GRAND CANYON’S MUYS EARNS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grand Canyon senior middle blocker Lanie Muys has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 16-22. This is the first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor for Muys.
The Orland Park, Ill., native led the Antelopes to a 2-0 record and more than doubled both her season kill average and hitting percentage last week, while tying her career high for kills in both matches. Muys had 11 kills on .526 hitting in a sweep of Arizona Christian last Wednesday and followed it up with 11 kills and a .625 hitting percentage in a three-set win over Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday. Over the two matches, she averaged 3.67 kills on .571 hitting and 4.25 points per set. Muys entered the week averaging 1.54 kills on .143 hitting and 2.42 points per set.
Other nominees included: Idaho’s Katelyn Peterson was named to the all-tournament team at the Cougar Invitational after averaging 3.50 kills, 2.50 digs and 0.5 assists per set ... Sydney Crimmins of Kansas City averaged 3.22 kills, 2.00 digs and 0.56 blocks per set ... New Mexico State’s Desiree Scott averaged 2.83 kills on .328 hitting and 1.08 blocks per set as the Aggies went 2-1 on the week ... Alec Goodrie of Seattle U was named to the all-tournament team at the Cougar Invitational after averaging 2.00 kills on .436 hitting and 0.78 blocks per set ... Texas-Pan American’s Maria Kliefoth averaged 2.80 kills on .520 hitting, 0.60 digs and 0.60 blocks per set ... Lauren Stringham of Utah Valley averaged 2.40 kills on .400 hitting to go along with 1.27 blocks per set as the Wolverines went 4-0 on the week.
THREE WAC PLAYERS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS
The WAC had three players named to all-tournament teams last weekend. Idaho’s Katelyn Peterson and Alyssa Schultz, along with Alec Goodrie of Seattle U, were all named to the all-tournament team at the Cougar Invitational.
WAC STAT LEADERS
Bakersfield leads the WAC in assists (13.74) and kills (14.30), while Grand Canyon is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.159) and digs (16.91). Meanwhile, Idaho is tops in hitting percentage (.253), Kansas City leads the league in blocks (2.99) and Texas-Pan American is tops in service aces (1.72).
Individually, Bakersfield’s Debora Araujo leads the WAC in kills (3.70) and points (4.16), while Chicago State’s Julia Menhart is tops in service aces (0.43). Idaho’s Alyssa Schultz leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.405) and teammate Meredith Coba leads the league in assists (10.45). Kansas City’s Emma Hagedorn leads the WAC in blocks (1.41), while Grand Canyon’s Mackenzie Phelps is tops in digs (5.73).
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.
NEW MEXICO STATE FAVORED IN WAC PRESEASON POLL
The WAC volleyball coaches selected New Mexico State to win the WAC regular-season crown in 2013. The Aggies received seven first-place votes, while Idaho received the other two. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The Aggies earned 62 total points, followed by Idaho with 58. Utah Valley was picked to finish third with 44 points, followed by Seattle U in fourth with 39 points, just ahead of Bakersfield in fifth with 38 and Kansas City in sixth with 35 points. Texas-Pan American, Grand Canyon and Chicago State rounded out the poll with 21, 17 and 10 points, respectively.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Idaho junior middle blocker Alyssa Schultz, who last year ranked second in the league in blocks per set (1.42) and fourth in hitting percentage (.340), was selected as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
Idaho placed the most players on the preseason All-WAC team with three, while Bakersfield, New Mexico State and Utah Valley had two apiece. Joining Schultz on the preseason team are teammates Katelyn Peterson and Taylor Wilkinson, Bakersfield’s Debora Araujo and Fernanda Gonçalves, New Mexico State’s Lauren Loerch and Desiree Scott, Utah Valley’s Brookelyn Hall and Lauren Stringham, Emma Hagedorn of Kansas City, Mackenzie Phelps of Grand Canyon and Martina Samadan of Seattle U.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (7-6, 0-0 WAC)
The Roadruuners went 1-1 at the Baden Classic last Friday, falling at Long Beach State (20-25, 21-25, 13-25) before defeating Prairie View A&M (25-11, 25-12, 25-20) ... On Sunday, Bakersfield fell in four sets (27-25, 23-25, 24-26, 18-25) at UC Davis ... Against the 49ers, two players – Debora Araujo (10 kills, 12 digs) and Fernanda Gonçalves (13 assists, 10 digs) – posted double-doubles ... Kelsee Sawyer led CSUB with a career-high 22 kills and a career-best 14 digs at UC Davis for her first career double-double ... Molly O’Hagan (19 kills) and Mariah Alvidrez (28 digs) also tied career highs at in the match ... Gonçalves had her sixth double-double of the year with 38 assists and 10 digs at UC Davis ... As a team, the Roadrunners lead the WAC in assists (13.74) and kills (14.30), rank second in hitting percentage (.231), and third in both service aces (1.34) and digs (16.36) ... The Roadrunners open WAC play on the road at Seattle U on Thursday and at Idaho on Saturday.
CHICAGO STATE COUGARS (2-11, 0-0 WAC)
The Cougars fell to Western Illinois (13-25, 18-25, 23-25) last Tuesday and to Wright State (19-25, 25-27, 23-25) last Wednesday ... Mia Townsell notched 16 digs in both contests ... The Cougars’ 115 attack attempts against Wright State was a season high for a three-set contest. It was set up by a season-high 51 digs for a three-set match ... Chicago State is averaging 1.31 service aces per set this year, up from last season’s 0.99 ... The Cougars have three players with more than 100 kills on the season – Paula Sioto (146), Valeria Desiderio (110) and Rachel Levitt (107) ... Sioto ranks third in the WAC in kills (3.48) and points (3.88) per set ... Julia Menhart leads the conference in service aces per set (0.43), while Lotter is fifth in assists (8.86) and Townsell is sixth in digs (3.43) ... Chicago State plays at Indiana State on Tuesday, then opens WAC play by hosting Grand Canyon on Saturday and Kansas City on Sunday.
GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES (6-5, 0-0 WAC)
The Antelopes swept Arizona Christian (25-15, 25-9, 25-8) and Louisiana-Monroe (25-20, 25-22, 25-7) last week ... Lanie Muys tied her career high with 11 kills in both matches and committed just two errors in 35 attempts for a .571 hitting percentage ... Against Arizona Christian, Shannon Dugan was just shy of a double-double, finishing with nine kills and 10 digs ... With 35 digs last week, Mackenzie Phelps upped her career mark to 1,480, 260 shy of the school record ... Head coach Kris Naber is two wins away from 300 for her career. In her 19th season as the Antelopes head coach, Naber is 298-248 (.546) ... As a team, Grand Canyon leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.159) and digs (16.91), and ranks second in service aces (1.40) and fourth in assists (11.36) ... Phelps leads the WAC in digs (5.73), while Dugan ranks sixth in kills (3.23) ... The Antelopes host Kansas City on Thursday to open WAC play, then play at Chicago State on Saturday.
IDAHO VANDALS (7-5, 0-0 WAC)
The Vandals went 1-1 at the Cougar Invitational last weekend, falling to host Washington State (22-25, 20-25, 17-25) before sweeping Nevada (25-21, 25-17, 25-23) ... Katelyn Peterson and Alyssa Schultz earned all-tournament team honors. Peterson hit .276 and averaged 3.50 kills and 2.50 digs per set, while Schultz averaged 2.50 kills on .375 hitting to go along with 1.00 blocks ... Idaho hit a season-low .175 at Washington State ... As a team, the Vandals lead the WAC in hitting percentage (.253), and rank second in assists (11.87), kills (13.00) and blocks (2.23) ... Schultz leads the league in hitting percentage (.405), ranks third in blocks (1.15), seventh in points (3.50) and ninth in kills (2.83) ... Meredith Coba leads the WAC in assists (10.45), while Jenna Ellis is fourth in digs (3.85) ... Jessica Hastriter and Peterson rank fourth (3.28) and seventh (2.91), respectively, in kills ... The Vandals host Utah Valley on Thursday and Bakersfield on Saturday to open WAC play.
KANSAS CITY KANGAROOS (6-6, 0-0 WAC)
The ‘Roos defeated Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (25-16, 22-25, 25-20, 25-22) last Tuesday, then fell in five sets (22-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 9-15) at Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday ... Sydney Crimmins recorded her fourth double-double of the season with a career-high 17 kills and 10 digs at SIUE ... Against the Redhawks, Chloe Jarema led the team with 14 kills, while Jessica Hendin posted a double-double of 12 kills and 16 digs ... Kaylyn Brandt also had a double-double of 27 assists and 10 digs, while Taryn Miller led the team with 26 digs ... The ‘Roos rank sixth in the nation blocks (2.99) and 33rd in digs (16.28) ... Emma Hagedorn leads the WAC and ranks 14th nationally in blocks (1.41), while Miller is third in the WAC and 30th nationally in digs (5.00) ... Kansas City ranks second in the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.172) and digs (16.28), and third in assists (11.63) and kills (12.13) ... Crimmins ranks second in the WAC in blocks (1.15), while Melissa Hartsel is fourth (1.09) ... The ‘Roos open WAC play at Grand Canyon on Thursday and at Chicago State on Sunday.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (5-7, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies fell in four sets (25-13, 10-25, 25-20, 23-25, 4-15) to Utah last Thursday, then defeated Hampton (28-26, 25-11, 24-26, 25-22) on Friday and South Dakota State (25-18, 25-18, 25-9) on Saturday ... Against the Utes, Lauren Loerch led the Aggies with 13 kills, while Bradley Nash posted a double-double of 10 kills and 16 digs ... In the win over Hampton, Desiree Scott had a team-high 15 kills, while Taylor Livoti posted a double-double of 16 assists and 13 digs ... Scott had 10 kills against the Jackrabbits, while Bradley Nash posted a match-high 13 digs ... As a team, the Aggies rank third in the WAC in blocks (2.11), and fourth in hitting percentage (.201), opponent hitting percentage (.183) and kills (12.11) ... Scott ranks fourth in the WAC in hitting percentage (.327) and seventh in blocks (1.00), while Loerch ranks 10th in both kills (2.82) and points (3.31) ... The Aggies host New Mexico on Monday, then open WAC play on Saturday at Texas-Pan American.
SEATTLE U REDHAWKS (3-12, 0-0 WAC)
The Redhawks fell in straight sets (23-25, 18-25, 18-25) at Cal State Northridge last Tuesday, then went 1-1 at the Cougar Invitational, first falling to host Washington State (13-25, 15-25, 20-25) before sweeping Nevada (25-12, 25-16, 25-19) to snap an 11-match losing streak ... Against the Matadors, Alec Goodrie hit .636 with seven kills ... Goodrie was named to the all-tournament team of the Cougar Invite after finishing with 11 kills on 28 attempts with only one attack error for a .357 hitting percentage over the two matches ... Iris Ivanis notched the team’s first double-double of the season vs. Wolf Pack, finishing with 12 kills and 11 digs ... Seattle U posted seven service aces in the victory over Nevada ... Allison Farley ranks seventh in the WAC in hitting percentage (.287), while Kerry Lane is sixth in assists (7.82) and Ivanis is 10th in service aces (0.28) ... The Redhawks open WAC play by hosting Bakersfield on Thursday and Utah Valley on Saturday.
TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN BRONCS (10-5, 0-0 WAC)
The Broncs fell at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (14-25, 18-25, 19-25) last Friday, then swept Huston-Tillotson (25-9, 25-10, 25-13) on Saturday ... Texas-Pan American had a season-high 12 service aces against HTU, seven of which came in the first set and four of which came from Krysta Freitas ... The Broncs are tied for the second-best start in program history, and best as an NCAA Division I program. The 1996 Broncs were also 10-5 after 15 matches. The 1973 Broncs, who played under the umbrella of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, started 13-2 ... UTPA has as many wins as it had last season, with at least 18 matches remaining ... The Broncs’ next win will give them their winningest season since 2007 (15-18) ... UTPA already has as many home wins (two) as it did in each of the last two seasons. The Broncs won four home matches in 2010 ... The Broncs play at Texas Southern on Monday, then open WAC play by hosting New Mexico State on Saturday.
UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES (6-8, 0-0 WAC)
The Wolverines snapped a six-match losing streak with a sweep (25-17, 25-17, 25-19) of Weber State last Tuesday, then won the Air Force Invitational last weekend with wins over UC Riverside (25-23, 25-17, 25-23), Wyoming (25-16, 25-17, 21-25, 25-17) and the host Falcons (18-25, 25-18, 25-19, 18-25, 15-3) ... Against Weber State, Kalani Norris had 15 kills on .481 hitting, while Macky Treanor added 12 kills on a .407 clip ... Against UC Riverside, Lauren Stringham hit .833 with 10 kills ... Stringham posted her first-ever double-double against Air Force, finishing with a career-high 13 kills and 11 blocks ... As a team, the Wolverines rank third in the WAC in hitting percentage (.205) ... Treanor ranks second in the WAC in both kills (3.55) and points (4.05), while Brookelyn Hall is second in assists (9.33) ... McKenna Tait is second in service aces (0.37) and fifth in digs (3.61) ... Utah Valley plays at Idaho on Thursday and at Seattle U on Saturday to open WAC play.