NEW MEXICO STATE’S SCOTT NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State senior middle hitter Desiree Scott has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 11-17. This is her second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and of her career.
The Tucson, Ariz., native led the Aggies to a win over rival UTEP with a rare kills-blocks double-double, the first double-double of her career. Scott posted 11 kills and 11 blocks, including seven solo, in New Mexico State’s four-set win over UTEP. For the week, Scott averaged WAC bests of 5.00 points and 2.75 blocks to go along with 2.75 kills on .348 hitting.
Other nominees included: Bakersfield’s Fernanda Gonçalves averaged 9.44 assists, 2.56 digs, 0.78 kills and 0.78 blocks ... Hannah Hankins of Grand Canyon averaged 2.30 kills on .417 hitting, 0.7 digs and 0.7 blocks in the Antelopes’ win over Texas-Pan American ... Idaho’s Alyssa Schultz averaged 2.25 kills on .500 hitting and 1.62 blocks per set as the Vandals went 2-0 on the week ... Taryn Miller of Kansas City averaged a WAC-best 6.75 digs to go along with 1.62 assists as the Kangaroos went 1-1 on the week ... Texas-Pan American’s Haley Durham averaged 3.33 kills on .500 hitting last week ... Lauren Stringham of Utah Valley averaged 2.20 kills on .429 hitting and 2.00 blocks per set as the Wolverines fell to Bakersfield.
WAC STAT LEADERS
Bakersfield leads the WAC in assists (13.28) and kills (13.96), while Idaho is tops in hitting percentage (.246) and New Mexico State leads the league in opponent hitting percentage (.142). Meanwhile, Kansas City leads the league in blocks (2.88), Texas-Pan American is tops in service aces (1.46) and Grand Canyon leads the league in digs (17.34).
Individually, Bakersfield’s Debora Araujo leads the WAC in kills (3.83) and points (4.33), while teammate Fernanda Gonçalves leads the league in assists (10.17). Idaho’s Alyssa Schultz leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.377) and Utah Valley’s McKenna Tait is tops in service aces (0.45). Kansas City’s Emma Hagedorn leads the WAC in blocks (1.34), while Grand Canyon’s Mackenzie Phelps is tops in digs (5.52).
In WAC matches only, New Mexico State leads the league in hitting percentage (.266), opponent hitting percentage (.108) and blocks (2.92). Bakersfield is tops in assists (13.04), kills (13.76) and service aces (1.56), while Grand Canyon is tops in digs (18.00).
Individually in WAC matches only, New Mexico State’s Gwen Murphy leads the conference in hitting percentage (.478), while Bakersfield’s Araujo is tops in both kills (3.85) and points (4.40). Gonçalves leads the league in assists (11.39), while Tait is tops in service aces (0.52). Utah Valley’s Lauren Stringham is tops in blocks (1.57), while Phelps leads the WAC in digs (5.34).
WOLVERINES’ TAIT BREAKS SCHOOL CAREER SERVICE ACES RECORD
Utah Valley junior libero McKenna Tait, who currently leads the WAC in both service aces (52) and service aces per set (0.45), broke the program Division I record for career service aces in the Wolverines’ loss to Bakersfield on Nov. 16. Tait now has 140 aces on her career.
KANSAS CITY’S HAGEDORN SETS BLOCK ASSISTS RECORD
Kansas City sophomore middle blocker Emma Hagedorn set the program single-season record for block assists with 127, surpassing Julie Mohrfeld, who had 116 in 1999. Hagedorn also ranks second in total blocks in a season with 143, just nine behind Staci Schumacher who had 154 in 1992.
GRAND CANYON’S PHELPS BECOMES ALL-TIME DIGS LEADER
With 28 digs at Utah Valley on Nov. 7, Grand Canyon junior libero Mackenzie Phelps became the all-time program leader in digs, surpassing the previous record of 1,730 set by Laurann Durbin (2008-11). Phelps now has 1,780 career digs.
GRAND CANYON’S NABER PICKS UP 300TH CAREER VICTORY
With her team’s win over Texas-Pan American on Oct. 21, Grand Canyon head coach Kris Naber picked up her 300th career victory. The winningest coach in program history, Naber is now 302-260 (.537) over 19 years.
UTAH VALLEY’S HALL BECOMES ALL-TIME ASSISTS LEADER
Utah Valley senior setter Brookelyn Hall became the program’s all-time assist leader in the first set against Kansas City on Nov. 2, surpassing assistant coach Lacee Jones for the top spot. Hall now has 4,226 assists in her four years as a Wolverine.
GCU’S PHELPS BREAKS WAC RECORD FOR DIGS IN A MATCH
In a 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 include admission to 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. 26 (Semifinals)
Match 3 - Winner Match 1 vs. No. 2 seed, 5 p.m.
Match 4 - Winner Match 2 vs. No. 1 New Mexico State, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 27 (Championship)
Match 5 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 5 p.m.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (18-11, 10-4 WAC)
The Roadruuners fell to Loyola Marymount (16-25, 18-25, 25-23, 13-25) last Thursday, then defeated Utah Valley in five sets (9-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-20, 16-14) on Saturday ... Against the Lions, Debora Araujo had 17 kills and eight digs, while Kelsee Sawyer and Molly O’Hagan added 10 kills each ... Fernanda Gonçalves finished with 35 assists and 11 digs ... Against the Wolverines, Araujo led all players with 16 kills, while Shayna Guitare added 12 kills, and O’Hagan added 11 kills and eight blocks ... Gonçalves posted her WAC-leading 13th double-double of the season with 50 assists and 12 digs ... Alvidrez had three aces and a match-high 21 digs ... As a team, Bakersfield ranks 22nd nationally in assists (13.28) and 34th in kills (13.96) ... Alvidrez ranks second in the WAC and 35th nationally in digs (4.99) ... The Roadrunners play at Grand Canyon on Monday and at Texas-Pan American on Wednesday ... Should Bakersfield win both matches, it will be the No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament.
CHICAGO STATE COUGARS (2-29, 0-16 WAC)
The Cougars closed out the season with losses to Idaho (25-18, 19-25, 20-25, 16-25) and Seattle U (13-25, 25-27, 25-22, 17-25) ... Against the Vandals, Paula Sioto had a match-high 21 kills, while Valeria Desiderio had a double-double of 11 kills and 11 digs and Julia Menhart had a match-high 17 digs ... Against the Redhawks, Desiderio had 15 kills, while Sioto added 14 ... Mackenzie Lotter finished with 36 assists and Menhart had a match-high 22 digs ... Sioto, who ranks second in the WAC in kills (3.66) and points (4.08), recorded double-digit kills in 16 of the Cougars’ last 20 matches ... Lotter ranks sixth in the conference in assists (9.06) ... Menhart ranks fifth in the WAC in service aces (0.30) and ninth in digs (3.16), while Mia Townsell is seventh in service aces (0.27) and 10th in digs (2.93) ... Sioto’s 392 kills this season were the most since Stacey Cole had 402 kills in 2003 ... The 20 sets won by the Cougars this season are the most since the 2007 season.
GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES (10-17, 4-10 WAC)
The Antelopes swept Texas Pan-American (25-23, 25-21, 25-15) last Friday in their only match of the week ... Shannon Dugan led Grand Canyon with 10 kills, while Hayleigh Friemoth added nine kills and 11 digs ... Hannah Hankins had seven kills, one shy of her career high, while Jessica Posse dished out 19 assists and Mackenzie Phelps had a match-high 15 digs ... Phelps, who broke the program’s career dig mark earlier this month at Utah Valley, is 20 digs shy of 1,800 digs for her career ... Phelps leads the league in digs (5.52), while Kaitlynn Ausmus ranks ninth in kills (2.59) ... As a team, Grand Canyon leads the conference in digs (17.34) and ranks fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.194) ... The Antelopes host Bakersfield on Monday, Idaho on Thursday, Abilene Christian on Friday and Incarnate Word on Saturday to close out the season ... Grand Canyon will host next week’s WAC Tournament, despite not being eligible to participate.
IDAHO VANDALS (17-10, 10-5 WAC)
The Vandals defeated Chicago State (18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-16) last Thursday and Kansas City (25-20, 25-20, 19-25, 25-22) on Saturday ... Against the Cougars, Jessica Hastriter led Idaho with 13 kills, while Ali Forde had 12 ... Alyssa Schultz finished with 11 kills and Taylor Wilkinson had 10 ... Meredith Coba posted a double-double of 45 assists and 12 digs ... Against the Kangaroos, Forde tallied a career-high 15 kills, while Ashley Christman added 10 ... Coba had 45 assists, while Schultz posted nine blocks and Jenna Ellis had 19 digs ... Idaho leads the league in hitting percentage (.246), ranks third in kills (12.54), and fourth in assists (11.50), blocks (2.38) and service aces (1.27) ... Schultz leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.377), ranks fourth in blocks (1.18) and 10th in points (3.22) ... Coba ranks second in the league in assists (10.08) ... Idaho plays at Grand Canyon on Thursday in its final regular-season match ... The Vandals can be either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the WAC Tournament.
KANSAS CITY KANGAROOS (15-13, 9-7 WAC)
The Kangaroos defeated Seattle U (25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 25-16) last Thursday and fell to Idaho (20-25, 20-25, 25-19, 22-25) on Saturday ... Against the Redhawks, Sydney Crimmins led the ‘Roos with 14 kills, while Jessica Hendin added 11 ... Taryn Mill had a match-high 30 digs, while Emma Hagedorn finished with seven blocks ... Against the Vandals, Hendin had 15 kills, Taylor Buhrow and Hagedorn added 12 kills each, and Chloe Jarema finished with 11 ... Kaylyn Brandt posted a double-double of 26 assists and 13 digs, while Miller had a match-high 24 digs ... Miller’s 526 digs this season rank as the fifth-most in school history, while her 1,066 career digs rank sixth ... The ‘Roos rank 10th in the nation in blocks (2.88) and 42nd in digs (16.33) ... Hagedorn leads the WAC and ranks 30th nationally in blocks (1.34) ... Hagedorn’s 143 total blocks this season ranks second all-time at UMKC ... The ‘Roos have qualified for the WAC Tournament and will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, depending on the remaining regular-season results.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (19-10, 13-2 WAC)
The Aggies defeated UTEP (21-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-19) last Tuesday in their only match of the week ... Lauren Loerch led a group of four Aggies in double-digit kills with 14 on .542 hitting, followed by Gwen Murphy with 12, and Desiree Scott and Bradley Nash with 11 apiece ... Scott and Nash both posted double-doubles, as Scott also had 11 blocks and Nash had 14 digs ... Jordan Reifsteck had a match-high 21 digs ... NM State has clinched the WAC regular-season title and the top seed in the WAC Tournament ... The Aggies lead the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.142), rank second in hitting percentage (.226), assists (11.90), kills (12.94) and blocks (2.55), and fourth in digs (14.25) ... Scott ranks second in the WAC in hitting percentage (.358), third in blocks (1.28) and points (3.48), and 10th in kills (2.58) ... Nationally, the Aggies rank 50th as a team and Scott is 44th individually in blocks ... New Mexico State hosts Utah Valley on Thursday to close out the regular season.
SEATTLE U REDHAWKS (12-19, 9-7 WAC)
The Redhawks fell in four sets at Kansas City (17-25, 25-21, 18-25, 16-25) last Thursday, then defeated Chicago State (25-13, 27-25, 22-25, 25-17) on Saturday ... Against the ‘Roos, Sarah Jaeckel had a double-double of 14 kills and 11 digs, while Martina Samadan had 10 kills, and Kerry Lane added 41 assists and nine digs ... Against the Cougars, Matea Mamic had 15 kills, while Samadan added 11 ... Lane dished out 40 assists, while Lani Beadle had a team-high 13 digs and Stephanie Stoll had 10 blocks ... With five blocks last week, Allison Farley moved into a tie for third place on Seattle U’s all-time blocks list with 297 ... Lane is just seven assists away from becoming the fifth player in Redhawk history to reach the 1,000-assist mark in a single season ... Iris Ivanis ranks fourth in the WAC in kills (3.00) and points (3.44), and sixth in service aces (0.27) ... The Redhawks have qualified for the WAC Tournament and will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, depending on the remaining regular-season results.
TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN BRONCS (13-19, 2-13 WAC)
The Broncs fell in straight sets at Grand Canyon (23-25, 21-25, 15-25) last Friday in their only match of the week ... Krysta Freitas and Haley Durham tied for the match high with 10 kills apiece ... Durham hit .500 on the match. It was just the third time this season that she hit .500 or better ... Nycole Masaki finished with 26 assists and 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the year ... As a team, UTPA leads the WAC and ranks 50th nationally in service aces (1.50) ... Masaki ranks second in the WAC in service aces per set (0.32), while Freitas is third (0.30) ... Maria Kliefoth ranks seventh in the WAC in hitting percentage (.278), while Nausheen Merchant is seventh in digs (3.23) ... The Broncs rank second in the WAC in average attendance (648) and third in the conference in total attendance (6,478) ... The 13 wins this season are the most since the Broncs had 15 victories in 2007 ... UTPA hosts Bakersfield on Wednesday to close out the season.
UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES (18-13, 11-4 WAC)
The Wolverines fell in five sets to Bakersfield (25-9, 23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 14-16) last Saturday ... Cassie Wahlin had a career-high 15 kills, while Lauren Stringham posted her third double-double of the season with 11 kills and 10 blocks ... McKenna Tait had 17 digs and four service aces on the match to become the Wolverines’ Division I career leader in aces with 140 ... Tait leads the WAC and ranks 15th nationally with 0.45 service aces a set ... Stringham ranks second in the WAC and 32nd nationally with 1.32 bocks per set ... As a team, the Wolverines rank third in the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.187), blocks (2.44) and aces (1.28), and fourth in hitting percentage (.218) and kills (12.42) ... Utah Valley plays at New Mexico State on Thursday to close out the regular season ... The Wolverines could be the No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the WAC Tournament depending on what happens in the remaining matches this week.