Volleyball Voices

Vorherr Sets A-10 Digs Record, Xavier Rallies Past Ball State

Vorherr Sets A-10 Digs Record, Xavier Rallies Past Ball State

Lucich Serves Five-Straight Points To Win Fifth Set

 

MUNCIE, Ind. – Senior libero Stephanie Vorherr registered 33 digs to set the Atlantic 10 career record and Xavier defeated Ball State in five sets (23-25, 27-29, 25-23, 25-22, 15-10) on Saturday night. Xavier improves to 21-11 on the season and Ball State falls to 14-17.

 

Vorherr picked up nine digs alone in the first set to surpass George Washington’s Candace Silva-Martin for the all-time record. The Cincinnati native now has 2,152 digs in her illustrious career to lead the A-10. This is the ninth time in Vorherr’s career that she passed 28 or more digs and she owns Xavier’s top three single-match marks.

 

“A most sincere congratulations to Steph,” said head coach Mike Johnson. “I can pay to her one of the highest compliments I know – she gave her best each and every day. This record celebrates her effort. But it also celebrates the effort of our entire team. We’ll revel in this together.”

 

After leading much of the first set, Xavier fell behind in the waning points and lost, 25-23. The second set followed a similar script. The Musketeers led most of the way, only to surrender the lead and set to the Cardinals, 29-27.

 

XU flipped the script in the third game. Behind Elizabeth Lucich’s serve, the Musketeers ran off three-unanswered points to take a 23-21 lead and went on to claim the set, 25-23. After building a six-point lead at 20-14, Xavier withstood a run from Ball State and took game four, 25-22, to force a fifth game.

 

The Musketeers built a 10-7 lead in the deciding set. As they had done in the first two sets the Cardinals made a rally and tied the game at 10-all. Lucich, a senior from Indianapolis, Ind., stepped to the service line and helped the Musketeers run off five-straight points, including a service ace on match point, to win the set and match, 15-10.

 

“We have talked all year of what we stand for as a group,” said Johnson. “Not as volleyball players, but as people. We pride ourselves on resilience, tenacity and our love for the game. Tonight’s win wasn’t about the X’s and O’s of the game. It was about guts. For who we are, I couldn’t be prouder.”

 

Kelsey Dunaway led four Musketeers in double-digit kills with a career-high-tying 16 kills. The junior from Louisville, Ky., hit .282 during the match and also added two blocks. Dunaway reached double-digit kills in each of the last three matches for XU.

 

Joining Dunaway in double digit kills were Alex Smith (14), Sarah Brown (12) and Amé White (12). Alex Smith connected for a hitting percent of .344, while Brown completed a double-double by adding 12 digs.

 

Aubree Smith put together an all-around performance with 56 assists, seven kills, eight digs and five blocks. Smith was integral in distributing the ball to five Musketeers who finished with nine kills or more.

 

Xavier will travel back to Cincinnati and await Sunday’s NCAA Tournament selection show. The Musketeers entered the match with an RPI of 53, putting them in the discussion for a possible at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.

 

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Xavier Volleyball Team Rallies Help Down Temple, 3-1

Temple Volleyball Team Takes Xavier to an Extra Set But Falls 3-1

Xavier Volleyball Team Sophomore Libero Stephanie Vorherr Previews The Weekend and Upcoming A-10 Championship Hosted by Xavier Nov. 19-21

VCU Volleyball Coach Finley Contract Not Renewed

 

 

FINLEY’S CONTRACT NOT RENEWED

RICHMOND, Va.- The Virginia Commonwealth University Athletic Department announced that the contract of Volleyball Head Coach James Finley will not be renewed for next season.

“ Our program needs a different direction and different leadership to attain our goals of achieving at an elite level nationally,” VCU Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin  said. “I thank Coach Finley and his staff for their service to VCU Athletics and I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

Finley spent the past eight years on the Black and Gold sidelines, compiling a mark of 151-116. The Rams reached the conference championship match four times during his tenure.

Prior to his time at VCU, Finley spent four years as the head coach at Arizona Western Junior College, where he posted a 137-37 mark.

A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

As per department policy, VCU staff and student-athletes will not comment on any personnel changes, so VCU will have no further comment on this matter.

Related articles

• VCU Volleyball Team Releases 2011 Schedule
• VCU Rams Volleyball Team Shakes Up CAA Race, Shock First-Place George Mason, 3-2
• VCU Volleyball Players Clegg, Rams Roadblock JMU In Harrisonburg
Baylor Volleyball Team Tabbed Sixth by Big 12 League Coaches
Volleyball Video: CSU volleyball vs. No. 12 Pepperdine press conference.mp4

XU Falls In Five-Set Heartbreaker, Earns A-10 Runner-Up

XU Falls In Five-Set Heartbreaker, Earns A-10 Runner-Up

Blair, Brown, Smith Named All-Tournament

 

 

CINCINNATI – Xavier (20-11) dropped a five-set heartbreaker to top-seed and 12^th-ranked Dayton (26-5) to earn its third-straight runner-up finish in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships. Alex Blair, Sarah Brown and Aubree Smith were named to the all-tourney team in a ceremony following the match.

 

“First of all, congratulations to Dayton,” said head coach Mike Johnson. “They are a good team and played well with their backs against the wall. I was proud of our effort tonight and all season long. This is a special group of people. We came into the match as a team and we’ll leave it that way. I’m sorry for our seniors that we weren’t able to get it done. This loss does not define them. They are championship people and I’ll remember them as such.”

 

The opening set featured runs by both teams, with Xavier opening a 10-4 lead and Dayton charging back to a 15-14 advantage. XU staved off several match points before a Smith kill and an attack error by UD gave X the set, 28-26.

 

Trailing 15-11 headed into the media timeout, the Musketeers responded with a 7-2 run to force a UD timeout. In fact, XU closed out the set with a 14-4 run following the timeout. The 25-19 win in the second set sent Xavier into intermission with a 2-0 lead in the match.

 

XU found quickly found itself in a 5-1 hole in the third set and was never able to fully recover. The Flyers closed out the set, 25-16, and cut Xavier’s lead in the match to 2-1. The fourth set followed a similar path. Xavier went down 3-0 early, recovered to force a Dayton timeout at 15-9 and eventually dropped the set, 15-14.

 

A spirited group of Musketeers opened the fifth set winning the first two points. With Xavier leading, 3-2, Dayton used seven-straight points to take control of the game and went on to win the A-10 Championship with a 15-7 win in set five.

 

Brown finished the match with 12 kills and 25 digs. In XU’s two matches, the junior outside hitter combined for 20 kills and 31 digs. Blair had 10 kills and six blocks against the Flyers en route to 19 kills and 13 blocks for the Championship. Aubree Smith paced a balanced Xavier attack, finishing with 40 assists, 11 digs and six kills in the finals and 73 assists and 18 digs during the tournament.

 

Xavier will close at its season with a match at 7 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 24 against Ball State in Muncie, Ind.

 

Charlotte’s Litoborski Achieves 1,000 Career Digs on Senior Day in 3-0 Home Volleyball Loss to Xavier

Charlotte’s Litoborski Achieves 1,000 Career Digs on Senior Day in 3-0 Home Volleyball Loss to Xavier

 

CHARLOTTE -- Senior Jenna Litoborski (Lemont, Ill.) became the 17^th player in school history over 1,000 digs for her career on Senior Day as the Charlotte 49ers fell Sunday in a 3-0 loss (25-23, 25-18, 25-14) to Xavier in Atlantic 10 Conference action. The 49ers honored their four outgoing seniors in a ceremony before the match. Charlotte slips to 10-15 on the season, 2-11 in the A-10. Xavier is 19-9 and locked up second place in the conference and a bye in next week’s A-10 Tournament with an 11-2 mark.

 

Litoborski came in needing seven digs for the four-digit plateau and reached that mark in the opening set.

There were four lead changes and 13 ties scores in the opening set, including as late as 20-20, but the Musketeers secured five kills in the last eight points to take the opening set by two.

 

The Niners had trouble getting XU off its serve in the second, as the Musketeers had a pair of 5-0 runs in the set and survived a late 8-5 run by Charlotte for the seven-point victory.

 

The match was tied at all but one point up to a nine-all tie, when Xavier strung together a 9-1 run and pulled away for the match victory.

 

Litoborski finished with the match-high total of 20 digs and pulled into 16^th on the Charlotte all-time career digs list, ahead of Paula Smith (1985-88) with a total of 1,013. She is 25 away from Stacia Brisentine (1992-95) with one match left to play. Fellow senior Bianca Rouse (Columbia, S.C. / Keenan HS) had the team-high total of eight kills. Sophomore Savannah Gaster (Johnsonville, S.C.) had four blocks to tie for the match high and senior Shannon McClean (Cypress, Tex. / Cy-Woods HS) added three blocks to go with her seven digs. Senior Lily Vera (Anderson, S.C. / Stone Bridge HS) led the 49ers with 15 assists.

 

Charlotte will conclude the 2012 Thursday night at VCU at 7 p.m.

 

  --charlotte49ers.com—

Volleyball Videos: Xavier Experience: Stephanie Vorherr (Volleyball). #volleyball #collegevolleyball

Volleyball Videos: Xavier Experience: Stephanie Vorherr (Volleyball).

Xavier senior Stephanie Vorherr is one of the all-time great players in XU volleyball history. The Cincinnati native holds the program's all-time digs record and has been named the Atlantic 10 Libero of the Year three times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Temple's Chelsea Tupuola Named Atlantic 10 Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week #volleyball

 

 

Temple's Chelsea Tupuola Named Atlantic 10 Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Atlantic 10 Conference has named Temple senior Chelsea Tupuola the volleyball Defensive Player of the Week, as announced Monday for matches played between Oct. 1-7. VCU senior Kristin Boyd was named the Offensive Player of the Week, and Duquesne freshman Mary Henry earned Rookie of the Week honors.

"I'm just really excited and very happy for Chelsea," said Temple head coach Bakeer Ganes. "It's similar to when she got the tournament MVP awards for the Big 5 and Temple Invitational. I think she's very underrated and it's very underrated what she does for the team. She's a major part of our success and I'm happy the conference is recognizing that and awarding her. The team is very happy for her too because she's a great person and great teammate to be around."

Tupuola led all players with 19 digs (6.33 digs/set) in helping Temple sweep La Salle in the Owls' only match of the week. A libero, Tupuola served up a match-high three aces and also notched an assist in the win. The 6.33 digs per set average would rank fourth nationally if it were a season-long statistic. The Torrance, Calif., native ranks in the top 25 nationally and leads the A-10 with 5.4 digs per set.

Boyd played a key role in a pair of 3-0 wins for VCU, collecting 21 total kills in 42 attacks for a .429 hitting percentage. The outside hitter registered 11 kills and one error, hitting .556 in a three-set non-conference drubbing of Liberty. A Wilmington, N.C., native, Boyd followed that with 10 kills and just two errors, hitting .333 in a three-set win over Charlotte.

Henry, who earned Rookie of the Week honors for the fifth time this season, helped Duquesne in a split week with 12 kills, a .417 hitting percentage and 8.89 assist per set. A Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native, Henry registered five kills (hitting .455), 29 assists and 11 digs for a double-double in a loss to George Washington. The setter followed that with 51 assists, seven kills (hitting .395) and eight digs in a five-set win over Big 12 opponent West Virginia. She also added two aces and five blocks for the Dukes last week.

-Temple Owls-

Xavier Volleyball Team Heads To Philadelphia For Two Atlantic 10 Matches #volleyball

Xavier Volleyball Team Heads To Philadelphia For Two Atlantic 10 Matches

Brown Has Reached Double-Digit Kills In Eight-Straight Matches

 

CINCINNATI – Following a pair of home wins to open the Atlantic 10 schedule, the Xavier volleyball team takes to the road for matches against Temple and La Salle this weekend.

 

Xavier (9-7, 2-0 A-10) will square off against Temple (12-4, 2-0 A-10) on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Musketeers and Owls are two of the four teams in the A-10 that made it through the opening weekend without a blemish in conference play.

 

XU will conclude the road trip with a matinee match with La Salle (3-14, 0-2 A-10) on Saturday. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

 

Live stats for both matches will be available at OwlSports.com and GoExplorers.com. La Salle will provide a video stream of Saturday’s match.

 

Last Time Out

Xavier opened play in the Atlantic 10 last weekend with wins over Saint Louis (3-1) and Butler (3-0). XU is one of four schools to open the season with a perfect 2-0 record, joining No. 20 Dayton, Duquesne and Friday's opponent Temple.

 

A-10’s Department of Defense

The Musketeers lead the A-10 in opponent hitting percentage, limiting their foes to a paltry .149 attack percent. XU ranks fourth in the conference in both blocks (2.16 b/s) and digs (15.95 d/s), making them the only team to appear in the top four in both categories. After wins over A-10 foes Saint Louis and Butler, teams predicted to finish third and sixth, respectively, XU holds an even more impressive .060 hitting percentage in conference action.

 

Smith Impressive In Opening Weekend

Sophomore setter Aubree Smith had an impressive all-around start to the A-10 season, registering 67 assists, 22 digs, 10 kills and eight blocks in Xavier's matches against SLU and Butler. In XU's last five matches, Smith is averaging 9.47 a/s, 2.53 d/s, 1.11 b/s and 1.05 k/s.

 

Brown Is Still On a Roll

Junior outside hitter Sarah Brown has posted double-digit kills in each of the last eight matches. In fact, she has reached double-digits in 12 of XU's 16 matches this season. Brown is averaging 3.79 k/s and 3.00 d/s in Xavier's last eight contests.

 

Scouting the Opposition – Temple

The Owls enter Friday's match on a six-match winning streak, with all six matches coming in their home arena. Those six matches are also the only home matches Temple has played this season. Temple is led by Elyse Burkert (4.37 k/s), Tiffany Connatser (11.78 a/s), Chelsea Tupuola (5.37 d/s) and Annemarie Boehm (.86 b/s). The Owls actually have two players connecting on more than 3.8 k/s. Gabriella Matautia (3.83 k/s) joins Burkert above the 3.8 k/s threshold.

 

Scouting the Opposition – La Salle

The Explorers enter the weekend on a four-match losing streak. They will play No. 20 Dayton on Friday nght before Saturday's contest with Xavier. Team Leaders for La Salle are Kelly Scanlon (2.86 k/s), Rachel Melich (5.39 a/s), Samantha Tulskie (4.3 d/s) and Jennifer Whelan (.60 b/s). Two of the Explorer's wins have come in Tom Gola Arena, their home facility. On the year, La Salle is 2-6 at home.

 

 

 

 

Dayton's Campbell Named Atlantic 10 Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week #collegevolleyball

Dayton's Campbell Named Atlantic 10 Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week

 

NEWPORT NEWS, VA. - The Atlantic 10 Conference announced their women's volleyball Players of the Week Monday and recognized University of Dayton junior Megan Campbell as the Offensive Player of the Week.

Campbell led the No. 22 Flyers to a pair of wins to open up Atlantic 10 play as Dayton defeated Butler and Saint Louis this past weekend. The junior from Versailles, Ohio hit an outstanding .635 attack percentage, while averaging 3.86 kills per set. Campbell totaled 16 kills on 22 attempts against Butler with two service aces, three blocks, and a .682 hitting percentage. She followed that up with an 11-kill, .558-percentage performance against Saint Louis Saturday.Campbell has played a big role in Dayton’s success this season.

Duquesne had two players honored as Patti Abshire was named Defensive Player of the Week and Mary Henry was named Rookie of the Week.

Joining Rachel Krabacher and Janna Krafka as a 2012 A-10 Player of the Week, Campbell has picked up her first nod of the season. Dayton stayed in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week at No. 22 with a 10-4 overall record and 2-0 conference mark.

The Flyers will continue league action this weekend as they head to Philadelphi, Pa. Dayton will take on La Salle at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 28. The next night the Flyers will face Temple, also at 7 p.m. ET.

The No. 20 Dayton Flyers Falls in Three Sets to the No. 19 Kansas State Wildcats

The No. 20 Dayton Flyers Falls in Three Sets to the No. 19 Kansas State Wildcats

The No. 20 Dayton Flyers Falls in Three Sets to the No. 19 Kansas State Wildcats: 23-25, 20-25, 15-25.

 

Senior Rachel Krabacher led the Flyers with a double-double of 16 kills and 13 digs as Dayton dropped to 8-4 on the season. For her efforts,

 

Krabacher was named to the Golden Hurricane Invitational All-Tournament team.

 

Junior Megan Campbell added six kills and hit .312 for the match, while freshman Janna Krafka made 10 digs.

 

Kansas State out-hit the Flyers .352 to .155. Part of the Wildcats’ success came from Kaitlynn Pelger who recorded match highs of 19 kills and a .654 hitting percentage.

 

Kansas State improved to 12-0 overall, extending its best start in school history.

 

UD junior Shayne Brown added six kills and senior Samantha Selsky made 27 assists in the loss.

 

Dayton will head home to begin Atlantic 10 Conference play on Friday, Sept. 21 against the Butler Bulldogs. The match will begin at 7 p.m. ET.

Xavier Volleyball Began the Season with Its First Practice Wednesday

Xavier Volleyball Began the Season with Its First Practice Wednesday

Head Coach Mike Johnson Seeks Third-Straight 20-Win Season

 

CINCINNATI – The Xavier women’s volleyball team began its 2012 campaign with the first practice this morning at Cintas Center. Ten players, including five starters and the libero, return from last season’s 21-11 squad.

 

Juniors Sarah Brown and Kelsey Dunaway and redshirt junior Alex Smith, who combined for 820 kills in 2011, will lead a potent Xavier attack. Brown and Alex Smith were tabbed Atlantic 10 First Team selections for their efforts last season.

 

Setting up the attack is sophomore Aubree Smith, who earned nods to the A-10 All-Rookie and A-10 Honorable Mention teams after receiving seven A-10 Rookie of the Week honors. She handed out 1,210 assists, a one-year total that places her ninth in the career-records.

 

Senior libero Stephanie Vorherr anchors the Musketeers’ receiving efforts. Vorherr enters her final year at XU ranking third in career digs with 1,594. The three-time A-10 Libero of the Year stands just 132 digs shy of the all-time record. The defensive specialist holds three of Xavier’s top four single-season marks for digs in a season, including a program-best 603 in 2010 that earned her AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors.

 

At the helm of the Musketeers is head coach Mike Johnson. Johnson, beginning his third season at Xavier, posted back-to-back 20-win seasons and second place finishes in both the A-10 regular season and postseason tournament in 2010 and 2011.

 

Johnson added Kirsta Cobb as assistant coach to his staff in the off-season. Cobb, who graduated from IPFW in 2004, spent the previous five seasons as head coach at the Indiana Institute of Technology. Former Xavier standout Claire Paszkiewicz is in her second year as an assistant coach with the Musketeers.

 

Xavier opens the regular season at the Big Orange Bash hosted by Clemson. XU is scheduled to play South Carolina State on Friday, Aug. 24 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Matches against Coastal Carolina and Clemson will conclude the tournament on Saturday, Aug. 25.

Dayton Volleyball: Marten 1-of-4 to earn A-10 Postgrad Scholarship

Dayton Volleyball: Marten 1-of-4 to earn A-10 Postgrad Scholarship

 

Soon-to-be Dental School Graduate Student Is Fourth Dayton Volleyball Player Earn The A-10's Scholarship 

Release: http://bit.ly/Na38pw

NEWPORTNEWS, Va. – Atlantic 10 Conference Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade
announced Tuesday the recipients of the annual A-10 Postgraduate
Scholarship.  This year’s recipients include Dayton’s Yvonne Marten,
Jennifer Nalepa  from Saint Louis, Marissa Norman of Rhode Island and
Charlotte’s Macey Ruble.

 

Each
recipient will receive $5,000 to contribute to their graduate education.
 All four student-athletes have performed with distinction both in the
classroom and in their respective sports throughout their career, while
demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community. The selections are
made by a panel of five Faculty Athletic Representatives from Atlantic
10 member institutions.  The recipients of the A-10 Postgraduate
Scholarship are required to use their scholarship toward postgraduate
education expenses.

“All four of our post-graduate honorees have
distinguished themselves as ideal examples of what all of our
student-athletes strive for,” stated McGlade. “This is one of our most
prestigious awards because it honors the academic side of college
athletics. Success in the classroom is one of the Atlantic 10’s
hallmarks and these four individuals are a large part of that. I extend
my congratulations to each of them for standing out in a very
competitive field of applicants.”

There were 26 scholarship applications from 10
different A-10 institutions. This marked the seventh consecutive year
that female applicants have received 3 of the 4 scholarships.  By rule,
the scholarships are awarded to one male, one female and two others of
either gender.  

Throughout Marten’s five years with the Dayton
volleyball program, she has been the epitome of perseverance, hard work,
leadership and maintaining excellence in the classroom while Dayton
maintained championship form on the court. The Fortville, Ind. native
stepped in as a true freshman and started in 2007, helping UD to a 33-2
record with outright A-10 regular season and tournament titles while
advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championship. 

 

Before returning to start for the 2010 season Marten
recovered from multiple knee injuries from 2008 and 2009, only to return
better than ever in 2010 – recording 180 kills and 88 blocks as UD went
undefeated against A-10 opponents and climbed in the national polls as
high as No. 12. For her efforts, Yvonne was named Atlantic 10 Academic
All-Conference and Academic All-District in 2010. As team captain and
UD's lone senior in 2011 Marten was distinguished as the A-10
Championship's Most Outstanding Player, A-10 Second Team All-Conference
and Academic All-District First Team. She graduated in May with a 3.8
grade point average in pre-dentistry and is enrolled in Marquette
University's School of Dentistry for the Fall of 2012.  

Marten is the fourth Flyer volleyball player to earn
the post-graduate scholarship and the seventh Dayton student-athlete
overall. Becky Novacek earned A-10 Postgraduate Scholar distinction in
2011. 

About the A-10

The Atlantic 10
Conference was formed in 1976, is currently comprised of 14 member
institutions and sponsors 21 championship sports. The mission and goal
of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and
athletic pursuits of the membership.  The conference is committed to
integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable
championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches,
and support staff.  The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the
University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The
George Washington University, La Salle University, University of
Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of
Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint
Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and
Xavier University.

Stats: http://daytonflyers.com/womens/volleyball/stats/

Virtual Guide: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/dd3eaf6e#/dd3eaf6e

Volleyball Home: http://daytonflyers.com/womens/volleyball/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/daytonvb 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/udaytonvb 

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/udaytonvb 

 

 

Xavier Volleyball Team Head Coach Mike Johnson Releases 2012 Volleyball Schedule

Xavier Volleyball Team Head Coach Mike Johnson Releases 2012 Volleyball Schedule  

XU to Host Xavier Invitational Aug. 31-Sept. 1

June 18, 2012

2012 Schedule | Printable Schedule

CINCINNATI - Xavier volleyball head coach Mike Johnson
has announced the 2012 schedule, which features a home tournament over
Labor Day weekend. The schedule features six 2011 NCAA Tournament
participants, three of which were receiving votes in the final 2011 AVCA
Top 25 Poll.

"The goal of what we're trying to
accomplish remains the same as the first day I stepped onto campus - we
intend to capture the A-10 Championship and make a run through the NCAA
Tournament," commented Johnson. "Like everything we do, this schedule
has been crafted to prepare us for that point. We have set up very
challenging tests at the start of the season which should prepare us for
what will prove to be a tough A-10 slate."

The
season starts with the Big Orange Bash Tournament Aug. 24-25. Xavier
will face South Carolina State, Coastal Carolina and Clemson. The
following weekend, Xavier will host Marquette (NCAA Second Round), Ole
Miss and Tennessee Tech at Cintas Center. The Musketeers will then
travel up to Oxford, Ohio, to battle the Miami RedHawks on Sept. 4.

"We
believe that 2012 will be a very exciting year for Xavier Volleyball,"
Johnson said. "We have a bevy of very good teams up ahead whom I have
great respect for and can't wait to square off against. We are
especially excited for the quality of teams coming into the Cintas
Center in the fall. I hope Musketeer fans get excited as we relish the
support of each of our fans."

Xavier will then take
to the road for the Asics Invitational that includes 2011 NCAA
Tournament participants Texas A&M and Delaware as well as Columbia.
The final tournament of 2012 will be the Golden Dome Invitational hosted
by Notre Dame that also includes Kansas and Loyola Marymount.

The
Musketeers will kick off the 2012 conference season at home against
Saint Louis and Butler, one of two new faces in the A-10 this season, on
Sept. 21 and 22. The following weekend, XU will head to Philadelphia
for contests at Temple and La Salle.

XU will return
home for a single game against crosstown foe Cincinnati (NCAA Second
Round) on Oct. 3. The following Monday, Oct. 8, the Musketeers will
travel up I-75 to Dayton, Ohio to face off against 2011 Atlantic 10
Champion and NCAA participant Dayton at Frericks Center.

Xavier
will play host to Rhode Island and Fordham Oct. 12 and 13 before
heading to Indianapolis for a return visit to Butler on Oct. 19. On to
St. Louis, XU will face Saint Louis on Oct. 20. Returning home to Cintas
Center for the weekend of Oct. 26, the Musketeers will host Duquesne on
Friday and George Washington on Saturday.

In
November, XU is slated to visit Richmond, Va., and another new face in
the A-10 this season VCU on Nov. 2. Charlotte will wrap up the
Musketeer's road conference schedule on Nov. 4. Xavier's regular season
home finale will take place on Nov. 10 against intra-state rival Dayton.

The 2012 Atlantic 10 Championship will be hosted
by Duquesne University Nov. 16-18 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The top six teams
in the league will qualify for the event and will compete for an
automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Xavier will wrap up the season by
traveling to Ball State on Nov. 24.

Stay tuned to goxavier.com for more information on Xavier Volleyball.

 

Dayton Volleyball Releases 2012 Schedule

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Dayton Volleyball Releases 2012 Schedule

 

Flyers' Season Opens At Home Against National Runner-Up Illinois

http://bit.ly/IQbRee

DAYTON, Ohio – University of Dayton volleyball released its 2012 schedule on Monday which features a non-conference slate of 10 NCAA tournament teams, five AVCA Top 25 teams and 11 top 50 RPI teams from 2011.

The Flyers will play 16 matches against teams that won at least 20 matches last season. Dayton’s 14 non-conference opponents have a combined winning percentage of .669 in 2011. Of UD’s 10 opponents that went to the NCAA tournament last season, five advanced to the round of 16. 

“I think competitors want to be challenged, and there's no question that we are going to be challenged this season,” UD Head Coach Kelly Sheffield said. “Right out of the gates we are hosting one of the premier tournaments in the country.”

The annual Flyer Classic opens on Friday, Aug. 24, with Dayton taking on reigning national runner-up Illinois (35-2). It will be the seventh consecutive season in which the Flyers and Fighting Illini have met. Dayton continues Flyer Classic play against Pepperdine (25-7) on Aug. 25. The Waves, who will be playing in their second consecutive Flyer Classic, advanced to the round of eight in last season’s NCAA tournament. The Classic concludes with a Sunday match against 2011 Mid-American Conference East Division champion Ohio (23-10) on Aug. 26. 

Admission to the Flyer Classic, and all of Dayton’s regular season matches at the Frericks Center, are free. 

“We have seven teams coming to Frericks this year that won at least 19 matches last season, so Flyer fans should be treated to some great competition here at home,” Sheffield said. 

Dayton’s first road trip of the season will be at the Dr. Mark Jo Wynn Invitational hosted by Missouri State (22-9) in Springfield, Mo., on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. Austin Peay (25-7) and Oral Roberts (20-10) round out the four-team field coming off 20-win seasons a year ago.  

The Flyers then travel to Bowling Green, Ky., as Western Kentucky (31-4) hosts Dayton, Ohio State (21-15) and Tennessee Tech (5-25) in the WKU Tournament on Sept. 7 and 8. Ohio State advanced to the round of 16 for the second consecutive season in 2011. WKU is coming off back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tourney. 

The Flyers’ non-conference tournament slate concludes with another high-profile field in the Hurricane Invitational, hosted by back-to-back Conference-USA regular season champion Tulsa (28-7). NCAA Regional Semifinalists Minnesota (20-12) and Kansas State (22-11) are also included in the mix. Minnesota finished the season ranked 15th and K-State was 22nd in the final AVCA poll. 

The Atlantic 10 Conference season has been reduced by one match after playing 15 matches the past three seasons. The reduced 14-match season begins Sept. 21 in Cincinnati against rival Xavier (21-11). 

“Almost the entire all-conference first team returns, and over half of the second team and honorable mention teams return, showing that the A-10 will have a lot of talent back for 2012,” Sheffield said. “If people can stay healthy, with the talent returning and coming in, this could be a three-bid league this year.”

The first home conference matches of the season are on Sept. 28 against Duquesne (19-13) and George Washington (20-10) on Sept. 29. The home dates will break a four-week road swing for the Flyers. 

Dayton’s longest homestand of the season, spanning six matches, will be from Oct. 19 through Nov. 3. The three consecutive conference home weekends open with a rematch against Xavier at Frericks and also includes matches against Fordham (7-23) and Rhode Island (15-15). 

On Wednesday, Oct. 27, Dayton hosts Cincinnati (27-10) for the first time since defeating the Bearcats at Frericks in 2009. Cincinnati won the 2011 BIG EAST tournament title last season and have made four consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament. 

In the last regular season home matches of the season Dayton will honor a trio of seniors – Rachel Krabacher, Paige Vargas and Samantha Selsky – for Senior Day weekend. UD will host Temple (8-20) on Friday, Nov. 2 and La Salle (6-27) on Saturday, Nov. 3.  

The A-10 Championship will be hosted by Duquesne from Nov. 16-18. Dayton has won the A-10 Championship title in seven of the last nine years, including three consecutive under Sheffield. 

In the last week of the regular season, Dayton visits Western Michigan (24-9) in Kalamazoo, Mich., during Thanksgiving week. The last time the programs met UD swept the Broncos in 2010 at the Ameritas Players Challenge, hosted by Nebraska. 

The NCAA Championship’s 64-team field will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 25 on a member of ESPN’s family of networks. 

The Flyers finished the 2011 season with a 25-7 record, captured the program’s ninth A-10 regular season title, seventh A-10 Championship title and made a fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship. Sheffield was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, while the Flyers featured a program-best three AVCA All-Americans (Megan Campbell, Krabacher and Selsky) – all of whom return next Fall.

Stats: http://daytonflyers.com/womens/volleyball/stats/

Virtual Guide: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/dd3eaf6e#/dd3eaf6e

Volleyball Home: http://daytonflyers.com/womens/volleyball/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/daytonvb 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/udaytonvb 

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/udaytonvb 

XU VB: Xavier Wins Three Matches at the OVCC College Spring Tournament

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XU VB: Xavier Wins Three Matches at the OVCC College Spring Tournament

April 16, 2012

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Xavier volleyball team competed in the OVCC College Spring Tournament and won all three matches it played. XU notched victories over Marshall, Morehead State and Samford.

"As I said before, we don't put a lot of stock in the final outcomes of the spring matches," said head coach Mike Johnson. "That said, the success is a great barometer of the improvement we have been seeing in the gym every day. Our kids have really been working hard since the final point of the 2011 season and I'm very proud of their effort."

Xavier defeated Marshall 25-13, 23-25, 15-9, Morehead State 27-25, 22-25, 15-11, and Samford 26-24, 25-21. Sarah Brown led the Musketeers with 23 kills over the tournament, while Alex Smith notched 18 while hitting a .515 clip.

The Musketeers were in the same bracket as Louisville, UT-Martin, Ole Miss, Morehead State, Marshall, and Samford.

Xavier will wrap up the spring season on Apr. 20 with a match against Cincinnati at Fifth-Third Arena. Stay tuned to GoXavier.com for more information on Xavier volleyball.