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This Week in WAC Volleyball - Oct. 14

This Week in WAC Volleyball - Oct. 14

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This Week in WAC Volleyball - Oct. 14
SEATTLE U’S IVANIS NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Seattle U freshman outside hitter Iris Ivanis has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 7-13. This is her first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.

The Pozega, Croatia, native led the Redhawks to a four-set win over Idaho last week to move into a tie for third place in the WAC  standings, averaging WAC-bests of 5.75 points and 5.25 kills on .385 hitting to go along with 1.25 digs per set. Ivanis posted a career-high 21 kills to go along with five digs, one block, one assist and one service ace in the win over the Vandals. She had six kills in the deciding fourth set, when Seattle U used a 10-0 run to come from behind and clinch the victory. The 21 kills is a team season high. In WAC matches, Ivanis now leads the league with 3.71 kills per set.

Other nominees included: Bakersfield’s Debora Araujo averaged 4.14 kills, 4.79 points, 2.43 digs and 0.43 blocks per set as the Roadrunners went 2-0 on the week ... Paula Sioto of Chicago State averaged 4.12 kills, 1.38 digs and 0.88 blocks per set and posted a career-high 26 kills against Texas-Pan American ... Grand Canyon’s Mackenzie Phelps averaged 5.00 digs and 0.67 assists per set as the Antelopes went 0-2 on the week ... Sydney Crimmins of Kansas City averaged 2.67 kills, 2.67 digs and 0.83 blocks per set as the Kangaroos went 1-1 on the week ... New Mexico State’s Desiree Scott averaged 3.67 kills on .594 hitting and 1.33 blocks per set as the Aggies went 2-0 to remain undefeated in conference play ... Alisha Watson of Texas-Pan American averaged 2.88 kills, 2.88 digs and 0.50 blocks per set as the Broncs went 1-1 last week ... Utah Valley’s McKenna Tait averaged 5.67 digs per set as the Wolverines went 1-1 on the week.

WAC STAT LEADERS
Bakersfield leads the WAC in assists (13.38) and kills (14.00), while New Mexico State is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.149) and Grand Canyon leads the league in digs (17.15). Meanwhile, Idaho is tops in hitting percentage (.239), Kansas City leads the league in blocks (2.99) and Texas-Pan American is tops in service aces (1.51).
 
Individually, Bakersfield’s Debora Araujo leads the WAC in kills (3.70) and points (4.13), while Utah Valley’s McKenna Tait is tops in service aces (0.45). Idaho’s Alyssa Schultz leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.383) and teammate Meredith Coba leads the league in assists (10.07). Kansas City’s Emma Hagedorn leads the WAC in blocks (1.41), while Grand Canyon’s Mackenzie Phelps is tops in digs (5.60).

In WAC matches only, New Mexico State leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.277), opponent hitting percentage (.081), kills (13.75) and blocks (3.55). Grand Canyon is tops in  digs (18.00), while Bakersfield leads the league in assists (12.61) and service aces (1.26).

Individually in WAC matches, New Mexico State’s Desiree Scott leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.515), blocks (1.65) and points (4.28). Seattle U’s Iris Ivanis leads the WAC in kills (3.71), while Bakersfield’s Fernanda Gonçalves is tops in assists (10.57). Utah Valley’s McKenna Tait leads the league in service aces (0.59), while Phelps is tops in digs (5.50).

GCU’S PHELPS BREAKS WAC RECORD FOR DIGS IN A MATCH
In a heartbreaking five-set loss to Central Connecticut State on Sept. 13, Grand Canyon junior libero Mackenzie Phelps set a Grand Canyon and WAC single-match record with 52 digs. Phelps broke the previous WAC record of 47 set by Jessie Shull of San Jose State during the 2006 season.

WAC TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets for the 2013 WAC Volleyball Tournament, which will be held Nov. 25-27 at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., are on sale now. All-session tickets, which are general admission seating and gets you admission all five matches, are $23. Tickets can be purchased at www.gcuarena.com.

Single session tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 25, at the arena box office.

2013 WAC TOURNAMENT
The 2013 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held Nov. 25-27 at Grand Canyon Arena on the campus of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., and will include the top six eligible teams in the regular-season standings.

WAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 25 (First Round)
Match 1 - No. 6 seed vs. No. 3 seed, 5 p.m.
Match 2 - No. 5 seed vs. No. 4 seed, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 20 (Semifinals)
Match 3 - Winner Match 1 vs. No. 2 seed, 5 p.m.
Match 4 - Winner Match 2 vs. No. 1 seed, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 21 (Championship)
Match 5 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 5 p.m.

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (11-9, 3-3 WAC)
The Roadruuners swept Utah Valley (25-21, 25-18, 25-17) last Thursday and defeated San Jose State in four sets (19-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-21) on Sunday ... Debora Araujo hit .450 with 10 kills against the Wolverines ... Fernanda Gonçalves finished with 36 assists, 14 digs and a career-high six blocks vs. UVU ... The six  block assists are a new CSUB Division I school record for a three-set match ... Against San Jose State, Araujo went for 19 kills and a .368 hitting percentage to go with nine digs ... As a team, Bakersfield leads the WAC in assists (13.38) and kills (14.00), ranks second in service aces (1.31), third in digs (16.22) and fourth in hitting percentage (.208) ... Araujo leads the WAC in kills (3.70) and points (4.13) ... Kelsee Sawyer ranks fourth in the WAC in kills (3.08) and sixth in points (3.46) ... Molly O’Hagan ranks third in the WAC in hitting percentage (.341), sixth in kills (2.95) and seventh in points (3.45) ... The Roadrunners host New Mexico State on Thursday and Texas-Pan American on Saturday.

CHICAGO STATE COUGARS (2-18, 0-6 WAC)
The Cougars fell to New Mexico State (18-25, 16-25, 12-25) last Thursday and lost in five sets to Texas-Pan American (26-24, 24-26, 17-25, 25-19, 12-15) on Saturday ... Against the Broncs, Paula Sioto led the Cougars with a match- and career-high 26 kills ... Mackenzie Lotter had 50 assists, while Julia Menhart and Valeria Desiderio each recorded a team-high 20 digs ... The team posted season highs in kills (62), assists (57) and digs 975) against UTPA ... Sioto, who ranks second in the WAC in kills (3.55) and points (3.96), has recorded double-digit kills in nine of the Cougars’ last 12 matches ... As a team, Chicago State ranks fourth in the league in service aces (1.22) ... Lotter ranks fifth in the WAC in assists per set (8.94) ... Menhart ranks second in the WAC in service aces per set (0.36), while teammate Mia Townsell is third (0.34) in aces and sixth in digs (3.45) ... Chicago State plays at Seattle U on Thursday and at Idaho on Saturday.

GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES (7-10, 1-4 WAC)
The Antelopes fell at Boise State (15-25, 19-25, 20-25) last Monday, then lost to Utah Valley (12-25, 14-25, 22-25) on Saturday ... In the loss to the Broncos, Britta Forsythe led the team with a match-high 10 kills, while Lanie Muys added nine ... In the loss to the Wolverines, Sara Dugan paced Grand Canyon with nine kills and 11 digs, while Mackenzie Phelps had 17 digs ... The winningest coach in program history, Head coach Kris Naber is one win shy of 300 for her career ... As a team, the Antelopes lead the WAC in digs (17.15), rank third in opponent hitting percentage (.181), and fourth in kills (12.29) and assists (11.57) ... The WAC’s active leader in career digs, Phelps has 1,603 on her career and is 127 shy of the program record ... Phelps leads the conference in digs (5.60) ... Kaitlynn Ausmus ranks eighth in the WAC in kills (2.92), while Jessica Posse is seventh in assists (5.69) ... The Antelopes play at Seattle U on Monday in their only match this week.

IDAHO VANDALS  (10-8, 3-3 WAC)
The Vandals fell in four sets at Seattle U (12-25, 21-25, 25-18, 20-25) on Friday in their only match last week ... Ali Forde had career highs with 12 kills and a .303 hitting percentage, while Meredith Coba had her fourth double-double of the season with 35 assists and 10 digs ... Alyssa Schultz leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.383), ranks third in blocks (1.17) and eighth in points (3.36) ... Coba leads the league in assists (10.07), while Jenna Ellis is fifth in digs (3.87) ... Jessica Hastriter ranks fifth in the WAC in kills (3.04) and ninth in hitting percentage (.245), while Taylor Wilkinson is sixth in hitting percentage (.284) ... As a team, the Vandals lead the WAC in hitting percentage (.239), rank second in kills (12.65), third in assists (11.59) and fourth in blocks (2.20) ... In WAC matches only, Idaho ranks third in the WAC in service aces (1.14), and fourth in hitting percentage (.211) and blocks (2.14) ... Idaho hosts Kansas City on Thursday and Chicago State on Saturday.

KANSAS CITY KANGAROOS (10-8, 4-2 WAC)
The ‘Roos swept Texas-Pan American (25-18, 25-11, 25-18) last Thursday and fell in straight sets to New Mexico State (21-25, 22-25, 17-25) on Saturday ... In the win over the Broncs, Sydney Crimmins and Skyler Muff had eight kills each, while Emma Hagedorn had six blocks and Taryn Miller had nine digs ... In the loss to the Aggies, Chloe Jarema led Kansas City with 11 kills, while Miller had 10 digs ... Miller has posted double-digit digs in 16 of 18 matches this season ... The ‘Roos rank second in the nation in blocks (2.99) and 30th in digs (16.37) ... Hagedorn leads the WAC and ranks 11th nationally in blocks (1.41), while Miller is third in the WAC and 36th nationally in digs (4.93) ... Sydney Crimmins ranks fourth in the WAC in points (3.64), fifth in blocks (1.11) and 10th in kills (2.81), while Melissa Hartsel is sixth (1.11) ... As a team, Kansas City leads the WAC in blocks (2.99), and ranks second in opponent hitting percentage (.181), assists (11.67) and digs (16.37)... The ‘Roos play at Idaho on Thursday and at Seattle U on Saturday.

NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (11-8, 6-0 WAC)
The Aggies remained the only unbeaten team in WAC play with road sweeps of Chicago State (25-18, 25-16, 25-12) last Thursday and Kansas City (25-21, 25-22, 25-17) on Saturday ... NM State had five different players average at least 2.00 kills per set in the two wins last week ... The Aggies hit a season-high .486 against the Cougars ... Against Chicago State, Gwen Murphy led all players with 11 kills on .600 hitting ... Desiree Scott finished with 15 kills on a .636 hitting percentage to go along with seven blocks vs. Kansas City ... As a team, the Aggies lead the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.149), rank second in hitting percentage (.210) and blocks (2.51), and third in kills (12.40) ... Scott ranks second in the WAC in hitting percentage (.379) and blocks (1.24), and fifth in points (3.49) ... Stephanie Ziegler ranks seventh in the WAC in digs (3.30), while Lauren Loerch ranks 10th in points (3.26) ... The Aggies play at Bakersfield on Thursday and at Utah Valley on Saturday.

SEATTLE U REDHAWKS (7-14, 4-2 WAC)
The Redhawks defeated Idaho (25-12, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20) on Friday in their only match last week ... Seattle U was down 18-12 in the fourth set before closing out the match on a 13-2 run ... Lani Beadle picked nine of her match-high 23 digs in the fourth set ... Iris Ivanis earned the most kills in a single match by a Redhawk so far this season, collecting a career-high 21 kills on .385 hitting percentage ... Martina Samadan played a full match for the first time since Sept. 2, finishing with 12 kills on .600 hitting ... Ivanis moved into the lead for kills in WAC-only matches (3.71) ... The Redhawks have already matched their conference victory total from the entire 2012 season ... Allison Farley ranks eighth in the WAC in hitting percentage (.265), while Kerry Lane is sixth in assists (8.75) ... Ivanis is seventh in the WAC in service aces (0.30) and ninth in points (3.31), while Beadle is ninth in digs (3.18) ... The Redhawks host Grand Canyon on Monday, Chicago State on Thursday and Kansas City on Saturday.

TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN BRONCS (11-11, 1-5 WAC)
The Broncs fell at Kansas City (18-25, 11-25, 18-25) last Thursday, then defeated Chicago State in five sets (24-26, 26-24, 25-17, 19-25, 15-12) on Saturday for their first-ever WAC victory ... Against the ‘Roos, Alisha Watson had a match-high 10 kills to go along with 10 digs for her first career double-double ... Against the Cougars, Maria Kliefoth had a team-high 15 kills on .387 hitting to go with five blocks ... Haley Durham added 13 kills and five blocks, while Alisha Watson recorded her second-straight double-double with a career-high-tying 13 kills and 13 digs ... Krysta Freitas finished with 11 kills and 12 digs for her third double-double of the season, while Nycole Masaki also doubled up with a match-high 54 assists and 10 digs ... The Broncs now have their winningest season since 2007 (15-18), with at least 11 matches remaining ... UTPA leads the WAC and ranks 43rd nationally with 1.51 service aces per set ... The Broncs play at Utah Valley on Thursday and at Bakersfield on Saturday.

UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES  (11-10, 5-2 WAC)
The Wolverines fell at Bakersfield (21-25, 18-25, 17-25) last Thursday before sweeping Grand Canyon (25-12, 25-14, 25-22) on Saturday ... McKenna Tait had a match-high 21 digs vs. Grand Canyon ... UVU has won nine of its last 11 matches ... Tait leads the WAC in service aces (0.45) and ranks fourth in digs (4.04), while Macky Treanor is third in both points (3.94) and kills (3.46) ... Brookelyn Hall ranks third in the WAC in assists (9.26), while Lauren Stringham is fourth in blocks (1.17) and fifth in hitting percentage (.285) ... As a team, the Wolverines rank third in the conference in hitting percentage (.209), blocks (2.26) and service aces (1.27) ... Utah Valley plays a non-conference match at Utah State on Tuesday, then hosts Texas-Pan American on Thursday and New Mexico State on Saturday ... UVU has won the last three meetings against the Aggies including a come-from-behind victory in Logan on the very day the Wolverines announced they were joining the WAC (Oct. 9, 2012).