THIS WEEK IN THE WAC ?“ WAC play enters its seventh week with several compelling matchups. Nevada travel to New Mexico State in a battle of 7-4 squads. Both teams are tied for third just behind 7-3 Utah State. Nevada looks to get back on track after suffering three-straight losses. The Wolf Pack also face Louisiana Tech in Ruston. In another great matchup, Idaho, riding a three-match winning streak,s travels to Hawai'i owners of an 11-match winning streak. Hawai'i is the one undefeated team. The Rainbow Wahine moved to 11-0 with two road wins last week.s
Click Here for a PDF of the Week 11 Volleyball Notes
XBOX LIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK ?“s Idaho?™s Sarah Loney has been named the Xbox Live Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 31. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for the freshman. She is the second Vandal to earn Player of the Week honors after Saxony Brown earned the first award of the season.
The West Linn, Ore., native, led the Vandals to two crucial league wins over New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. Loney averaged 4.2 kpg and 2.4 bpg in the two Vandal wins. Against New Mexico State, the middle blocker recorded a career-high 13 kills, while hitting .522. She also added seven blocks in the, 3-1 win. Against Louisiana Tech she added eight kills and five blocks in the sweep. For the season, Loney is hitting .287. Last week, she hit a solid .514 with a total of 21 kills.
Other nominees included: Victoria Prince of Hawai'i had 24 kills and 13 total blocks as the Rainbow Wahine swept both Nevada and Fresno State … Erika Ryan of Nevada averaged 3.67 kills per game and 3.83 points per game as the Wolf Pack lost to first-place Hawai'i … Jordan Bostic of New Mexico State had 48 kills in two matches as the Aggies went 1-1 … Colleen Burke of San Jose State had a season-high 22 kills in a four-game loss to Utah State … Ingrid Roth of Utah State led the Aggies to a 2-0 record last week with 31 kills and 13 total blocks.
CSTV TO TELEVISE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH ?“ The match time for the WAC Championship match has been changed from 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. PT on Nov. 26. The change is due to the fact that College Sports Television (CSTV) will be televising the match live. CSTV televised last year?™s championship match live also.
HEADING INTO THE HOMESTRETCH ?“ With most teams having five to six WAC matches remaining,s it is time to begin looking at seeding for the WAC Tournament. For the first time since 2001, every WAC team will make the tournament. Hawai'i can clinch at least a share of its 10-straight WAC regular season title with two more wins. The last day of the regular season could prove to be very important as San Jose State and Idaho meet in Moscow. Currently both team is 5-5. Second-place Utah State and Nevada, which is currently tied for third, will also meet on Nov. 19 to end the regular season.
TICKETS FOR WAC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT AVAILABLEs ?“ Tickets for the 2005 Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament to be held at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev., from Nov. 24-26 are now on sale. All-session ticket prices are $34 for adults and $19 for senior citizens, children and students. Single-session tickets are also available for $10 for adults and $6 for senior citizens, children and students. Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-225-2277 or on-line at www.tickets.com. WAC fans can also obtain a discounted room rate for the tournament at Circus Circus Hotel by calling 800-894-3588.
BACK IN THE TOP 10 ?“ On the heels of an 11-match winning streak, Hawai'i is back in the top 10 in the AVCA/USA Today top 25. With a brutal non-conference schedule and several injuries in the past, the Rainbow Wahine are back on track. This week, the Rainbow Wahine jumped to No. 9 in both polls. The current top three teams, Nebraska (No. 1), Washington (No. 2) and Penn State (No. 3) were three of the four teams to hand Hawai'i losses this season. Both the Huskers and Huskies are still undefeated this season. New Mexico State received one vote in the RichKern.com top 30.
KAMANA`O MOVES UP TO SECOND IN CAREER ASSISTS ?“ In just her third season at Hawai'i, Kanoe Kamana'o is already climbing the Rainbow Wahine career assists list in the record book, and could possibly move all the way up to No. 1 in career assists this season. Kamana'o moved past Cheri Boyer and Robyn Ah Mow to second on the list after last week. To start last week, she was just 52 behind Cheri Boyers for third, 61 behind Robyn Ah Mow for second and 385 behind Martina Cincerova for first.s With 94 assists last week she now holds the second spot with 4,346. She continues to hold the No. 1 spot for career assists per game (13.67).
ENDURANCE CHAMPIONS ?“ Louisiana Techs has earned almost half of its wins the hard way. Of its 15 wins, seven have come in five-games. The Lady Techsters are 7-3 in five-game matches. Last week, the Lady Techsters lost one of its few five-game matches to Boise State. The Broncos have defeated the Lady Techsters twice in five-game matches.
RAINBOW WAHINE KEEP WINNING STREAK ALIVE ?“ Hawai'i has a lengthy conference winning streak. The Rainbow extended their WAC winning streak to 102-straight matches, becoming just the second team in NCAA history to record 100 consecutive conference wins. It is the longest streak in the nation. The Rainbow Wahine?™s streak became the longest after Florida?™s NCAA-record conference winning streak of 145 was broken last season. The Gators streak ran from Sept. 20, 1995 to Nov. 12, 2004.
MILESTONES ?“ Senior Meghan Brown has already etched her name in the Vandal record books but will add more accolades to her resume during the 2005 season. Brown currently has 1,286 career digs and owns the top spot in that category. Brown needs 1 double-figure dig match to become the all-time leader in that category. Outside hitter Kati Tikker needs one double-figure kill matches this season to enter the top 10 in that category. She currently has 55 career double-figure kill matches. Tikker should also enter the top 10 in career kills this season. She currently has 1,109 kills and needs 30 to reach the No. 10 spot. Junior Saxony Brown currently has 94 career service aces and needs 9 more this season to overtake the No. 10 spot.
PETERSON SETS SCHOOL RECORD ?“ Utah State junior libero Kelsi Peterson set a new school record on Oct.s 5s against Fresno State with 34 digs.s The old school record was 32 digs set by Stacey Blackburn against Cal State Fullerton in a four-game match during the 1994 season.
RAINBOW WAHINE TOPS 100,000 ?“s For the 11th-straight season, Hawai'i leads the nation in attendance. The WAC has another team in the top five with New Mexico State taking the fifth spot. New Mexico State set a school record in attendance on Oct. 1 against Hawai'i when 7,115 packed the stands. It more than doubled their previous school record. There were 3,183 fans in the Pan American Center to see the Aggies season opener on Aug. 29. The Aggies have drawn 16, 768 in six matches.
sHawai'i continues to pack the stands with 108,187 fans packing the Stan Sheriff Center this season for an average of 7,212. The 8,499 that saw Hawai'i?™s match against No. 10 UCLA on Sept. 10 was the sixth-highest attended match in the nation this season. Idaho is 34th in attendance, averaging 929 this season.
AGAINST THE BEST ?“ The WAC is 4-13 against non-conference ranked teams this season. Hawai'i captured the league?™s first win against a top 25 opponent when it swept then No. 7 USC. Hawai'is also has a win against No. 10 UCLA, 3-1. The Rainbow Wahine have two losses to Penn State and a loss to top-ranked Nebraska. Hawai'i also lost twice to No. 2 Washington. Nevada is 1-2 with losses to then-No. 18 San Diego and then-No. 13 UCLA. San Jose State fell to then-No. 10 Wisconsin and then-No. 15 Santa Clara. At the Circus Circus/Molten Invitational, the Wolf Pack defeated then-No. 21 California in five games. Fresno State lost twice to ranked teams at the Santa Clara Tournament to No. 18 UC Santa Barbara and No. 15 Arizona.
WELCOME TO THEs WAC ?“ This season, Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State join the WAC.
sLast year, New Mexico State was 30-3, 15-0 in the Sun Belt and won the conference tournament. The other Aggies, Utah State, were 9-18, 5-13 in the Big West. The Idaho Vandals were 17-13 last season, 9-9 in the Big West.
sBoth New Mexico State and Idaho lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies lost to San Diego in the opening round, while the Vandals lost to Washington in the first round
s In 2003, both Idaho and New Mexico State advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Vandals lost to Hawai'i in Honolulu in the first round. New Mexico State lost to BYU in the first round. The Aggies were a perfect 15-0 in the Sun Belt in 2003.
VOLLEYBALL FORMAT ?“ For the first time since 2001 the WAC will not compete in divisions. The teams competing in the WAC this season are: Boise State, Fresno State, Hawai'i, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico State, San Jose State and Utah State. This season?™s format will be a double-round robin. Each team will face the other eight at home and on the road.
2005 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
November 24 (Quarterfinals)
Match 1 - No. 8 vs. No. 9 ?” 9:30 a.m.s
Match 2 - No. 4 vs. No. 5 ?” 12:00 p.m.
Match 3 - No. 3 vs. No. 6 ?” 2:30 p.m.
Match 4 - No. 2 vs. No. 7 ?” 5:00 p.m.
Match 5 - Winner Match 1 vs. No. 1 ?” 7:30 p.m.
November 25 (Semifinals)
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4 ?” 4:00 p.m.
Match 7 - Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 5 ?” 6:30 p.m.
November 26 (Championship)
Match 8 - Winner Match 6 vs. Winner Match 7 ?” 5:00 p.m. (CSTV)
REGIONAL SITES SET ?“ The 2005 NCAA Volleyball Championship will be the 25th. The NCAA Division I Women?™s Volleyball Committee has announced the following sites for regional competition of the 2005 NCAA Division I Women?™s Volleyball Championships. The first sight is the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., along with thes Recreation Building in University Park, Pa.; the Maples Pavillion in Stanford, Calif., and the G. Rollie White Coliseum in College Station, Texas. The University ofs Nebraska, Penn State University, Stanford University and Texas A&M University are the hosts for the regionals, which will be held December 8-11. The first and second rounds will be held December 1-4 in sites yet to be determined. The Final Four will be held December 15-17 in San Antonio, Texas.
Boise State Broncos (6-12, 2-9 WAC)
After 18 matches, the Broncos?™ top three hitters ares senior Telia Peterson (2.95 kills per game), junior Cameron Flunders (3.75 kpg), and freshman Jeanette Jenkins (2.76 kpg) ... Peterson also averages 2.75 digs per game ... Flunder averages 0.94 digs, 0.79 blocks and 0.41 aces ... sophomore Ki Eveland averages 7.24 assists and 1.61 digs ... junior libero Jackie Stroud averages 3.46 digs per game ... this week, the Broncos will take to the road and travel to Fresno State ... the Bulldogs are also 2-9 in WAC matches ... the Broncos also take on Utah State in Logan, Utah.
Fresno State Bulldogs (4-17, 2-9 WAC)
The Bulldogs finish up their home slate this week by hosting two matches ... first up for Fresno State is a chance to improve its WAC position by hosting the Boise State Broncos, who are locked for a three-way tie for seventh place in the conference with Fresno State and Louisiana Tech, as all three teams currently stand at 2-9 in conference play ...s in the new-look WAC, all nine teams are eligible for thes tournament, with the eighth and ninth-place teams participating in a play-in game before an eight-team single elimination tournament.
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (17-6, 11-0 WAC)
The team extended their WAC winning streak to 102 consecutive matches ... the Rainbow Wahine have now won 27 consecutive games since losing the first two at New Mexico State on Oct.1 ... Hawai'i has swept eight-straight matches and has won all 11 of its WAC matches this season ...s setters Kanoe Kamana'os had a great week, averaging 15.67 apg with 2.00 dpg and 1.33 bpg ... the Rainbow Wahine hold the No. 1 and the No. 2 spots in the WAC in hitting percentage with Victoria Prince hitting first (.408) followed by Juliana Sanders (.359) ... Prince is also first in blocks per game (1.57) in her second season in the league after transferring from Washington State.
Idaho Vandals (13-10, 5-5 WAC)
The UI volleyball team increased its all-time record to597-446 last weekend and need just three more wins this season to give the program 600 wins all-time ... Saxony Brown currently ranks fifth in the WAC in assists with an average of 11.64 per game and seventh in aces with 0.31 per game ... Sarah Loney is fourth in blocks with 1.22 per game 10th in hitting percentage with a .287 percent ... Stacy Sode ranks ninth in digs with 3.51 per game and Haley Larsen ranks ninth in kills with 3.53 per game ... as a team the Vandals rank third in the WAC in digs per game with 15.70.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (15-12, 2-9 WAC)
Louisiana Tech lost its second-straight five-game match to Boise State ... despite the loss the Lady Techsters are still 7-3 in five-game matches this season ...s Louisiana Tech has already doubled its conference win total from last season, standing at 15-12 overall and 2-9 in the WAC ... last season, the Lady Techsters won only six total matches and one in league play.
Nevada Wolf Pack (13-9, 7-4 WAC)
Nevada has lost three-straight matches for the second time this season ... the Wolf Pack also lost three-straight matches to UCLA, Sacramento State and LMU on Sept 9-10 ... this week, the Wolf Pack look to get back on tracks on the road against New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech ... senior Salaia Salave`a is second in the WAC in points scored, averaging 4.68 ppg ... she has a total of 365.0 points ... junior Ashley Miller has stepped into the setter spot nicely ... Miller is third in assists per game, averaging 12.05 ... Miller has 64 assists against Utah State on Oct. 15.
New Mexico State Aggies (14-5, 7-4 WAC)
The Aggies had their six-match winning streak stopped by red-hot Idaho in Moscow last week ... New Mexico State got back on track on Oct. 29 with a win over Boise State ... this week, the Aggies return home to face Nevada ... the Wolf Pack and Aggies are tied for third place in the WAC ... New Mexico State also hosts San Jose State ... junior Tanya Allen is still first in the WAC in service aces per game, averaging 0.52 ... Allen has a total of 34 aces ...s sophomore Kim Oguh is third in the WAC behind Hawai'i?™s Victoria Prince and Juliana Sanders ... Oguh is hitting .354.
San Jose State Spartans (10-12, 5-5 WAC)
Sophomore Jennifer Senftleben had a season-high 26 kills in the Spartans win over Fresno State ... Senftleben is now second in the WAC in kills per game (4.09) ... she has a total of 348 total killls behind Utah State?™s Zuzana Cernianska?™s 428 total kills ... freshman Colleen Burke had a hard hitting week last week ...s the middle blocker had 32 kills and hit .407 as the Spartans went 1-1 last week ... she had a season-high 22 kills in a loss to Utah State but still hit .447 ... junior Jessie Shull is second in digs per game (4.78) ... she is first in the WAC in total digs with 406.
Utah State Aggies (15-9, 7-3 WAC)
This week, the Aggies will take on former Big West foes Idaho and Boise State ... Utah State is 13-10 all-time against Idaho, which includes a 9-4 record at home ... the last time the two teams met was on Oct. 1, 2005 in Moscow with the Aggies recording a four-game win ... overall, USU has won seven of the last nine matches played in the series, including six straight at home ... Utah State is 6-14 all-time against Boise State, but has won six straight matches in the series including a three-game win in Boise earlier this year ... Utah State is 3-3 all-time at home against the Broncos ... the last time the two teams met in Logan was on Nov. 23, 2001 with USU notching a three-game win.
s
s