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WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK Hawaii's Kim Willoughby has been named the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. The honor is Willoughby's second of the season and sixth of her career, capturing the honor four times in 2001. The 2001 WAC Player of the Year was also named player of the week on Sept. 9.
The junior left side hitter had at least 20 kills in three of the Rainbow Wahine's four wins, missing one match due to illness. The Napoleanville, La., native had 23-kill performances in two wins over regionally-ranked Notre Dame. She added 24 kills in a, 3-0, win over regionally-ranked Western Division foe Fresno State. For the week, Willoughby hit .329 with 70 kills and 35 digs in nine games. She increased her double-double total to 13 with two last week.
The All-American averaged 7.78 kpg, increasing her season average to 6.36 kpg. She also averaged 3.89 dig per game in the three matches, bringing her season average to 3.58. With the 70 kills, Willoughby moved into fourth place on Hawai'i's all-time kill list with 1,508 kills. Willoughby is 71 kills away from 10th all-time in the WAC in total kills. With the wins, the Rainbow Wahine improve to 19-0 this season. Hawai'i has lost only two games this season. The Rainbow Wahine have now won 42-straight games, a new school record.
Other nominees included: Kristen Fenton, Fresno State; Natalie Shipp, Louisiana Tech; Michelle More, Nevada; Rebeca Pazo, Rice and Jennifer Abbruzzese, UTEP.
THIS WEEK IN WAC VOLLEYBALL The 2002 volleyball season enters week 10 with three weeks of WAC play remaining. This week WAC teams are in action Tuesday-Sunday. Western Division leader Hawaii (7-0) takes on second-place Nevada (7-1) in Reno on Nov.1. The Rainbow Wahine then travel to Boise to take on the Broncos (0-8) on Nov. 2. Fresno State (6-2) travels to San Jose State (5-3) for its only WAC match of the week. Eastern Division leaders, UTEP (4-3), takes on second place Rice (4-4) and SMU (2-5), looking to hold on to the top spot.
LOUISIANA TECH'S MORA REACHES MILESTONE Louisiana Tech setter Lia Mora now has 1,001 assists on the season and 1,936 in her career which puts her in fourth place all-time at Louisiana Tech. Mora is the first Lady Techster to post 1,000 or more assists in a season since Kelly Fitzpatrick accomplished the feat in the 1999 season. Mora returns to the Louisiana Tech lineup this season after missing last season because of a knee injury.
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 87-49 (.640) 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 remains first in the nation in two categories as of October 20. The Rainbow Wahine lead the country in kills (17.87) and hitting percentage (.341) in the latest NCAA statistics. The Rainbow Wahine are also second in assists with a 16.49 assists per game average. Fresno State is 19th in hitting percentage (.274). Tulsa drops to 19th from 13th in service aces (2.33 sapg), while the Bulldogs remain 27th (2.24 sapg). The Rainbow Wahine are also 15th in digs (18.21 dpg). Nevada is also 14th in kills per game (16.59), followed by No. 28 Fresno State (16.31 kpg).
Hawaii's Kim Willoughby, who led the NCAA in kills per game last season, is fifth this season (6.09 kpg). Nevada's Michelle More (5.50 kpg)remains sixth, while Hawaii's Lily Kahumoku (5.14 kpg) is 17th. Nevada's Jill Couwenhoven (13.53 apg) is still eighth 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 17 of its 19 matches at home, winning all 17 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.
ABBRUZZESE REACHES 1,000 KILLS Junior Jennifer Abbruzzese, who entered the Oct. 24 match with Rice needing just 19 kills to reach 1,000 career kills, finished the night with 22 kills, 19 digs and a career-high five blocks. The Miners defeated the Owls, 3-2. She is just the fifth Miner in program history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau, while also becoming the fastest to reach the mark (74 matches). For the season, Abbruzzese is averaging 4.11 kills and 3.83 digs.
HAWAII PASSES 100,000 IN ATTENDANCE With four home matches last week all drawing over 6,000 fans Hawaii surpassed the 100,000 attendance mark for the eighth-straight season. The Rainbow Wahine have drawn 120,511 in 17 home matches this season. Last season, Hawaii ended the season drawing 104,222. The Rainbow Wahine are looking to top their 2000 attendance of 153, 688
Hawaii also holds the top 18 of the top 20 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. Two weeks ago, 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 7,089 17 120,511
2. Nebraska 4,598 9 41,386
3. Wisconsin 3,425 9 30,823
4. Arizona 2,713 8 21,702
5. Florida 2,558 11 28,133
6. Penn St. 2,198 12 26,376
7. Illinois St. 2,173 12 26,077
8. LBSU 2,137 10 21,367
9. Minnesota 2,078 13 27,020
10. Stanford 1,977 11 21,748
WAC IN REGIONAL RANKINGS The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee released the NCAA Division I women's volleyball regional rankings. The biweekly rankings include the top 10 teams in each of the eight regions.
West Region rankings
As of October 23, 2002
1. Hawaii 15-0
2. UC Santa Barbara 19-0
3. Long Beach State 18-1
4. Colorado State 14-7
5. Nevada 17-3
6. Fresno State 18-2
7. Pacific (California) 11-7
8. San Diego State 15-8
9. Utah 14-6
10. Rice 12-9
CURRENT POINT STANDINGS The current point standing for seeding in the WAC Tournament are as follows:
Hawaii 12
Fresno State 11
Nevada 11
SJSU 9
Rice 6
UTEP 6
Louisiana Tech 3
SMU 3
Tulsa 2
Boise State 0
*Ties listed in alphabetical order
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.
NEVADA'S SCRUGGS CLOSING IN ON 100TH CAREER VICTORY Nevada's sixth-year head coach Devin Scruggs is nearing a coaching milestone. Scruggs needs just one more victory to reach the 100- win plateau. All of Scruggs' 99 wins have come while coaching at Nevada. Under her direction the Wolf Pack have qualified for NCAA Tournaments in 1998 and 2001.
Scruggs is just one coach approaching a coaching milestone. Fresno State head coach Lindy Vivas is six wins away from her 300th career win, while Rice head coach Julio Morales reached his 150th career win earlier this season.
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's road to its first WAC win does not get any easier this week, as the Broncos take on Western Division leading Hawaii. The Nov. 2 match is Boise State's final home match of the season. The Broncos are led by Megan Tranter, who averages 3.34 kpg and 2.39 dpg. Sophomore setter Mindy Bennett averages 9.75 apg.
Fresno State With 13 home matches on the docket, the Bulldogs close out the year by playing seven of their last nine WAC contests in the North Gym, a friendly confine for the Bulldogs who went 10-2 at home last season and are currently 8-1 this season. Opening the month of November at San Jose State on Saturday, Fresno State closes out the regular-season schedule with WAC contests against Boise State (Nov. 7), San Jose State (Nov. 8), Nevada (Nov. 14) and No. 2 Hawaii (Nov. 15).
Hawaii Hawaii welcomed two-time all-WAC honoree Maja Gustin back to the Rainbow Wahine lineup after missing 14 matches with a stress fracture in her left foot. The junior had nine kills and three blocks in her first action back against San Jose State on Oct. 24. The Rainbow Wahine were faring pretty well without Gustin. Hawaii is currently 19-0 and have lost just two games during the season. Hawaii extended its conference winning streak to 59 matches. The Rainbow Wahine have now won their last 42 games, good for a new school record.
Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech has now won the most matches since posting 19 victories in 1996. Heather Anderson (23) and Brianna Sibley (15) posted career highs in digs versus Tulsa on Oct. 26. Louisiana Tech out-dug Tulsa 88-61 in the match. The 88 digs was also a season high. Junior Tanya Jarvis had a career-high six aces at Centenary on Oct. 24. Also having a strong week was junior Cristine Sant 'Anna. The left side hitter had her 13th double double versus Tulsa. The Lady Techsters now enter the week having won three-straight matches, including two in a row in WAC play.
Nevada Senior middle blocker Michelle More had a match-high 24 kills against Boise State on Oct. 25 giving her 1340 for her career and moved her into second on Nevadas career list. She passed Jennifer White, who totaled 1,317 kills from 1990-93. Tiffany Neumeier (1994-97) is first with 1,779 kills. More began the season fifth in career kills but her single season career high of 398 kills this season has moved her past White, Kelly Martin (1,172, 1991-92) and Suzanne Stonebarger (1,198, 1998-01) this season. The 398 kills this season is the seventh most by a Nevada player in a year.
Rice Senior Briana Cook had 12 total blocks in two matches, bringing her career total to 472. Had her 50th career solo block against UTEP. The Owls out-blocked both SMU and UTEP to mark the 14th and 15th times, respectively, that Rice has out-blocked its opponent this year. Setter Rebekah Neal recorded her eighth and ninth double-doubles with a 47 assist-14 dig performance against SMU and a 56 assist-25 dig outing at UTEP. Neal's 25 digs against the Miners is a new career high. She posted 103 assists in two matches to move into fifth-place all-time at Rice with 1,808 career assists.
San Jose State San Jose State had its second highest hitting match of the season with a 3-0 victory over Boise State on Oct. 26. The Spartans hit .351 for the match and recorded 56 kills for the win. Junior Liz Hudson led the team in hitting at .750 with six kills on eight attempts and no errors. Stephanie Pascucci hit .429 with 11 kills in 21 attempts and only two errors. Junior Fran Pozzi and senior Katherine Powers each hit .353 for three games. Freshman Jessica Wlodarcyzk made her debut in the match and hit .385 for one game played and had six kills.
SMU After dropping five-straight matches, the Mustangs look to get back on track this week. SMU's last win was Oct. 5 against Boise State. Despite the losing streak, SMU is still tied for third in the Eastern Division and in the hunt for a berth to the WAC Tournament. This week, the Mustangs take on Tulsa in a Halloween battle and Eastern Division leaders, UTEP, on Nov. 1.
UTEP After finishing 5-8 and third in the WAC's Eastern Division last season, the 2002 Miners are standing in first place in the East this season through seven WAC matches. UTEP needs to win only one more WAC match to reach last season's win total. The Miners are led by junior Jennifer Abbruzzese who guided the Miners to a pair of five-game wins over Tulsa and Rice last week to vault the Miners into first place, marking the first time since 1984 that UTEP has been atop the conference standings this late in the season. Abbruzzese also earned her 1,000th career kill. She became just the fifth Miner ever to record 1,000 career kills.
Tulsa Tulsa broke a four-match losing streak last week with a, 3-0, win over Grambling State. After defeating Grambling State on the road, the Golden Hurricane fell to Louisiana Tech in three in Ruston. This week, Tulsa looks for its second WAC win with a Texas tour. The Hurricane will face SMU on Halloween in Dallas and Rice in Houston on Nov. 2