Volleyball Voices

Colorado State Senior Dana Cranston named Mountain West Player of the Year

 

 

Colorado State Senior Dana Cranston named Mountain West Player of the Year

Foss, Paige, Plourde join Cranston on All-MW team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Colorado State senior Dana Cranston has been named the 2012 Mountain West Volleyball Player of the Year. It marks the fourth consecutive season that a CSU player has earned the league’s top honor, and the ninth time in the league’s 14-year history. The conference made the announcement Tuesday afternoon after a vote from the league’s nine head coaches.

In addition to Cranston, fellow seniors Brieon Paige and Megan Plourde, and sophomore Deedra Foss, were also named to the All-Mountain West team.

“In a year where there was so much parody, it’s a great honor to get so much recognition from our league’s coaches,” Head Coach Tom Hilbert said. “I’m proud of all my players, but certainly, those who received this honor.”

Cranston ranked second in the Mountain West in kills (3.89), points (4.60) and service aces (0.31), and led all outside hitters with a .277 hitting percentage.

“Dana took on a huge responsibility this season,” Hilbert said. “She went from being a support player to our anchor. She’s the anchor point-scorer for the Mountain West champions, and that’s a huge weight to carry every night. She did it with a tremendous amount of class and grace.”

Cranston, the preseason player of the year, hit double-digits in kills 22 times, including nine of her final 10 matches—part of an eight-match winning streak for the Rams. She also led CSU in kills 18 times this season. Additionally, she ranks third on the team in assists, fourth in digs and fourth in blocks. Cranston is a native of Fort St. John, B.C. It is her second All-MW selection.

With Plourde’s selection, she becomes just the fourth Ram to earn all-conference honors all four years of her career, joining Cindy Cox (1985-88 HCAC), Angela Knopf (1998 WAC, 1999-01 MW) and Tess Rogers(2002-05 MW). Only Kim Turner (Utah, 2000-03) had previously earned four all-MW selections

“Meg has always played with a great deal of maturity,” Hilbert said. “She understands her role and never has a bad match; that’s what’s most impressive about Meg. She consistently plays at such a high level.”

Plourde ranks eighth nationally in blocking at 1.54 per set, and averaged 2.98 kills on .389 hitting (second in the MW). The 2011 AVCA All-American holds more than 1,000 career kills and 600 blocks—one of two Rams ever to reach that milestone—and she has a chance to finish her career as the program’s top blocker. Plourde hails from Somerset, Wis.

Paige, a native of Fresno, Calif., also earned her second All-MW selection. In 2012, she led the conference in hitting (.391), also posting 2.84 kills and 1.09 blocks per set. She hit above .400 on nine occasions.

Foss, who was the 2011 MW Newcomer of the Year, led all setters with 11.11 assists per set, also adding .75 kills and 0.82 blocks per set. Despite being just a sophomore, the McKenna, Wash., native already ranks ninth in CSU history for career assists.

This season marks the eighth time since the formation of the MW that CSU has had at least four players represented. CSU’s all-time Mountain West Player of the Year award winners are: Knopf (2000, 01), Melissa Courtney (2003, 04), Mekana Barnes (2007), Danielle Minch (2009, 10) and Katelyn Steffan (2011).

The Rams are currently in the midst of an eight-match winning streak, propelling them to a fourth-straight MW title and 18th consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. CSU plays Purdue on Friday in Tallahassee, Fla., in the first round of the tournament.

Name	School	Class	Position	Hometown
Liz Harden	Boise State	SR	OPP	Lake Forest, Calif.
Dana Cranston #	Colorado State	SR	OH	Fort St. John, B.C.
Deedra Foss	Colorado State	SO	S	McKenna, Wash.
Brieon Paige #	Colorado State	SR	MB	Fresno, Calif.
Megan Plourde ^!#	Colorado State	SR	MB	Somerset, Wis.
Barbara Alcantara	Fresno State	SR	S	Curitiba, Brazil
Tessa Lea'ea	Nevada	SO	MB	Stockton, Calif.
Chantale Riddle	New Mexico	SO	OPP	Roswell, N.M.
Andrea Hannasch !#	San Diego State	SR	MB	New Braunfels, Texas
Raegan Shelton #	San Diego State	JR	OH	Amarillo, Texas
Kinsey Caldwell	UNLV	FR	S	Waverly, Iowa
Madeline Westman #	UNLV	JR	MB	Wauconda, Ill.
Erin Kirby #	Wyoming	SO	MB	Evanston, Wyo.
Jodi Purdy !#	Wyoming	SR	OH	Winterset, Iowa
Becky Stewart	Wyoming	JR	L	Parker, Colo.
Johnna Fouch # (setter)	San Diego State	JR	S	Redlands, Calif.
Miquella Loyato (libero)	New Mexico	JR	L	Pojoaque, N.M.
Player of the Year: Dana Cranston	Colorado State	SR	OH
Freshman of the Year: Kinsey Caldwell	UNLV	FR	S
Newcomer of the Year: Michelle Waber	San Diego State	SO	OH
Coach of the Year: Deitre Collins-Parker	San Diego State
^ = 2009 honoree
! = 2010 honoree
# = 2011 honoree

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Mountain West Announces 2012 All-Conference Women's Volleyball Team

 

 

MW Announces 2012 All-Conference Women's Volleyball Team

 

 

2012 MOUNTAIN WEST ALL-CONFERENCE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM ANNOUNCED  

Colorado State’s Cranston named Player of the Year; UNLV’s Caldwell named Freshman of the Year;

San Diego State’s Collins-Parker and Waber named Coach and Newcomer of the Year

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West All-Conference Women’s Volleyball awards, as selected by the league's nine head coaches, were announced today by the league office. Colorado State senior Dana Cranston was named Player of the Year, the sixth Ram to earn the league’s top honor.  UNLV’s Kinsey Caldwell was named Freshman of the Year, while San Diego State’s Michelle Waber was voted Newcomer of the Year. Deitre Collins-Parker of San Diego State was selected Coach of the Year.

 

Cranston, a native of Fort St. John, B.C., joins former Rams Angela Knopf (2000-2001), Melissa Courtney (2003-04), Mekana Barnes (2007), Danielle Minch (2009-10) and Katelyn Steffan (2011) in earning the league’s top honor.  Cranston led CSU to its 10th Mountain West regular season title and fourth in a row. Cranston, an outside hitter, finished the regular season second in the league in points (4.60), kills (3.89) and service aces (0.31) per set in Conference matches. She also ranks ninth in MW play in hitting percentage (.277).  Cranston also is second in points (4.31) and kills (3.65) per set in overall matches, while ranking seventh in aces (0.26).

 

Caldwell, a setter from Waverly, Iowa, is the fourth Rebel to earn MW Freshman of the Year accolades. In league play, she ranked fourth with 10.28 assists per set.  Caldwell completed the season ranked third with 10.33 assists per set in overall matches.

 

Waber, a sophomore transfer from Wildomar, Calif., earned the MW’s Newcomer of the Year award after hitting .207 and averaging 2.57 kills per set in league play.  Overall, Waber, an outside hitter, is currently hitting .229 and averaging 2.59 kills per set.

 

Collins-Parker was named Mountain West Coach of the Year for the first time in the league’s 14-year history.  Collins-Parker led the Aztecs to their first MW regular season title and an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.  SDSU is 23-7 overall and finished MW action at 13-3.

 

Colorado State’s Megan Plourde was named to the MW All-Conference team for the fourth consecutive season, becoming just the second player in league history to earn the accolade every year of their collegiate career (Kim Turner, Utah, 2000-03).

 

San Diego State’s Andrea Hannasch and Wyoming’s Jodi Purdy made their third consecutive All-MW team.  Cranston and teammate Brieon Paige, San Diego State’s Johnna Fouch and Raegan Shelton, UNLV’s Madeline Westman and Wyoming’s Erin Kirby were honored for the second year in a row.  Fouch was named the team’s designated setter, while New Mexico junior Miquella Lovato earned the designated libero honor.

 

Fresno State setter Barbara Alcantara and Nevada middle blocker Tessa Lea’ea became the first Bulldog and Wolf Pack women’s volleyball players to earn Mountain West honors.  Caldwell, Boise State’s Liz Harden, CSU’s Deedra Foss, UNM’s Chantale Riddle and Wyoming’s Becky Stewart round out the 2012 All-MW team.

 

2012 MOUNTAIN WEST ALL-CONFERENCE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM

 

Name                                       Institution                    Class                Position        Hometown

Liz Harden                                 Boise State                   Sr.                    RS                 Lake Forest, Calif.

Dana Cranston#                        Colorado State              Sr.                    OH                Fort St. John, B.C.

Deedra Foss                             Colorado State              So.                   S                   McKenna, Wash.

Brieon Paige#                           Colorado State              Sr.                    MB                Sacramento, Calif.

Megan Plourde^!#                     Colorado State              Sr.                    MB                Somerset, Wisc.

Barbara Alcantara                      Fresno State                 Sr.                    S                   Curitiba, Brazil

Tessa Lea’ea                             Nevada                         So.                   MB                Stockton, Calif.

Chantale Riddle                         New Mexico                  So.                   RS                 Roswell, N.M.

Andrea Hannasch!#                   San Diego State            Sr.                    MB                New Braunfels, Texas

Raegan Shelton#                       San Diego State            Jr.                    OH                Amarillo, Texas

Kinsey Caldwell                         UNLV                            Fr.                    S                   Waverly, Iowa

Madeline Westman#                  UNLV                            Jr.                    MB                Wauconda, Ill.

Erin Kirby#                                Wyoming                      So.                   MB                Evanston, Wyo.

Jodi Purdy!#                             Wyoming                      Sr.                    OH                Winterset, Iowa

Becky Stewart                           Wyoming                      Jr.                    L                   Parker, Colo.

Designated Setter:

Johnna Fouch#                         San Diego State            Jr.                                         Redlands, Calif.

Designated Libero:

Miquella Lovato                         New Mexico                  Jr.                                         Pojoaque, N.M.

 

Player of the Year:

Dana Cranston, Sr., OH, Colorado State

 

Freshman of the Year:

Kinsey Caldwell, Fr., S, UNLV

 

Newcomer of the Year:

Michelle Waber, So.-TR, OH, San Diego State

 

Coach of the Year:

Deitre Collins-Parker, San Diego State

 

^ = 2009 honoree

! = 2010 honoree

# = 2011 honoree

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Utah Takes Four-Set Win Over Colorado on Senior Night

Utah Takes Four-Set Win Over Colorado on Senior Night

McKenzie Odale turns in 21 assists and five digs.

 

SALT LAKE CITY – Senior setter McKenzie Odale dished out 21 assists and six assists to help the University of Utah volleyball team earn a four-set victory over Colorado (14-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-16) in her final match at Crimson Court.

 

Utah (14-19, 5-15 Pac-12) did not have a block in the first two sets of the contest, but came back to earn a 9.0 to 6.0 edge in team blocks over Colorado for the match. The Utes also outhit the Buffaloes .282 to .217 and had three players with 10 or more kills.

 

The Utes have won three of the first four ‘Rumble in the Rockies’ matches against Colorado since the two joined the Pac-12 in 2011.

 

Odale turned in 21 assists and six digs in her final appearance in Crimson Court.

 

Sophomore outside hitter Chelsey Schofield posted team-highs of 14 digs and 13 kills to go with three blocks. The Provo, Utah native has had double-doubles in eight of Utah’s final nine matches of the season. This was her 13th double-double this season and the 21st of her career. Schofield has had nine straight matches with 10 or more kills, 24 matches with double-digits in kills this season and 41 through the first two season of her career. She has 10 or more digs in 14 contests with 10 or more digs in 2012 and 29 over her career.

 

Morgan Odale turned in her fifth double-double and the 20th of her career with 11 kills and 10 digs. She now has 55 career double-digit-kill efforts with 17 coming this season.

 

Junior middle blocker Erin Redd had 12 kills on a match-high .600 hitting percentage for her second-straight match with 10 or more kills, her 14th this season and the 41st of her career. She also posted a team-high six blocks.

 

- UU -

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Volleyball Video: CSU Volleyball vs. New Mexico Highlights 11/23/12 Colorado State University.

Volleyball Video: CSU Volleyball vs. New Mexico Highlights 11/23/12 Colorado State University.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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New Mexico Drops Final Match at (RV) Colorado State, 1-3 Gunsaulus leads Lobos with 17 kills and 11 digs

New Mexico Drops Final Match at (RV) Colorado State, 1-3
Gunsaulus leads Lobos with 17 kills and 11 digs

 

 

Wednesday, Nov. 21: Wyoming def. Lobos, 1-3 (23-25, 25-19, 18-25, 20-25)
Friday, Nov. 23:(RV) Colorado State def. Lobos, 1-3 (25-19, 8-25, 19-25, 20-25)
GoLobos.com: Season Recap, post-season accolades

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The University of New Mexico volleyball team dropped its final contest of the 2012 season at (RV) Colorado State on Friday night, 1-3 (25-19, 8-25, 19-25, 20-25).

The Lobos finish the season with a 20-13 overall mark and went 7-9 in Mountain West play. Colorado State improved to 21-7 overall and 13-3 in league play. With the win, CSU captured its fourth-consecutive conference title. The Rams share the MW crown with San Diego State, but because they beat the Aztecs, 3-1, they receive the conference's NCAA bid.

New Mexico opened with a 25-19 win over the Rams, which set the evening for a good back-and-forth match. The teams were even in nearly ever statistical category, except for blocks. CSU outblocked the Lobos 21-10, and held UNM to .175 accuracy at the net.

New Mexico was led by freshman Alijah Gunsaulus who hit .364 on the match, recording 17 kills on 33 swings and committing just five errors. The outside hitter added 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the season.

Chantale Riddle had 16 kills, five kills and two digs. Riddle finishes the year with 599.0 points, 515 kills, 299 digs, and 131.0 blocks. She ranks first in program history for single-season points and total attempts; second for single-season kills; and fourth for block assists and fifth for total blocks.

Lena Skipper was the third Lobo in double-digits for kills, notching 10 while recording 10 digs.

UNM libero Miquella Lovato had 16 digs and finishes the season with 465, enough to rank third in program history for single-season digs.

Senior Jordan Russell had 18 set assists, three digs and one ace serve in her final match of donning the Cherry and Silver.

First Set - Lobos 25, Colorado State 19

New Mexico controlled the net in Set One, recording 17 kills and hitting with .314 accuracy. Colorado State hit .161, tallying just 10 kills.

The teams went back and forth for the first 16 points of the set before the Lobos pulled ahead, 10-8, off a kill from Skye Gullatt and an ace by Jordan Russell. The Rams managed to tie the set at 12-12 with back to-back points on a kill by Adrianna Culbert and a block by Culbert and Paige Brieon.

Kills by Skipper and Gunsaulus allowed the Lobos to again pull away from the Rams, 15-13, but CSU tied the set and took over the lead, 16-15 with three unanswered points. Then it was the Lobos' turn to put up unmatched points with Alijah Gunsaulus putting away two kills and Riddle adding one. A service error by UNM interrupted the run, but then another kill by Gunsaulus pushed New Mexico to a 20-17 lead.

The Rams got one point off a Cranston kill, but then another run of four unanswered points by UNM gave the Lobos set point, 24-18. An attack error by New Mexico put a point up for CSU, but a kill from Skipper ended the set in favor of New Mexico, 25-19.

Second Set - Colorado State 25, Lobos 8

The Second Set was all CSU as the Rams held the Lobos to just eight points -- the fewest UNM has scored in a set all season. Colorado hit a scorching .577 in the Second Set, recording 16 kills on 26 swings while committing just one error. Meanwhile, New Mexico couldn't find any rhythm offensively, recording seven errors and getting four kills on 30 total attempts.

Colorado State cruised to a 17-2 lead in the Second Set as the net play of Culbert and Cranston kept the Lobos from finding any offensive rhythm. A missed serve by the Rams snapped the streak and a kill by Riddle tacked on a point for UNM, 17-4.

A few plays later a block solo by Lexi Ross added another point for New Mexico, 19-5. But the Rams had put the Lobos in too big of a hole and they secured a 25-8.

Third Set - Colorado State 25, Lobos 19

Consecutive errors by the Lobos followed by an ace by the Rams gave CSU a 6-3 edge in the Third Set. New Mexico battled back with a 6-1 run featuring kills by Ross and Johnson to claim the lead, 8-7. New Mexico built a two-point lead with consecutive kills from Riddle and Gunsaulus, but then the Rams took off for a 6-1 run and reclaimed the lead, 14-11.

But then the Lobos, under the direction of freshmen Gunsaulus and Gullatt, put up three consecutive points and tied the set at 14-14. The set stayed close for a few points before CSU pulled away, 19-16, with kills from Brieon and Culbert.

Colorado State closed out the set on a 9-3 run to go up two sets to one, 25-19.

Fourth Set - Colorado State 25, Lobos 20

New Mexico built an 8-4 edge early in the Fourth Set using kills by Skipper and Gunsaulus to fuel the Lobo offense. The lead grew to 13-8 as New Mexico continued to control the net early in the set and UNM's defense forced attack errors by CSU.

A big attack by Riddle that was shanked into the crowd by the Rams pushed New Mexico's lead to 15-11, but the Lobos lost the lead to a 9-1 run by CSU, 19-16.

A kill by Skipper meant a sideout for New Mexico, but any attempts at a scoring streak by the Lobos were put to rest by the Rams as they tacked on two more points and moved the score to 21-17. Consecutive errors by CSU moved the Lobos to within two points again, 21-19, but a kill by Plourde and a Lobo attack error gone long inched the Rams closer to match point, 23-19.

A few plays later, another kill by Cranston put Colorado State at match and set point, 24-20. Gunsaulus helped UNM hang on for one more point, but an attack error by New Mexico ended the match, 25-20. 

 

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MW Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week - Nov. 19, 2012

 

 

MW Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week - Nov. 19, 2012

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State senior middle blocker Megan Plourde has earned Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honors for matches played from Nov. 12-18, 2012.  It is the fifth Mountain West weekly honor of Plourde’s career and third of the season.

 

Plourde, a native of Somerset, Wisc., led the Rams to three road victories last week, keeping CSU in contention for the Mountain West title.  In non-conference action early in the week, Plourde recorded 15 kills and six blocks with a .407 hitting percentage in a 3-1 win at Northern Colorado that earned head coach Tom Hilbert win No. 400 with the Rams.  Her fifth block of the night was the 600^th of her career, making her just the second Ram to total 1,000 career kills and 600 career blocks.

 

Against Air Force, Plourde posted 11 kills and five blocks while hitting .450 in the 3-0 victory.  Plourde wrapped up the week with 10 kills and four blocks with a .615 hitting percentage in a 3-0 win at Boise State.  Plourde had several kill-block combinations to win sets throughout the week, but her biggest boost to the Rams was three kills and a block in a 10-2 run in the third set against BSU when CSU was down 18-11 to take a 21-20 lead.

 

For the week, Plourde averaged 3.60 kills, 1.50 blocks and 0.40 digs per set, while hitting at a .467 clip. She averaged 4.40 points per set over 10 total sets.

 

2012 Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Players of the Week

Aug. 27 – Andrea Hannasch, Sr., MB, San Diego State

Sept. 3 – Chantale Riddle, So., MB/RS, New Mexico

Sept. 10 – Megan Plourde, Sr., MB, Colorado State

Sept. 17 – Jodi Purdy, Sr., OH, Wyoming

Sept. 24 – Tessa Lea‘ea, So., MB, Nevada

Oct. 1 – Dana Cranston, Sr., OH, Colorado State

Oct. 8 – Andrea Hannasch, Sr., MB, San Diego State

Oct. 15 – Korrin Wild, Jr., OH, Fresno State

Oct. 22 – Reese Plante, Jr., MB, Wyoming

Oct. 29 – Kinsey Caldwell, Fr., S, UNLV

Nov. 5 – Summer Nash, Jr., OH, San Diego State

Nov. 12 – Megan Plourde, Sr., MB, Colorado State; Erin Kirby, So., MB, Wyoming

Nov. 19 – Megan Plourde, Sr., MB

 

--mw--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Plourde earns second consecutive Mountain West Player of the Week award

Senior becomes second Ram to win three honors in single season

MW Release | CSU Volleyball on Facebook | CSU Volleyball on Twitter

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—For the second consecutive week, and third time this season, senior Megan Plourde has earned Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honors. The conference made the announcement Monday morning.

Plourde, a native of Somerset, Wis., becomes the second CSU player to win the award in consecutive weeks, and first since Mekana Barnes on Sept. 4 & 10, 2007. She also joins Barnes as the only other Ram to win three awards in one season. In her career, the middle blocker has earned the honor five times, which has been done by just two other players (Barnes, 6; Angela Knopf, 6).

Plourde kept the Rams in contention for a fourth consecutive Mountain West title with three road wins last week. In non-conference action early in the week, she recorded 15 kills and six blocks with a .407 hitting percentage in a 3-1 win at Northern Colorado that earned Head Coach Tom Hilbert win No. 400 with the Rams.  Her fifth block of the night was the 600th of her career, making her just the second Ram to total 1,000 career kills and 600 career blocks.

Against Air Force, Plourde posted 11 kills and five blocks while hitting .450 in the 3-0 victory.  Plourde wrapped up the week with 10 kills and four blocks with a .615 hitting percentage in a 3-0 win at Boise State.  Plourde had several kill-block combinations to win sets throughout the week, but her biggest boost to the Rams was three kills and a block in a 10-2 run in the third set against Boise State when CSU was trailing 18-11. Her third kill of the run gave CSU its first lead of the set, 21-20.

For the week, Plourde averaged 3.60 kills, 1.50 blocks and 0.40 digs per set, while hitting at a .467 clip. She averaged 4.40 points per set over 10 total sets.

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Mountain West Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week - Nov. 5, 2012

Mountain West Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week - Nov. 5, 2012 

 

SAN DIEGO STATE’S SUMMER NASH NAMED 

MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – San Diego State junior outside hitter Summer Nash has earned Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honors for matches played from Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 2012.  It is the first Mountain West weekly honor on the season for the Seattle, Wash., native.

 

Nash came off the bench in both matches last week while helping the Aztecs to a pair of 3-1 road wins over UNLV and Fresno State as San Diego State moved into first place in the Conference. On Thursday, she entered the match in the fourth set and recorded a kill that ended the Rebels’ 5‐0 run to start the contest. With the score tied at 13‐13, she added a kill that began a three‐point SDSU run and gave the Aztecs the lead for good en route to the set and match win. Nash finished the set with three kills and one error in seven attempts. At Fresno State on Friday, she came off the bench in the second set and played in each of the final three sets, leading the Aztecs in the match with 16 kills. Her .600 hitting percentage and two solo blocks against the Bulldogs were both career highs.

 

For the week, Nash averaged 4.75 kills, 0.75 blocks and 0.25 digs per set, while hitting at a .531 clip. She averaged 5.38 points per set over four total sets.

 

 

2012 Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Players of the Week

Aug. 27 – Andrea Hannasch, Sr., MB, San Diego State

Sept. 3 – Chantale Riddle, So., MB/RS, New Mexico

Sept. 10 – Megan Plourde, Sr., MB, Colorado State

Sept. 17 – Jodi Purdy, Sr., OH, Wyoming

Sept. 24 – Tessa Lea‘ea, So., MB, Nevada

Oct. 1 – Dana Cranston, Sr., OH, Colorado State

Oct. 8 – Andrea Hannasch, Sr., MB, San Diego State

Oct. 15 – Korrin Wild, Jr., OH, Fresno State

Oct. 22 – Reese Plante, Jr., MB, Wyoming

Oct. 29 – Kinsey Caldwell, Fr., S, UNLV

Nov. 5 – Summer Nash, Jr., OH, San Diego State

 

--mw--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MWC Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week

MWC Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week

 

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Wyoming junior middle blocker Reese Plante has earned Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honors for matches played from Oct. 15-21, 2012.  It is the first Mountain West weekly honor on the season for the Fort Collins, Colo., native.

 

Plante helped the Cowgirls record their first back-to-back victories in Conference play this season with wins over Air Force and Boise State last week. On Thursday, Plante recorded eight kills and no errors while hitting a season-high .727 in a 3-0 sweep of the Falcons. She also tallied four block assists. Against the Broncos on Saturday, Plante registered 10 kills with no errors on 22 total attacks for a .455 hitting percentage. She added five block assists and one service ace in the 3-1 victory.

 

For the week, Plante averaged 2.57 kills and 1.28 blocks per set, while hitting .545. She averaged 3.36 points per set over seven total sets.

 

 

2012 Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Players of the Week

Aug. 27 – Andrea Hannasch, Sr., MB, San Diego State

Sept. 3 – Chantale Riddle, So., MB/RS, New Mexico

Sept. 10 – Megan Plourde, Sr., MB, Colorado State

Sept. 17 – Jodi Purdy, Sr., OH, Wyoming

Sept. 24 – Tessa Lea‘ea, So., MB, Nevada

Oct. 1 – Dana Cranston, Sr., OH, Colorado State

Oct. 8 – Andrea Hannasch, Sr., MB, San Diego State

Oct. 15 – Korrin Wild, Jr., OH, Fresno State

Oct. 22 – Reese Plante, Jr., MB, Wyoming

MWC Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week #volleyball #collegevolleyball

MWC Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fresno State outside hitter Korrin Wild has earned Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honors for matches played from Oct. 8-14, 2012.  It is the first Mountain West weekly honor on the season for the 5-11 native of Kingsburg, Calif.

 

Wild, a junior, led the Bulldogs to a 2-0 record in Conference play last week with 3-2 wins over Colorado State and Wyoming.  In the win over Colorado State, Wild hit a season-best .458, recording a double-double of 23 kills and 23 digs.  Wild recorded her second double-double of the week in a come-from-behind win over Wyoming.  She posted a career-high 31 kills and added 11 digs and four service aces.  Four of her kills came in the fifth set, including the match-winner.

 

For the week, Wild averaged 5.40 kills and 3.40 digs per set, while hitting .325. She averaged 6.10 points per set over 10 total sets.

 

 

2012 Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Players of the Week

Aug. 27 – Andrea Hannasch, Sr., MB, San Diego State

Sept. 3 – Chantale Riddle, So., MB/RS, New Mexico

Sept. 10 – Megan Plourde, Sr., MB, Colorado State

Sept. 17 – Jodi Purdy, Sr., OH, Wyoming

Sept. 24 – Tessa Lea‘ea, So., MB, Nevada

Oct. 1 – Dana Cranston, Sr., OH, Colorado State

Oct. 8 – Andrea Hannasch, Sr., MB, San Diego State

Oct. 15 – Korrin Wild, Jr., OH, Fresno State

 

--mw--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cranston named Mountain West Volleyball Player of the Week #volleyball #volleyballplayer

Cranston named Mountain West Volleyball Player of the Week

Senior earns first career honor after pair of conference wins 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—After averaging 4.17 kills and 1.00 aces per set in a pair of conference wins over the weekend, senior Dana Cranston has been named this week’s Mountain West Volleyball Player of the Week. The announcement was made by the conference Monday morning.

The award is Cranston’s first career honor, and CSU’s second in the past four weeks after Megan Plourde was named the league’s player of the week on Sept. 10, one day before earning AVCA national player of the week honors.

"The honor is really humbling," Cranston said. "I'm glad that our team gets recognized for what we accomplished this weekend. I don't think this honor belongs to only me, though. We had some really great performances from a lot of different people this weekend, and that's how we got the results we did. The fact that the honor came to our team reinforces the fact that the hard work we are putting in at practice is paying off, and that we need to continue doing that every week."

In home sweeps over Nevada and San Diego State, Cranston led her teammates in kills both matches, tallying 14 and 11, respectively. In Saturday’s win over the Aztecs, Cranston also recorded a career-high six service aces, the most by a Rams player in four seasons.

While Cranston had 25 kills in the two matches, equally impressive was that she did so while hitting a combined .523, posting just two attack errors on 44 total attempts (25-2-44). Her .565 hitting percentage against the Wolf Pack on Thursday was a season high. In addition to her six aces on Saturday, she also recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 10 digs.

With CSU leading by just two, 10-8, in the first set against Nevada, the Rams called timeout. Coming out of the break, CSU went on a 5-0 run, with Cranston supplying a block and two kills, to give the Rams a 15-8 lead.

On Saturday, leading by one, 11-10, in the opening set, CSU took five consecutive points behind two kills, a block and a service ace from Cranston. The Fort St. John, B.C. native was again instrumental in Set 2. Tied at 3-3, Cranston went back to serve, sparking a 7-0 CSU run to give the Rams a comfortable 10-3 lead. During that stretch, the outside hitter recorded two of her six aces.

For the week, Cranston, a 2011 All-Mountain West recipient, averaged 4.17 kills, 2.33 digs and 1.00 aces per set, while hitting .523. She averaged 5.50 points per set over six total sets. Overall, her figures on the week were well above her season averages, including in kills (0.92 kills per set higher than her season average), hitting percentage (.305 higher), aces (0.70 per set higher) and total points (1.55 points per set higher). She has now recorded 10 or more kills in five straight matches, and 11 times on the season.

With the wins, CSU improved to 2-1 in Mountain West action, and 9-5 overall. The Rams remain at home this week, hosting the Wyoming Cowgirls, the only team besides CSU to earn a first-place vote in the league’s preseason poll.

The match will begin at 7:45, and will take place in conjunction with the University’s Homecoming & Family Weekend. More than 30 former players will be recognized during the match as part of this year’s volleyball Alumni Weekend. Tickets for volleyball’s Border War can be purchased online. Tickets can also be obtained over the phone at 1-800-491-RAMS, in person at the McGraw Athletic Center or at local King Soopers and City Market locations.

Mountain West Conference Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week - Oct. 1, 2012

Mountain West Conference Announces Women's Volleyball Player of the Week - Oct. 1, 2012

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State outside hitter Dana Cranston has earned Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honors for matches played from Sept. 24-30, 2012.  It is the first Mountain West weekly honor for the 6-3 native of Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada.

 

Cranston, a senior, led the Rams to a 2-0 week with Conference wins over Nevada (3-0) and San Diego State (3-0).  Cranston hit a season-best .565 against Nevada with 14 kills, four digs and two blocks.  Against San Diego State, she hit .476 with 11 kills and 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.  Cranston served up a career-high six aces in the match as well.  She was the kill leader for CSU in both matches.

 

For the week, Cranston averaged 4.17 kills, 2.33 digs and 1.00 aces per set, while hitting .523. She averaged 5.50 points per set over six total sets.

 

 

2012 Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Players of the Week

Aug. 27 – Andrea Hannasch, Sr., MB, San Diego State

Sept. 3 – Chantale Riddle, So., MB/RS, New Mexico

Sept. 10 – Megan Plourde, Sr., MB, Colorado State

Sept. 17 – Jodi Purdy, Sr., OH, Wyoming

Sept. 24 – Tessa Lea‘ea, So., MB, Nevada

Oct. 1 – Dana Cranston, Sr., OH, Colorado State

 

--mw--

 

 

Utah Volleyball Swept by No. 2 Oregon #volleyball #collegevolleyball

Utah Volleyball Swept by No. 2 Oregon

Utes outblock Ducks, 12.0 to 4.0.

 

EUGENE, Ore. – Junior middle blocker Erin Redd turned in a match-high five blocks, but the University of Utah volleyball team lost a three-set decision (15-25, 21-25, 21-25) to No. 2 Oregon on Friday at Matthew Knight Arena.

 

Utah (9-7, 0-3 Pac-12) outblocked Oregon, 12.0 to 4.0, but the Ducks earned a .279 to .163 advantage in team hitting over the Utes during the match.

 

Redd posted five block assists, while both junior outside hitter Morgan Odale (two block solos and two block assists) and sophomore right-side hitter Shelby Dalton (four block assists) registered four blocks apiece.

 

Sophomore Lea Adolph earned her fourth start of the season and the 17th of her career at libero for Utah and rounded up a team-high 12 digs,

 

Dalton turned in a team-high eight kills with a .286 hitting percentage. On 21 attempts, Dalton committed just a pair of errors.

 

Freshman Kendall Cygan served up a career-high three aces, which led all players in the match.

 

The Utes continue their road trip through the northwest on Sunday against Oregon State. First serve from Corvallis set for 11:30 a.m. PT.

 

- UU -

 

Colorado State Volleyball recap: CSU's offense explodes in win over Nevada #volleyball

Colorado State Volleyball recap: CSU's offense explodes in win over Nevada

FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Thursday night, the Rams four themselves in the same spot they were during their last match, up two sets to none entering the break. Colorado State, though, wasn’t going to let a lead slip away again, sweeping the Nevada Wolf Pack at Moby Arena (25-14, 25-13, 25-15).

“Before the third set, I said, ‘This set can be in our favor right now; let’s keep it that way,’” senior Dana Cranston recalled. “I think everyone knew without saying it. We just wanted to get back out there and play the next game.”

With Izzy Gaulia serving, CSU (8-5, 1-1 MW) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third set and never looked back, winning, 25-15. After Nevada (4-11, 1-1 MW) closed the gap to two, 8-10, CSU called timeout. Kelsey Snidergot a kill on the next point, and with Jaime Colaizzi behind the line, the Rams took the four points after to widen their lead to 15-8. CSU led by at least six the remainder of the way, finishing with a set-high 10-point lead. 

The win extends CSU’s conference home-opening winning streak to 16 matches, dating back to 1997.

“I was pleased with the performance today,” said Head Coach Tom Hilbert. “We hit with authority, and defensively, I thought we played well. We serve received the ball really well and we served really well.”

Similar to Set 3, CSU did not trail in the opening set, winning 25-14. The Rams gained the early lead, 6-1, behind three kills from Cranston. The senior had a match-high 14 kills on the night, recording just one error and hitting a season-best .565. As a team, CSU hit .500 in the opening set (18-1-34), and .362 on the night. The hitting percentage was a season high for the team.

The Rams also posted just nine attack errors—six coming in the final set—which is the lowest since recording eight at Boise State on Oct. 20, 2011.

“I think that the first set was really good because we were not stopping Tessa Lea’ea and Janelle Batista—Nevada got 13 kills and I think 10 of them came from those two players—but we had 18 kills and only one error and no service errors, so that is scoring a lot. I think that was a really good performance from our team when Nevada was playing pretty decently.”

In the opening set, senior Megan Plourde paced the team with six kills on .750 hitting, including four kills in a row midway through.

“Meg has the numbers she has for a reason,” Hilbert said. “It’s an instinctive thing for her, and she is very good at blocking; she is exceptional. I’d love to take credit for it, but I can’t. For whatever reason, she is technically good. We sub her in the middle, and it changes the game.”

The Wolf Pack jumped out to an early 5-4 lead in Set 2 before Plourde knotted the score up with her seventh kill of the match. The senior middle blocker would finish with 11, also posting just one error and hitting .500.

Plourde’s kill sparked a 7-0 run, which gave the Rams a deep lead and forced Nevada to take its first timeout of the set. During the beginning of the run, junior Michelle Smith checked in to serve, recording a service ace on her first serve. In the match, Smith was extremely effective from behind the line, posting 10 points on her 13 total serves.

The Rams, who rank 15th nationally in blocks per set, didn’t earn their first block until the 12th point of the second set, but still finished with eight on the night, compared to Nevada’s four. While the Rams hit a season high, the Wolf Pack struggled, posting negative numbers in Set 2, and hitting .000 in the third set to finish with a .062 hitting percentage. CSU also did not allow a service ace, even though Nevada has two players in the top five in the conference in aces.

Setter Deedra Foss had 36 assists, including 15 in the first set, and Gaulia had 13 digs. Freshman Adrianna Culbert also had a double-digit dig total (10) and Colaizzi played well defensively and from the service line.

“Defensively, I thought we played well,” Hilbert said. “Jaime Colaizzi played great tonight, and she got a lot of action back there.”

CSU will continue conference play Saturday against San Diego State. The Rams have won 21 straight overall matches against the Aztecs, and haven’t lost to them at home since 1996. Still, though, Hilbert knows how good the Aztecs can be. San Diego State was picked to finish second in the league—behind only CSU—in the conference’s preseason poll, and earlier this year was receiving votes after a win over then-No. 17 California.

“Saturday’s match will take more effort,” Hilbert said. “It will be closer. We won’t get as many giveaway points, and San Diego State has more weapons. This is a nice way to get back at home and get comfortable.”

For tickets to Saturday’s match, click here. With seven Mountain West matches still remaining, fans can also take advantage of the Pick Six plan for only $30. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone at 1-800-491-RAMS, in person at the McGraw Athletic Center or at local King Soopers and City Market locations.