PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Hawai?i left-side hitter Jamie Houston was named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 4. This is the fifth career WAC Player of the Week for the junior and her second honor of the 2007 season.
The Huntsville, Ala., (Huntsville) native, continued her hot streak, posting 6.33 kills and 3.38 digs per game while hitting .309 in wins over Nevada and Fresno State. The Rainbow Wahine swept both the Wolf Pack and the Bulldogs on the road to secure its 12th-straight WAC regular season title. She hit .410 with 21 kills and eight digs at Nevada (Nov. 1), then posted 17 kills and 15 digs at Fresno State (Nov. 2). In her last four matches, Houston has hit .377 with 6.17 kills, 3.17 digs and 0.92 blocks per game. She has raised her season numbers to 5.41 kills, 2.56 digs and 0.77 blocks per game. Houston also moved to No. 7 on the Hawai?i career kills list.
Other nominees included: Angela Wiggins of Fresno State had 27 kills in two Bulldog losses ... Samantha Crowder of Louisiana Tech had 14 kills and 10 blocks last week ... Kim Oguh of New Mexico State had 36 kills and 16 blocks in three WAC wins last week ... Karly Sipherd of Nevada had 53 kills as the Wolf Pack went 2-1 last week ... Melissa Osterloh of Utah State led the Aggies to a 1-1 record last week with 24 kills and 20 digs.
FINAL WEEK OF WAC ACTION ? In the final week of WAC action, several seeds in the upcoming WAC Tournament are still up for grabs. Hawai?i has secured the No. 1 seed, while host New Mexico State will be the No. 2 seed. A loss by New Mexico State on Nov. 8 would make Louisiana Tech the No. 9 seed for the third-straight season. The remaining seeds will be decided this week. Fresno State will host Idaho and will end the season against New Mexico State. Utah State face both Nevada and No. 10 Hawai?i. The Rainbow Wahine will also host San Jose State in the final week.
HAWAI?I CLINCHES WAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE ? With Head Coach Dave Shoji missing the match with a stomach flu, the No. 11 University of Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (20-4, 14-0 WAC) swept the Fresno State Bulldogs (5-21, 3-11) 30-26, 30-25 and 30-23, clinching their 12th-straight Western Athletic Conference title, at the Save Mart Center.
Many of UH’s players had contracted the same stomach flu that kept Shoji in Reno. The team was also delayed for two hours on the flight from Reno to San Francisco, before flying over to Fresno for the match. The team finally got into their hotel just three hours before match time.
Aneli Cubi-Otineru played through, hitting .385 with 14 kills and 13 digs. Jamie Houston added 17 kills and 15 digs while Elizabeth Ka`aihue led all players with 16 digs. Juliana Sanders put up nine kills and six blocks while Tara Hittle had six kills, 11 digs and three blocks.
IN THE POLLS ? New Mexico State remained at No. 13 this week after three sweeps last week. In both polls, Hawai?i moved up to No. 10. The Aggies have won 11 of the last 13 matches with their last two losses coming at the hands of the Rainbow Wahine. The No. 13 ranking is the highest NMSU has ever been ranked. This is the second consecutive year NMSU has reached the top-25, getting as high as No. 19 in 2006. They finished the 2006-year at No. 23, while entering the 2007 season receiving votes, as they have done all season.
WAC IN THE TOP TEN ? No. 20 New Mexico State ranks seventh in the nation in both assists (16.61 apg) and ninth kills (17.01 kpg). Nebraska leads the nation in both categories, with 16.82 apg and 17.97 kpg, respectively. Hawai?i’s Jamie Houston is third in kills per game (5.41 kpg). Idaho’s Haley Larson is fifth in the nation in kills, averaging 5.31 per game.
NEVADA’S BALDWIN LEADS WAC IN BLOCKING ? Wolf Pack freshman middle blocker Lindsay Baldwin is currently leading the Western Athletic Conference in blocking with an average of 1.52 per game. The Hillsborough, Calif. product ranks second in WAC only matches in blocking averaging 1.62 per game. Twice this season on the road she had totaled 13 blocks in a match, last week at Sacramento State and earlier this season at Idaho. On the season she has posted two double-doubles with 10 kills and13 blocks at Idaho and 11 kills and 12 blocks at New Mexico State. She has four of the top 10 blocking matches in the WAC this season with her two 13 kill performances being tied for second, the 12 kill outing is tied for fifth, and her 10 kills at home versus Idaho is 10th.
PACKING THE STANDS ? Hawai?i continues to lead the nation in attendance. The Rainbow Wahine have led the nation in attendance since 1995. Hawai?i has drawn 97,42 4fans so far this season for an average of 6,495 fans. New Mexico State is 18th in the nation attendance with a total of 17,653 fans for an average of 1,765. Last week’s battle between Hawai?i and New Mexico State in Honolulu drew 7,538 fans which was the eighth highest crowd this season.
AGGIE VISION ? With great success, Aggie Vision has provided three matches on television for New Mexico State volleyball. The first match televised was on Sept. 4 against New Mexico, the second came on Sept. 11 versus UTEP, while the third was on Sept. 27 against Boise State. Future matches that will be televised include the following: Louisiana Tech at NMSU on Oct. 11 at 7:00 p.m.; Nevada at NMSU on Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m. All times are mountain times.
UTAH STATE LEADS THE WAC AND RANKS 26TH NATIONALLY IN BLOCKING ? Utah State continues to lead the Western Athletic Conference in blocking this year and is now averaging 3.02 blocks per game. In league only matches, USU is leading the WAC with 3.64 blocks per game. As of Oct. 28, USU ranked 26th nationally with 3.03 blocks per game. Last year, USU averaged 2.86 blocks per game which ranked third in the WAC and USU finished the 2005 season by averaging 2.81 blocks per game, which also ranked third in the WAC.
SIPHERD REACHES 500 CAREER BLOCKS IN RECORD SETTING MATCH ? Nevada senior middle blocker Karly Sipherd had a career match last Tuesday at Sacramento State with 29 kills, nine blocks and a .490 attack percentage. Sipherd headed into the match needing five blocks to reach 500 for her career and surpassed that total after finishing with nine. Her 512 total blocks ranks second in school history to former teammate Salaia Salave`a’S(2002-05) 540 as the two are the only players in school history to reach the 500 career plateau. In the match she had two solo blocks which moved her into eighth place in that career category with 49 since putting on the Silver & Blue. She also moved into third place on the career list in points after last week’s three match and now has 1,414.5.
In the Sac State match she also set three personal match highs with the 29 kills, 51 total attempts, and 34.5 points. The 29 kills is tied for the ninth best total by a Nevada player in school history. Earlier this season she became the career leader in block assists moving past Salave`a into first and currently has amassed 463. Sipherd’s 1,104 kills ranks ninth in school history and she is sixth in attack percentage(.273) on Nevada’s career lists..
TICKETS ON SALE FOR WAC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT ? Tickets for the 2007 Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament are now on sale to the public. The volleyball tournament is Nov. 15-17 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. It is the first time that the volleyball tournament has been held in Las Cruces after being in Reno for five-straight years.
For all-session tickets, there will be an "Early Bird" promotion (20% off regular price) until Sept 30, 2007. Ticket prices during this promotion are $20 for adults and $16 for senior citizens (age 65 and over) and $8 for children (18 and under) for an all-session pass (eight matches; four sessions).
Beginning Oct 1, 2007 the regular price all-session tickets and single-session tickets will be available. All-session tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for children. All seats are general admission. Single session tickets are also available for $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens and $4 for children.
All-session tickets for the volleyball tournament may be purchased by calling 1-866-672-8524 or calling the Pan American Center Ticket Office at 505-646-1420. Single-session tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster.com (there is an additional service charge for Ticketmaster online sales). Single-session tickets are also available by calling 915-544-8444 or 505-532-2060. Pan American Ticket Office hours are Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.? 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. ? 2:00 p.m.
NEVADA’S ERICSON APPEARS IN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FACES IN THE CROWD ? Nevada senior outside hitter Teal Ericson has added another honor after being named the Oct. 15 Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National and WAC Player of the Week as she appears in the lastest issue of Sports Illustrated in the Faces in the Crowd section. In the Wolf Pack’s match against Fresno State, Ericson hit .500 on 24 kills, while also tallying three digs and one block assist in the 3-0 win. Against Utah State, she garnered 14 kills, three digs and three block assists to lead her team to its second sweep in a row. She combined for 38 kills on the weekend, moving her into fourth on the Wolf Pack’s all-time kills list with 1,348. For the week, Ericson averaged a .433 hitting percentage, 6.33 kills and 6.67 points per game. Ericson is the second player from Nevada to earn the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week honors, and the first since Michele More on September 3, 2002. The WAC honor was the third for Ericson with the other two coming last season.
VOLLEYBALL FORMAT ? For the third-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.
2007 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
November 15 (Quarterfinals)
Match 1 - No. 8 vs. No. 9, 9:30 a.m.
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 16 (Semifinals)
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 5:00 p.m.
Match 7 - Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 5, 7:30 p.m.
November 17 (Championship)
Match 8 - Winner Match 6 vs. Winner Match 7, 7:00 p.m.
NEW MEXICO STATE TO HOST WAC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT - The Western Athletic Conference announced, that pending board approval, New Mexico State University will host the 2007 WAC Volleyball Tournament, Nov. 15-17 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.
The 2007 Volleyball Tournament marks the third time New Mexico State has hosted a WAC Championship in the past nine months. In March, the Aggies hosted the 2007 WAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships and this April, the University Golf Course hosted the 2007 WAC Women’s Golf Championships.
Throughout the week, WAC teams and fans were treated to a variety of cultural events that showcased what the state of New Mexico and the city of Las Cruces are all about, including Native American and Hispanic Culture Days. Fans also had the chance to experience the newly-renovated Pan American Center first hand, including new concourses, concession stands, restrooms and a brand new center-hung scoreboard, which hangs above Lou Henson Court.
REGIONAL SITES SELECTED - The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee has announced the following sites for regional competition of the 2007 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships.
Regionals (4) December 7-8, 2007
Host: University of Florida
Stephen C. O’Connell Center
Gainesville, Florida
Host: Pennsylvania State University
Rec Hall
University Park, Pennsylvania
Host: Stanford University
Maples Pavilion
Stanford, California
Host: University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Field House
Madison, Wisconsin
Boise State Broncos (4-17, 1-10 WAC)
It was senior night at Bronco Gym and the Boise State volleyball team sent its seniors out on a high note as the Broncos swept Louisiana Tech in three with scores of 30-23, 30-23 and 26-30, Saturday ... in each of the Broncos victories at home this season, they have swept their opponents in three games, posting wins over UTSA and Cal State Fullerton ... offensively, Maren Ericson led the attack for the Broncos as she tallied 13 kills, while Tiffany Starring led the seniors with 11 kills, eight digs, four assists, three aces and a pair of blocks ... the Broncos end the regular season at Idaho on Nov. 10
Fresno State Bulldogs (5-21, 3-11 WAC)
With seven solo blocks and 16 block assists the Fresno State volleyball team had a new school record 15 total blocks for a three-game match against No. 11 Hawai’i in WAC play Friday night in the Save Mart Center ... the Bulldogs fought hard in front of a crowd of over 1,300 fans, but fell by game scores of 26-30, 25-30 and 23-30 ... three Bulldogs had new career-high block solos tonight including Kelly Leonardo (3), Alisha McKee (2) and Kasey Van Grouw (2) ... Lisa Gera is second in the WAC in digs per game, averaging 5.10 dpg.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (20-4, 14-0 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine are ranked No. 10 in both the CSTV/AVCA Coaches and RichKern.com top 25 polls this week ... Hawai?i has enjoyed a successful run of 223-consecutive weeks in the poll, dating back to 1992, appearing in 357 of the 361 (.989) polls all-time ... UH is third in poll appearances, behind only Nebraska and Stanford, who have both appeared in all 361 polls ... Juliana Sanders is third in the WAC in hitting percentage (.333) ... teammate Jamie Houston is eighth in the conference in hitting (.255) ... Houston is first in the WAC in kills per game (5.41 kpg), passing Idaho’s Haley Larsen.
Idaho Vandals (11-14, 7-7 WAC)
Haley Larsen is ranked No. 5 in the nation for kills per game (5.37) this week ... she has been ranked in the top five for nine consecutive weeks and was ranked as high as No. 2 earlier this season ... the Vandals hold a 50-33 overall record at Memorial Gym under current head coach Debbie Buchanan, including a 34-16 mark at home since 2003 ... Haley Larsen has 10+ kills in 23 of her 24 matches this season. Her season high is 35 kills at UC Davis (Sept. 8) ... her game at Hawai`i (Sept. 14) was her only contest with less than 10 kills (eight).
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (6-22, 1-14 WAC)
Shannon Phillips is tied fourth in double-doubles with 12 ... Kristen Fairbanks has 11 double-doubles this season, while Jillann Walker has eight ... Phillips is also fifth in the WAC in kills per game, averaging 4.26 kpg ... with another WAC loss, the Lady Techsters will be the ninth seed in the WAC Tournament for the third-straight season ... Louisiana Tech closes out the season at home against No. 13 New Mexico State.
Nevada Wolf Pack (14-9, 10-5 WAC)
Nevada started last week with a five-game win over Sacramento State in a non-conference match up ... after the win over the Hornets the Wolf Pack lost to No. 10 Hawai?i ... Nevada rebounded with another tough five-game win over a California school this time taking out an Jose State ... Nevada will closed out the 2007 regular season with two road matches this week ... the Pack’s final WAC match is at Utah State(15-12, 9-5 WAC) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. followed by a non-conference contest at Utah Valley University(18-9) Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
New Mexico State Aggies (22-4, 12-2 WAC)
The Aggies earned the second seed in the WAC Tournament for the second-straight season ... New Mexico State swept three matches last week against non-conference rival UTEP, Boise and Idaho ... as a team, New Mexico State is ninth in kills per game, averaging 17.01 kpg ... the Aggies are seventh in assists, averaging 15.76 apg ... libero Krystal Torres is 40th in the nation in digs per game, averaging 5.48 dpg .. the Aggies are set to host their first WAC Tournament.
San Jose State Spartans (12-12, 6-7 WAC)
This week, the Spartans play their final Western Athletic Conference match of the season at No. 10 Hawai?i ... the two teams will play this Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu ... first serve is set for 7:00 p.m. HST/9:00 p.m. ... San Jose State enters the week with a 13-13 overall record and a 7-8 WAC mark ... the team split a pair of matches last week, winning at Fresno State, 3-1, last Thursday, but falling at Nevada, 2-3, Saturday evening ... No. 10 Hawai?i clinched its 12th-consecutive WAC title with a win at Fresno State last Friday evening.
Utah State Aggies (15-12, 9-5 WAC)
Utah State went 1-1 last week with a four-game win against Utah and a three-game loss at Utah Valley ... Amanda Nielson led USU against the Utes as she recorded 25 kills, while Monarisa Ale added a career-high 17 kills ... Utah State hit .312 in the match as compared to a .274 hitting percentage for Utah ... against Utah Valley, Nielson led the team with 14 kills, while Melissa Osterloh added 11 kills and 10 digs ... the Wolverines finished the match by hitting .236, while USU hit .095 ... Utah State’s six-match winning streak was snapped at Utah Valley on Thursday as USU lost to the Wolverines in three games.