HAWAI?I’S HERRING EARNS
WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Hawai?i freshman outside
hitter Kanani Herring has been named Western Athletic Conference
Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 15-21. This is the first
WAC Player of the Week honor for Herring.
The Oahu, Ha wai?i
(Kamehameha Schools), native averaged 4.93 points, 4.57 kills, 4.57 digs and
0.57 blocks per set while hitting .367 as she led the Rainbow Wahine to a 2-0
record to start WAC play. The freshman started the weekend with 22 kills and 17
digs while hitting .409 vs. Idaho.
She then added another double-double with 10 kills and 15 digs vs. Boise State.
Herring is hitting .305 on the season with 3.71 kills and 3.47 digs per set.
She has posted six double-doubles this season, including three in the last
three matches played.
Other nominees included:
Elizabeth Griffin of Boise State had a match-high 11 kills against
Hawai?i ... Lauren Berger of Fresno State had a career-high 13 kills on
.478 hitting vs. Louisiana Tech ... Nevada’s Lindsay Baldwin averaged
2.75 kills, 1.12 blocks and 1.00 digs as the Pack went 1-1 on the week ... Krista
Altermatt of New Mexico State led the Aggies to consecutive sweeps as she
averaged 3.67 kills per set ... Utah State’s Katie Astle helped lead the
Aggies to a 2-0 record, posted a career-high 10 kills vs. San Jose State and
hit .467 on the week.
HAWAI?I LEADS NATION IN
KILLS, ASSISTS
In the most recent NCAA
statistics (Sept. 22), the Rainbow Wahine are tops in the nation in kills and
assists per set, with averages of 15.03 and 14.05, respectively.
THREE TEAMS UNDEFEATED
IN WAC PLAY
After the first weekend
of conference play, three teams remain undefeated in WAC play. Hawai?i and New
Mexico State are both 2-0, while Utah State is 1-0, having defeated San Jose
State in five sets last Saturday.
WAC PLAYERS IN BLOCKING
TOP 50
Five WAC players are
currently ranked in the Top 50 nationally in blocks per set - Amber Simpson, New Mexico State, 5th (1.50), Anna McKinney, Idaho, 10th
(1.43), Lydia Blaha, Boise State, 34th (1.26), Whitney Woods, New
Mexico State, 41st (1.24) and KC Clayton, Louisiana Tech, 49th (1.21).
Boise State Broncos (3-8, 1-1 WAC)
Boise State went 1-1 last week,
sweeping San Jose State (25-20, 25-22, 25-20) last Thursday before being swept
by Hawai?i (11-25, 18-25, 27-29) on Saturday ... The win over San Jose State
was the Broncos’ first since 2004, breaking a six-match winning streak by the
Spartans ... Elizabeth Griffin had a match-high 11 kills against the Rainbow
Wahine.
Fresno State Bulldogs (4-7, 1-1 WAC)
Fresno State went 1-1 in the WAC opening weekend on
the road, falling 0-3 to New Mexico State and defeating Louisiana Tech, 3-1 ...
The Bulldogs have now beaten Louisiana Tech five straight times ... Sophomore
Lauren Berger had career highs in kills (13), attempts (23) and points (15) in
the win over the Lady Techsters ... Berger hit a team-high .478 in the match,
making only two hitting errors ... The Bulldogs are led on the season by
freshman Baylee Platt, who is hitting .181 and averaging 3.29 kills and 2.03
digs per set ... As a team, FSU is hitting .179 on the season, compared to a
.202 hitting percentage for its opponents.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (9-2, 2-0 WAC)
UH went 2-0 last week, defeating
Idaho in four sets (27-29, 25-21, 25-16, 25-14) and sweeping Boise State
(25-11, 25-18, 29-27) ... The win over
the Vandals was Hawai?i’s 13th consecutive victory in a WAC opener ... Kanani
Herring averaged 4.57 kills and 4.57 digs per set while hitting .367 over the
two matches ... Herring has posted six double-doubles on the season, including
three in a row ... UH is now 171-3 all-time in conference play.
Idaho Vandals (7-5, 0-1 WAC)
The Vandals went 0-2 last week,
falling to Gonzaga in five sets (23-25, 25-13, 19-25, 25-21, 11-15) in its
final non-conference match of the season
before losing 3-1 (29-27, 21-25, 16-25, 14-25) at Hawai?i ... The opening set
win against the Rainbow Wahine was just the third set win for the Vandals in
the nine match-ups between the two teams ... Senior outside hitter Haley Larsen
needs just 27 kills to capture Idaho’s record for career kills. She enters the
week with 1,498 career kills, which currently ranks second and is 26 kills
behind Kelly Gibbons’ total of 1,524 (1981-84) ... Larsen currently ranks 12th
nationally and leads the WAC with 4.41 kills per set.
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (1-7, 0-2 WAC)
The Techsters went 0-2 last week, falling to Nevada
in five sets (16-25, 25-22, 25-27, 25-21, 9-15) and to Fresno State in four
sets (15-25, 25-23, 14-25, 21-25) ... On Tuesday, the Techsters will finally
play a match originally scheduled earlier in the season that was postponed due
to Hurricane Gustav against Northwestern State.
Nevada Wolf Pack (5-5, 1-1 WAC)
The Pack went 1-1 in WAC play last weekend, with a
five-set win at Louisiana Tech (25-16, 22-25, 27-25, 21-25, 15-9) and a
three-set loss at New Mexico State (18-25, 16-25, 19-25) ... Lindsay Baldwin
posted a career-high 20 kills and added four blocks vs. the Lady Techsters ...
On the season, the Wolf Pack are led by Kylie Harrington, who is averaging 2.95
kills and 2.27 digs per set ... As a team, Nevada is hitting .148 on the season
and its opponents are hitting .199.
New Mexico State Aggies (7-6, 2-0 WAC)
The Aggies went 2-0 last weekend,
sweeping past Fresno State (25-16, 25-15, 25-20) and Nevada (25-18, 25-16,
25-19) ... Krista Altermatt tallied a season-high 13 kills on .474 hitting vs.
the Wolf Pack ... The Aggies have held
their opponents to a .159 hitting percentage, which is tops in the conference,
while they are third in blocks with 2.61 per set ... Lindsey Yon is third in
the WAC with 3.72 kills per set, while Krystal Torres is second in digs
(4.35/s) and Amber Simpson leads in blocks (1.50/s) ... NMSU plays the other
two teams in the WAC with winning records this week as they take on Idaho and
No. 7 Hawai’i.
San Jose State Spartans (4-8, 0-2 WAC)
The Spartans went 0-2 last week,
falling to Boise State in three sets (20-25, 22-25, 20-25) and to Utah State in
five (22-25, 25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 11-15) ... Kelly Crow had a career-best 24
kills and a season-high 17 digs vs. the Aggies ... Niki Clement finished with
20 kills and 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
Utah State Aggies (3-9, 1-0 WAC)
Utah State posted a 2-0 record last
week with a sweep of Utah Valley (25-23, 25-17, 25-19) and a five-set win over
San Jose State (25-22, 15-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11) ... Against the Spartans, Melissa Osterloh recorded
her second double-double of the season with a career-high 21 kills and 13 digs
... Katie Astle posted a career-high 10 kills, while Christine Morrill had a
career-high 25 digs ... The Aggies begin a season-long four-match homestand on
Thursday against Fresno State.
HAWAI?I RANKED FIRST IN
PRESEASON POLL
In a poll of the
league’s coaches, defending Western Athletic Conference champion Hawai?i was
the unanimous favorite to defend its crown in 2008 and take home its
13th-straight regular-season title. The Rainbow Wahine received eight of the
nine first-place votes (coaches can’t vote for their own team) and 64 points,
with New Mexico State earning the other first-place vote
and 57 points.
San Jose State
and Idaho finished tied for third with 42
points, while Utah
State was picked fifth
with 40. Nevada was sixth with 34 points,
followed by Boise State (20) and Fresno State
(16). Louisiana Tech rounded out the poll with nine points.
2008 PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
The WAC Preseason all-WAC volleyball team, as
voted on by the nine coaches, was announced Aug. 8. Hawai?i All-American Jamie
Houston was named WAC Preseason Player of the Year. The reigning WAC Player of
the Year, this is Houston’s
second-straight honor and the fourth-straight season that a Rainbow Wahine player
earned the preseason honor.
New
Mexico State placed the most
athletes on the 12-player team with four. Seniors Krystal Torres and Amber
Simpson, and juniors Krista Altermatt and Lindsey Yon earned preseason honors.
Simpson, Yon and Torres were all first-team all-WAC selections in 2007.
Two other Hawai?i players, juniors Aneli
Cubi-Otineru and Amber Kaufman, joined Houston
on the preseason team. Both Houston
and Cubi-Otineru were first team all-WAC selections last season. San Jose State also had two players make the team
with seniors Niki Clement and Colleen Burke earning nods.
Chelsea Fowles of Utah
State, the 2007 WAC Freshman of the
Year, and Idaho’s Haley Larsen were also named
to the team, while Nevada’s
Lindsay Baldwin rounded out the preseason squad. Six teams placed at least one
player on the preseason all-WAC. Eight players are returning first-team all-WAC
honorees.
WAC VOLLEYBALL FORMAT
For the fourth-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.
2008 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Nov. 20 (Quarterfinals)
Match 1
- No. 8 vs. No. 9, 9:30 a.m.
Match 2
- No. 4 vs. No. 5, noon
Match 3
- No. 3 vs. No. 6, 2:30 p.m.
Match 4
- No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5 p.m.
Match 5 - Winner Match 1 vs. No. 1, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 21 (Semifinals)
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 5
p.m.
Match 7 - Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 5,
7:30 p.m.
Nov. 23 (Championship)
Match 8 - Winner Match 6 vs. Winner Match 7, 3
p.m.
HAWAI?i TO HOST 2008
WAC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
The Western Athletic Conference announced that
Hawai?i will host the 2008 WAC Volleyball Tournament, Nov. 20-23, at the Stan Sheriff
Center in Honolulu. It marks the first time Hawai?i has
hosted the WAC Volleyball Championship.
TOP STAT LEADERS
The following are the
returning statistical leaders in the WAC from 2007. In hitting efficiency, six
of the top 10 hitters are back, led for the second year by New Mexico State’s
Amber Simpson (.345) and San Jose State’s Colleen Burke (.373), who finished
No. 2 and No. 3 in the WAC, respectively. The remaining leaders are Utah State’s
Danielle Taylor (.272- seventh), Hawai?i’s Jamie Houston (.260 - eighth),
Hawai?i’s Amber Kaufman (.259 - ninth) and Boise State’s
Sadie Maughan (.256 - 10th).
Five of the top 10 kill leaders are back for
2008. The top returner is Hawai?i’s Jamie Houston who has been first the last
two seasons, averaging 5.51 kpg. Idaho’s
Haley Larsen was second, averaging 5.39 kpg. Lindsey Yon of New Mexico State
was seventh, averaging 3.95 kpg, while Hawai?i’s Aneli Cubi-Otineru was ninth
(3.69 kpg). The other returning leader was New Mexico State’s
Krista Altermatt (3.42 - 10th).
Seven of the top assist leaders from last season
return for the 2008 campaign. Hawai?i’s Stephanie Brandt is the top setter to
return, finishing last season first in the WAC (12.75 apg). WAC Freshman of the
Year, Chelsea Fowles, of Utah State was second in assists after averaging 12.45
apg, followed by Idaho’s Kelsey James (11.71 apg - fourth) and San Jose State’s
Emily Burke (11.44 apg - fifth). The remaining leaders are Boise State’s
Mandy Klein (9.94 apg - seventh), New
Mexico State’s
Alyssa Gintant (8.40 apg - eighth) and Kasey Van Grouw (6.38 apg - 10th).
Only six of the top 10 blockers return,
including Nevada’s
Lindsay Baldwin who was first in the league, averaging 1.47 blocks per game. Idaho’s Anna McKinney finished second (1.36 bpg),
followed by Utah State’s Rebecca Anderson (1.22 bpg -
fifth). The remaining block returners are Idaho’s
Sarah Loney (1.16 - seventh), New Mexico
State’s Amber Simpson (1.14 - ninth) and Utah State’s
Danielle Taylor (1.12 - 10th).
Eight of the top 10 servers also return,
including four of the top five. Nevada’s
Lauren Kelly finished first in the WAC in service aces per game, averaging 0.41
sapg, followed by Hawai?i’s Stephanie Brandt (0.35 - third). New Mexico State’s
Krystal Torres was tied for fourth, averaging 0.32 sapg along with Louisiana
Tech’s Brittney Nakamura, followed by Boise State’s Lauren Hamm (0.30 -
seventh), Fresno State’s Lisa Gera (0.30 - t-eighth) and New Mexico State’s
Krista Altermatt (0.30 - t-eighth). The remaining top server is Utah State’s
Jessalyn Payne (0.29 - 10th).
All 10 of the dig leaders return for the 2008
season. For the second-straight season New Mexico
State’s Krystal Torres is the top
returner (5.32 dpg - first), followed by Fresno
State’s Lisa Gera (5.10 dpg - second)
and Nevada’s Allison Hernandez (4.41 dpg -
third), followed by Boise
State’s Lauren Hamm (4.37
- fourth). The other top dig returners are Louisiana Tech’s Brittany Nakamura
(3.97 - fifth), Hawai?i’s Elizabeth Ka’aihue (3.96 - sixth), San Jose State’s
Kristal Tsukano (3.95 - seventh), Utah
State’s Christine Morrill (3.92 -
eighth) and Idaho’s
Kelsey Yonker (3.67 - ninth). The final top dig returner is Idaho’s Haley Larsen (3.44 - 10th).
SONNICHSEN AND
NETHERBY-SEWELL JOIN THE WAC FAMILY
Louisiana Tech and Fresno State
both added new head coaches this off season. Former Tulsa head coach Matt Sonnichsen become the
Lady Techsters’ new head coach, while former Hofstra head coach Lauren
Netherby-Sewell takes the reins for the Bulldogs.
Sonnichsen was the head coach at Newberry College in 2007. Prior to his stay at
Newberry, Sonnichsen was an assistant at Grinnell
College in Grinnell, Iowa,
where he coached the 2006 season under his father, Tom. Sonnichsen’s longest
tenure as head coach came during his eight seasons at the helm of the University of Tulsa Hurricanes. Under his guidance, Tulsa had its first winning
season in over 20 years in 2000 while finishing with 20 wins or better three
separate seasons. His team finished second in the Eastern Division WAC in 2004
and earned a third place finish in C-USA in 2005.
In her two years at Hofstra, Netherby-Sewell led
the Pride to their first-ever Colonial Athletic Association Championship in
2006 with a 17-1 conference record. That team was ranked No. 32 in the country,
the highest ever ranking in school history. They also won their schools’ first
NCAA Tournament game and advanced to the second round. Her overall record as a
head coach is 43-19. Before being named head coach at Hofstra, Netherby-Sewell
was an assistant for the Pride for two seasons, following two years as an
assistant at Columbia,
where she also earned her master’s in physical education.
RETURNING ALL-WAC
PLAYERS
Of the 12 first-team all-WAC players in 2007,
six should return for the 2008 season, including two from Hawai?i, Jamie
Houston and Aneli Cubi-Otineru. There are three returning from New Mexico State, Amber Simpson, Krystal Torres and
Lindsey Yon. Idaho’s Haley Larsen and San Jose State’s Colleen Burke also return from
the first team. Six of the second-team all-WAC performers will also return this
season, including San Jose
State’s Niki Clement. Idaho’s Haley Larsen and Utah State’s
Danielle Taylor and Melissa Osterloh also return from the second team. The
other remaining second-team honorees from last season are Hawai?i’s Stephanie
Brandt and Tara Hittle.
REGIONAL SITES SELECTED
The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee
has announced the following sites for regional competition of the 2008 NCAA
Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships.
Regionals (4) December 12-13, 2008
Host: Colorado
State University
Moby Arena
Fort
Collins, Colorado
Host: Pennsylvania
State University
Rec Hall
University
Park, Pennsylvania
Host: University
of Texas
Gregory Gymnasium
Austin, Texas
Host: University
of Washington
Bank
of America
Arena