|
Related Material
|
11.11.03.PDF
|
WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK Nevada setter Tristin Adams has been named the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 10. This is the first player of the week honor for Nevada this season and the first career honor for Adams.
Adams, a native of Fallon, Nev., led the Wolf Pack to a win over San Jose State. Adams also had a big match as the Wolf Pack were the first WAC team this season to take a game from Hawai'i. Nevada is now tied with Rice with 10 points for seeding in the WAC Tournament.
The freshman averaged 11.38 assists per game and 2.75 kills per game last week. She added 2.50 dpg, 0.62 sapg, and hit .465 as Nevada split the two WAC matches. In the match against the Rainbow Wahine, Adams posted a triple-double finishing with 13 kills, 13 digs, and 37 assists in addition to hitting .571. The 13 kills established a new career high. In the San Jose State match, she was one kill shy of a double-double finishing the night with nine kills, and 54 assists. She served up two aces versus Hawai'i and three in the San Jose State match.
It was the fourth triple-double this season in the WAC, including two from Louisiana Tech setter Lia Mora and one from SMU middle blocker Kelly Larkan.
Other nominees included: Kristen Fenton, Fresno State; Lily Kahumoku, Hawai'i; Lia Mora, Louisiana Tech; Rebeca Pazo, Rice and Jessica Mihm, SMU.
HAWAII CLINCHES TOP SEED IN WAC TOURNAMENT Hawaii has clinched the No. 1 seed, while SMU has secured the No. 2 seed with Fresno State taking the No. 3 seed. The remaining seeds will be determined after the final matches are played this week.
WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO RENO For the second-straight season the WAC Volleyball Tournament returns to Nevada and Virginia Street Gym, Nov. 21-23. Hawaii looks to repeat as champions as the Rainbow Wahine defeated host Nevada in four games last season.
Ticket prices will be $30 for adults and $15 for children and students for an all-session pass (7 matches). All seats are general admission and prices apply to all age groups.
Tickets may be purchased at the University of Nevada Athletic Ticket Office or by calling (775) 348-PACK (7225). WAC volleyball fans can also obtain a room rate at the Silver Legacy Hotel at 1-800-687-8733 and requesting the fan rate for the WAC Volleyball Tournament. The reservation ID code is volley. Rooms are limited at will cost $49.00 Sunday-Thursday and $79.00 for Friday-Saturday.
Eight of the 10 WAC teams will compete in the tournament. On Friday, Nov. 21, the first session match times are slated for 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. In the nightcap, the times are scheduled for 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 22, the semifinals will be held at 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. The WAC championship match is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23.
At last seasons WAC Championship, in Reno, Nev., Hawaii earned its third-straight WAC Tournament title, defeating Nevada, 3-1, in front of 1,023 fans. With a 13-0 regular season WAC record, the Rainbow Wahine earned their seventh overall WAC title. For the second-straight season, the WAC had three teams advance to the NCAA Tournament, Hawaii, Nevada and Fresno State. Nevada and Fresno State both lost in the first round, while Hawaii advanced to its seventh Final Four. The Rainbow Wahine lost to Stanford in the semifinals to end the season 34-2.
DIGGING IN (WEEK 12) The 2003 WAC season enters its eighth week with seeding in the WAC Tournament on the line. This is the final week of WAC play. Hawaii clinched the No. 1 seed in its fourth WAC Tournament. SMU has secured the No. 2 seed with Fresno State taking the No. 3 seed. The remaining five seeds are up for grabs. UTEP and Boise State are the only teams with two WAC matches left. The seventh seed will be secured after UTEP faces Louisiana Tech on Nov. 13. Nevada and Rice have secured spots in the tournament, but are still fighting for the No. 4 spot. If Nevada defeats Boise State on Nov. 14, the Wolf Pack will take the No. 4 seed and the Owls will take the No. 5 seed. San Jose State is the only other team that has secured a seed in the tournament.
FRENSO STATE SETS NEW SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RECORD The Fresno State got a bigger stage when the Bulldogs hosted No. 2 Hawaii at the Save Mart Center (16,116) yesterday afternoon. Being the first true athletic competition in the Save Mart Center, the Bulldogs drew 4,708 fans for a new school volleyball record, shattering the previous mark of 1,982 versus UH on Nov. 23 1996 at the North Gym. The attendance also is the 27th-best attended NCAA Division I volleyball match in the nation this fall. In addition to drawing its second 1,000-plus match of the year, the volleyball program has totaled its 19th 1,000 crowd, 18 of which have come under 13th year head coach Lindy Vivas. This season, the Bulldogs have drawn 10,639 fans in 10 home dates for a 1,064 average. The $100+ million Save Mart Center has the distinction of being the largest, privately funded project in the history of the California State University system.
CURRENT POINT STANDINGS The current point standing for seeding in the WAC Tournament are as follows:
Hawaii 17
SMU 14
Fresno State 13
Nevada 10
Rice 10
SJSU 9
Louisiana Tech 3
Tulsa 3
UTEP 3
Boise State 2
HAWAII AND NEVADA INCLUDED IN 2003 CSTV VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE College Sports Television (www.cstv.com), the first 24-hour college sports network, and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is presenting a national volleyball match of the week package, Sunday Night Spike 2003, this fall that will boast 15 teams who competed in the 2002 NCAA Championships, including national semifinalists Florida, Stanford and Hawaii. The schedule began on Sunday, Sept. 7 with Florida at Stanford and will include an October 26 doubleheader featuring Santa Clara-Pepperdine and Utah-Colorado State.
The WAC will have at least two teams featured. Hawaii defeated Santa Clara on Sept. 28 in California. The Rainbow Wahine also defeated Nevada on Oct. 5 in Honolulu. Finally, the WAC Tournament Championship match will be televised on Nov. 23 in Reno, Nev.
Five teams featured within the Sunday Night Spike 2003 schedule have won volleyball national championships (Hawaii in 1982, 1983, 1987; Nebraska in 1995, 2000; Pacific in 1985, 1986; Stanford in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001; Texas in 1988) and seven won conference titles in 2002 (Florida, Hawaii, Northern Iowa, Notre Dame, Pepperdine, Sacramento St., Utah). In addition, Colorado State and Eastern Washington won regular season conference titles.
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS So far this season, the WAC is 84-64 (.568) against non-conference opponents. The WAC is 7-7 against ranked teams. Hawaii is 7-1 with wins over Louisville, UCLA, Kansas State, Stanford, Minnesota, LMU and Santa Clara. San Jose State fell to No. 20 Santa Clara, and Nevada fell to No. 15 Long Beach State. Boise State and Louisiana Tech also have losses to ranked teams. Rice has lost to formerly ranked Ohio State, and Fresno State lost to No. 23 Long Beach State.
AROUND THE COURT News and notes from around the league:
Boise State will say good-bye to two four-year seniors: middle blocker Christina Moore and outside hitter Megan Tranter. Both have been through several years of tough times with the Bronco team, and most recently, the beginnings of the turning around and success of the program. Last weekend, the Broncos went 1-1, losing to Weber State of the Big Sky in Ogden (0-3) and then defeating Wyoming of the Mountain West in Boise on Nov. 9 (3-1).
Fresno State junior Kristen Fenton became the second-fastest Bulldog to reach the historic 1,000-career kill milestone after picking up 13 at home against Nevada on Nov. 1. She has a career total of 1,037 kills. She is averaging 3.73 kpg in her career a mark that currently ranks No. 5 all-time at Fresno State. While currently hitting at a career mark of .286, Fenton has a .318 hitting percentage on the season and is one of eight players in school
history to hit at least .300 in a season (last year she finished at .301 to rank No. 6). In addition, with 480 kills to date, she is 20 kills shy of being the seventh Bulldog to post a 500-kill season. With a streak of 41 consecutive double-figure kill matches dating back to last season, Fenton is averaging 19.20 kills per match (5.00 kpg) this fall. With 480 kills collected in 25 matches this fall (recorded 403 in 29 matches a year ago), she is six kills shy of tying for No. 10 all-time at Fresno State for most kills in a season (486, Tricia Tuley in 1994) and eight shy of tying current assistant coach Ruth Lawansons No. 9 all-time single-season kill mark (488, 1984).
Hawaii has now won 77-straight WAC matches, dating back to 1998. Hawaii also clinched their eighth-straight WAC regular season title. The Rainbow Wahine also earned the No. 1 seed in the 1996, 2001 and 2002 seasons. In 1997, the Rainbow Wahine earned the Pacific Division No. 1 seed and earned the Pacific Division No. 2 seed in 1998. All-American Kim Willoughby has earned the all-tournament MVP honor the last two seasons as well as WAC Player of the Year honors. Willoughby is first in the nation in kills per game, averaging 6.58 kpg. She is also among the leaders in hitting percentage and aces, despite missing time due to illness.
Louisiana Tech can lock up the No. 7 seed with a win over UTEP on Nov. 13 night in its final match of the season. A win would also guarantee the first back-to-back winning seasons since the 1995-96 seasons. Junior libero Heather Anderson can set a school record for digs per game in a season if she maintains her 3.79 digs per game average. Junior Megan Rush had 13 kills in the loss to SMU on Nov. 8, while Sabrina Sims came up with 10 digs.
Nevada has reached double figures in blocks in five of its last seven matches. The Wolf Pack had a stretch four matches in a row; Boise State (13), SMU (11), Louisiana Tech (13), and UNLV (14) of reaching double figures before failing in two matches at Fresno State (6) and versus Hawaii (8). The last time out the Pack had a season high 20. On the year Nevada has reached double figures in blocks eight times with the first three times of 10 coming versus Arizona State, at Utah, and versus Rice. Over the last seven matches the Wolf Pack are averaging 3.27 blocks per game. Salaia Salave`a (1.77 bpg), Kellie Burton (1.45 bpg), and Karen Adams (1.16 bpg) have been the top three block producers for the Wolf Pack during the last five matches with 11 players having posted a block during the stretch.
Rice had its best blocking game of the season with 22 total blocks, including eight solos. With the 22 to five block advantage over UTEP, Rice has now out-blocked its opponent 18 times this season. Freshman Tessa Kuykendall tied her career-best nine total blocks with two solos and seven assists. She now has 20 solo blocks on the year, two shy of cracking the top-10 for a season. Lindsey Carter had her seventh double-double of the year with 10 kills and 12 digs. Rice now owns a 2.78 bpg average. The win is Rices fourth straight. This week, the Owls will play at cross-town rival Houston in non-conference action on Nov. 5 before returning to Autry Court to honor their seniors on Saturday, Nov. 15 against Tulsa.
San Jose State freshman Jessie Schull is first in the WAC in digs per game, averaging 4.34 dpg. The rookie has a total of 382 digs this season. Teammate Kimberly Noble is third in the WAC in kills per game, averaging 5.39 kpg. Noble has a total of 474 kills this season. The Spartans have secured a spot in the upcoming WAC Tournament. San Jose State is currently sixth with nine points. The Spartans have one match remaining against No. 2 Hawaii.
SMU will prepare for its last home-stand this season as it takes on Baylor on Nov. 12 and the UTEP Lady Miners on Nov. 15 for Senior Day. Seniors being honored are Allison Holder and Katy Moffett. Both athletes have been with SMU volleyball since the 2000 season when they entered the program as true freshmen. Holder came to SMU from San Antonio, Texas and Moffett is a native of Plano, Texas. The Mustangs are currently 20-6 overall and 10-2 in WAC action. SMU was able to go 2-0 on the road last week to beat both Sam Houston State, 3-1, and Louisiana Tech, 3-0. The Lady Bears won their last match on Nov. 8 against Iowa State in a 3-1 decision. Baylor is 12-16 overall and 4-11 in the Big 12 while earning a 5-6 record on the road. They also named one of their athletes Big 12 player of the week this week. UTEP will visit Moody Coliseum on Nov. 15, as the Mustangs finish off their home-stand. The Lady Miners are 8-20 overall and post a 2-9 WAC record, while going 3-8 on the road.
UTEP wrapped up its home schedule last week with three matches, going 1-2. The week opened Tuesday with a renewal of the Battle of I-10 as New Mexico State downed UTEP in three games for the second time this season. The crowd of 1,507 was the largest crowd to witness a volleyball match at Memorial Gym in school history. The Miners returned to WAC play on Nov. 6 against Rice. UTEP extended its conference games won streak to four games after taking game one from Rice but would go on to lose the next three. Against the Owls, five Miners recorded double-digit digs led by Kari Stacy's 21. Freshman Nina Reeves pounded out a team-high 22 kills in the loss. Senior Day was a must win for the Miners if they were to remain eligible for the WAC postseason tournament. UTEP opened its match with Tulsa by jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the match and a 7-2 lead in game two. But the Golden Hurricane would respond forcing the Miners to score 31 points before taking a two-games-to-none lead in the match. Tulsa would answer taking games three and four to force a fifth game. Tulsa jumped out on the Miners, 7-2, and led, 8-4, as the teams changed sides. But UTEP would rally to win, 15-11, and keep its postseason hopes alive. The Miners are now tied with Tulsa and Louisiana Tech for the seventh seed in the tournament.
Tulsa junior Vanessa Thon moved into the No. 1 spot on the Golden Hurricanes all-time career assist chart. With 866 on the year, Thon has become only the first player in Tulsa history to record over 2,800 assists in a career. She currently stands at 2,818. Former Hurricane Mendy Marsh (1993-96) held the previous mark with 2,569. Thon also ranks second on the career service ace list with 123 aces. She has 38 aces this season. Former Hurricane-great Kristien Van Lierop (1997-00) currently owns the top spot with 130 aces during her career at Tulsa. After leading the conference for most of last season, the Golden Hurricane lead the WAC in service aces per game with a 1.95 average. In 84 games this season, TU has served 164 aces. Tulsa finished the 2002 campaign with a school record 241 service aces and a WAC-best 2.13 average.
PACKING THE STANDS Once again, Hawaii is leading the nation in attendance. The Rainbow Wahine have drawn 123,194 in 14 home matches so far this season for an average of 7,165. The Rainbow Wahine have led the nation in attendance the last eight years. Hawaii also holds 14 of the top 15 single-match highs this season, including the nation's second best, 9,345 fans that saw No. 1 USC defeat No. 2 Hawaii. The attendance for UH's win over Stanford was 8,740 on Sept. 13. On Oct. 4, 8,529 fans saw the Rainbow Wahine sweep Nevada.
2003 Division I Volleyball Attendance
School Avg. Total Matches
1. Hawaii 7,214 129,844 18
2. Nebraska 4,295 47,242 11
3. Wisconsin 4,289 55,757 13
4. Florida 2,653 34,493 13
5. Penn State 2,619 26,189 10
6. Minnesota 2,278 27,331 12
7. Texas A&M 1,926 21,189 11
8. Stanford 1,866 20,522 11
9. Kansas State 1,798 19,775 11
10. North Carolina 1,713 22,266 13