PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Hawai?i setter Kanoe Kamana`o has been named the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 19. This is the second career WAC Player of the Week for the senior, having been named player of the week once in 2004.
The Honolulu, O’ahu (Iolani School) native, had a great week, coming off a weekend where she missed the first two matches of her collegiate career. Kamana`o averaged 13.40 assists, 0.70 kills, 3.10 digs. She also averaged 0.60 blocks per game in the two five-game matches. The Rainbow Wahine split five-game matches with No. 23 Cal Poly. She posted 65 assists and 18 digs against the Mustangs on Sept. 14. In the next match she had 69 assists, 13 digs, five blocks, five kills and a .667 hitting percentage on Sept. 15. The 69 assists were the most in the WAC this season. The senior is now averaging 12.83 assists, 2.67 digs, and 0.60 blocks per game, while hitting .383 on the season. Kamana?o, who is already the school’s career assists leader (5,282), moved into ninth in career digs (1,023) and 10th in career block assists (315) last weekend.
Other nominees included: Jackie Stroud of Boise State was named to the Bronco Invitational all-tournament team after averaging 4.83 dpg in two matches... Alison Pitton had 22 kills and 38 digs as the Bulldogs went 1-1 last week ...KC Clayton of Louisiana Tech had 35 kills and 18 blocks ... Tristin Johnson of Nevada had 68 assists and 17 digs for the Wolf Pack last week, as Nevada went 2-0 ... Jackie Choi had 111 assists in three matches as the Aggies moved to 14-0 this season ... Jennifer Senftleben of San Jose State recorded her 1,000th career kill against CS Northridge. She had 66 kills and 29 digs as the Spartans went 2-2 last week ... Kelsi Peterson of Utah State had 18 kills and 88 digs as the Aggies went 2-3 last week.
WEEK FIVE IN THE WAC ? WAC play starts this week with New Mexico State putting its 14-match winning streak on the line. The Aggies host Idaho and Boise State. Hawai?i will host Fresno State. Nevada will host San Jose State. Utah State will host Fresno State and San Jose State. Louisiana Tech will play host to Idaho and Boise State.
NEW MEXICO STATE EARNS RANKING ? After winning its third tournament of the season, the New Mexico State volleyball team (14-0) is ranked No. 24 in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll, which the organization released Sept 18. Hawai?i remains ranked this week taking the No. 15 ranking
This marks the first time in school history the Aggies have been ranked and head coach Mike Jordan said he was pleased with the announcement. New Mexico State had received votes in all three previous polls this season and the team is off to its best start in school history. The Aggies just returned from Brookings, S.D., where they swept Lamar, South Dakota State and North Dakota State in the Jackrabbit Invitational, Sept. 15-16. Sophomore middle hitter Amber Simpson was named tournament most valuable player while senior setter Jackie Choi and outside hitter Alice Borden joined her on the all-tournament team. Hawai?i remains ranked, this week earning a ranking of No. 15. The Rainbow Wahine split matches with now No. 21-ranked Cal Poly. Hawai?i welcomed back two-time WAC Player of the Year Kanoe Kamana`o, who played sparingly last week.
SAN JOSE STATE’S SENFTLEBEN’S REACHES MILESTONE ? San Jose State junior outside hitter Jennifer Senftleben recorded her 1,000th career kill Saturday night, but the Spartan could not rally late as CS Northridge won the SJSU Hyatt Invitational, 27-30, 25-30, 30-28, 33-31, 15-8, Saturday night at Spartan Gym.
With 24 kills in the match, Senftleben became the 10th Spartan in school history to record 1,000 kills in her career. She now has 1,008 in two and a half seasons. Senftleben had a double-double in the match as she added 12 digs for the Spartans.
WAC IN THE NCAA STATS ? Several WAC players earned a spot in the top 10 in the most recent NCAA stats. Hawai?i’s Jamie Houston is eighth in the nation in kills per game, averaging 5.15 kpg. New Mexico State’s Amber Simpson is ninth in the nation in hitting percentage (.464). As a team, New Mexico State tied for first in win-loss percentage (1.000). The Aggies are one of 11 teams that are undefeated this season.
IN THE POLLS ? For the first time since the final poll in 2001, the WAC has two teams ranked in the AVCA/CSTV poll. Hawai?i has been ranked all season, taking the No. 15 spot this week. New Mexico State breaks into the polls this week, taking the No. 24 spot. In 2001, Hawai?i ended the season ranked No. 13, while San Jose State ended the year ranked No. 24.
SAN JOSE STATE’S SHULL BREAKS WAC RECORD ? San Jose State senior libero Jessie Shull broke her own WAC record with 47 digs in a five-game loss to Santa Clara on Sept. 2. Shull initially set the record again on Nov. 3, 2004 with 42 against Fresno State. Shull is first in the WAC in digs per game, averaging 6.70. She is second in total digs with 134 just behind Louisiana Tech’s Brittany Nakamura.
FAMILIAR FACES? When Utah State faces No. 24 Utah on Sept. 8, the Aggies will see a few familiar faces. Utah assistant coach Burt Fuller spent five years (2001-05) as the head coach at Utah State, leading the Aggies to an 82-70 (.539) record and trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and 2005. Fellow Utah assistant coach, Heather Olmstead, was a four-year starter on Utah State’s volleyball team (1998-2001) and earned first-team all-Big West honors in 2001. Olmstead later served as an assistant coach at Utah State for three years (2003-05). Olmstead’s brother, Shawn, is now an assistant coach at Utah State after playing volleyball at Brigham Young University (2001-2004).
PETERSON HOLDS CAREER DIGS RECORD AT UTAH STATE ? Senior libero Kelsi Peterson is Utah State’s career leader in digs with 1,203. She also holds the school’s single-season record with 510 digs set during the 2005 season. Those 510 digs (3.78 dpg) were the second-most in the Western Athletic Conference in 2005, while 3.78 digs per game average ranked seventh in the league. Thus far this year, Peterson is averaging 4.20 digs per game, which ranks sixth in the WAC.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME ? Due to multi-million dollar renovations to the Pan American Center, New Mexico State will be displaced for its home matches this season. With the Pan American Center still undergoing renovations, the Aggies are playing their home matches at Las Cruces High School.
VOLLEYBALL FORMAT ? For the second-straight year the WAC will not compete in divisions. This season’s format will be a double-round robin. Each team will face the other eight at home and on the road. All nine teams will compete in the WAC Volleyball Tournament.
2006 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
November 22 (Quarterfinals)
Match 1 - No. 8 vs. No. 9
Match 2 - No. 4 vs. No. 5
Match 3 - No. 3 vs. No. 6
Match 4 - No. 2 vs. No. 7
Match 5 - Winner Match 1 vs. No. 1
November 23 (Semifinals)
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4
Match 7 - Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 5
November 24 (Championship)
Match 8 - Winner Match 6 vs. Winner Match 7
FREQUENT FLIER MILES ? New Mexico State sophomore middle blocker Amber Simpson spent her summer vacation playing volleyball in Argentina as a member of the Bring It Promotions All-Frosh USA Select Team. Simpson joined some of the best collegiate freshman from around the country. Team USA played matches in Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Freyre, Cordoba, Nogoya, Villaguay, Diamante and Ramallo. Simpson had a breakout season for the Aggies, earning WAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2005.
WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO LAWLOR ? For the second-straight season, the WAC Volleyball Tournament will be played at the Lawlor Events Center on the campus of the University of Nevada. This is the fifth-straight year that the WAC Tournament has been played in Reno. Before playing in the Lawlor Events Center, the tournament was played in the regular season home of the Wolf Pack, Viriginia Street Gym.
HAWAI?I TO HOST VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL ? Hawai?i will host one of the four 2006 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Regionals, on Dec. 8 and 9. The other three sites will be Seattle, Wash. (University of Washington), Austin, Texas (University of Texas), and Gainesville, Fla. (University of Florida). Hawai?i will be hosting a regional for the second time since the NCAA switched to predetermined regional sites in 2003, and the eighth time overall. UH last hosted a regional in 2003, when the Rainbow Wahine defeated Illinois and Georgia Tech to advance to the NCAA Championships.
UH has hosted at least one NCAA match in 16 of the 24 NCAA tournaments they have qualified for, but haven’t had an NCAA match in Honolulu in the past two seasons. Hawai?i has led the country in attendance every year since moving into the Stan Sheriff Center in 1994, averaging over 7,000 fans a match in the 11 years at the facility. In the 2003 Honolulu Regional, each session drew crowds in excess of 9,000.
FAMILY AFFAIR? San Jose State’s Jessie Shull is not the only libero in her family. Her younger sister Jenny is in her third season as the libero for the Duke Blue Devils. Jenny, an honorable mention All-American last season, currently has 67 digs, 6.70 dpg and was named the Outstanding Libero of the Duke Invitational last weekend. The two sisters have an older brother, Jimmy, who was drafted and signed by the Oakland Athletics, in the fourth round of the 2005 MLB Draft.
Boise State Broncos (6-6, 0-0 WAC)
Boise State opens its Western Athletic Conference season next week with a road trip to Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State ... the Broncos were 3-13 in conference matches last season ... the Broncos are only two wins away from tying last season’s win total ... new coach, Robin Davis, has led the Broncos to six wins already this season ... Boise State’s Cameron Flunder is fifth in the WAC in hitting percentage (.349) ... sophomore Mandy Klein is fifth in the WAC in assists, averaging 9.69 apg.
Fresno State Bulldogs (2-9, 0-0 WAC)
After facing tough competition for the past four weeks the Bulldogs get back on the winning track by defeating UC Davis in five (30-28,33-31,15-30,28-30,17-15) ... Fresno State’s head coach Ruben Nieves is watching his team come together and feels it was a great win for his squad ... Fresno State felt it needed to get the win last week to carry momentum into conference play this week ... the Bulldogs had a tremendous amount of contribution from all members on the team ... Fresno State will now travel to Logan, Utah and play Utah State on Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m. and Hawai?i on Sept. 23 in Honolulu at 7:00 p.m. to play its first conference matches.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (6-4, 0-0 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine defeated Fairfield and Northwestern at the Waikiki Beach Mariott Volleyball Challenge, before falling to No. 8 Stanford in three games ... Hawai?i’s All-American setter Kanoe Kamana`o contines to play sparingly due to injury ... sophomore Jamie Houston is first in the WAC in kills per game, averaging 5.03 kpg ... as a team, the Rainbow Wahine are first in the league in assists (14.86 apg) and second in blocks (2.98 bpg).
Idaho Vandals (1-9, 0-0 WAC)
Idaho won its first match of the season with a win against the Pac-10’s Washington State ... the Vandals had lost nine-straight matches before the win ... Kelsey James is seventh in the WAC in assists (8.80 apg) ... senior Erin Curtis is ninth in the WAC in blocks, averaging 1.00 bpg ... Stacy Sode is third in the WAC in digs, averaging 4.74 ... this week, the Vandals, travel to New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (5-11, 0-0 WAC)
The Louisiana Tech Lady Techster volleyball team will return home to play host to the University of Texas-Arlington in the Thomas Assembly Center Sept. 12, at 7:00 p.m. ... Louisiana Tech had its four-match winning streak snapped this past weekend at the Tiger Invitational on the campus of the University of Memphis ... the Lady Techsters won the first match against Lipscomb before losing three consecutive afterward.
Nevada Wolf Pack (6-5, 0-0 WAC)
WAC play begins on Thursday with four matches throughout the conference ... Nevada, begins its seventh season in the conference by hosting San Jose State in its only conference match of the weekend at 7:00 p.m. ... the Pack are 6-0 in WAC openers and 6-6 versus SJSU in conference action ... in the preseason WAC coaches poll the Wolf Pack were picked to finish third behind the 10-time regular season champion Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine and New Mexico State who finished tied for second a year ago ... UH received eight first-place votes to total 64 points in the poll while NMSU garnered the other first-place vote and totaled 57 points.
New Mexico State Aggies (14-0, 0-0 WAC)
New Mexico State is off to its best start in program history with a 14-0 start ... after winning its third tournament of the season, the New Mexico State volleyball team (14-0) is ranked No. 24 in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll, which the organization released Sept 18 ... Amber Simpson leads the team with a .464 hitting percentage and 68 blocks ... she also ranks first in the WAC in hitting percentage. Borden paces the Aggies with 178 kills, while Choi has a team-high 571 assists.
San Jose State Spartans (9-4, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State junior outside hitter Jennifer Senftleben recorded her 1,000th career kill ... Colleen Burke is fourth in the WAC in hitting percentage (.354) ... Niki Clement is sixth, hitting .348 ... Jennifer Senftleben is fifth in the WAC in kills per game (3.84 kpg) ... San Jose State takes on Nevada and Utah State ... last season, the Spartans were 7-9 in conference play.
Utah State Aggies (7-7, 0-0 WAC)
Utah State will begin a season-long four-match homestand this week as it opens WAC play against Fresno State (2-9) on Thur., Sept. 21 and against San Jose State (9-4) on Sat., Sept. 23 ... both matches will begin at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum ... Utah State is 4-4 all-time against Fresno State, which includes a 2-1 record at home ... USU won two of the three meetings with the Bulldogs last season including a three-game win at home and a four-game win in the first round of the 2005 WAC Tournament ... San Jose State is 9-4 on the season following a pair of three-game wins against Utah Valley State and Harvard, and a five-game loss to Cal State Northridge last weekend.