DENVER’S KINGSLEY EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Denver senior middle blocker Faimie Kingsley has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 8-14. This is her first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Brooklyn, N.Y., native averaged 4.00 kills on .509 hitting and 1.88 blocks per set as the Pioneers went undefeated on the week. In Denver’s 3-1 win over Texas State, Kingsley tallied 18 kills on .548 hitting to go along with seven blocks. She followed that up with a 14-kill, eight-block performance in the Pioneers’ 3-1 win over UTSA. Kingsley entered the week averaging 2.25 kills on .369 hitting and 1.67 blocks per set.
Other nominees included: Idaho’s Allison (Walker) Baker averaged 4.29 kills, 3.29 digs and 0.86 blocks per set as the Vandals went 2-0 last week ... Meredith Hays of New Mexico State averaged 3.62 kills and 1.50 digs per set ... UT Arlington’s Ashley Bennett averaged 2.43 kills, 1.00 blocks and 0.43 digs per set ... Ashlee Hilbun of Texas State averaged 3.11 kills on .393 hitting, 1.89 digs and 0.56 blocks per set as the Bobcats went 1-1 on the week ... Utah State’s Rachel Orr averaged 3.38 kills on .382 hitting, 0.62 blocks and 0.50 digs per set last week.
NEW MEXICO STATE RANKS NATIONALLY IN ATTENDANCE
New Mexico State currently ranks 22nd nationally in attendance with an average of 1,688 fans per match. The Aggies have ranked in the top 25 in attendance every year since joining the WAC in 2005. NM State’s highest ranking as a member of the WAC came in 2005, when the Aggies were 11th with an average attendance of 2,075.
BAKER EXTENDS DOUBLE-DIGIT KILL STREAK TO 35 MATCHES
Idaho junior Allison (Walker) Baker has posted double-digit kills in 35 consecutive matches, dating back to Sept. 16, 2011. In her two-plus years as a Vandal, the outside hitter has had 10 or more kills in 66 of the 74 matches she has played, or 89 percent.
KINGSLEY LEADS NATION IN BLOCKING
Denver senior middle blocker Faimie Kingsley currently leads the nation with 1.69 blocks per set. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native had 15 blocks in two matches last week and has tallied four or more blocks in 15 of 19 matches this week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
In team statistics, UTSA leads the WAC in assists (12.74), kills (13.81) and digs (18.34). Denver is tops in hitting percentage (.247), while Utah State leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.158) and blocks (3.14), and Idaho is tops in service aces (1.26).
Individually, Idaho’s Allison (Walker) Baker leads the WAC in kills (4.46) and points (4.94). Denver’s Faimie Kingsley is tops in hitting percentage (.393) and blocks (1.69), while San Jose State’s Michaela Leonard leads the league in assists (11.27). Kaytlyn Dill of Seattle U leads the WAC in service aces (0.43), while UTSA’s Annie Kunes is tops in digs (4.69).
In WAC matches, UTSA leads the league in assists (12.94), kills (13.75) and digs (19.22). Denver is tops in hitting percentage (.249), while Utah State leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.127) and blocks (3.14). Idaho is tops in service aces (1.57).
Individually, UTSA’s McKenzie Adams leads the WAC in points (4.72) in WAC matches, while Idaho’s Baker is tops in kills (4.23). Desiree Scott of New Mexico State is tops in hitting percentage (.424), while San Jose State’s Leonard leads the league in assists (11.61). Idaho’s Jenna Ellis is tops in service aces (0.51), while Kingsley leads the WAC in blocks (1.91) and Kunes is tops in digs (5.21).
WAC TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets for the 2012 WAC Volleyball Tournament are on sale now. The tournament will be held Nov. 19-21 at the Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas, on the campus of UTSA.
The 2012 tournament will consist of seven matches in three sessions (one session per day). Ticket prices are as follows:
All-Session: $21
Single-Session Adult: $10
Single-Session Senior/Youth: $7
Single-Session WAC Students: $5
Children two and under do not need a ticket. Tickets can be purchased online at goutsa.com or by calling (210) 458-UTSA.
2012 WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 19 (Quarterfinals)
Match 1 - No. 6 seed vs. No. 3 seed noon
Match 2 - No. 7 seed vs. No. 2 seed 2:30 p.m.
Match 3 - No. 5 seed vs. No. 4 seed 5 p.m.
Match 4 - No. 8 seed vs. No. 1 seed 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 20 (Semifinals)
Match 5 - Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2 4 p.m.
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 21 (Championship)
Match 7 - Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
DENVER PIONEERS (10-9, 4-5 WAC)
The Pioneers defeated Texas State in four sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-27, 25-20) last Thursday and beat UTSA (25-22, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19) on Saturday ... In the win over Texas State, Faimie Kingsley led the team with 18 kills on .548 hitting, while Colleen King had 15 kills, and Michele Swope tallied 13 kills and a team-high 18 digs ... In the win over UTSA, Kingsley finished with team highs of 14 kills and eight blocks ... Kingsley ranks second in the Pioneers’ Division I career record books in hitting percentage (.324), third in blocks (427) and ninth in kills (817) ... Denver leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.247), ranks second in blocks (2.66), and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.174), assists (11.63) and kills (12.69) ... Kingsley leads the nation and the WAC in blocks (1.69) and leads the league and ranks 24th nationally in hitting percentage (.393) ... Frances Carroll ranks fifth in the WAC in service aces (0.30) ... The Pioneers play at Louisiana Tech on Thursday and at UT Arlington on Saturday.
IDAHO VANDALS (9-10, 7-2 WAC)
The Vandals defeated UT Arlington (25-9, 27-25, 22-25, 25-18) last Thursday and swept Louisiana Tech (25-23, 25-16, 25-23) on Friday for their fifth and sixth straight wins ... Against UTA, Allison (Walker) Baker posted her WAC-leading 13th double-double of the season with 19 kills and 14 digs ... Against LA Tech, Baker led the team with 11 kills and nine digs ... Baker has reached double-digit kills in 35 consecutive matches, dating back to Sept. 16, 2011 ... If Idaho can extend its win streak to seven, it would match its longest win streak since 1999 ... Baker leads the league and ranks 13th nationally in kills (4.46) and is tops in the WAC and 21st in the nation in points (4.94) ... Alyssa Schultz ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage (.365) and fourth in blocks (1.22) ... Janelle Chow is second in the WAC in digs (4.18), while Jenna Ellis is second in service aces (0.37) ... The Vandals host Utah State on Thursday and San Jose State on Saturday.
LOUISIANA TECH LADY TECHSTERS (3-18, 0-9 WAC)
The Lady Techsters fell in five sets to Seattle U (18-25, 25-19, 25-17, 18-25, 10-15) last Thursday, then fell in straight sets to Idaho (23-25, 16-25, 23-25) on Friday ... Against the Redhawks, Regan Himmelberg posted 12 kills, while Fenix Calderon had 11 ... Maria Coelho posted a double-double of 46 assists and 14 digs ... In the loss to Idaho, Dalane Guidry had a team-best 12 kills, while Calderon and Clara Vido added 11 apiece ... Stephany Salas posted a match-high 22 digs ... Coelho ranks sixth in the conference in assists per set (8.27), while Salas is ninth in digs (3.60) ... As a team, the Lady Techsters rank fifth in the WAC in digs (14.51) ... In WAC matches only, Coelho ranks sixth in the league in assists (8.88), while Salas is sixth in digs (3.86) and Vido is 10th in kills (3.07) ... Louisiana Tech hosts Denver on Thursday and New Mexico State on Saturday.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (13-6, 7-2 WAC)
The Aggies swept UTSA (26-24, 25-19, 25-21) last Thursday, then fell in five sets to Texas State (26-24, 17-25, 25-15, 24-26, 11-15) on Saturday ... Against the Roadrunners, Meredith Hays had a match-high 11 kills ... In the loss to the Bobcats, Hays posted her eighth double-double of the season with a match-high 18 kills to go along with 10 digs ... Lauren Loerch added 13 kills, while Desiree Scott finished with 12 kills on .647 hitting ... NM State ranks second in the WAC in hitting percentage (.224) and service aces (1.24), third in opponent hitting percentage (.173), assists (11.99), kills (13.11) and blocks (2.45) ... Hays ranks second in the WAC and 48th in the nation in kills (4.01), second in the WAC and 48th nationally in points (4.55) ... Scott ranks third in the league in hitting percentage (.347) and fifth in blocks (1.19), while Taylor Livoti (0.26) and Hannah Walker (0.25) are eighth and ninth, respectively, in aces ... The Aggies play at UT Arlington on Thursday and at Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (8-11, 4-5 WAC)
The Spartans fell in straight sets at Utah State (17-25, 15-25, 19-25) on Saturday in their only match last week ... Mary Alice O’Reilly led the team with 10 kills, while Krista Miller had 12 digs ... As a team, San Jose State ranks second in the WAC in assists (12.39), kills (13.17) and digs (16.51), third in service aces (1.24) and fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.196) ... Michaela Leonard leads the league and ranks 29th nationally in assists (11.27), and ranks sixth in the WAC in service aces (0.27) ... O’Reilly ranks fifth in the WAC in hitting percentage (.333), kills (3.11) and points (3.70), and tied for ninth in blocks (1.00) ... Kiely Pieper ranks seventh in the WAC in digs (3.70), while Hanah Blume is ninth (3.49) ... In WAC matches only, the Spartans rank second in the league in assists (12.70) and kills (13.24), and third in service aces (1.27) ... In conference matches only, Leonard leads the WAC in assists (11.61) and ranks third in aces (0.33) ... San Jose State hosts Texas State on Monday, then plays at Seattle U on Thursday and at Idaho on Saturday.
SEATTLE U REDHAWKS (7-12, 2-7 WAC)
The Redhawks defeated Louisiana Tech in five sets (25-18, 19-25, 17-25, 25-18, 15-10) last Thursday then were swept at UT Arlington (11-25, 20-25, 19-25) on Saturday ... The LA Tech match was the eighth five-set match of the season for the Redhawks and the fourth in which Seattle U rallied from a 2-1 deficit to earn the victory ... Kaytlyn Dill notched her sixth straight double-double with 24 kills and 15 digs ... Against the Mavericks, Sarah Jaeckel led the team with 13 kills and nine digs, while Lani Beadle had a match-best 16 digs ... Dill ranks fifth all-time in service aces at Seattle U with 105, three shy of fourth place ... As a team, Seattle U ranks fifth in the WAC in service aces (1.21) ... Dill leads the conference and ranks 30th nationally in service aces (0.43), and ranks fourth in the WAC in both points (4.39) and kills (3.73) ... Jacquie Brice ranks fifth in the WAC in assists (9.81), while Beadle is third in digs (3.86) ... The Redhawks host San Jose State on Thursday and Utah State on Saturday.
UT ARLINGTON MAVERICKS (7-14, 3-6 WAC)
The Mavericks fell to Idaho (9-25, 25-27, 25-22, 18-25) last Thursday, then swept Seattle U (25-11, 25-20, 25-19) on Saturday ... Ashley Bennett led UTA with 10 kills against Idaho, while Shelby Dickson just missed a double-double with 20 digs and nine kills ... Against Seattle U, Taylor Gross led the team with 13 kills, while Valerie Stetzer had 13 digs and Bennett had six blocks ... Bennett finished with seven kills on .700 hitting in the win ... The Mavericks had just eight attack errors in the match, compared to the 27 of the Redhawks ... As a team, the Mavericks rank third in the WAC in digs (15.81) ... Amanda Welsh ranks fourth in the WAC in assists (9.85) and seventh in service aces (0.27), while Dickson ranks fifth in digs per set (3.80) ... In WAC matches only, Bennett ranks seventh in the conference in hitting percentage (.329), while Welsh is fourth in assists (10.00) and Stetzer is fifth in digs (3.97) ... UT Arlington hosts New Mexico State on Thursday and Denver on Saturday.
UTSA ROADRUNNERS (12-7, 5-4 WAC)
The Roadrunners were swept at New Mexico State (24-26, 19-25, 21-25) last Thursday, then fell in four sets at Denver (22-25, 25-22, 19-25, 19-25) on Saturday ... Against the Aggies, Whitney Walls led the team with 10 kills, while Annie Kunes had a match-high 18 digs ... Against DU, Walls posted a season-high 19 kills, while McKenzie Adams finished with 11 kills and 11 digs, and Brandy Huskey had 38 assists and 17 digs. It was the 12th double-double of the season for both players ... Brittney Malloy currently ranks third all-time at UTSA with 363 career blocks ... UTSA leads the league in assists (12.74), kills (13.81) and digs (18.34), ranks second in opponent hitting percentage (.161) and fifth in blocks (2.31) ... Kunes leads the WAC in digs (4.69), while Huskey is second in assists (10.20) ... Adams is third in the WAC in both kills (3.96) and points (4.42), and sixth in digs (3.76) ... The Roadrunners play at Utah State on Monday and at Texas State on Saturday.
TEXAS STATE BOBCATS (10-10, 5-4 WAC)
The Bobcats fell in four sets at Denver (20-25, 17-25, 27-25, 20-25) last Thursday, then defeated New Mexico State (24-26, 25-17, 15-25, 26-24, 15-11) on Saturday ... Against DU, Amari Deardorff and Ashlee Hilbun tallied 12 kills apiece, and Hilbun was just shy of a double-double with nine digs ... In the win over the Aggies, Hilbun led the team with a career-high 16 kills, while Alexandra Simms added 12 ... Molly Ahrens posted a match-high 11 blocks, while Laura Whalen had 13 digs ... As a team, the Bobcats had a season-high 15 blocks against NM State ... As a team, the Bobcats rank fourth in the WAC in service aces (1.21) ... Simms ranks sixth in the WAC in kills (3.03) and 10th in points (3.40) ... Ahrens is eighth in the WAC in blocks (1.01), while Caleigh McCorquodale ranks ninth in assists (6.24) ... In WAC matches only, Texas State ranks fifth in the conference in aces (1.15) ... The Bobcats play at San Jose State on Monday and host UTSA on Saturday.
UTAH STATE AGGIES (13-6, 8-1 WAC)
Utah State fell in five sets to Utah Valley (25-17, 25-19, 25-27, 24-26, 12-15) last Tuesday, then swept San Jose State (25-17, 25-15, 25-19) on Saturday ... The Aggies hit a season-high .375 against Utah Valley ... Shay Sorensen posted a career-high 22 kills in the loss ... Paige Neves dished out 53 assists for her sixth career match with 50 or more assists ... Against the Spartans, Rachel Orr led all players with 12 kills, while Ashlan Rogers had a match-high 14 digs ... With 1,574 career assists, Neves ranks eighth all-time in the Utah State record books ... Josselyn White has 293 career blocks, good for ninth place all-time at USU and 13 shy of eighth place ... Utah State leads the WAC and ranks fifth nationally in blocks (3.14) ... Elle Brainard ranks second in the WAC and 13th in the nation in blocks (1.51), while Kaitlyn Van Hoff is third in the WAC and 27th nationally (1.39) ... Neves ranks third in the WAC in assists (10.14) ... The Aggies host UTSA on Monday, then play at Idaho on Thursday and at Seattle U on Saturday.