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WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK Hawaii's Lily Kahumoku has been named the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. Kahumoku earned her first player of the week of the season after being named player of the week once during the 2000 season.
The junior left side hitter hit .382 in two matches last week as the Rainbow Wahine defeated both SMU and UTEP. The two matches were Hawai`i's first road matches of the season and extend the Rainbow Wahine win streak to 15. During the 15-match streak, Hawai`i has lost only two games, winning its last 30-straight.
Kahumoku, returning to her home state of Texas, averaged 6.00 kpg and 4.17 dpg in the two wins. Against UTEP, the former All-American had 25 kills with nine digs The 25 kills is one shy of her career high. Against SMU, the junior had 11 kills and 16 digs. She was three blocks short of a triple-double with seven total blocks. Kahumoku helped hold the Mustangs to six points in game two. The six points is the lowest points allowed in a game by Hawai`i in the 30-point rally scoring era.
Other nominees included: Kristen Fenton, Fresno State; Lia Mora, Louisiana Tech; Michelle More, Nevada; and Rebecca Kainz, Rice.
THIS WEEK IN WAC VOLLEYBALL The 2002 volleyball season enters week nine. This week WAC teams are in action Monday-Saturday. Hawaii has already captured a non-conference win against Notre Dame, 3-0. The No. 2 Rainbow Wahine and the Irish will meet again on Oct. 22 before Hawaii hosts San Jose State on Oct. 24 and Fresno State on Oct. 25. In another Western Division showdown, Nevada will take on Boise State on Oct. 25. In the East, first-place Rice will travel to SMU and UTEP, staying in the state. Tulsa and Louisiana Tech, tied for fourth, will break their tie in a battle on Oct. 26 in Ruston.
NEVADA'S MORE REACHES MILESTONE Nevada senior Michelle More recorded her 1300th career kill on Oct. 19 against San Jose State. Her 1316 career kills ranks third at Nevada and leaves her just two shy of taking sole possession of second place. Her 374 kills this season are also a new single-season career high. Last season, the first-team all-WAC honoree finished the season with 351 kills after 91 games played. This season, More has surpassed that figure in 68 games. More leads the WAC in total kills.
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS WAC teams have faced at least 21 teams that participated in last years NCAA Tournament. Hawaii so far this season has played the most (6), including San Diego State, UCLA, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Colorado and defending national champion Stanford. Hawaii still has No. 6 Stanford on the schedule at home on Nov. 10. San Jose State will face four teams, including Stanford. Fresno State is next (3) along with Nevada (5), Rice (2), SMU (1) and UTEP (1). So far this season, the WAC is 84-48 (.636) against non conference opponents. So far this season, the WAC is 5-3 against teams ranked in the top 25. Hawaii leads the way with a 3-0 record with wins over No. 9 Ohio State, No. 7 UCLA and No. 20 Colorado. Nevada upset then-No. 23 BYU and then No. 25 Colorado State.
HAWAII FIRST IN THE NATION IN TWO CATEGORIES Hawaii moves to first in the nation in two categories as of October 13. The Rainbow Wahine lead the country in kills (17.98) and hitting percentage (.339) in the latest NCAA statistics. The Rainbow Wahine are also second in assists with a 16.61 assists per game average. Fresno State is 16th in hitting percentage (.280). Tulsa drops to 13th from eighth in service aces (2.45 sapg), while the Bulldogs are 27th (2.26 sapg). The Rainbow Wahine are also 13th in digs (18.27 dpg). Nevada is also 15th in kills per game (16.56), followed by No. 22 Fresno State (16.43 kpg).
Hawaii's Kim Willoughby, who led the NCAA in kills per game last season, is fourth this season (6.15 kpg). Nevada's Michelle More (5.57 kpg) jumps to sixth, while Hawaii's Lily Kahumoku (5.00 kpg) is T-20th. Nevada's Jill Couwenhoven (13.44 apg) moves to eighth from 10th in assists.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE WAC schools have really taken advantage of playing at home this season. Nevada is 10-0 at home this season and have won 30-32 games played in the Virginia Street Gym this year. The Wolf Packs overall home court win streak is 11 matches dating back to the final match of last season when they knocked off UNLV, 3-2.
Hawaii has played 14 of its 16 matches at home, winning all 14 at home. At home this season, the Rainbow Wahine have beaten No. 9 Ohio State, No. 11 UCLA and No. 20 Colorado. Last season, the WAC Champions ended the season with a 14-2 record at home.
PACKING THE STANDS Hawaii leads the nation in attendance average this season, averaging 7,197 fans per match. The Rainbow Wahine have drawn over 93,000 fans in 13 home matches this season. Nebraska, the second ranked school, averages 4,851 after four matches.
Hawaii also holds the top seven of the top 10 attendance figures this season, including the top spot with 9,495 fans in the season opening win over Ohio State on August 30. Against UCLA (9/2), Hawaii drew 8,604 for the second spot, and the match with Washington (9/7) took third, drawing 7,365. On the road, the Rainbow Wahine are also drawing a crowd. Last week, both SMU and UTEP had their biggest crowds of the season when Hawaii came to town. The Mustangs had 500 come to the 3-0 Rainbow Wahine win, while 1,325 fans packed the stands when the Miners and the Rainbow Wahine met.
Top 10 National Attendance
School Avg. MP Total
1. Hawaii 7,197 13 93,561
2. Nebraska 4,663 8 37,302
3. Wisconsin 3,425 9 30,823
4. Arizona 2,817 7 19,920
5. Florida 2,558 11 28,133
6. Penn St. 2,211 10 22,106
7. Illinois St. 2,173 12 26,077
8. LBSU 2,137 10 21,367
9. Minnesota 2,078 13 27,020
10. Stanford 2,062 9 18,560
TWO WAC TEAMS ACKNOWLEDGED BY POLLS Hawaii is the only WAC team to appear in both the USA Today/AVCA and Volleyball Magazine polls. This week, the Rainbow Wahine remain second in both the Volleyball Magazine poll the USA Today/AVCA poll behind Southern California in both polls. This is the second week that Fresno State has received votes in both polls. The Bulldogs received 40 votes in the USA Today/AVCA poll and also received votes in the Volleyball Magazine poll.
CURRENT POINT STANDINGS The current point standing for seeding in the WAC Tournament are as follows
Fresno State 11
UH 10
Nevada 10
SJSU 8
Rice 5
UTEP 4
SMU 3
Louisiana Tech 2
Tulsa 2
Boise State 0
LOUISIANA TECH CAPTURES FIRST WAC WIN The Lady Techsters win over Boise State on Oct. 19 was Louisiana Tech's first ever WAC win. The win was also the Lady Techsters first conference win in 34 attempts dating back to late in the 1999 season. The win also moved Louisiana Tech into a fourth place tie in the Eastern Division with Tulsa. This season, the Lady Techsters have topped the 2001 season in many ways. Louisiana Tech's 13 wins surpasses last season's win total of eight.
WAC TOURNAMENT CREDENTIAL DEADLINE Request forms for credentials to the 2002 WAC Volleyball Tournament in Reno, Nev., are now available through the league office. Media requesting hotel rooms must have their credential forms in by Friday, Nov. 1. If no room is requested, the deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 15. The WAC Volleyball Tournament is slated for Nov. 22-24 at the Virginia Street Gym.
WEST LEADS EAST In the second year that the WAC has had divisional play for volleyball, the Western Division holds a dominating record over its Eastern Division foes. The West, led by Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada, have won 19 of 26 matches this season. Last season at this point, the West had won 19 of 25. Both the Rainbow Wahine and the Bulldogs have won all five matches against Eastern Division foes. Nevada is 4-1 against the East. Rice captured two interdivisional wins, defeating Nevada and Boise State. The Mustangs are the only Eastern Division squad earn at least two wins against the West.
MAJOR RULE CHANGE One major rule change this season is the addition of the Libero (pronounced: LEE-bah-ro). The Libero is a designated back row player who can replace any player in the back row without counting as a substitution. The Libero will wear a different uniform and has limitations. She cannot serve or attack a ball if contact is made while the ball is above the height of the net. The libero also cannot block or attempt a block.
VOLLEYBALL FORMAT There are two divisions for the 2002 season: West and East. The teams in the West consist of Boise State, Fresno State, Hawai`i, Nevada and San Jose State. The teams in the East consist of Louisiana Tech, Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa. Each team plays each other twice, home and home within each division and plays each team from the other division once.
WAC VOLLEYBALL ON THE WEB The WAC site on the world wide web (www.wacsports.com) includes extensive volleyball information. It includes the latest notes, statistics, standings and Players of the Week.
AROUND THE COURT News and notes from around the league:
Boise State Boise State is 1-17 overall and 0-6 in the WAC. Boise State averages 12.79 kills, 11.41 assists, 0.95 serves, 12.97 digs and 1.64 blocks per game. The team is led by junior Megan Tranter who averages 3.21 kills and 2.43 digs. She is followed by senior Tameisha Hastings who averages 2.33 kills and 1.00 blocks. Sophomore Mindy Bennett averages 9.52 assists.
Fresno State Senior outside hitter Christy Burnett has been nationally-ranked in service aces the past four weeks. Burnett also set the school's tenth-best single-season mark in service aces last week. Entering the two-match homestand with 38 aces on the season, Burnett served up four aces against SMU, surpassing former Bulldog Nicole Chen's mark of 41 set in 1993. Burnett is also climbing her way up other school records. With 45 career double-figure kill, 56 double-figure dig matches and 38 double-doubles, she ranks No. 8 in career attempts (2,507) and No. 9 in career digs (931) in the school's record books.
Hawaii Hawaii is currently 16-0 and has lost just two games during the season. Hawaii extended its conference winning streak to 57 matches. The Rainbow Wahine have now won their last 33 games. The six points that Hawaii held SMU to in the second game of the match was the lowest points allowed by Hawaii in the 30-point rally scoring era. Kim Willoughby also had a good week with two double-doubles, in which she had 17 kills in each match.
Louisiana Tech Cristine Sant'Anna had a solid week including 12 kills, 15 digs and five blocks in a 3-1 loss to San Jose State. Sophomore middle blocker Megan Rush had 13 kills, six digs and eight blocks against the Spartans. Last season, Louisiana Tech did not win a game versus a Western Division foe but have won five games against Western Division squads this year (three against Boise State, one each versus Fresno State and San Jose State).
Nevada Setter Jill Couwenhoven surpassed the 2,600 assist plateau against Tulsa on Oct. 17. Couwenhovens 100 assists in the two matches last week has her within seven of 2,700. She ranks third on the Nevada career list with 2,693 assists. Behind Couwenhoven, Nevada is 10-0 at home this season and have won 30-of-32 games played in the Virginia Street Gym this year. Dating back to last season the Wolf Pack have won 11 in a row at home. Thirteen of the Packs 17 victories this year have been in 3-0 sweeps.
Rice Sophomore Rebeca Pazo recorded double-doubles in both Owl matches last week. She had a career-high 25 digs in the loss at Fresno State and added 10 kills for her ninth double-double on the year. Pazo's 10th double-double of the season came at Houston with 19 kills and 20 digs. For the first time since the 1995 season, Rice defeated Houston. The win over the Owls' cross-town rival was the first under the tuteledge of head coach Julio Morales. Rice opened up defense of its WAC Eastern Division crown with a win at Tulsa, increasing the overall series lead to 12-2.
San Jose State After a slow start and a five-match losing streak, the Spartans have turned things around in WAC play. San Jose State had won a season-high five-straight matches before falling to Nevada, 3-1. The Spartans won four of five against the Eastern Division, losing only one.
SMU After dropping three-straight to Western Division teams, the Mustangs look to get back on track this week. SMU starts the week with a non-conference matchup with instate rival Houston on the road. The Mustangs remain on the road over the weekend to take on another Houston school, Rice, on Oct. 24. In the three losses to Hawaii, Fresno State and San Jose State, the Mustangs only won two games.
UTEP UTEP looks to get back on track after dropping two matches last week to New Mexico State and Hawaii. The Miners were swept in both matches. After winning three-straight matches, UTEP has now lost four of its last five. During this stretch, the Miners defeated Boise State for the lone win.
Tulsa Tulsa needs 14 aces to break the school record for aces in a single season. The Golden Hurricane currently have 193 aces iwth the current record standing at 206 set in 1991. Sophomore middle hitter Dana Weddle is also on pace to break a school record. She is on pace to break the record for hitting percentage. Weddle is hitting .323 now and the current record is 298 set in 2000.