UTAH STATE’S McARTHUR EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Utah State junior outside hitter Liz McArthur has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 23-29. This is the first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor for McArthur.
The St. George, Utah (Snow Canyon HS) native tallied 44 kills and 18 digs over two matches en route to earning MVP honors at the Utah Classic last week. McArthur averaged a league-best 6.29 kills on .507 hitting as she led Utah State to the tournament title with wins over UC Davis and Utah. Against UC Davis, McArthur had 19 kills and hit .500 (19-3-32) in the match. Against Utah, she tied her career high with 25 kills and added a career-high 15 digs for her first double-double of the season. She also hit .512 (25-3-43) in the match. The road win against the Utes was Utah State’s first since the 1990 season, snapping a 13-match road losing streak at Utah.
Other nominees included: Alisha Young of Boise State tallied 42 kills, eight blocks and seven digs in three matches and was named to the all-tournament team at the Falcon Invitational … Fresno State’s Kelly Mason was named to the Fresno State Classic all-tournament team after averaging 4.91 digs … Kanani Danielson of Hawai’i was named Most Outstanding Player of the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational after averaging 4.33 kills on .355 hitting and 2.67 digs over three matches … Idaho’s Allison Walker was named to the Nike Cougar Invitational all-tournament team after averaging 5.30 kills on .342 hitting … Kara Jones of Louisiana Tech was named to the all-tournament team at the Arkansas State Tournament after averaging 2.50 kills on .444 hitting … Lindsay Baldwin of Nevada was named to the Tiger Invitational all-tournament team after averaging 2.18 kills and 2.55 points in three matches … New Mexico State’s Kayleigh Giddens was named to the all-tournament team at the Florida State Invitational after averaging 4.64 kills and 2.36 digs over the three matches … Courtney Zellmer of San Jose State averaged 6.11 digs per set en route to all-tournament team honors at the North Dakota Classic.
NUMEROUS WAC PLAYERS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS IN OPENING WEEKEND
The WAC had 15 of its players named to all-tournament teams in the opening weekend of play, including two MVPs. Kanani Danielson of Hawai‘i and Liz McArthur of Utah State were named MVP of their respective tournaments. Meanwhile, Alisha Young and Sadie Maughan of Boise State were named to the all-tournament team at the Falcon Invite and Fresno State’s Kelly Mason was named to the Fresno State Classic all-tournament team. Hawai‘i’s Elizabeth Ka’aihue and Brittany Hewitt were named to the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational all-tournament team, while Allison Walker of Idaho earned Nike Cougar Invitational all-tournament honors. Kara Jones of Louisiana Tech was named to the Arkansas State Tournament all-tournament team, while Nevada’s Lindsay Baldwin earned a spot on the Tiger Invitational all-tournament team. Kayleigh Giddens and Kelsey Brennan of New Mexico State earned Florida State Invitational all-tournament honors, while San Jose State’s Courtney Zellmer was named to the North Dakota Classic all-tournament team. Rounding out the group were Josselyn White and Christine Morrill of Utah State, who were named to the Utah Classic all-tournament team.
HAWAI‘I MOVES TO NO. 4 IN AVCA POLL
After defeating No. 23 San Diego and No. 16 UCLA last weekend, Hawai‘i moved up one spot to No. 4 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I Coaches Poll released Monday. Meanwhile, New Mexico State received votes in the poll.
BUCHANAN EARNS 150TH CAREER WIN AGAINST WEBER STATE
Idaho head coach Debbie Buchanan earned her 150th career win last Friday when the Vandals defeated Weber State in the Nike Cougar Classic. In her 11th season at the helm, Buchanan is 151-148 (.505).
HEWITT BREAKS SCHOOL RALLY SCORING RECORD FOR BLOCKS
Hawai’i sophomore middle blocker Brittany Hewitt broke the school rally scoring record with 16 blocks in the season-opener vs. San Diego. It was also tied for the third highest block total in any match in school history.
RAINBOW WAHINE LEAD NATION IN ATTENDANCE
After the first week of the 2010 season, Hawai’i leads the nation in attendance with an average of 5,296 fans per match, nearly 1,500 fans ahead of the second-place team, Colorado State (3,829). The Rainbow Wahine have led the nation in average attendance in each of the last 16 seasons.
BOISE STATE BRONCOS (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
The Broncos went 2-1 at the Falcon Invitational last weekend, falling 3-1 (25-21, 27-29, 25-27, 16-25) to South Dakota State and defeating Long Island (25-17, 25-14, 25-17) and host Air Force (25-23, 25-18, 24-26, 25-18) ... Alisha Young and Sadie Maughan were named to the all-tournament team. Young averaged 3.82 kills on .373 hitting, 0.73 blocks and 0,64 digs per set over the three matches, while Maughan averaged 2.55 kills on .351 hitting to go with 0.82 blocks per set … Young posted career highs in kills (21) and hitting percentage (.588) against Air Force ... The 2-1 start is the program’s best since the 2007 season ... The Broncos host No. 9 Washington, Portland State and Gonzaga in the Northwest Challenge this weekend.
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (1-2, 0-0 WAC)
Fresno State went 1-2 to finish third at the Fresno State Classic last weekend, sweeping UC Riverside (26-24, 25-22, 25-19) before falling to Santa Clara (18-25, 28-26, 15-25, 14-25) and No. 20 Oregon (16-25, 25-22, 12-25, 18-25) ... Libero Kelly Mason was named to the all-tournament team after posting 54 digs over the three matches ... Fresno State is 3-0 in season openers in Lauren Netherby-Sewell’s tenure as head coach ... The Bulldogs welcomed 1,874 fans for their season opener ... Two freshmen (Erin Stock and Korrin Wild) earned starts in the first weekend of play ... The Bulldogs play Air Force on Thursday and Utah Valley on Saturday.
HAWAI‘I RAINBOW WAHINE (3-0, 0-0 WAC)
Hawai‘i won the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational last weekend, defeating No. 22 San Diego (25-14, 22-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-9), Kansas State (25-16, 25-23, 25-20) and No. 16 UCLA (25-22, 25-19, 18-25, 25-21) ... Kanani Danielson was named Most Outstanding Player after hitting .355 with 4.33 kills and 2.67 digs per set. She posted a double-double with 17 kills, 15 digs and a .359 hitting percentage in the championship match vs. UCLA ... Elizabeth Ka’aihue and Brittany Hewitt were also named to the all-tournament team. Ka’aihue averaged 3.75 digs per set, while Hewitt averaged 2.00 blocks and 1.92 kills per set ... Hewitt broke the school rally scoring record with 16 blocks vs. San Diego ... The Rainbow Wahine host Michigan State, New Mexico and No. 10 USC for the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic this weekend.
IDAHO VANDALS (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
The Vandals went 2-1 at the Nike Cougar Classic, defeating Weber State (25-27, 25-16, 25-18, 25-22) and Washington State (25-22, 25-19, 25-21) and falling to UC Irvine (10-25, 18-25, 23-25) ... Allison Walker was named to the all-tournament team in her collegiate debut, posting a .342 hitting percentage with 53 kills ... Head coach Debbie Buchanan earned her 150th career win when Idaho beat Weber State last Friday ... The Vandals got their 20th all-time win over both Washington State and Weber State over the weekend ... Idaho travels to Stockton, Calif., for the Pacific Tournament this weekend, where it will face Santa Clara and Pacific.
LOUISIANA TECH LADY TECHSTERS (1-2, 0-0 WAC)
Louisiana Tech went 1-2 at the Arkansas State Invitational last weekend, falling to Northwestern State (22-25, 25-18, 23-25, 21-25) and Arkansas State (18-25, 25-22, 25-13, 22-25, 11-15) and defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff (25-15, 25-13, 25-19) ... Kara Jones was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 2.5 kills on .444 hitting ... Jones recorded a career-high 16 kills at Arkansas State ... Kassia Pinto and Clara Vido both recorded a pair of double-doubles over the weekend ... Gabryel Ording posted a career-high six solo blocks against Arkansas State ... Lori Hunsucker tallied a career-high 29 digs against Arkansas State ... The Lady Techsters travel to Arlington, Texas, for the UTA Tournament this weekend, where they will face Texas-Pan American, UT-Arlington, Arkansas-Little Rock and Mississippi State.
NEVADA WOLF PACK (1-2, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada went 1-2 at the Tiger Invitational last weekend, defeating Utah Valley (25-20, 14-25, 25-21, 25-22) before falling to host Missouri (15-25, 14-25, 18-25) and Maryland (22-25, 25-15, 14-25, 19-25) ... Lindsay Baldwin was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 2.18 kills and 2.55 points per set ... Freshman Grace Anxo posted a double-double in her first collegiate match with 12 kills and 11 digs vs. Utah Valley ... Kylie Harrington led the Pack in kills with 13 vs. Missouri and 11 vs. Maryland ... Setter Tatiana Santiago posed a double-double vs. Maryland with 33 assists and 10 digs ... The Wolf Pack host the Nevada Invitational this weekend, where they will face Weber State, Belmont and Notre Dame.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
New Mexico State went 2-1 at the FSU Invitational, defeating Florida International (20-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-23) and Florida A&M (25-15, 25-17, 25-20) and falling to No. 15 Florida State (16-25, 28-26, 16-25, 10-25) ... Kayleigh Giddens and Kelsey Brennan were named to the all-tournament team. Giddens averaged 4.64 kills and 2.36 digs, while Brennan averaged 2.64 kills per set and hit .418 on the weekend with only six errors in three matches ... Giddens posted her first double-double of the year with 18 kills and 13 digs against FIU ... The Aggies are averaging 12.55 kills per set in the first three matches of the season ... New Mexico State hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday and UTEP on Saturday ... The UTEP match will air on ESPN3.com.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (0-3, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State went 0-3 at the North Dakota Classic, falling to host North Dakota (9-25, 12-25, 14-25), Gonzaga (18-25, 24-26, 24-26) and Drake (24-26, 16-25, 17-25) ... Courtney Zellmer was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 6.11 digs per set over the three matches ... Caitlin Andrade posted her first double-double of the season with 31 assists and 12 digs vs. Gonzaga ... Zellmer tallied a career-high 35 digs in the three-set loss to Gonzaga and added 16 digs against Drake ... The Spartans host the San Jose State/Saint Mary’s Tournament this week, where they will face Saint Mary’s, No. 14 UCLA and UC Riverside.
UTAH STATE AGGIES (2-0, 0-0 WAC)
Utah State won the Utah Classic last weekend, defeating UC Davis (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) and Utah (28-30, 25-19, 25-23, 25-19) ... Liz McArthur was named tournament MVP after averaging 6.29 kills on .507 hitting and 2.57 digs per set ... Christine Morrill and Josselyn White were also named to the all-tournament team. Morrill averaged 5.14 digs per set, while White averaged 2.86 kills, 1.29 digs, 0.71 blocks and 0.67 service aces per set ... McArthur tied her career high with 25 kills and added a career-high 15 digs vs. Utah for her first double-double of the season ... The road win against the Utes was Utah State’s first since the 1990 season, snapping a 13-match road losing streak to Utah ... The Aggies host Weber State on Tuesday, then travel to Tempe, Ariz., for the Arizona State tournament this weekend, where they will face San Diego State, Seattle and the host Sun Devils.
HAWAI‘I FAVORED IN WAC PRESEASON POLL
The WAC volleyball coaches selected Hawai‘i to win its 15th-straight WAC regular-season crown in 2010. The Rainbow Wahine received eight of the nine first-place votes with New Mexico State earning the other first-place vote.
Hawai‘i earned 64 total points followed by New Mexico State with 57. Fresno State was picked to finish third with 44 points, followed by Utah State in fourth with 38 points. Boise State was picked fifth with 35 points, while Idaho was selected sixth with 32 points, just ahead of Nevada with 30 points in seventh place. Louisiana Tech and San Jose State rounded out the poll with 15 and nine points, respectively.
Hawai‘i is coming off a 32-3 season in 2009 that saw the Rainbow Wahine earn their 14th-consecutive WAC regular-season title with a perfect 16-0 record. Hawai‘i also captured its 10th WAC Tournament title and advanced to the national semifinals for the ninth time in school history.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Hawai‘i junior Kanani Danielson was the unanimous pick for WAC Preseason Player of the Year. It is the sixth-straight season that a Rainbow Wahine player has earned the preseason honor with All-Americans Kanoe Kamana`o (2005, 2006), Jamie Houston (2007, 2008) and Danielson (2009, 2010) each earning the honor in back-to-back years.
New Mexico State placed the most players on the preseason all-WAC team with four, while Hawai‘i had three and Nevada had two. Joining Danielson on the preseason team are teammates Brittany Hewitt and Dani Mafua, New Mexico State’s Kelsey Brennan, Jennah DeVries, Kayleigh Giddens and Whitney Woods, Nevada’s Lindsay Baldwin and Kylie Harrington, Boise State’s Sadie Maughan, Fresno State’s Brianna Clarke and Idaho’s Kelsey Taylor.
All but one member of the preseason all-WAC team was named to the 2009 all-WAC team. Seven members were first team all-WAC honorees a year ago (Brennan, Danielson, DeVries, Giddens, Harrington, Mafua and Woods), while four 2009 second-team honorees are on the team (Baldwin, Clarke, Hewitt and Maughan).
RETURNING ALL-WAC PLAYERS
Of the 12 first-team all-WAC players in 2009, seven return for the 2010 season, led by reigning Player of the Year Kanani Danielson. Also returning from the first team are Kelsey Brennan, Jennah DeVries, Kayleigh Giddens and Whitney Woods of New Mexico State, Nevada’s Kylie Harrington and Dani Mafua of Hawai‘i.
Eight of the second-team all-WAC performers should return this season, including Sadie Maughan, Breann Nesselhuf and Alisha Young of Boise State. The other returning second-team honorees are Lindsay Baldwin of Nevada, Brianna Clarke of Fresno State, Liz McArthur of Utah State, and Brittany Hewitt and Elizabeth Ka’aihue of Hawai‘i.
TOP STAT LEADERS
The following are the returning statistical leaders in the WAC from the 2009 season.
In hitting efficiency, six of the top 10 hitters are back, led by Hawai‘i’s Brittany Hewitt (.343), who ranked second in the league a year ago. New Mexico State’s Kelsey Brennan (.319), who ranked third last year, also returns. The remaining leaders are Utah State’s Katie Astle (.315 - fourth) and Shantell Durrant (.305 - sixth), Hawai‘i’s Kanani Danielson (.314 - fifth), and Fresno State’s Brianna Clarke (.292 - eighth).
Six of the top 10 kill leaders, including the top two, are back for the 2010 season. Hawai‘i’s Kanani Danielson leads the way with 4.23 kills per set, followed by New Mexico State’s Kayleigh Giddens in second with a 4.00 average. Utah State’s Liz McArthur ranked fourth last year with 3.80 kills per set, followed by Nevada’s Kylie Harrington in fifth with a 3.55 average. Boise State’s Alisha Young was seventh, averaging 2.72 kps, while New Mexico State’s Whitney Woods rounds out the returning leaders in ninth place with 2.66 kps.
Seven of the top assist leaders from last season return for the 2010 campaign. Hawai‘i’s Dani Mafua is the top setter to return, finishing last season first in the WAC (11.78 aps). Jennah DeVries of New Mexico State was third in assists, averaging 10.14 aps, followed by Utah State’s Chelsea Fowles (9.77 -third) and Boise State’s Breann Nesselhuf (8.66 - fourth). The remaining leaders are Louisiana Tech’s Bianca Bin (8.16 - sixth), San Jose State’s Caitlin Andrade (8.04 - seventh) and Idaho’s Jennifer Feicht (5.66 - 10th).
Seven of the top blockers return, led by Hawai‘i’s Brittany Hewitt, who was third with 1.33 blocks per set. Fresno State’s Brianna Clarke was fourth, averaging 1.30 blocks per set, followed by New Mexico State’s Kelsey Brennan (1.17 bps - fifth). The remaining block returners are Louisiana Tech’s Kara Jones (1.15 - seventh), NM State’s Whitney Woods (1.09 - eighth), Utah State’s Shantell Durrant (1.07 - ninth) and Nevada’s Lindsay Baldwin (1.07 - 10th).
Four of the top 10 servers return, led by Utah State’s Chelsea Fowles in third with 0.32 per set. Louisiana Tech’s Kassia Pinto was sixth, averaging 0.27 saps, followed by San Jose State’s Caitlin Andrade (0.27 - seventh). Rounding out the group is Utah State’s Liz McArthur (0.24 - 10th).
Six of the 10 dig leaders return for the 2010 season, led by Utah State’s Christine Morrill in first place with 4.63 digs per set. Fresno State’s Kelly Mason was third, averaging 3.86 dps, followed by Nevada’s Nicole Link (3.84 - fourth) and Hawai‘i’s Elizabeth Ka’aihue (3.77 - fifth). Rounding out the group are Louisiana Tech’s Lori Hunsucker (3.66 - seventh) and Boise State’s Amanda Remy (3.03 - 10th).
2010 WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO LAS VEGAS
The 2010 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held Nov. 22-24 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., and will include the top six teams in the regular-season standings. The championship match will be televised live on ESPNU.
All-session tickets are $45 and can be purchased through each institution’s ticket office. For more information on the WAC Volleyball Tournament, visit www.wacsports.com.
2010 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 22 (Quarterfinals)
No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed, 5 p.m.
No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 23 (Semifinals)
Winner Match 1 vs. No. 2 seed, 5 p.m.
Winner Match 2 vs. No. 1 Seed, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 24 (Championship)
Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
FOUR REGULAR-SEASON MATCHES TO AIR ON ESPNU
ESPNU will televise four regular-season matches this season and five total, as it will also air the championship match of the WAC Tournament.
The complete schedule of 2010 WAC volleyball matches that will air on ESPNU is listed below.
Wednesday, Sept. 29, Hawai‘i at New Mexico State 8 p.m., (MT)
Wednesday, Oct. 6, Utah State at Idaho, 7 p.m. (PT)
Thursday, Oct. 21, Hawai‘i at Idaho, 8 p.m. (PT)
Monday, Oct. 25, Hawai‘i at Utah State, 8 p.m. (MT)
Wednesday, Nov. 25, WAC Tournament Championship Match, 6:30 p.m. (PT)
FRESNO STATE EARNS AVCA TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD
Fresno State was the only WAC team to earn the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2009-10 season. In order to receive the recognition, a team must average at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average.
Both NCAA Division I (94) and NCAA Division II (55) recorded their highest-ever total numbers of recipients. There were 119 first-time recipients of the AVCA Team Academic Award in 2009-10, with Fresno State being one of those teams.