IDAHO’S WALKER EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Idaho sophomore outside hitter Allison Walker has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for Nov. 7-13. This is the third WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and fourth of her career for Walker.
The Othello, Wash., native averaged 4.62 kills, 2.50 digs, 0.50 blocks, 0.25 service aces and 5.19 points per set as Idaho extended its win streak to five matches and clinched second place in the WAC Tournament, which includes a first-round bye. Walker had her 13th double-double of the season in Idaho’s 3-1 win over Fresno State as she finished with 17 kills and 14 digs. She had just five errors in that match and hit .316. It was the seventh time this season Walker hit .300 or better and had at least 10 kills in a match. She also had a season-high two aces and added three blocks. Walker had her sixth 20-plus kill match of the season, and third in Idaho’s last four matches, when she finished with 20 kills against Nevada in the regular-season finale. The 20 kills were three shy of her season-high. She also added six digs and a block to lead Idaho to a second-place WAC finish, its highest in its seven seasons in the conference, and its highest finish in any conference since winning the Big Sky in 1995.
Other nominees included: Fresno State’s Korrin Wild posted a pair of double-doubles, averaging 5.11 kills, including a career-high 27 against Utah State, to go with 2.78 digs and 0.78 blocks per set as the Bulldogs went 1-1 on the week ... Kanani Danielson of Hawai‘i averaged 3.17 kills and 2.67 digs per set as the Rainbow Wahine secured their 11th perfect season in WAC play ... Nevada’s Tatiana Santiago averaged 10.50 assists, 2.38 digs, 0.88 kills and 0.75 blocks per set on the week ... Kelsi Phillips of New Mexico State recorded her 1,000th career dig and averaged 4.83 digs, 1.00 service aces and 0.83 assists per set as the Aggies went 1-1 on the week ... San Jose State’s Alex Akana averaged 3.33 kills, 1.33 blocks, 1.00 assists and 0.67 digs per set on the week ... Shay Sorensen of Utah State averaged 3.11 kills and 1.11 blocks on the week.
SEEDS SET FOR WAC TOURNAMENT, HAWAI‘I CLINCHES 16TH REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
The Rainbow Wahine clinched their 16th WAC regular-season title in as many seasons with a perfect 14-0 mark in conference play and will be the top seed in next week’s WAC Tournament. UH has gone undefeated in WAC play 12 times.
Idaho and New Mexico State both posted 10-4 records in WAC play, but Idaho won the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed by virtue of its record against Utah State. Fresno State and Utah State both posted 7-7 marks in the conference, but Utah State earned the No. 4 seed due to its record against New Mexico State. San Jose State rounds out the field as the No. 6 seed.
WAC TO WEBSTREAM TWO DAYS OF WAC TOURNAMENT
The WAC, in conjunction with its Web site partner NeuLion, has announced it will stream the first two days of the 2011 WAC Volleyball Tournament. Viewers can sign up by visiting
www.WAC.tv.
The volleyball tournament will be held in Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 21-23. The top six teams will advance to the tournament with the top two seeds earning a first round bye. On Monday, Nov. 21, the first round matches include No. 3 New Mexico State vs. No. 6 San Jose State at 5 p.m. PT and No. 4 Utah State vs. No. 5 Fresno State at 7:30 p.m. PT. On Tuesday, Nov. 22, the semifinal matches include No. 2 Idaho vs. the winner of Monday’s first match at 5 p.m. PT and No. 1 Hawai‘i vs. the winner of Monday’s second match at 7:30 p.m. PT.
Each day, you can view both matches on WAC.tv for $9.95. Wednesday’s championship match is not available on WAC.tv, but can be viewed on ESPNU.
More information and how to subscribe to any of these video streaming events can be found at www.WAC.tv.
WAC TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE NOW
All-session tickets are on sale for the WAC Volleyball Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas Nov. 21-23. Tickets are general admission seating. The 2011 tournament will consist of five matches in three sessions.
Ticket prices are as follows: All-Session: $45
Single-Session Adult: $20
Single-Session Students/Youth: $10
All-session tickets are on sale through each institution’s ticket office. Single-day tickets will be available for purchase Nov. 21 and can only be purchased through the Orleans Arena. To purchase tickets, go to wacsportsvolleyballtournament.com.
2011 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 21 (Quarterfinals)
No. 3 New Mexico State vs. No. 6 San Jose State, 5 p.m.
No. 4 Utah State vs. No. 5 Fresno State, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 22 (Semifinals)
Winner Match 1 vs. No. 2 Idaho, 5 p.m.
Winner Match 2 vs. No. 1 Hawai‘i, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 23 (Championship)
Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
CLARKE RECORDS 1,000TH CAREER KILL
Fresno State senior Brianna Clarke recorded her 1,000 career kill in the third set of a loss at Idaho on Nov. 10. She became the 10th player in Bulldog history to surpass 1,000 kills in a career. Clarke now has 1,017 career kills, 18 shy of ninth place.
PHILLIPS RECORDS 1,000TH CAREER DIG
New Mexico State senior libero Kelsi Phillips, who is in her third season with the Aggies after transferring into the program, notched her 1,000th career dig in the second set of New Mexico State’s sweep of San Jose State on Nov. 10, becoming the 10th player in Aggie history to do so. She currently has 1,022 career digs, good for 10th place all-time at NM State and 27 away from ninth place.
ANDRADE RANKS FOURTH ALL-TIME IN CAREER ASSISTS AT SJSU
With her 52 assists last week, San Jose State junior setter Caitlin Andrade remained in fourth place all-time at San Jose State with 2,674 career assists. At her current pace, she would close out her career in second place.
UH’S HEWITT MOVES INTO UH TOP 10 FOR CAREER BLOCKS
In the Rainbow Wahine’s sweep of New Mexico State on Nov. 12, middle blocker Brittany Hewitt recorded six blocks to move her career total to 424, breaking into the Hawai‘i top 10 in the category. She ranks ninth, four away from eighth place.
FRESNO STATE’S CLARKE CLIMBS CAREER BLOCKS CHART
With five blocks against Idaho on Nov. 10, Fresno State’s Brianna Clarke moved into second place on the Bulldog career charts. She now has 429, eight shy of the school record of 437 held by Suzie Regul (1989-92), which has stood for 18 seasons.
FOUR WAC PLAYERS EARN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
Four WAC players – Cecilia Agraz and Marissa Brand of Fresno State, Liz McArthur of Utah State and Kanani Danielson of Hawai’i – earned Capital One Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Agraz and McArthur were named to the first team and advance to the national ballot, while Brand and Danielson were second-team honorees.
A junior outside hitter from Hanford, Calif., Agraz has a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average in communication and political science. A four-time member of the university’s President List, she has twice received Academic all-WAC accolades.
McArthur, a senior outside hitter from St. George, Utah, has a 3.76 cumulative GPA in family, consumer and human development and has earned academic all-WAC honors three times in her career.
A junior outside hitter from Cypress, Calif., Brand is a criminology major specializing in forensic science. She is the team’s leader in kills, digs and points per set. A 2010 second team all-WAC selection, Brand has also been named to the President’s List along with four distinctions on the Dean’s List.
Danielson, a senior outside hitter from Ewa Beach, O’ahu, boasts a 3.40 GPA as an interdisciplinary studies major. A two-time WAC Player of the Year and three-time All-American, Danielson has been named WAC Player of the Week 10 times.
To be eligible for the team, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA at her current institution and have reached sophomore athletic eligibility.
DANIELSON FINALIST FOR LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Hawai‘i’s Kanani Danielson is one of 10 student-athletes selected as finalists for the 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
The finalists were chosen by a media committee from 30 candidates. Nationwide fan voting has begun to determine the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the
Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Web site or the
Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Facebook fan page through Nov. 21. Fan votes will be combined with media and head coaches’ votes to determine the winner.
Utah State’s Liz McArthur was one of the 30 initial candidates for the award.
HAWAI‘I LEADS NATION IN ATTENDANCE
Hawai‘i leads the nation with an average of 6,497 fans per match, more than 1,850 ahead of the second-place team, Nebraska (4,637). The Rainbow Wahine have had 5,000 or more fans at 19 of their 20 home matches this season. Meanwhile, New Mexico State ranks 23rd (1,573) and Fresno State ranks 45th (1,032).
IDAHO’S CASSIE HAMILTON APPROACHING SCHOOL DIGS RECORD
Idaho senior Cassie Hamilton recorded her 1,000th career dig in the Vandals’ loss to Eastern Michigan on Aug. 28. The WAC’s active leader in career digs, she now ranks second in Idaho history in that category with 1,394, 26 digs shy of the all-time record.
WAC STAT LEADERS
In team statistics, Hawai‘i leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.304), opponent hitting percentage (.151), assists (13.14), kills (14.43) and service aces (1.57). Meanwhile, Utah State is tops in blocks (2.81) and digs (15.25).
Individually, New Mexico State’s Meredith Hays leads the WAC in kills (4.29) and points (4.78). Hawai‘i’s Emily Hartong, Jane Croson and Brittany Hewitt are tops in hitting percentage (.386), service aces (0.37) and blocks (1.43), respectively. Idaho’s Jenny Feicht leads the WAC in assists (11.06), while Stephany Salas of Louisiana Tech is tops in digs (4.64).
In WAC matches, Hawai‘i leads the league in hitting percentage (.303), opponent hitting percentage (.125), assists (12.70), kills (14.11) and service aces (1.77). Idaho is tops in blocks (2.75) and digs (15.09).
Individually, in WAC matches Hays leads the league in points (4.83), while Idaho’s Allison Walker is tops in kills (4.31). Hawai‘i’s Chanteal Satele is tops in hitting percentage (.381), while teammate Kalei Adolpho is the leader in blocks (1.48). Croson and Utah State’s Kiely Pieper are tied for the lead in service aces (0.39), while Barbara Alcantara of Fresno State is the leader in assists (11.04) and Idaho’s Cassie Hamilton is the leader in digs (4.37).
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (13-14, 7-7 WAC)
Fresno State fell to Idaho (23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 23-25) last Thursday and defeated Utah State in five sets (25-21, 25-19, 20-25, 24-26, 15-9) on Saturday ... Korrin Wild had 19 kills and 15 digs against Idaho and followed it up with a career-high 27 kills and 10 digs against Utah State ... The Bulldogs posted their best conference record since 2003 ... Brianna Clarke moved into second place on the Bulldog career blocking list with 429. She is just eight shy of the school record of 437, which has stood for 18 seasons ... Wild ranks third in the WAC in service aces (0.33) and sixth in digs (3.11) ... Barbara Alcantara ranks fifth in the WAC in service aces (0.32) and sixth in assists (9.02) ... Cecilia Agraz is seventh in the WAC in service aces (0.31), while Clarke is fifth in hitting percentage (.329) and Maci Murdock is eighth (.302) ... As a team, Fresno State ranks second in the WAC and 37th nationally in service aces (1.51), third in assists (12.07) and fourth in kills (12.72) ... In WAC-only stats, Wild ranked fourth in aces (0.36), and fifth in both kills (3.89) and points (4.47) ... The Bulldogs, the No. 5 seed in the WAC Tournament, face fourth-seeded Utah State at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21.
HAWAI‘I RAINBOW WAHINE (26-1, 14-0 WAC)
Hawai‘i swept past Louisiana Tech (25-11, 25-7, 25-15) last Thursday and New Mexico State (25-15, 25-11, 25-23) on Saturday for its 11th undefeated WAC record in 16 years ... The Rainbow Wahine lead the nation in hitting percentage (.304), rank second in winning percentage (.963), 10th in kills (14.43), 14th in blocks (2.78), 25th in assists (13.14) and 26th in service aces (1.57) ... Brittany Hewitt ranks 13th nationally in blocks (1.43), while Mita Uiato is 29th in assists (11.05) ... Emily Hartong is 20th (.386) and Chanteal Satele in 37th (.358) in hitting percentage ... Kanani Danielson ranks 40th nationally in points (4.58) and 50th in kills (3.98) ... As a team, Hawai‘i leads the WAC in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage (.151), assists, kills, and service aces (1.45), and ranks second in blocks ... Hartong leads the WAC in hitting percentage, while Satele is third, Hewitt is fourth (.335) and Danielson is ninth (.301) ... Hewitt leads the league in blocks, while Jane Croson is tops in aces (0.37) ... Hawai‘i earned the top seed in the WAC Tournament and has a bye into the second round, where it will face the winner of the Utah State-Fresno State match on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
IDAHO VANDALS (16-11, 10-4 WAC)
Idaho picked up road wins at Fresno State (25-23, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23) and at Nevada (25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 25-20) last week ... Allison Walker had her 13th double-double of the season vs. Fresno State, finishing with 17 kills and 14 digs ... Walker had her sixth 20-plus kill match of the season, and third in Idaho’s last four matches, when she finished with 20 kills against Nevada ... Idaho’s second-place WAC finish is its highest in its seven seasons in the conference, and its highest finish in any conference since winning the Big Sky in 1995 ... Cassie Hamilton has 1,394 career digs, 24 shy of Idaho’s all-time digs record ... The Vandals rank 26th nationally in blocks (2.62) ... Jenny Feicht leads the WAC and ranks 28th nationally in assists (11.06) ... Walker ranks 30th in the nation in kills (4.18) and 42nd in points (4.58), while Alyssa Schultz is 31st in blocks (1.28) ... The Vandals rank second in the WAC in digs (15.23), and third in hitting percentage (.216), kills (12.89) and blocks (2.62) ... Idaho, the No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament, has a bye for the first round and faces the winner of the New Mexico State-San Jose State match on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
LOUISIANA TECH LADY TECHSTERS (9-22, 0-14 WAC)
Louisiana Tech fell at No. 6 Hawai‘i (11-25, 7-25, 15-25) last Thursday and at San Jose State (25-17, 17-25, 23-25, 12-25) on Saturday to close out the conference slate ... Marcella Braz paced the Lady Techsters against the Rainbow Wahine, finishing with seven kills, while Stephany Salas added a match-high nine digs ... In the loss to the Spartans, Bridget Benditz had a match- and career-high 16 kills, while Braz added 12 ... Salas tallied a match-high 22 digs against San Jose State, while Nataliya Panova finished with 13 ... As a team, LA Tech ranks third in the WAC in digs (14.86) and fifth in service aces (1.21) ... Salas leads the WAC with 4.64 digs per set, while Clara Vido is seventh (3.04) ... Bianca Bin ranks eighth in the WAC with 7.68 assists per set ... In WAC play, Salas ranked third in the league in digs (3.94), while Bin was eighth in assists (6.76) ... Marcella Braz was 10th in kills (2.76) in WAC matches ... The Techsters failed to qualify for the WAC Tournament ... LA Tech hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday to close out the season.
NEVADA WOLF PACK (5-21, 2-12 WAC)
Nevada closed out the season with losses to Utah State (24-26, 18-25, 25-16, 10-25) last Thursday and Idaho (19-25, 25-19, 23-25, 20-25) on Saturday ... Against the Aggies, Tessa Lea‘ea and Elissa Ji posted 12 kills apiece ... Ji added 12 digs for her fourth double-double of the season ... Tatiana Santiago also posted a double-double of 46 assists and 10 digs ... In the loss to Idaho, Grace Anxo and Erin Garvey led the Wolf Pack with 10 kills each ... Santiago was just shy of a double-double, finishing with 38 assists and nine digs ... Santiago closed out her career ranked fifth in school history in career assists (2,568) ... As a team, Nevada ranks third in the conference in service aces (1.26) ... Anxo ranks second in the WAC in service aces (0.35), while Santiago is fourth in assists (9.67), Lea‘ea is sixth in hitting percentage (.316) and Kelly Chang is fifth in digs (3.43) ... Janelle Batista ranks ninth in the WAC in points (3.25) and 10th in kills (2.67) ... In WAC matches only, Santiago ranked fifth in assists (9.88), Chang was fifth in digs (3.48), Anxo was ninth in service aces (0.28), and Lea‘ea was sixth in blocks (1.10) and 10th in hitting percentage (.306).
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (21-8, 10-4 WAC)
New Mexico State swept San Jose State (25-23, 27-25, 25-16) last Thursday and fell at No. 6 Hawai‘i (15-25, 11-25, 23-25) on Saturday ... Against the Spartans, Stephanie Ziegler had a career-high 17 kills and added nine digs and three blocks ... Against the Rainbow Wahine, Meredith Hays led the team with nine kills, while Kelsi Phillips had a match-high 13 digs ... Phillips notched her 1,000th career dig vs. SJSU, becoming the 10th player in Aggie history to do so ... Jennah DeVries has 3,902 career assists, good for fourth place all-time at NM State ... Hays leads the WAC and ranks 22nd nationally in kills (4.29) and tops the conference and ranks 26th in the nation in points (4.79) ... Kelsey Brennan is second in the league and 36th nationally in hitting percentage (.359), while Michelle Kuester is fourth in the WAC and 45th in the nation in blocks (1.21) ... Phillips ranks third in the WAC in digs (4.06), while DeVries is third in assists (10.69) ... Phillips (0.30) and Hays (0.29) are eighth and ninth, respectively, in the WAC in service aces ... The Aggies, the No. 3 seed, play sixth-seeded San Jose State in the first round of the WAC Tournament next Tuesday, Nov. 21.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (11-16, 6-8 WAC)
San Jose State fell to New Mexico State (23-25, 25-27, 16-25) last Thursday and defeated Louisiana Tech (17-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-12) on Saturday to close out the WAC regular season ... Against LA Tech, Alex Akana and Samantha O’Connell had 15 kills each, while Akana added a match-high six blocks ... Caitlin Andrade ranks fourth all-time at SJSU in career assists with 2,674 ... Andrade ranks fifth in the WAC with 9.48 assists per set, while Kylie Miraldi is seventh in hitting percentage (.305) and Akana is 10th (.300) ... Kiely Pieper ranks sixth in the conference in service aces (0.31), while Katie Turner is ninth in digs (2.86) ... As a team, San Jose State ranks fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.192) ... In WAC play, Miraldi ranked fourth in the league in hitting percentage (.339), while Akana was eighth (.311) ... Andrade was sixth in WAC play in assists (9.42), while Krista Miller ranked eighth in digs (2.77) and Pieper tied for the lead in service aces (.039) ... SJSU has its most wins since 2008 ... The Spartans host Texas Tech on Tuesday to close out the regular season ... SJSU is the No. 6 seed in the WAC Tournament and faces third-seeded New Mexico State next Monday, Nov. 21.
UTAH STATE AGGIES (12-16, 7-7 WAC)
Utah State defeated Nevada (26-24, 25-18, 16-25, 25-10) last Thursday and fell in five sets at Fresno State (21-25, 19-25, 25-20, 26-24, 9-15) on Saturday to close out the regular season ... Against the Wolf Pack, Shay Sorensen led the team with 14 kills on .524 hitting to go with six blocks ... Paige Neves posted a double-double of 34 assists and 12 digs ... In the loss to the Bulldogs, Liz McArthur finished with a team-best 18 kills ... McArthur ranks second all-time at Utah State in career attempts (4,252), third in kills (1,424) and tied for eighth in service aces (97) ... As a team, the Aggies lead the WAC and 12th nationally in blocks (2.81) ... USU also leads the league in digs (15.25) and ranks third in opponent hitting percentage (.172) ... The Aggies boast four of the top 10 blockers in the WAC – Alyssa Everett (2nd, 1.30), Kaitlyn VanHoff (5th, 1.20), Nicole Gneiting-Theurer (6th, 1.12) and Josselyn White (8th, 1.04) ... McArthur ranks fourth in the WAC in kills (3.76) and points (4.21), while White is seventh in points (3.50) and eighth in kills (2.76) ... The Aggies earned the No. 4 seed at the WAC Tournament and play fifth-seeded Fresno State next Monday in the first round.