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Phone Cobra Sports: 877-586-2729
U.S. Men Sitting Edge Brazil in Parapan
Opener
Becky Murdy
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 14, 2011)
–The U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball team defeated Brazil in a nail-biting,
five-set match 15-25, 25-22, 25-19, 21-25, 15-13 to kick off its 2011 Parapan
American Games showing on Monday in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Team USA fought back from a tough first-set
loss to reach a fifth set, where Brazil lost the first match point due to an
illegal substitution.
The U.S. Men’s Sitting Team (1-0) played
a second match on Monday against Mexico.
The U.S. win over Brazil had revenge written
all over it as it was a rematch from the gold medal match of the 2007 Parapan
American games when Brazil defeated the U.S. in five sets, leaving the
Americans unqualified for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
Eric
Duda (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Edmond, Okla.) led the
U.S. on Monday with 17 points off of 12 kills, three blocks and two service
aces while team captain Brent Rasmussen (Omaha, Neb.) contributed 14 points
from 10 kills, two clocks and a pair of aces. Roderick Green charted 12 points
from eight kills and four blocks and James Stuck (New Kensington, Pa./Edmond, Okla.) connected on four kills and three blocks
for seven points. Full
Story
Volleyball Tournament Bracket Unveiled
Updated:
November 14, 2011 3:27 p.m. (ET)
by Southern Conference
SPARTANBURG, S.C.— Samford and College of Charleston have earned the
top seeds in their respective divisions for the Southern Conference volleyball
championship. The event begins Saturday, November 19 at Pete Hanna Center at
Samford University. Appalachian State (20-10, 12-4), which earned the No.
2 seed in the North Division, will take on Georgia Southern (18-14, 10-6) in
the first match of the quarterfinals. The Mountaineers won their final two
league matches, including a win over Samford which snapped their 12-match win
streak. College of Charleston (23-9, 14-2) sports the best conference
record entering the championship and is on a nine-match win streak. The Cougars
will entertain Elon (19-13, 7-9), which earned the No.4 North seed in the second
match following its wins over UNCG and The Citadel. Furman (20-8, 13-3)
and Western Carolina (13-9, 8-8) will play in the third match of the
quarterfinals. The Paladins have won their last two conference matches.
Samford (26-4, 13-3), the No. 1 seed in the north, will play Davidson (15-14,
5-11) in the primetime match Saturday. Both the Bulldogs and the Wildcats lost
their final regular season matches. The tournament winner earns the
league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championships. Full
Story
Alison/Emanuel add to honours with Brazil
Tour title
Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil,
November 14, 2011 – Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego clinched the points title of the Brazilian Banco do Brasil Beach
Volleyball Tour in Recife on Sunday capping off a memorable season on the 10th
stop of the tournament. The FIVB
Beach Volleyball Swatch World Championship winners and World Tour champions
Alison and Emanuel needed only a third place finish in Recife to be sure of top
spot in the standings. However the tandem surpassed this to win the tournament
played at Pina´s Beach by downing Olympian Marcio Araujo and Benjamin
Insfran in straight sets 21-16 and 21-12.
“I am really happy for the amazing season we had,” Emanuel
said. “Our team was strongly committed in all tournaments. We came back
from a tough season on the World Tour and spent a couple of weeks in Mexico to
play in the Pan American Games. After all, we were able to keep the focus and
play a great tournament in Recife.”
The legendary Olympic champion achieved his eighth national title as he
had previously won with Ricardo Santos (2002, 2003, 2006 and 2008), Jose Marco
(1994 and 1995) and Tande Ramos (2001). The 25 year-old Alison celebrated his
second win, following a maiden title in 2009 with Harley Marques. “This is definitely the best year
of my career,” Alison added. “I can only thank my family and
friends, who are ever with me, our coach, Leticia Pessoa, who never gives up on
me, and Emanuel, who believed in our project. We had a difficult season in 2010
but we improved a lot with that.”
Full
Story
2011 SBC Volleyball Championship Seeds and
Schedule Released
Updated: 11/14/2011
11:43:07 (ET)
By Sun Belt Conference
NEW ORLEANS –
Following the culmination of the regular season, the Sun Belt Conference
released the seeds and schedule for the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball
Championship.
Western Kentucky
(28-3, 15-1 SBC) earned the No. 1 seed after capturing the ninth Sun Belt East
Division title in program history and the first since 2006 with a 3-2 win over
Middle Tennessee on Friday.
The win over the Blue
Raiders was the first for WKU in the last eight meetings between the two teams
and the first over MT in Murfreesboro since 2006. The Lady Toppers won their
last 11 conference matches and finished the regular season 7-0 on the road in
league play.
Defending SBC
Tournament Champion Middle Tennessee (18-10, 14-2) is the No. 2 seed. Before
falling to WKU, the Blue Raiders won a school-record 16 consecutive matches
after starting the season 2-9. MT will be looking for a third consecutive
conference tournament championship.
Arkansas State (21-9,
12-4 SBC) was crowned the West Division champion for the third consecutive
season to earn the No. 3 seed. The Red Wolves have won at least a share of the
division title for the last three years under the direction of head coach
Justin Ingram, and this year is the first divisional title they have won
outright during that time. Full
Story
Volleyball Recap: Nov. 13
Written By: MEAC Media
Relations Release: 11/14/2011
NCCU's Santos Boast
Double-Double In Final Regular-Season Win
SAVANNAH, Ga. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) - In
the final regular-season match of the season, senior Emanuelle Santos led North
Carolina to a three-set (25-9, 25-5, 25-17) victory over the Tigers of Savannah
State. Santos has been formidable
assets for the Eagles this year, and Sunday's contest was no exception.
The Rio de Janeiro native paced the offensive and defensive with her eighth
double-double of the season with 12 kills and 13 digs. Fellow senior
Shantel Moore assisted in the offensive effort with 11 kills, while freshman
standout Dayanna Arrufat rounded out the offense with nine kills.
Freshman Alice Genna delivered 33 assists in the win. Collectively, NCCU hit 38 percent
seizing 42 kills on 86 attempts with only nine errors, while accumulating seven
service aces, 39 digs and six team blocks.
The Eagles put a halt to the Tigers offense, with SSU hitting a negative
nine percent on the night. Chikia Jones paced the Georgia host with five
kills in the loss, while Bryana Gadis collected five digs. Setters Asiha
Williams and Ashlee Butler circulated five assists each. Savannah State collected 14 kills on 80
attempts with 21 errors, as they gathered 32 digs and two team blocks. Full
Story
Purdue's Davis earns Big Ten volleyball
honors
Published
: Monday, 14 Nov 2011, 5:36 PM EST
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue
volleyball redshirt sophomore Rachel Davis has been named the Big Ten
Conference's Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts against Iowa and
number-two Nebraska last week.
Against Iowa, Davis scooped up a career-high 21 digs while rounding out
her 10th double-double of the season with 51 assists and four blocks. Against the second-ranked Cornhuskers,
Davis guided the 10th-ranked Boilermakers to a season-best .410 hitting effort.
The Boilers knocked off the Huskers in three games Saturday to improve to 13-3
in Big Ten play and 24-3 overall.
The Boilermakers finish the regular season with road contests against
Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
Volleyball Recaps - Nov. 11
|
Courtesy: Ohio Valley Conference |
MOREHEAD STATE 3,
JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Redshirt sophomore
Aryn Bohannon hammered a match-high 24 kills, while sophomore Leslie
Schellhaas collected a match-best 25 digs as the Morehead State volleyball
team posted a 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-17) over
Jacksonville State on Friday evening at Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Eagles improve to 23-6 overall and 18-1
in the Ohio Valley Conference with their fifth consecutive win, while the
Gamecocks fall to 10-19 on the season and 8-11 in league play. The 18 conference wins are a new
school record for Morehead State. A win in the regular-season finale on
Saturday at Tennessee Tech would give the Eagles an all-time OVC record for
league victories. Morehead State,
which has already clinched an OVC regular-season title for the second
straight year, will host the league championship at Wetherby Gym next
Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Bohannon hit a sizzling .476 (24-4-42) and added 16 digs in MSU's win
over the Gamecocks. Redshirt senior Emma Keough (12), redshirt freshman
Laura McDermott (11) and junior Ellie Roberson (11) also reached the
10-kill plateau for the Eagles, while junior Caitlin Clark
contributed 55 assists and 14 digs.
Morehead State hit .274 (66-23-157) for the match, while limiting
Jacksonville State to a .173 (44-18-150) clip. The Eagles also recorded
25 blocks assists and nine aces in the match. Full
Story
Rally Falls Short for Navy Volleyball
Nov.
11, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After letting a late lead at the end of the fourth set slip
away, a furious rally in the fifth set fell just short for the Navy volleyball
in a loss to Lafayette Friday night at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in
Annapolis. The Leopards would defeat the Midshipmen by scores of 25-20, 19-25,
14-25, 25-23 and 15-13.
"This match was a lot like our entire
season," said Navy head coach Larry Bock. "We played so hard. A lot of teams
would have packed it in for the season some time ago, and they wouldn't have
been able to put together a rally in the fifth set as we did tonight. But to
the credit of our players, they kept fighting. We also had extended stretches
where we played solid volleyball, in particular in the second and third sets.
But we also had stretches where we needed to clean things up more."
With
Navy (6-22, 1-13 Patriot League) holding a 2-1 lead in sets over Lafayette
(10-16, 3-10), the Mids jumped out to a 16-12 advantage midway through the
fourth set. The Leopards responded with a 5-0 run to knot the score at 17-17.
Navy would hold several two-point cushions before Lafayette tied the score
again at 21-21. A Lafayette service error and a kill by Katie Bray (Jr., Cary, N.C.) would give the
Mids a 23-21 lead. The Leopards again responded, this time with a 4-0 run to
win the set and force a decisive fifth set. Full
Story
Classic battle opens second day of third
round action in Sapporo
Sapporo, Japan, November 12,
2011 – The second day of the third round of the FIVB Women’s World
Cup throws up three mouth watering showdowns in Sapporo and another three
intriguing contests in Okayama as day seven of the 11-day competition takes
place. The first match in Sapporo
is a classic with defending champions and current World Cup leaders Italy and
Olympic champions Brazil currently stationed in fifth place with 12 points and
a 5-1 win-loss record. The Italians have triumphed in all their six matches for
a total of 17 points out of 18 possible but admittedly will now face two of
their toughest assignments over the next two days while the South Americans
show three of their victories via five-setters. Italy crushed Korea in 1 hour
and 7 minutes while Brazil, who is carrying the load of playing a
tournament-high 26 sets, battled for two hours and 16 minutes before edging
China. The duo of Paula Pequeno and Sheila Castro topped Brazil with 21 and 18
points against China but the decisive play was a block by Fabiana Claudino, who
contributed 19 points. “Our service was not so good but we aim to improve
it against Italy,” Brazilian coach Ze Roberto commented afterwards.
Brazil leads 20-6 in the contests between the two sides including victories in
the last four encounters dating back to two wins by Italy at the World Grand
Prix in 2010 and the 2009 Grand Champions Cup, which Italy went on to win.
China v Serbia
China suffered a heartbreaking loss to Brazil in five sets on Friday as the
three-time World Cup winners slipped to fourth place with 13 points – one
more than the Olympic champions. The Chinese have played 25 sets –one
less than Brazil- and after an early lethargic start they are showing good life
and improved game in every aspect. On the other side, Serbia (3-3 and 11
points) keeps going strong despite many injuries and the absence of some of
their top star players. The European champions, who are perfect in three
all-time outings against China, did a quick work Friday night gunning down
hosts Japan in three sets that lasted 1 hour and 27 minutes in what was a
replay of the preliminaries of the World Grand Prix when the Serbians left also
victors in straight frames. “I think we will do everything we can to win
against China,” Serbia’s coach Zoran Terzic said. Full
Story
Knights Use Defense to Tame Herd
Nov.
11, 2011
By Andrew Jennette
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Coming into Friday's match against Marshall,
the UCF volleyball team decided to erase its record and instead focus on
closing out its season one game at a time in order to keep their NCAA
tournament hopes alive. The Knights (17-10, 9-7) did just that, and held off a
furious rally and defeated Marshall 3-2 (27-25, 25-21, 20-25, 21-25, 15-12) at
The Venue.
UCF's win over the Thundering Herd was the
first home win over Marshall since 2008.
Head coach Todd Dagenais was pleased with his team's
resiliency in the face of adversity.
"This was another one of these epic
battles between UCF and Marshall," Dagenais said after the victory. "It
has been this way since I've been here and will probably always be this way. We
prepared to go five games. I was really excited about our ability to compose
ourselves after dropping two straight sets. The last time we played at Marshall
we lost 3-0, but two of the games were decided by two points. Every time we
play Marshall it's close. They are extremely well coached."
UCF jumped out to an early lead, winning the
first set 27-25, in large part to a balanced effort from the Knights' offense.
Junior Evija Vilde (Riga, Latvia) and sophomore
Angelia Crump (Atlanta, Ga.) both posted six kills in the first frame. The
Knights overall recorded a .576 attack percentage in the first set.
UCF
picked up right where they left off in the second set, capturing the frame
25-21, thanks to some stellar all-around defense. The Knights only allowed
Marshall to connect on .190 percent of its attacks in the second set. Senior Rachel Vukson (Oakville, Ontario) had a strong
all-around effort in the second set with 13 assists, 4 digs, and 2 block
assists. For the second time in two games, the Knights set their season-high in
blocks, recording 18 in tonight's contest.
Full Story
Memphis Takes Four Setter from Tulane
Volleyball
Nov.
11, 2011
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - As the saying goes "defense wins
championships" and on Friday evening defense dealt the Tulane volleyball
team their third straight defeat. The Green Wave dropped a four set decision at
Memphis, falling by scores of 24-26, 25-19, 19-25, 21-25, inside the Elma Roane
Fieldhouse and it came down to the Tiger's ability to keep the ball in play.
"They played defense really well
tonight," said Tulane head coach Sinisa Momic. "We played well in the
first two sets, but they kept digging balls and they were very efficient on
offense. We just couldn't maintain our defense throughout the match and that is
what decided this match."
The two teams traded rallies in the opening
frame to the tune of 16 ties and five lead changes. Memphis grabbed the final
change on a kill from Lauren Hawkins to make it 15-14 in favor of the home
team, but the Green Wave would draw even with the Tigers six times from that
point, including a 24-24 tie when Elysa Jackson collected a service ace. A
Memphis kill and an attacking error by the Green Wave closed out the set,
26-24, in the Tigers favor.
An
early 7-3 lead by Memphis was quickly erased by the Olive and Blue thanks to a
total team effort that included a kills from Cori Martone and Izabela Grot, a service ace by Olivia Utt and a block by Milica Jovic and Anna Wruck. The two teams traded points from
there until Tulane grabbed their first lead when Martone and Wruck combined for
another block, making it 10-9. The Tigers would rally to grab a 15-13
advantage, but the Green Wave closed the match on a 12-4 run to knot the match
at one set apiece with the 25-19 victory. Full Story
Manning Sets Blocks Record In 3-1 Win At Houston
Nov.
11, 2011
HOUSTON, Texas (SMU) - Dana Powell blasted 25 kills and added 10 digs
for her 18th double-double of the season to lead SMU to a 3-1 victory (25-21,
17-25, 25-18, 25-11) at Houston Friday night. With the win, SMU improved to 13-15
on the season with the series sweep of the Cougars and 9-7 in Conference USA,
while Houston fell to 17-9, 10-6 in C-USA.
Courtney Manning recorded 10 blocks,
increasing her season total to 164, breaking her own single-season record of
162 as a sophomore. Kelli Becerra added a double-double, as well,
posting 20 assists and 16 digs, and Sidney Stewart had a match-high 20 digs.
Leading 2-1 in the match, the Mustangs
increased their two-point lead to six with a 4-0 run to take a 13-7 in the
fourth set. From there, SMU out-scored Houston 12-4 to close out the match. The
Mustangs took control of the match in the third, breaking a 1-1 tie with a
25-18 victory. SMU trailed by one midway through the set, 12-11, but put
together a 6-0 run for a 17-12 lead. Houston never got within four points the
rest of the set.
The Mustangs opened the match trailing 4-1 in
the first set, but took the lead back 7-6. With the set still in the balance
late in the set, SMU out-scored the Cougars 5-2 down the stretch to take the
early lead in the match with a 25-21 win. Houston answered in the second set,
claiming a 25-17 win. The Mustangs were down just one point, 16-15, but only
managed two more in the set as the Cougars evened the match 1-1.
SMU
will complete its final road trip of the season at Rice Sunday at 2 p.m. The
Mustangs close out the regular season with a three-match homestand starting
with UTEP on Nov. 18 in Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m.
Southern Miss Sweeps UAB Volleyball
Nov.
11, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The UAB volleyball team featured a 19-dig effort
from libero Heather Thomas, but the Southern Miss Golden Eagles
earned the 3-0 (19-25, 20-25, 16-25) sweep on Friday night inside Bartow Arena.
The loss drops the Blazers to 20-8 overall and
10-6 in Conference USA, while the Golden Eagles even up their season and league
record (14-14, 8-8 C-USA).
UAB struggled to find consistency on offense,
hitting just .142 as a team, while Southern Miss was firing on all cylinders on
the attacking end. The Golden Eagles finished the night with a team
hitting percentage of .258 and featured four players with eight-or-more kills,
led by Ashley Mell’s 13.
As a team Southern Miss put away 49 kills to
just 34 for UAB, while also holding the edge in digs, 67 to 56. Both
teams tallied seven blocks each.
Sam Serley paced the UAB attack with nine
kills and added three block assists, while Kiriana Hirini hit .444 for the match
(4K-0E-9TA). Setter Alison Woods just missed a double-double,
dishing out 22 assists and posting nine digs in a losing effort.
For the Golden Eagles, Kelsea Seymour posted a
double-double with a match-best 42 assists along with 10 digs, while libero
Lisa Knecht topped the contest with 23 digs.
UAB
is back at Bartow Arena on Sunday with a match against the Tulane Green Wave
slated for 1 p.m. The contest will serve as Senior Day for both Thomas
and Thais Soares.
Hawkins and Jovanovic Power Memphis Past
Tulane in Four Sets
Nov.
11, 2011
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Altrese Hawkins and Marija Jovanovic combined for 40 kills and led
a Memphis attack that hit .338 en route to a 3-1 (26-24;19-25;25-19;25-21)
victory over Tulane Friday night at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Hawkins hit her best percentage, .439, in any
conference game this season, and Jovanovic hit a team-best .464 as a powerful
offensive attack led past the Green Wave. Hajnalka Molnar also registered her
third-straight double-double, tallying 55 assists and 13 digs, while Aleksandra Petronijevic anchored the defense
with a match-high 25 digs. Katie Meyer also hit .429 and registered six
total blocks in the match.
The first set proved to be a battle as neither
team would lead by more than three points. Tulane took its largest lead of the
set at 12-9 after a kill by Izabela Grot, but Memphis responded with a 4-1 run
to tie the set at 13. The teams would trade points until two-straight attack
errors gave Memphis a 21-18 advantage. Tulane fought back to tie the set at 24,
but a kill by Molnar coupled with a Green Wave attack error sealed the set for
Memphis, 26-24.
The
U of M tallied 17 kills to Tulane's 13 in the second set, was plagued by errors
throughout, ultimately dropping a 25-19 decision. Memphis jumped out to a 7-2
lead, but a service error by A. Hawkins swung the momentum the Green Wave's way
and the teams were back at 7 all. The teams took turns with the lead before an
attack error by A. Hawkins gave Tulane a 17-15 lead. Tulane closed the set on
an 8-4 run to win it 25-19. Full Story
U.S. Women Sweep Argentina for World Cup
Win
Bill Kauffman
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 11, 2011) - The U.S. Women’s National
Volleyball Team returned to the FIVB World Cup win column with a 25-12, 25-15,
25-19 victory over Argentina Friday evening at Okayama, Japan.
Team USA, now 5-1 and in second place with 15
points in the FIVB World Cup standings, will face Algeria (0-6, 0 points) on
Saturday, followed by a Sunday encounter with NORCECA rival Dominican Republic
(2-4, 6 points). Both matches start at 6:20 p.m. local time (1:20 a.m. Pacific
Time).
The FIVB World Cup uses a round-robin format
resulting in 11 matches over a 15-day period. The three teams reaching the
World Cup medal podium on Nov. 18 will earn berths into the 2012 Olympic Games.
For the full FIVB World Cup schedule and tournament details, visit the U.S.
Women’s tournament event page at usavolleyball.org/events/8883.
Team
USA broke a 4-all tie in the opening set with a 12-2 scoring run to take a 16-6
advantage, then closed out the set with a 25-12 victory. The U.S. raced to a
9-4 advantage in the second set and cruised to the 25-15 victory. The Americans
used a key 4-0 run to take a 12-7 lead in the third set, then
withstood a late Argentina run to win 25-19. Full Story
WAC Volleyball Recaps
November 11,
2011
Hawai‘i 3, Louisiana Tech
0
No. 6 Hawai'i swept Louisiana Tech 25-11, 25-7, 25-15 on Thursday. With the
win, the Rainbow Wahine improve to 25-1 overall and remain perfect in the WAC
at 13-0. The Lady Techsters drop to 9-21 overall and 0-13 in conference
play. Hawai‘i out-hit LA Tech
.354 to -.065. The Rainbow Wahine also had more kills (39-16), assists (35-13),
service aces (9-1), digs (42-24) and blocks (10-2). Kanani Danielson and Jane Croson shared
match-high honors with eight kills apiece.
Marcella Braz led LATech with seven kills.
New Mexico State 3, San Jose
State 0
New Mexico State swept San Jose State 25-23, 27-25, 25-16 in Spartan Gym
Thursday. With the win, the Aggies improve to 21-7 overall and 10-3 in WAC
play. The Spartans drop to 10-16 overall and 5-8 in the conference. The Aggies
have not lost to SJSU since Sept. 29, 1994, and are 22-9 against the
Spartans. NM State hit .274 as a
team and held the Spartans to a .140 hitting percentage. The Aggies also had
more kills (48-34), assists (43-29), aces (7-5) and digs (49-40). SJSU won the
blocking battle, 8-7.
Stephanie Ziegler led the Aggies with a career-high 17 kills and was just one
dig short of a double-double. Kelsi Phillips posted a match-high 16 digs and
Jennah DeVries ran the offense with a match-high 36 assists and added eight
digs. Meredith Hays had 14 kills and senior Kelsey Brennan had a match-high
.375 hitting percentage with eight kills.
Hanah Blume paced SJSU with nine kills and eight digs. Full Story
Dominican Republic overcomes Kenya in four
sets
Okayama, Japan,
November 11, 2011 – The Dominican Republic earned their second win of the
FIVB World Cup on Friday when they overcame winless Kenya 3-1 (25-18, 25-14,
26-28, 25-19) at Momotaro Arena in Okayama. Kenya struggled in the first two
sets but starting playing with more confidence in the third and secured only
their second set of the tournament.
Kenya’s top
scorer Everlyne Makuto collected the Most Impressive Player award after picking
up 19 points. Lydia Maiyo and Mercy Moim added 15 and 14 respectively. The
Dominicans’ top scorer once again was Bethania De La Cruz with 18 points. Prisilla
Rivera and Candida Arias registered 14 and 13 while Lisvel Eve contributed 10
points.
Dominican Republic
held the advantage in the blocking category 12-10 and also were
better in service points 7-4.
The Dominicans got off
to a good start when Candida Arias blocked Lydia Maiyo and the Kenyans
struggled with serve of Milagros Cabral. Another good block – by Lisvel
Eve on Brackcides Khadambi – and a couple of Kenyan errors saw the
Dominicans five points up at the first technical timeout. Kenya had a couple of
good spells in the second phase thanks initially to two Dominican errors and a
pair of spikes by Mercy Moim, and then two great blocks – by Khadambi on
Prisilla Rivera and Everlyne Makuto on Cabral. Kenya pulled to within two
points at 10-8 and one point at 13-12, but a couple of good hits by Bethania De
La Cruz and more Kenyan errors saw the gap widen again. An error brought up
setpoint and a routine spike by Rivera put the Dominicans 1-0 up. Full Story
Army Hosts Colgate, Bucknell To Close Out Regular Season
Nov.
10, 2011
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The
Army volleyball team hosts Colgate and Bucknell this Friday and Saturday,
respectively, in the Black Knights' final tune-up before the Patriot League
Tournament takes place in just over a week. The Black Knights beat both teams
during the first half of Patriot League play and are looking for their ninth
win in the last 10 matches.
Friday night's match-up against Colgate will
be available live online via ITT Knight Vision beginning at 7 p.m. GameTracker
and Twitter (@ArmyAthletics) will be available for both matches. Army will hold
its annual Senior Day recognition on Saturday prior to taking on Bucknell,
honoring co-captains Fabiola Castro and Rachel Willis. The pair enters this weekend's
matches owning a 90-31 record since arriving on the banks of the Hudson,
including three 20-win seasons. They also helped Army to its first Patriot
League title in 15 seasons in 2009.
Army
has already secured its spot in the Patriot League Tournament for a record
13th-straight year. American, Colgate and Lehigh have done so as well and will
round out the four-team field. Seeding and hosting rights will be determined
after this weekend's matches. American currently sits one game ahead of Army at
11-1 in conference play. The Eagles beat Army twice during the regular season
to hold the tie-breaker, meaning American must lose twice and the Black Knights
must win twice for Army to host the tournament. American hosts Lehigh and
Lafayette at Bender Arena this weekend. Lehigh defeated American in the first
meeting of 2011, while Lafayette has yet to beat American since the Eagles
joined the league in 2001. Full
Story
Bison Volleyball to Wrap Up Season at Holy
Cross, Army
Nov.
10, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. -
Just two matches remain in the 2011 season, and Bucknell volleyball will
attempt to go out with a bang when it travels to Holy Cross and Army this
weekend. The Bison will face the Crusaders at 7 p.m. on Friday, looking for a
repeat of their straight-sets win from earlier in the season, before heading to
West Point, N.Y., for a matchup with the Black Knights at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Live video will be streamed for the Holy Cross match, while live stats will be
available at Army.
ABOUT
THE BISON
- Bucknell was swept by both Lehigh and Lafayette last weekend, ending its
postseason hopes. American, Army, Lehigh and Colgate have claimed the four
Patriot League Tournament berths, although the seeding won't be set until after
this weekend's play.
- Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena)
was the top Bison in kills in both matches in the Lehigh Valley. The senior led
all players with 11 at Lafayette on Saturday. She is now up to 128 kills
(1.91/set) for the season.
- After spending quite some time on the milestone verge, Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./St. Ignatius
College Prep) and Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius
College Prep) both hit the 100 kills-100 digs plateau in the same match last
weekend. After the meeting with Lehigh, Serrato, who leads Bucknell in kills
this fall, is at 188 kills and 100 digs. Mientus comes in at 129 kills and 103
digs.
- Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National
Cathedral School) surpassed the 600-assists mark at Lafayette. The junior, who
entered the season with 315 assists for her career, is now at 604 for the 2011
campaign.
- Bucknell continues to have the usual suspects among the top 10 in Patriot
League play, but the Bison also have one new addition. Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) is first in blocks (1.30/set), Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills)
is ninth in digs (3.03/set) and Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) is 10th in
attack percentage (.285). Tauscher remained in seventh for assists (7.50/set),
but she was joined for the first time by Rose Lewis (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara), who is now 10th (1.45/set). Full
Story
Largest indoor beach volleyball centre
opened in Sweden
Gothenburg, Sweden, November
10, 2011 – The largest indoor beach volleyball centre in the world was
officially opened in Gothenburg, Sweden last Saturday with 2009 FIVB Beach
Volleyball SWATCH World Championship winner Jonas Reckermann of Germany and
2004 Olympic Games silver medalist Javier Bosma of Spain winning the opening tournament
at the new state-of-the-art venue.
The SEFA Beach Centre is the largest indoor facility for beach
volleyball in the world and includes 16 courts, restaurants and bars, a relax
area and a gym. With 2,500 tons of heated sand and lamps with sun-like effects,
it gives the impression of a natural beach environment. Reckermann and Bosma
saw off Sweden’s own Hannes Brinkborg and Stefan Gunnarsson in the final
of the Beach Blast tournament in front of a large crowd. “It is an amazing beach centre
with nice sand and a nice atmosphere which makes it feel almost like playing
outdoors,” said an impressed Jonas Reckermann after the final. “We
were hoping to win in front of the crowded center court, but Jonas and Javier
played good and made few mistakes,” Gunnarsson added. “We are now
preparing for a new season, and our goal is the London 2012 Olympic
Games.” Full
Story
Rice Volleyball Team Hosts its Final Two
Home Matches
Nov.
10, 2011
The Rice Owls volleyball squad hosts its final
two home matches of the 2011 season this weekend.
The Owls will play Tulsa on Friday, November
11 at 7 p.m. and SMU on Sunday, November 13 at 2 p.m. Rice will honor is
seniors prior to the SMU match. Both matches take place in Tudor Fieldhouse.
Quick Look at Rice (15-11, 10-5)
Rice took care of business and defeated last place East Carolina twice by 3-0
scores. Nancy Cole led the Owls with 16 and 15 kills
respectively in the two victories.
Rice features a balanced attack as evidence by
four Owls who average over 2.00 kills per set. Junior middle blocker Nancy Cole leads the squad with 309 kills and
a 3.19 kills per set, junior Laurie McNamara follows at 2.52 (244 kills),
while freshman Lizzy Bache averages 2.32 kills per set (200
kills) and Jillian Humphrey is at 2.04 kps (198 kills).
Humphrey (111) and Cole (94) lead Rice in
blocking. Setter Megan Murphy is averaging 10.77 assists per
set, while Megan White leads the Owl defense with at 4.40
digs per set.
Quick Look at Tulsa (23-5, 14-1)
The Golden Hurricane has won 17 of their last 18 matches including the last 10
in a row. Pre-season C-USA player of the year Tyler Henderson leads TU with 473
kills and a 4.88 kps.
Quick
Look at SMU (12-15, 8-7)
The Mustangs have captured three of its last four matches and have the only win
over first place Tulsa this season in C-USA (3-1; Oct. 5). Jessica Oliver leads
the SMU attack with 3.04 kps with 328 kills. Dana Powell follows at 2.79 kps
(301 kills). Courtney Manning (1.43) and Caroline Daly (123) lead SMU in
blocks. Full
Story
Germany on a high going into the third
round in Okayama
Okayama, Japan,
November 10, 2011 – The B site of the 2011 FIVB World Cup moved to
Okayama in western Japan on Thursday with a different mix of teams playing nine
matches over the following three days in the third round of the competition.
The United States,
Germany and Kenya have moved from the Toyama B site and are joined by Algeria,
Argentina and the Dominican Republic. The first-day matches at Momotaro Arena
will see the Dominican Republic play Kenya, Algeria against Germany and USA
against Argentina.
After five matches,
USA are the top team in the Okayama group with 12 points from a 4-1 win-loss
record, followed closely by Germany with 11 points from a similar record. They
are currently second and third, respectively, in the overall standings behind
unbeaten Italy, who have 14 points. Argentina are eighth with a 2-3 record
while the Dominican Republic, Kenya and Algeria fill the bottom three places in
the standings.
USA were leading the
standings after four matches when they came up against a confident German team,
whose only loss in the tournament so far was 3-1 to Brazil in the first round.
Germany’s Italian coach Giovanni Guidetti is happy with his team’s
progress but said that it was too soon to be thinking about winning a medal and
one of the precious Olympic slots available. Full
Story
Italy brings undefeated record to third
round in Sapporo
Sapporo,
Japan, November10, 2011 - Five of the top six seeds in the FIVB World Cup
2011 will be competing in the third round in the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports
Centre starting on Friday. The Italians roll in boasting a spotless 5-0 record,
and will take on Korea in their opening third round match.
After their first five games Italy sit atop
the standings with 14 points following victories against Japan, China, the
Dominican Republic, Argentina and Algeria in the earlier rounds but now Italy
coach Massimo Barbolini says his team has a greater task on their hands over the
next three days.
“The first round was difficult for us.
The second was easier but the third round will be even more difficult, playing
three of the strongest teams.”
Meanwhile their opponents Korea are 1-4 after
facing difficult opposition in the first two rounds. Italy has had the
advantage historically with 10 wins and eight defeats but despite Korea’s
poor record thus far, Barboloni is not taking them lightly:
“Korea
are one of the strongest teams in Asia, and the
world. We have to play as we did against China and against Japan and get in our
rhythm. We have to improve our play if we want to do well in this round and the
rest of the World Cup.” Full
Story
Mustangs Travel To
Houston For Final Road Trip Before Three-Match Homestand
Nov.
9, 2011
Manning is closing in on single-season blocks record again
The Mustangs close out a four-match road trip in
Houston against the Cougars Friday night and against Rice on Sunday, before
returning home for three matches to close out the regular season. Both Houston
and Rice are 10-5 in Conference USA, two games ahead of the Mustangs. SMU split
the first two matches of the road trip at Southern Miss, with both matches
going five sets, to improve to 5-2 in the last seven matches.
Courtney Manning and Sidney Stewart lead the way defensively, both
near the top of the conference in their respective statistical categories.
Manning is first in the league and 16th in the NCAA with 1.43 blocks per set,
and needs just nine more to break her own single-season school record of 162,
which she set last season. Stewart is second in the conference and 40th in the
NCAA with 5.06 digs per set. As a team, the Mustangs are second in the conference
in both digs (17.47/set) and blocks (2.72/set).
After a six-match winning streak, which
started after SMU won 3-2 in Dallas, Houston has won just one of its last four
matches entering the contest with the Mustangs. Lucy Charuk leads the team with
3.18 kills per set, scoring 315 on the season, and is second in the conference
with 1.34 blocks per set. Charuk leads the conference, hitting .403 on the
season. As a team, Houston is second in the league, hitting .247. Katie Norris
has also recorded 300 kills this season.
The
Owls come into the weekend having swept six of their last nine matches and
winning seven of their last 10. Nancy Cole leads the team and is 10th in the
conference with 3.19 kills per set, scoring 309 kills on the season. The Owls
also pose a threat at the net on defense, led by Jillian Humphrey, who is fifth
in the league with 1.14 blocks per set. Full
Story
U.S. Men’s Sitting Team Parapan Am
Bound with London Hopes
Becky Murdy COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 9, 2011)
– The U. S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team will compete in the 2011
Parapan American Games on Nov. 12-20 in Guadalajara, Mexico hoping to secure a
spot in the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
The 10 members making up the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team are heading to
Mexico with a win-only mentality as winning gold at the Parapan Am Games
remains the last tournament-option to qualify for London.
The pressure is on, but the team’s recent success has given it
ample opportunity to iron out the kinks and perfect its execution strategies.
“Ultimately our goal is to go in there and win a gold medal to
qualify for London,” U.S. Sitting Volleyball Head Coach Bill Hamiter
(Bethany, Okla.) said. “We believe that we have the personnel and
athletic ability to beat the teams at the tournament. It is just a matter of
getting the job done.”
Six of the 10 athletes that Hamiter is taking to
Guadalajara have had Parapan Am experience in the 2007 edition of the games.
Those players include Team Captain Brent Rasmussen (Omaha, Neb.), Hugo Storer
(Greensboro, N.C.), Eric Duda (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Edmond,
Okla.), James Stuck (New Kensington, Pa./Edmond, Okla.), Roderick Green (West
Monroe, La./Edmond, Okla.) and Edgar LaForest (San Juan, Puerto Rico). Full
Story
MEAC
Announces Volleyball Weekly Honors
Morgan State sophomore Natalie
Chafeh was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's (MEAC) Volleyball
Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday. Teammate Zuri Smith
earned Rookie of the Week accolades. Chafeh (5-10, So., S, Fontana, Calif.) totaled 97 assists and 14 kills to aid the
Lady Bears to a 2-0 mark last week. The setter recorded 42 assists and a .375
hitting percentage in a 3-2 win over Norfolk State. She followed with a
career-high 55 assists against Hampton. Defensively, Chafeh added
11 blocks and 17 digs in the two matches. Smith (5-10, Fr., OH/MH,
Inglewood, Calif.) combined for 19 kills on 35 attacks (.457) in two wins for
the Lady Bears. The rookie tallied a career-high seven blocks and added three
digs in a win over Norfolk State. Against Hampton, Smith recorded a career-high
12 kills and posted an attack percentage of .587. Full
Story
Bjelica, Baska Named
Players of the Week Updated: 10/31/2011 13:55:08 (ET)
By Sun Belt Conference
NEW ORLEANS – For the fourth time this season, FIU’s
Jovana Bjelica was named the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player of the Week.
Arkansas State’s Megan Baska was named the Defensive Player of the Week, both
announced by the conference office on Monday.
Bjelica’s fourth player of the week accolade this season
is the most of any Sun Belt player on the year. The junior continues to have a
stellar season as she led FIU to a 3-0 week, extending the Panthers’ win
streak to five matches. Bjelica recorded 52 kills across 10 sets of play for
the week, including a pair of 20-kill outings, reaching a week-high 21 kills
versus Troy while also contributing three service aces and 12 digs, good for
her team-leading eighth double-double of the season. The outside hitter hit at
a clip of .328 while registering a kills-per-set mark of 5.20 for the weekend
and was also active on the defensive side of the net, posting six blocks (0.60
bps) and 26 digs (2.60 dps). A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Bjelica has now
reached the double-digit kill plateau in 20 of 23 matches this season and she
owns eight 20-kill performances and one 30-kill outing for the year.
Baska helped Arkansas State go 2-0 over the weekend with
victories over Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe to earn her third
defensive player of the week nod of the season. A-State finished its home
schedule with a perfect 8-0 record, going undefeated for the first time since
2004. Against ULL, the sophomore libero totaled 20 digs to lead the defense.
She also added two assists on the day and finished the match with a 5.00 digs
per set average. Against ULM she had 17 digs and a 4.25 digs per set average.
For the week the Overland Park, Kan., native had 37 digs, a 4.62 digs per set
average and eight assists. Full
Story
Bell and Vaughan Named Volleyball Weekly Award
Winners
|
Courtesy: Big12Sports.com |
|
Release:
10/31/2011 |
|
Khat Bell (Texas) and Tory Vaughan (Texas Tech) have been tabbed
Big 12 Volleyball Players of the Week for matches of Oct. 24-30. Bell's
performance garnered her Offensive Player of the Week as well as Rookie of the
Week honors. She is the first freshman to earn the offensive accolade since
Nov. 3, 2008. The pair of honors gives her four on the season as she also
claimed Rookie of the Week distinctions on Sept. 19 and Oct. 10. Vaughan
collects her first weekly honor, the second defensive award for the Red
Raiders this season. OFFENSIVE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK; ROOKIE OF THE WEEK |
|
|
Seeds, Orewiler, White Earn Weekly Volleyball Honors
Updated:
October 31, 2011 1:23 p.m. (ET)
by Southern Conference
SPARTANBURG, S.C. –
Appalachian State’s Maggie Seeds, UNCG’s Kellie Orewiler, and
College of Charleston’s Sloane White have been named the Southern
Conference Offensive, Defensive and Freshman Volleyball Players of the Week,
respectively, the league office announced today.
Seeds helped the Mountaineers finish 2-0 last
week as they logged their ninth straight home win this season. The senior
outside hitter tallied a match-high 14 kills against UNCG along with a
match-high 12 kills against Elon.
The Clemmons, N.C. native now ranks seventh in
Appalachian State history with 250 block assists.
Orewiler averaged 7.12 digs per set in
UNCG’s two matches last week. On Friday, she recorded a match-high 21
digs, which marked the seventh time this season she eclipsed the 20-dig mark.
The
libero/defensive specialist turned around and recorded a career-high 36 digs on
Sunday against Western Carolina. The 36 digs marked only the third time this
season she had 30 or more digs in a match, as she became just the seventh
player nationally to accomplish the feat. The record is also tied for the
fourth-most digs in a four-set Division I match this season. Full Story
WAC Volleyball Player of the Week Announced
October 31, 2011 DENVER – Idaho sophomore outside
hitter Allison Walker has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball
Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 24-30. This is the second WAC Player of
the Week honor of the season and third of her career for Walker. The Othello, Wash., native averaged 5.29
kills on .278 hitting to go with 1.29 digs, 0.43 blocks and 5.50 points per set
as the Vandals defeated Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State last week and moved
within a half game of second place in the WAC standings. Walker opened the week
by hitting .389 with 17 kills in a sweep of LA Tech, helping head coach Debbie
Buchanan become the school’s all-time wins leader. Against NM State, she
got off to a slow start , finishing the first set with just two kills and four
errors, but bounced back to combine for 18 kills in the final three sets. She
finished the match hitting .204 with 20 kills, five digs and three blocks in
what was Idaho’s second win over New Mexico State in the last 12 meetings
between the teams. Other nominees included: Fresno State’s Lauren
Albertson averaged 2.88 kills on .356 hitting as the Bulldogs went 1-1 on the
week ... Kanani Danielson of Hawai‘i averaged 4.10 kills and 2.90 digs as
the Rainbow Wahine extended their WAC regular-season win streak to 53 matches
... Louisiana Tech’s Stephany Salas averaged 5.67 digs per set ...
Janelle Batista of Nevada averaged 2.50 kills per set on the week ... Utah
State’s Liz McArthur averaged 3.38 kills, 2.50 digs and 0.38 service aces
as the Aggies went 2-0 on the week.
Wildcats' Dutchman, Boilermakers' Turner
named Players of the Week
Player
of the Week
Ariel Turner, Purdue
OH – Jr. – Highlands Ranch, Colo. – Mountain Vista
Posted
5.9 kills and 3.2 digs in No. 11 Purdue’s road wins over No. 22 Michigan
(3-2) and Michigan State (3-1)
Recorded
25 kills, 18 digs and six blocks against the Wolverines
Notched
her second double-double of the week with a career-high-tying 28 kills and 11 digs
against the Spartans
Reels
in her third Player of the Week award this season Last Purdue Player of the
Week: Ariel Turner (Oct. 10, 2011) Full Story
MEAC Volleyball Recap: Oct. 30
Written By: MEAC Media
Relations Release: 10/31/2011
SC State Defeats Bethune-Cookman in MEAC Women's Volleyball Contest
Daytona Beach, Fla.-
SC State picked up its sixth win in the MEACas they defeated Bethune-Cookman,
3-1 (25-19, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23), in a conference match at Moore
Gymnasium. The Lady Bulldogs had one of their best defensive outings as
they had four players with double-digit digs and 10 team blocks.
Desire Waller and Tiffané Jackson led
the team offensively with 13 and 10 kills respectively. Waller recorded a
double-double as she picked up 15 digs in the contest to go along with three
total blocks (1 solo-2 assists). E. Paige Webb had nine kills and 14 digs
with two block assists while Shabree Roberson had nine kills with four total
blocks (1 solo-3 assists). Melissa Robinson had a team-high 18 digs and
Brendell Studnicka rounded out the quad of double-digit dig recipients with
10. Jackson also contributed four block assists as SC State improved to
15-13 overall and 6-1 in the MEAC.
Krysta
Gardner put down a game-high 22 kills and Jennifer Jimenez picked up a
game-high 20 digs as Bethune-Cookman fell to 10-15 overall and 3-3 in the
MEAC. Janeen Davis also had double-kills with 18 kills for the Lady
Wildcats in the loss. Full Story
Sunday Volleyball Recaps
|
|
UNCG 3, Western Carolina 1 CULLOWHEE, N.C. -After sweeping UNCG (14-14,
6-6 SoCon) earlier this month, Western Carolina volleyball (11-17, 6-6 SoCon)
fell to the UNCG Spartans Sunday afternoon at the Ramsey Center 1-3 (20-25,
28-30, 25-18, 17-25) in a SoCon North Division battle. Senior setter Brittany Lysik posted a
career-high 47 assists in the match. Freshmen Caitlin Piechota and Jordan
Timmermann continued their successful weekend posted double-doubles for the
third consecutive match. Piechota finished with 17 kills and 11 digs while
Timmermann tallied 10 kills and 14 digs. UNCG received solid offensive play from
Karrian Chambers and Ariel Newman who both finished with 16 kills apiece.
Morgan Freeman also added 11 kills for the Spartans. UNCG outhit the Catamounts
.207 to .160 in the match. Kellie Orewiler posted a match-high 36 digs for
the Spartans. The first set was an early indicator of how
the night would go as both teams stayed close throughout. WCU would lead by
as many as four (16-12) before UNCG would get back into the set. With the set
all even at 19, UNCG’s Vicky Harley picked up a kill that would begin a
3-0 run that would eventually give UNCG separation in the set. The Spartans
took the set 25-20. UNCG did not waste any time in the second
set, jumping out to a 6-0 lead. From there, the Catamounts would get on the
board due to a Spartan setting error. WCU would continue to chip at the
Spartan lead. A 5-0 run behind Piechota’s serve would bring the Purple
and Gold within three, at 12-15. WCU would tie the match off of a service
error by the Spartans. From there, the teams would trade points until WCU
would reach set point at 26-25. UNCG kept fighting and regained the lead at
28-27. The Spartans would take the set off of a Catamount attack error, winning
the extended set 30-28 going into the intermission. Full Story |
ASU Records Perfect Home Record for the
Season
Sunday,
October 30
A-State Volleyball Downs ULM on
Senior Day
JONESBORO, Ark. (10/30/11) – The
Arkansas State volleyball team defeated Louisiana-Monroe 27-25, 24-26, 25-8,
25-14 on senior day at the HPESS Facility.
The win also gave A-State a perfect 8-0 record
at home this season, marking the first time an ASU volleyball team has gone
undefeated at home since 2004.
Arkansas State (19-7, 10-2 SBC) battled with
the Warkhawks in the first two before settling in the final two to come away
with the 3-1 victory. ASU jumped out to an 11-6 lead in the first set, but ULM
fought back to close the gap to 23-22 late in the set. Taylor Szypulski setup a
set point at 24-22, but the Warhawks (9-13, 3-9) fought off the next two points
to tie the score at 24-24.
Jasmine Terry gave ASU a 25-24 lead on the next point but ULM again fought off the set
point and tied the score at 25-25. Terry again put ASU ahead with a kill on the
next point and an attacking error from ULM gave ASU a 27-25 victory.
FIU Sweeps South Alabama for Fifth-Straight
Win
MIAMI (Oct. 30, 2011) - The FIU volleyball
squad picked up its fifth-straight victory on Sunday afternoon as the Panthers
defeated Sun Belt Conference foe South Alabama by a 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-20)
score at U.S. Century Bank Arena. With the win, FIU improves to 16-7 (8-4 SBC)
while South Alabama falls to 8-15 (3-8 SBC). Full Story
All 12 Golden Eagles saw action on the
court
Oct.
30, 2011
GREENVILLE, N.C. - All 12 Golden Eagles saw
action in posting a 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-19) sweep of East Carolina Sunday
afternoon.
Ashley Mell led all players with 16 kills and Lauren Sears chipped in 10 on .444 hitting for
Southern Miss (12-13, 6-7). Lisa Knecht tallied 19 digs with Amelia Hendrickson and Kelsea Seymour picking up 12 and 10
respectively. Seymour also handed out 37 assists to record a double-double.
Kelly Derby and Amanda Lutzow led the Pirates
(2-20, 0-13) with eight kills apiece. Kasey Kavanaugh and Zarah Cecich recorded
13 and 12 assists, respectively, and Shelby Beasley led the team with 16 digs.
Southern Miss scored 10 of the first 13 points
in taking a 10-3 lead. East Carolina fought back to within 10-5 before a kill
by Sarah Jane Bowden gave the Eagles an 11-5
advantage. Southern Miss extended the lead to 22-9 then closed out the set for
a 25-17 win.
The
Golden Eagles opened the second stanza with a 5-1 lead before ECU called a
timeout. Southern Miss got kills from five different players in extending the
lead to 11-4. The Pirates did not get its offense on track as Southern Miss
took the second set 25-11. USM outhit ECU .353 to -.029. Full Story
Three Cougars Record Double-Digit Kills
Oct.
30, 2011
El Paso, Texas -
The University of Houston volleyball team fell to UTEP 3-2 (25-23, 20-25,
25-21, 16-25, 13-15) Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gym to close out its weekend
road trip. The Cougars are now 16-7 on the season and 9-3 in Conference USA
play. Against the Miners, three
Cougars finished with double-digit kills. Juniors Katie Norris and Chandace Tryon led the team with 14 kills
each, while senior Lucy Charuk finished with 13 kills. Freshman Caitlin Ogletree had a team-high 45 assists
and freshman Natalie Keck had 12 digs. "Today was a
very winnable match. In a couple of critical moments we struggled with our
passing," head coach Molly Alvey said. "Our middle blockers did a very
nice job adjusting to blocking assignments today. We will get back to it at
practice on Tuesday and we plan to have Ingrida back from injury for this
coming weekend. There is still a lot of season left and a lot of big matches
left to play." After scoring
the opening point of the match, Houston controlled the pace of the first set.
The Cougars played to a 14-10 advantage, forcing the Miners to call a timeout.
Out of the break, Houston continued to lead and played to within two points of
winning the set before UTEP called its second timeout. The Miners scored three
of the next four points off the bench to get within one of Houston, 24-23, but
a Norris kill gave the Cougars a 25-23 win. Full Story
Adams broke TU career digs record with 26
digs on Sunday
Oct.
30, 2011
TULSA, Okla. - Jessica Adams recorded 26 digs and Tyler Henderson slammed 19 kills to lead the
Tulsa volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-17, 25-20) Conference USA win
over UAB Sunday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. The Golden Hurricane won its eighth
straight match and improved to 21-5 overall and 12-1 in C-USA play. With her 26
digs, Adams broke the Tulsa career digs record, surpassing Evyn Wills
(2002-05). Adams, a junior from Oklahoma City, now has 1,609 digs in two-plus
seasons. UAB, which fell to 18-7 overall and 8-5 in league play, was led by
Heather Thomas, who had 28 digs, and Ashley Ricks, who had 12 kills. Diana Silva picked up her 10th double-double
of the season with 14 kills and 12 digs, while Kellie Culbertson scored her ninth double-double
of the year with 12 kills and 10 digs.
Bailey Clampitt recorded 32 assists, five digs
and a two service aces, while Jordan Clampitt added 30 assists. Kelsey Hancock tallied eight kills, Carly Boatwright had seven kills, five digs
and two blocks, and Miriele Gobbo contributed five kills and a
pair of blocks. Full Story
UTEP Upsets Houston, 3-2
Oct.
30, 2011 EL PASO - Three Miners posted double-figure kills as the
UTEP volleyball team upset Houston, 3-2 (23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-16, 15-13) on
Sunday in Memorial Gym. Jeane Horton and Xitlali Herrera each recorded career-highs,
hammering 25 and 20 kills, respectively. Horton also contributed four blocks in
the contest while Herrera added nine digs, three blocks and an ace. Marie-Therese Joyce also registered
double-figures in kills with 11 and put up a match-best, seven net stops. Stephanie Figueroa tallied 20 digs and Rachel
Scott served up a team-best three aces. The Miners showed resilience, bouncing
back from a 2-1 deficit to capture the final two frames for the victory. The
squad has played in seven five-set contests in 2011 and are 5-2 in those
matches on the season. UTEP (17-9, 7-6 C-USA) pounded 71 kills to the Cougars'
57 and hit a stellar .316 for the match, including a .414 clip in the fourth
stanza to take the easy 25-16 win. The Miners surged to a 10-4 advantage in the
fifth set, capitalizing on the Cougars' unforced errors. Houston (16-7, 9-4
C-USA) was able to cut the lead to 13-12, but a UTEP timeout put Houston to
rest and the Miners held on for the victory. UTEP looks to keep the momentum
rolling, when it heads to UAB for a two-match road trip against the Blazers on
Nov. 5th and 6th. The Miners return home Nov. 11 and 13 to face Marshall and
ECU, respectively.
Tulsa Outlasts Blazers In
Four Sets
Oct.
30, 2011
TULSA, Okla. ----
Heather Thomas notched a match-best 28 digs
and Ashley Ricks tied a career-high with 12 kills,
but Tulsa was able to defend its home court by knocking off the UAB volleyball
team 3-1 (19-25, 26-24, 17-25, 20-25) at the Reynolds Center on Sunday
afternoon. The Blazers return to
Bartow arena to host a two-match series with Conference USA opponent UTEP next
weekend. The first match is slated for Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. CT,
followed by a showdown on Sunday beginning at noon CT. UAB dropped to 18-7 overall and 8-5 in
league play, while the Golden Hurricane maintains its spot atop the league
standings (21-5, 12-1 C-USA).
“We got ourselves in early trouble and missed five serves in the
first set,” head coach Kerry Messersmith said. “It would
have been a lot closer, but we just struggled with errors and that set the
tone.” At the libero
position, Thomas not only topped the match in digs with her total of 28, but also
tied her season-high. On the season, she has surpassed the 20-dig plateau
on 12 occasions and is just four shy of moving into fifth place in C-USA
history. The Madison, Ala. product has recorded 1,984 in her career, just
16 shy of 2,000. Full Story
UCF Conquers Rice 3-1
Oct.
30, 2011
Orlando, Fla. - UCF's Angelica Crump was too
much for Rice with 21 kills as the Knights conquered the Owls 3-1 in a
Conference USA volleyball match Sunday afternoon.
Rice captured the first set 25-22, but UCF won
the final three sets 25-22, 25-18, and 25-17 to claim its 15th victory of the
season against 9 losses. The Owls are now 13-11 on the year and 8-5 in C-USA.
UCF improves to 7-6 in league action with its second 3-1 win of the season over
Rice. Owl senior libéro Megan White, with 20 digs in today's match
went over the 1,000 career-digs threshold and has 1,016 digs. White just needs
17 more to crack Rice's top 10 career digs list and surpass Klara Zelinka's
mark of 1,036. "UCF played a great match and we had a hard time siding
out, which generally is a strong portion of our game, but today it made a big
difference in the outcome," stated Rice head coach Genny Volpe. "We had a balanced attack,
but defensively we need to be more effective." Freshman Lizzy Bache led the Owls' balanced attack with
13 kills and a match-high .480 hitting percentage, while Laurie McNamara followed with 11 kills. Jillian Humphrey and Nancy Cole each added 10 kills to the Rice
cause. Humphrey also had 3 block solos and 7 block assists in the match to lead
both defenses. McNamara registered a double-double with 11 digs as well. Crump
only had 4 hitting errors in 53 attacks for a .321 hitting percentage. She
received help from Evija Vilde's 14 kills, while Ashley Gialenios and Delaina
Sarden had 10 kills apiece. For the match, the Knights hit .280 with 63 kills
to Rice's .216 and 59 kills. Both teams registered 11 team blocks and the Owls
had one more dig (76 to 75). Rice hosts East Carolina (2-20, 0-13) next
Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and again Sunday at 2 p.m. Both matches take place inside
Tudor Fieldhouse.
Mustangs Come Back To Win Five-Set Thriller
Over Memphis
Oct.
30, 2011
DALLAS (SMU) -
The SMU volleyball team came back to win a thrilling five-set match against
Memphis, winning the final three sets for the 3-2 win (23-25, 21-25, 25-16,
25-14, 15-13). Dana Powell led the Mustangs (11-14, 7-6
Conference USA) with 14 kills and 11 digs for her team-high 15th double-double
of the season.
Jessica Oliver, Courtney Manning and Caroline Daly all combined for nine blocks
each to lead SMU to a season-high 19.0 blocks, matching the second-highest
match total in school history. Oliver also had 13 kills and Caroline Young added 12 to go with Powell's
14. Sidney Stewart had a match-high 19 digs, and Savannah Myklebust added 10.
The Mustangs clinched the win in the fifth
set, edging out the Tigers late in the race to 15 points. Neither team led by
more than one point until Memphis (15-11, 4-9 C-USA) scored the first point
after the teams switched sides to take a 9-7 lead. SMU tied the set at 10, but
trailed by two again 12-10 before scoring five of the next six points for a
15-13 win to take the match.
SMU
sent the match to a decisive set with a pair of dominating wins in the third
and fourth sets. After Memphis opened the fourth set with a service error,
Myklebust served the next five to lead SMU to a 5-0 lead before the Tigers
scored. Memphis never got closer than three points down the rest of the set,
and SMU took a 25-14 win. After the extended break, SMU opened the third with a
12-5 run. The Tigers couldn't recover, and SMU stayed alive with a 25-16
win. Full Story
Volleyball Brings Down Tulane in Five Sets
Oct.
30, 2011
HUNTINGTON, W.VA. -
It took five sets, but the Marshall Thundering Herd volleyball team was able to
knock off Tulane Sunday afternoon, 3-2 (16-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-20, 15-12). Abby Tomas led the team with 22 kills and Ryanne Milligan had a 23 dig effort to help
push the Herd to their second five-set win in a span of two weeks.
Marshall has now recorded three straight wins
and posts a 7-16 (6-7 C-USA) standing, while Tulane dropped to 9-15 (4-9
C-USA).
The Herd opened up play Sunday afternoon in
front of the largest crowd of the season, but had a bad showing in the first
set. Tulane used a 14 kill performance with only one attack error to push past
Marshall in the first set, 25-16.
Coach Jacob's team limited unforced errors in
the second set and used three service aces along with a .348 team attack
percentage (12 kills, 4 errors, 23 total attacks) to turn the tables and win
the second set 25-19. Abby Tomas recorded five kills in the set.
In a match that was up and down all day, the
Green Wave stole back the momentum in the third set and won 25-21. Tulane
forced Marshall to less than a ten percent attack average (9 kills, 6 errors,
38 total attacks) to earn the set victory.
Using
a seven kill effort from Tomas in the fourth set, Marshall tied the match up
2-2 with a 25-20 win to push the match to the deciding set. Full Story
Army Clinches Tournament Berth With Win Over Holy Cross
Oct.
30, 2011
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army
is headed to the Patriot League Tournament for the 13th year in a row. Junior
outside hitter Ariana Mankus hit for a .400 hitting
percentage and led all players with 16 kills as the Black Knights swept Holy
Cross, 3-0, and clinched one of four spots in the 2011 Patriot League
Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Gillis Field House.
The Black Knights cruised to a 25-14, 25-16,
25-18 victory, hit .356 as a team and extended their win streak to seven games.
Army and American, currently tied for first place in the Patriot League
standings, are the only two teams to clinch a conference tournament berth, set
for Nov. 19-20 at the site of the highest seed.
"To clinch a Patriot League Tournament
berth is huge," said fifth-year head coach Alma Kovaci. "Our goal every year is to
win the Patriot League title and you can't do that without playing in the
tournament. It's a testament to the hard work and dedication of every player and
staff member associated with this program. We wanted to give ourselves a chance
to play on in the postseason and today's performance guaranteed that."
Army
improved to 19-6 overall and 9-1 in Patriot League play. Holy Cross dropped to
7-20 and 3-7 in conference action. Full Story
Volleyball Completes Weekend Sweep With 3-1 Victory Over Rice
Oct.
30, 2011
By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - There would
be no fifth set for the UCF volleyball team as it took care of Rice, 3-1
(22-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-17), Sunday afternoon inside The Venue at UCF. The
Knights (15-9, 7-6) scored their first back-to-back wins over teams ranked in
the RPI top-60 rankings for the first time under head coach Todd Dagenais (Houston 38, Rice 56).
Sunday afternoon also marked the first time
UCF has ever swept Rice in a season series, and the first win over the Owls
(13-11, 8-5) at home since 1999.
Dagenais's team has now won 10 matches at home
for the first time under his watch, and most since 2003.
"What a historic weekend for our
volleyball program and all the effort that these players put into it, and also
the alumni who laid the foundation for us to be able to come out and knock off
two top-60 teams," Dagenais said after the match.
"Rice
and Houston-- there is no doubt about it that they are two teams that we
haven't had a lot of success against," Dagenais added. "To be able to
sweep the weekend is big for us. We still hold out the dream that we will be on
the board come Selection Sunday. We had to win two this weekend to be able to
do it and I am really proud of the effort of the entire team." Full Story
SMU Rallies to Defeat Memphis, 3-2
Oct.
30, 2011
DALLAS, Texas. -
Three SMU players registered double-digit kills as the Mustangs rallied from a 2-0
deficit to win three-straight sets and defeat Memphis 3-2
(25-23;25-21;16-25;14-25;13-15) Sunday afternoon at Moody Coliseum.
Altrese Hawkins led the Tigers with 20 kills,
but the Tigers were frustrated by the Mustangs' defense and only hit .121 for
the match. Marija Jovanovic also finished with
double-digit kills, downing 16 to go along with seven digs. Vesna Jelic finished with a double-double of
10 kills and 12 digs, while setter Hajnalka Molnar also registered a
double-double of 48 assists and 10 digs.
SMU sprinted out to an early 5-1 lead in the
first set, which forced Memphis to call a timeout. The Mustangs were not
deterred, however, and extended their lead to 11-3 before the Tigers found
their footing. An attack error by Kenrick Koch started a 6-0 run by the Tigers
that was highlighted by two aces from Vensa Jelic.
Trailing 11-13, A. Hawkins, Jelic and Jovanovic teamed for three-straight kills
before a block by Katie Meyer gave Memphis its first lead of the
set at 14-13.
Two
Memphis attack error and a kill by the Mustangs allowed them to regain an 18-15
advantage, however. Hawkins and Jelic registered back-to-back kills that
started a 4-1 and gave Memphis a 20-19 lead. The teams traded points until an
attack error by A. Hawkins gave SMU a 23-22 lead. Hawkins came right back with
a kill for Memphis on the next play to tie the set at 23, and Jovanovic
regained the lead for Memphis with a kill that made it 24-23. SMU called a
timeout before an attack error by Caroline Young sealed the set for Memphis,
25-23. Full Story
Volleyball Drops Five Setter at Marshall
Oct.
30, 2011 HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - It came down to execution for
the Tulane volleyball team on Sunday (October 30), but a fifth set that was
plagued with errors did in the Green Wave in their five-set loss at Marshall.
Tulane held a 2-1 lead before Marshall rallied to win the fourth and fifth
sets, handing the Olive ad Blue a five set defeat by scores of 25-16, 19-25,
25-21, 20-25, 12-15 at the Henderson Center.
"We started off well today," said
Tulane head coach Sinisa Momic. "It was really good to see
that everything we talked about heading into the match was working. We knew
that Marshall would fight back and they did. It was back and forth all the way
through game five, but we got a little timid and made some mistakes late. We
had some missed serves and weren't very aggressive in game five and that was
the difference. We fought throughout the match and we saw many positive things,
but we still need to score late when we have a chance to score. If we are able
to push through late in matches we will score those points and that is the
difference right now between winning and losing."
The
Green Wave opened the match with one of their most efficient attacking sets of
the season, hitting .500, on their way to a 25-16 set triumph. With the score
sitting at 4-4 in the opening frame, TU used a 7-1 to open up a sizeable lead
and eventually led by 11 points, 20-9, before trading points with the
Thundering Herd down the stretch. Sophomore Mel Mandelbaum keyed the final two points,
collecting a kill and then combined with Olivia Utt on a block to secure the opening
set win. Full Story
Southern Miss Rolls Past ECU In Three
Oct.
30, 2011
Southern Miss 3, East Carolina 0 
GREENVILLE, N.C.
- Southern Miss hit .264 and limited East Carolina to a .080 percentage to
cruise to a 3-0 Conference USA victory Sunday at Minges Coliseum.
The Pirates fall to 2-20 overall and 0-13 in C-USA play while the Golden Eagles
are now 12-13 and 6-7.
Amanda Lutzow and Kelly Derby ended up with eight kills apiece
to lead the offensive attack for ECU, combining for 16 of the Pirates' 28
kills. Defensively, Shelby Beasley collected 16 digs to complement
five total blocks by Derby. Setters Kasey Kavanaugh and Zarah Cecich split the duty during the match,
recording assist totals of 13 and 12, respectively.
Southern Miss had little trouble on offense,
tallying 45 kills on 110 attempts with just 16 errors. The Golden Eagles also
held the upper hand in digs (57-42) and total blocks (8.0-7.0).
At the outset of the first frame, Southern
Miss raced to a 10-3 lead and drew a timeout from the East Carolina bench. The
Golden Eagles then extended the advantage to 18-8 and 22-10 before winning the
set 25-17.
The
Pirates called another early timeout in the second interval when Southern Miss
scored five of the first six points. Staying aggressive with their serving, the
Golden Eagles built on the lead and pushed in front 11-4 with a kill by Amelia
Hendrickson. Southern Miss cruised from there, holding ECU to just 11 points in
the set. Full Story
Saturday Volleyball Recaps
|
Updated:
October 30, 2011 09:39 a.m. (ET) |
Western Carolina 3, Elon 2
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – After defeating
Western Carolina earlier this season, the Elon volleyball team was not able to repeat,
falling 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 13-15) in the Ramsey Center. The
heartbreaking loss drops the Phoenix to 16-11 (4-7 SoCon), while the Catamounts
improve to 11-16 (6-5 SoCon).
Freshman Danielle
Smith finished with a career-high 19 kills, while senior Caroline Lemke
recorded 16 kills and three blocks. Senior Megan McMahon tallied a new
career-high 59 assists and fell one dig short of matching another career high
with 18 digs. Junior Ali Deatsch recorded 15 digs and is now only four digs shy
of tying the Elon Division I individual career record for digs with 1,364.
The first set remained close with the
Catamounts and the Phoenix trading points. After a kill by Smith tied the set
at seven-all, the Catamounts scored four straight to go up 11-7. The Phoenix
would then go on a 3-1 run to pull within one of WCU, 12-11. With the
Catamounts up by four, 18-14, Elon was forced to call its second timeout of the
set. Out of the break, two kills in three plays by freshman Kris Harris cut the
Phoenix deficit to three, 19-16. WCU would claim the momentum from there and
earn a 25-21 first-set win. Full Story
Prep volleyball: Tomahawk, Newman reach state; Merrill falls short
Oct. 30, 2011
The Tomahawk volleyball team earned its third consecutive trip to the WIAA
state tournament, while Newman Catholic is heading back for the third time in
four years.
Merrill fell one step away, losing to Eau
Claire North in a sectional final for the second consecutive year.
In New Richmond, Kellan Flynn had 10 kills and
eight blocks, and Anna Nyberg added nine kills and six digs to lead Tomahawk to
a 25-17, 25-8, 25-21 win over Altoona in a Division 2 sectional final. Anna
Sudbury chipped in with 32 assists.
"I think all three (state trips) are
special for different reasons," Tomahawk coach Jen Pfannerstill said.
"I think this team has been the most improved from the start of the season
to the end."
In Ashwaubenon, Abby Brown had 20 kills and 12
digs, and Brianna Jankowski had 31 digs to lead Newman Catholic to a 25-16,
25-13, 25-19 win over Wabeno in a Division 4 matchup.
The Cardinals will face Owen-Withee in the
state semifinals Friday. Owen-Withee swept Rib Lake in a sectional final.
Janelle Vircks added 17 digs for the Cardinals.
"We're
very excited to be down at the state tournament," Newman coach Betty Lange
said. "Gotta give credit to the coaching staff and players. It's a great
group of girls." Read more
Trio keeps Marian perfect heading into
tourney
October 30, 2011|By
Lenny Megliola, Globe Correspondent
FRAMINGHAM - The trio arrived together, three
girls from different towns who found a new game to play, and were surprised by
the grip the sport had on them from the start.
Southborough resident Tess Anketell, Monica
Hanley of Framingham, and Ashland’s Kristin Archambault played other
sports when they were younger, and still do. During their freshman year at
Marian High School in Framingham, the three discovered each other, and the
volleyball court. But who could have anticipated the success they would find as
seniors?
The Mustangs finished the regular season 18-0,
champs of the Catholic Central League’s Small Division, and are awaiting
the MIAA tournament, with the seeding set for Wednesday. They have been led by
the three seniors, strangers four years ago, who have become best friends.
“We’re
together all the time,’’ said Anketell, an outside hitter.
They’re never more together than during
the contests.
“It’s the ultimate team
game,’’ said fourth-year coach Todd Kirby. His players get it. Read more
Mountaineers Bring Down Orange
By Abby Norman for
MSNsportsNET.com
October 29, 2011
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – With Syracuse leading 24-23 in the third set, the
West Virginia University volleyball team capitalized on a Syracuse service
error to go on a 5-2 run and take the set and defeat the Orange 3-0 (25-15,
25-20, 28-26) for the first time since 2002. The Mountaineers (6-15, 4-6) started the
third set with a 3-0 lead before the Orange (16-9, 5-4) battled back to tie the
set 5-5. The teams traded points the rest of the set until a kill from Erin Little put Syracuse at its first set point. WVU would not
let the Orange take the next point and used three kills from senior outside
hitter Kylie Armbruster and one kill from junior
outside hitter Anke de Jong to overpower Syracuse and take
the match. “The girls came
out really focused today and got on Syracuse from the beginning,” coach Jill Kramer says. “I thought that was important
and then we stayed on top of them from set to set which is a real big step for
us. This definitely keeps us in the hunt for the BIG EAST tournament and every
match is an important match for us. “The best thing is that over the
course of the last three or four weeks, we have continued to get better every
match we have played in. It is great that they get to be rewarded for their
improvement with a win because I know that makes them feel even better. It was
a significant match because it is the last time we will play them in league. We
won’t play them in the future except in preseason play and that is
important because we got to end an eight year winning streak that they have had
over us. It’s a big step for our program in the right direction.” Full Story
Middle Tennessee ties school record with
14th straight victory
Saturday,
October 29
Middle Tennessee ties school record with 14th straight
victory
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Oyinlola Oladinni
starred on Senior Night for the Middle Tennessee volleyball team as the Blue
Raiders secured a 14th consecutive win with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-22) decision
over visiting Denver at Alumni Memorial Gym on Saturday evening.
Oladinni ended the match with six kills on
just 10 swings to go along five blocks.
Ashley Adams led the match in kills with 10, and both Alyssa Wistrick
and Maria Szivos added nine as the Blue Raiders out-hit the Pioneers .244 to
.012 and tallied 39 kills to DU's 24.
Wistrick also picked up her 1,000th collegiate kill in the first
set. Defensively, the Blue Raiders
tallied 11 blocks. Cheatham had five, Adams had four and Peterson chipped in
three. Halie Vannoy tied for the
match high with eight digs. Brynne Henderson tallied seven and Lindsey Purvis
logged six.
WKU Volleyball Reaches 25-Win
Plateau with 3-0 Victory over North Texas
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky
University volleyball team extended its Sun Belt Conference winning streak to
eight matches Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-17) sweep of
North Texas at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Lady Toppers (25-3, 12-1) reached the
25-win plateau for the 10th straight season and 12th in the last 14 seasons,
all under Hudson. All eight wins in the current win streak have come via a sweep
as WKU finishes the regular season 12-1 at home. WKU hit .330 as a team in the match with
50 kills while limiting North Texas (14-15, 5-8) to a .121 hitting mark with 26
kills and 13 attack errors. The
Lady Toppers had two players with double-digit kills as both senior Lindsay
Williams and junior Jordyn Skinner each finished with 11 kills. Williams posted
a .474 hitting in her final home game, committing only two errors in 19
attempts. Redshirt sophomore Paige Wessel tallied eight kills while senior
Tiffany Elmore and sophomore Janee' Diggins each added seven kills. Full Story
Bucknell Women's Volleyball Drops Home Finale
to Colgate, 3-0
Oct.
29, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. -
Colgate used a balanced attack and good serving to take a 3-0 victory over
Bucknell in a Patriot League volleyball match at Davis Gym on Saturday evening.
Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) led the Bison with nine kills and eight
digs, while Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./Saint
Ignatius Prep) hit .438 with eight kills.
Bucknell (6-13, 3-7 Patriot League) got out to
a good start in its home finale, taking an early three-point lead in the
opening set. A kill from Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) made it 11-8, and the Bison still had a
two-point cushion at 12-10 after a putaway from Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel). Colgate
rallied to tie it at 12, but then Bucknell took the lead back on another Edoho
kill. But Colgate's Lexi Finger
served five straight points, two coming on aces and another on an overpass that
was put down by Lindsay Young. That gave the Raiders (11-14, 7-3) a 17-13 lead,
and they never again trailed in the set. Bucknell did pull within 21-20 on a
Colgate hitting error, but the Raiders finished on a 4-1 run to take the opening
frame 25-21. Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National
Cathedral School) opened the second set with an ace, and a 5-2 run capped by a
Baumgarten kill gave the Bison a 12-8 lead. But the Raiders came
right back with seven straight points, going up 15-12 after an ace by Allie
Dyer and three Bison hitting errors. Bucknell surged back in front behind some
good serving from Kadri Lutter (Saku Parish, Estonia/Audentes
Sports Gymnasium). She served four three straight points, capped by an ace that
put the Bison ahead 19-17. Colgate evened things at 20-apiece on a Kaylee Fifer
kill, and it was still all knotted up at 22-22 when the Raiders posted the
final three points to take the set 25-22. Colgate took control of the third set
fairly early, breaking open a 3-3 tie with a 16-5 run. The Raiders led by as
many as 11 and held on for a 25-17 win.
Five Colgate players logged at least eight kills. Kaylee Dougherty,
Maureen Colligan and Michelle McCarthy finished with nine kills each, while
Young and Diane Seeley had eight apiece. Colgate hit .272 for the match. Fifer
led the squad with 35 assists and nine digs. Serrato had eight kills with only
one error in 16 attempts. Edoho finished with six kills without an error and
hit .462. Ellenberger also had six kills to go with a match-high five blocks.
Tauscher finished with 22 assists as the Bison hit .173 overall. Bucknell finishes the year with four
straight road matches, beginning next weekend with a trip to the Lehigh Valley
to face Lehigh and Lafayette. Full Story
U.S. Men Win in Five for Fifth-Place Finish
B.J. Hoeptner Evans
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 29, 2011)
– The U.S. Men’s Volleyball Team fought off two match points and
ended the Pan American Games on a positive note on Saturday as it defeated
Canada, 22-25, 25-15, 25-19, 21-25, 19-17 for a fifth-place finish in
Guadalajara, Mexico.
The five-set match was the fifth out of six
that the U.S (3-3) played over the six days of the tournament. Canada finished
in sixth place with a record of 2-4.
In the fifth set, Canada reached match point
at 14-12. Opposite Evan Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.) scored on a kill and
Canada’s next hit went out to tie the score. The U.S. reached its first
match point at 15-14, but then hit its next ball out of bounds. Outside hitter
Tony Ciarelli (Huntington Beach, Calif.) gave the U.S. its second match point
with a kill, but Canada responded with an attack. Finally, outside hitter Eric
Vance (Camarillo, Calif.) struck with a kill, and then combined with middle
blocker Nick Vogel (El Cajon, Calif.) for a final block to win the match for
the U.S.
Vance
led the U.S. Men in scoring with 21 points on 18 kills and three blocks. Patak
had 20 points on 19 attacks and one block and Vogel totaled 20 points on 11
spikes and a match-high nine blocks. Ciarelli finished with 14 points on 14
attacks. Full Story
Friday Volleyball Roundup
Updated:
October 29, 2011
by Southern Conference
|
STATESBORO, Ga. - College of Charleston won
its first five-set match of the SoCon season, outlasting South Division rival
Georgia Southern, 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 26-24, 16-25, 15-12). The Cougars improved to 18-9 and 9-2
in conference play, while Georgia Southern fell to 14-13 and 6-5 in the
SoCon. Four players reached
double figures in kills for the Cougars as senior Elyse Chubb and freshman
Sloane White led the team with 14 kills apiece. Senior Sarah Havel landed 12
kills, while freshman Lizzie Theesfeld registered her sixth double-double of
the season with 10 kills and 10 digs. Redshirt-junior Emily Shelton led the
team with 20 digs while Andi Zbojniewicz (14), Hayley Harrell (12), Taeler
Davis (10) and Sloane White (10) all reached double figures in digs. The Eagles leaned on Bethany Sanford
as she made a match-high 18 kills, while Enjoli Johnson had 15 kills and a
team-best .462 attacking percentage.
Although the Cougars only hit .244, they took advantage of 18 Georgia
Southern service errors, including two to start the crucial fifth set. Full Story |
Hail to the champs: Congrats to Donoho for
wining volleyball state title
by
The Anniston Star Editorial Board
Oct 29, 2011
Rachel Matson, key member of the Donoho School’s newly crowned state
champion volleyball team, put the spotlight on her coach Janice Slay following
Thursday’s 1A title victory.
“She’s brought unity and a lot of teamwork to this
program,” Matson said of Slay. “Before, we were self-centered and
played for ourselves. Now, we play for Donoho, the name on the front of our
jerseys and not the one on the back.” Congratulate Matson, Slay and all the
members of the Donoho squad for its grand achievement. And let’s not forget to salute
Alexandria’s volleyball team, which lost to Guntersville in
Thursday’s state finals. The Lady Valley Cubs, while stung by the loss,
can look back on their season with pride. As Alexandria coach
Jordan Costner said following the match, “They worked extremely hard all
year, and it paid off.”
Donoho’s Lady Falcons deserve applause for pushing through in
spite of often tough odds and challenging circumstances. Addison,
Donoho’s opponent in the state finals in Pelham, was an old nemesis. It
was Addison that eliminated Donoho from last year’s state tournament.
This year was different, and the Lady Falcons have a large trophy to prove
it. In the midst of the
celebration, it’s important to credit coach Slay with teaching a deeper
lesson to her team, one that these high school students can carry throughout
their lives. As Matson, the state tournament MVP, so adroitly put it, Donoho
was playing as a cohesive team with one goal, and not merely as a collection of
individuals. Full Story
Women set for FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch
World Tour Phuket Thailand Open
Lausanne,
Switzerland, October 29, 2011—After just over two months off from
tournament play, the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour resumes next
Tuesday for the sixth time in Thailand with the women’s season-ending
$190,000 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour Phuket Thailand Open powered
by PTT to be held at Karon Beach through November 6.
Many of the world’s top women’s
beach volleyball tandems are on the way to Thailand as the 15-event 2011 women’s
season ends with just the sixth consecutive FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World
Tour season finale in Thailand.
The women’s season-finale of the 2011
FIVB Swatch World Tour schedule, the Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT,
featuring 56 teams from 27 countries, begins with country quota matches on
Tuesday, single elimination qualification tournament on Wednesday to determine
the final eight spots in the 32-team main draw which will be held next
Wednesday through Saturday. The semifinals and medal matches will be played
Sunday as the winning pair shares the $30,000 first-place prizes.
A total of 55 teams from 27 countries have
entered the Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT (as of October 29, 2011),
including Australia (2 teams), Austria (1), Belgium (1), Brazil (3), Canada
(4), China (3), Czech Republic (2), Finland (1), France (1), Georgia (1),
Germany (4), Great Britain (2), Greece (1), Italy (3), Japan (3), Kazakhstan
(4), Latvia (1), Malaysia (2), Mexico (1), Netherlands (2), Puerto Rico (1),
Russia (1), Slovak Republic (1), Spain (2), Thailand (3), Ukraine (1), and
United States (4).
Two
former Phuket championship teams are leading the field into Thailand this year.
USA’s two-time Phuket gold medal winners Jennifer Kessy/April Ross won in
2008 and 2009 while China’s Chen Xue/Xi Zhang captured the crown of the
inaugural event in 2006. Last year, Kessy/Ross finished 13th in the tournament
while Xue/Zhang had an injury forfeit ending the event with a ninth place final
finish. Full Story
Brazil and Cuba to play
for the men’s gold medal
Guadalajara, Mexico, October 28, 2011 – World
and Pan American champions Brazil will play Cuba for the gold medal of the Pan
American Games men’s volleyball tournament on Saturday night.
Hosts Mexico will clash Argentina for the bronze medal while Canada and United
States will meet for fifth position and Puerto Rico and Venezuela are to
dispute the seventh place of the competition.
In Friday’s matches Cuba prevailed in a five-setter over Mexico 25-21,
25-27, 28-30, 25-15, 17-15 while Brazil defeated Argentina in four sets 26-28,
27-25, 25-22, 25-15. Also, Canada beat Puerto Rico 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-19,
25-20) and United States edged Venezuela in five sets (21-25, 25-17, 21-25,
25-18, 15-13).
Cuba v Mexico
Cuba sealed a spot in the finals of the men’s volleyball tournament at
the Pan American Games by prevailing against hosts Mexico 25-21, 25-27, 28-30,
25-15, 17-15 in a nail biting five-setter. Raydel Hierrezuelo blocked the spike
attempt of Mexico’s Ivan Contreras for the final point of the match.
Wilfredo Leon was the top producer for Cuba with 29 points followed by Rolando
Cepeda, Henry Bell and Fernando Hernandez with 15, 14 and 13 respectively.
Mexico’s Contreras had a match-high 30 points while Tomas Aguilera (17),
Samuel Cordova (11) and Gustavo Meyer (10) also had double figures in the scores.
Brazil
v Argentina
World and Pan American champions Brazil won the South American battle against
Argentina 26-28, 27-25, 25-22, 25-15 to reach the gold medal match of the Pan
American Games men’s volleyball tournament. Both teams scored with 8
blocks and in an unusual match for both sides, Argentina made one unforced
error more than Brazil (37-36). Wallace de Souza was the top point producer of
Brazil with 20 tallies while Thiago Alves charted 13. Gustavo Endres and Renato
Russomanno added 8 points apiece. Argentina’s Federico Pereyra and
Mariano Giustiniano registered 18 and 11 respectively. Full Story
Volleyball Recaps - Oct.
28
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3,
SIUE 0
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky snapped a four-match losing
skid with a 3-0 shutout of Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Friday night at
McBrayer Arena.
EKU (12-13, 7-7 OVC) won by scores of 25-16,
25-23, 25-12.
Sophomore Kelsey Kuehner led the Colonels with
14 kills. She did not make an error in 23 attempts for a .609 attack
percentage to go along with three aces and three block
assists. Ashley Edmond added 12 kills. Hannah Burkle contributed
six blocks. Dena Ott led all players with 25 digs.
Kelsey Augustine led SIU Edwardsville (10-17,
5-10 OVC) with five kills. Chelsea Colclasure added 10 digs for the
Cougars.
An 11-3 Eastern Kentucky run
allowed the home squad to pull away in the first set. EKU led by six
three times early in the second set but SIUE didn't allow the Colonels to pull
away. With the set tied 23-23, Kuehner posted a kill and the Cougars
suffered an attack error to end the set and give the Colonels a 2-0 lead.
The
third set resembled the first. An 8-2 run midway through the set allowed
Eastern to pull away. A kill by Edmond finished off the set and the
match. Full Story
WKU's Hudson Earns 400th
Career Victory
Friday, October 28
Travis Hudson Collects 400th Career
Win as Lady Toppers Sweep Denver
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Kentucky University
head coach Travis Hudson recorded his 400th career win Friday night as the Lady
Toppers swept Denver 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-13) at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Hudson has compiled a record of 400-175 over
the past 17 seasons, good for a winning percentage of .695. He is the
winningest coach in WKU history and leads all active Sun Belt coaches in league
wins with 179.
WKU (24-3, 11-1 Sun Belt Conference) won its
seventh straight league match behind a .376 team hitting mark, the highest of
the season for the Lady Toppers. WKU tallied 51 kills while committing only 13
attack errors.
Denver (10-14, 7-5) tallied 25 kills and was
limited to a .141 hitting percentage. The Pioneers entered the match as the
best blocking team in the conference and tallied 10 blocks to WKU's seven.
Outside
hitter Jordyn Skinner led the offense with 14 kills and a .276 hitting
percentage followed by middle hitter Tiffany Elmore with nine kills. Elmore
posted a hitting mark of .667 as the senior committed only one attack error on
12 attempts. Classmate Lindsay Williams added eight kills and sophomore Janee'
Diggins had seven kills. Full Story
Tulane Volleyball
Completes Comeback at East Carolina
Oct. 28, 2011 GREENVILLE, N.C. - After
nearly coming back from a two set deficit last Sunday, the Tulane volleyball
team completed the two-sets to none comeback against East Carolina on the road
on Friday (October 28) at Minges Coliseum. Tulane trailed 2-0 in the match, but
rallied after the break to win three straight sets to claim the match by scores
of 20-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-21, 16-14.
Tulane (9-14, 4-8 C-USA) led by two points in
the early going of the opening set, claiming a 5-3 lead in a Milica Jovic service ace. The Pirates would
follow with four straight points to take the lead for good, but the Green Wave
was never out of the match. East Carolina built their largest lead of four
points after a TU attacking error made it 16-12 in favor of the Pirates. Tulane
closed the gap to just one point twice down the stretch, but ECU eventually
claimed the opening set, 25-20.
The
two teams exchanged leads in the second set and Jovic gave Tulane an early 7-3
advantage with a kill. Izabela Grot's kill made it 10-5, marking the
largest lead for Tulane in the set, but East Carolina eventually tied things at
11 points apiece. The Green Wave retook the lead at 16-14 and held an 18-16
lead, but the Pirates outscored TU 9-3 the remainder of the set to take a
commanding 2-0 lead in the match. Full Story
Blazers Drop C-USA
Volleyball Contest At SMU, 3-0
Oct. 28, 2011 DALLAS, Texas -- Libero Heather Thomas posted 19 digs in just three
sets Friday night to move into sixth on the Conference USA all-time list, but
the UAB volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-22) setback at SMU.
The Blazers, currently third in the conference standings, dropped to 18-6 (8-4
C-USA) on the year, while the Mustangs improved to 10-14 (6-6 C-USA). UAB
continues its road weekend Sunday with a 1 p.m. CT contest at league-leading
Tulsa. SMU managed 46 kills
as a team Friday night with all of them coming from a group of five players.
Dana Powell, Jessica Oliver and Caroline Young finished with 10 kills each,
while Courtney Manning added nine and Savannah Myklebust had seven.
UAB had eight different players record a kill,
but Rachel Fairbanks and Thais Soares paced the squad with six each.
"I was disappointed with the way we played tonight," UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "Rachel and Thais
did a fantastic job coming off the bench and providing a spark for us, but we
just didn't get the contributions for everyone across the board that we
needed." The Mustangs also had
the upper hand defensively, finishing with nine total blocks to UAB's four and
61 total digs to the Blazers' 44. SMU libero Sidney Stewart led all players
with 23 digs.
Thomas,
UAB's all-time digs leader, now owns 1,956 digs in her career and is 31 shy of
cracking the top five in C-USA history.
Full Story
Volleyball Drops 3-0
Decision to Rice
Oct. 28, 2011 EL PASO –
The UTEP volleyball team fell in three sets to Rice (25-21, 25-22, 25-22) on Friday
in Memorial Gym.
UTEP (16-9, 6-6) had two players
record double figures in digs as Stephanie Figueroa picked up 16 and Victoria Valencia had 10. Figueroa also
registered four service aces for the Miners. UTEP’s Xitlali Herrera posted 12 kills and seven digs
for the match. Malia Patterson tallied a match-high 36
assists and added seven digs.
Despite UTEP’s defensive effort that included 53 digs and 10
blocks, the Owls (13-10, 8-4) posted 26 blocks (2s/24a) and hit .274 for the
match. Leading the Owls was Nancy
Cole who pounded 15 kills, seven blocks (2s/5a) and hit a .433 for the contest.
UTEP
ran away with a 3-1 run with a kill by Jacqueline Cason to open the match. Both teams
battled for control and a service error by Daniela Arenas tied the set at 7-7.
UTEP continued to fight back with a pair of kills by Herrera and Bridget Logan to give the Miners an 11-9 lead.
Herrera continued to fire back extending the Miners lead to 15-12. But the Owls
came back from the deficit with three consecutive points to tie the set 15-15.
A block assists by Rice’s Laurie McNamara and Jillian Humphrey gave the
Owls it’s first lead of the night at 18-17,
forcing a UTEP timeout. The Miners weren’t able to come back from the
deficit, as a kill by Cole would close out the set, 25-21. Full Story
Volleyball Recap: Oct.
28 DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. - Krysta Gardner had 14 kills and Linda Nwabuko had 10 kills and
five service aces as Bethune-Cookman snapped a five-match losing streak with a
3-0 (25-6,25-15,25-10) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over Savannah
State Friday in historic Moore Gymnasium.
Gardner registered her 700th career kill in the second set as B-CU
(10-15 overall, 4-2 MEAC South) hit .423 as a team. Janeen Davis added nine
kills while Aubrianna Curtis had 28 assists and Jennifer Jimenez 14 digs.
Savannah State fell to 0-21 and 0-6.
For the complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com
or www.ssuathletics.com
Lady Pirates Beat Coppin State In Five Sets
BALTIMORE-Hampton got back into the win column
Friday night, beating Coppin State 3-2 (25-23, 25-14, 23-25,
18-25, 16-14) at the Physical Education Complex. The Lady Pirates improved to 10-11
overall on the season and 5-3 in conference play to
remain in a tie for second place with Morgan State in the MEAC Northern
Division. Coppin State fell to 5-19 overall and 1-7 in conference play. Hampton hit .052 as a team, with 42
kills and 33 errors in 173 total attacks. The Lady Pirates hit a team-best .208
(10 kills, five errors in 24 attacks) in the fifth set, while also hitting .207
in the second set, thanks to nine kills and three errors in 29 attacks Coppin
State hit just .021 as a team, recording 52 kills and 48 errors in 194 total
attacks. The Lady Eagles hit a team-best .154 (13 kills, seven errors in 39
attacks) in the fourth set. Full Story
First-Place American
Defeats Navy Volleyball
Oct. 28, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- American's offense tallied 36 kills and a .280 attack
percentage in posting a three-set victory over the Navy volleyball team Friday
night at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C. The Eagles, who are tied for first
place in the Patriot League, posted a 25-11, 25-18, 25-15 victory over the
Midshipmen.
"We played poorly against a very good
team," said Navy head coach Larry Bock.
American (17-10, 9-1 Patriot League) broke open
the first set when a 9-0 run gave the Eagles a 14-4 lead over Navy (6-19, 1-9
Patriot League). The Mids were within two points of the Eagles at 12-10 in the
second set when American ran off five of the next six points to build a 17-11
advantage. The Eagles then jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the early part of the
third set. Navy was able to again close to within two points at 12-10, but that
was followed by American scoring five consecutive points to open up a 17-10
cushion.
While
its offense was having a productive night, American's defense also limited the
Navy attack in the match. The Mids finished the evening with 15 kills and a
-.051 attack percentage. American also held statistical advantages over Navy in
service aces (11-3), digs (40-19) and blocks (9-7). Full Story
Lehigh Sweeps Volleyball
on Dig Pink Night
Oct. 28, 2011 EASTON,
Pa. - The Lafayette volleyball team fell in straight sets to visiting
Lehigh on Friday evening at Kirby Sports Center by scores of 25-21, 25-20 and
25-20. The Leopards hosted their annual Dig Pink match in conjunction with the
contest.
With the loss, the Leopards fall to 8-15
overall and 1-9 in the Patriot League. Lehigh improves to 16-8 on the season
with a 7-3 League mark after completing the sweep of the season series. Earlier
this month in Bethlehem, Lafayette overcame a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set
before falling to the host Mountain Hawks, 3-2.
Tonight, Camissa Beghou led the Leopards with nine
kills (9-2-29, .241). Danielle Towslee added four kills and two
players - Alana Taylor and Kaitlynn Zoller - had three finishers apiece. Molly Belcher, Katy Rooney and Sarah Frohnapfel rounded out the offense with
one kill each. Belcher and Frohnapfel shared setting duties and recorded seven
and 11 assists, respectively.
Defensively, libero Christy Mebust posted a team-high 12 digs, and
Frohnapfel contributed six from the back row. At the net, Lafayette posted two
blocks - with Towslee, Rooney, Zoller and Taylor each chipping in on one rejections.
The
Leopards, who entered the week ranked sixth in the NCAA in service aces,
improved on that figure tonight with six winners. Andrea Duvall had a personal-best four aces,
and Zoller and Frohnapfel each landed one.
Volleyball Hall of Fame enshrines six
legends
Holyoke, USA, October 28,
2011 – The Volleyball Hall of Fame enshrined six legendary individuals as
part of its 26th induction class on Friday in the birthplace of the sport,
Holyoke, Massachusetts in the United States. The Volleyball Hall of Fame now
has a total of 106 inductees representing 19 different countries. The Class of 2011 hails from six
countries representing the elite players and leaders within the sport. The
newest induction class consists of women’s volleyball players Magaly Carvajal
of Cuba and Rita Crockett of the United States, men’s volleyball players
Lorenzo Bernardi of Italy, Hugo Conte of Argentina and Vladimir Grbic of
Serbia, and volleyball leader Dr. Frantisek Stibitz of the Czech Republic, who
has passed away. “Tonight
was a fantastic evening showcasing the sport of volleyball through six legends
being inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame,” said Volleyball Hall of
Fame Executive Director George Mulry. “All six individuals have made a
lasting mark on the sport and we are honoured to have them memorialized here in
Holyoke as part of the Hall of Fame.” “This is one of the most unique
and special classes ever at the Volleyball Hall of Fame; all the remarkable
players really represent the modern era of the sport and all are exceptional
performers on and off the court,” said Volleyball Hall of Fame
International Selection Committee co-chair Doug Beal. “They have given
back so much to the sport they played, were excellent in and love. The
connection to the history of the sport comes through one of the original
founders of the FIVB at the Paris Conference in April of 1947, Dr. Frantisek
Stibitz. So there was a terrific thread of old to new with this class. What a
wonderful group of human beings that represent the very special character and
passion of our sport all over the world. It was an honor to see all the
inductees react so emotionally and honestly to their recognition.” For the second year in a row, the
Volleyball Hall of Fame induction ceremony was shown live to a worldwide
audience through video stream. Other dignitaries attending the enshrinement
ceremony included past inductees Doug Beal and Michael O’Hara from the
Class of 1989, Al Monaco from the Class of 1997. The Mayor of Holyoke, the
honorable Elaine Pluta, also attended the induction ceremony.
WVU Hosts
Syracuse and Marquette
By Abby Norman
for MSNsportsNET.com
October 28, 2011
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The West Virginia volleyball team is set to continue
BIG EAST competition as it plays host to Syracuse and Marquette this weekend.
The Mountaineers will face the Orange, Saturday, at 2 p.m., and will return to
action, Sunday, to take on the Golden Eagles at 2 p.m., at the WVU Coliseum.
The match against Syracuse on Saturday is a designated “Dollar
Day,” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Cola products
available for one dollar each. WVU will also host a free Kids’ Clinic
following its match against Marquette on Sunday for all kids eighth grade and
younger. WVU is now 5-15, 3-6 on
the season after going 0-2 last weekend at Louisville and Cincinnati. The
Mountaineers took a set from the Cardinals for the first time since 2006 and
were swept by the Bearcats. Junior
outside hitter Anke de Jong led the team with 23 kills, 3.29
kills per set and a .241 hitting percentage. The Netherlands native had a
season- and career-high 16 kills against Louisville. Recording 22 kills, senior Michelle Kopecky also had a strong weekend.
The Schaumburg, Ill., native tied her season-high in service aces with five
against Louisville. Kopecky also had a career-high hitting percentage of .409
with 10 kills on 22 swings and only one error. Full Story
Volleyball Hosts Holy Cross In Sunday
Matinee
Oct.
28, 2011
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army hosts Holy Cross on Sunday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m.
with a chance to clinch a berth in the Patriot League Tournament with a
victory. The Black Knights are looking to extend their streak to a league-best
13-straight tournament berths. Fans can follow along with the match via
GameTracker (live statistics) on www.goARMYsports.com.
The Black Knights encourage fans attending
Sunday's match to dress in appropriate Halloween costumes for the matinee
event. Army is also celebrating its Alumni Weekend this weekend with a bevy of
former players making their way back to West Point.
Army (17-6, 8-1 Patriot League), winner of
six-straight matches, enters the weekend tied with American for first place in
the Patriot League standings. Holy Cross (7-19, 3-6) sits in a tie with
Bucknell for fifth place.
Freshman
setter Mary Vaccaro set a Patriot League record with
her seventh Molten Patriot League Rookie of the Week award on Monday afternoon.
The rookie sensation leads the league and ranks 16th in the country with an
11.55 assists-per-set average. She is coming off three consecutive
double-doubles (assists, digs). Full Story
Great Britain volleyball founder awarded
MBE
London, Great Britain,
October 28, 2011 – Dr Don Anthony, credited as the founder of volleyball
in Great Britain, has been awarded a MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the
Queen's birthday honours in recognition of his services to sport.
Dr Anthony founded the Amateur Volleyball Association of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland (AVA) in 1955, having been introduced to the game during his
national service days in Cyprus. After returning to Great Britain to join
Manchester University as an Assistant Lecturer, he sent a letter in the
Manchester Guardian newspaper, calling for the establishment of the AVA. He has
been involved with the sport ever since in one capacity or another and is
Volleyball England’s Honorary Life President.
"Don Anthony was the founder of volleyball in this country over 50 years
ago and since then has been instrumental in the development of the sport of
volleyball,” Volleyball England president Richard Callicott said.
“This is a richly deserved honour and one that is well overdue. The role
that Don has played in the development of the philosophy of sport and its
history and evolution has been underplayed for far too long and I am thrilled
that he’s been honoured with an MBE.
“I can think of few who have deserved this more than him,”
Callicott continued. “His work as a senior lecturer in UNESCO and the
University of the Eastern Mediterranean as well as his work in the history of
sport for the British Olympic Association and especially with the discovery of
the link with Pierre de Coubertin and Much Wenlock should never be forgotten.
It is fitting tribute that one of the mascots for London 2012 has been
christened Wenlock. Congratulations Don."
Zorzi: "Good approach secret to
Trentino success"
Lausanne, Switzerland,
October 28, 2011 - Former Italian star and two-time world champion Andrea Zorzi
says that Trentino Diatec’s third straight FIVB Volleyball Men’s
Club World Championship title earlier this month was no fluke and that it was
their approach to the tournament that helped them finish on top again. The Italian club defended their crown on
October 14, adding it to their victories at the 2010 and 2009 editions of the
tournament. “There is no
secret to Trentino’s third win at the Men’s Club World Championship
and, if anything, the team is the secret as they consistently have a good
approach and great organisation,” Zorzi said. “As usual, the likes
of Matey Kaziyski and Osmany Juantorena impressed but the performance put on by
Jan Stokr as well as Mitar Tzourits surprised me as they played very
well.” He also praised former
team mate and coach of Polish club KS Jastrzebski Wegiel Lorenzo Bernardi,
adding that he is expecting a bright future. “[Bernardi] brought the Polish
club on quite a bit and what is most notable is the relation between block and
defence, helping them clinch silver in Doha.” Full Story
U.S. Men Outlast
Venezuela in 4th Five-Set Match
B.J. Hoeptner Evans
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 27, 2011) – Having to
play the first match of the day after losing a five-setter the evening before,
the U.S. Men’s Volleyball Team won its second Pan American Games contest
on Friday, defeating Venezuela, 21-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 15-13 in
Guadalajara, Mexico.
It was the U.S. Men’s (2-3) fourth
five-set match of the tournament and the victory means they will play for fifth
place on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT against Canada. The U.S. Men last played Canada
in pool play on Oct. 25 and lost a marathon match, 21-25, 25-23, 37-39, 35-33,
15-12.
Venezuela, which had the day off on Thursday,
will play for seventh place on Saturday against Puerto Rico.
U.S.
opposite Evan Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.) led all scorers with 25 points on a match-high
20 kills (58.8 kill percent, 0.588 hitting efficiency), two blocks and three
aces. Outside hitter Tony Ciarelli (Huntington Beach, Calif.) finished with
nine points on seven attacks, one block and one ace. Ciarelli also scored the
United States’ pivotal points in the fifth set.
In the fifth set, with the teams tied at 11-11, Ciarelli scored on a kill and
Venezuela called timeout. Ciarelli struck back with an ace for a 13-11 U.S.
lead. Venezuela scored on a U.S. violation, but its next serve went out of
bounds to give the U.S. match point. The United States’ next serve went
out as well and U.S. Head Coach John Speraw (Irvine, Calif.) called timeout.
Venezuela’s attack attempt went in the net and the U.S. claimed the
victory. Full Story
Indonesia on top Continental Cup SEA zonal
tournament
Phetchaburi, Thailand,
October 27, 2011 – Indonesia pulled off an upset in the men’s
competition of the AVC Continental Cup zonal beach volleyball tournament
Southeast Asia (SEA) as they beat hosts Thailand 3-1 to top the event at Cha-am
Beach on Thursday.
Vietnam also clinched a 3-1 victory over Malaysia to join Indonesia and
Thailand in next year’s AVC Beach Volleyball Continental Cup finals. Ahead of their remaining two encounters
on Thursday, Indonesia led hosts Thailand 2-0 in the men’s final clash
and needed only one match to seal victory.
A daunting task awaited Thailand 1’s Kittipat Yungtin and Teerapat
Pollueang as they went up against Indonesia 1’s Muhammad Bastomi and Andy
Ardiyansah, gold medallists at the 2009 South East Asian Games in Vientiane,
Laos. The Thai pairing started
dismally with several unforced spiking mistakes to go down 18-21 in the first
set. However, they got their act together to come up with a greater form to win
the second set 21-16 for a 1-1 tie.
The decider saw the Thai duo in form, and they lead commandingly 4-1. The
Indonesians gathered their courage, attempting to counter-attack. However, the
host side foiled any efforts as Kittipat and Teerapat clinched a close third
set 15-13 and the match. The victory helped Thailand narrow the gap 1-2 against
Indonesia. Full Story
Thailand women reign supreme in Continental
Cup SEA tournament
Phetchaburi, Thailand,
October 27, 2011 – Thailand’s women’s team reigned supreme in
front of their home fans at the AVC Continental Cup zonal beach volleyball
tournament of Southeast Asia after beating Vietnam to finish first while
Indonesia edged Malaysia to place third at Cha-am Beach on Thursday.
Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and hosts Thailand took part in the three-day
event which kicked off at the beachfront Long Beach Cha-am Hotel on October 25.
Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, the top three teams, now move on to the AVC
Beach Volleyball Continental Cup finals next year. The eventual winners from the Asian meet
will be eligible for next year’s London Olympic Games, while teams
finishing second and third places will join those second and third-placed
finishers from the other four continents to test their mettle in the FIVB Beach
Volleyball World Cup Olympic Qualification Tournament. Only two teams in the
mentioned tournament will book their tickets for London. Ahead of their remaining two encounters
on Thursday, the women’s showdown saw Thailand lead Vietnam by a 2-0
margin on Wednesday. Vietnam needed two straight wins on Thursday for a 2-2
draw with the host side in order to make amends in the golden set of 15 points
to decide the eventual winners.
However, the host girls gave little chance to their rivals as Thailand 1’s
Jarunee Sannok and Usa Tenpaksee, bronze medalists at last year’s Asian
Games in Guangzhou, China, saw off Vietnam 1’s Phan Thi Cam Hong and
Trong Thi Yen in the women’s event. The Thai duo made a great start to
bag the comfortable first set 21-17. The host girls still lived up to the
supporters’ expectation to dominate the game with fierce spikes and drop
shots. Jarunee and Usa claimed the second set 21-18
and the match to help Thailand stretch the lead to 3-0, enough to win the
title. Full Story
Mexico and Argentina seal semifinal spots
in thrilling five-set matches
Guadalajara, Mexico, October
27, 2011 – Hosts Mexico and Argentina advanced to the semifinals of the
men’s volleyball tournament at the Pan American Games following five-set
quarterfinal wins over Puerto Rico and United States respectively in
Guadalajara on Thursday. Mexico
bounced back from two sets down to overcome Puerto Rico 24-26, 16-25, 28-26,
25-21, 15-9 while Argentina edged United States in a seesaw contest 25-17,
19-25, 25-18, 17-25, 15-11. In
Friday’s semifinals, Mexico will play against Cuba at 19:00 while
Argentina will clash Brazil in a South American battle at 17:00. In the
qualification matches for 5-8 positions, Venezuela steps up to challenge the
United States (12:00) and Canada meets Puerto Rico (14:00).
Mexico v Puerto Rico
Mexico made a spectacular comeback from a 0-2 deficit to defeat Puerto Rico and
claim a ticket to the semifinals of the men’s volleyball tournament.
Captain Ivan Contreras topped Mexico’s scores with 22 points while
Gustavo Meyer, Samuel Cordova and Tomas Aguilera each finished with 14 points.
Puerto Rico’s Victor Rivera and Hector Soto registered 20 and 18 points
respectively while Roberto Muñiz and Juan Figueroa 15 and 12.
Argentina v USA
Argentina advanced to the semifinals of the Pan American Games men’s
volleyball tournament by prevailing in a five-set duel against United States.
It was the fourth five-setter for Argentina in as many outings in the
competition and the third for the American team. The winners held the edge in
blocks 10-8 while the Americans side had a 7-2 advantage in service aces but
made 38 unforced errors to Argentina’s 28. Federico Pereyra and Mariano
Giustiniano led Argentina with 20 and 17 points while Sebastian Sole added 10
including five blocks. United States’ Evan Patak had a match-high 21
points including five aces. Nicholas Vogel and Tony Ciarelli added 16 and 11
respectively.
WAC Volleyball Recaps
October 27, 2011
No. 7 Hawai'i 3, Fresno State 1
No. 7 Hawai'i defeated Fresno State on Thursday in four sets (25-20, 25-18,
23-25, 25-18). With the win, UH improves to 23-1 overall and 11-0 in the WAC,
while the Bulldogs drop to 10-12 overall and 4-5 in conference play.
Hawai'i out-hit the Bulldogs .316 to .160 on the match. The Rainbow Wahine also
had more kills (59-51), assists (56-48), digs (66-54), aces (5-4) and blocks
(9-4).
Jane Croson posted a match-high 17 kills to go along with nine digs to lead
Hawai'i. Kanani Danielson recorded 14 kills and 16 digs for her WAC-leading
14th double-double of the season, and Brittany Hewitt added a match-high seven
blocks. For Fresno State, Korrin
Wild had 15 kills and Cecilia Agraz had 19 digs. Read more
Utah State 3, New Mexico State 2
Utah State survived three match points in a five-set win over New Mexico State
(25-21, 19-25, 25-18, 19-25, 18-16) Thursday night in Logan. With the win, USU
improves to 10-13 on the season and 5-5 in WAC play, while NM State falls to
18-6 overall and 7-2 in league play.
Utah State hit .255 on the match, while New Mexico State hit .242. USU also had
2.5 more team blocks (14.5-12.0) and four fewer service errors (9-5) in the
match, while NM State finished with six more digs (59-53). Both teams had seven
service aces. Shay Sorensen recorded
a career-high 19 kills on .533 hitting, while Liz McArthur had 16 kills and 13
digs for her 11th double-double of the season and 23rd of her career. New Mexico State was led by Meredith
Hays, who had 25 kills and 12 digs for her 10th double-double of the season.
Furman Sweeps Chattanooga Thursday Night
Updated:
October 27, 2011
by Southern Conference
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. –
Senior Kelly Kirby notched her fourteenth double-double of the season to lead
the Furman volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-12, 25-12) win over Chattanooga
Thursday night in Maclellan Gym in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Furman jumped out to a
early 5-2 lead to open set one, but Chattanooga scored five-straight points to
tie the set at 5-all then take a 7-5 lead. The Mocs led throughout the
set before the Paladins took advantage of a kill from Kirby, followed by a kill
by senior Alexis Shaffer, to tie the set at 21-apiece. Furman continued
its run, scoring on a Moc attack error, then another
kill from Kirby gave the Paladins a 23-21 lead. UTC came within one point
at 24-23 before a kill by junior Caroline Adams sealed the 25-23 set one
victory for the Paladins.
The Paladins came out
strong to open the second set, taking a quick 10-3 lead en route to a 25-12
victory. Following the break, Furman posted a 10-2 lead to start the third
set, again holding on for a 25-12 win to gain the 3-0 match victory.
Kirby led the Paladins
with 10 kills and 18 assists, while Carolyn Nicoletti paced the Furman defense
with 21 digs. Junior Natalie Braun added a double-double with 16 assists and
15 digs, and Shaffer posted a team-high five blocks in the victory. Adams
hit .389 with nine kills and three blocks in the match-up.
Chattanooga (5-21, 3-8
SoCon) was led by Jennifer Kuroski, who recorded nine kills. Bridget Camacho
added 21 assists, and Melissa Green had 19 digs for the Mocs.
U.S. Men Fall in Five to Argentina at Pan
Ams
B.J. Hoeptner Evans
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 27, 2011) – All its experience with five-set matches at the Pan
American Games paid off for Argentina on Thursday as it defeated the U.S. Men,
25-17, 19-25, 25-18, 17-25, 15-11 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The quarterfinal loss ends the U.S. Men's (1-3) hopes for a medal
and it will begin play for fifth to eighth place on Friday against Venezuela at
10 a.m. PT. Argentina (3-1) will
move on to play Brazil in Friday’s semifinals. Thursday as
Argentina’s fourth five-set match of the Pan Am Games. The only one it
has lost was to semifinalist Cuba.
The U.S. Men had their chances on Thursday, out-attacking Argentina
53-51 and serving up seven aces while Argentina had two. But Argentina led the
blocking battle 10-8 and the U.S. couldn’t overcome its 38 team errors
– including 18 service errors and 25 hitting errors – while
Argentina had 28. "We played,
passed, blocked and served well, but we had simple errors every time we got an
edge," said U.S. opposite and Team Captain Evan Patak (Pleasanton,
Calif.). "It is difficult to swallow, but tomorrow will be another
match." Full Story
Bucknell Volleyball Hosts Colgate, Rock the
House Saturday at Davis Gym
Oct.
27, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. –
Bucknell volleyball will go for a second consecutive win over Colgate at Davis Gym
when it hosts the Raiders at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The matchup will be final
contest of the season on Bucknell’s home court and will play a key role
in the Bison’s hopes of extending their campaign into the postseason.
Live stats on GameTracker will be available at BucknellBison.com as both teams
head down the final stretch of the season.
ABOUT
THE BISON
- Bucknell split its matches last weekend, defeating Navy 3-1 on Senior Night
and falling in straight sets to American the following day. Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena)
led the Bison in kills both night, totaling 22 for the weekend.
- With 15 kills against the Mids, McAhren tied her season high. She also
recorded her best attack percentage of the campaign at .462 and added four
blocks and two service aces. Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) also made the most of her Senior Night
opportunities, recording a career-best 11 kills to go along with eight blocks.
- With her performances last weekend, McAhren now has four consecutive seasons
with more than 100 kills. At 582 for her career, she leads all current Bison in
the category.
- Ellenberger continues to have a lead of her own in blocks. She remains at the
top of the rankings in the Patriot League with 1.35 blocks per set. With her 42
blocks in conference action, she also has a commanding lead on the team as Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) is second
on the squad with 18, McAhren is third with 12 and Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./St. Ignatius
College Prep) is fourth with 10. Full Story
Cuba and Brazil are first
semifinalists at Pan Am
Guadalajara, Mexico, October 26, 2011 –
Cuba and Brazil advanced to the semifinals of the Pan American Games
men’s volleyball tournament following the completion of the preliminary phase
of the competition on Wednesday.
As pool winners, both teams will rest on Thursday when Argentina plays United
States and Puerto Rico meets hosts Mexico in the quarterfinals.
In Wednesday’s action, Cuba blanked Mexico 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 while Brazil defeated United States in four sets
18-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-18. In the other matches, Puerto Rico whitewashed
Canada 25-22, 25-17, 25-23 and Argentina edged Venezuela in five sets 25-23,
21-25, 29-27, 23-25, 18-16.
Brazil
v United States
World and Pan American champions Brazil recovered from a slow
start to defeat United States 3-1 (18-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-18) while reaching
the semifinals. The Brazilians outblocked their opponent 12-5 and also held a
4-2 advantage in points from the service line. Luiz Fonteles and Gustavo Endres
each finished with three blocks. Wallace Martins topped Brazil with 19 points
and Fonteles added 15. Endres and Wallace de Souza each contributed 9 tallies.
United States’ Evan Patak and Nicholas Vogel each totaled 9 points. Full Story
U.S. Men Win Set but Brazil Takes Match at
Pan Ams
B.J. Hoeptner Evans COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 26,
2011) – The U.S. Men’s Team became the first squad at the Pan American
Games to take a set off Brazil on Wednesday, however it fell to the South
Americans, 18-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-18 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The U.S. Men (1-2) finish play in Pool B in third place and will face
Pool A second-place finisher Argentina (2-1) in Thursday’s quarterfinal
match, scheduled for 4 p.m. PT. Brazil (3-0) wins Pool B and advances straight
to Friday’s semifinals. Cuba (3-0) finished first in Pool A.
The U.S. Men got a little help on Wednesday from Puerto Rico, which swept
a Canadian team that was no doubt still tired from Tuesday night’s
marathon match against the United States. Losing in a sweep knocked Canada to
fourth place in the pool while Puerto Rico finished in second.
The U.S. was led Wednesday by opposite Evan Patak
(Pleasanton, Calif.) and middle blocker Nick Vogel (El Cajon, Calif.), who each
had nine points. Patak had a team-high eight kills and one ace while Vogel
finished with six attacks and a team-high three blocks. Full Story
Win Streak Reaches Six With
3-0 Victory At Manhattan
Oct.
26, 2011
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Junior outside hitter Ariana Mankus and sophomore middle blocker Megan Wilton combined for 35 kills, while
freshman setter Mary Vaccaro recorded her third-straight
double-double (assists, digs), in a 3-0 non-league win at Manhattan on
Wednesday night. The Black Knights extended their win streak to six matches and
improved to 18-6 overall.
After Army posted a 25-18 win in the opening
set before Manhattan (14-10) bowed in a close 26-24 win in the second set. The
Black Knights hit for a match-high .382 attack percentage in a dominating 25-14
third-set win to seal the match.
Mankus hit .368 for the match and led all
players with 16 kills. Wilton hit .588 with 11 kills and just a single error in
17 attempts. Vaccaro finished the match with 45 assists and tied sophomore
libero D.J. Phee with a team-high 14 digs.
Army's
offense clicked on all cylinders and hit for a .331 attack percentage to mark
its second-most efficient outing of the season. Full Story
Volleyball Recap: Oct. 25
Savannah, Ga.-Savannah State
fell 0-3 to Stetson y on October 25 in Willcox Wiley Gym at its annual Dig Pink
game in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness.
The Lady Tigers fell in three straight sets, 15-25, 12-25, and then
15-25.
SSU's veteran player, Chikia Jones led the Lady Tigers offensively, recording a
total of four kills out of the teams overall 13. Bridgette Stephens earned a
team high of 8 digs, while Bryana Gadis dominated the game in service aces
(5). The Lady Hatters had a total
of 43 kills and 40 digs. Kaylee Ream led the game individually with 15 kills,
and teammate Monique Russell led in digs with 15. In honor of breast cancer, SSU and the
Susan G. Komen for the Cure Coastal Georgia affiliate had an informational
booth in the lobby where patrons could collect materials and talk with breast
cancer survivors about early detection, and treatment. The Lady Tigers also
honored Ms. Almisha Mattox; a four year breast cancer survivor and 1970
graduate of Savannah State College with a pink volleyball, and athletic jacket.
Mrs. Mattox conducted the coin toss for the event and supporters received a
pink volleyball with Dig Pink for Breast Cancer printed on it. Full Story
Hawai'i Sweeps SJSU to Move to 10-0 in WAC
October 25, 2011
Hawai'i 3, San Jose State 0
The Rainbow Wahine remained undefeated in WAC play with a sweep at San Jose State
Tuesday. With the win, Hawai'i improves to 22-1 on the season and 10-0 in WAC
play. The Spartans fall to 9-14 overall and 4-6 in conference play. Hawai'i out-hit SJSU .348 to .241.
The Rainbow Wahine also had more kills (50-39), assists (47-39), aces (5-1),
digs (48-40) and blocks (6-4).
Chanteal Satele led Hawai'i with 15 kills, followed by Kanani Danielson
with 14 kills. Mita Uiato dished out 42 assists and added seven digs. Savanah Leaf paced the Spartans with 12
kills and seven digs. Caitlin Andrade tallied 33 assists to go along with seven
digs.
Volleyball Recaps - Oct. 25
MOREHEAD STATE 3,
AUSTIN PEAY 1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Junior
outside hitter Ellie Roberson landed 22 kills, and freshman setter Colbey
Cameron contributed a career-high 24 assists while hitting .500 to lead the
Morehead State volleyball team to its 22nd consecutive Ohio Valley Conference
win, a 3-1 (28-26, 21-25, 25-21, 25-33) victory, at Austin Peay's Dunn
Center Tuesday night.
The Eagles also got 15 kills via a .367 attack
efficiency and five blocks from redshirt freshman Laura McDermott.
Sophomore libero Leslie Schellhaas came up with a match-high 31 digs, and
junior middle Annie Gruenschlaeger tallied a match-best seven blocks.
MSU swept the season series from APSU for the first time in four seasons and
also won in the Dunn Center for the first time since 2007. The Eagles improved
to 18-5 overall and 13-0 in the OVC and also wrapped up their berth in the 2011
OVC Tournament. With three more league victories, MSU will claim at
least a share of its second consecutive OVC regular season title and the right
to host the postseason OVC tournament for the second straight year. Overall,
the Eagles have now won 30 of their last 31 league matches. Full Story
U.S. Men Can't Secure Win over Canada at
Pan Ams
B.J.
Hoeptner Evans October 25, 2011
Both the U.S. and Canada are now 1-1 in Pool B. The U.S. Men will finish pool play
against Brazil (2-0) on Wednesday in a match that starts at 6 p.m. PT and will
be shown on ESPN2 (check your local listings). Canada will play Puerto Rico
(0-2).After winning a five-set match against Puerto Rico on Monday, the young
U.S. Men were put to the test again by Canada, which was supported by a raucous
crowd of 3,500, in a match that lasted 2 hours and 28
minutes.“It’s always fun to win in five. It isn’t always so
fun to lose in five,” U.S. outside hitter Tony Ciarelli (Huntington
Beach, Calif.) said. “You can’t say we didn’t play our
hardest.”
In
the end, the U.S. Men out-hit Canada 75-72. But Canada won the blocking battle,
22-19, and also had three aces while the U.S. had none. The teams were
relatively close in errors, with the U.S. committing 38 and Canada with
36. Full Story
This Week in WAC Volleyball
October 25, 2011
SAN JOSE STATE’S LEAF EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
San Jose State freshman leftside hitter Savanah Leaf has been
named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of
Oct. 17-23. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for Leaf.
The San Anselmo, Calif., native averaged 3.56 kills, 3.44 digs, 0.44 blocks and
4.06 points per set as the Spartans went 2-0 on the week with wins over Utah
State and Idaho. Against Utah State, Leaf posted her fifth double-double of the
season with 13 kills and 14 digs to go along with four blocks and three
assists. Against Idaho, she had a match-high 19 kills and 17 digs for her sixth
double-double of the year. It was the first time the Spartans have won two WAC
home matches in the same week since the 2007 season.
Other nominees included: Fresno State’s Brianna Clarke averaged 3.86
kills and 1.14 blocks per set as the Bulldogs went 2-0 on the week ... Emily
Hartong of Hawai‘i averaged 3.31 kills and 1.85 digs per set as the
Rainbow Wahine went 4-0 on the week and remained unbeaten in WAC play ... Idaho’s
Alicia Milo averaged 4.62 kills, 2.75 digs and 0.50 blocks per set ... Clara
Vido of Louisiana Tech averaged 2.50 kills and 3.67 digs per set in two matches
last week ... Nevada’s Tessa Lea‘ea averaged 3.29 kills on .452
hitting and 1.29 blocks per set as the Wolf Pack went 1-1 on the week ...
Jennah DeVries of New Mexico State averaged 9.67 assists and 4.67 digs in the
Aggies’ only match last week Full Story
AAU TO WELCOME AFGHANISTAN NATIONAL OLYMPIC
COMMITTEE
October 25,
2011
Amateur Athletic Union has the distinct
privilege to assist Afghan senior leaders with the guidance on rebuilding their
sports programs.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL— The
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is set to host the Afghanistan National Olympic
Committee (ANOC) November 3-10, 2011 at their National Headquarters in Lake
Buena Vista, Florida.
The ANOC oversees Afghanistan’s 44
sports federations. The purpose of the trip will be to increase the Afghan
sports leaders’ visibility, understanding and sense of potential for
Afghanistan’s national sports programs.
“We’re very excited to have the
opportunity to host the ANOC and be able to share strategies from a business
and sports standpoint that have worked for us,” said James Parker,
Director of Sports for the AAU. “Sports are a great vessel to develop
today’s youth and we’re honored to be able to have a part in
cultivating youth outside of our immediate reach.”
The
AAU, one of the largest non-profit sports organizations in the United States,
is dedicated to the promotion and development of amateur sports in the U.S and
around the world. With their motto “Sports for All, Forever”, the
AAU is excited to empower the ANOC senior leaders through their extensive
experience and knowledge of business and sports. Full Story
Big 12 Volleyball Weekly Notes Package
|
Courtesy: Big12Sports.com |
|
Release:
10/25/2011 |
Iowa State, Oklahoma
and Texas remain ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25
poll. All three teams climbed one spot from last week. The Longhorns are at No.
19, while the Cyclones sit at No. 14 and the Sooners are No. 21. Kansas State
and Texas A&M received votes. The Aggies have
received votes for the past eight weeks, while the Wildcats have for the past
four. The Big 12 is one of four conferences that boasts
three or more squads in the poll.
The second half of the Conference schedule
begins Wednesday with Iowa State and Texas tied atop the Big 12 standings. Five
weeks remain in the regular season. Both teams have just one conference loss.
The two teams face off in Austin on Friday. ISU's lone conference loss came at
the hands of the Longhorns, who are a perfect 9-0 at home while the Cyclones
are 4-0 on the road in conference play. Along with UT, Oklahoma is the only
conference squad undefeated at home this season. ISU handed TAMU its first home
loss last weekend.
UT
also owns the third-longest active home winning streak in the nation having won
24-straight contests in Austin. Only Cincinnati (45) and Nebraska (32) have
longer active win streaks at home. Full Story
Patriot League Volleyball Release
Oct. 25, 2011
CENTER VALLEY, Pa.
— The second leg of Patriot League play began
last weekend, and it followed a very similar script to the first run through
the schedule as several teams completed season sweeps of various opponents.
American picked up two more wins over Bucknell and
Colgate to bring the Eagles a step closer to their 11th straight appearance in
the Patriot League Tournament. The Eagles defeated Colgate in four Friday night
and swept Bucknell Saturday to move to 10-2 overall on the road and 6-1 in away
matches during League play. American closes the regular season with five
straight League showdowns at home, beginning with Friday’s match up
against Navy. A win would officially wrap up a bid to the League Tournament for
the Eagles, who are eyeing a chance to host the four-team playoff for the
second straight year and 10th time overall. Full Story
Big Ten Volleyball Weekly Release - Oct.
25, 2011
Oct.
25, 2011
First Serve: Nebraska took
over the top spot in the Big Ten standings and in the national rankings over
the weekend. The Huskers moved to 10-0 in conference play after defeating
then-top-ranked Illinois on Saturday night. Nebraska hits the road this week,
competing in two top-25 showdowns against No. 23 Ohio State on Friday and No. 8
Penn State on Saturday. Other top-25 matchups include No. 11 Purdue visiting
No. 22 Michigan on Friday and No. 3 Illinois hosting No. 15 Minnesota on
Saturday.
The
Week That Was: Nebraska earned its first win over a
top-ranked opponent since 1990, defeating No. 1 Illinois in four sets to take
sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. The Huskers also earned a win
against Iowa to put together another perfect week. Penn State and Purdue also
notched back-to-back wins last week, as the Nittany Lions swept No. 23 Ohio State
and No. 21 Michigan and the Boilermakers defeated Indiana, 3-2, and No. 14
Minnesota, 3-1. Full Story
Waves Still On a Roll With
Wins in WCC Matches
Oct.
25, 2011
SAN BRUNO, Calif. --- West
Coast Conference women's volleyball will continue conference play this week in
a nationally-televised match between Saint Mary's and San Diego on Wednesday,
October 26.
QUICK HITS
· No. 18 Pepperdine
extended its win streak to nine by ending No. 17 San Diego's nine-match winning
streak with a sweep at Firestone Fieldhouse. With the 25-20, 25-17, 25-17
victory, the Waves improve to 9-0 in WCC play and 15-5 overall, while the
Toreros fall to 7-2 in the WCC and 22-2 overall.
· For the second time
in as many matches, Pepperdine senior Lilla Frederick reached a significant
career milestone. With a tied-for-season-best 21 digs versus BYU, the outside
hitter surpassed the 1,000 career digs benchmark, becoming just the ninth Wave
to achieve the feat.
· Santa
Clara picked up two conference wins with victories over LMU and San Francisco.
Against the Dons, the Broncos had four hitters with double-digit kills, led by
WCC Player of the Week Dana Knudsen, who tallied 16 kills and a .481 clip.
· Saint
Mary's split matches over the past week with a win at San Francisco and a close
3-2 loss at home against LMU. Sophomore outside hitter Jordan Shaw posted
backto- back career-nights for the Gaels, recording 38 kills, averaging 4.22
kills per set while hitting a team-high .413. She also recorded 21 digs and
averaged 2.33 digs per set.
· No. 17 San Diego
will host Saint Mary's on Wednesday in a nationally-televised match on ESPNU at
7 p.m. It is also one of two DigPink matches left this October.
CAA VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY REPORT - OCT. 24
Courtesy: CAA Release: 10/24/11
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Natalie Abel • James Madison
Washington, Pa./Trinity, Jr., Outside Hitter
Abel recorded two double-doubles to help James Madison to a pair of road sweeps
over VCU and William & Mary. The junior finished the week with 25 kills
(4.17 kills per set) on .364 hitting, 21 digs (3.50 digs per set) and three
service aces. Against VCU Abel tallied 13 kills and 11 digs, while posting 12
kills and 10 digs against the Tribe.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Aubrey Kirven • Towson
Uniontown, Ohio/Lake, Jr., Setter
Kirven helped Towson to two CAA victories over UNCW and Georgia State. The
junior setter had 104 assists, including recording 60 against Georgia State.
Kirven was the first Tiger since Kim Snider in 2006 to post 60 assists in a
match. She also added 19 digs (2.71 digs per set) on the week. Full Story
U.S. Men Beat Puerto Rico to Open Pan Am
Games
B.J. Hoeptner Evans October 24, 2011
To view live online
streaming of Pan American Games volleyball matches, click here.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 24, 2011) – The U.S. Men’s Pan
American Games Volleyball Team came back from a 12-9 deficit in the fifth set
to defeat Puerto Rico, 22-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-16, 15-13 on Monday in its
opening pool play match in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The U.S. Men (1-0)
will play Canada at 2 p.m. PT in Pool B on Tuesday. Puerto Rico (0-1) will face
Brazil.
U.S. opposite and
Team Captain Evan Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.) led all scorers with 27 points on
18 kills, a match-high seven blocks and two aces. Outside hitter Tony Ciarelli
(Huntington Beach, Calif.) added 24 points on a match-high 19 kills, three
blocks and two aces. Full
Story
Duke Sweeps Volleyball
Players of the Week
Oct. 24, 2011
Ali McCurdy and Jeme Obeime pick up weekly honors
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Duke sophomore libero Ali McCurdy has been named the ACC
Volleyball Player of the Week, announced by the conference on Monday. Outside
hitter Jeme Obeime, also a Blue Devil, was named the ACC Volleyball Freshman of
the Week, her second of the season.
The Blue Devils swept in-state rivals North
Carolina and NC State over the weekend to improve to 14-6 overall and 8-3 in
conference play and move into a tie for third place with Miami. The win over
the Wolfpack moved Duke’s winning streak to six straight.
McCurdy, who was averaging a league-leading
5.5 digs per set going into the weekend, tallied 49 total digs at a 8.17 per set rate. The Tampa, Fla. native helped hold the
Tar Heels, who had ranked second in the nation in kills per set, to a .226
hitting percentage.
Obeime hit a team-high .385 hitting percentage
over the weekend in the two wins. Against the Tar Heels, she connected on seven
kills with only one error, and improved on those numbers with 10 kills to one
error against NC State.
In the win over North Carolina, just the
second ACC loss for the Tar Heels this season, the Carmel, Ind. native picked
up a career-high 11 digs. Against NC State, she added three blocks and five
digs.
Duke
returns to action Friday when it travels to take on the Clemson Tigers at 7:00
p.m.
Akana,
Morgan, and McGuinness Take Home Weekly Honors
UPdated October 24, 2011
By: MAAC Sports
Offensive Player of the Week Taylor Akana, Siena, So.,
Outside Hitter, 5-6, Kaneohe, Hawaii/Kamehameha
Akana had a monster weekend leading Siena to
its fourth straight league win to get back in the race for the Championship.
She averaged an astounding 6.14 kills and posted a .370 attack percentage from
the outside. In the Saints' 3-1 win over Loyola Sunday, she racked up 25 kills,
and played a huge role down the stretch, recording two of the match's final
three points as Siena fended off set points to take the match. Akana completed
her 12th double-double of the season with 11 digs. She added 18
kills in just three sets in Siena's sweep of Rider Saturday. The sophomore is
now averaging 4.3 kills per set, the most in the MAAC. Full
Story
MEAC
Announces Volleyball Weekly Honors
Written By: MEAC Media Relations
Release: 10/24/2011
Morgan State sophomore Natalie Chafeh was named the
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's (MEAC) Volleyball Player of the Week, the
conference announced on Monday. Maryland Eastern Shore's Saitaua Iosia
earned Rookie of the Week accolades.
Chafeh
(5-10, So., S, Fontana, Calif.) totaled 93 assists and 10 digs in three
victories for the Lady Bears last week. In a 3-0 sweep of Hampton, the setter
tallied 40 assists, six digs, two kills and one block. She followed that
performance hitting 83-percent from the floor (5-of-6) with 28 assists in a 3-0
victory against Norfolk State.
Iosia (5-10, Fr., OH, Long Beach, Calif.) led the Lady
Hawks in two conference victories last week. The outsider hitter totaled 21
attacks on 40 total attempts (.325). In a 3-0 victory against Delaware
State, Iosia tallied 12 kills, six digs and three aces. Against Howard she
combined for nine kills, four digs, one assist and one service ace. Full
Story
Nelson
& Pair Of Setters Highlight Week of Volleyball
|
CAMBRIDGE,
Mass.-- The second half of the America East volleyball slate began last
week, and a pair of senior standouts are still powering their squads towards
the top of the America East standings. Stony Brook University senior Alicia
Nelson (Apple Valley, Minn.) receives her third Player of the Week award of the
season with another dominant performance, while University at Albany senior
Brooke Stanley (Hendersonville, N.C./West Henderson) earns the Setter of the
Week accolade for the fifth time. University of Hartford freshman setter Jackie
Tamburri (Croton-on-Hudson/Hendrick Hudson) also takes home an award, the
Rookie of the Week honor, as she closes in on a season milestone.
Nelson led the league last week with 5.00
kills and 5.30 points per set and led the Seawolves back from a 2-1 deficit in
their only match to defeat UMBC 3-2. In addition to another outstanding
offensive performance, the senior also played well on the defensive side of the
ball with 3.80 digs per set. Full
Story
Bjelica,
Willey Named Volleyball Players of the Week
Updated: 10/24/2011 12:44:20 (ET)
By Sun Belt Conference
NEW ORLEANS – For the third time this season, FIU’s
Jovana Bjelica was named the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player of the Week,
and North Texas’ Sarah Willey earned her first Defensive Player of the
Week honor of the year, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
Junior Jovana Bjelica had a stellar offensive weekend for FIU as
the Panthers defeated Arkansas State, 3-2, and UALR, 3-0, in Miami. Bjelica
recorded a career-high 31 kills against ASU on Friday to mark the first 30-kill
outing by an FIU player since 2008. That mark ranks tied for third on the
rally-scoring era (2001-present) single-match charts and falls just two kills
short of tying the rally-scoring era five-set match record total of 33. Bjelica
went on to post 20 kills versus UALR on Sunday to mark her 17th double-digit
kill outing in 20 matches played on the year. The outside hitter registered 51
kills against just 11 errors in 97 total attempts across eight sets of action
for the weekend, good for a hitting percentage of .412 and a kills-per-set mark
of 6.38. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Bjelica was also active on the defensive
side of the net over the weekend, posting 13 digs and eight blocks, including
her second solo stop of the season.
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Vaccaro
Breaks League Record With Seventh Rookie Of The Week
Award
Oct. 24, 2011 CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Freshman setter Mary Vaccaro earned her seventh Molten Patriot
League Rookie of the Week citation on Monday and set a Patriot League record
for the most Rookie of the Week awards in the process. She recorded her 1,000th
assist and set a career-high with six service aces during two Army wins over
the weekend.
Vaccaro's
seven citations bested American's Rebecca Heath, who set the previous record in
2008 with six awards. The Rookie of the Week award was established in 2001.
A
former beach volleyball standout on the juniors level,
Vaccaro has done nothing but shine in her first season on the banks of the
Hudson and continued the trend in a pair of wins last weekend. While averaging
10.88 assists per set, Vaccaro posted back-to-back double-doubles (assists,
digs).
Vaccaro recorded her 1,000th assist in Army's
3-1 win over Lehigh on Saturday afternoon. She now ranks 10th on the Black
Knights' single-season ledger. In a 3-1 victory over Lafayette the previous
night, Vaccaro recorded a career-high six service aces, which is more than any
other Army player this season.
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Quartet
Collects Volleyball Weekly Accolades
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Courtesy:
Big12Sports.com |
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Release: 10/24/2011 |
Hannah Allison (Texas), Caroline Jarmoc (Kansas), Sallie McLaurin (Oklahoma) and Tara Dunn (Oklahoma) are Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Week recipients for matches of Oct. 17-23. Allison earns the Offensive Player of the Week while Dunn picks up the Rookie of the Week honor. It is the first award for both. Jarmoc and McLaurin share the Defensive Player of the Week distinction. This is Jarmoc's first career honor and McLaurin's fifth. The Sooner also earned a defensive recognition earlier this season and collected three rookie honors in 2010.