Volleyball Voices

Week 10: Samford University Women's College Volleyball Team News

 Bulldogs fight to stay on top in Northern Division on the road ---

 

Oct. 30, 2009

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University volleyball team will close out its five-match road swing this weekend when it travels to North Carolina. The Bulldogs will take on Elon on Saturday and UNC Greensboro on Sunday.

 

This weekend is sure to be a battle for the top spot in the Southern Conference North Division as Samford, the defending North Division Champion and preseason pick, currently sits in first place with both Elon and UNC Greensboro tied for second place in this week’s league standings. Next week, Samford will host Appalachian State and Western Carolina, who are currently fourth and sixth in the conference standings.

 

“Obviously the next two weeks are of the utmost importance to winning the North Division,” Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. “If you had told me we would be in the driver’s seat at this point in the season, I would have doubted it but we are. And accordingly, Elon and UNCG will come out playing hard this weekend to knock us off.” 

 

Last weekend was a strange one in Southern Conference play. All six teams in the North Division lost while all six from the South Division won. Samford showed its resiliency once again against Wofford on Saturday, winning a hard-fought five-set match. The Bulldogs then faced a tough Furman team on Sunday but fell, 3-1.

 

“After the weekend, I asked the team if they were now mature enough to look at those matches and decide what plays we should be able to execute that we are not right now,” Schroeder said. “That level of execution was evident in both matches; the question is, do we have kids who will decide to elevate their play to that level?”

 

Samford continues to be lead by freshman Allie Bettinger and senior Sheriden Stangohr. Bettinger leads in kills with 3.22 per set and is third on the team in digs with 2.02 per set. Stangohr leads the Bulldogs in hitting with a .317 attack percentage while averaging 3.11 kills per set and 1.28 blocks per set. She also nationally ranked in that category is second on the team in aces with 27 on the year. Stangohr notched 1,000 kills in her career at Chattanooga last week and is the all-time career leader in block assists now with 398.

 

Junior Hillary Fountain still leads the offense with 8.95 assists per set while posting a team-high 28 aces on the year. Freshman Alexis Bauer leads the back row with 3.58 digs per set followed by Fountain with 2.24 per set.

 

Samford went 2-0 against Elon last year, defeating the Phoenix by a score of 3-1 at home and sweeping them on the road. The Bulldogs split matches with UNC Greensboro, each team winning in five sets at home. All three teams made the conference tournament last season, and are looking to do the same this year. However, the tournament field has been narrowed for eight teams to four teams due cost constraints, which makes the next two weeks even more important for each team.

 

Elon and Greensboro visited the Pete Hanna Center back in September for the opening weekend of Southern Conference play. Samford defeated the Spartans in four sets and the Phoenix in five – the Bulldogs’ 18^th and 19^th consecutive wins in the Hanna Center. However, this time Samford is on the road, not in front of a home crowd.

 

“Both Elon and UNC Greensboro are good teams, and better than they were when we beat them at our place,” Schroeder said. “These two matches scare me because both opponents have everything to gain and the comfort of their home gyms.”

 

Elon (19-5, 6-4 SoCon) comes off a tough five-set loss to College of Charleston on Sunday after sweeping The Citadel on Saturday. The Phoenix have only five losses on the year; four of those have come to conference opponents. Elon opened its regular season with an 11-match win streak and have won four of its last five matches.

 

The Phoenix are lead by Traci Stewart, who averages 2.64 kills per set while hitting .256 on the year. Emily Regan is Elon’s assists leader with 8.14 per set while also averaging 1.67 digs per set. She also has served up 29 aces this season. Ali Deatsch averaged 3.77 digs per set to lead the Phoenix back row while Caroline Lemke leads in blocks with 1.09 per set, 17 block solos on the year and 89 block assists.

 

UNC Greensboro (14-11, 6-4 SoCon) comes off a winless weekend in conference play. The Spartans fell to the College of Charleston on Saturday, 3-1, before being upset by The Citadel in a sweep on Sunday. UNCG bounced back with a sweep of North Carolina Central on Tuesday, but are now focused on conference play this weekend.

 

Caley Redden and Emily Lindborg lead the Spartans in kills with 2.50 and 2.40 per set, respectively. Lindborg also leads the starters in hitting percentage with a .253 average while also leading in blocks per set with 0.89. Ari Lysacek averages .9.56 assists per set for the Spartans while Catherine Hanners and Kayleigh Knerr lead the back row with 4.17 and 3.58 digs per set, respectively.

 

Both matches will be available via lives stats and video streaming through links on the Samford Volleyball schedule page. A full recap and results will be available as well onwww.samfordsports.com upon the completion of each match.

 

*** SAMFORD BULLDOGS ***

Week 10: Auburn Women's College Volleyball Team News

Week 10: Auburn Women's College Volleyball Team

AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team continues its road swing,
heading to Baton Rouge, La., for a Sunday afternoon match against No. 20
LSU. The match is set for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast by Cox Sports
Television.

“We took LSU to five last year and we’re expecting another good
match in Baton Rouge,” Wade Benson, head volleyball coach, said.
“LSU is a solid team and we’re excited to compete.”

AUBURN FALL TO GEORGIA
Auburn volleyball fought Georgia to five sets but couldn’t pull away
with the win, falling 3-2 to the Bulldogs on Wednesday night in Athens.
The Tigers dropped to 14-9 on the season and 6-6 in the SEC.

Junior Morgan Johns tied a season-best with 14 kills, while freshman
Katherine Culwell finished with 12 kills and seven digs. Libero Liz
Crouch had 20 digs on the night, while Sarah Bullock recorded her fifth
double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 kills.

Setter Sara Shanks picked up her second double-double of the year,
finishing with 20 assists and a season-best 15 digs. Junior Alyssa Davis
led the squad with six blocks.

TIGERS ON THE ATTACK
Auburn attackers enter the weekend as the fourth-best hitting squad in
the Southeastern Conference and are hitting .242 as a team with 1071
kills on 2738 attacks.

Alyssa Davis continues to be among the conference’s leaders in
hitting, averaging a .327 attack percentage (122 kills, 32 errors, 275
attempts). Freshman Sarah Bullock has a team-best 209 total kills and is
averaging 2.19 kills per set. Junior Morgan Johns is second with 186
kills and sophomore Kelly Fidero is in a close third with 184 kills.
Freshman Katherine Culwell is fourth with 177 kills.

LSU TIGERS
The LSU Tigers enter the weekend ranked No. 20 in the country and stand
at 16-5 overall and 10-2 in the SEC. The Tigers take on Georgia on
Friday evening before facing Auburn on Sunday.

Brittnee Cooper and Marina Skender lead the Tiger squad offensively.
Cooper leads the SEC with a .365 attack percentage with 256 kills on 513
attempts. Skender has a team-high 263 total kills and averages 3.42
kills per set.

Cooper also leads the conference in blocks, having 106 total blocks on
the season and averaging 1.38 blocks per set. Setter Sam Dabbs is second
in the conference with a 10.95 assists per set average.

AUBURN IN THE RPI RANKINGS
In this week’s RPI, the Auburn Tigers moved are currently ranked No.
65 in the country. After finishing the 2008 campaign at No. 232, the
Tigers jumped 163 spots and were ranked No. 69 in the 2009 initial NCAA
Division I Volleyball RPI poll.

UP NEXT
The Tigers continue the SEC season on the road, traveling to South
Carolina on Nov. 6 for a 6 p.m. match. Auburn then faces Florida at
12:30 p.m., Nov. 8.

Read more college volleyball team news, quotes, ranking and information on volleyballvoices.com.

Week 10: University of Texas Arlington Women's College Volleyball Team News

October 29, 2009

 

ARLINGTON, Texas – With a goal of raising $3,000, the UT Arlington volleyball team successfully raised $3,263.99 for breast cancer awareness with its “Dig Pink” campaign.

 

The Mavericks and the Side-Out Foundation teamed up for their annual event which took place at Texas Hall on Thursday, Oct. 22, for the Mavericks match against Southeastern Louisiana. UTA fans and supporters donated and players helped raise funds to help the Maverick program achieve their goal.

 

Last season the Mavericks raised approximately $2,200 for their Dig Pink campaign.

 

For more information on Mavericks Volleyball check out their new official website @ http://www.utamavs.com/sports/w-volley/txar-w-volley-body.html

 

 

Week 10: Arkansas State Red Wolves Women's Volleyball Team News

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Week 10: Arkansas State Red Wolves Women's Volleyball Team News



ARKANSAS STATE at
       Denver                  Friday, Oct. 30 7:00 p.m.
       North Texas             Sunday, Nov. 1  1:00 p.m.

SERVING IT UP: 

Arkansas State will travel to Denver and North Texas to
wrap up its final weekend on the road.  The Red Wolves will meet the
Pioneers Friday, Oct. 30 at 7:00 p.m. before taking on the Mean Green
Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1:00 p.m.

THE TEAMS:  

ASU will enter the weekend off a midweek five-set victory
over in-state Sun Belt Conference rival UALR.  The Red Wolves topped
the Trojans Tuesday night at the ASU Convocation Center to improve to
18-9 overall and 8-5 in SBC play.
       Denver stands at 12-13 overall and 7-4 in SBC action after taking
North Texas into five sets Tuesday night.  The Pioneers pulled out the
win 3-2.
       North Texas enters the weekend at 9-16 overall and 5-6 in conference
play.  The Mean Green will take on UALR Friday night before facing ASU
Sunday afternoon.

The Denver Series:  

Denver holds a 10-4 advantage in the all-time
series against Arkansas State.  The Pioneers took both matches last
season.  DU won 3-1 in Jonesboro and took a 3-0 sweep in Denver.

The North Texas Series: 

Arkansas State and North Texas are tied at 12
matches each in the all-time series between the two teams.  Last
season, the teams split a pair of matches, each winning on the road.
The Mean Green topped ASU 3-1 in Jonesboro before the Red Wolves swept
NT 3-0 in Denton.

Double Trouble: Three Red Wolves posted double-doubles in ASU’s
five-set victory over UALR Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the ASU Convocation
Center.
       Freshman Brittany Hoag led the team with 19 kills and added 11 digs.
Freshman Taylor Coughlin posted 16 kills and 17 digs, while senior
Mandy DeWalt notched 15 kills and 13 digs.

Climbing The Charts: 

Three Red Wolves are climbing charts in the ASU
record book so far this season.  Junior setter Laura Bennett currently
ranks sixth on the ASU career assists chart with 2,445 assists.
Bennett has 1,065 assists on the season so far.  Senior Erin Neeley
has moved into third on the ASU career digs chart with 1,460 overall
and 137 so far this season. Senior Heather Bowman’s 549 digs so far
this season rank sixth-best for a single season in ASU history.

Bowman Earns Third SBC Defensive Player of The Week Award: 

JONESBORO,
Ark. (10/19/09) - For the third time this season, Arkansas State
senior libero Heather Bowman was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive
Player of the Week Monday, Oct. 19 as voted on by the league's 13 head
coaches.
       "Heather has been very consistent in providing what we need
defensively, and on top of that, she is a tremendous serve receiver
for us," said ASU head coach Justin Ingram.  "She deserves credit for
doing great things."
       Bowman notched 74 digs to lead the Red Wolves' defensive effort as
they went 2-1 in SBC action last weekend, topping Louisiana-Lafayette
and ULM at the ASU Convocation Center.  She posted a weekend-high of
31 digs in ASU's five-set loss to New Orleans Saturday and added four
service aces in ASU's 3-0 victory over the Warhawks Sunday afternoon.
       The Fort Smith native averaged 6.17 digs per set in the three matches
last weekend and currently leads the league in that category,
averaging 5.67 on the year and 5.32 against SBC opponents.  Bowman's
5.67 average also ranks seventh in the NCAA.

UTA HALTS ASU’S TEN-MATCH WIN STREAK: 

ASU’s ten-match win streak came
to an end after the Red Wolves fell to tournament host UT-Arlington
3-2 Sept. 18 at the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational.  A-State dropped
to 10-4 on the season after suffering losses to UTA, Tulsa and Texas
Christian at the tournament.

Bowman Earns Second Consecutive SBC Defensive Player of the Week
Honors: JONESBORO, Ark. (9/21/09) – Arkansas State senior libero
Heather Bowman was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the
Week for the second consecutive week Monday, as voted on by the
league’s 13 head coaches.
       Bowman earned her third straight all-tournament honor last weekend at
the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational.  She was named “Libero of the
Tournament” and tallied a team-high 94 digs on the weekend, averaging
6.27 digs per set.
       She surpassed her career-high for a third time this season with 35
digs against UT-Arlington Friday night.  Bowman led the Red Wolves in
all four matches on the weekend, posting 31 digs against Texas
Christian and 14 digs against both Texas Southern and Tulsa.  She also
added five assists and four service aces on the weekend.
       Bowman continues to lead the league with her 286 total digs and has
helped the Red Wolves top the conference in the same statistical
category. Behind Bowman’s 5.96 digs per set, the Red Wolves have
registered 783 digs so far this season, for their conference-best
15.66 per set average.
       Bowman and the Red Wolves will begin Sun Belt Conference play
Thursday, Sept. 24 when they travel to New Orleans for a 7:00 p.m.
contest against the Lady Privateers.

19-SET STREAK ENDS: 

The Red Wolves’ 19-set win streak came to an end
against Mississippi State at the MSU Bulldog Invitational.  ASU took
the first set against MSU 25-14, but the Lady Bulldogs bounced back to
take set two 25-23.  The Red Wolves recovered to win the match, then
defeated Eastern Michigan and Northwestern State Saturday to close out
the tournament.

fielder, bowman sweep sun belt conference weekly awards:  JONESBORO,
Ark. (9/14/09) - Arkansas State sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder
and senior libero Heather Bowman were named the Sun Belt Conference
Volleyball Player and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, as
voted on by the league's 13 head coaches Sept. 15. The award marks the
first for both student-athletes this season and the first time a
school has swept the awards since Denver during the 2007 season.
       "I think it's a great honor to receive any conference award," said
ASU head coach Justin Ingram.  "I think it's a credit to how we've
been playing as a team and how strong we've been this past week.  I
think overall our effort was strong."
       Fielder earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors for the second
consecutive weekend at the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational,
leading the Red Wolves to an undefeated week and their ninth
consecutive win.  Fielder pounded out a team high 43 kills on the
weekend, averaging 3.91 kills per set.  She led the Red Wolves with 14
blocks over the three-match tournament.  In ASU's 3-0 win over
UT-Martin Tuesday night, Fielder led the team with four blocks and
added 11 kills, hitting .400 in the match.
       On the season, Fielder has recorded a league-best 48 total blocks -
1.45 per set - along with 111 kills and a .366 hitting percentage. The
local Jonesboro product has put ASU atop the Sun Belt in blocks and
opponent hitting percentage, as the Red Wolves lead the league with 94
blocks -- a 2.69 per set average -- while limiting their competitors
to just a .114 hitting percentage.
       Bowman notched a career-high 31 digs in ASU's 3-1 win over Eastern
Michigan Saturday in the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational.
Bowman earned her second all-tournament honor of the 2009 season over
the weekend with her 70 digs, four service aces and six assists.  She
also led the Red Wolves with 20 digs Tuesday night in ASU's 3-0 win
over UT-Martin.
       Bowman also leads the league with 192 total digs and has helped ASU
top the conference in the same statistical category. Behind Bowman's
5.82 digs per set, the Red Wolves have registered 572 digs so far this
season, for their conference-best 16.34 per set average.
       "Offensively, Cayla was tremendous at the Mississippi State
tournament and Bowman was very strong defensively," added Ingram.  "I
give a lot of credit to those two players.  They're playing great for
us, and we have to keep it going this weekend at UT-Arlington."

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: 

Sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder pounded
out 12 kills and added four blocks to lead the Red Wolves to a 3-0
victory over the Huskies of Houston Baptist in the championship game
of the ASU Classic.  Fielder won tournament MVP honors after hitting a
team-high .550 to notch 23 kills and six blocks over the three-game
tournament. She earned her second MVP honor at the MSU Bulldog
Invitational, pounding out a team-high 43 kills on the weekend,
averaging 3.91 kills per set. She also led the Red Wolves with 14
blocks over the three-match tournament.
       Freshman Brittany Hoag also earned all-tournament honors at the ASU
Classic for the second time this season after leading the team with 26
kills, and senior libero Heather Bowman earned all-tournament honors
as well after leading the Red Wolves with 61 digs.  Bowman earned her
second all-tournament honor of 2009 at the MSU Bulldog Invitational,
tallying 70 digs, four service aces and six assists.  At the
tournament, she surpassed her career-high for the second time this
season, posting 31 digs in ASU’s 3-1 victory over Eastern Michigan.
       Sophomore Charlyn Ursell became the fourth Red Wolf to earn
all-tournament honors this year.  At the UT-Arlington Hilton
Invitational, Ursell led the Red Wolves on the weekend with 51 kills,
averaging 3.40 kills per set.

MAKING A DEBUT: 

 Freshman outside hitter Brittany Hoag was named to
the all-tournament team at the Memphis Invitational Aug. 28-29 after
leading the Red Wolves to a 2-1 record at the tournament.  Hoag
finished the weekend with 35 kills, including a high of 14 against
Evansville to help rally the Red Wolves from a two-set deficit and
earn the five-set victory.  Hoag averaged a team-high 2.92 kills per
game and also led the Red Wolves with 44 digs and added 10 blocks.
       Freshman Kelsie Hodges played in all 12 sets of her first weekend in
the Red Wolves’ lineup.  She posted 25 kills, a team-high .303 hitting
percentage and 18 blocks over the three matches at the Memphis
Invitational.
       Freshman Taylor Coughlin led the Red Wolves in their first weekend of
SBC play in Jonesboro with a total of 24 kills against South Alabama
and Troy.  Coughlin also posted 18 digs, a service ace and an assist
in the two matches.

NEW CAREER-HIGHS:  

Junior setter Laura Bennett posted a career-high
five blocks to go along with 42 assists and 11 digs in ASU’s season
opener against SEMO at the Memphis Invitational.  Bennett broke her
own record the next day against Evansville, finishing the match with
seven blocks, then added six more in just three sets in ASU’s victory
over Memphis to close out the tournament.
       Sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder surpassed her previous
career-high of eight blocks twice at the Memphis Invitational, opening
the season with a 10-block effort against SEMO before adding nine
blocks in ASU’s second match against Evansville.  Fielder notched five
more blocks in just three sets of action against Memphis.   Fielder
was responsible for more than 50 percent of ASU’s 46 blocks on the
weekend and also averaged 2.83 kills per set.
       Senior libero Heather Bowman surpassed her career-high for the fourth
time this season, posting 36 digs in ASU’s five-set win over UALR Oct.
27 in Jonesboro.
       Fielder and Bowman both surpassed their career-highs in service aces
in ASU’s 3-0 victory over ULM.  Fielder notched four service aces,
while Bowman tallied five.  As a team, the Red Wolves tied their
season-high with 14 service aces in the match.  The team posted 14
earlier this season against Texas Southern at the UT-Arlington Hilton
Invitational.

ASU IN SEASON OPENERS: 

The Red Wolves are 22-12 all-time in season
openers.  Arkansas State fell to SEMO 3-1 in the 2009 season opener at
the Memphis Invitational.  The Red Wolves topped Mississippi Valley
State in the 2008 season opener at the Texas Southern Season Opening
Tournament.  Following that win, ASU won its next three matches to get
off to the best start since it went 5-0 to start the 2004 season.

FIELDER NAMED 2009 PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE: 

Arkansas State sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder has been named to the 2009
All-Sun Belt Conference Preseason Volleyball Team, the league
announced Aug. 25.  Fielder was the only sophomore selected for the
team as voted on by all 13 head coaches from across the Sun Belt
Conference.
       Florida International outside hitter Yarimar Rosa was named the
league's Preseason Player of the Year, while Denver libero Kacie
Wikierak was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
       Fielder earned All-SBC second-team honors and was named SBC Freshman
of the Year following the 2008 season after seeing action in all 33
matches as a true freshman.  She led the Red Wolves with 103 blocks on
the year and was second on the team with 291 kills, averaging 2.47
kills per set.  She also posted a hitting percentage of .363 at the
end of regular season play to rank fourth in the Sun Belt and 36th
nationally.  Fielder ended the season with a .356 hitting percentage
that ranks sixth in the ASU record book, and she was named to the
Texas Southern and UMKC Kangaroo Klassic All-Tournament teams during
the season as well.
       "I think Cayla earning preseason all-conference is a great reward,"
said ASU head coach Justin Ingram.  "She has proven to be one of the
best players in the conference, and hopefully we can use this as
momentum for our team going into this first weekend."

SENIORS READY FOR FINAL CAMPAIGN: 

“There are four seniors this year.
Two of them are defensive specialist/libero candidates,” said Ingram.
“I think whoever can serve-receive best will be utilized in the libero
position.  That is the first thing I will look at, and then how they
defend and how they serve.  Those three things will make up that
position.  Both Heather Bowman and Erin Neeley have had playing
experience last year.  They both played significant amounts and
contributed for the team last year, and I see both of them
contributing again this year.”
       Senior defensive specialist Erin Neeley (5’5” Jonesboro, Ark.) led
the Arkansas State squad for the third consecutive season with 441
digs and enters the 2009 season ranked fourth on the ASU career digs
chart with 1,323 digs.  She was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive
Player of the Week October 20 after leading ASU to a 3-0 week against
New Orleans, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe.
       Senior defensive specialist Heather Bowman (5’8” Forth Smith, Ark.)
posted 338 digs to rank second on the team in 2008.  She added 15
service aces, 30 assists and nine kills on the season.
       Senior outside hitter Mandy DeWalt (5’8” Houston, Texas) finished the
2008 season with 185 kills.  She recorded a career high 17 kills twice
in the same day, setting the mark September 13 against Southern
Illinois and again later in the day against Western Illinois.  DeWalt
also posted 175 digs, 21 blocks, 21 service aces and 17 assists  on
the year.
       “Mandy is a big contributor,” Ingram added.  “She's a passing
left-side hitter.  She plays all the way around and will have the
ability to play for us a significant amount of time, because she can
do more than one thing pretty well.  She can pass well.  She can
attack at a pretty high level, and she can also do some of the little
things that end up to be big things on the court.  She has experience
within the Sun Belt Conference.”
       Senior outside hitter Konae Purcell (5’11” Aiea, Hawaii) led the Red
Wolves with 296 kills despite missing eight matches in 2008 due to
injury, averaging 3.89 kills per set.  Her average ranked her third in
the Sun Belt.  She added 35 blocks to finish third on the team and was
named to the all-tournment team at the Southern Illinois-Hampton Inn
Saluki Invitational.  Purcell was named MVP of both the Texas Southern
Season-Opening Tournament and the Western Carolina Catamount Clash.
       “Konae is coming back from an ACL surgery.  She had that done in
December and is currently on track to begin her jumping.  Hopefully,
we can get her full-out match play soon.  She has been participating
in our practices, but I think her role will change throughout the
course of the season.  I think we'll count on her more as the season
progresses.  She's still in the beginning stages of coming back.  It's
a bit of a process,” ASU head coach Justin Ingram explained.

HEAD COACH JUSTIN INGRAM:               

Arkansas State University Director of
Athletics Dr. Dean Lee announced Friday, April 17 that Justin Ingram
was named head coach of the Red Wolves volleyball team.
       "We are very excited to name Justin Ingram as our new women's
volleyball coach," said Lee.  "Justin has obviously been associated
with some outstanding programs at Kansas State and Houston.  He comes
with a tremendous reputation as a great trainer and as a great
recruiter.  He started as one of our top candidates and remained there
until the end."
       Ingram becomes the sixth head coach in ASU volleyball history after
serving eight years as an assistant coach at Kansas State.
       During his time at Kansas State, he served as the recruiting
coordinator and offensive coordinator for the Wildcats who posted a
171-79 record and made seven NCAA tournament appearances during his
time with the program.
       While at Kansas State, the Wildcats earned American Volleyball
Coaches Association top-25 final rankings six different seasons
including a No. 11 final ranking in 2003.  The Wildcats also had seven
20-win seasons in his time there, including a 30-win season and a
first-place finish in the Big 12 in 2003.  Kansas State's final RPI
ranked in the top-30 nationally during seven of Ingram's eight seasons
with the Wildcats.
       Ingram served the previous two years as an assistant coach at the
University of Houston.  He served as a junior college recruiting
coordinator, travel coordinator and assistant director of camps.  The
Cougars posted a 42-24 record and made back-to-back NCAA tournament
appearances and posted consecutive 20-win seasons in 1998 and 1999.
The Cougars were the Conference USA National Division Runners-up in
1998 and C-USA National Division Champions in 1999.
       During his career, Ingram has helped lead teams to nine NCAA
Tournament appearances including a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2003.
 He has coached eight All-America selections, 22 All-Big 12
selections, 55 Academic All-Big 12 players, six All-Conference USA
selections, four Big 12 Libero of the Year winners, a Big 12 Player of
the Year, a Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and a C-USA Player of the
Year.
       Ingram earned his bachelor's degree in Community and Regional
Planning from Iowa State University in 1995 and a master's degree in
City and Regional Planning from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1998.
       "Arkansas State is a tremendous university with an excellent
volleyball program and I'm thrilled to be here," said Ingram.  "I
think the program is heading in a very positive direction and I'm
excited to be part of its future.  Not only does ASU have a strong
volleyball program, it's in a strong conference and has great support
from the community.  So, this is a great situation and opportunity and
I look forward to the challenges ahead."

ASSISTANT COACH JULIE ALLEN:  

Julie Allen joined the Arkansas State
volleyball staff as an assistant coach on April 1, 2008, after two
seasons at Georgetown.
       Allen joined the Georgetown program in August 2006 after spending
nearly two years at California State University at Chico as the
assistant women’s volleyball coach and head men’s club coach.
       “I am truly excited that Julie agreed to come to Arkansas State and
our volleyball program,” ASU former head coach Craig Cummings said.
“She brings with her a wealth of experience from the Big East
Conference, training the setters and coordinating the offense at
Georgetown University during the last couple of seasons. With some
very talented candidates in the pool, Julie stood out as the best,
allowing our program to take advantage of her experience and expertise
and help us climb back to the top of the Sun Belt Conference.”
       After graduating from the University of Portland in 2002, Allen was
the head volleyball coach at Tualatin High School in Tualatin, Ore.
until 2003. She was a lead coach for the Empire Volleyball Club in
Santa Rosa, Calif. from 2000-2004.
       Allen is also a graduate of the NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy, which
is designed for women coaches who are ready and willing to increase
their individual effectiveness through learning advanced skills and
strategies that directly affect their personal and team success.
       A four-year setter at Portland, Allen stands at fifth on the Pilots’
all-time career assists list with 2,042.
   “Julie is a bright young lady with a lot of energy and has an
outside-the-box mentality towards developing new ways to train the
team,” Cummings said. “She will coordinate our recruiting efforts as
well as handle the video systems throughout the year.”

2008- A SEASON OF CHANGE FOR ARKANSAS STATE: 

The 2008-2009 season proved to be one of many up's and down's for the Arkansas State
volleyball program.  A new mascot, 21 wins and honors along the way
highlighted the 2008 season.
       In finishing the regular season at 21-11 and 10-8 in league play,
Arkansas State posted its highest winning percentage (.656) since the
2004 season, when ASU finished 25-7 (.781) and tied for first place in
the Sun Belt East Division.
       Following regular season play, freshman Cayla Fielder was named to
the All-Sun Belt Conference second team and selected as the SBC
Freshman of the Year.  After just one season, Fielder has etched her
named in the ASU record book with the sixth best single-season hitting
percentage.
       Junior Libero Erin Neeley staked her claim on the ASU career digs
chart, ranking fourth with 1,323 digs with a season to play still
ahead.
       Junior Laura Bennett also moved into the record rankings, posting
1,224 assists on the year and earning the seventh spot on the single
season chart.
       ASU entered the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed,
taking on second-seeded Middle Tennessee.  The Blue Raiders ended
ASU's postseason play, topping the Red Wolves 3-0.
       Over the season, the team posted four win streaks of four wins or more.
       With its 4-0 start, ASU got off to its best start since the 2004
season when it started 5-0.  The team posted wins over Mississippi
Valley State, Texas Southern and The Citadel in the Texas Southern
Season-Opening Tournament followed by a win over UT-Martin at the
Convocation Center September 2.  The Red Wolves did not lose a set in
their first four matches.  Junior Konae Purcell was named MVP of the
tournament and Neeley was named the tournament's outstanding defensive
specialist, while Fielder was selected to the all-tournament team.
       The second streak began in the last game of the Hampton Inn Saluki
Invitational September 13 when Arkansas State defeated Western
Illinois 3-1.  The Red Wolves then won three straight matches at the
Western Carolina Catamount Clash over Presbyterian, Western Carolina
and Norfolk State.  Purcell was also named MVP of the Catamount Clash,
while now-departed senior Mafo Joelle earned all-tournament honors.
       Back-to-back home wins over Louisiana-Lafayette September 26 and
Louisiana-Monroe September 28 started the third win streak, followed
by road wins over South Alabama and Troy.  The Red Wolves also topped
Memphis 3-1 at home October 7, before losing to Middle Tennessee and
Western Kentucky.
       The last win streak started with a road-swing through the state of
Louisiana beginning October 16.  ASU defeated New Orleans 3-0,
Louisiana-Lafayette 3-1 and Louisiana-Monroe 3-0 over the weekend.
Neeley was named SBC Defensive Player of the Week following the
weekend sweep.  The Red Wolves returned home to top Florida Atlantic
October 24 before falling to Florida International the next day.
       Arkansas State won its last two matches on the road, winning at UALR
3-2 and North Texas 3-0.
       The end of the 2008 season also marked the end of head coach Craig
Cummings’ time at Arkansas State.  Cummings announced his resignation
in February 2009 after 13 years at ASU, and Justin Ingram was named
head coach in April.

Red Wolves Top UALR in Five-Set Thriller Tuesday Night: 

JONESBORO,
Ark. (10/27/09) - The Arkansas State volleyball team (18-9, 8-5)
pulled out a five-set (25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 18-16) victory over
in-state Sun Belt Conference rival UALR (13-11, 7-6) Tuesday night at
the ASU Convocation Center.
       Freshman Brittany Hoag led the team on the night with 19 kills with
freshman Taylor Coughlin, senior Mandy DeWalt and sophomore Charlyn
Ursell all posting double-digit kills as well.  Coughlin added 16
kills, while DeWalt recorded 15 and Ursell delivered 12.
       Coughlin, DeWalt and Hoag each notched a double-double posting
double-digit digs as well.  Coughlin finished the night with 17 digs,
DeWalt tallied 13 and Hoag posted 11.
       Senior libero Heather Bowman notched a career-high 36 digs to lead
the defensive effort, while Ursell and Coughlin each put up four
blocks.  Junior setter Laura Bennett recorded a season-high 58 assists
on the night.
       "We've been in those situations a lot lately," said ASU head coach
Justin Ingram.  "We're either really close or down in that fifth game,
and we've had pressure-filled moments. We need to relax and do what we
do every day. We need to play safe and aggressive at the same time and
limit our errors and go for kills. It took a while, but I'm thankful
that the result was our win."
       Tied at 22 in set one, the Red Wolves scored three straight points to
take the set on two kills from freshman Brittany Hoag and one from
sophomore Charlyn Ursell.  The Trojans took the second set by the same
score, but ASU broke another 22-22 tie to take set three on kills from
Hoag and Ursell.
       In the fourth set and down 24-19, Arkansas State rallied to within
two on a kill from senior Mandy DeWalt, a service ace from senior
Heather Bowman and an UALR attacking error.  The Trojans took the set
25-22, sending the match into a fifth set.
       Tied at 16 in the fifth set, freshman Taylor Coughlin pounded out two
kills to put the match away for the Red Wolves.
       The Red Wolves return to the court Friday when they travel to Denver
to take on the Pioneers at 7:00 p.m.

Check out more college volleyball teams and players stories on volleyballvoices.com!

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Week 10: Saint Louis Billikens Women's Volleyball Team News

Friday match in Chaifetz Arena precedes men’s basketball exhibition     

This Week: No. 24 Saint Louis begins its split-schedule portion of the Atlantic 10 Conference slate this weekend. The Billikens travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., for a 6 p.m. (CT) match against Duquesne Thursday, Oct. 29. Then they return to St. Louis for a 6 p.m. tilt against Fordham on Friday. The SLU-Fordham match, which will be played in Chaifetz Arena, will precede the men’s basketball team’s exhibition game against Arkansas-Fort Smith that will begin at approximately 8 p.m. Fans can stay for the basketball game at no extra charge.   

For Tickets: Tickets may be purchased at the Chaifetz Arena box office, by phone at (314) 977-4SLU or online atwww.slubillikens.com. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Students with a valid SLU ID card receive free admission. All seating is assigned.  

Following the Action: SLU’s home matches will be video streamed live through Billiken All-Access at www.slubillikens.com. Subscriptions are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month. Gametracker for all home matches will also be available free of charge on Saint Louis’ web site. 

Last Week: Saint Louis, which was without three of its mainstays due to the flu, gutted out a sweep against La Salle last Friday and went on to defeat Temple 3-1 last Sunday. The Bills improved to 19-0 in Chaifetz Pavilion.           

About the Billikens: Saint Louis, which is a half-game behind league leader Dayton in the A-10 standings, has won 11 of its last 12 matches. Senior right-side hitter Sammi McCloud leads the Bills and ranks third in the A-10 with 3.52 kills per set, while senior outside hitter Bridget Fonke has added a team-high 29 service aces in addition to 3.25 kills per set, the fifth most in the league. Senior setter Whitney Roth directs the offense with a league-best 11.06 assists per set. Sophomore middle blockerLydia Blaha and McCloud are tied for the team lead with 39 blocks apiece, while sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Deno has compiled 38 blocks. Five Billikens are averaging at least 2.30 digs per set, with senior libero Whitney Behrens leading the way with 3.17 digs per set.

About the Dukes: Duquesne (13-11, 3-6 A-10), which was swept by SLU at Chaifetz Pavilion Oct. 2, snapped a five-match losing skid with a win over La Salle Oct. 25. The Dukes hit at a negative clip in all three sets vs. the Billikens. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Nicole Wright paces the club with 2.97 kills per set, while freshman outside hitter Sara Scheirman adds 2.62 kills per set. The pair are tied for the team lead with 23 service aces apiece. Senior Chelsea Tillotson dishes out a team-high 8.48 assists per set in the two-setter system, and sophomore Sarah Svorinic contributes 6.58 assists per set. Junior libero Amy Palko collects a team-high 3.89 digs per set, while Scheirman (3.20) and Wright (3.11) also dig more than 3.00 balls per set. Sophomore middle blocker Liz Homan is the squad’s top stopper at the net with 0.89 blocks per set. In league play, the Dukes lead all teams with 17.12 digs per set. Head coach Steve Opperman is 159-191 in 12 seasons at Duquesne. His career record is 278-307 in 19 seasons. Saint Louis, which has won the last five meetings between the teams, leads the series 7-2.      

   

About the Rams: Fordham (12-15, 2-7 A-10) dropped 11 straight matches prior to winning its last four. The Rams fell to Saint Louis 3-0 on their home court Sept. 26 in the midst of that losing streak. Whitney Behrens shattered the Bills’ career dig record during the victory. Junior outside hitter Kailee May leads Fordham with 2.86 kills per set and 24 service aces. Fifth-year senior setter Katherine Burrell, who needs only 11 assists to move into the No. 2 spot on the Rams’ career assists chart, dishes out a team-best 8.48 assists per set. Junior middle blockers Katie Wells and Christi Griffiths have posted more than 75 blocks each this season, with Wells leading the squad with 0.84 blocks per set and Griffiths adding 0.74 blocks per set. Sophomore libero Megan Arend bolsters the Rams’ back row with a team-best 3.38 digs per set, while May contributes 3.05 digs per set. Pete Volkert is 99-96 in his sixth season at the helm of the Fordham volleyball program. He owns a 324-238 career mark in 17 seasons. The Billikens are 6-0 all time against the Rams. 

Back to the Future: Billiken fans caught a glimpse of the future during the La Salle match as SLU was missing three of its mainstays due to illness. With seniors Whitney Behrens, Sammi McCloud and Whitney Roth out due to the flu, head coach Anne Kordes started two freshmen, two sophomores and a sophomore libero in addition to regular starters Megan Boken and Bridget Fonke. It was the first time Roth had missed action in 114 matches and 407 sets, and it was only the second time Behrens had missed a match.    

On High Alert: The La Salle match also marked the return of senior middle blocker Sally Warning. The 2008 A-10 first-team selection made her first appearance of the season after suffering a knee injury. Warning recorded six kills, one assist and one block vs. the Explorers and four kills, one assist and one block against Temple.   

Billi(ken) Blanks: SLU has delivered a sweep in all but two of its victories this season. The Billikens’ only wins that have gone more than three sets were their 3-1 victories against Miami (Ohio) and Temple. Saint Louis has posted sweeps in 13 matches this season.  

A-10 History: The Bills have been extremely successful in conference play since joining the A-10 in 2005. Saint Louis, which captured regular-season crowns in 2006 and 2008, owns a 48-13 (.787) conference ledger. Saint Louis’ winning percentage is tops among current A-10 programs. Last season’s 13-0 record marked the first time since 1997 that a team had finished the league slate unbeaten.    

Head Coach Anne Kordes: Head coach Anne Kordes is in her sixth season at Saint Louis with a 118-60 (.659) career ledger. The 1998 Louisville graduate enjoyed her winningest campaign as a head coach in 2008 when she guided the Bills to their second A-10 West regular-season crown, their second A-10 Championship title and NCAA Tournament bid, and the first unbeaten conference slate since 1997. Kordes earned CVU.com (Collegiate Volleyball Update) National Coach of the Year honors and was named AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year last season. In 2006, she led SLU to its first NCAA Volleyball Tournament appearance after her squad captured its first A-10 Championship crown and tied for the A-10 West regular-season title. Kordes is only the second coach in program history to earn more than 100 victories at SLU. The 2006 and 2008 A-10 Coach of the Year is joined on the sideline by assistant coaches Kyle Walton and Angela Powers, volunteer assistant Corey Arbini and director of volleyball operations Andy Halaz. 

Roth & Roll: Last weekend against Temple, senior Whitney Roth, the reigning A-10 Player of the Week and two-time A-10 Setter of the Year, became just the fourth player from a current A-10 program to compile 5,000 career assists. Roth, whose 11.06 assists per set rank 24th in the NCAA, is the only setter in school history ranked among SLU’s career top 20 in assists, service aces, digs and block assists. Early last season, she became the program’s all-time assist leader and has nearly 1,800 more assists than the player in the No. 2 spot. She is 17th on the career digs list (896), 18th on the career block assists chart (154) and tied for 20th with 78 career aces.  

A View from the Top (10): Senior Sammi McCloud, the reigning A-10 Player of the Year, worked her way into SLU’s career top 10 in five statistical categories last weekend. On the Billikens’ career lists, she ranks sixth with 1,322 kills, ninth with 233 block assists and 252 total blocks, 10th with 1,052 digs and she is tied for 10th with 107 service aces. The only other players in Billiken history ranked among the top 10 in each of those five categories are Colleen Hunter (1999-2002) and Julie Tretten (1994-97).  

20-20 Vision: Seniors Sammi McCloud and Whitney Roth became members of SLU’s 20-20 club at Dayton Oct. 17. McCloud posted a season-high 20 kills to go with a career-best 21 digs. Roth turned in a season-high 66 assists along with her career-best 26 digs. Senior Bridget Fonke is the only other current Billiken who has achieved the feat. In the 2008 NCAA Tournament vs. Michigan, Fonke collected 26 kills and a career-high 25 digs. 

Quite a Day at Dayton: Saint Louis’ first five-set match of the season Oct. 17 vs. Dayton yielded numerous season and career highs. As a team, the Bills achieved season highs for kills (79), attempts (203), assists (76) and digs (103). The dig total marked the first time since 2003 that SLU had topped 100 digs. Individually, Bridget Fonke collected a season- and match-best 27 kills, while Whitney Roth recorded season highs for assists (66) and digs (26). Four Billikens established career highs during the match. Casey Chernin posted career bests of eight kills and 23 attempts, while Ashley Gaillot turned in career-high efforts in assists (three) and digs (10). Roth’s 26 digs were a career best, and Sammi McCloud also posted a career mark for digs with 21.  

Can You Dig It?: Senior Whitney Behrens became the program’s career digs leader at Fordham Sept. 26. SLU’s digs standard is 1,553 and counting. Behrens eclipsed Irene Haugh’s mark of 1,474 career digs, which had stood since 1990.  

Bridget’s Breakthrough: Senior Bridget Fonke, a 2008 A-10 first-team selection and a two-time A-10 Offensive Player of the Week this season, became the 11th member of SLU’s 1,000-kill club Sept. 19. On the Billikens’ career charts, she is ninth with 1,131 kills, fifth with 139 service aces and 14th with 40 block solos. Fonke needs just seven aces to move up to the No. 2 spot on the career aces list.

Around the A-10: As of Oct. 25, Saint Louis ranks first among A-10 teams with a .273 hitting percentage, 13.86 kills per set and 12.52 assists per set. SLU’s hitting percentage is 14th in the nation. The Bills are also third in the A-10 with 1.48 aces per set. Individually, four players rank among the top 10 in the league statistically. Whitney Roth leads the league with 11.06 assists per set, while Megan Boken is 10th with 3.12 points per set. Bridget Fonke is second with 0.42 aces per set and fifth with 3.93 points and 3.25 kills per set. Sammi McCloud is third with 3.52 kills and 4.17 points per set, sixth with a .308 hitting percentage and tied for sixth with 0.29 service aces per set.   

Conference Call: In A-10 matches, the Billikens are hitting at a league-high .328 rate with conference bests of 14.67 kills, 13.10 assists and 1.50 service aces per set. SLU is also holding its opponents to the third-lowest hitting rate in the league (.157). Four of SLU’s six starters and libero Whitney Behrens rank among the top 10 in the A-10 statistically. Whitney Roth leads all players with 12.00 assists per set,  while Behrens is fourth with 0.41 aces per set. Megan Boken has the seventh-best hitting percentage (.323) in the A-10 and ranks ninth with 2.73 kills per set.  Sammi McCloud is second with 4.00 kills and 4.80 points per set, fourth with a .384 hitting percentage, tied for eighth with 0.30 aces per set and tied for ninth with 0.85 blocks per set.Bridget Fonke leads all players with 0.53 aces per set and ranks third with 4.35 points per set, fourth with 3.57 kills per set and eighth with a .314 hitting percentage.

Hey You Get Off of McCloud: Senior Sammi McCloud, the 2008 A-10 Player of the Year, collected the 1,000th dig of her career during the George Washington match Oct. 9, becoming just the fifth player in program history to compile more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career. Other Billikens in this prestigious club are Irene Haugh (1987-90), Colleen Hunter (1999-2002), Kim Moorleghen (1987-90) and Julie Tretten (1994-97). Against Temple Oct. 25, McCloud broke into the top 10 on SLU’s career digs chart. She is No. 6 on the career kills list (1,322) and No. 10 on the career digs chart (1,052).  

A Formidable Foe: After playing one of the toughest schedules in the country in 2008, Saint Louis is at it again in 2009. The Billikens took on five teams ranked among the nation’s top 15 in the first three weeks of the season. SLU faced top-ranked Penn State in the Active Ankle Challenge during the season-opening weekend. At the Hawaiian Airlines Classic Sept. 3-6, the Bills battled No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Hawai’i and No. 10 California. Saint Louis played No. 14 Illinois Sept. 12 in the State Farm Classic. Four of those teams are among the Top 10 in the latest NCAA RPI report released Oct. 26, with Hawai’i coming in at No. 22. SLU is No. 34 on that list, while A-10 foe Dayton is listed at No. 28.   

On the Go with Gaillot: Sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Gaillot will keep a blog this season called “On the Go with Gaillot” at www.slubillikens.com. Her blog will provide fans with a weekly behind-the-scenes look at the 2009 Billiken volleyball team. 

Women's College Volleyball Game Information Week 10: Oregon State Volleyball Prepares for Second Civil War Match in Eugene

Oregon State Volleyball Prepares for Second Civil War Match in Eugene

LOOKING AHEAD — The Oregon State Beavers (11-10, 2-7 Pac-10) take a short trip down south to Eugene for the final Civil War match-up this season against the No. 15 Oregon Ducks (14-5, 4-5 Pac-10). The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be aired on FSN via tape delay.

 

TRACKING THE BEAVS — Full results from this weekend’s match can be found through the newly redesigned osubeavers.com. Live stats will be available for the match throughwww.goducks.com with the link located on the volleyball schedule page.

 

TWITTER AND BLOGS — Follow the Oregon State volleyball program this season on Twitter. “Beavsvolleyball” provides updates throughout matches and the week. And follow the team on road trips through daily blogs on osubeavers.com, where different players will give their insight on the team and what goes on when they travel.

 

MATCH 22: NO. 15 OREGON (14-5, 4-5 PAC-10) — Friday, Oct. 30 (7:00 p.m.): Oregon State is 41-50 all-time against Oregon, winning in five in the last meeting earlier this month in Corvallis. The win snapped a six-match series winning streak for the Ducks.

 

Oregon is coming off a tough 0-2 weekend at No. 13 UCLA and No. 18, falling in five to the Bruins and losing in three to the Women of Troy. Senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe continues to lead the Ducks offense with 284 kills (4.18 kps), good for fifth best in the conference. She also leads in the backcourt with 190 digs (2.79 dps). Senior middle blocker Neticia Enesi has a team-high 76 blocks (1.12 bps), which ranks sixth best in the conference, adding 205 total kills (3.01 kps). Senior setter Nevena Djordjevic directs the Ducks offense with 830 assists (12.03 aps), second in the conference.

 

REWIND TO LAST WEEK — Oregon State fell to No. 18 USC and No. 13 UCLA in three-set matches in Los Angeles last weekend.

 

Senior outside hitters Rachel Rourke and junior Jill Sawatzky both recorded double-doubles with Rourke amassing 11 kills and 13 digs, and Sawatzky posting 11 kills and 10 digs. Senior middle blocker Lexie Rathgeber had a total 14 kills and five blocks on the weekend.

 

ODDS & ENDS — Oregon State’s 76 kills is the second most to date in a single match in the conference. Senior Rachel Rourke currently has scored the most points in a single match in the Pac-10 with 34.0 against Oregon.

 

It is believed that this is the first season that Oregon State has defeated three ranked opponents since 1995.

 

Oregon State is 3-5 against ranked opponents this season, defeating No. 24 Colorado State, No. 6 Michigan and No. 7 Oregon.

 

The Beavers snapped a six-match series winning streak by Oregon on Friday, Oct. 2, defeating the seventh-ranked Ducks in five. Oregon State snapped another six-match series winning streak on Oct. 10, defeating Arizona State in Tempe in five.

 

The Civil War match on Friday, Oct. 2, set a new school record for attendance with 3,576 in legendary Gill Coliseum. The previous record of 3,547 was set at the last Civil War in 2008.

 

Oregon State snapped Michigan’s 52-match non-conference regular season winning streak with the sweep on Saturday, Sept. 19. The win also ended the Wolverines’ perfect 13-0 season starts that date back to the 2005 season.

 

The win over sixth-ranked Michigan marks the first win over a top 10 opponent since No. 4 USC in 2008 on October 3 at home, and the first win on the road since No. 4 UCLA on October 12, 2007. It is believed that this win is over the highest ranked non-conference opponent on the road in school history.

 

Senior Rachel Rourke was the first ‘everyday champion’ of the 2009-10 school year. Rourke, a sociology major and the volleyball program’s first ever All-American, was on the KJOE 1240 AM Joe Beaver Show with hosts Mike Parker and Jon Warren. And she was featured on the first episode of Beavers All Access for the school year, while also being interviewed by KPAM 860 AM out of Portland. Senior Lexie Rathgeber is currently the ‘everyday champion’ the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 2.

 

The Beavers are a perfect 5-0 in their season openers under head coach Taras Liskevych. The team has won its season opener in seven of the last eight years.

 

In home openers, Oregon State has won its last three, defeating Seattle this season, Wyoming last season and Washington State in 2007.

 

Senior Rachel Rourke earned three All-Tournament nods this season, including one Most Valuable Player honor at the Michigan ADIDAS Invitational, and junior Jill Sawatzky was named to two All-Tournament teams with Most Valuable Player honors at the Active Ankle Challenge.

 

PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK — Senior Rachel Rourke was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for Sept. 15-21. It marks the second time in her career that she’s received the honor. And she is the eighth player in school history to earn it, 12th overall school honor.

 

NATIONAL ATTENTION — The Beavers received 15 votes in this week’s top 25 poll, good to tie for 34th. The Beavers were tied for 33rd last week with 15 votes, as well. The Beavers reached as high as 24th in the 2008 season after not being ranked in the top 25 since 1996.

 

START THE COUNTDOWN — Senior Rachel Rourke is on track to breaking the school record in kills, attacks and possibly total points. She currently boasts 1,737 career kills - second on the list - and is just 26 from the school record. As a freshman she racked up 387 kills, 505 as a sophomore and 497 as a junior.

 

FACING OFF AGAINST THE NATION — Two Oregon State players are ranked in the top 50 in the nation for their stats in blocks, kills and points, as of October 26. Junior Kiersten Sambrailo is the 49th best blocker in the country, averaging 1.18 blocks per set, while senior Rachel Rourke is tied for 12th for kills per set (4.52) and ninth for points per set (5.13 pps). As a team, Oregon State is 10th for blocks (2.82).

 

IT’S FINALLY OFFICIAL — The NCAA released its first official RPI on October 12 with the Oregon State volleyball team ranked 28th. In the RPI released on October 26, the Beavers dropped to 46th. All 10 conference teams are in the top 79 with Washington leading the way at No. 7. Arizona State trails the Beavers. In the Rich Kern Power Index (RKPI), the Beavers are ranked 46th, as well. The Beavers finished the 2008 season ranked 82nd.

 

ATTENDANCE AVERAGE — The Beavers are currently averaging 1,596 on the season, unofficially 21st in the country. The team is currently only behind Stanford and Washington, and the Civil War ranks 61st in single-match attendance. Oregon State finished the 2008 season 36th in the country for attendance, averaging 1,037 per match. The Beavers were fifth in the conference behind Stanford, Washington, USC and Oregon. The Civil War in Corvallis ranked the 86th highest single-match attendance of the season.

 

SPIKE OUT CANCER — The Beavers are proud to host the second annual Spike Out Cancer, in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The event will take place on Friday, Oct. 16, against the Stanford Cardinal in legendary Gill Coliseum at 7:00 p.m. Admission is only $1, and mini pink volleyballs are available for purchase for $12 with part of the proceeds going to the Corvallis Clinic. Overall, approximately $1,000 was donated to the Corvallis Clinic’s Project H.E.R.

 

GET YOUR TICKETS — Season tickets are on sale now for the 2009 Oregon State volleyball season. The adult price is $63 and the youth/senior price is $40 for all 12 home matches, including all of the tough Pac-10 matches. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-GOBEAVS or by visiting osubeavers.com.

 

Single-match tickets are also available for purchase. The cost is $7 for adults, $5 for children and seniors and $2 each for groups of 20 or more.

 

CAN’T MAKE IT TO A MATCH? — Oregon State will be televised once this season on the road. The Civil War in Eugene will air live nationally on FSN on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:00 p.m., via tape delay.

 

All home matches will be webcast for free through Beaver Nation Online (BNO), the audio/visual service of osubeavers.com.

 

BRING OUT THE WELCOME WAGON — The Beavers welcome six freshmen to the 2009 roster, including athletic legacies Dianni Freeman and Megan McBride. Freeman’s father, Shawn, played basketball at Oregon State in 1987-88, while McBride’s father, Kevin, played football for the Beavers for a pair of seasons. Adding to the mix is Camille Saxton, whose parents Don and Mylène both played on the Canadian National Team. Rounding out the freshmen are Alyssa O’Neil, Ashley Eneliko and Tami Brown, who is from Eugene and was highly recruited for basketball, being named a McDonalds All-American nominee as a senior in high school.

 

OREGON STATE VS. RANKED OPPONENTS — Oregon State will face eight opponents this season ranked in the AVCA Coaches Division I Top 25 Preseason Poll with its first test coming in the ASICS Classic against No. 24 Colorado State. The Pac-10 boasts six teams, Stanford, USC, California, UCLA, Washington and Oregon, in the top 25 with all six in the top 14. Other top teams the Beavers will face this season are Pepperdine, Wisconsin, Cal Poly and Arizona, who fell just outside the top 25 with substantial votes.

 

PAC-10 PRESEASON POLL — The Beavers were voted to finish ninth in the Pac-10 Preseason Volleyball Poll with 31 total points ahead of Washington State. Washington was voted to finish first receiving nine first place votes and 90 total points.

 

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST SEASON — The 2008 season started with high hopes as the Beavers got off to their best start since 1996. Oregon State easily cruised through its first five matches, sweeping the first four. After a pair of tough losses to No. 17 Colorado State and Pepperdine in the ASICS Classic, the team recovered with a six-match winning streak, defeating tough opponent, No. 13 Wisconsin, on the road. The stretch earned the program individual and team accolades beginning with junior Rachel Rourke becoming 11th honoree in school history to earn Pac-10 Player of the Week honors for her three 20-plus kill matches in the Marquette Cheese Bowl. Additionally, the Beavers received votes in the top 25 for the first time during the season.

 

The season continued to progress in successful fashion with a huge upset over No. 4 USC in Oregon State’s conference home opener, leading to the program’s first top 25 ranking since 1996. Oregon State climbed to as high as No. 24 during the season. The Beavers nearly stunned No. 5 UCLA the following evening, falling to the Bruins in a five-set heartbreaker. The rise of the program’s talent boosted home attendance, setting a new school record against No. 8 Oregon in the second Civil War match of the season with 3,547 spilling into legendary Gill Coliseum.

 

But the Beavers didn’t stop as they picked up a win on the road over Washington State before hosting Arizona for Spike Out Cancer Night on October 24. The team shut down the Wildcat attack to tally the sweep. However, despite strong showings at No. 12 USC and Arizona State and at home against Washington State, Oregon State was unable to muster another win, falling just three matches shy of its goal of its first NCAA berth since 2001.

 

That didn’t stop Rourke from accumulating a handful of firsts for the program. The 6-foot-5 outside hitter from Queensland, Australia first earned the program’s inaugural All-Pacific Region selection, being named to the honorable mention squad. She then went on to earn 2008 Under Armour/Volleyball Magazine All-America Honorable Mention accolades. She added these two honors to her All-Pac-10 First Team recognition, the first for Oregon State since 2000.

 

60TH ANNIVERSARY OF LEGENDARY GILL COLISEUM — Legendary Gill Coliseum is the home to Oregon State’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, gymnastics and wrestling teams. The arena seats 10,400 for competitions on Ralph Miller Court. The building which opened in the winter of 1949-50 has seen several refurbishment projects in recent years and is on the docket for a major renovation. Gill has seen over 3,000 victories, 150+ All-Americans and more than 25 individual and team titles. The Oregon State Athletic Department is celebrating the 60th anniversary of legendary Gill Coliseum.

 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BEAVERS — Oregon State returns home to legendary Gill Coliseum to host the Arizona schools. The Beavers will take on Arizona State first on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before No. 18 Arizona on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

 

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.

 

 

Week 10: University of New Mexico Lobos Women's College Volleyball Team News

**Senior Anna Lehne is four blocks away from second place on the UNM career total blocks list.  Could do it in front of family and friends Thursday night at Air Force.

Up Next In Lobo Volleyball

Matches 23-24

at Air Force • October 29 • 7 p.m. (MT)

Clune Arena • Colorado Springs, Colo.

at San Diego State • October 31 • 2 p.m. (MT)

Peterson Gym • San Diego, Calif.

This Week ...  The Lobos (14-8, 5-5 MWC) head out on the road, where UNM will be for five of the last seven matches of the season.  First stop will be the Air Force Academy on Thursday, Oct. 29 for the Falcons ‘Pink’ Night at 7 p.m. in Clune Arena.  Halloween Saturday will be spent in Peterson Gym against San Diego State.  Match time on Oct. 31 is set for 2 p.m. (MT) / 1 p.m. (PT).

** Lobo fans coming to the Air Force match on Thursday should consider wearing pink for the Academy’s breast cancer awareness night.  It willl be the third breast cancer awareness night in 2009 where the Lobos have been the opponent.  A chance to wear the new UNM Nike pink jerseys at home is set for Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. against Utah.

  

If You Can’t Make It On The Road ...  Fans can follow along on the internet at GoLobos.com.  Air Force and San Diego State will supply Gametracker feeds.  Assistant director of media relations Judy Willson will present the action on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jwillson10.

Next Week ...  The Lobos wrap up the home season of 2009 with Utah and BYU at Johnson Center on Nov. 5 and 7.

QUICK HITS

• Lobos Among Tops In Attendance ... New Mexico is currently ranked 24th in the nation with an attendance average of 1,548 fans this season.  It is the first time that the Lobos started the season with over 1,000 fans at the first 11 matches of the season.  The 1996 team started the season with seven consecutive matches over 1,000.  The Lobos’ season-high so far in 2009 is 2,338 vs. San Diego State on Oct. 1.  MWC member Colorado State is ranked 17th overall with an average of 1,888 fans per match.  Rankings are updated on Monday mornings.

• Mark Your Calendars - Only 2 Home Matches Remain ... Only two home matches remain on the schedule ... Think Pink, breast cancer awareness night, is set for Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. against Utah.  If you wear pink, adults get in for $3 and kids, ages 2-18, get in for $2.  There will also be a silent auction with lots of great items throughout the night ... Senior Night is set for Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. against BYU.  It will be the final home match for seniors Anna Lehne, Rose Morris and Allie Suiter.

About New Mexico (14-8, 5-5 MWC) ... Lobo fans may see UNM sporting a lighter shade of Cherry on the court.  UNM has won two big road matches wearing their new pink Nike jerseys on opponents’ breast cancer awareness matches.  The pink may come out again this week at Air Force and definitely comes out one more time when UNM hosts Utah on Nov. 5 for the Lobos’ Think Pink Night in conjunction with UNM Hospital and the UNM Cancer Center ... Another losing streak came to an end on Oct. 13 as the Lobos beat New Mexico State, 3-0 in Las Cruces, 10-match overall and 8-match road losing streaks ... The Lobos beat Utah, 3-1, on Saturday, Oct. 10, the first win for UNM on Crimson Court since 1996 ... UNM picked up its first MWC win of the season at Wyoming on Sept. 26 (3-1) and have won three straight after an 0-2 start ...  Senior Rose Morris made her return to the court on Oct. 3 against Air Force with 11 kills over two sets ... Junior Taylor Hadfield leads the team with 2.78 kills per set, one of five players with 1.99 or more kps on the season ...  Junior Jade Michaelsen leads UNM in assists with 10.11 per set ... Junior Lisa Meeter has the most service aces this season with 23 ... On defense, sophomore Allison Buck leads the Lobos with a 4.09 digs per set average, while senior Anna Lehne and sophomore Ashley Rhoades lead UNM in blocking with 1.05 and 1.07 per set, respectively ... UNM placed third at the Arizona Invitational.  Jade Michaelsen was named to the all-tournament team ... UNM finishes second at the 2009 Comcast Lobo Challenge to now-No. 22 Baylor.   Michaelsen and Morris were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 Nike Portland Invitational with wins over American and Portland.  Michaelsen was named MVP of the tournament, while Meeter and Buck were named to the all-tournament team ... UNM won the 2009 MCM Elegante Lobo Classic to begin the season. It is the third season in a row the Lobos have started the season 3-0 and won the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic.  Lehne was named the tournament MVP, and joined by Michaelsen and Buck on the all-tournament team ... The Lobos were picked third in the 2009 Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll, the same place they finished the 2008 season.  The big difference this season is UNM earned three first-place votes from the voting panel of coaches and media ... Junior setter Jade Michaelsen was named MWC Preseason Co-Player of the Year by the same voting group ... Michaelsen and Morris are the team captains for 2009.

About Air Force (8-14, 0-9 MWC; UNM leads the series, 22-3, UNM has won the last 12 meetings) ... The Falcons are led by junior Caroline Kurtz with 3.19 kills per set and 25 service aces.  It will be Pink Night at Clune Arena.  Earlier in the season, UNM won the match in Albuquerque, 3-0 on Oct. 3.  Lobo sophomore Ashley Rhoades posted a career-high 15 kills, while senior Rose Morris returned to action after missing seven matches with a finger injury.

About San Diego State (10-10, 4-5 MWC; SDSU leads the series, 16-27, UNM has won 6 of the last 7 meetings) ... The Aztecs have five players averaging 2.00 kills per set, led by junior Lauren Salisbury with 2.65 kps and a .358 hitting percentage.  Setter Lauren Van Orden leads the league with 11.15 assists per set.  Earlier in the season, UNM set a season-high in attendance (2,338) for a 3-0 win over SDSU in Albuquerque.  Junior Taylor Hadfield led the Lobos with 12 kills, followed by Ashley Rhoades with 11.

Current RPI rankings ... The official NCAA RPI rankings were released Monday afternoon and the Lobos are sitting at 50, third among MWC schools.  RichKern.com releases its RPI rankings on Monday nights.  The unofficial RPI rankings, that are close to the NCAA’s system, has the Lobos ranked 50 and the Lobos’ Pablo ranking is 57.  The Lobos ended the 2008 season ranked 66th in the NCAA RPI report.

Blocking Into The Books ...  Senior Anna Lehne is four blocks away from taking over second place on the UNM career total blocks list.  Earlier this season, in addition to picking up the first all-tournament MVP honor of her career, Lehne moved onto the UNM career Top 10 lists for blocking - total blocks and block assists - during the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic.  On Sept. 16 against TCU, Lehne added the career solo blocks Top 10 list as well.  She is working her way into the top 5 in all three lists.  Lehne, a senior from Pueblo, Colo., had a Top 10 season mark with 101 block assists in 2008.

UNM Career Total Blocks

1. Chelsea Sondrup 433 2002-05

2. Kelly Therkelsen 336 2003-06

3. Anna Lehne 333 2006-present

4. Linda Archuleta 326 1980-82, ‘84

5. Laurel Luman 320 1990-93

6. Robyn Wentworth 313 1992-94

7. Tammy Lansford 299 1987-90

    Pauline Manser 299 1988-91

    Zhao Lu 299 1995-96

10. Amber Smith 258 1996-99

UNM Career Block Solos

1. Linda Archuleta 120 1980-82, ‘84

2. Terri Nelson 107 1980-83

3. Tammy Lansford 86 1987-90

4. Pauline Manser 76 1988-91

5. Sue Guinn 73 1983-84

6. Anna Lehne 71 2006-present

7. Robyn Wentworth 68 1992-94

    Shannon Vessup 68 1981, ‘83

    Laurel Luman 68 1990-93

10. Kelly Knowles 62 1980-82

UNM Career Block Assists

1. Chelsea Sondrup 433 2002-05

2. Kelly Therkelsen 326 2003-06

3. Anna Lehne 262 2006-present

4. Laurel Luman 252 1990-93

5. Zhao Lu 249 1995-98

6. Robyn Wentworth 245 1992-94

7. Pauline Manser 223 1988-91

8. Vanessa Shields 216 1998-99, 2001-02

9. Tammy Lansford 213 1987-90

10. Kristine Butler 207 1993-96

Week 10: Washington State University Women's College Volleyball Team News

2009 WSU Schedule/Results

16-4 overall, 5-4 Pac-10

8/28   W, 3-1 ^UC Davis

8/29   W, 3-1 ^Montana State

            W, 3-0 ^Portland

9/4      W, 3-0 +Missouri

9/5      W, 3-0 +No. 17 Utah

            W, 3-0 +Utah Valley

9/7      W, 3-0 @Weber State

9/11   W, 3-1 #Cal St. Northridge

            W, 3-2 #Idaho

9/12   W, 3-0 #Cal St. Northridge

9/15   W, 3-0 @Gonzaga

9/25   W, 3-0 @*Oregon State

9/27   L, 1-3 @*No. 7 Oregon

10/2   W, 3-0 *No. 18 Arizona

10/3   W, 3-2 *Arizona State

10/9   L, 1-3 @*No. 7 Stanford

10/10 L, 0-3 @*No. 15 California

10/16 W, 3-0 *No. 16 USC

10/17 L, 0-3 *No. 12 UCLA

10/23 W, 3-1*No. 4 Washington

10/30 @*Arizona State 7 p.m.

10/31 @*No. 18 Arizona 7 p.m.

11/6   *California 7 p.m.

11/7   *Stanford 7 p.m.

11/13 @*UCLA 7 p.m.

11/14 @*USC 7 p.m.

11/17 Eastern Washington 7 p.m.

11/21 @*Washington 7 p.m. (FSN)

11/25 *Oregon 7 p.m.

11/27 *Oregon State 7 p.m.

 

Home matches are Bold

^ Nike Cougar Invite, Pullman

+ Utah Valley Invite, Orem

# Nike Cougar Challenge, Pullman

* Pac-10 Conferences matches

HERE WE GO AGAIN: COUGS BEGIN PAC-10 SECOND HALF: The No. 21 Washington State volleyball team (15-4, 4-4) coming off a 3-1 win over No. 4 Washington in Pullman Oct. 23, travels to Arizona this weekend to meet Arizona State (11-10, 1-8) Friday, Oct. 30, in Tempe, and No. 18 Arizona (15-5, 4-5) Saturday, Oct. 31 in Tucson…Cougars won both matches earlier this season so the Sun Devils and Wildcats will be out for revenge…both matches begin a 7 p.m. and can be followed on the Cougar volleyball radio station (KQQQ 1150 AM in Pullman), or online via Cougar All-Access and via GameTracker online.

 

COUGAR COACHING STAFF: Head Coach Andrew Palileo is in his second season at WSU after a highly successful tenure at South Dakota State…Palileo has a 26-23 overall record at WSU, and a 13-year career record of 256-164…associate head coach Brian Lamppa and assistant coach TeAna Tramel complete the coaching staff...Kara Kiefer is the coordinator of operations.

 

AVCA TOP 25 POLL: Washington State moved up to 21st in the Oct. 26 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Div. I Coaches Top 25 Poll…Pac-10 schools ranked this week include No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 Washington, No. 11 UCLA, No. 14 California, No. 15 Oregon, No. 16 USC, and No. 18 Arizona…Utah was ranked No. 17 when Washington State swept the Utes Sept. 5…also receiving votes in this week’s poll is Oregon State (t-34th)…defending national champion Penn State is ranked No. 1…for the weekly poll, go to www.avca.org.

 

PAC-10 2009 STANDINGS (as of 10/26/09)

(Nat. Ranking)       Conference    Overall          Streak

Washington (5)                 7-2             17-2            Lost 1

Stanford (4)                        7-2             14-5            Won 2

UCLA (11)                            6-3             16-6            Won 3

Washington State (21)   5-4             16-4            Won 1

California (14)                    5-4             12-7            Won 3

Arizona (18)                        4-5             15-5            Lost 2

Oregon (15)                        4-5             14-5            Lost 2

USC (16)                               4-5             15-6            Won 2

Oregon State                     2-7           11-10            Lost 4

Arizona State                     1-8           11-10            Lost 8

 

ABC PINK CAMPAIGN & BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MATCH: For the eighth consecutive year, the Washington State University women’s volleyball team is conducting the Attacking Breast Cancer (ABC) Pink Campaign Pledge Drive to raise fund for the Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse, known as the Bosom Buddies…players are gathering pledges for WSU team kills landed during the home matches in the month of October…donors may pledge an amount per kill or a flat amount…the WSU volleyball team has raised $9,119.15 in the first seven years of the ABC Campaign with all the money going to the Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse and its educational programs…in home matches this month, WSU has tallied 239 kills with sophomore Meagan Ganzer the team leader with 70 kills…donations can still be made to the 2009 ABC Pink Campaign by contacting WSU Volleyball Assistant Coach TeAna Tramel atttramel@wsu.edu, or call 509-335-0275.

 

TUNE IN FOR COUGAR VOLLEYBALL ON RADIO: Cougar volleyball fans can listen to all the road contests during the 2009 season LIVE in the Palouse on KQQQ-AM radio (1150 on the AM dial)…veteran area broadcaster Steve Grubbs is the voice of Cougar volleyball for the fifth season...these road matches are also available for listening on the internet by purchasing a subscription through the Cougars All-Access button on the wsucougars.comwebsite.

 

MEET THIS WEEK’S WSU VOLLEYBALL OPPONENTS:

ABOUT THE ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (11-10, 1-8): After starting the Pac-10 season with an upset win over No. 14 UCLA, ASU has lost eight consecutive matches…Sun Devils leaders include 5-11 Jr. OH Sarah Reaves (4.52 kps, 3rd Pac-10 11th NCAA, 5.27 pps, 3rd Pac-10 6th NCAA), 6-3, Sr. OH Paige Mittelstaedt (1.21 bps, 4th Pac-10, and .371, 5th Pac-10), 5-5 So. libero Sarah Johnson (3.58 dps, 7th Pac-10, 0.31 aces per set, 5th Pac-10), 5-10, So. Setter Cat Highmark (9.66 aps, 10th Pac-10), and 6-1 So. MB Sonja Markanovich (1.28 bps)…Head Coach Jason Watson (24-28, 2 years at ASU) career record 98-46 (5 years)…LAST TIME: Oct. 3, 2009, WSU won 3-2 in Pullman…SERIES RECORD: ASU leads 26-22 (WSU streak +2)…in matches played in Tempe, ASU leads 14-9…last WSU win in Tempe was Nov. 21, 2003 (3-2).

 

ABOUT THE NO. 18 ARIZONA WILDCATS (15-5, 4-5 *pending 10/30 vs. No. 4 Washington): Arizona won the Oregon series and defeated ASU and No. 13 USC in conference play…coming off losses at No. 15 Cal (3-1) and No. 6 Stanford (3-0)…Wildcats leaders include 5-11 Jr. OH Tiffany Owens (3.59 kps, 7th Pac-10), 6-3, RsJr. MB Whitney Dosty (2.78 kps), 6-4 Sr. MB Jacy Norton (0.97 bps), and 5-11 Jr. setter Paige Weber (10.58 aps, 6th in Pac-10 and 0.30 aces per set, 8th Pac-10)…Head Coach Dave Rubio has a 336-194 record in 18 years at Arizona and a 458-260 career (23 years)…LAST TIME: Oct. 2, 2009, WSU won 3-0 in Pullman…SERIES RECORD: Arizona leads 34-14 (WSU streak +2)…in matches played in Tucson, Arizona leads 19-4…last WSU win in Tucson was Oct. 19, 2006 (3-1).

 

COUGARS 30TH IN LATEST NCAA VOLLEYBALL RPI: In the NCAA Ratings Performance Index (RPI) for matches through Oct. 25, Washington State is ranked 30th…among Pac-10 schools listed in the top 40 are: Washington 7th, Stanford 8th, California 9th, UCLA 13th, Arizona 17th, Oregon 20th, and USC 24th…Texas has the No. 1 ranking...RPI comes from a combination of a team’s winning percentage, its opponents’ winning percentages, and it’s opponents’ opponents’ winning percentages, with home and road contests figured into the formula.

 

MORE VOLLEYBALL POLLS: In the Oct 26 Rich Kern (richkern.com) poll, Washington State is 20th…in the Pablo Rankings, the Cougars are 14th…the Volleyball Magazine rankings were not available at press time.

 

NOTEWORTHY FACTS ABOUT THE 2009 WASHINGTON STATE VOLLEYBALL TEAM:

Ø  NCAA Statistics (for matches played through 10/11) - Renee Bordelon’s 11.51 assists per set is 11th-best nationally; Cassie Robbins is 29th with 1.33 blocks per set; WSU team is 21st in kills per set (14.09), 24th in assists per set (13.00)

Ø  Diggin’ it UP! - WSU has three players in the Pac-10 top 10 for digs per set - Oceana Bush is 3rd (4.86 dps), Kelly Hyder is 9th (3.25 dps), and Jackie Albright is 10th (3.06 kps)…as a team, WSU is 2nd (16.01 dps)

Ø  Five Conference Wins - first time since 2003

Ø  Looooooong time since - first time WSU has had more wins than losses to start the 2nd half of Pac-10 since 1998 season

Ø  National news - The 2009 success of WSU volleyball was featured in a story on ESPN.com’s College Sports page Oct. 14-15 (two titles - Team Unexpected or Senior Helpers)

Ø  More National love for Cougs - Nice blurb about the Cougars at this website -www.ncaa.com/blog/2009d1wvb/2009/10/highlights-from-the-weekend-oc-2.html

Ø  Pac-10 wins - WSU’s 4 Pac-10 wins in 2009 surpasses the Cougs’ total conference wins in 2008 of 3

Ø  Gains by Ganzer - WSU’s sophomore MB Meagan Ganzer leads the team in Pac-10 matches with 3.59 kps and .283 hpct…she is also the team overall leader with 3.16 kps

Ø  Eight straight set points - In the 3-0 win over No. 18 Arizona, WSU came from a 24-19 deficit in the third set to win 26-24

Ø  That’s service - Senior Jackie Albright served the set/match-winning ace against both Arizona and Arizona State Oct. 2&3

Ø  Five years between wins over ranked Pac-10 teams - Before the Oct. 2 sweep of No. 18 Arizona, the last time WSU defeated a ranked Pac-10 team was in November 2004 (3-2 win over No. 6 USC in Pullman)

Ø  Memorable Pac-10 Start - WSU 3-0 win over Oregon State was first time Cougs opened Pac-10 play with a win since 2003 when WSU defeated No. 16 Arizona, 3-1 in Pullman….last time WSU opened Pac-10 play with a road winwas in 1997, a 3-2 win over Oregon State in Corvallis

Ø  Season record - WSU’s 2009 start of 12-0 equaled the best start since 1997 (16-0, adv. to NCAA Sweet 16)

Ø  National Poll Rankings - the 2003 preseason Coaches Top 25 poll was the last time Washington State volleyball was ranked or received votes in the poll…Cougs were 19th in that poll

Ø  Five-set Matches - WSU is 1-0 in five-set matches this year after downing Idaho Sept. 11…in 2008 the Cougs were 5-0 in five-set matches

Ø  Hitting Percentage - WSU has a .252 team hpct. in 2009; WSU’s 2008 team hpct. was .181

Ø  Another School Record - WSU hit .478 in the win over No. 17 Utah

Ø  Win Streak stopped at 14: Cougars won the final 2 matches of the 2008 season and won first 12 this season

Ø  Team Breakdown by State - 9 players from Washington, 5 from California, 1 from Idaho, 1 from Minnesota

Ø  VolleyBlog - updated on the official Washington State website,www.wsucougars.com, every week

 

PAC-10 COACHES 2009 PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Washington (90 points) was selected by the Pac-10 volleyball coaches to be the league champions in the 2009 preseason poll…poll order shows California (80), Stanford (74), UCLA (62), USC (60), Oregon (48), Arizona (42), Arizona State (34), Oregon State (31) and WSU (19)…the Pac-10 coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own teams (point system is 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2), have successfully predicted the league champion 13 of the last 20 years.

 

ATTENDANCE NUMBERS GROWING: Hawai’i leads the nation with an average of 6,363 fans (16 matches)…Washington is top Pac-10 school at 10th (2,460/6 matches)…WSU is 39th, averaging 1,049 fans in 11 home matches…the UW match, Oct. 23, had 2,724 fans, the 10th-best crowd in school history and largest volleyball crowd since 1997.

 

MARCIA SANEHOLTZ COURT AT BOHLER GYM COUGARS HOME: The Cougars’ home court is called Marcia Saneholtz Court at Bohler Gym in honor of the 28-year administrative veteran of Cougar Athletics who retired Oct. 1, 2007…Sr. Associate Athletics Director/SWA is a long-time proponent of gender equity and a champion for all sports at WSU as well as in the Pac-10 and the nation…NACWAA president (1992-93), on the board of directors (1987-94), and named 1997 Administrator of the Year…also NAGWS Pathfinder Award in 2001 and WSU Woman of Distinction in 2003…she was added to the Inland Empire Scroll of Honor in 2009.

 

COUGAR VOLLEYBALL ON TELEVISION: The Pacific-10 Conference will once again have LIVE broadcasts of conference volleyball matches on the FOX Sports Network throughout the 2009 season…WSU is scheduled to have one match televised this season, the Nov. 21 match at Washington…ALSO, the Oct. 10 match at California will be broadcast by Comcast SportsNet West in Northern California from Fresno to the Oregon border.

 

BORDELON PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AUG. 31-Sept. 7: Cougar senior Renee Bordelon (Coeur d’Alene) was named the Pacific-10 Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7, after earning MVP honors at Utah Valley Invite…led WSU to three sweeps, including an upset victory over Missouri, No. 17 Utah, and Utah Valley…WSU also defeated Weber State, 3-0 Monday evening…led the WSU offense to a combined .311 hitting percentage in the four victories, including a School Record .478 attack percentage in the win over Utah…for the week, Bordelon tallied 153 assists (12.75 assists per set), 11 kills and four service aces…in upset win over No. 17 Utah, registered 36 assists and five kills…this is the first weekly honor of Bordelon, WSU’s 20th Pac-10 Player of the Week and the first time a Cougar has been honored since Sept. 15, 2003 (Zanda Bautre).

 

HYDER BUILDS ON SCHOOL DIGS RECORD: Kelly Hyder (senior, Huntington Beach, Calif.) owns the WSU career digs record with 1,663 digs (109 matches, 374 sets, 4.42 digs per set average)…Hyder owns WSU single-season record with 565 digs during the 2006 season and her 2007 total of 524 digs is second-best in single-season standings…she is the seventh Cougar in school history to reach 1,000 digs in a career.

 

BUSH BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD FOR MATCH DIGS: Libero Oceana Bush (freshman, Spokane, Wash.) had a school record 39 digs in WSU’s 3-2 win over Arizona State Oct. 3 in Pullman…she wiped out the school record of 35 digs set by Jalen Pendon in 2005, ironically, also against Arizona State (Oct. 27, 2005 in Tempe)…the 5-5 Bush played outside hitter on her state championship high school team, Lewis & Clark HS…she is averaging 5.41 dps in Pac-10 matches and 4.86 dps for the season.

 

CURRENT COUGARS CLIMBING INTO WASHINGTON STATE SCHOOL RECORDS:

Career Digs                                        

1.  Kelly Hyder (2006-09)                                   1663

2.  Shannon Wyckoff (1994-97)                       1254

 

Career Assists                                  

1.  Keri Killebrew (1990-92)                               4553

7.  Maureen Perez (2005-07)                           1980

8.  Renee Bordelon (2008-09)                          1629

 

Career Solo Blocks                         

1.  Carrie Couturier (1988-91)                             196

10. Jen Barcus (2002-05)                                         43

     Cassie Robbins (2006-09)                                  39

 

Career Block Assists                      

1.  Carrie Couturier (1988-91)                             421

10. Kelly Rosin (2003-06)                                      288

     Cassie Robbins (2006-09)                               266

 

Career Total Blocks                        

1.  Carrie Couturier (1988-91)                             617

10. Kelly Rosin (2003-06)                                      315

     Cassie Robbins (2006-09)                               305

 

 

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):

Individual Overall Matches - rank in conference, WSU player (conf. leader)

Kills - no WSU player (Hana Cutura, California 5.07 kps)

Hitting Percentage - 8th Brittany Tillman .331 and 10th Cassie Robbins .311 (Bianca Rowland, Washington .490)

Assists - 3rd Renee Bordelon 11.56 aps (Kendall Bateman, USC 12.26 aps)

Service Aces - no WSU player (Heather Meyers, Oregon 0.54 saps)

Digs - 3rd Oceana Bush 4.86 dps, 9th Kelly Hyder 3.25 dps, and 10th Jackie Albright 3.06 dps

(Tamari Miyashiro, Washington 5.24 dps)

Blocks - 2nd Cassie Robbins 1.33 bps (Amanda Gil, UCLA 1.63 bps)

Points - no WSU player (Hana Cutura, California 5.58 pps)

 

TEAM STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):

Team Overall Matches (Leader)

Kills - WSU is 4th with 14.09 kps (USC 15.01 kps)

Hitting Percentage - WSU is 6th at .252 (Washington .308)

Opponent Hitting Pct - WSU is 6th at .201 (Washington .143)

Assists - WSU is 5th at 13.00 aps (USC 14.15 aps)

Service Aces - WSU is 9th at 0.76 saps (Washington 1.78 saps)

Digs - WSU is 2nd at 16.01 dps (UCLA 16.23 dps)

Blocks - WSU is 8th at 2.35 bps (Oregon State 2.82 bps)

 

CONFERENCE ONLY INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):

Individual Conference Matches - rank in conference, WSU player (conf. leader)

Kills - 8th Meagan Ganzer 3.59 kps (Alex Jupiter, USC 5.27 kps)

Hitting Percentage - no WSU player (Bianca Rowland, Washington .452)

Assists - 6th Renee Bordelon 11.22 aps (Kendall Bateman, USC 13.03 aps)

Service Aces - no WSU player (Jill Collymore, Washington 0.48 saps)

Digs - 3rd Oceana Bush 5.41 dps (Gabi Ailes, Stanford 5.67 dps)

Blocks - 3rd Cassie Robbins 1.28 bps (Amanda Gil, UCLA 1.87 bps)

Points - no WSU player (Alex Jupiter, USC 6.02 pps)

 

CONFERENCE ONLY TEAM STATISTICS FROM THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE (TOP 10):

Team Conference Matches (Leader)

Kills - WSU is 7th with 13.44 kps (USC 15.36 kps)

Hitting Percentage - WSU is 6th at .217 (California .291)

Opponent Hitting Pct - WSU is 5th at .237 (UCLA .179)

Assists - WSU is 7th at 12.44 aps (USC 14.45 aps)

Service Aces - WSU is 10th at 0.66 saps (Washington 1.67 aps)

Digs - WSU is 4th at 16.28 dps (UCLA 17.73 dps)

Blocks - WSU is 7th at 2.44 bps (UCLA 2.97 bps)

 

MEET THE 2009 COUGARS:

#6 Annie Adams (OH, 6-3, Rs-SO, Crosby, Minn.) - Transferred from South Dakota State…2008 redshirt season…began 2009 season with right foot in boot after suffering a sprain in practice…has played in 2 sets at Oregon 9/27 and had two block assists…also tallied 2 kills against No. 15 Cal.

 

#2 Jackie Albright (OH, 6-1, SR, Lake Forest, Calif.) - 2009 tri-captain…named to Nike Cougar Invite all-tournament team…second on team with 3.01 kps and adds 3.06 dps - 10th best in Pac-10…this season, nine matches with double-digit kills, 13 matches with double-figure digs…leads WSU with 3.39 points per set average…career numbers are 860 kills, 875 digs and 47 aces in 346 sets.

 

#16 Renee Bordelon (S, 5-10, SR, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) - 2009 tri-captain…named MVP of Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite…named to Nike Cougar Invite all-tournament team…named Pac-10 Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7…had 5 kills and hit .833 vs. No. 17 Utah…career-high 12 digs vs. Idaho…11 service aces leads team…3rd in Pac-10 and 10th nationally with 11.56 assists per set…two-year total assists in 1629, 8th on school assists career record list, 351 away from No. 7 spot…hitting .321 and contributed 33 blocks.

 

#1 Oceana Bush (DS/L, 5-5, FR, Spokane, Wash.) - Named top libero at Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite…in first three matches of season played left front, defensive specialist and libero…set school record 39 digs in five-set match win over Arizona State 10/3 in Pullman…leads team and 3rd in Pac-10 with 4.86 digs per set…in 70 sets has landed 10 kills and 340 digs…double-digit digs in 18 of 20 matches this season.

 

#3 Alex Diemer (S, 5-8, SO, Rocklin, Calif.) - Transferred from Boise State in January 2009…played in 9 sets to date with 15 assists…had 3 assists, 1 dig and 1 block at Weber State…two digs for season.

 

#9 Meagan Ganzer (OH, 6-3, SO, Black Diamond, Wash.) - Missed 7 sets after injuring ankle in early practice but bounced back strong…leading hitter on team with 3.16 kps…leads team in Pac-10 matches with 3.59 kps, 8th best in Pac-10…third on team with 3.41 pps…had career-high 20 kills vs. Arizona State…had 19 kills against No. 7 Oregon and hit .457 in match…hit career-high .517 against Missouri with 12 kills and 0 errors on 21 attacks…had 15 kills and hit .458 in 3-0 win over No. 16 USC.

 

#18 Liz Haskey (DS/L, 5-2, FR, Puyallup, Wash.) - Newcomer from Puyallup High…has played in 7 sets with total of 6 digs…3 digs vs. UC Davis.

 

#5 Faith Hutcherson (DS, 5-3, JR, Redmond, Wash.) - Comes off the bench to provide tough serves and play defensively…played in 51 sets with 64 digs and two aces…high of 8 digs vs. Montana State.

 

#8 Kelly Hyder (DS/L, 5-9, SR, Huntington Beach, Calif.) - 2009 tri-captain…school record-holder for single season digs (565 digs, 2006) and career digs (1,663 digs)…moved into defensive specialist role this season…3.25 dps average…vs. Idaho tallied 21 digs and equaled career-best of 3 aces…12 matches with double-digit digs.

 

#4 Silver Keck (DS, 5-5, JR, Clinton, Wash.) - Joined team in Spring 2009…previously played at Edmonds CC.

 

#19 Conley Kipp (MB, 6-4, FR, Newport Beach, Calif.) - High touted freshman middle blocker from Southern California…seen action in 4 sets with 3 kills to date.

 

#12 Cassie Robbins (MB, 6-3, JR, Yakima, Wash.) - Named MVP of Nike Cougar Invite where she tallied 13 blocks (1.18 bps) and 29 kills (2.64 kps)…second on team and 10th-best in Pac-10 with .311 hitting percentage…blocks per set average of 1.33 is second-best in Pac-10 and 29th in NCAA…second on team with 3.33 points per set…91 total blocks this season…tallied 16 kills and hit .464 vs. Cal State Northridge…vs. Idaho 11 kills and career-high 11 blocks…has hit below .300 in only 5 matches this season.

 

#10 Kimika Rozier (OH, 5-10, SO, Murrieta, Calif.) - Played in 6 sets to date with 3 kills.

 

#21 Brittany Tillman (MB, 6-1, JR, Tacoma, Wash.) - Named to Nike Cougar Invite and Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite all-tournament teams…leads team and 8th in Pac-10 with .331 hitting percentage…third on team with 2.49 kps…had career-high 17 kills, 19.0 points and hit .481 vs. Idaho…hit .533 against No. 17 Utah with 9 kills and one error in 15 attacks…vs. Gonzaga hit .632 (12-0-19) with 4 blocks…has 51 total blocks, second-best on team.

 

#7 Rachel Todorovich (RS, 6-2, FR, Walla Walla, Wash.) - High school setter who has found a spot as a left-handed right side hitter…named to Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite all-tournament team…against No. 17 Utah had 9 kills, 0 errors on 16 attacks for .562 hitting percentage…same day had 12 kills, 1 error, 27 attacks for .407 hpct against Utah Valley…13 kills and 5 blocks vs. Idaho…contributed 12 kills and hit .450 at No. 7 Stanford…season totals 2.29 kps (fifth on team) and .259 hpct (third on team).

 

#14 Tangerine Wiggs (OH, 6-2, Rs-FR, Seattle, Wash.) - Coming off redshirt season…played in 8 sets with 8 kills and 2 blocks….landed three kills at No. 15 California 10/10 with no attack errors.

WASHINGTON STATE VOLLEYBALL 2009 SUPERLATIVES Season Highs [Career Highs]

 

#1 OCEANA BUSH, DS/L

Kills: 4 vs. Montana 8/29

H.Pct: .444 vs. Montana State 8/29

Aces: 1 (three times)

Digs: 39 vs. Arizona State 10/3 SR

Total Blocks: 1 vs. UC Davis 8/28

Points: 4.0 (twice)

 

 

#2 JACKIE ALBRIGHT, OH

Kills: 18 vs. UC Davis 8/28 &

        vs. Oregon State 9/25

        [19, 2007]

H.Pct: .429 vs. Portland 8/29

        [.469, 2006 & 2007]

Aces: 2 vs. Utah 9/5 & vs. CSUN 9/11

        [3, 2006 & 2007]

Digs: 22 vs. No. 4 UW 10/23

        [24, 2008]

Total Blocks: 4 vs. Gonzaga 9/15 &

        vs. No. 7 Oregon 9/27

        [4, 2007 & 2008]

Points: 19.5 vs. UC Davis 8/28

        [20.0, 2007]

 

 

#3 ALEX DIEMER, S

Sets: 9

Kills: 0

H.Pct: 0

Assists: 6 vs. Montana State 8.29

Aces: 0

Digs: 1 vs. Weber State 9/7 &

        Vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10

Total Blocks: 1 vs. Weber State 9/7

Points: 0.5 vs. Weber State 9/7

 

 

#5 FAITH HUTCHERSON, DS

Sets: 55

Aces: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29 &

        vs. No. 7 Oregon 9/27

Digs: 9 vs. Arizona 10/2

 

 

#6 ANNIE ADAMS, OH

Sets: 6

Kills: 2 vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10

Aces: 0

Digs: 0

Total Blocks: 2 vs. No. 7 Oregon 9/27

Points: 2.0 vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10

 

 

#7 RACHEL TODOROVICH, MB

Kills: 13 vs. Idaho 9/11

H.Pct: .562 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5 &

        vs. Gonzaga 9/15

Aces: 1 (three times)

Digs: 7 (three times)

Total Blocks: 5 (three times)

Points: 15.5 vs. Idaho 9/11

#8 KELLY HYDER, DS/L

Sets: 69

Kills: 1 vs. Utah Valley 9/5

Aces: 3 vs. Idaho 9/11 [3, 2007]

Digs: 21 vs. Idaho 9/11 [34, 2006]

 

 

#9 MEAGAN GANZER, OH

Kills: 20 vs. Arizona State 10/3

H.Pct: .571 vs. Missouri 9/4

Aces: 0 [2, 2008]

Digs: 5 vs. Utah Valley 9/5

Total Blocks: 4 vs. Weber State 9/7 &

        Vs. No. 4 UW 10/23 [4, 2008]

Points: 20.5 vs. Arizona State 10/3

 

 

#10 KIMIKA ROZIER, OH

Sets: 6 [6]

Kills: 1 (twice) [1, 2008]

Aces: 0

Digs: 0 [1, 2008]

Total Blocks: 0 [1, 2008]

Points: 1.0 (twice) [1.0, 2008]

 

 

#12 CASSIE ROBBINS, MB

Kills: 16 vs. Cal St. Northridge 9/11

H.Pct: .562 vs. Weber State 9/7

        [.615, 2008]

Digs: 3 vs. UC Davis 8/28 [2, 2006]

Total Blocks: 11 vs. Idaho 9/11

Points: 20.0 vs. Arizona State 10/3

 

 

# 14 TANGERINE WIGGS, OH

Sets: 7

Kills: 3 vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10

Aces: 0

Digs: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29 &

        vs. Gonzaga 9/15

Total Blocks: 1 vs. Montana State 8/29            vs. Cal State Northridge 9/11

Points: 3.0 vs. No. 15 Cal 10/10

 

 

#16 RENEE BORDELON, S

Kills: 5 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5 &

        vs. Arizona State 10/3

        [5, 2008]

H.Pct: .833 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5

Assists: 55 vs. Idaho 9/11

        [64, 2008]

Aces: 2 (twice) [2, 2008]

Digs: 12 vs. Cal St. Northridge 9/12

Total Blocks: 5 vs. Idaho 9/11

Points: 7.0 vs. Arizona State 10/3

#18 LIZ HASKEY, DS

Sets: 7

Aces: 0

Digs: 3 vs. UC Davis 8/28

 

 

#19 CONLEY KIPP, MB

Sets: 4

Kills: 2 vs. Montana 8/29

H.Pct: .250 vs. Montana State 8/29

Aces: 0

Digs: 0

Total Blocks: 0

Points: 2.0 vs. Montana State 8/29

 

 

#21 BRITTANY TILLMAN, MB

Kills: 17 vs. Idaho 9/11

H.Pct: .632 vs. Gonzaga 9/15

Aces: 0

Digs: 3 vs. Utah Valley 9/5

        [3, 2007]

Blocks: 9 vs. No. 7 Stanford 10/9

Points: 19.0 vs. Idaho 9/11

 

 

WSU TEAM HIGHS 2009

Kills: 69 vs. Arizona State 10/3

Pct. .478 vs. No. 17 Utah 9/5

        School Record

Assists: 64 vs. Arizona State 10/3

Aces: 6 vs. Missouri 9/4

Digs: 95 vs. Arizona State 10/3

Total Blocks: 15 vs. Idaho 9/11

Points: 83 vs. Idaho 9/11

 

 

OPPONENT TEAM HIGHS 2009

Kills: 66 No. 7 Oregon 9/27

H.Pct: .396 No. 15 California 10/10

Assists: 63 No. 7 Oregon 9/27

Aces: 8 Arizona State 10/3

Digs: 94 Arizona State

Total Blocks: 19 Idaho 9/11

Points: 86 Idaho 9/11 &

        No. 7 Oregon 9/27

 

 

 

Week 10: Ohio State University Women's College Volleyball Team News

Week 10: Ohio State University Women's College Volleyball Team News

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State (17-6 overall, 5-5 Big Ten, tied for fifth in the Big Ten) women's volleyball team is on the road Wednesday to face top-ranked Penn State (22-0, 10-0, first) at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The match will be carried live by the Big Ten Network. Frank Giardina and Elizabeth Moreau will call the action. The Buckeyes return home Saturday to face seventh-ranked Minnesota (17-5, 8-2, tied for second) at 7 p.m. in St. John Arena. Last week, Ohio State had 3-1 victories at home over Purdue (25-19, 23-25, 26-24, 25-18) and Indiana (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23).

ASHLEY HUGHES NAMED THE BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Setter Ashley Hughes was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week by the conference office, Oct. 26. She shares the honor with Minnesota's Tabitha Love. Hughes directed the Buckeyes to 3-1 victories over Purdue (25-19, 23-25, 26-24, 25-18) and Indiana (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23) last weekend. Against Purdue, Hughes posted 48 assists against the Boilermakers, adding seven digs, five kills (.667) and a solo block. In the Indiana match, she posted career-highs of 53 assists and 19 digs against the Hoosiers. Hughes added three kills (.429), one ace serve and three assist blocks in the match. Hughes has started at setter in the last seven matches for the Buckeyes and has eight starts overall, playing in 12 matches. For the season, she is averaging 9.65 assists and 2.03 digs per set.

BUCKEYES EARN FIRST BIG TEN WEEKEND HOME SWEEP SINCE 2006
The weekend wins over Purdue and Indiana were OSU's first home weekend sweep since the last Big Ten week in 2006 with wins over Northwestern (3-0) and Illinois (3-0). The Buckeyes last sweep of conference opponents dates back to 2007 with wins at Iowa (3-0) and at Minnesota (3-2).

A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Geoff Carlston is the head coach of the Buckeyes. Ohio State is 17-6 overall and is 5-5 in the Big Ten. Last week, the Buckeyes won 3-1 decisions at home defeating Purdue (25-19, 23-25, 26-24, 25-18) and Indiana (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23). Katie Dull has a team-high 4.57 points and 3.94 kills per set average. Kristen Dozier ranks second in points (2.95) and kills (2.44) per set. Emily Danks is hitting a team-high .298 with Dozier second at .296. At setter, Ashley Hughes is averaging 9.65 assists per set with Amanda Peterson at 9.18 and Betsy Hone at 8.13. Peterson has a team-high .49 aces per set with 24. Danks ranks second at .40 with 33. Defensively, Chelsea Noble leads the squad with a 3.80 digs per set average. Dull ranks second at 2.44. At the net, Dozier has a .80 blocks per set average to lead the team. She has 12 solos and 55 assists. Dull is second at .58 with 14 solos and 35 assists. Danks is third at .57 with four solos and 43 assist blocks. Ohio State is hitting .270 and is averaging 16.81 points, 13.29 kills and 12.20 assists per set. The Buckeyes average 1.58 aces, 13.24 digs and 1.94 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .180 and average 14.05 points, 11.06 kills and 10.08 assists per set. Buckeye opponents average 1.16 aces, 11.62 digs and 1.82 blocks per set.

A LOOK AT PENN STATE
Russ Rose is the head coach for the top-ranked Nittany Lions. Penn State is 22-0 overall and 10-0 in the Big Ten. Last week the Nittany Lions won 3-0 home victories over Indiana (25-19, 25-13, 25-17) and Purdue (25-13, 25-15, 25-12). Leading the team in points per set is Megan Hodge at 5.12. Arielle Wilson ranks second at 3.73. Hodge has a team-high 4.71 kills per set with Blair Brown second at 2.86. In attack percentage, Hodge leads the squad at .441. Brown ranks second at .357. At setter, Alisha Glass has an 11.97 assists per set average. Alyssa D'Errico has a team-high .57 aces per set average with 40. Brown ranks second at .25 with 16. Defensively, D'Errico has a team-high 3.36 digs per set average. Hodge ranks second at 2.53. At the net, Wilson leads the squad with a 1.53 blocks per set average. She has 11 solo and 96 assist blocks. Ranking second is Fatima Balza at 1.39 with seven solos and 85 assists. Penn State is averaging 19.46 points, 14.83 kills and 13.70 assists per set while hitting .419. The Nittany Lions average 1.51 aces, 12.64 digs and 3.12 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .091 and average 10.49 points, 9.00 kills and 8.57 assists per set. Penn State opponents average .46 aces, 8.36 digs and 1.03 blocks per set.

PENN STATE-OHIO STATE SERIES 
Penn State leads the series with Ohio State, 32-15. The Nittany Lions have won the last five matches against the Buckeyes. Penn State is 16-5 at Penn State and 15-8 in Columbus. The Nittany Lions are 2-1 in neutral site matches. Earlier this season in Columbus, Penn State won, 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 25-13). Last season, Penn State won both matches, 3-0. At Penn State, the Nittany Lions won 25-15, 25-14, 25-12 and 25-20, 25-12, 30-28 in Columbus. The Buckeyes were the last team in the Big Ten to defeat Penn State on Nov. 8, 2006, 3-0 (30-19, 30-26, 30-21) in Columbus.

A LOOK AT MINNESOTA
Mike Hebert is the head coach for the seventh-ranked Golden Gophers. Minnesota has a 17-5 overall record and is 8-2 in the Big Ten Conference. Last week, the Gophers defeated Michigan State, 3-2 (25-14, 19-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-9) and Michigan, 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-10) in home matches.Lauren Gibbemeyer leads the Gophers in points per set at 3.97. Tabitha Love ranks second at 2.64. Gibbemeyer has a team-high 3.09 kills per set average with Love second at 2.33. Leading the squad in attack percentage at .413 is Gibbemeyer with Ariana Filho second at .352. At setter, Taylor Carico is averaging 10.18 assists per set. In aces per set, Megan Wilson has a team-high .17 per set average with 13. Carico is tied with Wilson at .17 with 11. Defensively, Christine Tan leads the team with a 3.96 digs per set average. Hailey Cowles ranks second at 2.67. At 1.40 blocks per set, Gibbemeyer leads the team collecting 10 solos and 98 assist blocks. Filho, at .92, ranks second with eight solos and 65 assist blocks. Minnesota is hitting .258 and averages 17.28 points, 13.54 kills and 12.53 assists per set. The Gophers average .95 aces, 15.61 digs and 2.79 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .150 and average 14.74 points, 12.22 kills and 11.43 assists per set. Gopher opponents average .87 aces, 14.54 digs and 1.65 blocks per set.

MINNESOTA-OHIO STATE SERIES 
The Golden Gophers have a 33-30 lead in the series with Ohio State. In Columbus, Ohio State is 16-12 while in Minneapolis, the Gophers are 16-12. The Gophers are 5-2 in neutral site matches. Earlier this season in Minneapolis, Minnesota won, 3-1 (24-26, 25-17, 27-25, 25-22). Last season, Minnesota won, 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-21) in Columbus and 3-1 (25-20, 25-12, 18-25, 25-22) in Minneapolis.

DULL POSTS DOUBLE-DOUBLES LAST WEEKEND
Katie Dull recorded double-doubles of kills and digs in matches last weekend against Purdue and Indiana. She had 15 kills and 12 digs against Purdue adding one ace serve, one solo block and an assist block. Dull recorded 19 kills and 17 digs in the Indiana match, adding an ace serve and three assist blocks. A starter in all 23 matches, she has recorded double-figure kills in her last 21 matches. Dull leads the team in points (4.57) and kills (3.94) per set. She is averaging 2.44 digs and .25 aces per set while hitting .263.

SZERSZEN RECORDS A SEASON-HIGH 15 KILLS AGAINST INDIANA
Anna Szerszen collected a season-high 15 kills in the Indiana match while hitting .414. Her previous high was 11 at Marquette. Szerszen added five digs in the contest. In the Purdue match she had nine kills, three digs and one ace serve. Szerszen has played in all 23 matches and has five starts. She is averaging 2.22 points, 1.88 kills, .19 aces, .59 digs and .25 blocks per set.

DANKS RECORDS BACK-TO-BACK 10 KILL MATCHES
Emily Danks collected back-to-back 10 kill matches against Purdue and Indiana. She added one ace serve, one dig and an assist block against the Boilermakers. Against Indiana, Danks recorded four digs, two ace serves and an assist block. Playing in all 23 matches, she has made 20 starts this season. Danks is averaging 2.86 points, 2.15 kills, a team-high .40 aces, .63 digs and .57 blocks per set while hitting .296.

DOZIER COLLECTS A MATCH-HIGH FIVE TOTAL BLOCKS AGAINST INDIANA
Kristen Dozier collected a match-high five total blocks (two solos, three assists) in the Indiana match. She added seven kills, one dig and totaled 10.5 points against the Hoosiers. Dozier had 12.5 points in the Purdue match with 11 kills, a solo block and one assist block. A starter in all 23 matches, she ranks second on the team in points (2.95) and kills (2.44) per set. Dozier is the team leader in blocks per set at .80 with 12 solos and 55 assists. She has recorded 11 double-figure kill matches this season.

BARHORST HAS FIRST DOUBLE-FIGURE KILL MATCH OF THE SEASON AGAINST INDIANA
Kelli Barhorst had 10 kills against Indiana for her first double-figure kill match of the season. She added an ace serve and four assist blocks against the Hoosiers for a season-high 13 points. In the Purdue match, Barhorst had eight kills and one dig. A starter in all 21 matches she has played in, Barhorst is averaging 2.25 points, 1.76 kills, .15 aces, .56 digs and .64 blocks per set.

HUGHES HAS CAREER-HIGHS OF 53 ASSISTS AND 19 DIGS AGAINST INDIANA
Ashley Hughes made a large contribution on offense and defense in the match against Indiana. She posted career highs of 53 assists and 19 digs against the Hoosiers. Her previous highs were 52 assists and 14 digs against Southern California in 2007. Hughes added three kills, one ace serve and three assist blocks against Indiana. She collected 48 assists, five kills, seven digs and a solo block in the Purdue match. Hughes has eight starts (seven consecutive) in the 12 matches she has played in this season. She is averaging 9.65 assists, 2.03 digs, .76 kills and .32 blocks per set. Hughes was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week for her play against Purdue and Indiana.

NOBLE POSTS HER FOURTH 20-PLUS DIG MATCH AGAINST INDIANA
Chelsea Noble recorded 21 digs against Indiana for her fourth 20-plus dig match of the season. Previously she recorded 23 at Colorado State, 21 at Marquette and 20 at Minnesota. Noble added two ace serves against the Hoosiers and handled 38 of 42 serve reception attempts in the match. Against Purdue, she posted 10 digs, two ace serves and three assists. Noble handled 34 serve reception attempts without an error against the Boilermakers. A starter at libero in all 23 matches this season, she is averaging a team-high 3.80 digs per set. Noble has handled 707 of 739 serve reception attempts for a .957 reception percentage.

MIGNIN HAS HER THIRD START THIS SEASON AGAINST INDIANA AS A DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Sarah Mignin had her third start of the season against Indiana collecting six digs and three assists as a defensive specialist. She handled 15 of 16 serve reception attempts against the Hoosiers. Off the bench against Purdue, Mignin recorded four digs and handled 14 serve reception attempts without an error. She has played in 20 matches this season with three starts. Mignin is averaging 1.48 digs per set and has a .952 reception percentage handling 216 of 227 serve reception attempts.

HALVERSON PERFECT ON 31 SERVE RECEPTION ATTEMPTS AGAINST PURDUE AND INDIANA
Susan Halverson handled a combined 31 serve reception attempts last week without an error in the matches against Purdue and Indiana. She was perfect in her 16 receptions against Purdue, adding two assists against the Boilermakers. Halverson handled 15 reception attempts in the Indiana match without an error adding one assist against the Hoosiers. A starter at defensive specialist 18 times this season, she has played in all 23 matches. Halverson is averaging 1.51 digs per set on the season and has a .947 serve reception percentage handling 250 of 264 attempts.

OHIO STATE IN THE BIG TEN STATISTICS
In Big Ten Conference only statistics, Katie Dull ranks third in points per set at 4.51. She ranks second in kills per set at 4.03. At setter, Ashley Hughesranks fifth in assists per set at 10.23. Emily Danks is second in aces per set at .37. Chelsea Noble, with a 3.89 digs per set average, ranks fifth.

In team statistics, the Buckeyes rank fifth in aces per set at 1.13 and in kills at 13.32. OSU is seventh in digs at 13.26 per set. Ohio State ranks third in attack percentage at .234, is sixth in assists at 12.21 and is 10th in blocks at 1.66. The Buckeyes rank seventh in opponent attack percentage at .237.

In Big Ten statistics for all matches, Katie Dull ranks third in points per set at 4.57 and is third in kills at 3.94. Amanda Peterson, in aces per set, ranks second at .49 and is 10th in assists at 9.18 per set. Emily Danks ranks fifth in aces per set at .40 while Chelsea Noble is eighth in digs per set at 3.80.

In all matches, Ohio State ranks second in aces per set at 1.58 and is second in attack percentage at .270. The Buckeyes are sixth in kills (13.29) and eighth in assists (12.20). OSU is tenth in blocks (1.94) and seventh in digs (13.24) per set. OSU ranks sixth in opponent attack percentage at .180.

OHIO STATE IN THE NCAA STATISTICS
In the current (Oct. 26) NCAA statistics release, Katie Dull ranks 42nd in points (4.57) and 52nd in kills (3.94) per set. Emily Danks is 57th in aces per set at .40. In digs per set, Chelsea Noble ranks 187th at 3.80. Kelly Barhorst ranks 189th in attack percentage at .299 with Danks 194th at .298 and Kristen Dozier, 202nd at .296.

In team statistics, Ohio State ranks 15th nationally in attack percentage at .270. The Buckeyes are 50th in aces per set at 1.58. OSU ranks 68th in kills (13.29), 78th in assists (12.20), 158th in blocks (1.94) and 240th in digs (13.24) per set.

EMILY DANKS NAMED BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (Sept. 21)
Ohio State's outside hitter Emily Danks has been named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week (with Purdue's Ariel Turner). Danks was named to the all-tournament team at the Sports Imports Classic, hitting .592 and averaging 3.1 kills per set as the Buckeyes went 3-0 over the weekend with wins against Bowling Green (25-19, 25-20, 25-13), Cleveland State (24-26, 25-20, 25-11, 25-15) and Xavier (27-25, 25-18, 25-6). The freshman opened the tournament by hitting a career high .714 against Bowling Green with 10 kills in 14 attempts. She also added an ace serve, an assist block and a dig. The following day against Cleveland State, she tallied 14 kills on .565 hitting with another ace and a pair of blocks (one solo, one assist) before adding on seven kills on .500 hitting with four digs and two assist blocks in the tournament finale vs. Xavier.

OHIO STATE HAS THREE MATCHES ON THE BIG TEN NETWORK
Ohio State will have three Big Ten matches telecast live on the Big Ten Network this season. Both Penn State matches and OSU's home match with Illinois will be broadcast. The Buckeyes hosted Penn State Oct. 7 and return the trip to Penn State at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Buckeyes will host Illinois at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14 in St. John Arena in a match that will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15.

HEAD COACH GEOFF CARLSTON
Geoff Carlston is in his second season at Ohio State. He came to Ohio State after spending five years as head coach of Ohio University where he built an outstanding program. His squads played in five NCAA tournaments, reaching regional play in 2005. At Ohio, Carlston guided the Bobcats to five-consecutive Mid American Conference championships with an overall record of 144-22. He had a MAC conference record of 78-2 and was 14-1 in the conference tournament, winning four of five. 

Carlston was named the MAC Coach of the Year four times and was twice named the Mideast Region Coach of the Year.

He began collegiate coaching with three years at Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) where he posted a 49-42 record. His career record is 222-90.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Ohio State begins the month of November with a road trip to Iowa (11-11, 3-7) and Wisconsin (10-9, 5-5). The Buckeyes face Iowa Friday, Nov. 6 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and play at Wisconsin Saturday, Nov. 7 in the Wisconsin Field House. Both matches begin at 7 p.m. CT.

***OhioStateBuckeyes.com***

Week 10: Pepperdine University Women's College Volleyball Team News

Click on the following link for a video feature from Pepperdine Pipeline on Rachel Grochmal:

http://www.pepperdinesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=18500&ATCLID=204821534

 

October 26, 2009

 

THE FACTS — The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team will look to shake off a couple of tough five-set losses and get back into the mix for a league title when the Waves visit the West Coast Conference’s co-leaders this week. The Waves meet #19 San Diego on Wednesday night in a nationally televised match on ESPNU, and then head up to Saint Mary’s for a Saturday afternoon tilt. Five of the Waves’ final seven matches are on the road.

 

MATCH #21 — Wednesday (Oct. 28) at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, Calif.: Pepperdine (11-9, 4-3 WCC, tied for third place) at #19 San Diego (14-4, 6-1 WCC, tied for first place) at 7 p.m.

 

MATCH #22 — Saturday (Oct. 31) at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.: Pepperdine at Saint Mary’s (14-4, 6-1 WCC, tied for first place) at 1 p.m.

 

TELEVISION — The Pepperdine-San Diego match will be shown live on ESPNU. Anne Marie Anderson and Krista Blunk are the announcers.

 

ON THE WEB — Live video of all home matches are available to Wave Casts subscribers atwww.pepperdinesports.com. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team’s website when the Waves are on the road. Go to the “Wave Casts” link toward the top of the home page for more information.

 

RANKINGS — After being ranked as high as #19 in the AVCA poll on Sept. 7, the Waves have been in the “others receiving votes” category the past six weeks.

 

OPPONENTS — Pepperdine is 35-18 all-time against San Diego after a three-set victory in Malibu earlier this month. The victory ended a four-match win streak in the Toreros’ favor. The Waves have lost five straight road matches, last winning at USD in 2003. They have a 13-11 record in San Diego ... Pepperdine is 38-7 all-time against Saint Mary’s after a three-set loss at the start of October. The schools split the season series in both 2007 and 2008. The Waves won in Moraga in 2008, where they are 18-4.

 

LAST TIME AROUND — The Waves lost their WCC opener to Saint Mary’s in three sets (25-14, 25-16, 25-22) on Oct. 1, but came back to sweep then-#20 San Diego (25-18, 25-23, 25-23) two days later in Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves ended both a four-match losing streak in 2009 and a four-match losing streak to the Toreros. Rachel Grochmal had 14 kills and Lilla Frederick had 13 as Pepperdine outhit USD with a season-high .365 to .316, and had advantages in aces (6-0) and blocks (10-4).

 

LAST WEEKEND — The fifth set was not kind to Pepperdine, as the Waves lost twice at home last weekend to San Francisco (20-25, 28-26, 24-26, 28-26, 15-12) and Santa Clara (25-16, 25-18, 20-25, 17-25, 17-15). The Waves were unable to convert on a couple of match points against USF in the fourth set. Pepperdine did well to come back from two sets down against the Broncos. In both cases, the opponent had a strong start to the fifth set. Six players averaged more than two kills per set over both matches, led by Rachel Grochmal and Lilla Frederick at 3.00.

 

WHO’S HOT — Kim Hill has reached double-figures in kills in six straight matches (3.35 kills per set) and is hitting .515 in that time ... Rachel Grochmal has recorded double-figures in kills in seven of the last eight matches (3.83 kills per set) ... Victoria Adelhelm averaged 2.40 kills and 1.20 blocks last weekend vs. USF and SCU ... Caitlin Racich is averaging 2.31 kills per set over the last three matches.

 

WCC STATS — Pepperdine is first in service aces (1.35), second in digs (15.10) and opponent hitting percentage (.204), fifth in hitting percentage (.229) and sixth in blocks (1.97) ... Stevi Robinson is first in service aces (0.43) and third in digs (4.87) ... Kim Hill is first in hitting percentage (.393) ... Kiah Fiers is second in assists (10.64) ... Rachel Grochmal is fourth in service aces (0.32), fifth in points (3.74) and 10th in digs (2.75) ... Lilla Frederick is seventh in kills (3.00) and eighth in points (3.35) ... Victoria Adelhelm is seventh in blocks (0.90).

 

NATIONAL STATS — According to the NCAA ... Kim Hill is 14th in the nation in hitting percentage (.393) ... Stevi Robinson is 31st in service aces (0.43) and 43rd in digs (4.87) ... Kiah Fiers is 50th in assists (10.64).

 

CAREER RECORDS WATCH — Kim Hill’s career .370 hitting percentage is on target to set a school record ... Stevi Robinson’s career average of 4.83 digs per set is on pace to set a school record ... Rachel Grochmal is #1 in service aces per set (0.36), #3 in service aces (127) and #10 in kills (1,110) ... Kiah Fiers is #3 in total assists (4,047) and #4 in assists per set (11.66).

 

2009 HONORS — Kiah Fiers and Kim Hill were named to the preseason All-WCC team ... Fiers was named Tournament MVP at the Colorado State Asics Classic and was joined on the all-tournament team by Lilla Frederick and Rachel Grochmal ... Fiers was also named WCC Player of the Week on 8/31 following the Colorado State event ... Stevi Robinson was named WCC Player of the Week on 9/7 after the Pepperdine-USC Tournament ... Robinson and Frederick made the all-tournament team for the Pepperdine-USC Tournament ... Robinson was the Tournament MVP at the Pepperdine Asics Classic and Kristen Seaton also made the all-tournament team.

 

FIERS — The leader of Pepperdine’s attack is senior setter Kiah Fiers (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Peninsula HS), who is averaging 10.46 assists per set. She is a three-time All-WCC selection (once on the first team, twice on honorable mention). She recorded her 4,000th career assist this past weekend and moved past Lee Hoven and into the #3 slot on Pepperdine’s all-time list (she is now at 4,047).

 

GROCHMAL — Pepperdine’s other senior starter is outside hitter Rachel Grochmal (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS). Formerly Rachel Lumsden, she got married this past summer. She is a two-time All-WCC honorable mention selection and began the season as Pepperdine’s all-time leader in service aces per set. In 2009, she is averaging a team-best 3.21 kills along with 2.75 digs. She recorded her 1,000th career kill vs. Saint Mary’s on Oct. 1.

 

ROBINSON — Possibly one of the best liberos in the country, sophomore Stevi Robinson(Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 after averaging a WCC-leading 4.81 digs per set. She’s been even better in 2009 at 4.87 digs and 0.43 service aces per set.

 

HILL — After earning WCC Freshman of the Year honors last season, sophomore middle blockerKim Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS) is shouldering an even bigger load in 2009. She is hitting .393 and is averaging 2.60 kills and 0.73 blocks.

 

FREDERICK — Sophomore Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS) is contributing 3.00 kills and 2.38 digs per set. She made the WCC All-Freshman team last season and played on the USA Junior National Team the past two summers.

 

SEATON — Back in the rotation after redshirting 2008 due to a foot injury, sophomore Kristen Seaton (Terre Haute, Ind./South Vigo HS) has been one of the Waves’ options at opposite. She is averaging 1.98 kills and 0.67 blocks.

 

FRIEDMAN — An occasional starter in the back row, junior Krista Friedman (La Verne, Calif./St. Lucy’s Priory HS) has carved out a role as a defensive specialist. She is averaging 1.55 digs per set.

 

ADELHELM — Of Pepperdine’s seven newcomers, only one was asked to step into the regular starting lineup from the beginning, and that’s freshman middle blocker Victoria Adelhelm(Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS). She has made a nice transition to Division I volleyball, averaging 1.76 kills and 0.90 blocks. She was #85 on prepvolleyball.com’s Senior Aces list.

 

RACICH — Earning more playing time as of late has been freshman outside hitter Caitlin Racich(Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS), who has started several matches for the Waves. She is averaging 1.81 kills and 1.47 digs. She was #70 on prepvolleyball.com’s Senior Aces list.

 

MORE NEWCOMERS — Among the other five newcomers, freshman Brittney Clark (San Jose, Calif./Presentation HS) has seen the most playing time, averaging 0.70 kills and 0.70 blocks as a middle blocker or opposite. Three other newcomers are also true freshmen. Kelli Branning (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo-Atherton HS) is a libero who has been seeing more and more action as a defensive specialist. Justine Hunter (Hollister, Calif./San Benito HS) is the backup at setter andAshley Broadwell (Bothell, Wash./Archbishop Murphy HS) is an outside hitter. Redshirt sophomore Janea Rosell (Los Angeles, Calif./Bishop Montgomery HS), a transfer from Arizona State, is competing at middle blocker. The website prepvolleyball.com rated Pepperdine’s recruiting class as #12 in the country.

 

NINA MATTHIES — Now in her 27th season as head coach of the Waves, Nina Matthies entered the 2009 season with a career record of 494-294 (.627), which includes 10 conference championships and 18 NCAA Tournament appearances.  She is by far the WCC’s all-time winningest coach and is a nine-time WCC Coach of the Year. On Sept. 11, 2009, she won the 500th match of her career with a victory over Seattle. Matthies was among the world’s top players and is a member of the Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame. Earlier this fall, Dig Magazine rated her and former partner Linda Hanley as the second-best women’s beach team of all time. She won two AIAW national championships as a player at UCLA.

 

ROSTER — The Waves return four starters plus the libero and lost only two starters from the 2008 squad. Seven returners (six letterwinners and one redshirt) are joined by seven newcomers (six true freshmen and one transfer) to bring the squad total to 14. It’s a fairly young team, as the eligibility breakdown is two seniors, one junior, five sophomores and six freshmen.

 

WCC PRESEASON POLL — San Diego received seven of the eight first-place votes and was picked to win the title. Pepperdine was second, followed by Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara, San Francisco and Loyola Marymount, and then Gonzaga and Portland (tied). Kiah Fiers and Kim Hillwere named to the All-WCC preseason first team.

 

TICKETS — Single-match tickets to all home women’s volleyball games are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free to all Pepperdine students and faculty with a university ID.

 

VOLLEYBALL HISTORY — The Pepperdine women’s volleyball program is synonymous with the word excellence, as the Waves are a perennial power. The Waves have advanced to postseason play 25 times in 34 seasons, including 11 trips to the NCAA Championships in the last 12 seasons. Pepperdine’s best finishes in recent years came when the team made the regional final of the 2002 NCAAs, and then in 2003 when the Waves posted 27 victories (most in the Nina Matthies era).

 

2008 RECAP — It was another solid year for the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team. Julie Rubenstein earned AVCA All-American third team honors and became Pepperdine’s first All-American since 2003. She led the conference in kills and points. The Waves advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row but suffered a first-round loss to Long Beach State. There was a school-record-tying 13-0 start, and though they tied for fourth in the WCC with an 8-6 record, the Waves finished 20-8 overall, the 17th 20-win season in program history. Kim Hillearned WCC Freshman of the Year honors and Stevi Robinson was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year.

 

ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men’s sports — one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine’s teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.

 

Week 10: Eastern Washington University Women's College Volleyball Team News

Notes Package

The Eastern Washington University volleyball team started the second half of the Big Sky Conference schedule with 3-0 sweeps of Weber State and Idaho State over the weekend at home and will now head back on the road. The Eagles face Montana State and Montana at 6 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday (Oct. 30) and Saturday (Oct. 31).

Eastern enters the week tied for first place in the Big Sky standings with Portland State at 8-2, while Northern Colorado is just behind at 7-2. The Eagles are 14-7 overall and have won 10-of-12 matches.

Montana State had an emotional 28-30, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 16-14 win in Missoula over Montana in its last outing on Friday (Oct. 23). The victory over their rivals snapped a 44-match Big Sky Conference losing streak the Bobcats had accumulated.

The win moved MSU to 1-8 in league play, although three of the losses had come in five-set affairs, and 3-15 overall. The Bobcats will host Seattle University on Monday (Oct. 26) in a non-conference match before welcoming the Eagles on Friday.

Head-to-head, the Eagles won 3-0 in Cheney on Sept. 19 and have won nine straight against the Bobcats, four in a row in Bozeman.

Conversely, the fourth-place Grizzlies dropped that 3-2 home decision to the Bobcats to drop to 5-4 in league play, 9-11 overall. Montana is holding on to that fourth-place spot (and final berth in the Big Sky Championship) just ahead of 5-5 Sacramento State.

Eastern Washington knocked off Montana 3-1 in Cheney on Sept. 18, and the teams split their two matches a year ago. Montana won 3-0 in Missoula on Oct. 30, while the Eagles claimed a 3-1 home win on Sept. 27.

 

Hamilton Rides NCAA-Record Performance to Big Sky Honors

After having one of the best performances in NCAA history on Friday (Oct. 23) and then following that up by playing at a top level the following evening, setter Ashley Hamiltonwas named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week.

Against Weber State on Friday, a 3-0 EWU win, Hamilton had kills on all 12 of her attacks to tie the NCAA Division I record for hitting percentage (minimum 10 attacks) at a perfect 1.000 (12-0-12). That average also broke the Big Sky Conference and Eastern Washington school records.

The former league record (minimum three attacks per set) was .917 (11-0-12). Sacramento State's Tasman Dwyer recorded that average against Portland State in a 3-0 win on Oct. 28, 1999, while Idaho's Brittany Van Haverbeke did so in a 3-0 sweep of Gonzaga on Nov. 8, 1994.

The school record entering last week (minimum eight attacks) was .900 (9-0-10). That was set on Sept. 18, 2000, by Janelle Ruen, when she helped the Eagles to a 3-0 win over Texas-Pan American that day.

Hamilton also helped set the team as a whole to a .569 hitting percentage against the Wildcats on Friday (47-8-80), Eastern's best since hitting .569 (45-8-65) in a 3-0 defeat of St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sept. 1, 2006. The senior also had 32 assists, six digs and four blocks that evening.

Against Idaho State on Saturday (Oct. 24), another 3-0 win for the Eagles, Hamilton once again played at a top level, hitting .444 herself (4-0-9) and helping the team to a .299 hitting percentage (44-12-107). The Alpine, Utah, native also had 34 assists, six digs and four blocks in that match.

For the week, Hamilton hit at an incredible .762 clip (16-0-21) and averaged 11.00 assists, 1.50 digs and 1.17 blocks per set.

She moved her kill streak to 15 early Saturday before that incredible streak, dating to a 3-1 win over Northern Colorado on Oct. 17, was snapped. Hamilton did, however, finish the evening with 30 consecutive attacks without an error dating to that UNC match.

The award is her second of the season.

 

Hamilton has 1st Triple-Double in 7 Years   

Ashley Hamilton had an outstanding match on Oct. 17 in helping the Eagles to a 3-1 road win over Northern Colorado.

In that contest, she recorded the first triple-double by an Eagle in seven years. Hamilton had 43 assists, 11 kills and 14 digs in the contest. The Alpine, Utah, native also hit at a very high percentage with just one attack error in 19 attempts, .526 (11-1-19).

Janelle Ruen had Eastern's last triple-double, when she contributed 10 kills, 10 assists and 14 digs to a 3-0 win over George Washington on Sept. 14, 2002, in Boise, Idaho.

In fact, Hamilton had an impressive week, hitting at a .577 clip (16-1-26) to go with 9.67 assists, 2.22 digs and 0.67 blocks per set in Eastern's two matches against the Bears and Northern Arizona.

 

Hamilton Named Big Sky POW                          

Senior setter Ashley Hamilton was an all-around offensive force in helping the Eagles to a pair of road victories from Sept. 25-26.

She helped lead the team to a .390 hitting percentage in a 3-0 sweep of Weber State after setting the team to a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down at Idaho State in a 3-2 win.

Individually, she averaged 12.25 assists per set, but was also an intimidating offensive threat herself, as she hit at a .600 clip in the two road matches (14-2-20). Defensively, she was solid, averaging 2.50 digs and 0.62 blocks per set in the two contests.

In the five-set win in Pocatello, Hamilton had 55 assists, her highest total of the season and the eighth-most by a Big Sky player in 2009. Hamilton hit .500 (8-2-12) that night. She also did the job defensively, as her 14 digs that night was a career high for the setter.

Hamilton had 43 assists in the sweep of the Wildcats, which is a very impressive number for a match just three sets long. It actually comes out to a higher assists-per-set ratio then she achieved the night before (14.33 versus 11.00). She also hit at a .750 clip (6-0-8) in that WSU match.

The award was the first for Hamilton.

 

Big Sky Championship in Cheney                                

After claiming the Big Sky Conference's regular-season title in 2008, the Eagles earned the right to play host to the 2009 Tournament.

The semifinals will take place at 5 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 27, while the title contest will start at 7 the following evening.

The winner of that match will earn the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which starts the following weekend.

 

Hills in Second on Career Kills List                                

Senior outside hitter Hayley Hills has climbed into the second spot on Eastern Washington's career kills list, as she now has 1,330. Her total only trails the school record of 1,860, set by Kim Exner (1995-98).

Hills is also currently second in school history in kills per set, embedded into that slot with a 3.89 average. Holding the record is Exner (4.43); in third is Juli Argotow (3.42).

Hills earned her 1,000th kill in a 3-1 win at Sacramento State on Nov. 21 of last year. That gained her entry to the 1,000-kill club, becoming the eighth Eagle in history to do so.

Following impressive performance in wins over Montana and Montana State on Sept. 18 and 19, respectively, Hills was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week.

Those two matches, she averaged 4.71 kills and 3.14 digs per set in helping the Eagles to 3-1 and 3-0 respective wins over the Grizzlies and Bobcats.

In the Montana State match, she had 21 kills, especially impressive considering the match went just three sets. It is tied for the 13th-most by a Big Sky player in a match of any length so far this year and is the highest total attained in a three-set contest.

Hills also earned POW honors on four occasions a year ago.

 

Petroni Rides 33 Digs to POW Honors              

After tallying 57 career digs leading into the final week of September, sophomore liberoLindsey Petroni nearly doubled that total with 47 in two matches in helping the Eagles to 3-1 wins over Idaho and Sacramento State on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2, respectively.

She was then rewarded for her outstanding performances with Big Sky Conference Co-Player of the Week accolades. In doing so, Petroni became the first defensive-focused player in Eastern Washington history to ever earn the award.

Most notably, she tallied 33 digs in the Idaho contest, a total that tied for the seventh-highest total in school history. In fact, it tied for the second-most in school annals in a match less than five sets long. That feat earned her the 17th spot in Eastern's 30-dig club.

Her dig total is the most by any Big Sky player so far in 2009 in a match that did not go the maximum five sets and is just one off the highest five-set sum.

The 33 digs are also tied for the 13th-most by any NCAA Division I player this year in a contest four sets or fewer (the most recent national statistics are through Oct. 21).

The Spokane, Wash., native then followed that up with a solid 14-dig performance in the Big Sky win over the Hornets two days later. For the week, Petroni averaged 5.88 digs per set. She also contributed seven assists and two service aces in the two matches.

Incredibly, every single one of her 57 career digs leading into the UI match had come away from home.

Petroni shared the week's award with Idaho State's Emily Waldron.

 

Eagles Rank Nationally in Attendance                    

The Eastern Washington Eagles have earned the attention of the greater Spokane area and it has shown, as the team is averaging 926 fans per contest, an average that ranks the squad 48th in the country.

The highlight of the home schedule came on Oct. 9 when 1,440 saw the Eagles take on Portland State in a first-versus-second battle. That crowd was the largest for a home contest since Sept. 23, 2006, when 1,484 saw Eastern take on Northern Colorado.

The Eagles have ranked in the top 40 in attendance in 11 of the past 12 years.

Eastern Washington has won 16-of-17 contests at Reese Court.

 

Comeback From 2-0 Down                                                          

The Eastern Washington Eagles went into the locker rooms in their match at Idaho State on Sept. 25 down 25-17, 25-21, but rallied to complete an impressive 3-2 victory with 25-21, 25-17, 15-13 set victories.

The rally from 2-0 down was the first for head coach Miles Kydd since he took over the Eagles at the beginning of the 2008 campaign and was the initial one for the EWU program since a 25-30, 23-30, 30-18, 30-19, 15-10 victory over Colgate on Aug. 31, 2007.

 

Busy First Month for Eagles                                                 

The Eagles played some pretty impressive competition the first three weeks of the season, including three teams currently ranked in the top 25, each on its home courts.

To conclude the pre-conference portion of the schedule, the Eagles played well in a trip to the Bay Area with its two defeats coming to a pair of teams who are either nationally ranked or receiving votes for the top-25 poll.

Following a couple tight sets in a 25-13, 25-23, 29-27 road loss to Saint Mary's, who is receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, the Eagles rallied to beat San Jose State 21-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-20.

Eastern then took 19-12 and 18-12 leads in the first and third sets, respectively, before falling on the road to California, currently ranked 14th, by 25-22, 25-19, 25-20 scores.

The previous weekend, EWU defeated opponents from Conference USA (Houston) and the Western Athletic Conference (Nevada) by 3-1 scores before battling No. 18 Arizona, the host of the Marriott University Park Wildcat Classic, in an exciting four-set affair the undefeated Wildcats took 3-1.

The Eagles opened their season on Aug. 28 with a 3-1 defeat of Missouri State. The Bears had played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Eastern's two losses that weekend came to teams that played in the 2008 NCAAs, No. 15 Oregon and San Francisco.

 

Coviare Named to All-Oregon Classic Team                  

Chenoa Coviare was rewarded for at the Oregon Classic with All-Tournament honors.

In the three matches played from Aug. 28-29, she hit .365 (25-6-52) and contributed 1.20 blocks and 0.70 digs per set.

Coviare helped Eastern to a 3-1 win over Missouri State and tough-fought losses to No. 15 Oregon and San Francisco.

 

Coviare and Hamilton Named All-Tourney                 

For the second weekend in a row, Chenoa Coviare was named to an all-tournament team, this time at the Marriott University Park Wildcat Classic. She was joined on the squad byAshley Hamilton.

Coviare had 2.25 kills and 0.83 blocks per set in Eastern's three matches.

Arizona transfer Hamilton played well in her old stomping grounds, averaging 6.58 assists per set and hitting at a .296 clip (12-4-27).

The talented duo helped the Eagles to an impressive 2-1 showing at the tournament, which included 3-1 wins over Houston and Nevada and a good showing in a 3-1 loss to host and currently No. 18 Arizona.

 

Coviare and Hills Earn Tourney Honors                    

After helping the Eagles to a second-place showing at the Molten/Hilton Garden Inn Classic, Chenoa Coviare and Hayley Hills earned All-Tournament honors.

In the two matches, a 3-1 win over San Jose State and a 3-0 loss to host and 14th-ranked California, Coviare hit at a .343 clip (19-7-35) to go with 1.43 blocks per set.

Hills had a team-high 3.00 kills per set and contributed 2.14 digs and 0.29 blocks per set.

___________________________

Week 10: University of Texas Arlington Women's College Volleyball Team News

 

FIRST SERVE

UT Arlington finishes play against Southland Conference Eastern Division opponents for the regular season this week with road tilts at McNeese State (Friday - 7 p.m.) and Stephen F. Austin (Saturday - 4 p.m.). The Mavericks, who are still searching for their first road win (0-7), have won three of their past four matches and currently own the sixth best conference mark in the 12-team SLC (5-4). SFA is in second place in the East and McNeese State sits in third place.

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

- - - McNEESE STATE

Friday will be the 44th all-time meeting between UTA and McNeese State with UTA holding a 29-14 lead in the all-time series. UTA leads 9-8 in matches played in Lake Charles, despite McNeese State having won the last three matches at home. UTA’s last win at Memorial Gym was in four sets on Oct. 25, 2003. The Mavs have won three of the past four meetings, with two wins coming in Arlington and one in San Antonio at the 2006 SLC Tournament semifinals.

 

First Serve:  ____________ 7 p.m.

All-Time Series_ UTA leads, 29-14

Last Meeting UTA defeated MCN, 3-1

    Arlington, Texas (10/31/08)

Arena______ Memorial Gym (315)

Live Stats www.mcneesesports.com

Live Video www.mcneesesports.com

Press Row       N/A

 

- - - STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

Saturday marks the 54th all-time meeting between UTA and Stephen F. Austin with UTA holding a 28-24-1 lead in the series. SFA leads 15-9 in matches played in Nacogdoches. SFA has won the last eight matches against the Mavericks and have not dropped a set (24-0) during that streak. UTA’s last road win over SFA was in four sets on Nov. 2, 2001. The Mavericks last victory over the Ladyjacks was in Arlington on Oct. 1, 2004 (33-31, 28-30, 30-28, 29-31, 15-9).

 

First Serve:  ____________ 4 p.m.

All-Time Series UTA leads, 28-24-1

Last Meeting SFA defeated UTA, 3-0

    Arlington, Texas (11/1/08)

Arena William R. Johnson Coliseum (7,203)

Live Stats____ www.utamavs.com

Live Video___ www.sfajacks.com

Press Row       (936) 554-2077

 

UT ARLINGTON MAVERICKS

Overall Record: 9-12

Conference Record: 5-4

    Home Record: 7-3

    Away Record: 0-7

    Neutral Record: 2-2

    Last 5/Last 10: 3-2/5-5

Streak: Won 2

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.utamavs.com

Head Coach: Diane Seymour

    Career Record: 90-84 (6th year)

    Record at UTA: 90-84 (6th year)

 

McNEESE STATE COWGIRLS

Overall Record: 16-7

Conference Record: 4-5

    Home Record: 6-3

    Away Record: 5-4

    Neutral Record: 5-0

    Last 5/Last 10: 2-3/6-4

Streak: Lost 1

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.mcneesesports.com

Head Coach: Dale Starr

    Career Record: 145-122 (9th year)

    Record at MCN: 95-75 (6th year)

 

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN LADYJACKS

Overall Record: 17-10

Conference Record: 6-3

    Home Record: 7-2

    Away Record: 4-6

    Neutral Record: 6-2

    Last 5/Last 10: 4-1/6-4

Streak: Won 1

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.sfajacks.com

Head Coach: Debbie Humphreys

    Career Record: 501-227 (22nd yr)

    Record at SFA: 501-227 (22nd yr)

 

TAKING A LOOK BACK

UT Arlington won its fifth straight home match last Saturday with a five-set victory over Nicholls. The Mavericks won the first two sets and then needed a 15-9 win in the fifth set to notch their seventh home victory. Amanda Aguilera led the Mavs with 16 kills and 13 digs.

 

MAVERICKS 5-0 AT HOME IN SLC PLAY FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2006

UT Arlington continued its winning ways at home with a five-set victory over Nicholls on Saturday, Oct. 24. The win made the Mavericks 5-0 at home during SLC play - which is the first time UTA has accomplished that feat since 2006, when the Mavs started 7-0 at home against SLC opponents.

 

FIVE-SET SUCCESS

UT Arlington improves to 3-1 this season in five-set matches with a victory over Nicholls last Saturday. The Mavericks are now 17-6 in five-set matches since 2006. UT Arlington is 21-11 during Diane Seymour’s head coaching era, which began in 2004.

 

HIGH HITTING PERCENTAGES LEAD TO WINS FOR MAVERICKS

This season the answer has been behind the hitting percentage. UT Arlington is 8-0 this season (5-0 in SLC play) when recording a higher hitting percentage than its opponent. Last Saturday, UT Arlington hit .175 while Nicholls was held to a .089 mark.

 

SHEARIN LEADS SLC IN BLOCKS, RANKS IN TOP FIVE IN HITTING PERCENTAGE & ACES

Emily Shearin continues to lead UT Arlington in hitting percentage (.338) during SLC play with 55 kills, 11 errors and 130 attacks. She also leads the Mavs in total blocks (49) and aces (12) in SLC play. Shearin added to her totals against Nicholls with seven kills, one error and 17 swings (.353 percent), and a team-leading eight blocks. She is the only Maverick to hit at least .200 in all nine SLC matches. In SLC play, Shearin leads the conference in blocks per set (1.44), ranks third in hitting percentage (.338) and is fifth in service aces per set (0.35).

 

BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS

Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Aguilera had a match-high 16 kills, and posted her third double-double of the season with 13 digs against Nicholls. Her 16 kills tied the second most by any Maverick this season (tied for the most in a 5-set match) and it also marked her season-high. Aguilera now has 13 career double-doubles (all coming in SLC play) and she has led the Mavs in kills twice this season, 17 times during her two-year career.

 

MAVS SET SCHOOL RECORD WITH ONE ATTACK ERROR - 4TH TIME IN NCAA HISTORY

UT Arlington made school history on Wednesday night committing just one attack error in a three-set victory over Northwestern State. It is also a Southland Conference record and is the only one-attack error match this season in the NCAA. The previous school record was three attack errors, set by the 1985 Mavericks in a three-set win over North Texas (Sept. 25, 1985). In addition, it is only the fourth time in NCAA history that a team has had only one attack error in a match.

 

FEWEST ATTACK ERRORS IN A MATCH - NCAA HISTORY

Date          Team vs. Opponent                          Pct.                    (K-E-TA)

10/14/09    UT Arlington vs. Northwestern State .507                   (38-1-73)

11/3/99      Fairfield vs. Iona                             .709                    (40-1-55)

12/3/98      Long Beach State vs. Southern       .615                    (25-1-39)

10/10/86          Oregon vs. Fresno State          .661     (40-1-59)

 

FIRST TIME IN RALLY SCORING HISTORY

UT Arlington’s 25-10, 25-13, 25-12 victory over Northwestern State marked the first time since rally scoring began that UTA has held its opponent to less than 15 points in every set during a match. The last time the Mavs held an opponent below 15 points in every set was during the 2000 season against Louisiana-Monroe (15-3, 15-7, 15-9) on the road on Nov. 10.

 

For more information on Mavericks Volleyball check out their new website @http://www.utamavs.com/sports/w-volley/txar-w-volley-body.html

 

Week 10: University of Texas Arlington Women's College Volleyball Team News

 

FIRST SERVE

UT Arlington finishes play against Southland Conference Eastern Division opponents for the regular season this week with road tilts at McNeese State (Friday - 7 p.m.) and Stephen F. Austin (Saturday - 4 p.m.). The Mavericks, who are still searching for their first road win (0-7), have won three of their past four matches and currently own the sixth best conference mark in the 12-team SLC (5-4). SFA is in second place in the East and McNeese State sits in third place.

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

- - - McNEESE STATE

Friday will be the 44th all-time meeting between UTA and McNeese State with UTA holding a 29-14 lead in the all-time series. UTA leads 9-8 in matches played in Lake Charles, despite McNeese State having won the last three matches at home. UTA’s last win at Memorial Gym was in four sets on Oct. 25, 2003. The Mavs have won three of the past four meetings, with two wins coming in Arlington and one in San Antonio at the 2006 SLC Tournament semifinals.

 

First Serve:  ____________ 7 p.m.

All-Time Series_ UTA leads, 29-14

Last Meeting UTA defeated MCN, 3-1

    Arlington, Texas (10/31/08)

Arena______ Memorial Gym (315)

Live Stats www.mcneesesports.com

Live Video www.mcneesesports.com

Press Row       N/A

 

- - - STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

Saturday marks the 54th all-time meeting between UTA and Stephen F. Austin with UTA holding a 28-24-1 lead in the series. SFA leads 15-9 in matches played in Nacogdoches. SFA has won the last eight matches against the Mavericks and have not dropped a set (24-0) during that streak. UTA’s last road win over SFA was in four sets on Nov. 2, 2001. The Mavericks last victory over the Ladyjacks was in Arlington on Oct. 1, 2004 (33-31, 28-30, 30-28, 29-31, 15-9).

 

First Serve:  ____________ 4 p.m.

All-Time Series UTA leads, 28-24-1

Last Meeting SFA defeated UTA, 3-0

    Arlington, Texas (11/1/08)

Arena William R. Johnson Coliseum (7,203)

Live Stats____ www.utamavs.com

Live Video___ www.sfajacks.com

Press Row       (936) 554-2077

 

UT ARLINGTON MAVERICKS

Overall Record: 9-12

Conference Record: 5-4

    Home Record: 7-3

    Away Record: 0-7

    Neutral Record: 2-2

    Last 5/Last 10: 3-2/5-5

Streak: Won 2

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.utamavs.com

Head Coach: Diane Seymour

    Career Record: 90-84 (6th year)

    Record at UTA: 90-84 (6th year)

 

McNEESE STATE COWGIRLS

Overall Record: 16-7

Conference Record: 4-5

    Home Record: 6-3

    Away Record: 5-4

    Neutral Record: 5-0

    Last 5/Last 10: 2-3/6-4

Streak: Lost 1

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.mcneesesports.com

Head Coach: Dale Starr

    Career Record: 145-122 (9th year)

    Record at MCN: 95-75 (6th year)

 

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN LADYJACKS

Overall Record: 17-10

Conference Record: 6-3

    Home Record: 7-2

    Away Record: 4-6

    Neutral Record: 6-2

    Last 5/Last 10: 4-1/6-4

Streak: Won 1

AVCA Ranking: N/A

Website: www.sfajacks.com

Head Coach: Debbie Humphreys

    Career Record: 501-227 (22nd yr)

    Record at SFA: 501-227 (22nd yr)

 

TAKING A LOOK BACK

UT Arlington won its fifth straight home match last Saturday with a five-set victory over Nicholls. The Mavericks won the first two sets and then needed a 15-9 win in the fifth set to notch their seventh home victory. Amanda Aguilera led the Mavs with 16 kills and 13 digs.

 

MAVERICKS 5-0 AT HOME IN SLC PLAY FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2006

UT Arlington continued its winning ways at home with a five-set victory over Nicholls on Saturday, Oct. 24. The win made the Mavericks 5-0 at home during SLC play - which is the first time UTA has accomplished that feat since 2006, when the Mavs started 7-0 at home against SLC opponents.

 

FIVE-SET SUCCESS

UT Arlington improves to 3-1 this season in five-set matches with a victory over Nicholls last Saturday. The Mavericks are now 17-6 in five-set matches since 2006. UT Arlington is 21-11 during Diane Seymour’s head coaching era, which began in 2004.

 

HIGH HITTING PERCENTAGES LEAD TO WINS FOR MAVERICKS

This season the answer has been behind the hitting percentage. UT Arlington is 8-0 this season (5-0 in SLC play) when recording a higher hitting percentage than its opponent. Last Saturday, UT Arlington hit .175 while Nicholls was held to a .089 mark.

 

SHEARIN LEADS SLC IN BLOCKS, RANKS IN TOP FIVE IN HITTING PERCENTAGE & ACES

Emily Shearin continues to lead UT Arlington in hitting percentage (.338) during SLC play with 55 kills, 11 errors and 130 attacks. She also leads the Mavs in total blocks (49) and aces (12) in SLC play. Shearin added to her totals against Nicholls with seven kills, one error and 17 swings (.353 percent), and a team-leading eight blocks. She is the only Maverick to hit at least .200 in all nine SLC matches. In SLC play, Shearin leads the conference in blocks per set (1.44), ranks third in hitting percentage (.338) and is fifth in service aces per set (0.35).

 

BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS

Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Aguilera had a match-high 16 kills, and posted her third double-double of the season with 13 digs against Nicholls. Her 16 kills tied the second most by any Maverick this season (tied for the most in a 5-set match) and it also marked her season-high. Aguilera now has 13 career double-doubles (all coming in SLC play) and she has led the Mavs in kills twice this season, 17 times during her two-year career.

 

MAVS SET SCHOOL RECORD WITH ONE ATTACK ERROR - 4TH TIME IN NCAA HISTORY

UT Arlington made school history on Wednesday night committing just one attack error in a three-set victory over Northwestern State. It is also a Southland Conference record and is the only one-attack error match this season in the NCAA. The previous school record was three attack errors, set by the 1985 Mavericks in a three-set win over North Texas (Sept. 25, 1985). In addition, it is only the fourth time in NCAA history that a team has had only one attack error in a match.

 

FEWEST ATTACK ERRORS IN A MATCH - NCAA HISTORY

Date          Team vs. Opponent                          Pct.                    (K-E-TA)

10/14/09    UT Arlington vs. Northwestern State .507                   (38-1-73)

11/3/99      Fairfield vs. Iona                             .709                    (40-1-55)

12/3/98      Long Beach State vs. Southern       .615                    (25-1-39)

10/10/86          Oregon vs. Fresno State          .661     (40-1-59)

 

FIRST TIME IN RALLY SCORING HISTORY

UT Arlington’s 25-10, 25-13, 25-12 victory over Northwestern State marked the first time since rally scoring began that UTA has held its opponent to less than 15 points in every set during a match. The last time the Mavs held an opponent below 15 points in every set was during the 2000 season against Louisiana-Monroe (15-3, 15-7, 15-9) on the road on Nov. 10.

 

For more information on Mavericks Volleyball check out their new website @http://www.utamavs.com/sports/w-volley/txar-w-volley-body.html

 

Week 10: University of California Irvine Women's College Volleyball Team News

2009 SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT

8/28 +vs. #6 California W, 3-2

8/29 +vs. Connecticut W, 3-2

8/29 +at Nevada W, 3-1

9/4 ^vs. MONTANA W, 3-1

9/4 ^VS. NORTHEASTERN W, 3-0

9/5 ^VS. UMBC W, 3-0

9/8 at #15 USC L, 0-3

9/11 %vs. Boise State W, 3-0

9/12 %vs. Houston W, 3-0

9/12 %at Loyola Marymount W, 3-1

9/17 !at #23 San Diego L, 2-3

9/18 !vs San Jose State W, 3-0

9/25 *at Cal Poly W, 3-0

9/26 *at UC Santa Barbara L, 2-3

10/2 *PACIFIC W, 3-1

10/3 *UC DAVIS W, 3-1

10/6 *at Cal State Northridge W, 3-1

10/16 #25 *LONG BEACH STATE W, 3-2

10/17 *UC RIVERSIDE W, 3-0

10/23 *UC SANTA BARBARA L, 2-3

10/24 *CAL POLY W, 3-2

10/30 *at UC Davis 7:00 PM

10/31 *at Pacific 7:00 PM

11/3 SEATTLE 7:00 PM

11/7 *CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 7:00 PM

11/13 *at Cal State Fullerton 7:00 PM

11/14 *at UC Riverside 7:00 PM

11/20 *CAL STATE FULLERTON 7:00 PM

11/21 *at Long Beach State 7:00 PM

11/28 vs. TCU 2:30 PM

12/3-6 NCAA 1st & 2nd Rounds TBA

12/11-12 NCAA Regionals TBA

12/17 NCAA Semifinals TBA

12/19 NCAA Championship TBA

+Nevada Marriott Courtyard/Fairfield Invitational (UCI, Nevada, St. Mary‘s,

UConn, California)

^UCI Classic (Montana, Northeastern, Maryland-Baltimore County)

% LMU/LAX/Sheraton Classic (UCI, LMU, Houston, Boise St.)

!San Diego Tournament (UCI, San Diego, San Jose State)

*Big West Conference matches

UCI BATTLES FOR FIRST PLACE AGAIN: No. 23 UC Irvine (17-4,

7-2 Big West) and UC Davis, both 7-2 Big West Conference matches,

square off this Friday (Oct. 31) in a battle for first place in the Big

West. UCI then tackles Pacific, which is 5-4 to sit in fifth place in the

conference.

UCI IN THE POLLS: UCI fell five spots from 19th and is ranked 23rd in

the AVCA Coaches poll this week.

ANTEATERS IN THE STANDINGS: Sitting one win behind UCI and

UC Davis is Long Beach State, currently in third place at 6-2. UC

Santa Barbara is fourth at 6-3 and is followed by Pacific (5-4). Cal

State Fullerton holds a 3-5 mark while Cal State Northridge upset Pacific

last weekend to improve to 3-6. Cal Poly (2-8) and UC Riverside

(1-8) are in eighth and ninth place, respectively.

WINKLER RECORDS CAREER-HIGH: Libero Kristin Winkler (Los

Altos/St. Francis HS) recorded a career-high 26 digs against UC Santa

Barbara last week. Winkler then scooped up 24 digs in the win against

Cal Poly to post her fourth match with 20 or more digs. The freshman

tops the team with 310 digs and a 3.78 average. She is also third on

the team with 22 aces.

HAUSER BLOCKS PERSONAL BEST: Alexandra Hauser (Chino

Hills/Ayala HS) keyed the Anteater defense, recording a combined 13

blocks in two matches last weekend. Hauser tied a career-high with six

block assists against UC Santa Barbara while adding six kills and then

set a new personal best with seven blocks against Cal Poly the next

night. Offensively, Hauser recorded the 10th-best hitting percentage in

the UCI match records, pounding a .727 clip by knocking down eight of

11 attempts with no errors. It is the seventh time this season that

Hauser has recorded an errorless performance for UCI.

Hauser holds the team-high in blocks with 77 and a 0.93 average and

is 10 blocks away from breaking into the season records. Former Anteater

Kris Roberts is 10th on the list with 87 block assists registered in

1986.

PIGGOTT FIRES FOUR ACES FOR CAREER-HIGH: Juliane Piggott

(Newport Beach/UCLA) was the third Anteater to record a new personal-

best over the weekend as the outside hitter fired off four aces

against the Gauchos. Piggott has 17 aces on the season and a 0.21

average to sit fourth on the team. The outside hitter is also second in

kills with 238 and a 2.97 average and fourth in blocks with 36.

ROBERTSON KNOCKS DOWN NEW HIGH: Taryn Robertson

(Valencia/HS) totaled 10 kills in the win against Cal Poly to record a

personal-high for the senior. Robertson hit .438 in the match, committing

three errors in 16 attempts while posting 46 assists for her sixth

double-double match of the season. She fell just two digs

shy of a triple double with eight digs and also added an

ace and a block for the Anteaters.

Robertson is fifth on the team with 101 kills and holds a

9.77 assist average. She is also second in aces with 24

and third at the net in blocks with 40.

FILKINS, NORDYKE CHIP IN SEASON BESTS: Alexandra

Filkins (Seal Beach/Los Alamitos HS) and Larissa

Nordyke (Honolulu, HI/Punahou HS) sparked the Anteaters

Saturday as the duo recorded season highs. Filkins

put away a season-high 10 kills. Filkins had just two errors

in 16 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage while

adding six digs and a block.

Nordyke picked up 13 digs, a personal-high this season

for the junior outside hitter. She also added 11 kills for

her first double-double of the season.

Filkins has recorded 45 kills and three service aces for

UCI and Nordyke has amassed 74 kills in 57 sets played.

AND THE DIGS KEEP COMING: The Anteater streak of

registering a team-best in digs extended to five weeks as

UCI logged 94 against UC Santa Barbara. Five Anteaters

had double-figure digs with Winkler’s 26 leading the

team. Kari Pestolesi (Huntington Beach/Edison HS)

added 20 while Piggott put in 16. Nordyke’s 13 scoops

were followed by Robertson, who posted 11.

PESTOLESI NEARING No. 8 SPOT: Pestolesi, who has

a team-high 31 aces on the season, is one shy of tying

the No. 8 spot in the UCI career records. The outside

hitter is currently ninth with 106 and needs one service

winner to move into eighth with alumna Brooke Witt, who

totaled 107 from 1997-2000. Pestolesi is averaging 0.39

aces per set.

The junior also tops the team in kills with 303 and a 3.79

average.

PESTOLESI CLOSING IN ON 1000 DIGS: Pestolesi,

second on the team with 299 digs this season, is four

digs shy of becoming the ninth Anteater to reach a 1000

career digs. The junior has amassed 996 in three seasons

and averages 3.74 per set. Scotleen Risley posted

1000 digs from 1989-1992 and currently sits eighth.

Devon Sutherland (2005-08) is the current record holder

with 1756.

ALL ABOUT THE AGGIES: UC Davis is 16-7 overall and

7-2 in the Big West. The Aggies sport a four-match win

streak and are 3-1 at home. UCD swept Cal State Northridge

in its lone match last week. The team is led by Allison

Whitson, who has 289 kills and a 3.44 average.

Betsy Sedlak tops the team with 16 solo blocks and 77

block assists for a total of 93 blocks while Avreeta Singh

holds the team-high in digs with 318. Carson Lowden

owns a 10.19 assist average while Melanie Adams has

23 aces for the team-high.

HOW THEY MATCH UP: The two teams are similar in the kill

category with UCI averaging 12.9 and the Aggies with a 12.6

average and both share a 1.4 service ace average. The Anteaters

hold the edge in digs at 15.17 to UCD’s 14.10 but Davis

owns a 2.40 block advantage while UCI is averaging 1.92.

THE SERIES: UCI is 11-0 against UC Davis following the Anteaters’

3-1 win against the Aggies earlier this season.

ABOUT THE TIGERS: Pacific is 15-5 overall and 5-4 in the Big

West. The Tigers fell in five sets against Cal State Northridge

last week but have won four of their last six contests.

The team is led by Svenja Englehardt, who has 250 kills, a 3.33

average and 33 aces. Mallori Gibson tops the team with a 0.68

blocking average while Dancyne Kama holds the team-lead in

digs with 301. Olivia Riley has 812 assists to lead Pacific.

HOW THEY MATCH UP: Pacific is averaging 13.27 kills per

set and 12.2 assists. UCI holds an edge in digs (15.17 – 12.91)

while the Tigers have the advantage in aces (1.67-1.49) and

blocks (2.03-1.92).

THE SERIES: Pacific boasts a 48-8 all-time series lead against

UCI. The Anteaters defeated Pacific 3-1 earlier in the season.

UCI IN THE BIG WEST: UC Irvine is second in aces at 1.49

and third in hitting percentage (.239). The team is third in digs

(15.17), fifth in assists (12.06) and seventh in blocks at 1.92.

Hauser remains in third in hitting at .338 while Riley Cropper

(Seal Beach/Los Alamitos HS) holds steady in fourth at .328.

Pestolesi is in third in aces at 0.39, fifth in kills (3.79) and ninth

in digs at 3.74. Robertson is sixth in assists (9.77) and seventh

in aces at 0.30. Winkler moved to seventh in digs at 3.78.

ANTEATERS IN THE NATION: The Anteaters are 22nd in the

nation with a .810 win-loss percentage. UCI is 55th in hitting

percentage, 70th in aces per set and 86th in assists.

Pestolesi is ranked 50th in points average (4.46), 66th in aces

per set and 73rd in kill average.

WEEKLY WRAPUP: UCI suffered its first home loss of the

season and had a five-match win streak snapped in a 3-2 loss

to UC Santa Barbara Friday. Pestolesi led UCI with 22 kills and

totaled 20 digs for her 15th double-double match of the season

while Piggott added 16 kills and a career-high four aces.

Robertson notched a double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs

while Hauser tied for the match-high with six block assists.

Wearing pink for the fight against breast cancer, the Anteaters

held off Cal Poly in five sets Saturday. Four Anteaters reached

double-figure kills with Piggott leading the way with 15. Winkler

topped the Anteaters with 24 digs while Hauser registered a

career-high with seven block assists. Robertson also had a career-

high with 10 kills while dealing 46 assists in the win.