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Duke Setter Christina Falcone Rejoins Duke Volleyball Program as Director of Operations
June 24, 2011
DURHAM, N.C. – Former Duke setter Christina Falcone has rejoined the Blue Devil volleyball program as the Director of Volleyball Operations, head coach Jolene Nagel announced on Friday.
A native of Durham, N.C., Falcone will handle daily office management, team travel arrangements, organization of campus visits for recruits, coordination of community service events, budget management and assisting with marketing and promotions.
“We are thrilled to have Christina Falcone return to Duke and work with us on a daily basis to continue to help the Duke Volleyball program strive for excellence,” Nagel said. “It is wonderful to have a former Duke volleyball player and Duke graduate represent our program.
Growing up around Duke, graduating from Duke and having many family ties at Duke make her loyal through and through, and we feel very fortunate that she is going to share some additional time with us. Her knowledge of Duke University, our volleyball program and the Durham community is a huge asset to all. We couldn’t be more pleased to have her join us in our journey and the team is excited as well to have an alumna around on a daily basis.”
Falcone lettered at Duke from 2006-09 and was a member of two ACC Championship teams and four NCAA Tournament teams. She earned her degree in Psychology with a minor in Evolutionary Anthropology in May of 2010.
Stanford Cardinals Win 1st Women's Capital One Cup and $200,000
After an exciting and unpredictable 2010-11 season in college sports, the Capital One Cup final women’s standings have been tabulated.
Overall, the Stanford Cardinal are the winners of the inaugural women’s Capital One Cup. Despite impressive first place finishes from Arizona State in softball, Northwestern in lacrosse, Brown in rowing, Florida in tennis and Texas A&M in outdoor track and field, Stanford held on to their lead by finishing in the top 10 in four of the five NCAA spring championships included in the Capital One Cup.
Stanford finished the year with a total 121 points and Texas A&M was right behind the Cardinal with 112 total points, thanks to their first place finish in outdoor track and field, the last championship of the season. During the fall, winter and spring season the Cardinal recorded a Capital One Cup-best nine Top 10 finishes.
Stanford will be formally awarded with the Capital One Cup trophy and a $200,000 scholarship at the ESPYs on July 13.
In total, there were 64 Division I women’s athletics programs that earned points in the Capital One Cup standings this school year.
To see a complete list of the final standings, please visit CapitalOneCup.com or check us out on Facebook (Facebook.com/CapitalOneCup) and Twitter (twitter.com/CapitalOneCup).
WORCESTER, Mass.– The Holy Cross volleyball program has named senior Kathleen Colpoys (Scituate, Mass.), and juniors Megan Lynch (Mendham, N.J.) and Elizabeth Watters (San Francisco, Calif.) as 2011 team captains.
"I am excited for these three to lead our team," said Holy Cross head volleyball coach Erin Walker. "They each provide a unique style of leadership and strong sense of team work. I am confident that they will lead the team in the right direction."
Colpoys, who enters the season ranked third all-time at Holy Cross with a .230 career hitting percentage, has 532 kills, 133 blocks, 56 aces and 166 digs. As a junior in 2010, she had a career year with 229 kills, 57 blocks and 85 digs. Colpoys led the team in blocks and with a .243 hitting percentage, while she was second in kills. As a sophomore, she led the team with a career-best .258 hitting percentage and ranked second on the team with 205 kills and 49 blocks.
Lynch, who has started in all 62 career matches and has played in every set, is already ranked fifth all-time at Holy Cross with 813 career kills in only her first two seasons. She has earned second team All-Patriot League honors twice and was named to the inaugural Patriot League volleyball All-Academic team in 2010. As a sophomore, she set a school record with a Patriot League leading 442 kills as she was the first Crusader in program history to record over 400 kills in a season. Lynch also ranked second on the team with a career-best 388 digs which were fourth all-time. In the 2009 season, she posted 371 kills which were the most ever by a Holy Cross freshman. Lynch was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice as she became only the second Crusader to earn that award. She has recorded double-digit kills in 46 of 62 career matches, while she has 27 career double-doubles. Lynch is a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
Watters has appeared in all 62 matches in her first two seasons and has 524 career digs and 45 aces. As a sophomore, she ranked third on the team with a career-best 333 digs which were 10th all-time for a season at Holy Cross as she posted double-digit digs 12 times. She was also fourth on the team with a career-best 24 service aces. As a freshman, Watters ranked fifth on the team with 191 digs and recorded double-digit digs eight times. She also tied for fourth on the team with 21 aces. Watters is a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
The Crusaders return seven players with four starters and welcome eight freshmen. The 2010 season (12-21 overall, 4-10 Patriot League) saw the Crusaders win their most overall matches since 2000 and earn their most Patriot League victories since 2004. Also the 51 sets won by the Crusaders were the most for Holy Cross since winning 55 in 1989.
Florida State Volleyball: Walch, Mosher to Play for USA Volleyball A2 Junior National Team
Rising sophomores to participate in the European Global Challenge from July 17-22
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – Two members of the Florida State University indoor volleyball team in rising sophomores Kaitlin Mosher (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Elise Walch (Stuart, Fla.) have been selected to the USA Volleyball A2 Junior National Team that will compete in this summer’s European Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia.
The 14-team event features some of the best junior national squads from both the United States and Europe, which includes players born in 1992 or 1993. Mosher is projected to play a vital role at the libero position for the Seminoles in the upcoming 2011 season, while Walch expects to make a significant impact at the outside hitter spot after posting a strong freshman season at Wisconsin.
“This is a wonderful honor for both Katie and Elise to be selected to the Junior National A2 team,” head coach Chris Poole said. “They will have the opportunity to play with other great players from around the country and to compete at a very good level in the match play. I know they will work hard this summer to be ready for the competition and to represent Florida State volleyball in a positive fashion.”
The USA Volleyball A2 Junior National Team will also participate in a three-day training camp with the Great Britain National Team that is slated to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England. Mosher, Walch and the rest of the team will undergo their National Team caliber workouts in Sheffield, England, on July 14-16 before competing in the European Global Challenge.
The A2 Junior National Team is scheduled to play in 10 matches, including three against the Great Britain National Team. It will then play seven more at the European Global Challenge, although the schedule is subject to change.
The 12-member roster includes student-athletes from other Division I universities such as Pepperdine, St. Mary’s, Southern California, North Carolina, Iowa, Arkansas and Clemson.
Check back with Seminoles.com over the summer for updates on Mosher and Walch’s overseas journey with the A2 Junior National Team. Fans can also access FSU volleyball’s official Twitter account - @FSU_Volleyball – for updates on the team as well.
Nebraska Huskers Volleyball Junior Megan Pendergast to Transfer
Nebraska Head Coach John Cook announced on Wednesday that junior Megan Pendergast will be leaving the Huskers and plans on playing at another program next season.
A native of League City, Texas, Pendergast played in 14 matches as a true freshman in 2009, but then only saw action in three matches last season. One of the most athletic players in program history, Pendergast holds NU’s performance index record and ranks in the top five in all four performance index tests, including the 10-yard dash, pro agility, vertical jump and step approach.
“Our whole staff wishes Megan the best,” Cook said. “She is going to have the opportunity to play closer to home and we will do what we can to help her make that transition.”
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 1,000th career dig while nursing an injured ankle. She ended her career in 10th 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.
Volleyball and Football Join for Second Annual Digging for Dylan
Corvallis, Ore. – The Oregon State football and volleyball programs will compete against each other in the second annual “Digging for Dylan” on Saturday, Apr. 9 at 5:00 p.m. All of the proceeds from “Digging for Dylan” will go to the Sparrow Clubs.
Tickets will only be sold at the door in legendary Gill Coliseum and are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and Oregon State students with OSU ID. Cash and checks are only accepted.
The Digging for Dylan match will take place following the Oregon State volleyball team’s spring match against Oregon at 2:30 p.m.
Some of the Beaver football players that will be competing are Johnny Hekker, Markus Wheaton, Rashaad Reynolds and Obum Gwacham.
Last year, over $1,700 was raised to help offset the medical costs for Dylan Cain and his parents, Mark and Jinger. The family traveled to Duke Children’s Hospital and Clinic in North Carolina last year, where Dylan received an infusion of stem cells harvested from his banked umbilical cord blood that was saved from birth. For more information on Dylan’s journey, visit www.help4dylan.com. Sparrow Clubs USA is proof that you're never too young to make a difference. As the nation's only youth-based charity of its kind, Sparrow Clubs not only provides financial and emotional support for critically ill children and their families, but also empowers young people to help a child through charitable service experiences. 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.
Samford Volleyball Sends Two To USA Team Open Tryouts
--- Neisler, Murphy represent Samford at U.S. volleyball team open tryouts in Colorado Springs --- March 2, 2011 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Sophomore outside hitter Elizabeth Neisler and freshman middle blocker Katie Murphy represented Samford volleyball last weekend, Feb. 25-27, at the U.S. Women’s National Team Open tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colo. “I was so excited that we raised enough funds and through the kindness of some local donors were able to send Murphy and Neisler out to Colorado Springs,” Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. “Both of these young ladies have another level they can take their games to, and competing for a whole weekend against some of the NCAA’s best will help them see and realize those goals.” USA Volleyball had a record number of 204 athletes participate in open tryouts for the U.S. Women’s National Team, U.S. Women’s National A2 Program and U.S. Women’s Junior National team in sessions held Feb. 25-27 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The U.S. Women’s National Team coach staff -- including head coach Hugh McCutcheon and assistant coaches Karch Kiraly and Paula Wesihoff – led the evaluation oversight process. “National tryouts were amazing,” Murphy said. “Being in the presence of legendary coaches, my volleyball idols, and other great volleyball players is something I will never forget. It was a great learning experience and I have a lot to take away from it.” “I had so much fun playing with such amazing girls and being coached by great mentors,” Neisler said. “It was truly an experience I will never forget.” Among the 204 tryout participants representing 81 different colleges were 56 outside hitters, 51 middle blockers, 46 liberos, 27 setters and 24 opposites. For a full list of participants, go to www.usavolleyball.org. The U.S. Women’s National Team program is open to athletes who have concluded their college eligibility and who wish to train full-time. Athletes who will have remaining collegiate eligibility may still participate in the program with participation beginning May 2011 or when their scholastic calendar ends. College athletes with collegiate eligibility remaining for the 2011 season and not selected to the USA Women’s National Team may be invited to participate in the U.S. Women’s National Senior A2 Team. *** SAMFORD BULLDOGS ***
Santa Clara Volleyball In The Gym Getting Better Every Day
The Santa Clara volleyball team may not start spring practice until March 28, but the Broncos have been working hard in the gym and the weight room this winter by focusing on strength and conditioning and individual training. Head coach Jon Wallace (JW), who enters his 13th year at Santa Clara in 2011, leading the team to the NCAA Tournament in 11 of those years, talks below about the month of January, the teams resolve to get better and gives some insight to the spring schedule. SCU: How do you feel about the progress you are making? JW: We dedicated the month of January to getting in shape. That's really benefited the women and they are seeing the results even though they don't necessarily like the conditioning. That's a positive for us. Now that we are loading up with volleyball more they are pretty fatigued, but I think with another week or so we will really turn the corner. Right now the team is lifting weights three times a week, running and doing agility drills the other three days a week. Each training session is about an hour long. SCU: You talked about working individually with each position group as well. What are you working on specifically? JW: We have two focuses for each group. For middles, it's hitting and blocking. For outsides, it's hitting and ball control. Our two defensive specialists, Bridget O'Hara and Ali Rambis, are working on passing and defensive fundamentals. Our setter, Alexandra Palmer, is working on her setting fundamentals as well as creating the offensive tempo we want to run in 2011. It's important for us to improve on our attacking efficiency, which is a combination of good passing, good setting and aggressive attacking. SCU: Is the team healthy? JW: We are healthy. We are giving Dana Knudsen another month or so with her rehab before she jumps back in. Dana is working to rehab her shoulder. She will be fine - we just want her to be 100% before she starts hitting again. Dana has worked hard on the rest of her fitness and should be good to go by the spring. Katherine Douglas is healthy, she's awesome. She's looking great out there. Kat's had a good two to three month start ahead of the girls in terms of conditioning and she's doing really well. Megan Anders is doing really well. She is getting stronger which is allowing her to train harder. She's much more comfortable with herself and the team environment and it shows by her consistent improvement. SCU: What does your spring look like in regards to practice and tournaments? JW: We will train together from March 28 to May 7. We're playing in three events in the spring as of now. Our first event will be an all-day tournament at UOP on April 9. We will play USF, St. Mary's, Cal, Pacific and Sac State. We will play five matches over the course of the day, which will be great. We need to play a lot. SCU: Why do you need to play so many matches early on? JW: We need the court time. Coming off of last year we had to learn a lot of system principals so now we need to play within the system we have developed. We need to compete in game-like situations in order to become more comfortable and competitive with it. We have designed our off-season in two parts. First, we will play a lot of matches in the month of April. And then on May 7 vs. Cal Poly, we hope to play a complete match that will help catapult us into our fall training. SCU: This sounds like a good plan. What else do you have on tap for your spring season? JW: We are going to do an all-day tournament at USF on April 30th. We will be playing against all the same area teams since the NCAA has regulated our spring schedule and we can't fly so all the local teams will see a lot of each other in the spring. We are planning something with either Stanford and Cal in mid-April. We will train against them and then play a match. Last year we played University of Washington, which was great for our team to see how elite player's train and play. It elevated our playing and expectations of ourselves. Our team is working hard every day to be back at that elite level. SCU: What has the coaching staff evaluated about last season that you want to change or add? JW: The first part is health and fitness. The month of January was great for their health and fitness growth. Secondly, last season we were more concerned about playing together than understanding our systems. The goal for this spring is put it all together so we can more concerned with executing at a high level and competing as hard as we can everyday. SCU: Off the court, at the Santa Clara-Saint Mary's men's basketball game last Thursday on ESPNU, your team was honored at half-time with your team donating a check for $5,000 from your team's work with Dig Pink. The volleyball team has raised more than $53,000 in the last three years. How does that make you feel? Is that part of your team goals? JW: Our team has done a great job in the last three years, raising more than $18,000 for Breast Cancer Awareness and better than $35,000 for Pancreatic Research. Last Thursday night we donated $5,000 to the Cancer Support Community, which is located in Mountain View. It's a free service that provides seminars, classes and counseling for cancer victims and their families. Rather than donate to the national Dig Pink Foundation this season, the team selected the Cancer Support Community as it allows them to connect with something that they care about locally. We are also assisting them in their gala event on March 3rd where our team will be honored and thanked for their efforts. SCU: Saturday, May 7 is the Third Annual Santa Clara Pancreatic Cancer Walk. Can you talk about the event this year? JW: We were very successful last year with the walk being on the Mission Campus. We hope to get more walkers this year. Last year we had 250 and so we hope to get between 350-400 walkers. Last year we raised $30,000, which is a huge amount. But this year we hope to gain more awareness and more people walking. The men's basketball team and coaches also walked with us and that was great to have their support. We are going to play Cal Poly that afternoon and I hope that their team, staff, coaches and families will also participate in the walk. It will be a great way to start off our final day of spring competition. We will have additional information and a website up and running by March 1 so please check back here for more information on the Pancreatic Cancer Walk.
California Volleyball to Host 2010 Awards Banquet The Golden Bears will celebrate a record-setting season on Sunday, March 13
BERKELEY – The California volleyball program will hosts its annual banquet and awards presentation at the Haas Pavilion Club Room on Sunday, March 13, 2011. The Golden Bears will celebrate a record-setting 2010 season with a 2:30 p.m. PT reception, followed by dinner at 3 p.m., and program at 3:30 p.m. The banquet is open to the general public and Individual seat reservations can be made for $40 per person. Fans and supporters are also able to sponsor players at $40 per player.
For more information and to RSVP, please contact assistant coach Jennifer Carey at j.carey@berkeley.edu or (510) 643-9283. Cal capped off a record-setting season with the program’s highest year-end ranking as the AVCA tabbed the Bears No. 2 in its final poll. When the dust had settled, a squad the other nine Pac-10 coaches selected to finish fifth at the beginning of the season earned its first Pac-10 title and set a new mark for most wins in a single season. The Bears (30-4 overall, 15-3 in the Pac-10) were led to new heights by the AVCA’s pick for National Coach of the Year, Rich Feller, and its selection for National Player of the Year, senior setter Carli Lloyd. For the first time in school history, Cal had two first-team All-Americans in the same season in Lloyd and junior outside hitter Tarah Murrey. But the Bears were on point in the classroom as well as they were honored with the Newmark Award for having the highest grade-point average of women’s teams at Cal, and the most improved GPA as a team at Cal over a two-year period. Lloyd was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic second team as was sophomore libero Robin Rostratter who also took home the NCAA’s volleyball Elite 88 award with the highest GPA amongst competitors at the NCAA championships. Back on the court, the Bears pushed one step further than any other squad in school history and made their first appearance in the national title match before Penn State won its fourth consecutive crown.
SMU Volleyball Celebrates 2010 Season With Team Awards Presentation
DALLAS (SMU) --- The SMU volleyball team celebrated its 2010 season with the end of the year awards this past week. Head coach Lisa Seifert and the rest of the team gathered to recognize the individual and group accomplishments during SMU's most successful season in program history. The Mustangs finished the year with a program-best 25-6 record and second place finish in Conference USA. Led by a strong defense, which ranked in the top 30 in the nation in digs (17.65) and blocks (2.55) per set, SMU tallied a 17-3 record in league play. This year's Mustang Award was given to senior Kathryn Wilkerson, who finished her career ranked second in program history in total digs (1588) and fourth in kills (1445). The award is voted on by the team and represents the player displaying the most outstanding determination, dedication and desire. The outside hitter finishes her career on the Hilltop as one of the most accomplished players in school history amassing 378 kills and 452 digs (both totals place second on the team) during her senior season. The Arlington, Texas native earned First Team All-Conference USA honors following her senior campaign. The coaching staff selected junior Dana Powell as the team's MVP. For the second consecutive season the junior earned an AVCA All-America honorable mention. Powell also received an AVCA All-Midwest Region first-team selection and a First Team Conference USA honor. The only Mustang to be a two-time All-American, Powell excelled on the court by leading the team with 3.35 kills per set and placed third with 3.59 digs per game. Along with the athletic accolades, the Tulsa, Okla. product is also successful in the classroom and earned a selection to C-USA's All-Academic Team. The team also celebrated the accomplishments of the senior class to the advancements of the program. The class, which is comprised of Wilkerson, Caitlin Adair and Kenzie Bukolt, led SMU to the most wins (74) over a four-year period during their tenure. Adair earned a selection to the C-USA All-Academic team and became the first Mustang to earn First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. The psychology major maintained a 3.946 GPA during her time on the Hilltop. Bukolt battled injuries throughout her career, which ultimately forced her to miss the 2010 season. The Mustangs placed five players on the All-C-USA squad. In addition to Powell and Wilkerson, Kelli Becerra, Jessica Oliver and Courtney Manning all made the second team. Becerra, who was a team captain for the season, led the team with 10.69 assists per set during the year. Oliver, a right-side hitter, earned an honorable mention to the AVCA All-Midwest Region after compiling 2.61 kills per set. Manning, the team's starting middle blocker, finished her sophomore season ranked 19th with 1.34 blocks per set. SMU compiled eight C-USA Player of the Week Awards during the season. Libero Sidney Stewart led the team with four weekly honors. The junior, who is SMU's all-time career digs leader with 1,593, led the Mustangs with 4.66 digs per set this season. Stewart received the Best Defensive Player award by the team for her efforts in leading SMU to be the top defensive team in the league. The seniors continued a team tradition by selecting the Best Freshman Award. This year's class selected defensive specialist Meghan Janette as the winner of the year's top newcomer. Janette led her class in digs and assists while working her way into the team's regular defensive rotation. The Mustangs look to build on this year's success as the focus turns to next season. SMU returns a strong core of players to blend with an impressive recruiting class in 2011.
University of New Mexico Volleyball Banquet Set for April 1 and MCM Elegente’ “Celebrating the 2010 Season” is the theme for back-to-back NCAA squad
Albuquerque, N.M. – University of New Mexico head volleyball coach Jeff Nelson has announced that the teams’ annual banquet will be held on Friday, April 1 at the MCM Elegante’ Hotel. Fans can purchase tickets for $40 per person, or an 8-person table for $300 and join in to help celebrate the 2010 season, one in which the Lobos won 20 games for a third straight season and advanced to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament.
The evening will begin at the MCM Elegante’ with a social from 6-6:30 p.m., and dinner and the banquet will follow at 6:30 p.m. Jeff Nelson, who was the 2010 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.
In 2010, the Lobos had their third consecutive 20-win season for the first time in 19 years, as they finished 20-10 overall, and 12-4 in the Mountain West Conference. The squad set a school record for MWC wins, finished 12th nationally in average attendance, and saw over 33,000 fans head to the Johnson Center to watch the Lobos. Of course, they advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season after a 15-year absence. Along with recapping the season and presenting awards, the Lobos will also honor their four departing seniors in Jade Michaelsen, Lisa Meeter, Taylor Hadfield, and Amy Wong. Michaelsen and Meeter were both named AVCA honorable mention All-America in 2010, and Hadfield earned that same honor in 2009. All three were named All-Mountain West, and Wong battled back from an injury to help the Lobos to their second straight NCAA berth.
Lobo volleyball fans are encouraged to join the team on April 1st at the MCM Elegante’ hotel, located on Menaul, for the banquet. For more information of purchasing tickets or a table, contact Jordie Hadfield at 505-277-0102 or jordie@unm.edu.
Miami Volleyball Honors Players at End-of-Year Banquet
Five different ‘Canes collect yearly awards from UM coaching staff. CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head volleyball coach Nicole Lantagne Welch and her staff honored five different student-athletes on Monday, Feb. 7, celebrating with the team at volleyball’s annual end-of-year banquet at Monty’s Restaurant in nearby Coconut Grove, Fla. Under the direction of 10th-year head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch, the UMiami volleyball team had another enjoyable season in 2010, making it to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Hurricanes finished the year 23-9 overall, earning a No. 3 seed in the Bloomington [Ind.] Regional. At the end-of-year banquet, Lantagne Welch and her staff recognized performances by volleyball student-athletes in a variety of areas, including on the court and in the classroom. For the second consecutive season, junior outside hitter Lane Carico was named as the team’s Most Valuable Player after being selected as the school’s first-ever AVCA All-American (third team). Additionally, Carico picked up the team’s 100% Award, given annually to the player who exemplifies a dedication of 100 percent day in and day out. Carico, a native of Manhattan Beach, Calif., ended the 2010 year claiming her third consecutive appearance on the All-ACC Team and All-AVCA East Region Team. She was second in the league in kills (471 / 3.83 per set); third in service aces (38 / 0.31 per set); and third in points (535.5 / 4.35 per set). She also led the ACC in double-doubles, registering a personal season-best 26 on the campaign. She was the only player in the conference to record 400 kills and 400 digs in the 2010 regular season. Carico finished the year second on the UM squad in digs with 454 (3.69 per set). She notched 16 kills and 14 digs while battling through illness in Miami's NCAA Tournament match against Indiana. Senior middle blocker Ariell Cooke picked up this year’s Most Inspirational Award, an award that is selected upon by teammates, given to the player that inspires the team to be the best people and players they can be. Cooke, just finishing her four-year career for the Hurricanes, ended the 2010 campaign hitting at a team third-best .318 clip (253k-73e-566ta), adding a team second-best 83 blocks (72 assisted). Her 253 kills bested her total in that category from the previous three seasons combined, concluding her career with 490 (1.54 per set) and 191 blocks (0.60 per set). For the second straight year, sophomore Lizzie Hale picked up the team’s Unsung Hero Award, this year adding the Co-Academic Award honor as well. Hale, a 6-0, DS/OH from Menlo Park, Calif., collected the Unsung Hero Award which is given to the player who demonstrated a hard work ethic but whose efforts may have gone unnoticed during the season. She ended the season with 92 digs and 10 service aces for the ‘Canes. Hale and classmate Nrithya Sundararaman shared this year’s Academic Award for the ‘Canes, toting the highest GPAs of any student-athletes during the course of two semesters on the season. Sundararaman handed out 158 assists (3.51 per set) on the year, in addition to 26 digs, 13 kills and 10 blocks from her setter position. The final team award was given to freshman Julia Giampaolo, picking up the team’s Most Improved Award. Giampaolo, a 5-7, libero from Torrington, Conn., earned the award which is given annually to the player that has made the biggest improvement throughout the course of the season as voted on by players and coaches. She finished the year seeing action in two matches for the ‘Canes as a defensive specialist. At the end of the dinner, Lantagne Welch honored seniors Lici McGee and Ariell Cooke with framed jerseys for their hard work through a full career with the Orange and Green. McGee, a native of Warr Acres, Okla., ended her playing career ranked fifth in school history in blocks per set (0.91), ninth in total blocks (234) and 10th in block assists (186). During the 2009 season, McGee posted a personal season-best 234 kills and a team-leading 117 blocks. She helped UM in a comeback win at Georgia Tech, and finished the year second on the team with 312 points. She was named to the Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado All-Tournament Team as UM went 3-0 in winning the championship. For more information on the University of Miami volleyball team, please log on to HurricaneSports.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, stats and information regarding the Hurricanes volleyball program. You can keep up-to-date with all UM Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/HurricaneSports. You can also become a fan of the ‘Canes on Facebook at Facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes. – 30 –
Katie Olsovsky Named Director of Operations For USC Women's Volleyball Program
LOS ANGELES -- Former USC All-American Katie Olsovsky has been named director of operations for the women's volleyball program, head coach Mick Haley announced today. Olsovsky (Torrance/Bishop Montgomery HS) was a middle blocker at USC from 2000-03, earning All-America second team honors in 2001. She played on USC's national championship squads in 2002 and 2003. She earned AVCA All-Pacific Region honors in 2001 and honorable mention recognition in 2002 and 2003. She was a two-time All-Pac-10 Conference selection in 2001 and 2002 and earned Pac-10 Conference honorable mention in 2000 and 2003. Olsovsky ranks second all-time at USC with 388 block assists and fourth with 479 total blocks. "We are excited to add Katie to our program," said Haley. "She is a wonderful addition to a program that has made six Final Four appearances in the last 11 years, as well as garnering two national championships. Katie was an integral part of our two national championship teams. She brings a lot of energy to our program. Having Katie and Toni (Anderson) VanEck, who works in our academic services department, supporting our program provides our student-athletes with proven winners on and off the court."
