matches at USF Tournament Saturday

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Santa Clara Volleyball Continues Practice with Matches at USF Tournament Saturday

 

Splitting with UOP and Saint Mary's before defeating Stanford 2-0 on April 14 in Palo Alto, Santa Clara will take the courts again this weekend in San Francisco to continue its Spring schedule of play. Santa Clara will play San Jose State, UC Davis, San Francisco State and Cal in the tournament hosted by USF. 

Click here for the April 30 schedule at USF.

Bronco head coach Jon Wallace likes what he saw two weeks ago at Stanford.  "As coaches we liked that we showed great improvement from the first weekend at UOP and the women saw a lot of growth in themselves and the team – I think that's what we took away from that weekend.  They were very positive about where they were going and that's good.  In the last two weeks, we've been training to clean things up even more and I think that they've seen even more improvement. 

"Going to USF this weekend, it doesn't matter who we're playing, it's really about us trying to get better and playing as hard as we can in every match," continued Wallace.

Santa Clara focused a lot on defense its first weekend at UOP.  The second weekend at Stanford they started working more on the offensive side of their game.  "We did talk about our defensive responsibilities the first tournament – that's should be continual growth throughout this Spring," added Wallace.  "While we are working hard on the offensive end, at Stanford we did switch around so much that we haven't really settled in on any lineup, and still are working to get everybody in the gym in general terms.  This week in practice we worked a lot on defense and offense, but also being able to handle situational plays a lot better. I really liked where we've come from there.  We've straightened some things out and then our goal for our last weekend is to put everything together and play really well (vs. Cal Poly May 7).

Wallace is pleased to have Katherine Douglas back on the court after she was red-shirted last year due to injury. But he was quick to point out the outside hitters have made big strides working with Dustin Moore and Matt Lyles in the last few weeks.  "I think that everybody's made such big strides, it's really hard to say who is playing the best," said Wallace. "Our middles have become a lot more efficient.  The setting is a lot better.  Everything's just a lot better."

With Alexandra Palmer and Villanova transfer Alyssa Anderson working as the setters, Santa Clara expects to run a 6-2 and a 5-1 this year.  "Both women will have a match or game to themselves where they will run a 5-1 and we'll do all different lineups," said Wallace.

Overall Wallace is really pleased with the dedication the team has shown since the end of last season.  "Everything is coming together really nice.  We've had great effort and great commitment to improvement.  If you were to say, how do you want your group to respond to last year's season, I think we're handling it right."

The practices are long and hard, but Wallace said the team has learned a lot and they appreciate that.  "There's been a lot of attention to detail and they have appreciate us amping it up quite a bit this Spring."

Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Volleyball: Brianna Brink Signs NLI With Islanders Volleyball

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Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Volleyball: Brianna Brink Signs NLI with Islanders Volleyball

 

The Texas A&M – Corpus Christi volleyball program added an offensive force on the outside after signing Brianna Brinks to a National Letter of Intent during the spring signing period. Brinks, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, will be an incoming freshman from Corona, Calif., that played four seasons at Norco High School.

“Brianna is a really nice outside hitter,” said Head Coach Tony Graystone. “She has long arms, jumps well, has a strong arm that she hits with and puts up a great block. She is a pretty polished outside hitter that is going to help take the place of Emma [Ridley] graduating.”

During her time at Norco, she had a .431 kill percentage during her senior year while garnering Team MVP awards in 2009 and 2010 and receiving Coaches Awards following her freshman and sophomore years. She was also named to the all-league team following her junior and senior seasons. She totaled 225 kills, 32 service aces, 148 digs and 54 blocks as a senior for the Cougars.

In outside competition, she helped her team win the Roosevelt Summer League in 2009 and was a finalist in the Championship Summer League in 2010. She is also an accomplished multi-sport athlete, setting her school’s freshman and sophomore records in the high jump during her two years in track. She also played two years of basketball before concentrating solely on volleyball during the final two years of her high school career. In her club career, she has been involved in the junior nationals each year she played for her team.

“I think Brianna is the right one, I really expect her to compete for some major playing time right away,” said Graystone. “I think with the other outside hitters we have on the team that the position is going to become a real strength in this program.”

Dayton Volleyball Releases 2011 Schedule

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VOLLEYBALL RELEASES 2011 SCHEDULE  
Flyers To Host Marquee Matches At Frericks Center

Online Release: http://www.daytonflyers.com/womens/volleyball/news/index.html?article_id=7754
PDF Schedule/Breakdown: http://daytonflyers.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/News/2011schedule_udvb.pdf

DAYTON, Ohio – Head Coach Kelly Sheffield released the 2011 University of Dayton volleyball schedule on Wednesday which features 20 contests against teams with winning records in 2010, 13 regular season home matches, and the return of the Atlantic 10 Championship to the Frericks Center.

“We have a schedule that is going to challenge us in a lot of different ways,” the reigning A-10 Coach of the Year said. “We're playing teams out of conference that will show us a lot of different styles – which I am excited about. I think it's important to show your team as many styles as possible as you go through a season.”

The season begins on Aug. 26 at the Green Bay Classic as the Flyers will face North Dakota, James Madison and Wisconsin-Green Bay throughout the weekend.

“It will be a little different not opening up the season in Frericks as we are accustomed to doing,” Sheffield said. “But with 13 home matches, fans will have three more opportunities to see the team play at home this season. We open the season against teams that won 25 and 22 matches and then heading to Illinois to play against three quality teams in Illinois, Tennessee, and Houston.”

Three of the four teams at the Illini Classic in early September finished the 2010 season nationally ranked. Dayton, the reigning No. 15 team in the country, opens the Classic with Houston on Friday, Sept. 2, followed by back-to-back matches against No. 24 Tennessee and No. 9 Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 3.

The Flyers then return to Dayton to open their 13-match home schedule at the Frericks Center by hosting the Dayton Flyer Classic with Florida State, Michigan and Pepperdine. All four teams in the Dayton Flyer Classic finished 2010 with an RPI in the top 55. Dayton has gone undefeated, 24-0, in the last two regular seasons at home.

“The Dayton Flyer Classic will be one of the premier tournaments in the country with Florida State, Michigan, and Pepperdine coming into town – three teams capable of winning a few matches in the NCAA Tournament,” Sheffield said. “With Wright State and Notre Dame also coming to UD later in the season, our fans should get the opportunity to see a lot of great volleyball in Frericks this Fall.”

Dayton concludes its non-conference invitational tour with a trip to Buffalo, N.Y., to compete in the Buffalo Classic with Cornell, Syracuse and Buffalo. The Flyers’ two remaining non-conference games will be at the Frericks Center against Wright State on Oct. 18 and Notre Dame on Nov. 25.

Dayton will put a 24-match conference winning streak on the line when opening Atlantic 10 Conference play on a four match home stand at the Frericks Center against La Salle, Temple, Saint Louis and Duquesne. In the 15-match conference season the Flyers will play all but three A-10 opponents twice – at home and on the road. The three teams UD will face just once are Temple at home, Duquesne at home, and Rhode Island on the road.

The rematch of the 2010 A-10 Championship Final against Xavier will be on Oct. 14 at the Frericks Center, and again in Cincinnati on Nov. 4.

Senior Night, honoring UD’s lone senior Yvonne Marten, will be the last home conference regular season match on Nov. 6 against Fordham.

For the second time in three years, Dayton will host the Atlantic 10 Championship at the Frericks Center on Nov. 18-20. The Flyers will try for a third consecutive tournament title, having won six of the last eight tournament crowns.

The last home match of the regular season will be on Nov. 25 against Notre Dame. It will be the second consecutive season the Flyers will face the Fighting Irish. UD swept Notre Dame on Sept. 19, 2010 in South Bend, Ind., to take the Notre Dame Invitational title.

In 2010, UD volleyball became the first team in Dayton Athletics history to make the NCAA Championship in four consecutive seasons. On Nov. 27, the Flyers will know if it will be five consecutive trips to the tournament as the field of 64 will be announced during Selection Sunday. The 2011 NCAA Championship features Regional sites in Gainesville (Fla.), Honolulu (Hawaii), Minneapolis (Minn.), and Lexington (Ky.) from Dec. 9-10. The National Semifinals and Final will be held in San Antonio, Texas from Dec. 15-17. First and Second Rounds will be held at campus sites.

Dayton concluded spring practice last week with an unblemished record of 4-0 in exhibition play, including wins against Ohio State and Ohio. The Flyers return seven players from last season’s Atlantic 10 Conference Championship squad.
 

Texas Volleyball Unveils 2011 Longhorn Schedule

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Texas Volleyball Unveils 2011 Longhorn Schedule

The Texas Volleyball team has announced its 2011 calendar that includes nine teams from the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Volleyball team will play one of the nation’s toughest schedules in 2011, according to the team’s official schedule released Tuesday by UT head coach Jerritt Elliott.

Texas will face nine teams – accounting for 12 of the team’s 28 scheduled matches – that participated in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Included in that total are as many as six matches against teams that reached the NCAA Regional semifinals last season.

Texas opens the season with the first of its two home tournaments, playing host to Pepperdine, Ole Miss and the Israeli National Team on Friday-Saturday, Aug. 26-27. The following week, the Horns travel to Minneapolis for a two-match tangle with perennial power Minnesota on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 2-3.

The Horns stay on the road the next week when they travel to Stanford for the second-annual Nike Big Four Classic, featuring Florida, four-time defending national champion Penn State and Stanford. The matches in Palo Alto will take place on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 9-10.

Texas returns home the following weekend for its second home tourney where it will welcome Santa Clara, SMU and UTSA to Gregory Gymnasium on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 16-17.

The Longhorns wrap up non-conference play on Tuesday, Sept. 20 when they travel north on I-35 to take on TCU in Fort Worth.

In conference play, Texas takes on three league teams that finished the 2010 season ranked in the AVCA Top 25. Joining No. 4 Texas in the final poll, were No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 22 Missouri. The Sooners and Tigers both reached the NCAA Regional semifinals in 2010.

UT kicks off its Big 12 calendar on Saturday, Sept. 24 when it hosts Kansas and then makes its road debut at Oklahoma on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Texas stays on the road on Saturday, Oct. 1 when it travels to Iowa State.

The home schedule is highlighted by the Texas A&M match Wednesday, Oct. 5 and showdowns with Missouri on Oct. 22, Iowa State on Oct. 28 and Oklahoma on Nov. 26 for senior night.

The Horns’ also host Texas Tech on Oct. 12, Kansas State on Nov. 12 and Baylor on Nov. 16

The Longhorns, who finished the 2010 season with a 27-6 record and made their third-straight NCAA Semifinals appearance, return 12 of 15 letterwinners, including five starters.

 

 

 

Colorado State Rams Volleyball Team Falls to Tianjin (China) Bridgestone in Five Sets

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Colorado State Rams Volleyball Team Falls to Tianjin (China) Bridgestone in Five Sets

Match marks final exhibition of CSU’s spring season
 

 
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Tianjin (China) Bridgestone team proved on Tuesday night that they aren’t ranked as one of the top professional teams in the world without reason.
 
The Rams lost a hard fought five-set match to Tianjin, with scores of 25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 16-25, and 11-15, in front of 1,525 fans at Moby Arena.  The match marked the team’s fourth-and-final competition date of their its season.
 
CSU came out strong and took the first two sets, with outside hitter Katelyn Steffan collecting six kills within the first set alone, and ending the match with a team-high 18 kills. Middle blockers Megan Plourde and Tori Brummett followed with eight kills each.
 
Defensively, libero Izzy Gaulia led the team with 23 digs, and sophomore Dana Cranston followed with 13. Brummett also notched an impressive 10 block assists, and one solo block, while Plourde tallied eight block assists as well. Both freshmen setters, Deedra Foss and Katie Rutherford, saw the court against Tianjin, and Foss ended the set with a team-high 34 assists.
 
The Tianjin Bridgestone squad, which recently collected its eighth-overall and fifth-consecutive league championship - will conclude its U.S. tour in California, playing matches against Concordia and UC Irvine this week.  The Tianjin team had already made stops at Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas State and Creighton before arriving in Fort Collins.

Houston Volleyball Adds Four To 2011 Roster

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Houston Volleyball Adds Four To 2011 Roster

Four Student-Athletics To Join Head Coach Molly Alvey In Her Second Season

 

HOUSTON–University of Houston head volleyball coach Molly Alvey announced the addition of four student-athletes during the spring signing period. These athletes will join the squad for the 2011-2012 season.

 

“The one common characteristic in all of our signees this year is thier love for the University of Houston,” Alvey said. “This group is coming to UH because they love the school and the program and because they already feel like Cougars.”

 

“As a coach, there is nothing more special then finding players in the recruiting process that truly love the institution. This group did not have to be convinced. They know they belong here with us and that makes our program stronger. It will be exciting to see what that passion does for UH volleyball once they get here.”

 

The four signees include Courtney Smith (Houston, Texas/Cypress Falls), Esther Longoria (Corpus Christi, Texas/Richard King), Natalie Keck (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy) and Kadi Kullerkann (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentes).

 

Courtney Smith comes to UH from Cypress Falls High School in Houston. Under head coach, Kathy Stephenson, she helped her team finish third in district. Smith was named to the All-District Team and was also a Honorable Mention.

 

Smith is the daughter of Willie and Angela Smith.

 

“Courtney is a Houstonian and middle blocker,” Alvey said. “Finding Houston athletes that truly want to be a part of our program is very special to us. Courtney will continue to increase the athleticism in our gym because she has such a strong drive to get better at the game of volleyball. Her volleyball skills and knowledge of the game will grow exponentially because of her relentlessness to be the best.” 

 

Esther Longoria comes to UH from Richard King High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. She wasnamed to the All-District Team, All-Metro Team and the All-South Texas Team. She was also the runner-up for Setter of the Year.  Longoria guided her team to a 45-4 record and a berth in the state semifinals.

 

Longoria is the daughter of Pablo and Lynann Longoria.

 

“Esther had a tremendous senior season at Richard King High School,” Alvey said. She is a dynamic, intelligent athlete. More importantly, she is a winner. Her competitive drive will take her to the next level of her game as she comes to train with us as both a setter and libero. Dual training is always challenging, but Esther is an athlete who can handle that type of pressure.”

 

Natalie Keck will graduate from Mercy Academy and comes to Houston from Louisville, Ky. Her 2010 volleyball team finished the season with a 35-6 record and was named district and regional champions. They were also the state runner-up. Keck has been named to the All-State, All-Region and All-District First Teams, as well as, the All-Catholic First Team. She was an AAU All-American and was a member of the Honor Roll.

 

Keck is the daughter of Charlie and Dawn Keck.

 

“Natalie comes from an extremely competitive volleyball background,” Alvey said. “Her high school is one of the top 10 volleyball schools in the country and she also plays with one of the best and most well known clubs in the country.”

 

“More than anything, I expect her to bring a winning mentality and relentlessness to compete at the highest level to our program.   She has competed with and against the best.  She is a libero and willbring added ball control to our program.”

 

Kadi Kullerman comes to Houston from Tallinn, Estonia. During hersenior season her volleyball team finished fifth in the Estonia championships and they were fourth her junior year.  Kullerman is a student representative at her high school and her older sister, Liis, plays volleyball at Ohio University.

 

Kullerman is the daughter of Koit and Jana Kullerkann.

 

“Kadi brings size and knowledge of the game to our program,” Alvey said. “At 6'4”, she should bring a blocking and attacking presence to our front line.  She is also a player that has competed at an extremely high level and I expect her to bring that level of play to our gym every single day.”

 

The four members of the signing class will join Caitlin Ogletree, who signed will the team in December.

 

 

 

Six Set to Join Washington State Volleyball

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Six Set to Join Washington State Volleyball

 

PULLMAN - Three transfers and three high school players will join the Washington State University volleyball team for Fall 2011 season, Head Coach Jen Greeny announced Thursday.

 

The three transfers are Megan McManus and Krystal Robinson from Grossmont College, and Maile Scarpino from Hofstra University. The three high school players are Ver’leea Hardaway from Mission Viejo, Calif., Stephanie Logan from Pullman, Wash., and Shawna Lum from Westchester, Calif.

 

McManus is a 6-0 setter from Spring Valley, Calif., who graduated from Grossmont High in 2009 and played on the San Diego Volleyball Club team that was runner-up at the 2009 Volleyball Festival. She will graduate from Grossmont College with academic honors next month after spending her freshman year at Colorado Christian University. McManus was the 2010 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and led the Griffins to the PCAC Championship and a 17-6 record. McManus was among the conference leaders in assists, service aces and led the league in hitting percentage. She selected to the All-Southern California Region Team by the California Community College Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association. McManus plans to pursue a major in biology at WSU.

 

Robinson is a 6-0 outside hitter from LaMesa, Calif., and graduated from Grossmont High. She began her collegiate career at Cal State East Bay (Hayward, Calif.). She transferred and was McManus’ teammate at Grossmont College where the Griffins won the PCAC Championship in 2010. Robinson was a first-team All-PCAC selection after leading the conference in kills and was the Grossmont College Offensive Player of the Year. Robinson plans to major in creative writing or sports journalism.

 

Scarpino is a 5-5 defensive specialist from Kailua, Hawai’i, who comes to Washington State from Hofstra University. She graduated from the Iolani School in 2009, and played one season at Hofstra where she led the 13-19 team with 43 service aces and tallied 255 digs in 116 sets. Scarpino played for the Asics Rainbows Volleyball Club and on the USA High Performance A2 travel team at the Global Challenge in Europe in 2009. A member of the National Honor Society in high school, Scarpino was on the Dean’s List at Hofstra. She plans to study health science or psychology at WSU.

 

Hardaway is a 6-1 middle blocker who will graduate this spring from Mission Viejo High. The Diablo’s volleyball team won the Seaview title in 2010 with an 8-0 record. As a senior, Hardaway was ranked in the top five middle blockers in Orange County by OCVarsity.com. She was also ranked the No. 1 middle blocker in the Seaview League by MaxPreps.com. Hardaway played on the Saddleback Volleyball Club.

 

Logan is a 6-2 right side hitter set to graduate from Pullman High in June. She was a two-time Great Northern League Most Valuable Player award winner and a two-time first team all-state selection. Logan led the Greyhounds to a 33-2 record in 2009, and a 34-4 record in 2010, with back-to-back Washington state 2A Championship titles. Logan was also a two-time Sportsmanship Award winner at the state tournament and in 2010 broke the Pullman High single season records for kills (378) and blocks (117). Logan played for the Pullman Volleyball Club and the PAC-V Volleyball Club. She carries a 3.8 grade point average and was awarded the WSU Achievement Scholarship.

 

Lum is a 5-6 defensive specialist who will graduate from El Segundo High in June. She was a four-year letterwinner in volleyball and a two-time first team All-Pioneer League selection. Lum has a 4.0 grade point average and has been on the Dean’s List and the California Scholarship Federation throughout her prep career. She plans to study international business with an emphasis in Spanish at WSU.

 

“We are looking forward to the arrival of the 2011 class,” Greeny said. “They are a talented group of student-athletes and we are extremely excited to get them on campus in the fall.”

 

These incoming players join Fall signees Zoe Gogan, a 6-2 outside hitter from Mount Si High School, Chelsey Bettinson, a 6-1 outside hitter from Richland High School, and Jaicee Harris, a 5-11 outside hitter from Chelan High School.

-www.wsucougars.com-

 

Candace Tufaga Joins Utah Volleyball Program

Candace Tufaga Joins Utah Volleyball Program
Defensive specialist becomes sixth member of incoming class.

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah head volleyball coach Beth Launiere has announced the addition of defensive specialist Candace Tufaga to the incoming recruiting class that will begin playing for the Utes in the fall of 2011.

"Candace will give us depth at the defensive specialist position," Launiere said. "We’re happy to have her join our team and believe her ability and experience will help us tremendously."

Tufaga, a native of Kahuku, Hawaii, played two seasons at Sheridan College and had 2.02 kills per set last season for the Generals. In 2009, she played in 78 sets and averaged .45 service aces per set during, which ranked 41st in the nation.

Tufaga attended Kahuka High School where she lettered for four years and played a variety of positions (outside hitter, right-side hitter and defensive specialist) for head coach Uila Vendiola. Tufaga earned honorable mention all-state recognition in both the 2007 and 2008 seasons and led her team to the Oahu Interscholastic Association title in 2008.

Tufaga also played with the NorthShore Volleyball Club and the Team 808 Hawaii Volleyball Club.

Tufaga was an honor roll candidate during her four years of high school and she intends to major in pre-exercise and sport science. She is the daughter of Lima and So’o Tufaga and has three siblings: Tuika, So’o and Wes. Wes played football at Utah from 1997-2000.

- UU -

Denise Van De Walle To Retire After 2011 Season

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Denise Van De Walle To Retire After 2011 Season

 

Bowling Green, Ohio – Bowling Green State University volleyball coach Denise Van De Walle has announced that she will retire from coaching following the 2011 season. Van De Walle is the winningest coach in Mid-American Conference history with a mark of 508-366 in 28 seasons at Bowling Green.

 

“The time is right for this change,” Van De Walle said. “I have been blessed beyond words to have spent my entire 28-year Division I head coaching career at one place. Very few coaches get the opportunity to spend their entire career with one school.”

 

A four-time MAC Coach of the Year, Van De Walle’s teams have posted 13 20-win seasons and a 30-win campaign in 1992. She was honored as the top coach in the league in 1986, 1987, 1989, and 1992.

 

Van De Walle was named the head coach of BGSU volleyball on June 30, 1983 and has the longest tenure of any current head coach at the University. She has experience coaching at the high school, college, national, and international levels.

 

“There have been many, many people who have made my time here so special,” Van De Walle said. “I have so many amazing memories of current and former BG coaches and of course, the current and former players who I’ve had the privilege to coach and continue to keep me involved in their lives. I will always be indebted to my first Athletics Director, Jack Gregory, who took a chance on a young, naïve coach and gave me an incredible opportunity to build a championship program. Also, our Falcon fans have made me and our team feel loved throughout the years. The Lord has truly blessed me here. I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished.”

 

The program’s most successful stretch came from 1989-93 when the team had five consecutive 20-win seasons, won three MAC regular season crowns and was runner-up once. The 1989 team won the program’s first conference title, snapping Western Michigan’s 98-match league winning streak and seven-year reign as league champions. The squad finished a perfect 8-0 in league play, the only undefeated MAC season in program history.

 

The 1991 team made the program’s first NCAA appearance and the Falcons finished the year ranked No. 19 in the country. The 1992 team then set a school record for victories in a season by going 30-8 and the Falcons capped a spectacular season with a runner-up finish at the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) – the highest ever finish by a MAC member. The team again advanced to the NIVC in 1993, placing second in the both MAC regular season and tournament.

 

“It’s hard to imagine BGSU Volleyball without Denise,” Director of Athletics Greg Christopher said. “Her standard of excellence, both on the court and in the classroom, over the course of 28 years is one that everyone should aim for. As we open the Stroh Center this fall, we will take time to celebrate the legacy of Denise’s career at BGSU.”

 

For all of the team’s on-court achievements, Van De Walle’s squads have perennially been one of the best in the classroom as well. She has had numerous regional Academic All-Americans and Emily Manser was a member of the Academic All-America team in both 2004 and 2005. Linda Popovich received the Walter Byers Award 1990, given annually to the top graduating male and female seniors in the country and requiring a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average. She is the only female in conference history to receive first team all-academic national honors twice.

 

The program has received the AVCA National Academic Award 11 consecutive years, the second-longest streak in the country, and had one season with the highest overall grade point average in the country.

 

A 1976 graduate of Ball State, Van De Walle led Northside High School in Muncie, Ind. to a record of 54-9 in two seasons. Her 1977 team went 29-1 en route to the state championship. She was named Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Coach of the Year following the 1978 campaign, before moving on to become a graduate assistant at her alma mater in 1979, coaching the junior varsity team.

 

In 1980, Van De Walle returned to Northside and guided the team to a 25-3 record, while also coaching the Michiana Volleyball Club that participated in the United State Volleyball Association (USVBA) Junior Nationals in California and the Junior Olympics in Illinois. In 1981, she joined the program at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo as an assistant coach and helped the Mustangs to a 41-8 record and a fifth place finish in the NCAA Division I Championships. She went back to Ball State as an assistant coach in 1982 before landing the head coaching job at Bowling Green.

 

In May of 2001, Van De Walle was named President of the American Volleyball Coaches Association and has been active in the AVCA during her career, serving on the Board of Directors from 1993-2000. She also sat on the Board of Directors for USA Volleyball.

 

Van De Walle also coached Athletes in Action in 1983 and 1984, leading teams that toured the Far East with stops in Hong Kong, Japan and China. She also led AIA volleyball teams on tours of Bolivia and South Africa in 1995 and 1996. In 1991 and 1993, she coached at the U.S. Olympic Festival, guiding the East to a bronze medal in Los Angeles in 1991. In 1992, Van De Walle ran the USVBA women’s senior elite camp in Colorado Springs.

 

From 2003-08, Van De Walle served as the assistant coach for the USA National Sitting Team. Along with Mike Hulett, she founded the team in 2003 and the unit earned a bronze medal in the first Sitting Volleyball Paralympics for women in Athens, Greece in 2004. She helped lead the team to a second place finish in the Asia-Oceanic Cup in the summer of 2007 and captured a bronze medal at the first World Organization Volleyball for the Disabled Intercontinental Cup in Egypt in April of 2008. The team then won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

 

A loyal supporter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Van De Walle was part of the first-ever international missions trip for FCA in the summer of 1998, conducting clinics and speaking at various youth and church functions in Singapore. She returned to the country in the summer of 2000. Van De Walle was inducted in the Northwest Ohio chapter of the FCA’s Hall of Champions in May of 2010, being honored in the inaugural class.

 

In all, Van De Walle’s players have earned 51 All-MAC Awards, 65 MAC Player of the Week honors, 12 MAC Commissioner’s Awards, four MAC President’s Awards, eight All-Mideast Region Awards, 104 MAC Academic Honor Roll Awards, 50 Academic All-MAC honors, three Academic All-American Awards, six BGSU Junior Scholar Athlete Awards, a Senior Scholar Athlete Award, and a BGSU Medal of Honor.

 

“I love Bowling Green,” Van De Walle said. “However, I’ve been thinking about making this move for a while. One of my goals, though, was to coach my team in the Stroh Center so I wanted to coach long enough to do that. Next season will be a special one!”

Nebraska Huskers Volleyball Team Battles Back to Win in Five

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Nebraska Huskers Volleyball Team Battles Back to Win in Five

 

Lincoln – The Nebraska volleyball team finished its spring schedule on Saturday night with a 3-2 (25-19, 25-18, 33-35, 25-27, 16-14) win over Tianjin Bridgestone, one of the top professional teams in China, in front of 2,340 fans at the NU Coliseum. Saturday night’s match was Tianjin’s fourth match of an eight-match trip across the country. They opened with a 3-2 loss to Illinois before beating Kansas State (5-0) and Creighton (4-0).

 

Gina Mancuso led the Huskers with her third double-double of the spring as the junior produced a match-high 21 kills and added 12 digs. Morgan Broekhuis and Lauren Cook also had double-double for the Huskers as Broekhuis had 19 kills and 14 digs while Cook put up 55 assists and tied for the team high in digs with 18. Tianjin was led offensively by Zhang Xiaoyu’s 16 kills, while three others had 14 kills apiece.  

 

The match was a defensive battle as neither squad hit over .200 with NU hitting .190 and Tianjin swinging at a .163 clip. The Huskers block was the difference as they out blocked Tianjin 15-11, including three solo stuffs and three block assists from Jordan Wilberger. Nebraska only had two more aces than Tianjin, 6-4, but Tianjin had six more service errors than the Huskers, 16-10.

 

The Huskers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-19 win in set one. Mancuso led the NU attack with four kills and no errors on 10 swings, while Broekhuis chipped in another three kills and Cook put up nine assists and an ace. The Huskers only hit .222 in the set, but Nebraska’s defense held Tianjin to .196 hitting. Tianjin could never find its serving rhythm as they committed five service errors in the set. Lui Ya led Tianjin with five kills in the set, but also had two errors on 13 swings to hit .231.

 

Nebraska dialed up the defense in set two behind three blocks from Hayley Thramer and two from Broekhuis. Tianjin committed five more service errors in set two and only produced eight kills on 27 swings to hit .037. Mancuso again led the way for NU with three kills, while Wilberger, Broekhuis and Hannah Werth each added two kills apiece. Nebraska also added to its ace total with one each from Mancuso and Paige Hubl. Zhang Xiaoyu was Tianjin’s lone bright spot in the set with three kills on six swings, an ace and one block.

 

Set three was one of the longest sets in recent memory at the NU Coliseum with Tianjin eventually winning its first set of the night, 35-33. The Huskers kept Tianjin from winning the set six times, but was unable to produce a seventh stop as a kill from Lui Ya sealed the win for Tianjin. Both teams picked up the offense as NU hit .311 and Tianjin hit .296, while the two teams combined for 44 assists. Mancuso had a set-high eight kills and Sun Mingjian led Tianjin with seven kills.

 

Tianjin’s momentum carried over into set four as they tied the match at 2-2 with a 27-25 win. Tianjin hit just .106 in the set, but the Huskers struggled even more and hit .060, including negative marks for Wilberger, Mancuso and Werth. Even though the offense sputtered, the NU’s defense played tough with six players recording a block assist, including three from Allison McNeal and two each from Wilberger and Cook.

 

The final set was a back-and-fourth struggle until late in the match when Tianjin pulled away and had match point at 14-10. The Huskers would not be denied though as Broekhuis put away a kill and then freshman Lara Dykstra served five straight points, capped by a Broekhuis kill, to win the set and the match for Nebraska, 16-14. Broekhuis was the Huskers’ offense in the final set as the sophomore put home five of the Huskers’ eight kills while Mancuso had the other three. Wilberger stepped up her defense down the stretch as well with two blocks during the final 6-0 run.

 

With the 2011 spring schedule now complete fans can look forward to the start of the regular season. The Huskers will open the year in Albuquerque, N.M., at the New Mexico Tournament. Nebraska will play New Mexico State on Friday, Aug. 26 and New Mexico on Saturday, Aug. 27. The Huskers’ first Big Ten Conference match comes on Wednesday, Sept. 21 when Nebraska hosts four-time defending NCAA champion Penn State at the NU Coliseum.

 

Wake Forest Volleyball Announces 2010 Team Awards

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Wake Forest Volleyball Announces 2010 Team Awards

 

Andrea Beck garners three awards

 

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest head volleyball coach Heather Kahl Holmes has announced the 2010 team awards as voted on by the players.

 

Sophomore Andrea Beck received three awards, including Most Valuable Player, Best Offensive Player and the Dedication Award.

 

The Most Valuable Player award recognizes the student-athlete who made the most visible impact on the team during the season, while the Best Offensive Player award goes to the athlete who made the most significant contribution to the team’s success through her offensive play.

 

The Dedication Award is the only award not voted on by the Wake Forest volleyball team members. The award, given by the team’s strength coach, is for the athlete who shows the most discipline and hard work in the areas of strength and conditioning. This player shows a positive attitude and focus while in the weight room and their improvement is a reflection of their determination.

 

Beck was certainly deserving of all the accolades, as she was near the top in several statistical categories. She finished the year second in kills (312), attacks (709), blocks (100) and points (3.62). Beck also amassed other recognition during the season, as she was named ACC Player of the Week once as well as First Team ESPN Academic All-District, All-ACC and Academic All-ACC.

 

The award for Best Defensive Player recognizes the athlete who made a significant contribution through her defensive play, whether it be blocking at the net or in the back row. Junior Carlin Salmon was voted the team’s Best Defensive Player in 2010.

 

Salmon led the team with 116 blocks on the year, as 101 were block assists and 15 were solo blocks. On 12 different occasions, Salmon recorded at least total blocks in a match and had a season-high seven total blocks at Virginia and against Georgia Tech.

 

Freshman Kylie Hargreaves was named Rookie of the Year for being the player to make the most significant contributions during her first year with the team.

 

Hargreaves appeared in 28 matches and made six starts throughout the year, either as an outside hitter or defensive specialist. She ended the year with 67 kills, 120 digs, 13 blocks and eight aces. Hargreaves recorded a season-high 10 kills at Virginia and a season-high 18 digs vs. Maryland.

 

The Deacon Award, which is give to the athlete who never gives up and shows determination in all aspects of life, was shared by senior Kristen White and junior Cambrey Oehler.

 

White was as a mainstay in the Deacon starting lineup and ended the year with 158 kills and 265 digs. In the final match of her career, White recorded her 1,000^th career dig while nursing an injured ankle. She ended her career in 10^th place in kills (920) and ninth place in digs (1,000).

 

Oehler spent the majority of the season as a defensive specialist and made a few appearances as an outside hitter. She tallied 192 digs on the season and developed into one of the team’s best servers with 18 aces. Oehler also served as a main passer in server receive patterns for Wake Forest.

 

The Demon Deacons ended the season with a 19-12 overall record and an 11-9 record in ACC play. The 11-win conference season was the best in school history, as Wake Forest ended its year with a 3-0 home victory over ACC Champion Duke.